Daily Archives: 12 June, 2023

Museo ng Sapatos (Marikina City, Metro Manila)

Posted on by — Leave a reply

Museo ng Sapatos (Shoe Museum)

The Museo ng Sapatos (Shoe Museum), formerly known as the Footwear Museum of Marikina, is housed in an old stone building (bigasang bayan) built in 1880s by Dona Teresa de la Paz of the affluent Tuason family to store palay.   During the Philippine Revolution, it served as an armory of the Guardia Civil and, during the Philippine–American War, the building was used as a detention center.

Museum entrance

During the American era, it was then used as a motor pool and, during the Japanese Occupation, it served as a detention center for suspected guerillas.  After World War II, the structure was repurposed as a rice mill by the Tuason family but was later abandoned.

Museum interior

In 1998, Mayor Bayani F. Fernando conceived the idea to open a museum dedicated to Marikina‘s 110-year old shoe industry and, in 2000, he had it renovated and converted into a museum.

Column wrapped with shoe lasts

Opened as Marikina Footwear Museum on February 16, 2001, it aims to showcase the shoes worn by prominent figures and personalities in the Philippine history and to trace the history of the shoe industry.  Imelda R. Marcos herself led the museum’s opening.  When Typhoon Ondoy struck in 2009, water reached 4 ft. high inside the museum and many shoes were damaged.

Imelda Marcos Shoes Gallery. At the end are the Filipiniana dress of Imelda Marcos and the barong tagalog of Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos

At the center of the hall is a column of old wooden shoe lasts. A stairway leads up to the mezzanine where 749 pairs (as of 2020) of size eight-and-a-half footwear (shoes, downy boudoir slippers, slick knee-length boots, open-toed linen espadrilles, alligator pumps, etc.)  of former First Lady Imelda R. Marcos, an active promoter of Marikina’s shoe industry, are displayed, occupying one long wall of cabinets.

Shoes of Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos

Shoes of Pres. Manuel A. Roxas

Aside from shoes from local designers (she was gifted an average of 10 pairs a week), they include handcrafted designer pieces from brands such as Charles Jourdan, Beltrami, Christian Dior, Gucci and Oleg Cassini.  Also on display are a Filipiniana dress worn by her and a barong tagalog worn by the late Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos.

Shoes of Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Shoes of Pres. Fidel V. Ramos

Seized by the Presidential Commission on Good Government, they were formerly on display, for six years, at the Malacañang Palace Museum (now the Malacanang Museum and Library) during Corazon Aquino‘s presidential term.

Check out “Malacanang Museum and Library”

Celebrity Shoes

It was later placed in storage at the beginning of Fidel V. Ramos‘s presidency.  In 1996, a portion of Marcos’ shoe collection was requested to be transferred to the Marikina city government led by Mayor Bayani Fernando. Marcos did not object to the request in 1998.

Shoes of former Marikina City Mayor Bayani Fernando

Bowling shoes of six-time World bowling champion Paeng Nepomuceno

Also on display are shoes worn by the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos plus shoes donated by the late President Fidel V. Ramos, President Joseph Estrada (a size 10) and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and shoes donated by other politicians (Sen. Loren Legarda, Cong. Jose de Venecia, Bongbong Marcos, etc.) including a pair of shoes from Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago which she wore during the 1992 Presidential Campaign and during her visit to local shoe manufacturers in Marikina.

Evolution of Shoes

Circa 1930s to 1970s

There are also shoes from showbiz figures (Agot Isidro, Dolphy, Fernando Poe Jr., Christine Reyes, April Boy Regino, Angel Aquino, John Arcilla, Rosa Rosal, etc.) , athletes (Paeng Nepomuceno, Eugene Torre, etc.), beauty queens (Venus Raj, etc.) and other well-known personalities (Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, Jaime Cardinal Sin, First Lady Amelita Ramos, etc.).

Circa 1980s to 2000s

Circa 2001 to the Present

Aside from celebrity shoes, there is a display about footwear through the ages. Highlights include kinds of shoes icemen would have worn back in 3300 BC, Dutch clogs, Viking boots, Roman sandals and Indian moccasins.  Also on display are the products that made Marikina as the Shoe Capital of the Philippines.

Singer sewing machine

Men’s and Ladies’ Shoe Stands and Manual Delaster

On another corner are award-winning shoes, mostly fantasy footwear, from the city’s annual design competition.

