For our first city tour after the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, my son Jandy and I joined the free Pasig River Heritage Appreciation Walk hosted by Renacimiento Manila, a private organization whose main goal is to usher in a cultural rebirth in Manila. They, as well as other groups, oppose the proposed 19.37-kilometer long Pasig River Expressway (PAREX), an elevated expressway which would be built on top of and straddle the length of the river. Renacimiento stresses that the P95-billion project poses a threat to Manila’s environment and cityscape.
The two-hour tour, promoting the Pasig River’s cultural treasures, would cover Liwasang Bonfacio, Jones Bridge, Plaza Moraga, Escolta and Santa Cruz. For Renacimiento, knowing the cultural and historical significance of this area of the Pasig River is the key in understanding why it is important that PAREX never sees the light of day.
As parking would be a problem during the tour, we just opted to take the LRT from Gil Puyat to UN Avenue Station, the nearest station to the assembly area. As we arrived early, we took time to explore the Andres Bonifacio Monument Park, with its musical dancing fountain and its glass-encased, 3-ft. tall fragment of the Berlin Wall, before having breakfast at the Hidden Café. By 9:30 a.m., our 30-pax group was already gathered at Liwasang Bonifacio where we were briefed by Renacimiento Manila president Diego Gabriel Torres. The 700-square-meter public square, formerly Plaza Lawton, was an ideal assembly area as it is one of four freedom parks in the City of Manila (the others are Plaza Miranda, Plaza Dilao and Plaza Moriones), where protests and rallies may be held without requiring permission from local authorities.
Our tour started by 10 a.m. with Diego leading the way to the Liwasang’s backdrop—the Manila Central Post Office, the center of the Philippine postal services and the headquarters of the Philippine Postal Corporation. Designed in Neo-Classical by Filipino architects Juan M. Arellano (who also designed the Old Legislative Building and Metropolitan Theater) and Tomas Mapua and American architect Ralph Harrington Doane, it is one of the greatest examples of American Colonial architecture in the Philippines.
From the Post Office, we made our way to the iconic and historic Jones Bridge. Named after William A. Jones, the principal author of the Jones Law (Philippine Autonomy Act of 1916), this arched girder bridge, inaugurated in 1921, replaced the Fuente de España (Bridge of Spain) whose middle span collapsed during the heavy rains of September 1914. The aforementioned Juan Arellano took over from William Parsons and finished the bridge’s final design using French Neo-Classical architecture, with heavy piers embellished with faux-stone and concrete ornaments and four concrete plinths with four statues, collectively called La Madre Filipina, done by sculptor/painter Ramon Lazaro Martinez.
During World War II, the bridge was bombed by retreating Japanese troops. After the war, the bridge was rebuilt, its Neo-Classical aesthetic replaced with an unadorned, unaesthetic and quite banal architecture, a far cry from Arellano’s vision. However, in 2019, a P20-million rehabilitation project, by Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, “restored” the Jones Bridge to its near-original architecture, with 80 Beaux Arts-inspired lamp posts, similar to those on Paris’ Pont Alexandre III, installed. Its four plinths were also reconstructed to accommodate the La Madre statues (one transferred from Rizal Park and the other three are replicas). Today, the bridge is now a hit in social media, its cinematic appearance making it a favorite for selfies and pre-nuptial photo shoots.
Descending a side stairs from the bridge brought us to historic Escolta, the country’s erstwhile “Queen of Streets” and premier shopping mecca from the early 1900s to the 1960s. With the emergence of bustling commercial and business districts of Makati (Ayala Center) and Quezon City (Araneta Center), the prestige of Escolta gradually faded and it has lost its appeal. However, recent initiatives by conservation groups (Renacimiento Manila included) are trying to revive its glorious past.
Escolta, a vast open-air museum, houses some of the country’s proud 20th century achievements in the field of arts and architecture. Unfortunately, some were destroyed or irreparably damaged during World War II and, during the post-war reconstruction, were completely demolished to pave the way for new buildings. These include the Crystal Arcade, the country’s first air-conditioned shopping mall which also housed the Manila Stock Exchange.
However, others survived and are still around. Both ends of Escolta open into impressive open spaces (Plaza Sta. Cruz and Plaza Moraga). In between are scattered a number of historical Art-Deco, Neo-Classical and Beaux Arts-style buildings designed by world-renowned Filipino (Andres Luna de San Pedro Juan Nakpil, Fernando Ocampo, Carlos Arguelles, etc.) and foreign architects (Fernando dela Cantera Blondeau, etc.) and artists (Francesco Riccardo Monti) of the time. These we explored during our walking tour. Facing each other are the fancy, Art Deco-style pink and white First United Building (built in 1928) and the elegant, white Beaux Arts-style Regina Building (completed in 1934). Further out is the simple Burke Building (built in 1919), named after the cardiologist William J. Burke who introduced and installed the first electrocardiograph in the country. The first Otis elevator in the Philippines was installed in this building.
The charming, 4-storey Beaux Arts-style Natividad Building (built in the early 1920s), one of the most beautiful landmarks in the area, has an alluring, ivory and white-colored facade, evocative of a French café in a Parisian neighborhood. The stunning, Beaux Arts-style Calvo Building (built in 1938), with its richly-decorated façade, is home to the little-known Escolta Museum. Across the street from the Calvo Building is the decaying and dilapidated shell of the majestic, Mesopotanian-inspired Art Deco-style Capitol Theater, built in 1935.
Image credits: Benjamin Locsin Layug