Category Archives: Metropolitan Manila

First United Building (Escolta, Manila)

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First United Building

The Art Deco  First United Building, alternatively known as the Perez–Samanillo Building, was built in 1928 and was the tallest building in Manila during its completion.  Designed by  Andrés P. Luna (the son of renowned painter Juan Luna), Juan Nakpil de Jesus was the civil engineer and Jose G. Cortes was responsible for its construction.

That same year, the building won the Best Décor Award.  The building was built for Spanish businessman Luis Perez Samanillo (related to the owners of Hotel de Oriente in Binondo, he was killed during the Spanish Civil War) at the time when Escolta was considered a financial center.

In February 1928, the Erlanger & Galinger, and Hale Shoe Company moved in to the building, followed by leather goods store Riu Hermanos. In 1936, Berg’s Department Store, Manila’s premiere department store and a main landmark in Escolta , set up shop on the building’s ground floor. In 1933, the building hosted the consulates of France (Room 329) and Panama (Room 217).

Following the aftermath of World War II, the building was left significantly damaged but was later repaired. In 1951, self-made Chinese businessman Sy Liang Teng of the Syliangten family bought Berg’s Department Store from its original American owner, Ernest Berg. It closed sometime in 1982 and Fairmart took over.  Ideal Home Houseware Center also occupied the ground floor until 2004.  In 2012, East West Bank occupies the eastern corner of the building.

Around 1964, the Perez–Samanillo Building was put on sale and, in 1968, was bought by José Cojuangco (the late Pres. Corazon C. Aquino‘s father), owner of United Bank a tenant of the building, who held the building for 11 years. In 1979, the parts of the building were acquired by Danding Cojuangco (half of the ground floor and the whole second floor) and the Syliangteng family (half of the ground floor where Berg’s was located and the 3rd, 4th and 5th floors). The Tanco family also bought a piece of the building from Cocobank.

In the 1970s to the 1980s, due to its proximity to the movie theaters of Avenida Rizal, the building hosted various film production studios:

  •  RVQ Productions of comedian Dolphy in Room 514, from 1974 to 2008 and the smaller Room 310-B from 2008 to 2012
  • Nora Villamor (NV) Productions of actress and producer Nora Aunor, in Rooms 502 and 506, from 1973 to 1985
  • GC Films, associated with Rolando and Gabby Concepcion, from February 1982 to July 1984 in Room 308.
  • Essex Films of Danny Zialcita occupied Room 323 from April  1984 to May 1986, Room 315 from August 1986 to December 1988 and Room 317 from September 1983 to December 1988. 
  • LL Productions of Lito Lapid held office at Room 321 from February 1984 to May 1989.
  • Solar Films occupied Rooms 306, 310 and 312 from March 2001 to May 2004.

The Syliangtengs made a conscious effort to maintain the building through an “adaptive reuse” approach. On May 16, 2015, the modest First United Building Community Museum was opened to reflect the colorful history of Escolta through the story of the First United Building and of patriarch Sy Lian Teng, an entrepreneur who ran Escolta’s (and Manila’s as well) premiere department store, Berg’s.

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Aside from being one of Manila’s finest pieces of surviving pre-World War II Art Deco architecture, the building is also a centerpiece of the Escolta Street Revival movement.  On May 26, 2016, the space once occupied by Berg’s was converted into a bazaar and exhibition space for young creative artists called Hub: Make Lab, an incubator for creative startups, artists and makers in the community. The booths feature a variety of sellers, with items ranging from notebooks to knickknacks.

 

Hub: Make Lab

A series of local shops for arts and vintage goods, these cluster of exhibition booths, under a hanging sculpture of Leeroy New, were designed by architect Arts Serrano.  Also found here are Folk Barbershop; Fred’s Revolucion Pub (an artist-run bar) and Den’s Coffee Shop and Contemporary Culture.

In 2017, the First Coworking Community, an open space for people looking for an environment where they can create new ideas and develop meaningful connections with other passionate creatives, was opened.  During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, their operations were disrupted but all have since resumed operations. On October 16, 2018, the building was declared as a Heritage Structure by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

HCP plaque installed in 2018

 

The five-storey First United Building has a rectangular plan. The main facade of the building has a central tower, containing the graceful main entrance (with filigreed wrought iron doors) of the building below, flanked by two chamfered corner towers on both ends. Ornamental treatments of the three towers feature thin cylindrical moldings running up to the square plates and continued by beveled arches that relate to the windows at the sixth floor.

Stout finials, above the arches, flank the octagonal window. A pergola, with protruding rafters originating from the girder, connected the bevels. The central tower has a rigid arch and is capped by elongated octagons that bordered a display. Geometric patterns on the lamps of the building are dominated by boomerang-like chevrons layered with spirals and lancet arches.

The parapet on the topmost part has floral arrangement on an urn with equally distant low-relief medallions. The main entrance leads to the elevator and the stairwell. To open up the intersection, the side towers were both cut in the corners.

First United Building: 413  Escolta Street, Binondo, Manila.  Tel: (632) 7744 5148 and (632) 7241-5150. E-mail: firstunitedbuilding@gmail.com. Coordinates: 14.5987°N 120.9794°E.

The Revitalized Jones Bridge (Manila)

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Jones Bridge (official name: William A. Jones Memorial Bridge)

One of the highlights of my joining (with my son Jandy) the Pasig River Heritage Tour (hosted by Renacimiento Manila headed by its president Mr. Diego Torres), aside from our walking tour of Escolta,  was my up close and personal crossing of the iconic and historic Jones Bridge (official name: William A. Jones Memorial Bridge).  This arched girder bridge, spanning the Pasig River, was once described as Manila’s “Queen of Bridges.”

Check out “A Walking Tour of Escolta”

Virginia representative William Atkinson Jones, author of the Philippine Autonomy Law of 2016 (Jones Law), in his later years

The fourth bridge to span the Intramuros-Binondo Crossing, it was named after the Virginia legislator William Atkinson Jones.  Jones, the chairman of the U.S. Insular Affairs House Committee which had previously exercised jurisdiction over the Philippines, was the principal author of the Jones Law (Philippine Autonomy Act of 1916) that gave the country legislative autonomy from the United States. Jones died in 1918 while the bridge was still being planned.

The author and son Jandy with Jones Bridge in the background

The bridge was built to replace the historic Puente de España (Bridge of Spain), the first bridge built to cross the Pasig River.  Constructed during the Spanish colonial era (opened January 1, 1875), the Puente de Espana was the last incarnation of bridges that span the same location since 1630. Located at one block upriver at Calle Nueva (now E.T. Yuchengco Street), it connected Calle Rosario (now Quintin Paredes Street), at the Binondo district, to Padre Burgos Avenue at the Ermita district. During the heavy rains of September 1914, the central pier weakened, collapsing the middle span of the bridge. The Puente was temporarily kept open using a temporary truss bridge while the new bridge is being constructed at Calle Rosario.

