DO you really know Manila? Bursting at the seams with a vibrant culture and personality, Manila is a city that boasts of two distinct faces.
There’s the rich and historical tourist-worthy side, and then there’s the seedier Manila—the one which has grown fame with its red-light districts and unforgiving traffic jams.
Manila is a city that knows no neutrality. It’s either you hate it, or you love it. As for me, I proudly belong to the latter. However, it’s not the obvious charms—the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Intramuros, or Binondo—that have won me over, but rather the unique identity that now lies seemingly hidden behind smog, the mad rush, and the chaos that the city has been widely known for.
The ruins of old money
Prior to World War II, it was not Forbes or Bonifacio Global City that the wealthy considered their home. It was Ermita and Malate—with the wide and clean streets dotted by elegant estates—where the high society rubbed elbows. Among the notable citizens were the first Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon’s brood and the Alfonso Zobel family. The former’s home has now been reduced to ruins, while the latter has given way to a new building.
Unsurprisingly, grandiose churches also play a key role in the identity of Manila. The ethereal Paco Church and the breathtaking Intramuros churches are must-sees for sure, but the city cannot be captured without the Malate Church. One of the oldest churches outside of Intramuros, this structure survived the bombings of WWII and even hosted Pope Paul VI. Regardless, if you’re religious or not, a visit to these churches certainly moves the spirit.
One of the first and most beautiful plazas in Manila was the Rajah Sulayman Park on Roxas Boulevard. Here visitors eagerly met up to chat and catch the famed Manila Bay sunsets. Now it acts as a little more than an informal parking lot.
The architects’ hangout
In its heyday, Manila was also a center for architectural progress. The Manila Jai Alai building, designed in the 1930s, was one of the best examples of art-deco design in Asia. Later on, it was repurposed as a Red Cross service center and, ultimately, the building’s deterioration became the cause for its demolition in 2000.
There also used to be majestic buildings for leisure, entertainment and business along Escolta. Most memorable of these were the Crystal Arcade (where the Philippine Stock Exchange once was); the Capitol Theater (where bas-reliefs portrayed Filipiniana attire); and the Avenue Theater (a popular resto-bar chain now stands in its stead).
Unfortunately, all these three structures are only a few of the many Manila icons we lost.
Industrialization meets preservation
Even though it’s disheartening to see structures and sites being torn down, the truth of the matter remains that the upkeep and renovation of these heritage pieces are a bit pricey. Many times, the financial needs are too expensive for the owners to maintain, leading them to demolish or just ignore these sites.
Luckily, a growing number of Manila heritage sites are getting the attention they deserve through repurposing.
The sprawling Henry Hotel Manila, for example, which used to be a complex of five heritage houses built and owned by a wealthy Filipino-Chinese businessman back in the 1950s, is now one of the country’s most stylish boutique accommodations. The Luneta Hotel’s former glory has been imbued with touches of more modern influences, while still keeping the charm that had US President Dwight Eisenhower raving after his visit. The Metropolitan Museum is also currently in the works to be rehabilitated for reuse. Last, there’s the Admiral Hotel, which is now being brought to its former glory and is set to open by 2017.
A growing community of champions
A growing number of people are also championing the so-called Manila-less-traveled. Among them are individuals like Carlos Celdran and the students of Saint Paul University (SPU) Manila.
SPU Manila Tourism faculty Pamela Go, in an interview I read, elaborated about the inspiration behind the movement. “We wanted to have that cultural pride again with every Filipino, and we wanted to start it here in Saint Paul and around Ermita and Malate, as well,” she said.
At Ermita, private businesses are also working to clean up and restore the old glory of its image. “We have so much to treasure here,” expressed Michelle Pe, spokesman of the Ermita-Malate Business Owners’ Association, in another interview I came across some time ago. “If we’re going to let it go, it will continue to decay.”
Ask any traveler, and you’ll hear him or her say that, aside from the location itself and the sights to see, it’s actually the personality and identity that these places impart that is the real score. In a mish-mashed place like Manila, it’s easy to be overwhelmed and come away confused. By valorizing places that reflect a golden bygone era, a city that was once familiar can become a whole new world worth discovering.
Image credits: www.lougopal.com
1 comment
Oh Thank you for the kind mention, Amor!