Category Archives: Metropolitan Manila

Museo Valenzuela (Valenzuela City)

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I recently got an invitation from Lakbay Norte colleague and now La Consolacion College School of International Hospitality Management Prof. Melissa  Dizon-Dulalia to join a Lakbay-Aral tour of Valenzuela City with her students as guests of City Mayor Sherwin T. Gatchalian.  I brought along, as my photographer, my son Jandy.  We met up with Melissa and her students at La Consolacion College where a chartered airconditioned Genesis bus was waiting for us to bring us to Valenzuela City.    

Museo Valenzuela

Aside from the Melissa’s 42 Tourism Planning and Destination Development Class students, joining us were fellow media colleague Mr. Rogine de Mata Rogelio of Pilipino Mirror; travel photographer Nico Karabatsos; travel agents Mr. Sandy Mella Clamor (Managing Director of Emmaus Travel & Tours) and Ms. Bingbing Rubio (Pogi Travels); and Ms. Violeta  C. Imperial (founder of Nature Awareness & Conservation Club, Inc.).

Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian with media and travel agents
Mayor Gatchalian with La Consolacion College students

We all left La Consolacion College by 8:45 AM and arrived at the 2-storey Museo Valenzuela, beside the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, by 9:20 AM.  Here, we were joined by my good friend and fellow travel blogger Mr. Mark Vincent Nunez (www.mvlnunez.blogspot.com) and travel agent and Valenzuela City resident Ms. Rosanna Kho (Gen. Manager of Kho Travel & Tours).  

Museum curator Jonathan C. Balsamo

At the museum, we were welcomed by museum curator and historian Mr. Jonathan C. Balsamo who presented a video documentary, created by the City Cultural Affairs and Tourism Development Office (CATDO), featuring historical experts’ commentary on the life of local son and least depicted national hero Dr. Pio Valenzuela (July 11, 1869-April 6, 1956), Katipunan co-founder (together with Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto), mayor of Polo (the former name of the city) from September 6, 1899-February 1900 and Bulacan governor from 1921-1925.  The city was renamed after him on September 11, 1963.

Diorama – Pagkamakabayan and Paglilingkod
Diorama – Pagkamulat and Pagkilala

The museum, which gives public access on factual information on Dr. Pio, is among the major efforts of Mayor Gatchalian to prevent Dr. Pio’s deeds from dying in vain.  It has a bust sculpture of Dr. Pio and a permanent, full-dimensional diorama exhibit, opened last March 16, 2010, of the life of Dr. Valenzuela during and after the Philippine Revolution. The 150 hand-made dolls, fashioned out of resin and wire, were created by artists of the Balikatan sa Kaunlaran National Foundation, the same team behind the Pinaglabanan diorama exhibited at the Museo ng Katipunan in San Juan City. Also on display are the doctor’s memorabilia (clothes, old photos, awards, medical equipment, furniture, etc.).

Pio Valenzuela and wife Marciana de Castro
Dr. Pio’s clothes
The doctor’s medical equipment
Dr. Pio’s swivel chair

It also exhibits paintings of past Valenzuela mayors and a model of San Diego de Alcala Church.  Serving as the cultural and historical center of the city, the museum is also the repository of Valenzuela City’s rich heritage and provides a venue for cultural, historical and artistic presentations as well as seminars on national and local issues.

A picture gallery of Valenzuela mayors
Model of Church of San Diego Alcala

Museo Valenzuela: Fatima Ave., Brgy. Marulas, Valenzuela City, Metro Manila. Tel: (632) 291-0672.

Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum – Indoor Exhibits (Pasay City)

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While waiting for my father-in-law’s arrival from Kalibo (Aklan) at the NAIA 3 Terminal, I decided to kill time at the nearby Philippine Air Force Museum.  I have visited this museum before, but only got to explore, with Jandy, the 16 “retired” planes and helicopters at the museum’s outdoor Aircraft Park.  The indoor exhibit was just one hour to closing time during that visit.

Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum

This military heritage and science technology museum was established way back on May 2, 1974 (as the Marcos Museum) but it only opened at its new location on July 1, 2001.  The world-class museum building was inaugurated on June 29, 2007, the 60th foundation anniversary of the PAF.  Surprisingly, this tidy, neat and quite impressive, 2-level museum, a good 2-hr. diversion for those who are also waiting for their plane connections, had a number of weekday visitors.

Science and Technology Section

The Science and Technology Section, at the ground floor, is highlighted by by an indoor static aircraft of various eras  – from pre-World War II to the present – all immaculately restored.  Of World War II vintage is a single-engine, 2-seater, open cockpit and fabric-covered Boeing PT-13D “Kaydet” (also known as Stearman Model 75) primary trainer biplane, a standardized U.S. Army/Navy trainer aircraft created by Boeing-Stearman from 1943-45.  Before World War II, the Philippine Army Air Corps (now the PAF) had Stearman model 73L3 trainers and the armed 76D version.  As part of the U.S. Military Defense Assistance Program (MDAP), the PAF Flying School acquired 50 PT-13/PT-17 “Kaydets.”

PT-13D “Kaydet”

The one on display is PT-13D “Kaydet” 76-7551 code 551 equipped with a 220-HP Lycoming R-680-17 radial engine (max. speed: 125 mph) and fitted with a ground-adjustable McCauley steel black propeller.  The aircraft has a 32-ft., 2-in. wing span and is 24 ft. 10 in. long and 9 ft. 2 in. high.

P-51D “Mustang”

Also of World War II vintage is a propeller-driven  P-51D “Mustang” fighter, manufactured by North American Aviation, the best fighter aircraft of World War II.  Around 100 of these fast and maneuverable aircraft, with 6 wing-mounted guns, were delivered to country in 1952 and assigned to the 6th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 5th Fighter Wing in Basa Air Base (Floridablanca, Pampanga).

SF-260

Beside it is a modern, Italian-made SIAI Marchetti SF-260, a light military trainer with low wings and tricycle undercarriage that is still in use.  The PAF acquired 2 variants in 1967 and initially received 2 SIAI Marchetti SF-260 operated by 102nd Training Squadron (now the PAF Flying School). The one on display had a tail number 15-44 and bore a tactical code 644.  Aside from being used by the flying school, it is also used for counter-insurgency roles.

