ONE year after taking office, then Manila Mayor Lito Atienza tapped the local businessmen and business groups as well as the community and the barangays in organizing the Chinatown Development Authority (CDA) in 1999. The CDA helped Atienza achieve his vision of restoring the area to its genuine character as a Chinese enclave, where a unified Filipino-Chinese community would have a harmonized development program.
One of the major components of Atienza’s “Buhayin ang Maynila” urban redevelopment (1998-2007) was reviving historical landmarks including parks. The Chinatown area in Binondo was a key focus. He “rediscovered” a centuries-old fountain in what is now known as the Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz in front of Binondo Church. This forgotten structure was restored, lit up and became the centerpiece of the plaza.
This plaza became not only a beautiful and relaxing place for residents to take a stroll anytime of the day, but it also became the venue for celebrating various significant events in Chinese culture such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, Mooncake Festival and Chinese New Year.
Atienza’s CDA program also eliminated the decades-old problem of corruption that had bled Chinatown dry with regular tong collection by unscrupulous officials. This encouraged businessmen to invest more and pay proper taxes which in return had the full support of City Hall.
As the former mayor’s associates recalled, Chinatown once again became the place where Manilans could enjoy traditional Chinese food, medicines, feng-shui readings, shopping and even entertainment. With the beautification and lighting up of streets, the problems that had plagued Chinatown for the past several years such as traffic, illegal vendors, petty crimes, garbage and flooding were addressed.
Atienza not only restored investors’ confidence in the newly redeveloped Chinatown, but he also gave importance to and promoted the colorful and vibrant culture that the Filipino-Chinese community share.
During Atienza’s third term as mayor (2004-2007), Manila and Beijing initiated the fostering of warmer relations and closer economic and cultural ties through the signing of a historic, first-ever Sister-City Agreement in 2005 with then-Mayor Wang Qishan, now the Vice President of the People’s Republic of China.
Fortuitously, the disrupted reforms in Chinatown, after the Atienza mayorship, are now getting the much-needed attention from the city’s indefatigable chief executive elected in 2019, Mayor Isko Moreno.