The Muse of Makati
THE PERMANENT GIRLFRIEND
The Muse of Makati – Written by Alan Nafzger
Copyright 2020
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The Muse of Makati – FADE IN
INT. FERRY STATION – Cagayan De Oro
JOHN PAUL (24) leaves the counter and sits beside a poverty-stricken but intelligent looking MINDANAOAN (60). John Paul sits and looks at his ticket. The trip is a big move for him and he shows the seriousness.
MINDANAOAN
Where ya going, friend?
JOHN PAUL
I’m moving to Manila.
MINDANAOAN
Oh, no. Not another.
JOHN PAUL
Another what?
MINDANAOAN
A dreamer.
JOHN PAUL
I’m going to be a writer.
MINDANAOAN
Well, what do you do now?
JOHN PAUL
I teach at a rural high school.
MINDANAOAN
Here?
JOHN PAUL
In Lanao del Sur.
MINDANAOAN
Friend, stay here. There’s plenty of poverty to write about here, just look around.
JOHN PAUL
Well, I’ve saved up and have enough funds for a year.
MINDANAOAN
You saved up that much money?
JOHN PAUL
Well, I did save, but I’ve also sold my grandfather’s Cadilac. He left it for me.
MINDANAOAN
That’s serious.
JOHN PAUL
Well, I’d rather write than drive.
MINDANAOAN
Do you know anyone in Manila?
JOHN PAUL
There’s an archeologist, a professor who’s agreed to mentor me.
MINDANAOAN
For what?
JOHN PAUL
I’m writing a television series.
MINDANAOAN
About archeology?
JOHN PAUL
About a cavemen?
MINDANAOAN
Are you sure people want to see that?
JOHN PAUL
Yes, it will be about the first Filipino.
The Muse of Makati
MINDANAOAN
Every week?
JOHN PAUL
Yes, believe so. It’s interesting. Lots of drama. Cannibals, tigers, rhinocerous, poisonous jellyfish. Survival and all. Drama.
MINDANAOAN
The world has gone insane.
The Mindanaoan stands and approaches someone with his hand outstretched. He’s a beggar.
BEGIN TITLES
EXT. FERRY – INNER PASSAGE BETWEEN ISLANDS
The ferry moves between along the inner passage.
There are several stops along the way. We see both urban and rustic scenes.
John Paul is solemn, but is clearly observant and taking notes. He has three suitcases which he builds into a desk for his laptop.
The Muse of Makati
The Ferry pulls into Manila Bay and he can see the skylines.
END TITLES
John Paul looks at the skyline, and MOTHER with a BABY and then at GRACE (20). With each subject, John Paul types something.
Grace notices him and will play hard to get; she turns up her nose. She pretends disapproval. John Paul wants to explain, but before he can, Grace moves away and stands at the rail. She wants to be the first to disembark. She’s left her umbrella. The mother hands him the umbrella and points to Grace.
John Paul approaches her, and she feels that he’s about to speak.
GRACE
I’m not interested.
JOHN PAUL
I don’t mean to be rude…
GRACE
Bugger off, creep.
JOHN PAUL
Your umbrella.
GRACE
It’s not mine.
A transit security guard walks past.
GRACE
Officer, this man is trying to rape me.
JOHN PAUL
I’m not. I didn’t.
The officer looks around, and there are plenty of people anxious to get off the boat. No one looks overly concerned.
JOHN PAUL
I was just…
GRACE
Arrest him.
JOHN PAUL
I’m just trying to…
GRACE
He follow me everywhere on ferry just to get my body. He touched me here and here.
She gestures to her breasts and Derriere.
JOHN PAUL
Are you out of your mind?
SECURITY
Did you touch her?
JOHN PAUL
Of course, I didn’t.
GRACE
Arrest him.
JOHN PAUL
There was a lady there with a young child. She sent me with this umbrella.
GRACE
It’s not mine!
JOHN PAUL
Ask her.