Puente de Espana, circa 1900 (photo: University of Michigan Library)

In 1919, a new bridge to replace the much smaller  Puente de España was commissioned under the auspices of the City Government of Manila.  However, in 1920, the Insular Government, through the Philippine Bureau of Public Works, took over in finishing the bridge’s construction.  The construction of new bridges were part of a master plan of Daniel Burnham, who wanted to give emphasis on the rivers of city and likened them to the Seine River in Paris and the canals of Venice. This plan was heavily implemented and supervised by William E. Parsons.

The Pasig River

However, upon the passage of the Jones Act, Filipino architect Juan M. Arellano (who also designed the Old Legislative Building, Manila Metropolitan Theater and the Manila Central Post Office), then a member of the Bureau of Public Works, took over and finished the bridge’s final design using French Neo-Classical architecture in the style of the passageways constructed during Haussmann’s renovation of Paris.  The bridge was inaugurated in 1921 and, soon after, the Puente de España was dismantled.

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Pont Alexandre III

The first incarnation of the bridge featured three arches resting on two heavy piers embellished with faux-stone and concrete ornaments such as statues of boys on dolphins similar to those on the famed Pont Alexandre III (widely regarded as the most ornate and extravagant in Paris) at the Seine River which Arellano had previously visited.  The statues were created by the young, well-known German sculptor Otto Fischer-Credo who previously studied at the Academie der Kunts in Berlin and graduated at the Royal Academy of Arts in Paris.

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Jones Bridge, circa 1930s (photo: John Tewell Archive via Wikipedia Commons)

Similar to the Parisian Pont, he marked both ends of the bridge with four concrete  plinths and commissioned sculptor/painter Ramon Lazaro Martinez to build four statues, collectively called La Madre Filipina (The Philippine Motherland), allegorically representing motherhood and nationhood, which would be placed on the pedestals. Each statue, representing the values espoused in the Jones Law, symbolizes the different aspect of nationhood since the Philippines at the time was transitioning from being a colony of the United States to gaining its independence. The finished, ornate concrete arch bridge rivaled any found in the United States and Europe.

Pasig River Heritage Walk group listening to Mr. Diego Torres (in blue), president of Renacimiento Manila

In 1942, during the Japanese occupation in World War II, the bridge was renamed to Banzai Bridge by virtue of Executive Order No. 41 issued by Philippine Executive Commission Chairman Jorge B. Vargas.  During the Battle of Manila, retreating Japanese Army troops bombed the bridge in order to impede incoming American troops. One of the four La Madre statues was permanently lost during the destruction. After the war, while the main bridge itself was being rebuilt, a bailey bridge was set up as a temporary passageway for vehicles.

Buildings along the Pasig River

Following the passage of the Philippine Rehabilitation Act of 1945, the Philippine Bureau of Public Works and the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads reconstructed the Jones and Quezon bridges using large and deep steel girders.   However, in an urgent haste to finish its reconstruction, none of its original ornamentation, on either piers and balustrades, were restored, and its Neo-Classical aesthetic were replaced with an unadorned architecture, more practical yet completely unaesthetic, quite banal and modern industrial girder bridge which was a far cry from Juan M. Arellano’s vision. The three remaining La Madre Filipina statues were also removed and its plinths were demolished. The statue representing Gratitude, restored by Anastacio Caedo, was relocated within Rizal Park while the two others (representing Justice and Progress) are relocated at the entrance of the Court of Appeals Main Building.

Making our way across the bridge

In 1998, in celebration of the Philippine Centennial Independence, architect Conrad Onglao, commissioned by then-First Lady Amelita Ramos, partially restored the bridge by replacing the post-modern steel design with stone balustrades. During the term of Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, the steel girders were lighted and thematic lamp post were added onto the bridge, which drew mixed reactions. As opposed to its original Neo-Classical design, two granite fu dogs (donated by Tong Tah Trading Enterprise of Singapore) were also added, in 1998, at the base of the bridge’s Liwasang Bonifacio (south) side, giving it a Chinese character.

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One of two fu dogs donated by Tong Tah Trading Enterprise of Singapore

In 2019, the City Government of Manila, under Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, announced a ₱20 million (reportedly donated by the Philippine-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc.) rehabilitation project to “restore” the Jones Bridge to its near-original architecture, using Beaux-Arts architecture similar to that of Pont Alexandre III in Paris, and the return of the three surviving La Madre sculptures that had previously guarded the bridge. The fourth sculpture (Democracy), destroyed during the Battle of Manila, was replicated using the archives of the pre-war Jones Bridge in the National Library of the Philippines.

The array of lampposts

Jose “Jerry” Acuzar, owner of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bataan, was commissioned by Moreno to design and build 80 triple-branched, black, Beaux-Arts-inspired lamp posts (cast from resin instead of metal), similar to those on Pont Alexandre III, for the formerly darkly lit bridge. The four lions (or merlions) on the pedestals of the new lampposts were meant to symbolize the official coat-of-arms of City of Manila, designated to represent the power of the Spanish Empire.

Two of the four La Madre Statues

The four plinths which would act as the pedestal for the returning La Madre Filipina statues, were reconstructed. Retrofit and repair works were also done at the steel girders of the bridge. The balustrades of the bridge were painted in a faux marble pattern, with undertones of orange, yellow and gold. The bridge was temporarily closed during the rehabilitation.

The La Madre statue Gratitude

The statues of Gratitude (at the southeast portion of the bridge) and the replicated Democracy (at the southwest corner of the bridge) were reinstated at the Ermita side of the bridge on November 23, 2019. Two days later, Jones Bridge was inaugurated and formally opened to the public.

The La Madre statue Democracy

The other two original statues, located at the grounds of the Court of Appeals, were deemed too fragile to be relocated so replicas were made and installed on June 2021 at the Binondo side of the bridge. Progress, symbolizing, labor, education and power, was installed on the northwest portion of the bridge while Justice, symbolizing law and order, and equality under the law, was installed on the northeast side of the bridge.

A Beaux Arts-inspired, tri-branch lamppost

Jones Bridge has 3 spans, 2 piers in the water and has a length of115 m. (377 ft.), a width of 16.70 m. (54.8 ft.) and has a clearance below of 7.5 m. (25 ft.) at mean tide. It also has 4 lanes (2 per direction) and has a load limit of 20,000 kgs. (20 tons). The bridge rarely suffers from traffic congestion (which usually occurs at the both ends of the bridge due to parking violations) and water buses of Pasig River Ferry Service also habitually pass under it to reach its Escolta Street station.

A strategically placed, flower bedecked barricade at the center of the bridge

Every January 9 of the year (the Feast of the Black Nazarene), since 2013, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority annually closes the bridge from car passage for the Translacion  procession, after the Department of Public Works and Highways deemed the nearby MacArthur Bridge unstable to accommodate increasing foot traffic during the festivities. However, starting 2020, the Translacion was rerouted to the recently retrofitted Ayala Bridge.

Escolta Underpass

The bridge served as the backdrop for the 1989 film Jones Bridge Massacre: Task Force Clabio (starring Lito Lapid) which was based on real-life events. The 2007 Filipino film The Promise has a scene in where Daniel (Richard Gutierrez) was tasked to assassinate someone underneath the bridge’s tunnel, although he was unable to do it and sets the man free afterwards. The bridge was also featured in the 2012 Hollywood film The Bourne Legacy (the motorcycle chase starts off here) and the 2021 Philippine romantic fantasy The Lost Recipe.

