Tacloban’s mall aspiration
First I have to openly say this: I am not a maller; neither am I a shopaholic. But I can emphatize, however, with one of the aspirations most Taclobanon’s have had for ages – for the city to have even just one modern, decent shopping center. Or even just a small mall. It will definitely cut down on the inconvenience of having to go to Manila or Cebu just to do some serious shopping.
Some of you based in Tacloban may not have noticed it, but there has been some activity happening at the old Tabo-an Center in Marasbaras. So for everybody’s benefit, especially for Taclobanon’s now based in far-away places, here’s an update on one of the top current developments in Tacloban City:
Photos taken yesterday, February 15, 2008.
The sign says it all. For months a smaller billboard stood here but there was no sign of any development activity, thus making some quarters doubt about its credibility. But now, as the photos here seem to show, such skepticism may very well be put aside, even momentarily.
The proposed mall is located at the old Tabo-an Center in Marasbaras, Tacloban City near the rotunda at the Coca-Cola Plant, at the far end of the road in photo above.
The main Tabo-an Market building is now gone; currently being demolished are the remaining structures of the old offices of LTO and the Island Development Bank above.
If this is truly the proposed road leading to V&G, then a lot will surely benefit from it. 🙂
View latest update posted March 03, 2008
gerryruiz photoblog 
Well…. about time!
And just what do you call some ‘serious’ shopping – the credit card’s limit or some ‘hard cash’ in the 6 figure category? Joke lang… I was just reminded of a small incident when we first moved to Cebu coming from the slower-paced city of Zamboanga. I was shopping at Robinson’s and when I was paying for the purchase, the saleslady asked me – ‘cash or credit?’ Natingala ako for awhile – not that I didn’t know credit cards existed, but only because in Zamboanga, the plastic was yet unknown in commercial establishments except for the hotels most frequented by tourists and foreign dignitaries…and to be honest, wa pa ‘ko credit card that time!
Oy, have a good time in China (as well as a productive one with the cam and Leyte Gulf.) Am looking forward to great pics!
p.s.
regards pa la hit mga taga-ZTE!!!
Hehehe I’m looking forward to meeting descendants of either Genghis or Kublai Khan and seeing for myself if there’s an iota of resemblance between their features and mine! 🙂
Alright! I’m not much of a fan, and i doubt the feasibility, but I’ll be spending a lot of time at the cinema and their Toys’R’Us branch! Wohoo!
hi there… i’m proud to be a TACLOBANON!
That would be one heck of a drive from where we are,Gerry. Somebody must have burned the midnight candle and bought some more for other midnights crunching the numbers so they can translate into profits. Bring on the humidity! Now folkx will have another place to cool down during the hot dog days! Balitaw, this should help the city earn some revenue. Godspeed.
oooh.. 3 decent cinemas
*wishing for KFC and Starbucks* ^^
Thanks for the update on the Robinson’s Mall. I hope it will be finished by December of this year so I can go shopping there or simply hang out.
I’m excited about Robinson’s mall!. I go home to Tacloban once every few years and a decent mall in Tacloban would be great. Gaisano is already dilapidated and customer service needs some improvement. Thanks for posting this pictures.
Gaisano will renovate its building in Justice Romualdez and they plan to make a Mall in real st.
here’s the architect’s blog http://www.domarkpaquibot.com/
you can see the rendering there
Please continue to post updated photos! I really appreciate this a lot! I miss Tacloban.
Go,go Tacloban! Am closely watching these developments from here in Dubai.
Hopefully this project will push through. Many of us balikbayan’s are looking forward to have a nice place to shop. Gaisano is too crowded and some employees are very snooty, especially to our rural kababayan. GODSPEED to this project.
Wow… I’ve been working here in Iraq for four years now and this is the first time I heard that Robinsons Mall will rise in Tacloban. When I first got my ticket to fly out to Dubai, I dreamt that someday there would be a nice shopping mall in Tacloban similar to what I’ve seen in Manila… now my dream is about to come true… I am from Dagami, Leyte which is 32 kilometers away from Tacloban. Congratulations! Mabuhay an mga Leyteños!
