The morning commute is anything but glamorous. Labyrinthine queues at the MRT, inadequate displays of body friction, and the gray ooze of toxic air pollution. Filipinos live out their own fifty shades of gray every morning. In the drab and colorless city, even a single splotch of paint can enliven the lifeless exodus to work. Picture the Davies and Boysen paint displays under the Buendia flyover. Even if they’re ads for paint, these art pieces are eye candy for commuters.
That’s just EDSA, the main thoroughfare of this arduous exodus. Being cities, Makati and Taguig have more flexibility in brightening up their cities. Taguig is visibly greener and more architecturally artistic with the bright foliage, the multitude of parks, and the odd building here and there. Makati, however, is a spartan business district. The city is plagued with cookie-cutter buildings and parking lots. While Makati does a good job of separating the urban jungle and suburbia, finding the aesthetic appeal of working in Makati is difficult.
In 2012, Ayala Land Inc. launched the 6-year ‘Make It Happen, Make It Makati’ campaign, which aims to strengthen Makati’s status as a hub for lifestyle and culture. Part of this campaign is making the city’s streets friendly for pedestrians.
MaCEA (Makati Commercial Estate Association) is adding to that campaign by splashing some color in underground Makati. Last week, they unveiled a set of murals adorning the ceilings of Makati’s underpass system. The underpass murals started last year in Sedeno and Legazpi which received positive responses. Since then, sponsors came to support this movement to make daily commutes a more colorful experience. Shell, Nestlé, Security Bank, and RCBC have unveiled their respective sponsored murals in four different underpasses around Makati.
Shell
Shell’s mural is located in the Salcedo underpass. The mural’s theme is ‘uplifting lives in Makati.’ Through their colorful art piece, Shell showcases the different ways their drive for clean and efficient fuel production brings prosperity to the Philippine society, such as providing people with jobs and contributing to a cleaner environment.
Nestlé
Nestlé’s mural is located in the Sedeno underpass, featuring KitKat. The mural is designed using patterns of “breakers” resting on shapes of different colors. There is no single orientation that the mural can be viewed at. The different orientations is intentional so commuters can be appreciated from any angle. Clearly, the mural’s message is for Makati employees to have a break.
Security Bank
Security Bank’s mural is located in the Paseo de Roxas underpass. The mural’s scientific style delivers a message of progress and a brighter future built by Security Bank’s dedication to provide sustainability and scholarship for others. Students are shown reaching for their dreams, symbolized by computers, stethoscopes, microscopes, and books.
RCBC
Finally, RCBC’s mural is located in the Rufino underpass. The mural’s green design showcases RCBC’s drive for economic and ecological growth. RCBC’s objective is to bridge community gaps and provide the building blocks for development. The mural shows the interconnectedness of different communities interacting with one another in one space.