The Bourne Legacy (2012) motorcycle scene at Jones Bridge

To encourage people to use the pedestrian lane, the lampposts at the center of the four-lane bridge were removed and replaced by strategically placed barricades covered with plants. The length of the bridge is painted and solar road stud lights were added on the edge and centerline of the bridge. As a safety measures for pedestrians, the walkways are painted with rubberized paint and, to make the bridge more stunning at night, pin lights were installed along the railings and under the girder of the bridge.

Approaching the Binondo side of the bridge

The bridge, now a hit in social media, has a cinematic appearance and is a favorite for selfies and pre-nuptial photo shoots. Though, in my opinion, just halfway near the grandeur of the pre-war bridge (the statues of boys playing dolphins at the piers are still missing), it is still a testament to how Manila could regain a sense of its own past and restore its old glory.

Descending the bridge stairway leading to Escolta

Jones Bridge: Quentin Paredes St. Ermita, the City of Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines.  Coordinates: 14°35′45″N 120°58′38.3″E

Liwasang Bonifacio (Manila)

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For my first city tour since the COVID-19 lockdown, Jandy and I joined the Pasig River Heritage Walk, sponsored by Renacimiento Manila and conducted by its president Mr. Diego Torres. Our assembly area, fitfully, was to be at the 700 sq. m. Liwasang Bonifacio (Bonifacio Square), 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.  Since the dark days of Martial to the post dictatorship years, the plaza has been a popular site of protests and demonstrations organized by several leftist groups.

Liwasang Bonifacio

This city square and transport hub, straddling the dividing line between Ermita and Intramuros, is the starting point of Padre Burgos Avenue which connects to Taft Avenue and Roxas Boulevard in Rizal Park and lies at the south end of Jones Bridge, MacArthur Bridge, and Quezon Bridge that link the northern districts of Binondo, Santa Cruz, and Quiapo to the central district of Ermita.  Today, this plaza is a visual foil for two Juan Arellano structures –  the Manila Central Post Office and the Manila Metropolitan Theater.

Participants of the Pasig River Heritage Walk gathered around Mr. Diego Torres (in blue), president of Renacimiento Manila, the organizer of the walking tour

During the Spanish Colonial era, the land that is now Liwasang Bonifacio and the Manila Central Post Office was the Cuartel del Fortín.  This small fortress, guarding the Pasig River east of Fort Santiago, was located at the site of the Parián de Arroceros, an early Chinese trading village east of Intramuros (in what was the first bend of the Pasig River).  The marketplace of Intramuros, the community, although closely guarded by the Spanish, eventually grew, with its own parish church, cemetery and stores (such as the Arroceros Rice Market) and soon became Manila’s early economic and trading hub.

The Bonifacio Monument and its “national photobomber – the Manila Central Post Office Building

In the decades after the British Occupation of Manila from 1762 to 1764, the closeness and support of the Chinese to the British provided the Spanish with justification to deport and, subsequently, ban them from the country.  The Parián’s close proximity to the walls of Intramuros made it a security threat and was demolished and the Chinese ghetto and marketplace was moved, north of the Pasig River, to Binondo and Santa Cruz.

Statue of Andres Bonifacio sculpted by the late National Artist for Sculpture Guillermo Tolentino

The area of the former Parián, now a vast marshy open field, was soon filled, by the Spaniards, with several barracks including the quarters of a contingent of the Spanish infantry regiment, near the Fortin of the Puente Grande (now occupied by the Manila Central Post Office Building).  In front of the Fortin is the Plaza del Fortín, a small plaza surrounded by stone benches and trees which also doubled as a public recreation area at night where early residents would gather to hear musical performances.

Plaque at monument installed by National Historical Commission

In the early 1900s, the plaza was renamed as Plaza Lawton after Henry Ware Lawton, the American general who was killed, during the Philippine–American War, by a Filipino sharpshooter named Bonifacio Mariano in the Battle of Paye (also known as the Battle of San Mateo), in the area partly occupied by Bagong Silangan, Quezon City) on December 19, 1899. The Manila tranvía had a terminal in the plaza.

Liwasang Bonifacio Plaque

In 1963, the plaza was renamed after Andres Bonifacio, the revolutionary leader who founded the independence movement of Katipunan during the Spanish colonial rule. A monument in his honor, designed by National Artist for Sculpture (1973) Guillermo Tolentino to commemorate his birth centennial, now stands in the center of the plaza. Tolentino also designed the Bonifacio Monument along EDSA but, unlike this bolo-wielding statue the one at Liwasang shows Bonifacio with a quiet dignity  – a gaze of steel, arms raised near his hips and hands poised to draw his bolo and fight.

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In 2002, the plaza was refurbished (with design assistance from the Heritage Conservation Society) with a fountain as its centerpiece flanked by fully grown royal palm trees (providing a majestic vista of the Manila Central Post Office’s façade) and, in 2012, in order to protect the zone from further urbanization, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) declared the plaza as a National Historical Landmark.

Check out “Manila Central Post Office Building,” “Revitalized Jones Bridge” and “Quezon Bridge”

The “Maya Art Installation cum Bike Rack

The Liwasang is frequented by bikers who use the fountain as a rest stop, posing for selfies beside the monument.   As such, near the monument is a bike rack cum art installation called “Maya,” one of four (the others are the “Kalesa” at Plaza Roma, “Alon” at Rajah Sulayman Park and “Tabak” at the Kartilya ng Katipunan) designed by Tondo-born and raised Mark Wesley Pahate and installed on May 8, 2021 (Flag Day) by Allianz PNB.

AUTHORS NOTES:

Despite these best efforts, the monument is still a pathetic sight as it is still, apparently, home to sidewalk vendors, beggars and vagrants, the shrubbery serving as drying area for their laundry and litter all around. The monument of Bonifacio, unlike that of Jose Rizal in Rizal Park, is tiny and, also unlike the latter, is not fenced off or watched over by an honor guard, though both are considered as National Heroes.  Also, both have “national photobombers,” the Bonifacio Monument with its Manila Central Post Office (in fairness, this was built first) and the Rizal Monument with its 49-storey Torre de Manila Condominium.

Liwasang Bonifacio: Padre Burgos Avenue and Magallanes Street, Ermita
Manila.

Manila Central Post Office Building (Manila)

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Manila Central Post Office Building

The Manila Central Post Office Building (often called the Post Office Building), the center of the Philippine postal services and the headquarters of then-Bureau of Posts (now the Philippine Postal Corporation), houses the main mail sorting-distribution operations of the Philippines. This building hums daily with brisk postal service with letters pouring in daily from every corner of the country.

The Post Office Building as seen from Liwasang Bonifacio

This principal postal hub of today’s modern and efficient Philippine Postal Corporation, still continuing a centuries-old tradition of sorting and distributing letters from Filipinos who still prefer the postal service, houses a mechanized automatic letter-sorting machine, a new Postal Code system, airmail, motorized letter carriers and other facilities.

