Eulogies for the places we lost this pandemic Part 1

It’s been 5 months since Metro Manila, and the other major regions of Luzon, have been put under lockdown. It’s quite safe to say that many of us are now used to our daily commutes being reduced to from our desk to our bed, and conversations with loved ones being done over small Zoom screens rather than in person. 

But as we stay in our homes, the world doesn’t stop changing, and it’s almost a certainty that the outside world will look very different from where we left it.

Besides the new rules our volatile political climate has birthed, many of our beloved establishments have shuttered their doors over the quarantine period. 

For patrons and beloved guests, closing shop without one last visit is a cause of mourning. It may be better to have loved and lost than not loved at all, but that doesn’t mean we can’t say our goodbyes. 

Below are some heartfelt eulogies from patrons of the places we’ve lost since quarantine: 

The countless small businesses in UPLB

A huge part of living in Elbi – as any true UPLB student would call it – are the small businesses and the mom-and-pop shops that populate our university town.

To understand our endearment, you have to get the Elbi way of life. A cross between boarding school and a beach town without the beach (we have a mountain instead!), we spend our formative years away living our whole lives here away from our families. We call our orgmates not just orgmates but “brods and sisses” – because that’s what they become. And the stores around us transcend the transactional. 

We sleep (or pass out) inside videoke bars and stay up until dawn inside coffee shops. We know shop owners by name and have their deliveries on speed dial, just in case we need to sell meals for our org fundraising. And each barkada probably has its own McLaren’s or Central Perk. (Ours was called Kambingan, not because of the pulutan they offered but because it was an actual field with actual goats.)

But a university town’s lifeblood is its students. Take them out, and you have possibly a hundred small businesses without their primary source of income. And, as a person who’s spent the last 10 years – 4 as a student, 6 as a regular visitor – it kills me to see institutions from the best years of my life closing shop, and the only way we could honor them is from the screens of computers and phones.

But for what it’s worth (and in true Elbi fashion):

Let’s take a shot for the chill nights at Elbi Square’s Copacabana, where I’ve heard various renditions of Where Do Broken Hearts Go accompanying my sinigang and extra rice. 

Let’s take a shot for He-Brews Coffee, whose iced coffee still confounds as it’s half the price but twice – even thrice – as good as the coffee here in Metro Manila. 

Let’s take a shot for Faustina’s whose Silantro Ribs with Pinakurat was a reward I gave myself on good days when I was a student, and whose parking lot became the most convenient when I was an alum. (Sorry about that.)

Let’s take a shot for BonAppetea, whose electricity, not just tea, I consumed as I built my career as a writer.

Let’s a take a shot for Iskulmeyts, whose printers have seen possibly seen millions of research and thesis pages these past 14 years.

Let’s take a shot for Mang Mar, whose store saved countless students whose preparations for their exams don’t include bringing a blue book.

And let’s take a shot for the countless more shops that have undoubtedly left an imprint on the lives of many students and students-at-heart out there.

*Drink responsibly

– Trish, 27, writer

8065 Bagnet, Malate

Back in 2011, I remember my sister touring me around Taft a few weeks before I started college in DLSU. 

She took me to 8065 Bagnet for dinner to end the day, the food was straightforward and uncomplicated. 

Over the years, I frequented Bagnet. Turns out, pork belly and beer make for a good combo – whether it be hanging out with blockmates after an exam, lamenting over a failed class with roommates, celebrating with friends after defending your thesis, or even just going alone trying to get over a breakup. 

Your college years are transformative, that’s obvious, you go through a lot of changes about yourself, your friends, and your goals in life. Oddly enough, I never noticed that the common thread through all that formative change was bagnet and beer. 

I still live in Taft, nearing a decade, actually. I’ve already graduated, been working for a few years now. I haven’t been back to Bagnet in a while, I thought it would always be there for when some old college friends decide to meet up again for old time’s sake. 

I guess the old times are all we have now.

– Ysmael, 25, dining editor 

Common Room, Katipunan

My heart sank when I learned that Common Room had to leave their quaint little nook in Katipunan. 

Back when I was studying in Ateneo, the arts and crafts store was my safe space away from the chaotic city environment and the pressures of academic life. 

I’d spend afternoons there, admiring works from the heart – detailed mini-paintings, intricate textiles woven into wallets and bags, eclectic collages and paper sculptures, you name it.

True to its name, Common Room attracted not only the artsy crowd, but also anyone who wanted to feel invigorated by seeing and appreciating what creative and passion-filled souls can do. 

The space might be gone now, but I hope their mission can live on through the lives of those who believe in the magic of that first Common Room space.

Gelo, 23, writer/PR manager/account executive 

Curious Creatures, La Union

Curious Creatures was simply a movable cart filled with craft beer when we first met them in La Union. 

Even with the emergence of multiple amazing establishments over the years, Curious was always my safe haven in LU. The most memorable conversations I’ve had were always with its bartenders and regulars, and it broke my heart when COVID-19 struck and it finally had to go.

Although this is the end, I’m determined to support the cast of Curious in their new endeavors, wherever they may find themselves next.

– Erika, 25, junior copywriter

Magnum Opus, BF Homes

I wasn’t into coffee when I first heard about it, so all I knew was that it was a small cafe on the second floor of a building. I remember thinking it oozed with a “hipster vibe,” and I honestly got intimidated at first. 

Fast forward 3 years back, I went back to Magnum with my girlfriend (now fiancé) and got a completely different experience. Sure, there’s still that hipster vibe left, but it’s more inviting, the place is pretty chill, coffee is excellent, and the grub is tasty. 

I stopped looking at their staff as baristas; to me, they were good friends. 

So when a friend sent me a picture of their space with a “for rent” sign on it, I didn’t want to believe it at first. I’m still hoping that they can return one day — at least, so I could try their Monte Cristo again! 

– Jaydal, 21, coffee guy

Nokal, Poblacion

Funnily enough, I remember frequenting Nokal because of my Zomato Gold promo. 

If I’m being honest, my memories in Nokal aren’t the most vivid because it was always a mainstay whenever my friends and I would go barhopping in Poblacion. I guess that’s a good sign. 

I know there’s a whole lot of bars in Poblacion, but Nokal’s one of the very few that captures the feel of our nights out. Memories there are always so random! I’ve talked to friends I haven’t seen since college there. There was a night I met up with a friend in Nokal, and we ended up hanging out with a complete set of strangers, all from a production company. Their CEO was with them too. 

Oh, and I also saw a cousin who I haven’t seen in years! 

I particularly liked their food, ice-cold beer, open roof deck, and well-designed banyo. 

It was one of the places that I was really looking forward to going back to after quarantine.

– Allana, 24, creative

– Rappler.com

Gaby Flores is a full-time writer and part-time graduate student based in Manila. Her work can be seen in Esquire, Mabuhay Magazine, and Cha Literary Journal. She’s into all things culture, dairy included.