Behind The Posts: New Driving Direction To DFA From NLEX

Last June 17, 2011, I decided to drive to President Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard to check the road I've seen previously. I was restless and the image of unfinished intersection in one of the major arteries of our city's metropolitan network had kept bugging me. And so, in an instant, I drove off to the location.

I parked at McDonald's opposite DFA Office of Consular Affairs, had some snack then decided to walk across Macapagal Boulevard towards Bradco Street, the road that intersects Macapagal Boulevard and the purpose of me going here.

I saw a lot of people gathering in front of DFA gate along Bradco Street. Obviously, these people were passport applicants. A security officer was managing the crowd and giving necessary assistance. I approached the security officer and ask him where a passport applicant who arrives in DFA by car could park. And he pointed me to the large pay parking area located just opposite us in the other corner of Bradco and Macapagal Boulevard intersection.

From there I walked along Bradco towards Roxas Boulevard. Bradco is a wide newly built road without center island making it looked wider. Previously, I was there but then it wasn't completely finished with only two west lane opened and motorists that supposed to be at east bound lane shared the lane with those going in. That time, lots of vehicles already used it and so there's a bit heavy traffic.

Today, particularly when I've seen it this lately, the east end of the road perpendicular to Roxas Boulevard is wide open. There's no build up of traffic and vehicles passing through this road that seems to be the gateway to Aseana Business District get in and out in free-flowing directions to and from Roxas Boulevard.

That's the time when something occurred in my mind that said, "Surely, a new driving direction via Roxas Boulevard to DFA Office of Consular Affairs had opened through this road."

I went and checked if I was right. I walked along Roxas Boulevard from Bradco towards Baclaran. Yes, I headed northward. In my mind, it's clear that the traffic along Roxas Boulevard is light compare to Macapagal Boulevard. And if I based my judgement on what I saw in the south bound lane of Roxas Boulevard, I was right. But I needed to see from overhead. I climbed the pedestrian overpass in Baclarand, stood in the middle and looked exactly towards EDSA-Roxas flyover. And guess what, traffic heading towards me from the flyover is very little, few vehicles are using Roxas Boulevard. There's a few public buses and jeepney below the pedestrian overpass where I was standing. I thought it would have at any rate some effects on private cars. To see on what extent, I observed a maroon Nissan Altima as it approached towards the bottom of the overpass passing through the leftmost lane which is nearer to center island. I could read the plate number but there's no need to have it written here. The moment it passed under the overpass I immediately went to the other side of the overpass and amazed to have seen the sedan passed through quick and onto south until I barely saw it from the distance. And so I concluded, it's faster to travel south via Roxas Boulevard than via Macapagal Boulevard.

New Driving Direction To DFA From NLEX

I've just learned that the new road that runs from Roxas Boulevard towards President Macapagal Boulevard in Pasay City has been completely open to all motorists for quite sometime now. Last time I saw it, east lane was still closed and both west and east bound vehicles had to squeeze in the narrow west bound lane.

I am referring to Bradco Street, the road that borders Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Office of Consular Affairs to the south. DFA is bordered to the west by President Macapagal Boulevard. To it's east is the S&R Membership Shopping building. And to the north is Shell Station.

Because of this new development, a new driving direction has also opened for those going to DFA by car from north of Metro Manila as well as those coming from Northern Luzon provinces, e.g. Bulacan, Pampanga, Subic, Zambales, etc.

You see, ever since Macapagal Boulevard had been opened, large chunk of motorists bound for south that used to take the entire stretch of Roxas Boulevard had shifted to the new eponymous road. What happened is Roxas Boulevard became less-traffic. The way I see it, Macapagal Boulevard is now heavier in traffic than Roxas Boulevard. The bottleneck in EDSA and Macapagal Boulevard intersection is the major cause of the congestion. On the other hand, traffic in Roxas Boulevard is free-flowing, thanks to the two flyovers in EDSA-Roxas Blvd and Gil Puyat-Roxas Blvd intersections.

Here's the new driving route from NLEX to DFA Office of Counsular Affairs:

From NLEX, go straight past EDSA overpass to take A. Bonifacio Avenue, the road that continues NLEX. Stay on A. Bonifacio all the way to its opposite end which is in Blumentritt Street. Turn right onto Blumentritt, change lane to the leftmost and drive past Dimasalang up to Aurora Boulevard. Make a sharp left turn to take Aurora Boulevard, then turn right onto Dimasalang.

