Manila Exposed 11 [FAST]

Why some neighborhoods breathe easier than others.

Why it matters: Air quality is directly linked to public health costs—especially for children and the elderly.

When locals say "Manila Exposed 11," they might be referring to a grassroots photography exhibit that, in its 11th year, finally showed the sanitation workers of the Manila Bay cleanup—the unsung heroes. manila exposed 11

| Exposure | Primary Data | Temporal Coverage | Spatial Resolution | |----------|--------------|-------------------|--------------------| | Informal settlements | PhilGIS 2024 slum map; satellite imagery (Sentinel‑2) | 2015‑2024 | 10 m | | Flood risk | DPWH hydrological models; 2023–2024 flood depth raster | 2023‑2024 | 30 m | | Air quality | DOH monitoring stations + PurpleAir crowdsourced data | 2022‑2025 | 1 km | | Traffic congestion | MMDA GPS probe data; TomTom Traffic Index | 2021‑2024 | 100 m | | Waste management | Manila City Waste Management Office (MCWMO) reports | 2020‑2024 | Barangay level | | Water scarcity/quality | NLWR water supply GIS; PHI water testing | 2021‑2025 | 500 m | | Energy insecurity | Manila Electric Company (Meralco) outage logs | 2020‑2024 | 1 km | | Climate displacement | UN‑DPF displacement register; local surveys | 2018‑2024 | Barangay | | Public health | DOH morbidity/mortality registers (COVID‑19, dengue) | 2020‑2025 | 1 km | | Governance fragmentation | Municipal‑regional administrative boundary overlay; budget data | 2020‑2024 | Municipal | | Cultural heritage erosion | National Historical Commission site inventory; field audits | 2019‑2024 | Barangay |

All datasets were standardised to a common coordinate reference system (WGS 84 / UTM 51N) and harmonised to a 30 m raster grid for spatial analysis. Why some neighborhoods breathe easier than others

Manila, the historic core of the Philippines’ capital region, epitomises the paradox of 21st‑century megacities: vibrant economic dynamism alongside stark social inequities and acute environmental stressors (Alcazaren & Santos, 2022). While numerous studies have examined Manila’s traffic (Kumar et al., 2020), flood risk (Liu & Tan, 2021), or housing crisis (Ramos, 2019), there remains a paucity of integrative scholarship that simultaneously interrogates the full spectrum of urban exposures that shape residents’ everyday reality.

“Manila Exposed 11” is introduced here as a heuristic device that exposes—i.e., makes visible, disaggregates, and analyses—eleven salient urban challenges that together constitute a systemic risk matrix for the city. By mapping these exposures spatially and temporally, we can better understand feedback loops, identify leverage points, and design cross‑sectoral interventions. Why it matters: Air quality is directly linked

The objectives of this paper are to:

The MEI analysis confirms that Manila’s most vulnerable zones are not isolated problems but clusters of co‑occurring exposures. This aligns with the “urban syndrome” literature (Seto, 2020), where poverty, environmental degradation, and governance deficits reinforce each other. In practice, a resident in Tondo simultaneously confronts flood‑water intrusion, uncollected waste, unreliable electricity, and limited health services—a multidimensional exposure that amplifies overall risk.

How residents are reclaiming agency over their homes.

Why it matters: Empowered residents can become partners in urban development rather than passive recipients of aid.