Should Manila remain the capital of the Philippines?

Should Manila remain the capital of the Philippines?

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has filed a bill to create a commission that will study whether Manila and the National Capital Region should be retained as the seat of government.

Trillanes said “lack of urban planning as manifested by antiquated drainage systems, traffic gridlocks, hazardous air quality, and compounded by the proliferation of illegal settlers make Metro Manila a place with only little space for development.”

Because of those problems, the senator said “Metro Manila is a capital which could hardly stand proud in the ranks of national capitals throughout the world.”

Trillanes said it is time to rethink whether the capital and seat of government should be moved somewhere else.

In 2012, Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Francis Tolentino floated an idea to move the capital. He said countries like Brazil and Malaysia created cities that would serve as the centers of their government. He was referring to Brasilia and Putrajaya respectively.

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Front page photo: Anton Zelenov