Manila: Intramuros

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It has to be done. I have been to quite a few places in and around the country and yet, I have never really explored the history of the city I was born in, at least not in recent years. I have seen and photographed remnants of the Spanish occupation in other parts of the Philippines. I guess it was time that I did so in my city, the country's capital, Manila.


Intramuros, Latin for within the walls, is a small territory located in the western part of Metro Manila, right by the bay and on the southern banks of the Pasig River. Back in the day, this walled city was considered the whole of Manila itself. Over the years, the territory covered by "Manila" expanded to the chaotic urban sprawl you see today.



The most prominent landmark of Intramuros is, of course, the Manila Cathedral, our first stop. The original church was erected here in 1581. It has taken quite a number of beatings over the years, including a world war, and so what we see today is actually the sixth incarnation of the church.



The cathedral interiors are palatial to say the least, the kind of place a lot of couples would want to be married in. The church is notoriously booked though. We're talking years, not just months. In fact, in the hour or so that we were there, we saw at least three set of wedding entourages pass by. Crazy.


After the cathedral, we walked the stone-covered General Luna street onto Casa Manila. It is basically a museum, a showcase of the architectural style and design popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. It costs 75 pesos to go inside the house itself and cameras aren't allowed. Needless to say, we contented ourselves exploring just the exteriors, including the courtyard, which were enough really.



For our final stop, we went back up the road, past the Manila Cathedral and the Palacio del Gobernador, into Fort Santiago, a defense fortress which was a necessity and thus a staple of Spanish colonies founded at the time. The fort forms part of Intramuros' actual walls but to get in, you need to pay 75 pesos.


Most of what Fort Santiago is right now is a well-manicured park/museum which houses memorabilia and other historical artifacts in the life of Filipino national hero Dr. José Rizal. It is a widely known fact that Fort Santiago served as Rizal's final holding prison before his execution on December 30, 1896.


We came to Intramuros in the afternoon. By the time we finished, it was already getting dark and we were getting really hungry. So we did the natural thing to do. We crossed the river into Binondo, Manila's Chinatown. After about a fifteen minute walk into Binondo's busy streets, we settled for a place that served all kinds of Chinese-Filipino dishes. At that point, we all knew we had a very good day. A very very good day.

For my complete gallery on Manila: Intramuros, please go to my Flickr set here.

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Siquijor: Lazi Church and Convent

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When we were in Siquijor last August, weather was still predictable to some degree. On our second day there, things were just perfect for an inland tour. One of the our stops was the San Isidro Labrador Church and Convent in the town of Lazi.


The church and the convent date back to the late 1800's, built after Lazi was made a parish in the name of San Isidro Labrador under the auspices of the Augustinian Recollects. The whole complex had the church on one side of the street, the convent on the other.

I'll stop with the history lesson here. I won't pretend I know more than these things, nor do I have the diligence to do a little bit of research. I just knew that it was a great day to take pictures and that day, these structures were just the perfect subjects anyone could ask for.

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Cebu: Fort San Pedro

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The third destination in what turned out to be our historical tour of Cebu City is Fort San Pedro. The fort is in an area now known as Plaza Independencia, just walking distance from the Basilica de Sto. Niño and Magellan's Cross. Facing the front entrance of the basilica, walk down the street to your left. After about three blocks, you'll find the plaza and the fort's walls.


There is an entrace fee of 21 pesos. Well worth it, I think. The place is well-maintained (too maintained, if you ask me). They've developed the interiors into some sort of a park. Good thing the structures are still there. One old-looking building has been turned into a museum. Pity it was closed when we visited.


I discovered later that the fort was built by the orders of Miguel López de Legazpi himself. It's that old. The adelantado wanted a military fortification there in order to protect the then emerging Spanish settlement from raids and assaults. By the late 1800's, the historical site served as a stronghold for Filipino revolutionaries.


Again, walking into the fort, you wouldn't really see this "history." Mainly because the park/garden dominates the interiors. That isn't the case, though, when you climb up the fort's battlements. There are many staircases leading up to the walls, one even wheelchair-friendly. So do go up.


There you'll find stone walkways (again, very well-maintained), out-of-service cannons and some sort of a steel artillery storage bunker. Also, there is a concrete staircase leading to the rooftop deck of the front walls. An area higher than the battlements. From there, you'll have a view of a terracotta rooftop and, of course, the streets and buildings right outside the fort.


Before leaving, make sure you drop by the souvenir shops beside the entrance/exit gates. Aside from the keychains, necklaces and bracelets (which you can get personalized with your names, by the way), you might find there a blind man singing together with a young girl gifted with an amazing voice. They were singing some old songs. Some in Tagalog even. So listen and spare some change.

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Cebu: the Cross and the Basilica

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After visiting Bantayan Island in northern Cebu province, we made sure we also visited some of the more touristy sites of Cebu City proper. Hey, it has to be done. My goal was to find as much old Spanish Cebu as I can get. It is a very historical city this one. In fact, Cebu was for a time the capital of the Spanish colony here. Luckily, it did not disappoint.


First on our list, is, of course, Magellan's Cross. The first time I saw this landmark was in grade school, in a history textbook. So, walking into the small stone kiosk that houses it was actually the first time I was beholding it. Well, I expected something taller, but hey, it's tall enough.