The security officer looks at Grace and the mother signals that the young girl is crazy. The security guard doesn’t want to be teased or used, so he simply walks away.
JOHN PAUL
You tried to get me in trouble!
GRACE
Yes, so? Don’t go bananas!
JOHN PAUL
Well, I didn’t do anything to you.
GRACE
You might have; Manila can be a dangerous town, and I’m a defenseless woman. Look at all your big muscles.
JOHN PAUL
I’m harmless. Do you want your umbrella?
GRACE
Come to think about it, that is my umbrella.
JOHN PAUL
Can you at least say, “thank you?”
GRACE
You are welcome.
JOHN PAUL
Wait; I was being sarcastic.
GRACE
I hope you’re sorry.
JOHN PAUL
Why should I be sorry?
GRACE
You walked up to me crazy, and for what? To return a silly umbrella?
JOHN PAUL
Yes. Well, it’s the rainy season.
GRACE
This old thing?
She pitches it in the bay, like it is nothing.
GRACE
Why you force me to call the officer?
JOHN PAUL
Force you? You almost got me arrested.
GRACE
What are you, you can’t be arrested?
JOHN PAUL
I’m a writer, well I’m here to write.
GRACE
What is your real job?
JOHN PAUL
I’m a teacher.
GRACE
Now you are going to tell me you know everything.
JOHN PAUL
I don’t.
GRACE
And I know very little.
JOHN PAUL
Actually, I’m here to learn.
The Muse of Makati
GRACE
Sounds to me like you are not a teacher then. But a student and maybe not even a very good one.
JOHN PAUL
But I am.
GRACE
Wait a minute.
(long beat)
You are a teacher but don’t know anything? You look like you might try to persuade me that you do.
JOHN PAUL
I said, I don’t.
GRACE
Then how will you write a book?
JOHN PAUL
It’s not a book, it’s a TV show.
GRACE
Intelligent people like me, we don’t watch TV.
JOHN PAUL
I didn’t say…
GRACE
But you admit that you don’t know anything and you watch TV?
JOHN PAUL
You’re the most infuriating girl I’ve ever met.
GRACE
Wait until I tell my professors about you and your silly idea. They will get a chuckle out of you.
JOHN PAUL
I didn’t tell you my idea and are you kidding?
GRACE
My name’s Grace.
JOHN PAUL
Grace, my name’s John Paul.
They shake hands.
GRACE
Like the Pope?
JOHN PAUL
You live in Manila?
GRACE
Oh, during school. Sometime Cebu.
Sometime Visayas.
(beat)
My father’s very rich, you know.
He has… three houses and a condo.
JOHN PAUL
Well, I’m honored.
GRACE
So you’re a writer, huh?
(beat)
The kind of writer that cheats on his wife? Writers always cheat.
JOHN PAUL
No.
GRACE
You aren’t married or you don’t cheat?
JOHN PAUL
I’m not married. And I don’t cheat.
GRACE
Yes, writer always do. Unless you write children’s books. Do you write children’s books?
JOHN PAUL
No.
GRACE
Then you cheat.
JOHN PAUL
I wouldn’t.
GRACE
I hear of one boy who wants to be a writer at school; he has seven girlfriends, one for each night of the week.
JOHN PAUL
Well, that’s wrong.
GRACE
You’re an old fashion boy?
JOHN PAUL
I guess.
She takes a long look at him.
GRACE
And a virgin!
JOHN PAUL
Is that something to be ashamed of?
GRACE
No, I’m one myself.
The bang plank comes down and she begins to walk away, off the boat.
JOHN PAUL
Wait, I haven’t finished talking to you.
GRACE
I don’t talk to writers.
JOHN PAUL
They tend to steal my words and I’m never paid. Sorry.
GRACE
Oh, I see.
JOHN PAUL
Maybe we could…
GRACE
- Goodbye.
JOHN PAUL
Wait.
GRACE
Goodbye. I hope someday you’ll be a famous writer.