The Post Office Building from the other bank of the Pasig River

Strategically located along the banks of the Pasig River (part of the Burnham Plan of Manila for easy water transportation of mails), at the foot of Jones Bridge, it lies at the northern end of Liwasang Bonifacio (formerly Plaza Lawton where building’s main entrance faces) in Ermita and  is flanked by the Manila Metropolitan Theater to its northwest. Its central location, with converging avenues, made the building readily accessible from Quiapo, Binondo, Malate and Ermita as well as the Pasig River (used conveniently as an easy route for delivering mail).

Check out “The Revitalized Jones Bridge”

The building’s northeast wing

This official transmitter of mail, money and goods traces its beginnings to the September 15, 1902 Act No. 462 of the Philippine Commission which created the Bureau of Posts. On April 13, 1987, the Bureau of Post was renamed the Postal Service Office (PSO) by the virtue of Executive Order No. 125 signed by then-President Corazon C. Aquino, placing it under the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and, on April 2, 1992, by virtue of the Republic Act No.7354 issued by then-President Fidel V. Ramos, PSO became a government owned and controlled corporation named as the Philippine Postal Corporation (more commonly known today as PhilPost). It is now under the direct supervision of the Office of the President.

The building’s southwest wing

From August 2, 1920 up to January 9, 1922, the foundation of the post office was laid out but the work was put on hold because of the scarcity of funds (it was worth one million pesos) but was reported to be 56% complete towards the end of the year. The plan for the completion of post office building was made public on November 28, 1927 but the awarding of the project only happened a year after, on February 1928, when the completion of the building was continued.   The building was completed in 1931.

The Ionic capitals of the fluted marble columns.  The entablature above is decorated with medallions and lined with dentils

Designed in Neo-Classical style (expressing order and balance) by Filipino architects Juan M. Arellano (considered as his magnum opus) and Tomás Mapúa and American architect Ralph Harrington Doane, it is one of the greatest examples of American Colonial architecture in the Philippines.  The construction of the original building began under the supervision of the architecture firm of Pedro Siochi and Company.

During World War II, it was severely damaged in the Battle of Manila and was, subsequently, rebuilt in 1946 while retaining most of its original design. Considered as the grandest building during its time, the Post Office Building is now considered as one of the dominating landmarks in Metro Manila. On November 23, 2018, because of its architectural significance, it was declared as an Important Cultural Property (ICP) by the National Museum of the Philippines.

In 2012, with more modern ways of communication and advancing technology now widespread and the cost of maintaining the building too much, talks are underway between the Department of Finance and Fullerton Hotels of Singapore to convert the building into a 5-star hotel.

The main body of the huge, colossal rectangular facade, lined by 14 soaring fluted marble columns with Ionic capitals (above the steps just before entering the lobby), is capped by a recessed rectangular attic storey and flanked and buttressed by two semicircular wings or drums. The entablature above the columns are decorated with medallions and lined with dentils. 

The square columns topped by Doric capitals and medallions. The cornice is lined by scroll-like decorations.

At each end of the main lobby are subsidiary halls housed under semicircular spaces roofed with domes. The plain, square columns here are topped by Doric capitals, above which are medallions.  The top of the cornice are lined with scroll-like decorations. 

The big windows with their Grecian-style steel grilles

The big windows of the building are lined with steel grilles with Grecian patterns.  The atrium in the middle of the building  provides natural light and ventilation.

The Postman statue

In front of the building is the Postman Statue, symbolizing the extraordinary level of commitment of the postal force, was erected last September 15, 1975 to coincide with the 73rd anniversary of the establishment of the Bureau of Posts.

On November 23, 2018, a Museum Ceremonial Groundbreaking Marker was mounted to start the construction and retrofitting of Philippine Postal and Philatelic Museum which houses a historical archive of postage stamps, important letters of national personalities and other artifacts.  The MCPO also sells the latest stamp issues from it Philatelic Section as well as other types of different stamps (Mint, Cancelled, se-tenant, Souvenir Sheets and Sheetlets).  Annually, the MCPO also exhibits old stamps and mailing equipment.

AUTHOR’S NOTES

The facade of the Post Office, seemingly impressive along the Liwasang Bonifacio side, is quite depressing when seen, up close and personal, along the Pasig River side.  The grounds at this side have been taken over by some vagrants and, similar to what is happening with many of our old churches, advanced plant growth has taken root over parts of the facade.  The now peeling and fading paint job has also been vandalized by graffiti.  Dangling wires are also an eyesore.

 

Manila Central Post Office Building: Liwasang Bonifacio, Magallanes Drive, Intramuros, Manila. Tel: (02) 8527-0089.

Andres Bonifacio Monument Park (Manila)

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The Andres Bonifacio Monument sculpted by the late sculptor Eduardo Castrillo

The Andres Bonifacio Monument Park, a public park and plaza also known as the Kartilya ng Katipunan or Heroes Park, is located just north of the Manila City Hall and south of Mehan Garden and Liwasang Bonifacio.

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The Kartilya (primer) of the Katipunan, a guidebook, written by Emilio Jacinto, for new members of the organization which laid out the groups rules and principles

Its centerpiece, the Bonifacio and the Katipunan Revolution Monument, fronting Padre Burgos Avenue, is dedicated to Filipino revolutionary Andrés Bonifacio and the Philippine Revolution.  Designed by the late Filipino sculptor Eduardo Castrillo,  it was unveiled in 1998.

National Historical Institute Plaque

On September 21, 2006, Mayor Lito Atienza inaugurated the Victims of Martial Law Memorial Wall at the park.  In 2019, the plaza was rehabilitated by Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso who ordered the removal of occupying vendors and vagrants.

Flagpoles with the different flags of the Katipunan

Continuous cleanup and removal of illegal vendors has made visible the bronze monument commemorating Emilio Jacinto, which had been obscured for several years.  Additional flora were added and Bermuda grass was planted, turning it into a promenade.

A musical dancing fountain, worth Php40 million paid for by tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan, was also installed in front of the Andres Bonifacio Monument Park. Inaugurated last February 12, 2020, the rectangular fountain appears like, with its shape and multi-colored LED lighting, the Philippine flag when viewed from the top. The lights moved to various local novelty songs.

The author in front of the Musical Dancing Fountain

A little over eight months later, on October 5, 2020, a fragment of the 155 km. long and 3.95 m. (13 ft.) tall Berlin Wall (which stood from August 13, 1961 until November 9, 1989), identified as “Fragment 22.”

The glass-enclosed fragment of the Berlin Wall

Donated by the city government of Berlin in Germany to the Philippines on November 27, 2014 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the wall, it was first housed at the National Museum of the Philippines and later placed at the Andres Bonifacio Monument Park.

Plaque commemorating the installation of Berlin Wall fragment in the park

Standing 3.65 m. (12 ft.) tall and 1.2 m. (4 ft.) wide, it weighs 1,273 kgs. (2.8 tons).  Fragment 22, also called “Mauerteil,” is the 22nd of the wall’s 40 sections. The Philippines was the first Southeast Asian country to receive a fragment of the Berlin Wall.

Plaque narrating the history of the Berlin Wall

Near the monument is a bike rack cum art installation called “Tabak,” one of four (the others are the “Kalesa” at Plaza Roma, “Alon” at Rajah Sulayman Park and “Maya” at Liwasang Bonifacio) designed by Tondo-born and raised Mark Wesley Pahate and installed on May 8, 2021 (Flag Day) by Allianz PNB.