Cross Lacson Avenue and take Laon Laan. Stay on Laon Laan up to its other end which is in Alfonso Mendoza Street aka Quezon Boulevard.

Turn left on Alfonso Mendoza aka Quezon Boulevard and drive past Quezon Underpass up to Quiapo. Take Quezon Bridge to cross Pasig River. Stay to the middle of the road. The road bends to the left and road name changes to Padre Burgos. Change lane to the right, cross the next intersection with traffic lights, avoid Lagusnilad Underpass by taking the rightlane. Padre Burgos bends to the right and separates from Lagusnilad.

Stay on Padre Burgos and drive all the way to Roxas Boulevard, crossing three intersections with traffic lights - Finance Road, General Luna and Palacio Street. Turn left on Roxas Boulevard.

Stay to the middle of Roxas Boulevard's south bound lane all the way to Baclaran, passing through the two flyovers, Gil Puyat-Roxas Boulevard and EDSA-Roxas Boulevard, respectively.

Bradco is the first T-intersection to the right of Roxas Boulevard after passing through EDSA-Roxas Boulevard flyover. Turn right onto Bradco and park your car at the "Pay Parking Area" located to the left corner of Bradco-Macapagal Boulevard intersection.

Stay tuned for New Directions to DFA from Different Parts of Metro Manila.

Espana Boulevard Circa 2011

For years, Espana Boulevard has been an image of a city of denial. Denial that this main thoroughfare in the old district of Sampaloc is unsafe, deteriorating, hard to drive at night, no street lights and the bulwark of different kinds of bad elements. I remember early last year. I was driving past 10 pm on the way home. Espana Boulevard was not lighted that time, a man suddenly appeared in front of me running while crossing the road. I was shocked and the sudden step on the break almost smash my face on the wheel.

There were times, we're afraid of riding jeepneys that pass by along Espana, because 'robbery hold up' usually took place in the area near PNR railroad crossing. Robbers ran towards the slum area after robbing passengers at gunpoint. That was the main reason I developed a habit of riding a jeep at night in front of the passenger vehicle.

That was then. Espana of today is the exact opposite of the Espana of yesteryears. I was surprised to see the whole stretch of one of the oldest roads in the metropolis. It's been a while before I took this route again after getting used to taking the route of Ayala Boulevard-Magsaysay-Araneta Avenue and sometime Recto-Legarda-Magsaysay-Araneta. I hate traffic.

But last Wednesday, I decided to give it a try. At around 9:45 pm I passed through Quezon Underpass and turned right onto Lerma until I got to the west end of Espana. As soon as I approached Lerma and Espana junction, I got to see a change that I thought very peculiar for a district like Sampaloc. As we know, areas from Sampaloc to Mabuhay Rotunda are very outdated and no amount of attention from authorities seems to modernized it. But what I saw while on red signal is a sign of a very auspicious undertaking for the local government of Manila and a beautiful sight to behold for motorists and commuters. Lights. Very shining lights in the center island and in both sides of the old boulevard. But the lights are not your ordinary lights of any city streets. These ones are much like of those in the parkways. The railing of the center island is very noticeable, too.

The traffic lights turned green and I drove on, turning left on my subject street - Espana. And... WOW! I was ecstatic. Truly, a magnificent work of architectural engineering and landscaping. Espana Boulevard transformed! Now, this is what a boulevard should look like.

What struck me the most?

First off, the road widened and elevated. Unlike before, the whole stretch of this street was so narrow and somewhat immersed in the ground. I still remember the steps along the both sides of the road from Lerma to UST and even beyond Lacson Avenue. If you gotten off an automobile for example in front of UST, you needed to climb the steps to get to the sidewalk. Today, it's like a parkway where you can get in a vehicle from the sidewalk in a very convenient way.

Second, the entire center island has been changed beautifully to blend with the aesthetically designed lamp posts. The old barriers has been changed with ergo designed railings. I think, too much attention has been given to materials, style and costs of the entire center island rehabilitation.

Third, ultimately, the parts of the boulevard that compliment the lightings in the center island are the opposite sides of the boulevard which are now dotted with promenade lightings. Brighter than its counterparts in the middle of the boulevard.

