When we did our visita iglesia last holy week, our first destination was Pila, Laguna. I told my sister that we could meet directly in Pila Municipal Center. The municipal hall stands out in the area because of its color red.

But much to my surprise, they had repainted the town hall with an off-white and beige color. This is very much in contrast to the flaming red facade it has donned before. I was a little bit frustrated because I really like its color before. Its red color gave it uniqueness among all the municipal halls in the Philippines. It has reminded me of the Rathaus Basel I have visited years ago, which is the former red town hall of Basel, Switzerland.

It used to be one of my favorite structures in Pila when I was doing my field practice there in 2008. I even revisited it in 2010 with an American professor from my university in Japan, and it was still aberrant red. But now, it looks normal with its white paint losing its rebellious identity. I don’t know why they decided to changed it. I bet it must be politically driven, haha!