Category Archives: Historical Sites

Filipino Heroes Memorial (Corregidor Island)

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Our Corregidor Island tour included visits to the Japanese Garden of Peace and the Filipino Heroes Memorial, both a first for me as well as the rest of my family.

Check out “Japanese Garden of Peace“

Filipino Heroes Memorial

Filipino Heroes Memorial

Our first stop was the Filipino Heroes Memorial, one of the most recent additions to Corregidor.  This is a 6,000-sq. m. complex at Tailside designed by Arch. Francisco Mañosa and inaugurated on August 28, 1992 by Pres. Fidel V. Ramos.  It consists of 14 murals, chronologically encircling the park, done by sculptor Manuel Casal.  It depicts famous as well as obscure heroes who revolted and battled heroically through the centuries; from the Battle of Mactan (1521) to the People Power Revolt at EDSA (1986).

The Battle of Mactan

The Battle of Mactan

EDSA Revolution

EDSA Revolution

Other murals depicted include Datu Sirongan and Sultan Kudarat in Mindanao (16th to 17th century),  the Bankao’s Apostasy in Leyte (1621), Sumuroy Rebellion (1645-50), the Dagohoy Revolt (1744), the Palaris Revolt in Pangasinan (1782), Diego and Gabriela Silang in the Ilocos (1763), the Hermano Pule Revolt (1840-41), the Philippine Revolution (1896), the Filipino-American War of 1899, World War II and the Guerilla Movement.

Dagohoy Revolt

Dagohoy Revolt

Hermano Pule Revolt

Hermano Pule Revolt

Filipino-American War

Filipino-American War

World War II

World War II

A statue of a Filipino guerrilla was also sculpted by Manuel Casal. A piece of trivia we gathered from our tour guide was that, during the Japanese Occupation, Filipinos guerillas and spies disguised themselves as farmers. To distinguish the farmer from the guerilla, the Japanese employed the palm test: True farmers have hard, calloused palms, guerillas didn’t. There is a room dedicated to photos of prominent Filipinos who died for freedom and liberty.

Statue of the Filipino Guerilla

Statue of the Filipino Guerilla

Beside the Filipino Heroes Memorial is a small park dedicated to President Sergio Osmena, the second president of the Philippine Commonwealth. Erected in this park is the statue of Osmena which was inaugurated on May 23, 1998 through the efforts of the Corregidor Foundation and the Cebu Newspaper Workers’ Foundation with the assistance of the late Sen. Marcelo B. Fernan.

Statue of Pres. Sergio Osmena

Statue of Pres. Sergio Osmena

Sun Cruises, Inc. (SCI) – Reservation Office: CCP Terminal A, CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Manila.  Tel: (632) 831-8140 and (632) 834-6857 to 58.  Fax: (632) 834-1523.  E-mail: suncruises@magsaysay.com.ph.

Sun Cruises, Inc. (SCI) – Sales Office: 21/F,  Times Plaza Bldg., Ermita, Manila.  Tel: (632) 527-5555 local 4511 and 4512.  Fax: (632) 527-5555 local 4513.  E-mail: sales@suncruises.com.ph.

A Family Trip to Corregidor

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For the fifth time around I was again traveling back to historic Corregidor Island but, this time, I was traveling with my loved ones – my wife Grace, my son Jandy, my daughter Cheska, my 1 year old grandson Kyle and Cheska’s fiancée Marve. With an overnight stay at Corregidor Inn included in our package, it was going to be a true family outing.

My family at Battery Way

My family at Battery Way

Exploring Battery Hearn

Exploring Battery Hearn

This was to be Grace and Jandy’s second visit to Corregidor and the first for the rest. It being a long weekend, the 150-pax, airconditioned MV Sun Cruiser II was fully booked, with chance passengers waiting on the sidelines. We left the Sun Cruises Terminal a little past 8 AM and, after a 26-km. journey, arrived on the island in a little over an hour.

Author at ruins of Middleside Barracks

Author at ruins of Middleside Barracks

Our tranvia (pre-war-styled street cars) tour bus No. 5 awaited us upon our arrival at North Dock. Our guided tour again consisted of short stopovers at Battery Way (four 12” mortars capable of firing in any direction), Battery Hearns (a 12” seacoast gun), ruins of Middleside and “Mile Long” Barracks, the Spanish Lighthouse (where Grace, Marve, Cheska and Jandy climbed to the top), the famous flagpole and the Pacific War Memorial (with its museum and steel wing-shaped “Eternal Flame” sculpture).