(beat)
But it won’t be possible if you’re still a virgin.
JOHN PAUL
Huh?
GRACE
That’s my opinion. You are in Manila now, farm boy. Try the Pegasus on Quezon Avenue.
JOHN PAUL
My professor friend lives in Makati? I think I’ll stay near there.
GRACE
Makati is that way, but those clubs cater to foreigners. They might laugh at a Mindanao farm boy.
Grace disappears into the crowd.
TAXI DRIVER
Sir, you mentioned Makati. You need a taxi?
JOHN PAUL
Can you recommend a cheap hotel there?
John Paul pulls up an email on his phone.
JOHN PAUL
Something near Burgos and Kalayaan streets?
TAXI DRIVER
Excuse me, but it is not for you, sir.
(beat)
It’s for foreigners and the people there are very sinful, sir.
JOHN PAUL
Great, plenty of inspiration. I’m here to write!
The Muse of Makati
City of Makati
Makati (/məˈkɑːti/ mə-KAH-tee Tagalog pronunciation: [maˈkati]), officially the City of Makati (Tagalog: Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines.
Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration of multinational and local corporations in the country.[5] Major banks, corporations, department stores as well as foreign embassies are based in Makati. The biggest trading floor of the Philippine Stock Exchange used to be situated along the city’s Ayala Avenue, before the stock exchange moved their headquarters to the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.[6][7][8] Makati is also known for being a major cultural and entertainment hub in Metro Manila.[9]
According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 629,616 people [3] making it as the 17th most populous city in the country and ranked as the 41st most densely populated city in the world with 19,336 inhabitants per square kilometer. Although its population is just half a million, the daytime population of the city is estimated to be more than one million during a typical working day because of the large number of people who go to the city to work, shop, and do business.[10]
Makati has a population of 629,616 as of the 2020 census. [26] Makati ranks ninth in population size within Metro Manila municipalities. 88.9% of Makati residents identified their religious affiliation as Roman Catholic.[citation needed] Other groups having large number of members in the city are The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ang Dating Daan, Iglesia ni Cristo, Protestantism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism.[30]
Based on the city’s Transport and Traffic Improvement Plan 2004–2014, the city’s daytime population is estimated to be 3.7 million during weekdays, owing to the large number of people who come to work, do business, or shop.[31]
The daily influx of people into the city provides the skilled labor force that allows Makati to handle the service requirements of domestic as well as international transactions; it also serves as the base of a large consumer market that fuels the retail and service trade in the city.[31] At the same time, however, the large tidal population flows exert pressure on Makati’s environment, services, and utilities, most noticeably causing large traffic volumes along the major road corridors leading to the city as well as within and at the periphery of the central business district.[31]
Economy and infrastructure
Ayala Triangle area
The city of Makati remains the richest local government unit (LGU) in the Philippines in terms of income from local sources and on a per capita basis.[39] As of end-2012, Makati had registered over 62,000 business enterprises, which are engaged in financial services, wholesale/retail, services, real estate, export/import, and manufacturing. Makati also boasts of having the highest number of BPO offices in Metro Manila at 1,159 companies to date, as well as the highest number of PEZA-accredited IT Parks and Buildings. The city government of Makati has not increased its tax rates since its new Revenue Code took effect in 2006. The city has been free of deficit for 26 years.[39]
The Ayala Triangle is a sub-district of the Makati CBD, comprising the parcel of land between Ayala Avenue, Makati Avenue and Paseo de Roxas, as well as the buildings on those streets. Many multinational companies, banks, and other major businesses are located within the triangle. A few upscale boutiques, restaurants, and a park called Ayala Triangle Gardens are also located in the area.[40] Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas also have the distinction of being the runways of the former Nielson Field, Metro Manila’s main airport in the 1930s.
The Makati Business Club has over 800 chief executive officers and senior executives, which represents 450 of the country’s biggest corporations.[41]
Most of the tallest skyscrapers in Metro Manila and the Philippines are located in Makati such as the PBCom Tower, Gramercy Residences in Century City and G.T. International Tower.
