Getting to Tandang Sora from Quirino Ave Quickly

Trike queue along Road 20 near McDonald's and Short Horn.

It takes only 2 tricycle rides to get to Tandang Sora from Quirino Avenue. Then, from Tandang Sora, it's easy traveling to UP Diliman, Fairview, or C5 to the south. Imagine bypassing traffic along EDSA in Balintawak and Munoz! And that's only for P50 for the two trips. If you have a car, it's only about 10 to 15 minutes. While trekking through EDSA past Balintawak and Munoz may take you almost 2 hours getting to UP Diliman or Fairview. Even worse if you commute. See why I love Project 8?

Moreover, you suffer less air pollution, noise, and unruly crowds. Trike drivers are mostly friendly and townsfolk in Project 8 are mostly helpful, if you ever get lost. Then there are alternative routes for emergencies. If you should get stuck for hours at Short Horn corner Road 20 [which is unlikely], you can always take a jeep to Munoz. Or else, take a jeep to General Avenue and get off at Tandang Sora, the last public jeep destination anyway. Better yet, just get off and walk to cross Short Horn and just take a trike ride to Tandang Sora or Mindanao Avenue.

I usually took a bus along EDSA going to Camachile to reach Baesa, and that took me about 30 minutes or more plus traffic and the discomfort of having to wait for a bus and probably stand up in it when all seats are taken. But when I discovered the route via Road 20, it was a big wonder. From our street corner, all I needed to do was take one trike ride to Quirino Avenue and end up in Baesa at once. How long did that take? About 3 to 4 minutes of sitting comfortably in the trike--no standing room--and no waiting for a long period for a bus.

That's why I love Project 8.

Why Live in Project 8?

Probably unknown to many, lots of people want to transfer residence to Project 8. I've had lots of folks contact me to inquire about some lots for sale here. They wanted a place safe from floods and they had been looking everywhere, to no avail. And then they saw Project 8. Most places here proved safe during the Ondoy floods. And the areas that did suffer a bit immediately had their waters gone in a matter of minutes.

Second to being flood-resistant [due to its high ground level], folks love its strategic location.We have easy access to any point of the metropolis. In fact, we're surrounded by main routes known for their wide lanes and relatively lesser traffic volumes. There's Congressional Avenue and Mindanao Avenue connected by Road 20 which also extends to Quirino Avenue. Tandang Sora easily brings you to Luzon Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue. And transportation is likewise easily available.

Hospitals are all around us, and it's easy going to Capitol Medical Center, St. Agnes, and even Heart and Lung Center. With groceries, Pure Gold outlets are along Mindanao Avenue and Tandang Sora Road, while SM Save More is easily reachable on foot at the Super Palengke along Grants and Benefits Street. For folks living north of Project 8, there's Norimart along General Avenue, while Short Horn has two medium-size groceries plus Mercury Drug with its popular shopping section and Seven-Eleven. And it's just a 15-minute ride to SM North if you take a public jeep or UV van from Road 20 corner Mindanao Avenue.

Talking about schools, Project 8 has several quality schools and colleges, one of which is AMA, famous for its IT and programming courses. Then there's the pioneer school, St. Patrick School along General Avenue which started in 1968, GSIS High School, Village Montessori, Glendale, and several smaller ones. St. James along Mindanao may also be considered. And if you're looking for the nearest wet market, try Super Palengke or go direct to Munoz along EDSA. With restaurants, try Aling Leoning's or McDonald's, both along Short Horn. Or try the small but recommendable eateries around, like Laura's Sisig along General Avenue or those along Short Horn Road.

With Project 8, it's like SM--we've got it all for you. You don't have to go far to find basic needs. And going around the whole area is easily done with the availability of public jeeps, tricycles, buses, and UV vans. No wonder people are always alert for available real property for sale here.

Mindanao Ave to NLEX: Better Alternative Route

Have you tried the Mindanao Avenue shortcut route to NLEX? If you hate the incredible traffic at the Balintawak and Camachile area going to NLEX, you can always try the new Mindanao-Ave-to-NLEX route. You get less traffic shorter waiting line at the tollgate, and definitely better, greener, and fresher sceneries. And the pavement saves your car wear and tear.

On your way to Mindanao Ave-NLEX, you pass by several gas stations, so no problem with gas refilling, tire checks, and overall checks before you proceed to where the real action is, NLEX. You also pass by banks with ATMs for your quick cash needs. Somewhere near the area are also grocery outlets, eateries, fastfood, and a Mercury Drug branch on Congressional Avenue corner Mindanao. You may also drop by near Cherry Fooderama and Circle-C for quick shopping or quality dinners.

Especially during summer outings to the north, you may opt to try this shortcut route to NLEX where you end up way past the Valenzuela Exit, just a few minutes to the Tabang Exit.

So, from Munoz, you simply make a right turn to Congressional Avenue and go through Project 8. Turn left to Mindanao and about 500 meters farther you see the left turn to Mindana NLEX.

Remember the Machine Shop at the Corner?

I often remember the machine shop that used to occupy the corner spot of Short Horn and Road 20, on the side of Giron Air Rifles which is also a pioneer in the area. Motorists and those with special metal work concerns went to that shop for tailored tools or accessories of steel. It's now replaced by a McDonald's outlet.

Short Horn corner Road 20 is a popular spot in Project 8. It's the intersection with a traffic light and takes you to different parts of the city. Coming from Congressional Avenue, turning left at the intersection takes you to Quirino Avenue and NLEX. Turning right takes you to North Avenue where you may opt to go all the way to the south of Metro Manila. It's a busy corner in town, but years back it used to be an ordinary street corner where we safely crossed with our bikes.