“Cali” Super Pinto

Also on display are PAF experimental projects presented in ways to inspire young generations of Filipinos to learn on aerospace-related sciences. Of special interest is a prototype of the “Cali” Super Pinto, the first indigenous jet trainer and light attack aircraft in the country.  This turbojet-propelled, mid-monoplane aircraft has a TEMCO model TT-1 Pinto air frame with 2-place tandem seating.

U.S. space capsule
Replica of Wright Brothers’ 1902 glider

Suspended on the ceiling is a locally-made, full scale model of the Wright Brothers’ 1902 glider  and a U.S. space capsule.  The Science and Technology Section also exhibits aircraft mock-ups and miniatures. There is also a souvenir shop on this floor.

Dodge WC-57 Command Car
A row of ejection seats
Canopy and ejection seat systems

Also within this floor is a Dodge WC-57 Command Car (used by former Philippine presidents);  armament and gun system of a Northrop F-5A; F-86F nose landing gear system; canopy and ejection seats (F-86F “Sabrejet,” F-4 “Phantom” and F-5A “Freedom Fighter”); a portable rescue hoist and jet engines.  Kids may sit in the cockpit of an F-86D fighter jet simulator.

Hiroo Onoda Exhibit
Wall of Heroes
Evolution of PAF Uniforms

The Heritage Section, at the second floor of the museum, presents a variety of galleries displaying different military uniforms and their evolution (Evolution of PAF Uniforms); flying gear; dioramas and sand tables of important events involving the Air Force (Dioramas/PAF Model Aircraft); model planes, memorabilia, vintage guns, locally made bombs; a display of things left by Japanese straggler Lt. Hiroo Onoda while hiding in the jungles of Lubang in Mindoro; and skilled drawings and paintings of early military aviation and PAF history.

Past Commanding Generals of the PAF

There are also photographs of past commanding generals of the Philippine Air Force; recipients of the Philippine Medal of Valor and Distinguished Conduct Star (Wall of Heroes); old photographs depicting the history of the Air Force and its Blue Diamonds aerobatics team (Birth of Philippine Aviation) and a photo exhibit of the historic May 29, 1936 Arnacal (short for the names of Filipino pilots Antonio Arnaiz and Juan Calvo) flight from Manila to Madrid (Spain).

Photo exhibit of Arnacal flight

This floor also has a 150-200-pax function room for seminars, workshops, symposia, expositions and other cultural activities, plus a 45-pax mini-theater for small group film showings.\

Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum: Gozar cor. Alia St., Col. Jesus Villamor Air Base, Pasay City.   Open Mondays to Fridays, 8 AM to 5 PM, Saturdays, 8 AM to 12 noon. Admission is free.  Tel: (632) 832-3498, 854-6729 and 762-6628.

A Stroll in Paco Park

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After dropping off Cheska at ACTS (where  she was taking review classes for her Med Tech board exam), I decided, on my way home, to drop by historic Paco Park.  Getting there proved to be difficult for me as I had to make my way around a maze of one-way streets.  I decided to park my car just a few blocks away and walk the remaining distance.

Paco Park

Just about everybody, couch potato or not, is familiar, one way or the other, with the TV program “Paco Park Presents.” The concert was begun by Dr. Christoph Jessen (Press and Cultural Attache of the Federal Republic of Germany) with the late National Park Development Committee (NPDC) Vice-Chairman and journalist Teodoro “Doroy” Valencia on February 29, 1980 as a part of the celebration of Philippine-German Month and a gala tribute for then outgoing German ambassador Wolfgang Eger. The “Paco Park Presents” classical concert became a tradition and it now presents  chamber, traditional and pop music performed for free by the finest international and local solo artists, duets and small ensembles at an improvised outdoor stage. Truly a unique way of bringing classical music, via intimate, open-air concerts, to the masses.

Park entrance

I have been to the park a couple of times before as two of my siblings, my elder brother Frank (to the former Rosario “Cherry” Correa on December 17, 1978) and youngest sister Tellie (on December 27, 1982) as well as my good friend and fellow architect, Ed Yambao (to the former Gloria “Glo” Pagsanghan also on the same date as my sister) got married in the park’s St. Pancratius (named after a 14 year old martyr of the 4th century) Chapel. My late parents also renewed their marriage vows there during their silver wedding anniversary on the same day Frank got married.

Historical Research and Markers
Committee plaque
National Historical Shrine plaque

Why do people marry at a place that was once a home for the dead? Haven’t they heard of the often-mentioned warning that marriages made in such a place live but a short life? Couples don’t seem to mind at all even if the receptions are held besides rows of empty, gaping niches.  For me, it must be this recreational garden area’s atmosphere of peace and tranquility.  I featured this cemetery in my first book, “A Philippine Odyssey: A Collection of Featured Travel Articles” (New Day Publishers, 2005) under the heading “Presenting Paco Park.”
The Outer Cemetery

This 4,114.8 sq. m. circular park, one of the oldest landmarks of Manila, is located at Paco District, a nondescript commercial and residential area east of Taft Ave..  Formerly called San Fernando de Dilao, Paco was the Catalan nickname for Francisco and was presumably adapted by the natives to refer to the Franciscan friars who ran the parish.  The park was originally a cemetery built in 1807, through an administrative order, according to the plan of maestro de obras Nicolas Ruiz.  It was completed on April 22, 1822 under the supervision of Don Jose Coll.  The cemetery was, however, already in use two years before its completion to accommodate victims of the cholera epidemic which broke out 3 days after a strong October 1, 1820 typhoon ravaged the city.

Doves by the ticket booth

The epidemic was falsely rumored to have been caused by the poisoning of the Pasig River and the local wells by the foreign merchants, businessmen and scientists then residing in the city.  As a result, persons and property of said foreigners were attacked by violent Filipino mobs affected by this malady.  Casualties were 1 Chinese, 1 Spaniard, 12 French, 1 British captain, 1 American Marine guard, 2 Danes and 12 British and American sailors. Through energetic measures, the epidemic was under control in less than a month. Dominican friars excelled themselves in attending to the sick and, in grateful recognition of their services, 9 of the niches in the cemetery were donated to them by the city of Manila.