“Tabak,” a bike rack cum art installation

Bonifacio Shrine: 1000 Taft Ave., Ermita, Manila.  Hourly musical fountain show: every 15 mins., from 6:30 – 11 PM.  Coordinates: 14°35′27.3″N 120°58′51.9″E.

Church of St. John Bosco (Makati City, Metro Manila)

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Church of St. John Bosco

The Church of St. John Bosco, probably one of the famous churches in the city and now one of the most famous landmarks of Makati’s Central Business District, is noted for its unique and breathtaking geometric architecture.

This church, standing humbly amid the skyscrapers of Makati City, was designed by the late National Artist for Architecture (2014) Jose Maria V. Zaragoza, one of its parishioners and a daily mass goer.

Plaques expressing gratitude to the patrons and sponsors of the church

The relatively new parish was established on March 2, 1976 (just a year after I graduated high school in adjacent Don Bosco Technical Institute), with Fr. Godrey Roozen as the first parish priest.

Plaques paying tribute to the late church architect and National Artist Jose Ma. Zaragoza (left) and the 35 anniversary of the church’s dedication (right)

Zaragoza, one of the well-known architects of the 1970’s, was commissioned by the Salesian Congregation because of his remarkable use of concrete which show unstagnant flow of forms.

The church interior

One of a significant body of ecclesiastical architecture of about 45 religious structures across the country designed by Zaragoza, he was the same architect behind the postwar Santo Domingo Church, the old Union Church of Manila nearby, and the 15-storey Meralco Building, among others.

The starburst tabernacle and its anahaw leaf-inspired backdrop

Though not be as prominent as the aforementioned works of his, Zaragoza’s work on the church is still an iconic one.

The suspended metal and wood cross designed by the late sculptor Eduardo Castrillo

For the design of the church, Zaragoza employed a clamshell-inspired contemporary design with a semicircular interior layout. Cardinal Jaime  Sin laid the cornerstone of the church on April 15, 1977 and, on its completion, also dedicated it on March 4 1978. Its exterior is reminiscent of the edge of a leaf.

Statue of St. John Bosco and St. Dominic Savio (Eduardo Catrillo)

The distinctive and iconic concave interior features flowing lines.  The starburst tabernacle has a golden anahaw or footstool palm (Saribus rotundifolius) leaf as its dramatic backdrop.

Statue of the Madonna and Child (Eduardo Castrillo)

Above the altar, series of widening ripples evoke the graces streaming from the Blessed Sacrament and flowing into the vaulted ceiling.

Cross beams

The exposed white ceiling, accented with diagonal, crisscrossing concrete beams (sort of a stylized net for the “fishers of men”), also gives an impression of outward rays.

Confessionals

The treatment of the ceiling adheres to Pier Luigi Nervi’s thrust in dealing with circular covers or roofs.

The church grounds

A gallery of religious statuary

The statues (St. John Bosco with St. Dominic Savio, the Madonna and Child) and the suspended crucifix (which seemingly rides the crest of a magnificent wave) that adorn the church were done by the late sculptor Eduardo Castrillo.

Statue of St. John Bosco, Dominic Savio and Laura Vicuna

At night, this awe-inspiring interior looks better because of the lighting.

The resurrected Christ

A Station of the Cross

Church of St. John Bosco: Antonio Arnaiz Ave. (formerly Pasay Rd.) cor. Amorsolo St., Makati City 1200, Metro Manila. Tel: +63-2-8894-5932 to 34. Website: www.sjbmakati.com.  E-mail: info@sjbmakati.com.

Sanctuario de San Antonio (Makati City, Metro Manila)

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Sanctuario de San Antonio

The Sanctuario de San Antonio, in the heart of upscale Makati City, was built by the Franciscans after the San Francisco de Asis Church, their mother church in Intramuros was destroyed during the 1945 liberation of Manila in World War II.

The Baroque-style church was built on 2 hectares of once-idle grassland in Forbes Park that was donated by Joseph McMicking of Ayala Corporation (the pioneer behind the rise of Makati as the country’s premier financial district that it is today) in July 17, 1951.

The church interior

On August 24, 1951, the Most Rev. Gabriel M. Reyes, Archbishop of Manila, granted permission for the church’s construction and, August 1, 1951, the cornerstone was laid.

The main altar and retablo

Built in the Californian Mission style, the church was completed and blessed by the Most Rev. (later cardinal) Rufino Santos, Archbishop of Manila, on December 8, 1953 and was given the name Santuario de San Antonio.

The left-side altar

The right side altar

The late National Artist Fernando Amorsolo was commissioned to create the pair of hand-painted mural paintings, based on the paintings done in the 13th century by the Italian artist Giotto for the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, located on opposite sides near the church entrance.

The Stigmatization of St. Francis (Fernando Amorsolo)

One painting, The Stigmatization of St. Francis depicts the stigmata or the wounds of Christ received by St. Francis of Assisi (the founder of the Franciscans Order) while the other is The Sermon of the Birds which depicts St. Francis and another preaching to the birds.

The Sermon of the Birds (Fernando Amorsolo)

On August 26, 2014, a contract agreement was signed with the Roberto M. Lopez Conservation Center of the Lopez Museum for the art restoration of these two works of art.  The restoration was completed in 2015.

Baptistery

The nearly 70 old church features cross-shaped layout with a dome-shaped ceiling.

The candle gallery

A century-old statue of St. Anthony of Padua (after whom the church is dedicated), a war survivor from the patio of the original San Francisco Church in Intramuros, can be found in the central plaza between the church and the multipurpose hall.

The century-old statue of St. Anthony of Padua

Aside from masses, the church is now a popular venue for weddings (especially for couples belonging to some of the country’s most influential families) in the Makati area.

The central plaza

 

Santuario De San Antonio Church:  3117 McKinley Rd, Forbes Park, Makati City 1220, Metro Manila. Tel: (632) 8843-8830 to 31.  Website: www.ssaparish.com.  Feast of St. Anthony of Padua: June 13.

Church of St. Alphonsus Mary de Liguori (Makati City, Metro Manila)

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Parish Church of St. Alphonsus Mary de Liguori

The Parish Church of St. Alphonsus Mary de Liguori in Magallanes Village in Makati City, also known as Magallanes Church has, for a long time now, been a big part of our family life.  On August 1, 2003, my son Jandy and daughter Cheska were both confirmed here while my grandson Kyle was baptized here on September 29, 2012.

Jandy and Cheska after their August 1, 2003 confirmation at the old Magallanes Church

It was also Cheska’s and my son-in-law Bryan’s first choice for their wedding venue but they had to settle for the Shrine of St, Therese of the Child Jesus as their preferred time slot was already taken.  However, they did get Fr. Lorenzo Ruggiero, Magallanes Church’s parochial vicar, to officiate at their December 14, 2019 wedding.  We also frequently attend the Saturday (6 PM) anticipated masses here and, even during this pandemic period, patronized their online mass.

