Recto
Avenue was named after the late legendary politician Claro M. Recto.This is one
of the most busiest and crowded place in Manila. Of course, there is a LRT
station here and this is also known as the university belt because there are
many universities founded here like FEU, UE, STI and many more. Aside from
that, there are many business establishment here from big to
small entrepreneurs. Like in Quaipo there are also many sellers of
pirated DVD’s, fruits and many more. And if you want to go to the mall, there
is a branch of Isettan Department Store here.
But Recto is also known as the center of
fabricator of the fake documents in the Philippines. This kind of black market
became a tradition in this place. It seems that it will not be eased. Because there
are many mayors who already seated in Manila but they didn't make it
stop. What kind of documents do you want to fake? Diploma, marriage
certificate, government ID? Name it and you’ll get it! But take it at
your own risk. If ever, you may get a problem if someone files a case against
you for falsification of public documents.
On a On a good side, Recto is a big help for the
students who want to lessen their expenses. Because you can buy here second
hand books at very affordable prices. They have any topics you need, from
literature, history, marketing and even romance pocketbooks. All you have to do
is to hunt the books you’re looking for. Yeah, the culture of second hand books
in Recto is still alive despite of the advent of the internet. But you will
notice that the sellers are not too many compared to the last decade. By the
way, because Recto is a university belt there are many xerox and bookbinding
services here.
If you love old school music. Recto is a great
venue for you to find your favorite oldies. Maybe until now they are still
selling cassette tapes. And if you’re a punk, metal and hardcore fans, you may
visit Cartimar and buy some underground stuffs there like CD, t-shirts, books,
fanzine and many more.