The Gomburza Memorial

In 1859, the cemetery was enlarged to 4,540 varas cuadradas (approximately  4,500 square yards) and enclosed with a circular stone wall by Gov.-Gen. Fernando de Norzagaray y Escudero (1856-59). A Chinese builder won the contract to build the circular stone wall of this cemetery for PhP19,700.  The cemetery used to have a chaplain (who lived across the site now occupied by the Paco Fire Station), a sacristan and 8 caretakers.

Gomburza Memorial plaque

At that time, the niches cost PhP20 for three years subject to renewal.  No one was allowed to own the niches in perpetuity.  Niches in the inner wall were reserved as exclusive burial places for prominent Spaniards.  Norzagaray’s successor, acting Gov.-Gen. Ramon Solano y Llanderal (1859-60), was buried in a now unknown site inside the mortuary chapel.

Jose Rizal Grave Site

The cemetery was the burial site of Frs. Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora, the triumvirate of Filipino priests unjustly implicated in the January 20-22, 1872 Cavite Mutiny.  They were executed by garrote (a strangulation machine) at sunrise of February 17 at the Luneta (now Rizal Park) in Bagumbayan.  All three were buried in an unmarked grave near the outer wall but the site has not been located up to now.  Instead, a memorial was installed on February 17, 1898.

Grave Site plaque

After the execution of our National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, also in the Luneta at dawn of December 30, 1896, the Spanish authorities, fearful of public unrest (and of his followers removing his remains and establishing a cult), secretly buried him also near the outer wall.  Rizal’s sisters fanned out in search of his remains and found them at the cemetery.  The mismarked tombstone, with the initials R.P.J., was said to have been the result of the sisters’ bribing a guardia civil veterana (who guarded the spot for 15 days) to mark the spot. Rizal’s remains were exhumed on August 17, 1898, placed in an urn made by Teodoro Romualdo de Jesus and deposited at the house of Rizal’s mother at Estraude St. in Binondo.

Elaborate niche of Margarita Miguel
de Cobarrubias (September 1, 1907)

The last burials here were in 1912 (the same year Rizal was finally laid to his rest at its present monument in Rizal Park) and the cemetery fell into disrepair, its empty, semicircular niches hollow reminders for the purpose they once served. During World War II, the park, with its thick adobe walls, was used by Japanese forces as a central supply and ammunition depot.  They dug several trenches and constructed pillboxes with 75 mm. guns. In 1948, proposals were made to convert the cemetery into a park.  Unclaimed remains were transferred to the Manila South Cemetery’s paupers’ lot. Through the guidance of Doroy Valencia, its beautification and restoration was done by renowned landscape architect Ildefonso “IP” Santos.  In 1966, it was made into a national park.

The more common semicircular niche
(Timoteo  de los Angeles, June 3, 1910, 53 years old)

The park has two concentric walls, along which are rows of niches hollowed out of aging adobe for the bones of the dead and separated by a 14.5 m. wide walkway.   The wall niches used to be 5 tiers high but only 3 tiers are visible today as its floor was raised due to flooding in some parts.  Before, Paco district was a reclaimed swampland with non-existent drainage (sewers were only installed during the early 20th century).  The cemetery then was a muddy catch basin for rainwater.  I.P Santos elevated the middle portion of the park so that the water flowed outwards.   He was sharply criticized for this.

Gate leading to the ossuary

Strolling around the outer wall, you will espy the original Rizal grave (with its white cross with the initials R.P.J.) as well as the Gomburza memorial.  At the back of the St. Pancratius Chapel is an arch with a wrought iron gate leading to the Ossorio (ossuary), an enclosed burial site for infants and babies. Flights of steps on either side of the gate lead to an interconnecting upper promenade.  There are 2 other ossorios beside it, all with walls decorated with intricate stone carvings of festoons and angels.  In spite of their otherworldly air, these places seem to be favorite tambayans (hangouts) of students.

Flight of stairs leading to upper promenade

The inner cemetery can be entered via an elaborate main stone-columned archway whose triangular pediment has a sign with the Latin inscription “Beatimortui qui in Domino Moriuntur – John in 14:13 Apoc.” (“Blessed are those who die in the Lord”).  Inside the inner courtyard, one is greeted by a romantic setting of a 3-tiered circular fountain, the small oval, domed St. Pancratius Chapel, 8 century-old, widespreading acacia trees (Samarea saman), wondrously gnarled white kalachuchi trees and pocket gardens with park benches.

Entrance to Inner Cemetery

The inner courtyard’s focal point is the St. Pancratius Chapel, now under the care of the Vincentian Fathers (who manage the nearby Adamson University). Formerly a mausoleum for Spanish elite during the first half of the 19th century, this chapel, done in the Classical style, has a stone dome, stone walls dressed in velvety growths of lichen, moss and creepers, triangular pediment from which hangs a bell and a cross.

Inner Cemetery

On each side of the main entrance, I counted 31 bays with 9 niches per bay.   My estimate is there were once 2,790 niches within the inner courtyard alone of which only 1,674 are exposed.  Fourteen of these still have their burial plaques dating from 1898 to 1913 (?).   On both flanks of chapel are two side entrances leading to the outer wall and two beautiful stairs leading to an interconnected 2-m. wide (the width is dictated by the length of the burial niche underneath) upper open terrace with stone balustrades.

St. Pancratius Chapel

Filipino eskrima (stick martial arts called arnis in the West) practitioners also hone their traditional fighting skills within the park and the Arnis Combat Kiathson System Philippines (they offer eskrima lessons) is based here.

The 3-tiered circular fountain

Paco Park: Gen. Luna St. (at the east end of Padre Faura St.), Paco District, Manila.  Open daily (except Wednesdays), 8 AM-5 PM.  Admission: PhP5. The “Concert at the Park” is held every Friday, at sunset. Schedule of masses at St. Pancratius Chapel (Sundays & holidays): 10 AM, 11 AM, 5 PM & 6 PM, also 9 AM every 12th day of the month).  Wedding arrangements at St. Vincent de Paul Parish Office, 959 San Marcelino St., Ermita, Manila.  Tel: 527-7853 7 524-2022 local 101.

How to Get There:  Take a jeepney along Taft Ave. and alight at Escoda St..  From there, you can walk towards the park.

Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum – Aircraft Park (Pasay City)

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After attending an exhibit of Jandy’s Asia Pacific College Multi-Media Arts classmates at Villamor Air base, we dropped by the Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum which we passed just before the base guardhouse.  We didn’t have time to explore the indoor museum exhibit, but we did checked out the Outdoor Aircraft Park where we got up close and personal with some 16 actual aircraft, 13 airplanes (1 presidential) and 3 helicopters (1 presidential), that became part of Philippine Air Force history.

Outdoor Aircraft Park

Five of planes surround the monument to Col. Jesus Antonio Villamor (November 7, 1914-October 28, 1971), a World War II major in the Philippine Army Air Corps, 6th Pursuit Squadron and a two-time recipient of the U.S. Distinguished Service Cross plus the Philippine Medal of Valor.  He shot down two Japanese planes during World War II.  His first kill, with his obsolete Boeing P-26 “Peashooter” fighter, was a navy carrier-based Mitsubishi “Zero” A6M fighter over Zablan Field on December 10, 1941 and his second, two days later, was a Mitsubishi “Nell” G3M navy attack bomber over at Batangas.  The Col. Jesus Villamor Airbase, formerly Nichols Field in Pasay City, was renamed after him in 1982.

Col. Jesus Villamor Monument

The T-6 “Texan” (with body number 662), manufactured by North American Aviation, was acquired in 1948 to serve the Basic School Squadron in Floridablanca Air Base (now Basa Air Base in Pampanga) as a advance flying trainer.  In 1958, it was replaced by the T-28 “Trojan” as the basic trainer for the PAF Flying School.

T-6 “Texan”

The T-28 “Trojan,” locally called “Tora-Tora” (because of its resemblance to the World War II Japanese “Zero” fighter), was manufactured by North American Aviation.  In 1960, 15 of these aircraft were acquired for the 100th Training Wing for the use of cadet pilots in flight training.  In 1975, it was used by the 15th Strike Wing against secessionists and insurgents.  It became famous during the August 1987 and December 1989 coup attempts.  It was retired on July 1992 during the 45th PAF anniversary.

T-28 “Trojan”

The F-86D “Sabrejet” (body number 140), manufactured by North American Aviation, was distinguishable from other F-86 models by its introduction of the concept of gunless collision-course interception.  This all-weather jet interceptor can fly at night or during bad weather and engage the enemy using radar.   Acquired by the PAF from the U.S. in 1960, it was used by the 8th Interceptor Squadron for air defense functions but was phased out in 1968.

F-86D “Sabrejet”

The F-86F “Sabrejet” (body number 468), manufactured by North American Aviation, was referred to as the “Magnificent Machine,” “MIG Killer” and the “Sports car of the Sky.”  It first saw combat in the Korean War and had a kill ration of 15 to 1 over the Russian-made MIG-15.  The PAF’s first jet fighter, 30 of these aircraft arrived from the U.S. on August 31, 1957 through the RP-US Military Assistance Program.  From 1957 to 1964, it was also used by the Blue Diamonds Team in aerobatic demonstrations.  It was phased out in 1979.

The F-86F “Sabrejet”

The needle-nosed F-5A “FreedomFighter,” manufactured by Northrop Corporation, arrived in the country on August 29, 1965.  Assigned to the 5th Fighter Wing in Basa Air Base in Floridablanca (Pampanga) as a front line fighter, this aircraft was also used by the Blue Diamonds in aerial demonstrations during significant national, AFP and PAF celebrations.

F-5A “Freedom Fighter”

The F-8H “Crusader” (body number 313), manufactured by Vought Crusader, was delivered to the country in 1978. This carrier-based fighter has variable incidence wings, all-weather radar autopilot and a sophisticated weapons delivery system.  Used by the 5th Fighter Wing for air defense, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, it can be equipped with various weapons such as air-to-air missiles, rockets, 20 mm. cannons, M-60 machine guns and 500-lb. bombs.

F-8H “Crusader”

The T-33 “Shooting Star” (body number 806), a jet trainer (popularly called “T-Bird”) manufactured by Lockheed, was the outgrowth of the Lockheed F-80, the first jet fighter, and was the world’s most widely used jet trainer.  Acquired in 1955, it ushered the PAF into the jet age and was used by the 5th Fighter Wing for jet qualification, instrument training and proficiency flying.

T-33 “Shooting Star”

The HU-16 “Albatross,” a general utility amphibian manufactured by the Grumman Aircraft Corporation, was assigned, in 1971, to the 505th Search and Rescue Squadron under the 205th Airlift Wing. Its favorable peculiarity (triphibian landing gear) and its all metal, V-shaped hull gave it more capability to perform water rescue operations as it had the power to take off and land both in water and land.

UH-16 “Albatross”

The C-47 “Dakota” (or “Skytrain”), the most famous commercial transport plane in the world, was manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Corporation.  Fondly called the “Gooney Bird” in the military service, it was given to the Philippine Army Air Corps (PAAC) for air transport operations. In 1973, it was converted into a fighting aircraft, with machine guns electronically operated and controlled by the pilot.

It was also used by the PAF Weather Reconnaissance Squadron for rainmaking and rain suppression operations.  The 303rd Aerial Recon Squadron used it for photo mapping and aerial surveillance.  Even after so many decades of service, it proved to be multi-functional and, as of 1995, there were still 2,000 of these planes flying all over the world.  On May 18, 1947, a C-47 (named Lil Marlene) carrying PAF Chief Col. Edwin Andrews and other high government officials crashed in Lanao.

C-47 “Dakota”

The Aermacchi SF-260 “Marchetti” (with body number 639), manufactured by SIAI Marchetti of Italy,  was a trainer/COIN aircraft acquired (1 warrior and 4 trainer) in 1973 and first used, for flying training, by the PAF Flying School Class 1973-A.  The aircraft was further modified to load 250-lb. bombs and MA-3 rocket launchers and deployed in combat operations to conduct close air support to ground operations.

Aermacchi SF-260 “Marchetti”

T-41D “Mascellero” (with body number 858), manufactured by the Cessna Aircraft Corporation (it was commercially called Cessna 172) in 1964, was acquired by the PAF in 1968 through the Joint United States Military Advisory Group (JUSMAG) for pilot training (as a preliminary flight screener for candidates) and proficiency flying and was first used by the PAF Flying School Class 1970-A.

