Former Quezon City 2nd district Rep. Winston "Winnie" Castelo waxed sentimental over one of his favorite places in the city, Philcoa, in a recent Facebook post.
For those who don't know, Philcoa was once a bustling commuter stop in the heart of Quezon City, as well as a reliable commercial hub for students at the nearby University of the Philippines (UP).
But then the Covid-19 pandemic came, and the inevitable development of the area.
"Huling araw ngayon ng mga business establishments sa Philcoa kagaya ng Jollibee at Mercury Drug (Today is the last day for business establishment in Philcoa like Jollibee and Mercury Drug)," Castelo wrote in a Facebook post last Saturday, Feb. 4.
"Dahil sa pagtatayo ng MRT7 Terminal, isa ang lugar na ito sa aayusin ayon na rin sa orihinal na plano. Naway nasa maayos na kalagayan at mabigyan ng tulong ang mga empleyado dito na maaapektuhan (This is one of the areas that will be fixed under the original construction plan of the MRT7 Terminal. Hopefully, the employees who would be affected by this are doing fine, and would get assistance)," he said.
The former three-term House member recalled about his beloved Philcoa: "Marami kaming magagandang karanasan sa lugar na ito lalo na at lumaki kami sa UP Village. Noong aking college days sa UP ay isa ang lugar na ito sa aming naging tambayan (We had a lot of good experiences in this place especially since we grew up at UP Village. This was one of my favorite hang out places during my college days in UP)."
"Kapag kailangan ng malapit na mabibilhan ng gamit o kaya’y nagcrave ng midnight snacks, isa ang Mercury Drug sa aming naging takbuhan (Whenever we need to buy something or are craving for midnight snacks, Mercury Drug has always been one of our go-to places)," he added.
As if talking to an old friend, Castelo ended his post with the words, "Hanggang sa muli, Philcoa! (Until next time, Philcoa!)"
Castelo is also a former Quezon City councilor.