It’s so nice to know that Robinsons Tacloban is now being built at my own hometown. I’m very much excited about this development. In fact I am wondering where I can get contact details so I can submit my job application. I hope I can find a job at my own hometown (Tacloban, where my family and relatives are) instead of going to Manila and elsewhere. I’m hoping someone can give me info naman once may alam na kayo, ha? Just email me back. Thanks!
Finally! It’s not just “hearsay” anymore… Chill out taclobanons, or let’s just say, we, waraynons for having this project being granted. There’s Robinsons Mall under construction already, almost 24 hours! Never doubt… So, this is it! We’ve long wanted to have a mall very much like the shopping centers in Manila!
Surely, this project would be very much appreciated. Aside from creating more jobs, Tacloban’s tourism would improve too, right, fellas? … truly worthy!
Thanks to RLC for this project… for this, we’ll have a new place to hang-out! lol (^_^) …c u there soon!
Ei…chito, dito sa manila lahat ng rob outlets worksaver agency ang may pinakamarami ang hawak… di ako sure sa mga probinsya na. Pero as my source says… may arrangement yan with the host municipality. what I mean is, siguro the Tacloban City Hall can refer you under job vacancies nila… i think meron na nyang naka-line-up para sa upcoming opening ng Rob-Tac. geh, goodluck!(^_^)
I work overseas and it’s always a pressure for me thinking of what presents or “pasalubong” to buy everytime I go home… And with Robinson’s Mall to rise soon in Tacloban, wow! This is really something… I’ve heard of the SM talk before but I didn’t really cared much about it. Kahit anong new shopping mall na lang, ok lang. What’s important is Taclobanons will now have choices where to shop, wherever it’s nearer and cheaper…
I don’t like bringing balikbayan boxes with me and it’s pretty hard deciding what to buy and bring… And now all the pobres like me will have the chance to cool off and fight humidity in Tacloban City… Hahahahaha! I wouldn’t mind spending half of my day in the mall with my family basta puro sight-seeing la… I normally bring them to a shopping place and let them choose what they want as long as I can afford it…
Haaay, with all these wonderful sights we now have in our siyudad, I can’t wait to go back home again for vacation… Mabuhay an mga Waray-waray!!!
I hope they just hire local graduates. at least to alleviate the unemployment problem of the region.
Thanks for these updates, really glad we have you Gerry as our real connections back home. With the presence of Robinson’s Mall in Tacloban, we now have a one-stop shop place to bring our family any given day perhaps the whole day. Standard products of numerous brands I hope would be available. As I would like to buy things that will last at least 5 years at a reasonable price it just gives me peace of mind when you use it and it works.
wowww…kama uli uli na ngay an ngada ha tacloban..hehehe..damo na it kabag uhan dida….maupay unta liwat kon sumunod pag abri it SM city dida ha tcloban para marisyo na…:-) wooooowww…!!!!-nash,iceland
It is truly remarkable to know that Tacloban City is becoming a bit modern just like the other cities of the Philippines. Yes, it is really about time. The construction of this mall will really make a difference in the shopping life of many Warays. This will also help in alleviating the overpopulation in Metro Manila where everyone goes there to go shopping and and to look for work. Instead of paying for an airfare to Manila or Cebu why not spend it shopping in Tacloban? You can have more and better value for your money and at the same time help Tacloban’s economy! Way to go people! Just a quick question, when exactly is it opening?
Its opening? Hahaha that’s the question on everyone’s mind. Its initial forecast was last Christmas; then it became “1st Quarter of this year.”
The latest I heard from a friend with a leased outlet at Robinson’s Tacloban is that they will have their formal opening (their outlet) on April 30, 2009.
NICEEE……:-D
what’s the name of your friend’s store, Gerry?
The owner of 7R – local dealer of Levi’s.
Please update us more with photos of the Robinson’s Mall construction. I leave in NSW Australia, thanks for your photoblog. Miss the place a lot.