What happened to the Manila Baywalk?

[smb]

What happened to the Manila Bay Walk?

I may be wrong but, as I understand it; Mayor Alfredo Lim had an old City of Manila ordinance enforced - which effectively closed the place down. The law in question basically forbids the consumption of alcohol in any open-air space in Manila...

People used to go to the Baywalk for the holiday-like atmosphere and to be able to eat really good food at economical prices. Whilst enjoying the sunset, they could also take their choice of any number of excellent bands, comedy acts and other live acts - mostly provided by Filipino entertainers in-between bookings for overseas contracts in places like Japan and aboard cruise ships, or whatever...

Anyway, take away the cold San Miguel Beer - and you are not going to get a lot of people wanting to dine out and watch a live band with just a glass of water to wash the food down. No alcohol. Very few punters. Place effectively dead within a matter of days...

As to the reason why Mayor Lim choose to use an old city ordinance to close the Baywalk - whilst turning a completely blind eye to all the merry beer consumption that goes on in the streets of Malate, (also in the City of Manila) - well... like I said... only he can answer that one.

I have my own theories and of course, these are only personal opinions...

One reason might be politics? Mayor Lim seems to have done his best to remove as many traces of his predecessor's fine works as possible. (Another example was the vandalizing of one and a half million pesos worth of pedestrian walkway in Avenida Rizal...)

I also heard a rumor that Mayor Lim was upset by so many gorgeous young Flipina lady singers showing a little too much thigh and belly button whilst performing on stage with their bands. Damn! Is there something wrong with looking good and a little bit sexy???!!!

And, bare in mind, Mayor Lim had a damn good attempt at turning Ermita into a ghost town when he had most, if not all of the 'girlie bars" there closed down during his previous tenure in office as the Mayor of the City of Manila.

Meanwhile, all the "mga baklat" (lady-boys) in Malate were - and still are - free to carry-on as they always have done...!!