Kyle’s baptism at the church baptistery on September 29, 2012

The church, then and now, is a showcase of works of a number of National Artists of the Philippines. The original, intimate and low structure, started on July 11, 1968, was designed by my late uncle and National Artist for Architecture Leandro V. Locsin in his signature Brutalist-style.

The then 800 sq. m. parish church, much like a smaller version of the former Folk Arts Theater (now the Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas), had a perfect square plan (28 m. each side), with a 4 m. high wooden coffered ceiling and a central aisle that ran along the diagonal of the square. The church, with narra pews, had a seating capacity of 300.

The concrete buttresses

Along the perimeter were 28 massive, 4 m. high concrete buttresses, wide at the base and narrow at the top, which actually just supported a tall parapet wall (not a roof slab) that shielded the corrugated G.I. roof. Later, a PhP12 million airconditioning system was installed.

Within its 36 years of existence, Makati grew to become the country’s financial capital and it became one of the busiest churches in Metro-Manila. In 1991, the 22-storey Asia Pacific college building (on the lot once occupied by the Karilagan Finishing School) was built across it and the South Superhighway beside it became a two-level highway. On March 24, 2002, Palm Sunday, the Garden of the Way of the Cross, designed by late 2006 National Artist for Architecture Ildefonso P. Santos Jr. during the tenure of Monsignor Ernesto Cruz, was dedicated.

The church after the September 9, 2004 fire.  The carillon beside it survived unscathed (photo: www.stalphonsusrebuilds.blogspot.com)

On the morning of September 9, 2004, a fire (starting around 2 AM and extinguished 5:32 AM) gutted the nearly four decade old church. While the interior was razed, there was only minimal damage to the façade, with only the glass windows destroyed.

The church interior after the fire (photo: www.stalphonsusrebuilds.blogspot.com)

However, several small images of Mother Mary used in the procession celebrating the Feast of the Virgin Mary, some made of expensive ivory, were also consumed by the fire. Miraculously, a wooden statue of the Crucified Christ was recovered, relatively unscathed, from the fire and has been restored and again installed inside the rebuilt church.

The relatively unscathed wooden statue of the Crucified Christ recovered from the fire

After much deliberation, the parish decided that it would be more economical and symbolically pithy to preserve the concrete structure that survived the fire by salvaging the 28 buttresses that remained, rather than demolishing them and starting from scratch. The parish commissioned Dominic Galicia (who also designed the church’s Adoration Chapel in 2000) to lead the church rebuilding project with Ronald Santiago as the structural engineer.  During the duration of the construction, masses were held in a bahay kubo (originally a venue for social gatherings) at the back of the rectory.  The new church was dedicated on August 1, 2007, the feast day of St. Alphonsus Mary de Liguori.

Dedication plaque

The new rebuilt church, a symbol of a community transforming tragedy into grace, has an aesthetically pleasing facade, with a soaring roof that increased it height from 6 m. to 28 m.. A new mezzanine was added to increase seating from 300 to 900.

The new mezzanine

Spiral stairs leading up to the mezzanine

The existing structure was reused as the springboard for the soaring roofs. The new structure consists of 13 roof vaults (thin-shell concrete membranes clad in unglazed clay tiles, which will help reduce heat gain), representing Jesus and the 12 Apostles, resting on new composite columns.

The ascending vaults of the soaring roof

The 28 hollow buttresses, originally designed for aesthetic effect, now fulfill a new structural purpose as they were filled with concrete to of providing lateral support to the new composite columns. The 8 m. wide central roof vault, traveling the longest distance (which is the diagonal of the square plan), rises to a height of 28 m..

The roof vaults seen from the interior of the church.  The vaults are cladded with acoustic ceiling boards (for sound absorption) on aluminum T-runners

Independent, 4.5 m. wide roof vaults, ascend parallel to it on either side, beginning at 11 m. from ground level, then 14 m., 16 m., 18 m., 21 m., and 25 m., like the 12 apostles who accompanied Jesus Christ. The vaults are separated by clear glass windows which, in the upper reaches of the building, are also operable. The presence of these windows now provides a bright interior.

The massive church doors

The wooden church doors, featuring carvings of scenes from the life and death of Christ, were inspired by the 13th century frescoes by the Italian painter Giotto and made by the seasoned craftsmen of Betis (Pampanga).

The well lit church interior

The Art Deco-inspired interior features a simple wooden and glass altar, modern, Minimalist-looking pews and high ceilings.  The altar wall, made with wood-clad concrete, incorporates stained glass panels which depicts the burning bush where God appeared before Moses. Above it is the dove which represents the Holy Spirit. The altar pews are oriented so that all attention is on the altar, an arrangement somewhat reminiscent of the Church of the Holy Sacrifice in Diliman (Quezon City), another Locsin masterpiece.

Check out “Church of the Holy Sacrifice“

The altar wall with its stained glass depiction of the Burning Bush

September must be an unlucky month for the church as, on September 23, 2009, flash floods inundated the church at the height of Tropical Storm “Ondoy” (Typhoon Ketsana). The baptistery, a separate facility in the area, was was completed and blessed in October 2009. 

The Minimalist-style carillon.  In the background is the Asia Pacific College where Jandy finished college

Nest to the church entrance is the unique and splendid,  Minimalist carillon with four pointed steel arches of increasing height, the tallest at 17 m., which follows the design of the roof vaults of the main church facade. Dedicated on December 14, 2002 and spared from the 2004 fire, it carries 18 bronze bells from the Netherlands.

The Garden Way of the Cross

The Garden of the Way of the Cross, containing 14 Stations of the Cross (each a work of a noted artist, two of which are National Artists) is, outside the local community is practically unknown, despite being kept in a garden along one of the country’s busiest thoroughfares.

Station I – Last Supper (Napoleon V. Abueva)

Station II – Agony at the Garden by Abdulmari “Toym” Imao. His art is known for its commentary on Filipino social conditions, as well as for its pop culture sensibilities. Among his most notable early sculptures include the Tandang Sora National Shrine (Quezon City), the Andres Bonifacio National Shrine (Maragondon, Cavite), and the Dr. Jose P. Rizal statue (Carson City, California), ] In 2015, his exhibition “Desaparecidos” at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani was widely recognized as an important commemoration of the abuses of Martial law under Ferdinand Marcos.

Dedicated on March 24, 2002, it has glass canopies that shield them from rain and falling branches. A 1 m. wide running stream separates the sculptures from a reaching hand, without blocking the view and a wall of black java helps secure the garden and minimizes the noise coming from the highway.

Station III – Jesus is Condemned by Rosalio “Ros” B. Arcilla Jr.)

Station IV – Crowning with Thorns (Raphael Arcilla)

Parishioner and landscape architect Ildefonso P. Santos Jr., assisted by landscape architect Cecile Herras Tence, planned the plants that would go with the sculptures and designed a curvilinear landscape to soften their sculpture’s hard materials. A persisting threat to these prized artworks is the dust, grime and air pollution coming from the nearby South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).

Station V – Jesus Carries the Cross (Tito Sanchez)

Station VI – Jesus Falls (Jose M. Mendoza)

The stations, commemorating Jesus Christ’s Passion and Death through 14 contemplative markers, feature masterpieces by a virtual Who’s Who of contemporary Philippine art. All the sculptures were limited to 4 ft. in height, minus the base and all but one of the works were commissioned by the parishioners and donated to the church.