I could still imaginge, prior to this rehabilitation, both sides of Espana are dark and eerie at night. One word to describe it is 'ugly'. Now, it's totally different. You couldn't help but feel relaxed when driving in the middle of this highly evolved boulevard in the off peak hour of the night when there are less traffic. With those very bright aesthetically designed lights come passing to your both sides, your stress will be lessen, that's for sure. I just wish the Espana Boulevard that I see while driving go beyond Welcome Rotunda and stretch up to Quezon Avenue and Timog. But the beautiful night sight on the road only lasts up to Welcome Rotunda. Needless to say, this is an amazing change.

Another major change that caught my attention is the lighted 'BABAAN AT SAKAYAN' stations located in strategic areas along the new Espana Boulevard. Each 'BABAAN AT SAKAYAN' or Loading and Unloading in English, is a complete package with the waiting shed full of lights to drive away robbers, holdapers and snatchers. An advertisement full of neon lights above the roof of each waiting shed is very eye-catching.

And the most amazing part of the image change of the whole Espana Boulevard that capped it all is the construction of plant boxes on both sides of the road. Now landscaped, Espana can now be considered boulevard in the real sense of the word. This is what I mean when we say living up to your name.

Sad to say, this post about Espana Boulevard transformation might soon become a diary of once famed street. In our metropolis, all improvements don't stand the test of times. Its inhabitants always play the lead role of the culprit in havocking the environment - both man-made and God-given. As what happened to the railings in the center islands in front of the Metropolitan Theater which by now are broken and with large parts missing, slowly part by part, piece by piece, the integral body of this boulevard will be eaten by those this project is built for.

It is saddening to know that some of the inhabitants of this city always think on how much money would earn for them a kilo of an iron or light fitting they forcibly stripped and detached from a roadway. After all, in a third world country stomach comes first before the surroundings. In this regard, I sincerely wish there were agencies of National Government with the only task of looking after these projects for the Filipino people. After all, these are people's money which constructed them. Anyway, I am sure the maintenance and longevity of this amazing project will be taken care of the present administration of the city of Manila. The question is... Who will do the job after the term of the current Mayor - horable Mayor Alfredo Lim? Well, look what happened to the railings of Quezon Boulevard in front of Metropolitan Theater.

I also wish local authorities who built this project can also provide some measures to safeguard long term existence of this very well thought and masterfully designed project. Even this early, we could see signs of things to come that await this project. Vandalisms are already visible in some waiting sheds like this one in this photo.



Whatever happens, this boulevard will go down in the history of city planning as one of the most if not the most improved roadway in Metro Manila of 2011.

Cavitex: Connecting Cavite To Metro Manila In Minutes

Lagalag excitedly traveled to Cavite via the newly built Cavitex. He wanted to be among the first to commute via this new highway above water which considered to be the new pride of Cavite Province and to attest to the truth of the claims that it only takes 8 minutes to traverse the new extension of our Coastal Road. He hurriedly went to Bus Bay along Roxas Boulevard near corner NAIA Road and rode an air-conditioned bus bound for Naic with "Cavitex" word on its sign. To his surprise, his trip took shorter than the said 8 minutes travel time on this new super highway. In the past, travel time from western tip of Alabang-Zapote Road to Kawit, Cavite ranged from 60 to 90 minutes depending on traffic condition. Today, the big difference brings comfort of fast travel to the same location.

The bus took the usual route of Coastal Road. When the bus got to the southern tip where it usually go left through the bending coastal road towards Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, a new fortification appeared from the distance up front. As the bus got nearer, the mammoth mass of land and rock manifested itself to be the foot of the flyover for an still under construction interchange with a tunnel going to the Cavitex where all the vehicles have to pass through.

As the bus got out of the short tunnel, Lagalag saw a new dimension of Coastal Road. "Welcome to Cavitex", the message the newly constructed highway wanted to send to both commuters and motorists. The smooth finished of asphalted well master-planned superhighway, decorated with brand new lamp posts, that cuts across a body or water and goes beyond the southern horizon says it all. Cavite has arrived.

The bus approached a vacant toll way booth. A second later, the bus moved on. And as soon as it left the toll booth, Lagalag marked time at 4:36 pm. And then he enjoyed the ride - looking out the windows left and right. Lagalag forgot to mark the time while the bus stopped at the toll booth exit. He just looked at his watch the moment the bus stopped at the unloading area at the Cavitex end point junction. The time read 4:43 pm. That was 1 minute faster than what authorities say.

