For 23-year-old Kenrick Siy, the Manila Zoo is a place where families enjoy their weekends bonding and having a great time together. It has been a big part of his childhood, thus his mission to make it part of other’s too.
“I’ve shared a couple of great memories with my family in the park. It was a happy place for most Filipinos and seeing it fade through time urged me to make it as my thesis project,” he said through a post on his Facebook page, Kevin Siy Portfolio.
Siy spent of his time at the zoo to understand about its state and how, in his own way, he could redevelop it to bring back its glory. As an Architecture major, he wanted to design Manila Zoo not just to become the country’s “prime tourist destination,” just like those of other countries, but to design an environment best suited for the animals.
You see, he is both an animal lover and a true blue Manileno.
“As I pass by the zoo going to school, seeing it fade through time made me turn it into my thesis project. I thought that making a thesis project that is close to my heart can motivate me more in making a good design,” Siy told the Manila Bulletin in an interview.
It took him a year to finish his design of the Manila Zoo, but all those sleepless nights was all worth it after one of the councilors saw his thesis proposal, which he posted on his Facebook page. The councilor then showed it to newly-elected Manila mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso.
“It was just a perfect timing because Mayor Isko wants to redevelop Manila Zoo and was looking for someone who can design a concept,” Siy added.
Now the Bachelor of Science Architecture graduate of the University of Santo Tomas presented his thesis proposal to Domagoso on Monday.
“It was definitely overwhelming at first, but Mayor Isko and I share a common goal and that is to bring back Manila Zoo to its prime which made it easier for me to speak up about my thesis proposal,” he said.
Siy’s Facebook post has already garnered 9,900 reactions and has been shared more than 2,600 times.
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