Station VII – Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus (Ramon Orlina)

Station VIII – Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem (Juan Sajid Imao)

Mary and John at the Foot of the Cross (Station XI), a metal tableau of Mother Mary and the Apostle John at the foot of the cross, was a donation from the late artist himself, Solomon Saprid.  The Last Supper ( Station I), a creation in stone, was done by the late 1976 National Artist for Sculpture Napoleon V. Abueva, hailed as the father of modern Philippine sculpture.

The 1 m. wide running stream

The Agony in the Garden, another bronze statue of Christ, was done by the late 2006 National Artist for Sculpture Abdulmari “Toym” Imao. Jesus Dies (Station XII), a bronze of Jesus nailed to the cross, was fashioned by the late Eduardo Castrillo, the man behind the Edsa People Power Monument. Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus (Station VII) is a chunk glass depiction of the encounter between Christ and Simon of Cyrene on the way to Calvary, was rendered by the renowned glass sculptor Ramon Orlina.

Station IX – Jesus is Nailed to the Cross (Francisco Verano)

Station X – Jesus Forgives a Thief at the Cross by Priscillano “Jun” Vicaldo Jr.. A native of Camarines Sur, Jun is dept in both classical and modernist styles. A graduate of the University of the Philippines (U.P.) College of Fine Arts (CFA), studied along with other noted artists such as Agnes Arellano and Peter Tiamzon de Guzman, under National Artist for Sculpture Napoleón Isabelo “Billy” Veloso Abueva. Vicaldo continued his studies at the La Salle SIA School for the Arts, in Singapore; and worked under Manuel Casal. His commissioned works include pieces at the Subic and Olongapo, Adamson University, National Historical Commission Building, Naga City Robredo Museum, Naga Cathedral and Penafrancia Shrine.

Jesus is Nailed to the Cross (Station IX), by Francisco Verano, depicts a muscular but proportionately formed Jesus Christ fastened to a large cross attached diagonally (instead of the usual upright) on a slab of slanting concrete.

Station XI – Mary and John at the Foot of the Cross (Solomon Saprid)

Sation XII – Jesus Dies (Eduardo Castrillo)

Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem (Station VIII), by Juan Sajid Imao, the younger brother of Abdulmari Imao, evokes the scene in a narrative composition. Two stations were also done by brothers, the  late Rosalio “Ros” B.  Arcilla Jr. (Jesus Is Condemned, Station III) and Raphael Arcilla (Crowning with Thorns, Station IV).

Station XIII – Jesus is Laid in the Tomb (Antonio T. Mondejar)

Station XIV – Resurrection (Dominic Galicia)

The Resurrection (Station XIV), a marble and black granite interpretation done by Dominic Galicia himself, features a black granite fountain that resembles a tabernacle with a wide, white marble basin on its top. A local marble wall, behind it, has a niche on the side that represents the empty cave following Christ’s resurrection.

The other stations were done by Tito Sanchez (Jesus Carries the Cross, Station V), Jose M. Mendoza (Jesus Falls, Station VI), Priscillano “Jun” Vicaldo Jr. (Jesus Forgives a Thief at the Cross, Station X), and Antonio T. Mondejar (Jesus is Laid in the Tomb, Station XIII).

Garden of the Risen Christ

Beyond the Stations of the Cross is the Garden of the Risen Christ, an impressively-designed memorial garden, surrounded by rows of tombs, featuring a sculpture of a risen Jesus Christ above a pond.

St. Alphonsus Mary de Ligouri Church: Humabon Place,  Lapu Lapu St., Magallanes Village, Makati City 1232. Tel: (02) 8851-0275, 8852-2750 and 8852-8228. Email: info@saintalphonsus.ph.

Chapel of Sto. Niño de Paz (Makati City, Metro Manila)

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Chapel of Sto. Nino dela Paz

The modern, dome-shaped, open-sided Chapel of Sto. Niño de Paz (Holy Child of Peace), set amidst the verdant lushness under the leafy canopies of the tree-filled Greenbelt Park, a green oasis in the heart of the concrete jungle and chaos of the city.

Checked out “Greenbelt Park”

Amidst skyscrapers in the financial district, it stands as a quiet retreat floating in the middle of a pond and accessible by a narrow pathway through dense vegetation. It has. Surrounded by a tranquil pond, green plants and spectacular sculptures, the park is an idyllic escape from the cacophony of the city.

The church’s open air interior

Commonly called the Greenbelt Chapel, it is perhaps the only church hidden in the lush and landscaped gardens of a bustling retail, dining and commercial center and is one amongst the most impressive and outstanding buildings of the city. It is also one of only two known round chapels in the country (the other is the Church of the Holy Sacrifice in Diliman, Quezon City).

Check out “Church of the Holy Sacrifice”

 Unlike traditional Roman Catholic churches with thick enclosed walls, this chapel is open air and it mostly resembles a pavilion, with a roof built in the shape of a soldier’s cap and a covered walkway leading to the center of the church from the entrance.

The lagoon

Originally, the church was not part of the plans of owner Ayala Corporation, developer of the country’s financial capital. In the 1970s, the chapel’s site used to be an aviary, a particular attraction at Greenbelt Park, then the breathing space of the old Makati Commercial Center.

Dominating the landscape then were spacious parking lots, a popular supermarket and stand-alone restaurants and shops. Today, the Greenbelt Chapel is the only existing landmark among its contemporaries in the park within the steel and concrete enclave of Makati.

The author

The chapel was a brainchild of Ms. Fanny Del Rosario Diploma (a cancer survivor) and her husband, Atty. Nordy Diploma. Coming from a wealthy family, they decided to build a chapel as thanksgiving for Fanny’s new lease on life.

Jandy

Approaching the Ayalas, they offered to build a church if a site was made available for them in the largely still undeveloped Central Business District. After seeing seen the master plan, Fanny pointed at a very unlikely place to build anything – the center of the lagoon.

The Ayalas agreed, on condition that nothing permanent would be built on the site.  Anytime it was needed, the chapel can be removed. Contrary to popular belief, the Greenbelt Chapel was not made of thin shell concrete and was not designed by National Artist for Architecture Leandro V. Locsin. For this very special project, the couple called their architect, Enrique “Jess” Dizon (architect-on-record) who, in turn, called the young Topy Vasquez, his former staff who was, at that time, working for Architect Gabriel Formoso. Dizon rendered the circular pattern of the building while Architect William Fernandez designed the structure.

The suspended cross

Given the condition that the structure be temporary, both architects used a simplistic yet amazing design that featured a steel-framed dome clad with staggered 6 mm. (1/4”) thick marine plywood (at the time, the Diplomas owned one of the largest plywood manufacturing companies), waterproofing and paint. In case Ayala Corporation decided to assert their right over the “temporary” chapel’s site, it can be lifted and moved by helicopter.

One of the confessionals

Originally, the design called for a dome that would seem to float over water plus a basement (to be ventilated underneath the concrete cantilevers, just above the water line) where the sacristy and offices would be housed. However, due to budget constraints, the basement was scrapped.  Instead, small extensions at the sides and back of the dome were built for the sacristy and offices.

