Let's Go to the Mall
Robinson’s Place Manila (Ermita) will always hold a special place in my heart. It has witnessed many a milestone in my life since 2001. I cannot say, though, that it is my second home. Allow me then to explain.
I am an alumna of the University of the Philippines Manila; the College of Arts and Sciences of which is located in Padre Faura St., less than a block away from Robinson’s Place Manila’s entrance. After graduation, I landed my first project-based job in Unilever, with its main offices still in Manila. I moved on to a three-year stint in a non-profit back in Las Pinas where I live. Four years ago, I then began my post as the Communications Coordinator in De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde that I hold until now.
In my first year in UP Manila, I learned that students in DLSU called the mall “RP” and we called it “Robs,” that alone was a disparity in cultures. More so since both DLSU and UP Manila have an Organizational Communication program.
‘Robs’ as I will call Robinson’s Place Manila from hereon have seen my different personas as I grew up throughout the years. I spoke more Filipino when I was a student when buying clothes, school supplies, and what have you. I wore my standard straight-cut jeans, loose shirt, and sneakers with a big backpack. The salespeople think I am always looking for budget buys, budget meals, and do not seem to take me seriously. Years later, I am in corporate attire complete with black tights, conservative pumps, and killer makeup. Then, the same familiar faces are suddenly paying more attention, especially since I have started talking in straight English. They know. I have purchasing power now. The ‘Robs’ I knew then like the palm of my hand is so different now. It used to cater to us, “the masses,” I felt I was part of when I was still an Iska. Currently, it has a brand new Midtown Wing, on the Adriatico side stretching out to the Pedro Gil side, that we call the “Narnia Wing” because the design and architecture is so detached from the original structure it is as if you were stepping into a different world altogether. I would say this is an attempt to make it more high end to cater to the growing population of foreigners and OFW ‘balikbayans.’
The old structure is very straightforward. The mall corridor went straight from the Padre Faura wing to the Pedro Gil wing, crossing in between the Adriatico Wing. However, this new encompassing layout seems to mirror the shiny glass and steel of Ayala’s Greenbelt 5. Well, almost.
Moreover, I would assume that by incorporating more global brands, the owners are trying to remove the stigma of Robinson’s Place Manila as a venue where prostitutes and consequent interested parties would meet. This alleged stigma offended my higher-than-thou sensibilities when I was much younger and I tried my best to avoid certain hotspots; usually situated in some of the coffee shops in the ground floor. Oddly enough, the last time I was there to watch a movie; that whole string of coffee shops and restaurants is now under renovation. Most of the mall now is under renovation.
I now enter that mall more akin to a tourist now. I am confused with the layout and I am not familiar with the ins and outs of this place that used to be one of the few places where I know exactly who I am, what I want to get from the experience, and how I plan to go through my stay there. Even the “mall-goers” are scattered. They do not seem to follow Fiske’s set-up at all. Maybe this is a parallel to real life and how it relates to popular culture. It is ever dynamic and evolving.