A 3-foot high leather shoe

Also on display are actual cobbler’s tools, a sewing machine, shoe lasts, shoe components, men’s and ladies’ shoe stands and a manual delaster.  There’s also a huge, 3 ft. high leather shoe.

Shoe Components

Cobbler’s tools

On the sidewalk surrounding the Shoe Museum is the Shoe-perstar Alley, a walk-of-fame inaugurated on November 13, 2012 (Sapatos Festival).

Angel Locsin and Joel Lamangan

It features 49 famous personalities from different careers like politics, sports, arts, entertainment, music, philanthropy, business, news and current affairs, fashion and beauty, and religion who have greatly contributed to the upliftment of the shoe industry in Marikina.  Their names are placed on 60cm. x 60cm. tiles that have a 16cm. x 16cm. shoe design made of brass.

Monique Wilson and Brian Tenorio

Also outside the Shoe Museum is a century-old acacia tree, one of two Heritage Trees in Marikina which are enduring witnesses to city’s history, particularly the growth and struggles of its footwear industry. Now laying on its side, the trunk blocking J.P. Rizal Street and half of the roots unearthed and exposed, it was uprooted by a tornado spawned by Typhoon Ompong on September 14, 2018. First aid methods and bonsai techniques had been used to revive this acacia and it is now considered a symbol of the community’s own survival and resilience.

The still resilient Heritage Tree

Museo ng Sapatos:  J.P. Rizal St., San Roque, Marikina City (50 m. from the Sentrong Pangkultura ng Marikina), Metro Manila.  Open daily, 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM.  Admission: Php50.  Tel: (632) 696-6516.E-mail: marikinatourism@gmail.com.

How to Get There: take the LRT-2 to Santolan (its last stop) and then take a San Mateo-bound jeepney to City Hallon Central Shoe Ave.  From there, it is a short walk to the museum.

Sentrong Pangkultura ng Marikina (Metro Manila)

Posted on by — Leave a reply

Sentrong Pangkultura ng Marikina

The over two century old Sentrong Pangkultura ng Marikina, formerly the old Kapitan Moy building, was constructed in 1780 by Don Jose Guevarra whose family owns “Asyenda Tyason.” Andres Bonifacio of the Katipunan once visited the place and, in 1901, the American soldiers made it a camp.

National Historical Commission plaque installed in 1970

Once owned by Don Laureano “Kapitan Moy” Guevarra (July 4, 1851 – December 30, 1891), recognized as the father of the shoe industry in the Philippines (he also served as capitan municipal in the former municipality), the first pair of shoes in Marikina was designed and made in 1887.

Don Laureano “Kapitan Moy” Guevarra

Doña Teresa dela Paz, a haciendera, then bought the house of Kapitan Moy to serve the needs of the marginal sector of the community, converting it into a home of needy residents of Marikina. Doña Teresa then presented the dwelling to his brother-in-law Don Jose Espiritu who transformed it into a primary school from 1907 to 1955.

Interior

When the Americans occupied the Philippines, the building also served as the house of the American tribunal. From 1942 to 1945, when the Japanese came over, it became the Japanese Imperial Army’s headquarters.

In 1968, it was also declared as a National Shrine by the municipal council and NHCP.  On April 16, 1970, the building was commemorated with a cast-iron plaque marker and listed as a Historic Site and Structure by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) for being the Unang Pagawaan ng Sapatos sa Marikina or the First Shoe Workshop in Marikina.

Galeria

It is also recognized as a Cultural Property of the Philippines by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and the National Museum of the Philippines.

Cafe Kapitan Restaurant

On April 16, 1986, the building was declared as the Sentrong Pangkultura ng Marikina (Cultural Center of Marikina) by the Marikina local government. On September 14, 2018, the building was damaged by a tornado , a day before Typhoon Mangkhut (Ompong) struck Cagayan Valley, disrupting the wedding reception held at the building.

Cafe Kapitan Restaurant

Inside this building can be found Doll Museum, Marikina City’s museum, a diorama showcasing the events and history of Marikina. It also houses two restaurants (Café Kapitan Restaurant and Kusina ni Kambal).

Exterior stairs leading to the second floor

At the Café Kapitan Restaurant is an old well which serves as a décor and a wishing well to customers at the ground floor and is also a venue for seminars, conventions and other events.

Bulwagang Bayani

The fully airconditioned Bulwagang Bayani, located on the second floor, can accommodate 400 to 450 guests. The Plaza Kapitan may also be rented for different occasions.

