Quezon City, appreciating to the times

A room to rent in a Quezon City apartment in the vicinity of Quezon City Hall, sharing with another, is five thousand pesos a month (Php5,000.00). One’s roommate could be a student at any nearby university or chances are, an employee at the City Hall or the Philippine Heart Center. A room such as this would give an elbow space of 15 square meters.

In comparison, an apartment to rent in the village where I live costs twenty-two thousand pesos (Php22,000.00) a month with two bedrooms, two toilet & baths, a maid’s room and space for a car in the common area. The townhouse where I came from a little over 2 years ago was only thirteen thousand pesos (Php13,000.00) a month and it was huge with the same features as the apartment nearby. The location of the townhouse, behind IBC 13 is fast developing. Last time I looked there were townhouses being built in clusters surrounding the area opposite of an Ayala subdivision, where a square meter is being sold at Php25,000.00 in pre-developed phase.

I would hazard a guess why such rent is expensive in the village where I’m staying. It’s close to civilization, as if Quezon City Hall or the Quezon City Hall of Justice is the center of what makes life ticks, and I’m not fleecing this either. If you’re a lawyer, or someone trying to be one, you can practically camp at the doorstep of judges and not be surprised if a hearing has been postponed, deferred or derailed.

There’s even a new Starbucks branch that opened on Matalino Street, at the façade of an apartment building, a stone’s throw away from the Quezon City Hall of Justice, if you want your coffee more upscale than McDo’s or KFC’s. I’d always give my name as enviable as Ara Mina when a Starbucks barista asks and it never fails to generate a chuckle. Sometimes, I’d be there 3 days in a row. Sometimes, up a tree overlooking and having conversation, talking flashback and future tense.