T-41D “Mascellero”

The T-34 “Mentor” (with body number 506), manufactured by the Beechcraft Aircraft Corporation, signalled the modernization of the PAF’s flight training.  Two of these were acquired on October 1958 and a total of 36 were built by Japan for the PAF as part of its War Reparations Program.   In the early 1970s, it was subsequently used for air reconnaissance after being replaced by the T-41D “Mascellero” as a primary fighter.

T-34 “Mentor”

The YS-11A, manufactured by the Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Company (NAMC), was a twin-engine, medium-range turboprop transport plane (RP 77) assigned to the 700th Special Mission Wing, mainly used, from 1971 t0 1993, by the Philippine President and the First Family.

YS-11A

The UH-1H “Iroquois,” manufactured by the Bell Helicopter Company, was nicknamed “Huey” and was extensively used by the Americans for air mobility and rapid deployment of troops during the Vietnam War.  The PAF acquired 75 Hueys in 1969 under the RP-US Military Assistance Program.  Still in service today due to its rugged design and low maintainability, it was assigned to the 205th Helicopter Wing and 505th Search and Rescue Group and used primarily for tactical troop transport, front-line casualty evacuation, resupply and troop extraction.

UH-1H “Iroquois”
Visitors like Jandy are allowed to pose inside

The UH-34D “Choctaw” (S-58), manufactured by the Sikorsky Aircraft Division, first flew on March 8, 1954 and was used by the PAF in search and rescue operations, from 1969 to 1980, under the 505th Search and Rescue Squadron, 205th Composite Wing, as well as troop transport, aerial photogrammetry, mapping and intelligence work.  It was phased out on October 1974.

UH-34D “Chowtaw”

The S-62B/HH-52A helicopter, manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft Division, was acquired to provide air transport for the Philippine President.  In service from 1968 to 1975, it under the operation and maintenance of the 7001st Presidential Airlift Mission Squadron, now the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing.  This helicopter was eventually phased out due to its single engine feature which did not conform to the requirement for multi-engine category for VIP transport.

S-62B/HH-52A

Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum: Gozar cor. Alia St., Col. Jesus Villamor Air Base, Pasay City.  Open Mondays to Fridays, 8 AM to 5 PM, Saturdays, 8 AM to 12 noon. Admission is free.  Tel: (632) 854-6703 and 29 and 762-6628.

Gota de Leche Building: A Heritage Conservation Success Story

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Early this year, Jandy and I happen to attend a Heritage Conservation Society seminar held at the historic, nicely-preserved, American-era  Gota de Leche Heritage Building, within Manila’s “University Belt” (adjacent to the University of the East). In attendance were HCS President Arch. Nathaniel “Dinky” A. von Einsiedel (my former boss and wedding godfather married to my first cousin), HCS Chairperson Ms. Gemma Cruz-Araneta, Arch. Fernando “Butch” Nakpil-Zialcita, Ivan Anthony S. Henares and Ivan ManDy.   The Heritage Conservation Society advocates the preservation of our built heritage, cultural and historical sites and settings.  The iconic building where the seminar was held, the last remaining heritage property of value along historic Lepanto St., is an inspiring success story that should be emulated in the preservation of Metro Manila’s endangered heritage.

The iconic Gota de Leche Building

Gota de Leche (Spanish for “drop of milk”), the first and oldest nonsectarian charitable organization in the country, was founded in 1905 by the Asociacion Feminista Filipina, a women’s movement in the Philippines. At that time, women didn’t have equal rights and were dependent on their husbands.  This group, devoted to mother-and-child health, included educated women such as Concepcion Felix (the first Filipina to earn a college degree), Librada Avelino (founder of Centro Escolar University), Justice Natividad Almeda Lopez (the first Filipina to practice law  and president of Gota de Leche for more than 40 years) and Filomena Francisco (the first woman pharmacist).

Fountain

Part of a worldwide movement to help children whose mothers couldn’t breastfeed, Gota de Leche (also known by its institutionalized name La Proteccion de la Infancia, Inc. or LPI) established, among many things, a milk station for infants since the number of cases of beriberi, malnutrition, and child mortality was alarmingly high. Its impressive operation involved cow owners who donated extra milk (bottled and delivered to Gota de Leche in calesas).  San Miguel provided the ice to prevent spoilage and electricity and water was free. Famous Dr. Fernando Calderon, a leading Filipino obstetrician during the American colonial period and the first director of the Philippine General Hospital, also lent his time to the institution.

The colonnaded main entrance

During its heyday, Gota de Leche fed 500 to 1,000 babies per week. Today, during feeding sessions held every Thursday (with a volunteer pediatrician on hand), its feeding program provides 2 kgs. of powdered milk per person  and every month, the institution spends a total of PhP60,000 on ten 25-kg. sacks of milk. Once the babies are no longer malnourished, a 4-man staff monitors the height and weight of children who “graduate” from the feeding program.

NHI plaque (1977)
NHI plaque (2003)

The iconic, 2-storey building which housed this movement (which moved here from its original home along Evangelista St. in Quiapo) was designed by architects Arcadio Arellano and his younger U.S.-educated brother Juan Arellano (he would later designed the Manila Central Post Office Building and the Metropolitan Theater).  The building, patterned after the Osepedale Degli Innocenti (Hospital of the Innocents), a still-existing orphanage designed by renowned Italian Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi from 1419 to 1427 in Florence (Italy), was adapted for the tropics.

Statue of a nursing angel

Erected on a parcel of land donated by bachelor industrialist and philanthropist Teodoro R. Yangco, it was completed in 1917 and survived World War II, earthquakes, fires and floods.  To the right of the building’s colonnaded, semicircular arched main entrance is a 5-bay loggia (Brunelleschi’s building had 9 bays) with round, monolithic columns with Classical capitals supporting a semicircular arch.  Above each column are circular tondi (roundels) featuring reliefs of infants in swaddling clothes (symbolizing the function of the building) set in spandrels (the space between arches).