PBCom Tower along Ayala Avenue is the country’s tallest office building. It is the headquarters of the Philippine Bank of Communications, or PBCom. The PBCom Tower is an office skyscraper ranked officially as the tallest building in the Philippines from 2001 to 2017. It has a total ground-to-architectural-top height of 259 meters (850 ft), with 52 stories[42] including an 8-level radio tower.
Shopping centers
Makati is one of the most well-known shopping hubs of Metro Manila. Various shopping centers, offering both international and local retail shops, high-end boutiques, dining outlets and entertainment facilities can be found around the city.[43]
The Ayala Center is a major commercial development operated by Ayala Land located in the Makati CBD. The center is known for its wide array of shopping, entertainment, and cultural offerings, making it a premier shopping and cultural district in the metropolis.[44] It is a vast walkable complex with high-end malls that houses cinemas, local and international shops, homegrown restaurants and international food chains. The shopping malls that are located at the Ayala Center include Greenbelt, Glorietta, Park Square, and The Link. The Ayala Center is also home to 3 department stores namely, SM Makati, Rustan’s, and The Landmark.
Education
The University of Makati
The University of Makati, a public, non-profit university, is the city’s flagship university. Other institutions of higher education located in the city include the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), iAcademy, Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries (ASCM), Don Bosco Technical Institute of Makati, Assumption College San Lorenzo, Saint Paul College of Makati, Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary, and Asia Pacific College.
Several higher education institutions headquartered outside the city have established branch or satellite campuses in Makati. These include the Ateneo de Manila University (Ateneo Professional Schools), De La Salle University, Far Eastern University, Mapúa Institute of Technology, Lyceum of the Philippines University, Centro Escolar University, and AMA Computer College Colleges, among others.
Australian Catholic University, a foreign institution, maintains an extension program in Makati.
Culture and sports
University of Makati Stadium.
Makati is home to a number of fine art museums, colonial-era churches and recreation areas. Along the south-eastern border of Makati beyond Forbes Park are the Manila Golf Club and the Manila Polo Club.[45] The Manila Golf Club features an 18-hole golf course. The Manila Polo Club counts among its polo enthusiasts some of the country’s wealthiest people. The Makati Sports Club in Salcedo Village is another popular place for sports. The Makati Coliseum is another famous sports landmark in the city, where some of the biggest sports gatherings are held.
The University of Makati Stadium was the home venue of Philippines Football League club Kaya F.C.–Iloilo, prior to their move to Iloilo City. In the northwest, Circuit Makati’s Gatorade-Chelsea Blue Pitch is a multi-use stadium, used not just for football games but since 2017 serves as the primary hub of the Philippine-American Football League.
The Ayala Museum is a private fine arts and history museum housing various exhibitions such as the “Gold of Ancestors,” an exhibition of more than one thousand golden pre-Hispanic artifacts.[46] Other popular museums also in Makati also include the Yuchengco Museum and the Museo ng Makati.
Makati has several Spanish-era churches, such as the Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Nuestra Señora de Gracia Church (Our Lady of Grace) in the old town. At the Greenbelt Park stands the modern domed chapel of the Santo Niño de la Paz. Between Forbes Park and Dasmariñas Village is the Santuario de San Antonio, a popular church for weddings in the Makati area. The National Shrine of the Sacred Heart is located in San Antonio Village. Makati also houses the country’s only Jewish synagogue, Beth Yaacov.
There is a red-light district around Padre Burgos Street.
Future development
Ayala Land and the Makati Tourism Foundation launched a year-long campaign titled “Make It Happen, Make it Makati” to increase Makati’s visibility as an arts and culture destination. The campaign is part of Ayala’s ongoing US$1.5 billion redevelopment masterplan for Makati, which began in 2011 and divides the city into six distinct hubs for business, lifestyle, entertainment and transport.