By Rex Catubig

 

ARELLANO-Bani was not always bustling. In the past, it was merely the route that led to Bonuan Catacdang and onwards.

In the ‘70s, aside from the honky tonky joints, the only identifiable establishment in the area was the Dawel seafood restaurant, whose name derived from the Dawel Bailey bridge, and grew out of the foundation like mollusk.

But when Talipapas, makeshift thatched roof dwellings in Tondaligan, started serving cook-to-order food:  bangus, barbeque, even fried eggs and corned beef, they became a popular down-to-earth novelty diner. Eventually, Dawel’s dazzle fizzled, until it was gone.

But the ‘80s and ‘90s marked the ascendance of Arellano-Bani as party headquarters. Providing alternative entertainment to Downtown’s venerable JG’s and Joan’s, and the nearby MacAdore Electra Disco, the place boomed with dance clubs and bars. In addition to the pioneer Reycal, neon signs of night spots outshone one another: Andrea’s, Big Box, Time Machine, Marisse and high-end bars Touch Of Jazz and Friends. And who could miss the iconic Alimango restaurant and Disco that lorded over the landscape? Not to mention Pedrito’s and Giorgio’s, a stone’s throw from the Region 1 Hospital. But the pioneer pizza place, the Horizon, was the undisputed queen of all, where everyone who’s someone held court.

Across the “Trafik” where Arellano starts off as MH del Pilar, you could not miss the beeline for the popular Ups Disco, alongside the uppity Venue Bar by the Pantranco compound entrance. And across the street was hoi polloi’s Padi’s Point.

To complement the night-time activity, daytime was given a lease on life by the master stroke of business mogul Cesar Duque who acquired UPang, and converted the frontage of the school into commercial units.

But over time, these trendy and crowd-drawing establishments vanished one after another. The much-maligned road elevation was not yet even a mischievous gleam in DWPH contractors’ eyes then. Yet they faded away and were gone in no time, with nothing to pin the blame on.

Eventually, the building of the Nepo Mall and the rise of the UDD paved the way for Arellano-Bani to regain its vitality. And Arellano-Bani rebuilt itself.

It is evident that the coming and going, the ebb and flow of life and business along Arellano-Bani as well as in similar places, is a cyclical occurrence not attributable to a single factor. While doomsayers are quick to proclaim that Arellano-Bani is officially dead owing to the road elevation, it does not explain the going-out-of-business prior to this pinpointed cause. It may have precipitated the closures, but could it be presumed as well that the road elevation could likewise hasten Arellano-Bani’s transformation? I’m emboldened to speculate that it could lead to its reinvention, rediscovery, and resurrection.

These closures, hyperbolically described as death knell, can be seen as a natural outgrowing of the business topography. And I venture to hypothesize that just like the flood that is blamed for its alleged drowning, the phenomenon of business evacuation is the flow of business seeking its own level of productivity. Else, how explain that similar businesses are finding their fertile turf in otherwise remote or less trodden locations? For the Arellano MacDonald that closed shop, several others have opened elsewhere. And while the boarding up of Jollibee’s junction flagship provoked doom predictions, new branches have actually opened. In fact, a Jollibee will soon rise on Burgos St. Also, even before 7/11 closed, other convenience stores had staked their claim in the vicinity.

And far from the death wish of some, downtown Dagupan is not terminally ill. It is in fact putting on new clothes.

On closer look, these doomsday scenarios are symptomatic of the city’s need to expand and extend its boundaries. They’re growing up pains, because the city cannot confine itself to the old parameters of “downtown”. It must break loose and spread its wings, so to speak.  That is the natural way to progress. The city must evolve.

Confronted by a flood-prone city, we are quick to condemn it, ready to give it up as a lost cause. But the flood is an eye-opener in an odd destructive way. Like an egg, we are being jarred and jolted by a life that seeks to break out of its restrictive shell, to the extent that our comfort is compromised.

But we must look beyond the discomfort and displacement, set aside loathsome blaming, and put our heads together to figure out ways to combat the calamity or at least alleviate it.

The bigger problem we face is being arrogant and behaving as if we can beat nature at its own game. It is prudent to face up to our limitations, and in the long arduous interim, create rational battle plans devoid of paranoia and based on facts carved on stone.

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