Lagalag attributed it to the speed of the bus from which he had riden. Still, he believes the speed of travel varies depending on how fast one drive. At any rate, Cavitex has shorten travel time from Metro Manila to Cavite dramatically. And for that, we salute all the Government Agencies and the Local Government of Cavite for the realization of this project that will definitely revolutionize the lives of Cavitenos as well as visitors to one of our historically important destinations.

Cavitex measures approximately 6.6 kilometers.

Route Map of Cavitex

Roxas Boulevard: Great Place To Watch Fireworks On New Year Eve

Roxas Boulevard is a long stretch of thouroughfare by the Manila Bay, about 9 kilometers, from Anda Circle in the Port Area up to NAIA Road in Paranaque. It was so beautiful according to those who born ahead of us. But that was 40 years ago, when the whole stretch of the so called "lover's boulevard", known then as Dewey Boulevard, ran smoothly without obstructions brought about by major development that slowly engulfed our metropolis after the war. Then, it was so lovely. With coconut trees dotting along its line, Roxas Boulevard was the real picture of a grandeur highway. Today, Roxas Boulevard is wider. To give way for progress some coconut trees must be cut down. And so we have now CCP Complex, Mall of Asia, Metropolitan Park, Asiaworld City and soon the Nayong Pilipino Entertainment City. Well, if it's not yet stalled as presumed.

Manila Bay at Roxas Boulevard now confined to Malate and Ermita Districts. And if you're wondering what part of Roxas Boulevard is the best area to watch fireworks this coming New Year's Eve, no doubt it's the part from Pedro Gil up to Quirino Avenue. Yearly, the local government of the city of Manila allots big budget for pyrotechnics to make the welcoming of the coming new year more memorable, joyful and festive. So if you're thinking of where to spend your New Year to watch fireworks on the very first hour of 2011, consider this great destination.

Here are the directions to Roxas Boulevard by Manila Bay from different parts of Metro Manila

BY CAR

BY LRT/MRT

BY JEEPNEY

LOCATION MAP

Route #1

From south of Metro Manila and the province of Cavite. Take Coastal Road and drive all the way until you cross NAIA Road. By this time you're already driving along Roxas Boulevard. Stay to the middle and drive all the way until you reach Ermita District. You'll cross EDSA and Gil Puyat Avenue via flyovers. Two stop lights, P. Ocampo formerly Vito Cruz and Quirino Avenue, after that your already in the Manila Bay where the fireworks display in Manila will take place. Now, you must think of how to park your car properly. You can make a U-Turn on Pedro Gil but it's not legal. The best way is to drive all the way to T.M. Kalaw, stay to the left and turn left on Kalaw going to Quirino Grandstand. Make a U-Turn there then turn right onto Roxas Boulevard again. Now, you're driving on south bound lane of Roxas Boulevard. You can easily see parking areas along Roxas Boulevard after you pass U.S. Embassy and there's another one right before the intersection of Quirino Avenue.

Route #2

From north of Metro Manila and provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga and North Luzon, take A. Bonifacio Avenue and Dimasalang Street to Quezon Avenue. On Quezon Avenue go straight up to Quiapo and Lawton. Road name change to Padre Burgos after passing Lawton area. Stay to the right of P. Burgos Street to avoid getting to Taft Avenue. Stay on P. Burgos and turn left on Roxas Blvd. Stay to the middle and cross intersections of T.M. Kalaw, U.N. Avenue and Padre Faura. After passing the U.S. Embassy stay to the left of Roxas Boulevard. You can easily see parking areas along Roxas Boulevard after you pass U.S. Embassy and there's another one right before the intersection of Quirino Avenue.

Route #3

From Alabang take the Skyway and exit on Gil Puyat. Avoid getting to the Gil Puyat Avenue flyover. Turn left on Gil Puyat Avenue and drive all the way. Cross Taft Avenue under LRT-1 and turn right onto Roxas Boulevard. Two stop lights, P. Ocampo formerly Vito Cruz and Quirino Avenue, after that your already in the Manila Bay where the fireworks display in Manila will take place. Now, you must think of how to park your car properly. You can make a U-Turn on Pedro Gil but it's not legal. The best way is to drive all the way to T.M. Kalaw, stay to the left and turn left on Kalaw going to Quirino Grandstand. Make a U-Turn there then turn right onto Roxas Boulevard again. Now, you're driving on south bound lane of Roxas Boulevard. You can easily see parking areas along Roxas Boulevard after you pass U.S. Embassy and there's another one right before the intersection of Quirino Avenue.