The colonnaded facade’s semicircular arches and tondi

In 2002, the dilapidated building was restored to its original 1917 appearance by a team led by Arch. Augusto Villalon (his grandfather Dr. Jose Fabella was once Gota de Leche president), a member of the HCS Board of Trustees and the project’s lead conservation architect and project coordinator. The rental building, an unsympathetic addition attached to it in the recent past, was removed, providing vehicular access and clear sight lines from the street.  The original landscaping was also restored by landscape architect Ms. Ani Katrina de Leon.  In repairing the dilapidated building, traditional crafts and skills were undertaken within a clear and low-intervention conservation framework.

The Italian Renaissance-inspired, 5-bay loggia

The following year, this restoration project was awarded an honorable mention by  Dr. Richard Engelhardt, regional adviser for culture in the Asia-Pacific, during the UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Award for Culture Heritage Conservation, thus putting the Philippines’ heritage efforts in the world map and the building in the international heritage roster. A part of the building’s space is leased to a woman’s rights non-government organization and its main facilities and grounds are rented out for private functions.

The building’s interior

Gota de Leche: 859 Sergio H. Loyola St. (formerly Lepanto St.), Sampaloc, Manila. Tel: (632) 309-4562.

Heritage Conservation Society: G/F, Museo Pambata Bldg., Roxas Blvd., Ermita, Manila. Tel: (632) 353-4494.  Fax: (632) 522-2497.  Website:  www.heritage.org.ph.

New Year’s Countdown at Manila Hotel

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Last New Year, my family and I tried tried something new and different, spending the start of the year outside the country, firecracker-free in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a first for all of us.  We just watched the fireworks at the Petronas Towers.  This year, we still had the same mindset, opting again to spend it outside our home (but not outside the country), this time a New Year’s countdown at the prestigious Manila Hotel for an incomparable evening of feast and festivities in a manner worthy of the country’s oldest bastion of hospitality.

Manila  Hotel – the Grande Dame of Manila

The Manila Hotel was opened for the first time to the public on July 4, 1912.  The original US$700,000 hotel, also the country’s first air-conditioned building, was designed in the California Missionary-style by American architect William E. Parsons in 1910.  At the time, this magnificent, white, green-tile-roofed edifice had 149 spacious, high-ceiling rooms. Its fifth floor penthouse, designed by Arch. Andres Luna de San Pedro (son of painter Juan Luna), was, from 1935 to 1941, the home of Gen. Douglas MacArthur (its first chairman of the board), his wife Jean and son Arthur.

The hotel’s beautiful lobby

The hotel played host to author Ernest Hemingway (who said “Its a good story if it’s like Manila Hotel”), actor Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Edward (Prince of Wales), playwright Claire Boothe Luceand, during the Japanese Occupation,  Prime Minister Hideki Tojo and Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita.  During the liberation of Manila, it was severely damaged by room-to-room fighting.  Reopened on July 4, 1946, it hosted author James A. Michener; actors Bob Hope, Marlon Brando, Charlton Heston, John Wayne, Tyrone Power and Burgess Meredith; U.S. Secretary John Foster Dulles; Sen. Robert F. Kennedy; British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden, the Rockefeller brothers, Publisher Henry R. Luce, rock star Michael Jackson; U.S. Vice-Pres. Richard M. Nixon, U.S. Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson, the Beatles and other notable personalities.

The lobby dressed up for the New Year countdown

In 1977, the hotel underwent a US$30,000,000 renovation with an 18-storey tower designed by the late National Artist Architect Leandro V. Locsin built behind the old building.  The lavish interiors were done by American Patricia and Dale Keller and the renovated hotel reopened on October 6, 1977.

The Sunset Suite

We made our own grand entrance at the hotel’s main lobby on the afternoon of the 31st of December.  The 125 ft. (38 m.) long by 25 ft. (7.6 m) wide main lobby, lined with white Doric columns, was designed, not only for making grand entrances, but for sitting as well, its furniture carved with Philippine mahogany.  The lobby floors were made with Philippine marble while the ceiling is lined with chandeliers made of brass, crystal and seashells. Traditional Filipino art also adorns its walls.

Cafe Ilang-Ilang’s Dessert Station

The hotel that day was 90% booked for the countdown, with a long queue at the check-in counter, and it took some time before we finally checked into our fourth floor Sunset Suite, one of 570  traditionally decorated and elegantly furnished rooms that reflect the hotel’s storied past blended with the conveniences of a modern luxury hotel. Our suite had 2 bedrooms, a dining area and a living area.  Amenities here include individually controlled central air conditioning, remote-control TV with cable channels, minibars, separate bath and toilet with extension phone, and secure in-room safes.

Grace, Cheska, the author and Jandy at Cafe Ilang-Ilang

Once settled in, we then went down for our crossover buffet dinner (6 PM to 9 PM) which extends through all the hotel’s celebrated food and beverage outlets: Cafe Ilang-Ilang, Champagne Room, Mabuhay Palace (an impeccable Chinese restaurant), Tap Room Bar and Lobby Lounge.  That night, it was not a choice of which restaurant to go to, but, rather, which restaurant to visit first.  We chose the famous Cafe Ilang-Ilang which was recently renovated and launched as a 3-period meal buffet restaurant. It opens to the newly renovated Pool and Garden areas and boasts of 9 live cooking stations.

The Tap Room Bar

Here, we faced a stunning and wide array of Filipino and international (Korean, Japanese, Indian, etc.) cuisine, tried-and-true dishes prepared by Filipino and foreign chefs, all backed by years of professional experience in acclaimed restaurants around the world.  To fully enjoy the cafe’s  stellar main courses, we ate small portions of everything.

The countdown begins …..

After our filling buffet dinner, we moved on to the Tap Room Bar for dessert and brewed coffee. We capped our evening with the New Year’s Countdown at the Lobby where, prior to bidding farewell to 2011 and counting the seconds to 2012, we enjoyed live entertainment, with music and dancing provided by the Filipinas Band.

The Filipinas Band
Manila Hotel: 1 Rizal Park, Ermita, Manila: Tel: 527-0011. Fax: 527-0022-24 & 527-1124.  Domestic Toll Free: 1-800-9-1888-0011.  Email: sales@manila-hotel.com.ph and reservations@manila-hotel.com.ph.  Website: www.manilahotel.com.ph.

