Last Sunday my Manila Bulletin column, “Erap, the Heritage Conservator”, was about recapturing Manila’s former glory because of the reported demolition of the Rizal Memorial Coliseum and the surrounding Sports Complex for a mall and several mixed-use sites.
The column elicited several reactions from historians and heritage experts.
Dr. Augusto de Viana, chairman of the Department of History at the University of Santo Tomas and former head of the Research and Publications Division of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), sent highly informative comments. Reprinted below is part of his reaction:
“…The Manila of today is but a shadow of its glorious past. In the prewar period, the National Geographic [1935] once wrote Manila ‘was the place to be. It was America’s pearl of the orient.’ The year marked the arrival of the Pan American Clipper—the Philippines’s first direct link to the United States. Already the Philippines through Manila were served by prestigious shipping firms, like the United States Lines, the Nord Deutch Shipping, the Nippon Yusen Kaisha and the prestigious P&O, which owned the Queen Elizabeth. Tourists walked in the old Walled City, though it showed signs of decay, portrayed a period of the past century. The old houses and churches still stood there. Outside of the Walled City would be Ermita and Malate districts, where the University Belt stood at the time. Institutions, such as the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila, Philippine Christian University and various schools, helped mold the country’s youth. The district of Sampaloc still sported somewhat a rural condition with rice fields still existing at the time. Yet, the city was expanding toward this area with the start of the operations of the University of Santo Tomas in its new Sulucan campus.
“The city at the time was the pride of the colonial administrators. The center of the arts was the Metropolitan Theater. Many buildings were built in the neoclassical style, such as the Post Office Building, the Agriculture Building and the Finance Building. There were also the buildings of the Philippine Normal School [now the PNU] and the Philippine College of Arts and Trades [PCAT, now the Technological University of the Philippines]. These buildings stand in contrast with those in Intramuros, which exemplified the Spanish period.
“Across the Pasig River were the districts of Binondo, Quiapo and Santa Cruz, which were the beehives of commerce. Binondo was still a mestizo zone though the Chinese were taking over. Quiapo and Santa Cruz had shops owned by foreigners, such as the Japanese, that the area of Rizal Avenue was called Little Tokyo. Quiapo had fishermen’s shops, bazaars and carpenter’s shops. The area of Tondo represented the places of the workers and the newly
arrived migrants from the Visayas and Mindanao.
“Life was very orderly at the time. There was no need for security guards unlike today. Squatting was not tolerated as anyone who tries to set up a post would be questioned by the police and asked for a permit. There were also very few beggars. It was very safe to walk the streets.
“Every district has a park or two and the streets are lined up with trees, which made Manila a pleasant place even during the hot months of April, May and June.
“Everything changed after the war as 70 percent of the city was destroyed. The streets became dirty, many old grand buildings were destroyed, abandoned or gone to seed. Squatting became rife. Along with it would be the rise of criminality.
“Some mayors of the city did try to bring back the glory of Manila. There was Mayor Arsenio Lacson who cleared Intramuros of undesirable elements. The district became the haven of undesirables after its old residents moved out. There was also Mayor Antonio Villegas who replanted trees and some of his plant boxes are still here today along Quirino Avenue and Forbes [Lacson]. During the time of Villegas and Mayor Ramon Bagatsing, some establishments tried to bring back the glitz of Manila. The Plaza Miranda was a sort of our version of Times Square and there were new movie houses, like the Cinerama, the Globe and Times Theater.
“However, since that time the historic beauty of the city was declining through neglect, decay and outright destruction.
“Numerous landmarks were obliterated.
“Harrison Park [a place for baseball and for promenades] is now Harrison Plaza.
“The old Meisic [Spanish army cavalry headquarters] was demolished to give way to a mall.
“The San Lazaro and Santa Ana Race courses are gone and are now condominium sites.
“Historic houses, like the house of Teodora Alonzo, are gone and are now the site of a condominium.
“Declared historical sites, such as the Katipunan founding site and the La Liga Founding Sites, are dirty and neglected.
“What is more alarming is we are losing old heritage houses. Binondo has more antique houses than Intramuros. Since the ones at the latter were destroyed and the ones standing there are simply replicas. The sites of these old houses have been turned into condominium sites.
“Even the historic Rizal Park is being invaded by commercial establishments, like hamburger restaurants and even a motorcycle dealership. Parks are supposed to be for the free promenade for the people to allow them to relax and to appreciate the historicity of the place. Now they are being commercialized…”
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