Route #4

Coming from areas of Sucat, NAIA-3, NAIA-1, Multinational Village and neighboring vicinity take Sucat Road, Imelda Avenue and Ninoy Aquino Avenue. Turn left on NAIA Road then turn right onto Roxas Boulevard. Stay to the middle and drive all the way until you reach Ermita District. You'll cross EDSA and Gil Puyat Avenue via flyovers. Two stop lights, P. Ocampo formerly Vito Cruz and Quirino Avenue, after that your already in the Manila Bay where the fireworks display in Manila will take place. Now, you must think of how to park your car properly. You can make a U-Turn on Pedro Gil but it's not legal. The best way is to drive all the way to T.M. Kalaw, stay to the left and turn left on Kalaw going to Quirino Grandstand. Make a U-Turn there then turn right onto Roxas Boulevard again. Now, you're driving on south bound lane of Roxas Boulevard. You can easily see parking areas along Roxas Boulevard after you pass U.S. Embassy and there's another one right before the intersection of Quirino Avenue.

Route #5

From Caloocan, Navotas, Malabon take Jose Abad Santos Avenue. Jose Abad Santos Avenue ends up in Recto. Cross Recto Avenue and Reina Regente begins. Drive on Reina Regente up to Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz. Turn right to go with the flow of one way traffic around Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz turning left on Juan Luna Street. Stay on Juan Luna crossing Dasmarinas Street. Follow where public jeepneys turn. Turn left on the next street after Dasmarinas. Turn right onto Jones bridge. You are now taking Padre Burgos Street. Stay to the right of P. Burgos Street to avoid getting to Taft Avenue. Stay on P. Burgos and turn left on Roxas Blvd. Stay to the middle and cross intersections of T.M. Kalaw, U.N. Avenue and Padre Faura. After passing the U.S. Embassy stay to the left of Roxas Boulevard. You can easily see parking areas along Roxas Boulevard after you pass U.S. Embassy and there's another one right before the intersection of Quirino Avenue.

Route #6

From Pasig, Sta. Mesa and neighboring vicinity take Ramon Magsasay Blvd and Legarda Street crossing Nagtahan by taking flyover to Legarda. On Legarda Street, just cross Recto Avenue. Legarda ends up in Arlegui but the road continues under the name of P. Casal Street. Drive on P. Casal and cross Pasig River via Ayala Bridge. You are now in Ayala Blvd. Go straight crossing Taft Avenue passing under LRT-1. You are now in Finance Road. Turn left on Padre Burgos Street. Another stop light and you must stay to the left of P. Burgos Street. Turn left on Roxas Blvd. Stay to the middle and cross intersections of T.M. Kalaw, U.N. Avenue and Padre Faura. After passing the U.S. Embassy stay to the left of Roxas Boulevard. You can easily see parking areas along Roxas Boulevard after you pass U.S. Embassy and there's another one right before the intersection of Quirino Avenue.

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How to get to Manila Bay at Roxas Boulevard by MRT and LRT?

Route #1

LRT-1 from north stations namely Roosevelt, Balintawak, Monumento and other stations. Get off at Carriedo Station then ride jeepney infront of Santa Cruz Church bound to "Baclaran Mabini" or "Vito Cruz Mabini". You can get to Santa Cruz Church by walking to the west side of Carriedo Street between Plaza Fair and Philtrust Bank, then turn right on the next corner. The church is up ahead. Make sure the jeepney you're going to ride bear sign that read "Mabini" Ask driver to kindly drop you off at Rajah Sulayman. You can now walk your way to Roxas Boulevard.

Route #2

LRT-1 from South Terminal of Baclaran and all other stations from there. Get off at Libertad Station. Walk to the Philtrust Bank and wait for jeepney bound to Pier or Horizon. Ride and then if you ride a Pier bound jeep, get off at San Andres and walk toward Roxas Boulevard. If you ride Horizon bound jeep, take another jeepney via "Mabini" and get off at San Andres. You can also get off at Gil Puyat Avenue Station, ride a jeepney with "Evengelista" sign, get off at Horizon Street and take another jeep with "Manini" on its sign. Get off at San Andres Street, then walk toward Roxas Boulevard.