Bantayog ng mga Bayani (Quezon City, Metro Manila)

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Bantayog ng mga Bayani

The Bantayog ng mga Bayani (“Monument of Heroes”) is a monument, museum, and historical research center designed to honor the martyrs and heroes who struggled against the 21-year dictatorship of former President Ferdinand Marcos, regardless of their affiliations, who live before and, later, beyond the 1986 People Power Revolution.

The granite “Wall of Remembrance,” the central element of the Bantayog memorial, is inscribed with the names of the martyrs and heroes who fought abuses of the Marcos dictatorship.

Nominated by victims’ families, civic organization members or the general public, individuals to be honored on the wall were reviewed under a set of criteria by the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Memorial Foundation’s Research and Documentation Committee.

The committee makes recommendations to its Executive Committee for further review then the foundation’s Board of Trustees gives the final approval.

In 1992, the first batch of 65 names were enshrined on the wall. They include:

As of 2018, 305 names have been enshrined on the Wall of Remembrance.  Francisco “Soc” A. Rodrigo (former senator) and Jose Mari U. Velez (journalist) were added on November 28, 1998; Jaime L. Sin (Cardinal) and Haydee B. Yorac (law professor) on December 9, 2005;  Catalino “Lino” O. Brocka (movie director) and Cecilia Munoz-Palma (Supreme Court justice) on November 30, 2006); and Corazon “Cory” C. Aquino (Philippine president) on November 30, 2009. 

The 35-ft. high “Inang Bayan” Monument, depicting a woman reaching out to the sky for freedom and holding the body of a fallen young man, is another prominent element of the memorial.

Prominently located near the roadside frontage of the memorial (so that it can be seen by vehicles along Quezon Avenue near its corner with EDSA), the woman is a metaphorical depiction of the Philippine “motherland” (inang bayan in Filipino) while the man represents self-sacrifice and heroism, alluding to the martyrs who gave their life for the freedom of the Philippine people.

Inang Bayan

At the monument’s base are tree plaques containing the last stanza of Jose Rizal‘s “Mi Ultimo Adios” in English, Filipino, and the original Spanish.

 

Bantayog ng Mga Bayani: Quezon Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City.

Light and Sound Museum (Manila)

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Light and Sound Museum
One of my son Jandy’s subjects in Asia Pacific College was “Rizal Life and Works” and one of the subject’s requirements was a scheduled visit, with his classmates, to the Light and Sound Museum in Intramuros.  I decide to accompany him there. This 2-storey, 1,800-sq. m. museum used to be the Beateria de San Ignacio, the first nunnery established in the Philippines.
Execution of Gomburza
Inaugurated last 30 November 2002, this museum, a tourism project of Sen. Richard Gordon, chronicles the Filipino’s pursuit for freedom under the leadership of National Hero Dr. JoseRizal, and other revolutionary leaders such as Cebuano warrior Lapu-Lapu, RajahSoliman and Andres Bonifacio. It features, in dramatic, historical tableaux, up to 140 moving mannequins dressed in life-like costumes, its overall presentation showing the Filipinos’ resiliency, intelligence and self-worth throughout its history.  
Rizal in Europe
Characters in Rizal’s novels
The sets and other effects took us through a 45-min. tour, with voice-over script, of Philippine history: from prehistoric times, the arrival of the Spaniards and Christianity, the shaping of Filipino culture under the friars and the brewing revolutionary movement, up to Rizal’s execution in 1896.
Jandy at Printing Press of La Solidaridad
Rizal writing his novel Noli me Tangere
Rizal in Dapitan
The entire ground floor focuses to the Spanish annexation of the Philippines as a province. The second floor recounts Dr Jose Rizal’s saga and describes his prolific days as a student at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila as well as his trip to Europe where his burning desire for Filipinos to be treated fairly by the colonizers was ignited. It also features his two books Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo which exposed the ills of the Spanish society.
Trial of Rizal
Rizal visited by his mother
Rizal walking to his execution
There was also a huge room tracing Rizal’s martyrdom. The room replicates the scenario at Bagumbayan where Rizal tried to face the executioners to prove his innocence.  Another area shows details of Filipino uprisings steered by Andres Bonifacio. Bonifacio and his followers tear up their cedulas or residence certificates, a symbol of Spanish dominance during that time. 
Execution of Rizal
In addition, there is the Bagumbayan exhibit with its symbolically collapsed walls depicting a prelude to something new for Filipinos.  Towards the end of our tour, we all walked along a dim corridor leading through the exit made of heavy wooden doors facing the set up of the new Intramuros overlooking the well-lighted city golf course in the perimeter of the walls. 
Death of Rizal
Light and Sound Museum: Sta. Lucia cor. Victoria St. (near Baluartillo de San Diego), Intramuros, Manila.  Admission: PhP100 per person for a group of ten. First show starts at 10 AM and last show starts at 6 PM.  Tel: (632) 524-2827.  Fax: (632) 524-0823.

Central United Methodist Church (Manila)

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The beautiful Central United Methodist Church (CUMC), the first Protestant church in the Philippines, was founded on March 5, 1899 during the American Occupation and originally named the Central Methodist Episcopal Church.  The church’s history is closely intertwined with that of Knox United Methodist Church.  Both churches were the result of Filipino-American ties during the surrender of Manila in 1898.

Central United Methodist Church (CUMC)

On August 28, 1898, the first Protestant worship service in the Philippines, officiated by Rev. George C. Stull, was attended by both American soldiers and Filipino civilians.  During the Philippine–American War, the congregation separated itself from Knox United Methodist Church, the American component, who transferred its services to the YMCA and was organized in 1899.

The massive pointed, Gothic-style arch of the facade

On December 23, 1901, its first chapel of the CUMC was completed but, in November 1906, it was replaced by a structure, designed by C.B. Ripley, made of stone. In 1916, the church was renamed as the Central Student Church and, in 1932, the present structure, the third church on site, was designed by Juan Marcos Arellano using Gothic Revival architecture,  was completed and inaugurated on June 19, 1932.  That same year, it was elevated to a cathedral.  Among Methodists the church is known as  the “cathedral.”

National Historical Institute (NHI) plaque installed in 1985 (Tagalog)

During the Liberation of Manila in 1945, fighting between the combined Filipino and American troops and the Japanese Imperial forces severely damaged the CUMC and rendered it unusable. Its congregation was again reunited with Knox United Methodist Church until 1949, when the CUMC was rebuilt, following its original Arellano design, in its original site along San Luis Street (now T.M. Kalaw Street). The rebuilt church was inaugurated on December 25, 1949.  In 1985, a historical marker was installed by the National Historical Institute.