The cross can be found in the heart of downtown Cebu City, along Magallanes Street, right in front of the city hall. As I discovered, though, no one will actually ever lay eyes on the original Magellan's cross. The original one has been encased inside this hollow wooden cross, reportedly done to prevent devotees from chipping off its wood, believing it to have healing powers.


Right beside the cross is the back entrance of one very big Catholic church. The Basilica Minore de Sto. Niño is said to be standing on the spot where a sculpture of a black Holy Child was found. Spaniards stumbled upon this Sto. Niño preserved in a burned wooden box left behind by Magellan's 1521 expedition.


Today, the black Sto. Niño is still there. We saw it inside the church, in a special room beside the altar, along with other things inside the basilica. Again, I could not shoot inside the church out of respect to the many devotees praying there. So, I contented myself on other interesting things I found. Trust me. There are many.


We found a well-maintained patio inside, which had this beautifully crafted wishing fountain. Walking inside the church again, I found this staircase whose intricate design amazed me. The balusters and the steps themselves were all beautifully sculpted from wood. I guess this is why I never actually fully resented religion. If it could inspire beautiful works of art like this one, why should I?

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Bantayan: The Spanish-Era Town Plaza

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After visiting Kota Park, in Bantayan Island, Cebu, we headed straight to the heartland of this small little island: the town plaza. This town plaza is very much what you'd expect of a Spanish-era town plaza. Around it, you'll find big colonial houses, the market and, of course, the iglesia.


The iglesia, now called the St. Paul and Peter Parish, was founded by Augustinian priests in 1580. Construction of the actual structure, however, started more than two centuries later in 1839, finished in 1863. It is said to be one of the oldest churches in the country. A magazine show even claimed it to be the oldest in the Visayas.


The design and details of this church was to me quite breathtaking. The façade is made of corral stones and decorated by intricate sculptures and reliefs. Beside it is the campanilla, the belfry, which, people claim, houses resounding bells that can be heard for miles.


I explored the church a little more and stopped myself from taking photos inside, as a mass was currently being held. I walked to the side doors and found myself on a tree-lined area, where, I suppose, Sunday-mass vendors would set-up and sell candles and other religious paraphernalia.


As I explored the town plaza a little more, I stumbled upon Bantayan's old Spanish-style colonial houses, typical of Spanish-era town plazas. We reckoned one decrepit about-to-become-in-ruins old structure was the former government building. Its walls looked very brittle and it already had holes on its roof. The sidewalk on which it stands, in fact, has been fenced off from pedestrians.


Fortunately, there are some of these old houses that have gone through restoration. We found one whose first floor was converted into commercial spaces. There was a salon, a jewelry store, an electronics store (which we didn't think existed in the island) and various other dry goods.




For other Bantayan-island entries, please see:
Bantayan: Blooms in May
Bantayan: The Historical Kota Park
Bantayan: Brilliant Blue Beach
Cebu: From the City to the Island

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Books to Pour at 2009 International Book Day

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How many books have you read?

JUST AS LOTS of rain fall during this time of the year in Spain, so too will lots of books pour at the International Book Day celebrations at the Instituto Cervantes de Manila, to be held April 23 to 25.

This event is fast becoming part of Manila's cultural calendar. Every April, people are invited to refresh from Manila's summer heat with this pouring of books accompanied by, as per tradition, red roses.

Since the medieval era, men have been giving roses to their lovers and since 1925, women have given a book in exchange. Today, book buyers are given a rose for every purchase they make.

The Spanish cultural organization, compelled by the success of book days past, will be expanding this year's activities. Running for three days, the celebrations will open with a poetry reading by Juan Gelman, acclaimed Argentinian poet.

The second day will see artists from the UST Conservatory of Music performing Filipino folk music in Spanish. Finally, on the third day will be the Instituto Cervantes open house and the book fair itself.

Aside from the main events, activities lined-up include film showings, a book signing, a round table discussion on copyright in the digital environment, a photography contest and a Latin party.

A copy of the complete program and a location map of the Instituto Cervantes de Manila can be found here: Día de Libro in Facebook.

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Humor

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I came across this advertisement here this morning. It's for the metro railway system of the city of Madrid, Spain.

On one hand, it does make you laugh. It's really funny. On the other hand, I worry about what the makers of the ad think of the Philippines as well as what the Spaniards themselves will think upon seeing it. Well, without further ado, here it is:

I'm not sure if Spaniards think that the Philippines is still what it was when they left: backwards, underdeveloped, agrarian (all still applies, if you think about it). Add the fact this is the advertising industry. It uses stereotypes because they effectively serve as a shorthand language with which to convey their messages. (Of course, the downside is that the stereotype will continue to perpetuate.)

I think I should be offended. But I'm not. Just like what the blog from which I got this said, it's the don't-call-my-mother-fat concept that's operating here. So I should be offended.

I don't know. Maybe, having studied communication and mass media gave me high media literacy and as such, I don't get offended by these things. I don't know. What you do think?

By the way, the voice-over in the end says, "The railway system that the whole city wants to have when it becomes big: the Madrid Metro. Let's go."

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