The Mudrass Cross

During the construction, Ramon Orlina, another young architect, approached Architect Dizon and proposed glass sculptures (Orlina further studied glass sculpture techniques in Europe) to become part of the chapel. Complementing the simple yet powerful architecture of the chapel, the now renowned master glass sculptor fabricated the ceiling, the Dove of Peace, tabernacle, sacristy, the Mudrass Cross (the cross at the entrance outside the chapel), the altar table (made of glass and narra wood) with its tabernacle (that seems to miraculously rise out of nowhere) and the God the Father resin image (made with plexiglass wood) on the dome.  All these dazzling commissioned artworks, beautifully integrated into the architecture, has not seen before in any church by the secular population.

God the Father resin image (Ramon Orlina)

A year after the chapel was granted a 30-year contract by the Ayala Corporation to use its present site at the Greenbelt Park, the chapel was completed and inaugurated and dedicated on July 28, 1983 by His Eminence the late Cardinal Jaime Sin with Jaime Zobel de Ayala, Atty. Nordy and Fanny Diploma and numerous benefactors and guests.

The church bell

In the last 30 years, the dome-shaped chapel has seen the completion of the high-end, Ayala owned Greenbelt Chain of Malls around it.  When the chapel’s lease contract with Ayala Corporation expired on March 31 2012, Ayala Land Inc., its property arm, decided to retain the chapel in its present location, turning over its management to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila.

The chapel offices

The beautiful chapel’s unorthodox design sports a domed ceiling that curves all the way to the ground in places. Today, Fanny’s temporary open-air chapel has outlived her and the chapel remains untouched and looks exactly the way it was designed in the early 1980s (the only practical additions were the corner office cubicles and the roofs at bridge entrances). It is now recognized as one of Makati’s tourist attractions. 

Chapel of Sto. Nino de Paz: Greenbelt Park, Ayala Center, Makati City, Metro Manila.  Tel: (632) 7729-8173.

Church of St. Andrew the Apostle (Makati City, Metro Manila)

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The modern, tent-like Church of St. Andrew the Apostle

The modern, beautifully designed Roman Catholic Church of St. Andrew the Apostle, a unique monument of sorts that honors a community’s Catholic faith, a legacy of a visionary businessman, and the artistry of the Filipino, all rolled into one, has the eye-catching form and a unique layout that reflects the ingenuity of its creator, my late uncle and National Artist for Architecture (1990) Leandro V. Locsin and, overall, the church structure  pays homage to the Space Age era of the ’60s.

The author with the church in the background

In 1965, a group of residents belonging to the village communities of San Miguel and Bel-Air dreamed of having a parish that they could call their own.  Rufino Cardinal Santos approved the establishment and formation of the parish and appointed Msgr. Emilio Bularan as the first parish priest.

There dream came true when Don Andrés Soriano Jr., President of the conglomerate  San Miguel Corporation, offered to have a church built in honor of his late father, the loved and respected Don Andres Sr.. The parish was to be named after St. Andrew the Apostle, the patriarch’s namesake (“Andres” is Spanish for “Andrew”), the patron saint of Metro Manila and Bel-Air Village in Makati.

My son Jandy

On February 8, 1967 (the 69th birth anniversary of the late Don Andres Soriano the Feast of St. Andrew), the cornerstone of the proposed church was laid at the 3,494-sq. m. (37,610 sq. ft.) lot donated by the Ayala family through the Makati Development Corporation.

The church interior

The construction of the church employed the round, concrete-heavy design of Leandro V. Locsin, then an up and coming architect, whose first notable work was the Church of the Holy Sacrifice in the University of the Philippines Diliman campus, itself a round concrete church completed in 1955. It’s interesting to note that, around this time, the future National Artist for Architecture was also busy in the design of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater, considered his magnum opus.

Check out “Church of the Holy Sacrifice”

The halo-like chandelier above the altar

After about a year’s time, on November 30, 1968, St. Andrew the Apostle Parish was formally opened at half past eight in the morning.  The unveiling of the church marker was witnessed by Andres Soriano Jr. (San Miguel Corporation); Jose Ma. Soriano (Chairman and President of A. Soriano y Cia); Enrique Zobel (President of the Ayala Corporation); and other donors from Roxas y Cia.

Commemorative plaque

In 2002, Msgr. Emmanuel Sunga supervised the improvement of flooring, the provision of airconditioning, building of Parish Office annex, refurbishment of halo chandelier, the altar of the church and the construction of the carillon bell tower.

The copper cross (Vicente Manansala)

Aside from Leandro V. Locsin, the Church of St. Andrew the Apostle also boasts works of two other renowned Filipino National Artists. For instance, the copper cross that hangs on top of the altar is a work of the late Vicente Manansala, National Artist for Visual Arts – Painting (1981).

The white baptismal font designed by Napoleon Abueva

The baptistery also boasts works of the late Napoleon V. Abueva, National Artist for Visual Arts – Sculpture (1976), who designed the white baptismal font. Additionally, the late Eduardo S. Castrillo also created the sculpture as well as the blue baptismal font at the baptistery.

The blue baptismal font designed by the late sculptor Eduardo Castrillo

The sculpture, done by the late sculptor Eduardo Castrillo, of the Baptism of Christ by St. John the Baptist

This project was to be one of many collaborations between Abueva and Locsin.  Aside from this church, they also collaborated on the abovementioned Church of the Holy Sacrifice in Diliman (Quezon City), the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Quezon City (1975), and the Church of St. Alphonsus Mary de Liguori in Makati City (1968).

Check out “Church of St. Alphonsus Mary de Liguori”

The unique cross shape at the top of the church

The design of the unique cross shape, seen in the church’s peak, is symbolic of the manner the martyr died crucified on an X-shaped cross, formally called a saltire.  Christian tradition states that Andrew, one of the 12 disciples/apostles of Jesus Christ, was put to death by crucifixion on such a cross as he felt he was unworthy to be crucified on the regular cross (also called the Latin cross) that Christ was crucified onto. Today, this type of cross has also come to be known as the “St. Andrew’s cross.”

The church carillon

An example of biomorphic architecture, it resembles coconut leaves bundled together to make a giant native salakot.  This parish church is flanked by curved concrete walls while the curved shell is made of thin-shell concrete, considered revolutionary during its time.  The pews surrounding the altar form an octagon.

The arrangement of the church pews

The tent-like church’s butterfly shaped floor plan emanates from this cruciform. A symbolic feature is the giant customized circular chandelier suspended over the cross and the altar which is reminiscent of a saintly halo.

Statue of St. Andrew the Apostle

Church of St. Andrew the Apostle: 62 Constellation cor. Nicanor Garcia St. (formerly Reposo St.), Bel-Air Village, Makati City 1209 Metro Manila. Tel: (02) 8890 1796 and 8890-1743. E-mail: saapoffice@gmail.com, secretariat@saaparish.com and media@saaparish.com.  The parish territories are Bel-Air Village and Salcedo Village in Barangay Bel-Air, Rizal Village and Santiago Village in Barangay Valenzuela, and San Miguel Village in Barangay Poblacion.