Since then, membership of CUMC has shifted rapidly, from predominantly American to a mixed Filipino and American demographic. Former Chief JusticeJosé Abad Santos and Dr. Jorge Bocobo (former Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, 1942-44) used to congregate here.

Central United Methodist Church: 694 Kalaw Ave.cor. Taft Ave., Brgy. 666, Ermita, Manila, 1000 Metro Manila. Tel:  (02) 8525 7329.  Fax: (02) 8525-7590. E-mail: info@cumc-manila.org.  Website: www.cumc-manila.org.   Sunday church services here are held in Tagalog (8 AM), Ilocano (9:20 AM) and English (10:40 AM). Vesper at 5:30 PM. Coordinates: 14.582662°N 120.983586°E.

How to Get There: Take the LRT to United Nations Avenue Station.  The church is across from Plaza Olivia Salamanca.

Rizal Shrine (Fort Santiago, Manila)

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Rizal Shrine

The Rizal Shrine, Fort Santiago’s most prominent attraction, was the highlight of our tour.  The shrine, housed in a restored (in 1953) 2-storey building formerly used as barracks for two Spanish artillery companies, remains under the supervision of the National Historical Institute (NHI).

 

National Hero Jose Rizal was imprisoned in an improvised “chapel cell” on one corner of its ground floor at the fort’s eastern side.  Here, he was held for two months prior to his execution (November 3 to December 29, 1896) when his sentence was read at 6 A.M..   He also wrote his “Mi Ultimo Adios” (“My Last Farewell”) in this cell.  As a prisoner condemned to death, he was moved into this church-like setting for spiritual contemplation.  He was never confined in a dungeon unlike captured Katipunan members.

Rizal’s Execution (Carlos Botong Francisco, 1961)

Upon entering the first room (Pagbukas ng Alaala), we were greeted by the late National Artist Carlos “Botong” V.Francisco’s commissioned mural (1961) of Rizal’s execution.   Immediately to the right is the door leading to the airconditioned Bulwagan ng Panunulat(Chamber of Texts).  Here are displayed old photos of Rizal’s parents, his sweetheart Leonor Rivera and of Rizal as a child and adult.

Triumph of Science Over Death

Reproductions of original sculptures done by Rizal, “Triumph of Science Over Death” (a torch-bearing Muse of Science standing over a skull) and “Prometheus Bound”, are also prominently displayed. On mounted steel plates are Rizal’s own opinions and analyses as well as those on Rizal done by various scholars.

Rizal’s Opthalmological Instruments

Also on display here are faithful reproductions of Rizal’s handwritten manuscripts Noli Me Tangere(published  in Berlin, 1887) and El Filibusterismo (published in Ghent, Belgium, 1891),  his ophthalmological instruments (Rizal was an ophthalmic surgeon), his shell collection, his Hongkong calling cards, his chess and damaset and  skeletons of frog (Rhacophorus rizali) and lizard (Draco rizali), both named after him.

PHC Plaque

Outside the room is the Galeriya ng Halamanan (Garden Gallery).  On its right is the Silid ng Paninilay(Contemplation Room) which is interconnected to Rizal’s cell (Ang Piitan).  The former was a pantry of food rations for Spanish troops (Cuarto de Menestra) before it was made into a receiving room for Rizal.  The latter, a narrow, dark and nearly airless room, was formerly a storage for military supplies (Cuarto de Repuesto) before being converted to Rizal’s cell.  Rizal’s untitled farewell poem was believed to have been written here. Inside is the familiar sitting wax statue of Rizal done by the late National Artist Guillermo E. Tolentino.  Both rooms are closed to the public.  Two of its doors are original.

Portrait of Rizal at Stairwell Gallery

To the left of the Garden Gallery is the Galeriya sa Hagdanan (Stairwell Gallery).  Here on display, from the foot of the stairs all the way to the top, are oil paintings depicting key moments of Rizal’s life as visualized by painters (Romeo Enriquez, E. Gonzales, Rudy Herrera, etc.) who won in a painting competition during the centenary of Rizal’s birth (June 16, 1961).

A Glass Urn With a Piece of Rizal’s Vertebra With Bullet Wound

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, we entered the Silid ng Nalalabi (Reliquary Room).  Enshrined in a glass urn is the fort’s secular relic: a piece of Rizal’s vertebra with a bullet wound.

Rizal’s Cerrada Coat

Other Rizal personal effects and relics on display in glass cases are two vests made by Rizal’s sisters (1878-81), a cerrada coat, a winter overcoat, fencing sword, dumbbell and walking cane.

Rizal’s Dumbbell and Fencing Sword

2 Vests Made By Rizal’s Sisters

The adjoining airconditioned, 18 meter by 8.5-m. room, Ang Tulang Walang-Hanggan (The Valedictory Poem) is nearly empty except for a glass case with Rizal’s original poem (written on both sides of a tiny piece of paper) and the alcohol burner where the poem was hidden.  Rizal gave this stove to his sister Trinidad with word of its hidden content.  The end of the wall facing the door is inscribed with the words of the “Mi Ultimo Adios” written in Spanish.

Rizal’s Original Mi Ultimo Adios

The last leg of the tour was the Galeriya sa Beranda (Veranda Gallery) where guests sign the guestbook.  Its Museum Shop sells reproductions of old photos, old promotional posters of movies and VHS tapes on the life of Rizal as well as paper bills, medals, stamps, books, key chains, T-shirts and even a cross stitch, all emblazoned with Rizal’s likeness.

Museum Shop

On the walls are plaques with Rizal’s “Mi Ultimo Adios” translated by individuals or groups into different languages : English (Nick Joaquin), Tagalog (Jose Gatmaytan), Korean (Korean Embassy), French (Jean-Claude Masson), Serbo-Croatian (“Povelja” Magazine) and Chinese (Shen Kwang Literary Association of the Philippines).

Czech and Spanish version of Rizal’s “Mi Ultimo Adios”

Translations in Romanian and Indonesian are found in the Garden Gallery.