I can remember back in the 70s when the surroundings of that intersection were still free from obstructions. The spot was actually a hill overlooking a valley below which was a vast sprawling vacant lot of weeds. It's not like that anymore today because of the houses and buildings that block the view. Moreover, behind them are subdivision houses. Road 20 going to Mindanao Avenue wasn't yet "Road 20" then. It was a dead-end dirt road abruptly cut short and led to nowhere. If you ventured beyond its dead end you'd find a vast grazing field where goats abounded and a patch of thick forest on one side. If you go further, you'd end up at an abruptly cut road that passes by Personnel Street and which led to Ofelia Village--and also end up with muddy feet and probably scratches on your arms from thorny wild bushes.

Today, Short Horn and Road 20 and its immediate vicinity is a growing commercial hub where you can do your quick emergency shopping if you need to buy wet market and grocery items pronto, as well as for entertainment, gym, pharmaceutical and salon needs.

Changing Scenery

Old, familiar edifices and landmarks are gone and in their stead are rising townhouses and businesses. Project 8 is becoming a multi-level residential and commercial area, which is welcome progress, at the same time that the transformation seems to wreck its old dear image of a traditional hometown community.

I can remember when Short Horn Road, the main route running right in the middle of Project 8, was lined up with pure residences. By the early 70s, some of them were already renovated, but many still had the housing project character. There was even an abandoned mysterious house along the road that was said to be inhabited by spirits, and which I wrote a book on. It's now a car wash outlet.

Anyway, Short Horn Road is transformed today into a commercial road, with lots of shops, eateries, and offices, even high-rise buildings. I foresee it turning something like Tomas Morato in the future, being now made an alternative route to the north or south via Road 20 and Mindanao Ave. It's extension, the GSIS Avenue, is partly commercialized. If this avenue is extended to Quirino Avenue, the potential will be greater.

All these are welcome development, but there are some setbacks for old-timer residents who saw the simple beauty of Project 8 in the beginning. Some of them feel that the place was kinda "abused" or "molested" from its innocent original character--that of a quiet town, far from the city bustle, secluded in privacy. Today, Short Horn Road is daily "invaded" by passerby-motorists making a shortcut to various destinations, often even lining it up with heavy traffic. Project 8, old-timers feel, has been unduly exposed to pollution, both air and scenery.

For my part, sometimes I feel being the newcomer in my street when the fact is I'm one of the few pioneers left here. Many original residents still remaining share my feeling. All my neighbors are new; most of the old-timers have gone. I've been here since 1969 and have seen how the entire place changed from being like a typical quiet and spacious hometown to a crowded, noisy, townhouse area, the tall edifices covering the horizon and blocking my view of the distant mountains. Public jeepneys are parked everywhere and the ugly noise of zooming tricycles have taken the place of quietude and soft nature sounds.

But I mostly like the progress as it is. I just miss the way Project 8 looked in my younger years. I guess that's how you ride on the tide of the times and not be left miserably in the past. You take in what is actually going on while remembering the past somewhat.

Project 8 Circa 1969

My dad, Maning, during those times when Project 8
was young and innocent.

We came permanently to Project 8 in the sweet warm summer of 1969, although in 1968 we already acquired our property here and been spending good time in the same. When we stayed for good, I was only 9 then and summer vacation had just started. Earlier, about 1968, my Uncle Tony and his wife Aunt Vicky, with some of Aunt Vicky's relatives, first stayed at our place while we were preparing to transfer to it from Hernani Street in La Loma, Quezon City. 

We were a happy family making regular picnic trips to our would-be residence, my dad being superbly devoted to my mom and doing all he could to please her and us. He was readying everything for our impending move into the new neighborhood. At last, we were about to have our very own house.

Everybody then saw Project 8 as a new village in a far-flung wilderness--if not "some remote mountains at the other end of the city"--that took forever to reach by car. Public transport was not available yet until about 1969 when some white DM buses and red JD buses came. Some folks seemed to dissuade us from leaving the known world to settle to an unknown village. But my dad, being an Ilocano, had the heart of a pioneer. He was among the first to study in Manila from San Juan, La Union and stayed in a boarding house in Sampaloc. In fact, he was among the four Filipinos who first flew in a plane above the North Pole.

From 1967 to 1969 my family often visited Project 8 to see how the three-bedroom house was doing, and it felt like going to the province via mountainous paths that winded confusingly, climbing up and down. The route through Grants, Benefits, and Auditing Streets were a bit rustic with patches of thick forests still standing--tall trees, wild shrubbery, and thick bamboo clusters. 

If you stood still and quiet enough, you'd hear the mesmerizing tweets of wild birds, even owls, and some strange-sounding creatures. Dwellings were housing projects in character, uniformly sized, designed and colored, differing only in the number of bedrooms by area, and very few were occupied. Thus, at night, the place, especially GSIS Village where our house was, seemed cloaked in dark rustic mystery, only flickering candles identifying which dwellings were peopled. Electricity was not yet available.

I could easily see distant mountains whenever I walked the street in front our house when we visited, and they always tickled a certain excitement in me. I had dreamed of camping out on such mountains with my dad, hoping our new life in Project 8 would make that dream come true, the mountains being easily visible. They looked so near I felt I could walk to them in minutes. My dream of being full-pledge boy scout often living outdoors would see fulfillment in Project 8, I was sure, so I couldn't wait for the day when we'd finally make our transfer to it.

Well, going back home at dusk to La Loma from the Project 8 visit often felt frustrating. I envied Uncle Tony and Aunt Vicky and her relatives enjoying the cool, sweet air of the place and the romantically quiet and relaxing ambiance. Brand new territories and neighborhoods always have that appeal in us, I guess. They seem to whisper new hope in our hearts--new beginnings.