The Philippines is home to four of the 11 largest malls in the world. Not only are they huge, they are also high-tech, gorgeous and filled with expensive shops. Tourists from developed countries wonder why this is so when the Philippines is supposed to be a third-world country. But locals know that most of the people visiting these huge malls go there for the A/C, to cool off from the hot, tropical weather, and to escape precisely that image of poverty which so often assaults their senses on the streets. Where Filipinos really shop are at cheap, crowded and simply-designed people’s malls such as Tutuban Mall/168 Shopping Center in Divisoria.

When Filipinos hear “Divisoria”, “Tutuban” or “168 Shopping center”, what comes to mind is a crowd of shoppers rushing and …