Route #3

LRT-2 Stations, all stations. From your station get off at Recto then walk your way to Avenida Street. Ride jeepney with "Baclaran Mabini" or "Vito Cruz Mabini" sign. There must be the "Mabini" on the jeepney sign or you will not get there. Ask driver to kindly drop you off at Rajah Sulayman. Walk your way to Roxas Boulevard.

Route #4

MRT-3, all Stations. From your station, get off at Taft Station then take another train ride North bound or Monumento bound on LRT-1. LRT and MRT are interconnected. Get off at Libertad Station. Walk to the Philtrust Bank and wait for jeepney bound to Pier or Harrison. Ride and then if you ride a Pier bound jeep, get off at San Andres and walk toward Roxas Boulevard. If you ride Harrison bound jeep, take another jeepney via "Mabini" and get off at San Andres. You can also get off at Gil Puyat Avenue Station, ride a jeepney with "Evengelista" sign, get off at Horizon Street and take another jeep with "Manini" on its sign. Get off at San Andres Street, then walk toward Roxas Boulevard.

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How to get to Manila Bay at Roxas Boulevard by jeepney?

All jeepneys that ply the route of "Monumento-Baclaran" vice versa via Mabini pass by Rajah Sulayman Park. From Rajah Sulayman Park, walk your way to Roxas Boulevard and see where's the best place for you to watch the fireworks. There are also Baclaran bound jeepneys that ply the route of Mabini. Always make sure that there's the "Mabini" word on the sign of jeepney you are going to ride.

All you need to do is to ride another jeep bound to Baclaran via Mabini. If you're from Pasig, ride Baclaran bound jeepney in Quiapo. If you're from Cubao, there's also Baclaran bound jeepney there via Mabini. If there's none then ride one in Quiapo. Same way if you're from Fairview or Novaliches and Quezon Avenue. If you're from Monumento, then just get off right in front of Malate Church. Rajah Sulayman is opposite the church. From Makati, ride bus then get off at Harrison Street then ride a jeep bound to Monumento or Quiapo via Mabini. Wherever you might be coming from, just remember to ride a jeepney with "Mabini" on its sign.

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Location Map of Manila Bay at Roxas Boulevard



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How To Get To Avenida Manila Via Roxas Boulevard

Traveling to Avenida Manila via Roxas Boulevard is the best way one can take if they're coming from south of Metro Manila and Cavite. Here's the route. From Roxas Boulevard turn right onto Padre Burgos Street. This is the street that borders Luneta Park or Rizal Park to the north. From CCP Complex, you will cross four intersections before you get to Rizal Park from which you make your right turn onto Padre Burgos Street. These intersections are P. Ocampo formerly Vito Cruz, Quirino Avenue, Pedro Gil, and T.M. Kalaw Street. T.M. Kalaw is the street that borders Rizal Park or Luneta to the south.

After the right turn, stay to the middle of Padre Burgos Street. While traversing the edge of Rizal Park, you will cross two stop lights before Padre Burgos Street bends to the left and a slip lane occurred to the right. Be careful not to get onto the slip lane, this will take you to Finance Road and lost your way. Another stop light and after that you are driving along the edge of National Museum, the building to your right. Up ahead the road bends again to the left and another road merges to it. Now you must make sure you're on the middle of the road upon approaching the next intersection. To your right now is Manila City Hall. It's important that you're on the middle of Padre Burgos to avoid apprehension. Traffic here is very heavy because of lots of jeepneys and buses from the road that merged a while ago. You will be tempted to change lane to the left but don't. Because if you're on the outermost lane you must take the direction toward Binondo or you will get the ticket.

You see Padre Burgos becomes wider when the other road merged with it. And 250-meter away from the last stop light, two slip lanes occur dividing Padre Burgos Street into three main roads. Slip lane to your left will bring you to Binondo. Slip lane to your right will bring you to Quiapo. And the middle is the one that will bring you to Avenida. MMDA traffic officers stand right in this junction and I was flagged down once for that mistake. So avoid that.

Use the elevated road toward the Pasig River and cross the river via Mac Arthur Bridge. Go with the flow of the traffic being taken by passenger jeepneys going to Monumento. Once you are under the elevated LRT Carriedo Station, you can be sure that you are now in Avenida Manila.