The author at Sentrong Pangkultura ng Marikina

Sentrong Pangkultura ng Marikina: 323 J.P. Rizal St.,1800  Marikina City, Metro Manila.

Church of Our Lady of the Abandoned (Marikina City, Metro Manila)

Posted on by — Leave a reply

Church of Our Lady of the Abandoned

Located at the boundaries of Barangays Santa Elena and San Roque, this church, dedicated to Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados (Our Lady of the Abandoned), was first constructed in 1572, with bamboo and leaves by the Augustinian friars in a place called Chorillo (present-day Barangay Barangka).

Left side elevation

The church was started, on its present site, in 1687 by the Augustinians using forced labor.  Constructed with adobe in the Baroque style, it had a heavily fortified facade, large-scale ceiling paintings, a dramatic central projection of the facade, a round-style pediment for the bell tower and the opulent blending of painting and architecture. 

Right side elevation

On October 23, 1791, the church was consecrated by the Archdiocese of Manila for the Virgin’s said title so that it could not be used for any secular purpose.  It was twice destroyed during the June 1863 and July 1880 earthquakes and was gutted by fire in 1891.

National Historical Institute (NHI) Plaque (1990)

In 1898, during the Philippine–American War, the church suffered major damage and the first image was burnt along with pertinent records of the devotion in Marikina.  In 1902, a new image was created, and is the one presently venerated in the parish.  During World War II, the upper storey bell tower was totally destroyed. By 1957, the church was restored and refurbished by Fr. Silvestre dela Cruz of the Archdiocese of Manila with the help from various religious and civic organizations.  The church underwent a lavish upgrade from 2009 to 2012.

Statue of Our Lady of the Abandoned

On May 12, 2002, the 100th anniversary, the venerated image  (fondly called “Mama Ola”), was episcopally crowned by Crisostomo Yalung, Bishop of Antipolo. On April 22, 2005, as one of his first formal institutional acts as a pope, Pope Benedict XVI granted the venerated image a decree of canonical coronation (the 23rd Marian image in the country to be crowned). On October 23 2005, the coronation took place, with former Archbishop of Manila, Gaudencio Rosales presiding over the Mass and canonical rites together with the Antipolo Bishop, Gabriel V. Reyes.

Church interior

On August 5, 2007, the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, the Bishop of Antipolo, Gabriel V. Reyes, D.D., consecrated the the church as a diocesan shrine in honor of Our Lady under the title Maria, Inang Mapag-Ampon ng Marikina, Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados.

Choir loft

The church is known for featuring Metro Manila’s longest Holy Week processions with around 87 floats (as of 2023).  Nationwide, it is third overall after the St. Augustine Parish in Baliuag and the San Isidro Labrador Parish in Pulilan, both in Bulacan, which features at least 110 floats.

Main altar

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

The 1957 renovation retained much of the church’s simple Baroque façade but the entrance portico was added.  The 3-storey bell tower, on the left, has a square base and octagonal upper storeys.  The upper storey, with its dome-capped belfry, was destroyed by U.S. artillery bombardment (from Quezon City) during World War II and was restored.

Left side altar

On both sides of the church are a series of sculptures atop pillars, completed in 2012 with Jesus Christ (the Good Shepherd), St. Bartolomew, St. Philip, St. John, St. Peter, St. James (son of Zebedee) and St. Thomas on the left and St. Andrew, St. Matthew, St. Matthias, St. Paul, St. Simon, St. James (son of Alphaeus) and St. Jude Thaddaeus on the Right.

Right side altar

The interiors feature a main altar, two side altars, ceiling murals depicting scenes from the Mysteries of the Rosary, colorful Machuca tile flooring, various artwork (including angels, saints, OLA’s monthly devotional procession and the “Tinapay ni OLA,” a feeding program by bikers) by Angono artist Nani Reyes, colorful stained glass windows, a pulpit, and three-dimensional arches and pillars, all optical illusions, created by Rex Papasin of Batangas.

Pulpit

Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of the Abandoned: 641 J.P. Rizal cor. P. Gomez Sts., Brgy. Sta Elena 1801 Marikina City.  Tel: (02) 8846-1781. Feast of Our Lady of the Abandoned: May 12 (since 2010).

How to Get There: Marikina City is located 19 kms. (a one-hour drive) from Manila (via Quezon Ave./R7) and 9.7 kms. (a 30-min. drive via C-5) from Quezon City.