Check out “Pacific War Memorial Museum“

Cheska and Marve at Malinta Tunnel

Cheska and Marve at Malinta Tunnel

Kyle and Grace at South Beach

Kyle and Grace at South Beach

Marve, Cheska and Jandy availed of the optional, 30-min., vividly-staged  light and sound show called the “Malinta Experience” (PhP200/pax), a re-enactment of dramatic World War II events.  As they started the show from the east entrance, while Grace, Kyle and I were driven to South Beach where Kyle frolicked on the gray sand.  Back in our bus, we met up with the others at the tunnel’s west entrance.  This culminated our island tour.

Author at the Pacific War Memorial

Author at the Pacific War Memorial

Jandy at the Memorial altar

Jandy at the Memorial altar

Cheska, Kyle, Marve and Jandy at the Eternal Flame

Cheska, Kyle, Marve and Jandy at the Eternal Flame

Finally, we were driven to the 31-room Corregidor Inn where a filling buffet lunch awaited us at La Playa Restaurant.  We were allowed to check into our suite by 2 PM and, as I climbed the stairs, I noticed framed copied of 2 of my Business Mirror articles (“Adventure Island” and “Adventour Challenge: Corregidor’s Amazing Race”) hung by the stair landing.  Quite flattering to say the least.  I hope to add a third with this visit.

Check out “Hotel and Inn Review: Corregidor Inn“

Adventure Island

Adventure Island

Adventour Challenge: Corregidor's Amazing Grace

Adventour Challenge: Corregidor’s Amazing Grace

The first time I stayed overnight at the inn, I checked in at an airconditioned standard twin room with bath (one of 30) but, this time around, we all stayed at the inn’s lone but more opulent and roomy airconditioned  suite located at the end of the hall, equally furnished with exquisite rattan furniture.  It too didn’t have cable TV but we didn’t mind as it allowed for more family bonding time.

The 31-room Corregidor Inn - the best in the island

The 31-room Corregidor Inn – the best in the island

The opulent suite

The opulent suite

Family bonding time at La Playa Restaurant

Family bonding time at La Playa Restaurant

Corregidor Inn: Signal Hill, Brgy. San Jose, Corregidor Island, Cavite.  Mobile number: (0917) 527-6350. E-mail: corregidor_inn@suncruises.com.ph.  Website: www.corregidorphilippines.com/corr_inn.html.

Sun Cruises, Inc. (SCI) – Reservation Office: CCP Terminal A, CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Manila.  Tel: (632) 831-8140 and (632) 834-6857 to 58.  Fax: (632) 834-1523.  E-mail: suncruises@magsaysay.com.ph.

Sun Cruises, Inc. (SCI) – Sales Office: 21/F,  Times Plaza Bldg., Ermita, Manila.  Tel: (632) 527-5555 local 4511 and 4512.  Fax: (632) 527-5555 local 4513.  E-mail: sales@suncruises.com.ph.

Save the Manila Metropolitan Theater!!!

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Just a day after my birthday, I joined my media friend Mr. Fernando “Rannie” Bernardo and Ms. Melissa Grace Dizon (La Consolacion College School of International Hospitality Management professor) in a group being assembled  by Mr. Lawrence “Rence” Chan (who hosts the Royal Postal Heritage Tour), of the Filipinas Stamp Collectors’ Club, that was to be part of a special documentary tour with the GMA 7 I-Witness team.  The documentary was to feature the sorry plight of the now-abandoned and unused Metropolitan Theater (fondly called “The Met”), for me a precious and stunning icon of the Filipinized Art Deco genre that needs to be preserved for other generations to see and appreciate.

The Manila Metropolitan Theater

Aside from Rence, Ronnie, Melissa  and I, our group also consisted of Ms. Ma. Fatima T. Flores (a B.S. Architecture student from FEU), Mr. Efren C. Taburnal, Jr.; Ms. Gemma Suguitan-San Jose (of the Southern Luzon Association of Museums); Ms. Maria Ronna Beltran (a blogger); Mr. Dong Despojo (Prima Camera Club); Mr. Noel Aguilera Acedillo (Prima Camera Club); Ms. Bettina Arriola (an art teacher) and Ms. Marian L. Barro (a U.P. Manila student).

Our documentary group

However, due to some miscommunication between GMA 7 and Rence, the scheduled tour did not push through.  Even worst, we were not allowed entry by the security guards.  Just the same, so as not to make this an exercise in futility, Rence proceeded to give us a moving documentary on the history of the Met. The theater, along the Pasig River and in front of the equally classic Manila Post Office, was designed, in  the Art Deco style (then a rage in the U.S.A.), by National Artist (for Architecture) Arch. Juan M. Arellano.

Inaugurated on December 10, 1931, it seats 1,670 (846 in the orchestra section, 116 in loge and 708 in balcony) and was the biggest in the Far East at that time. During its heyday as the “Grande Dame” of theaters, the Met played host to vaudeville acts, zarzuelas, operas, pageants, Filipino and Spanish plays, and performances by well-known artists such as violinist Maestro Jascha Hefertz and composer/conductor Dr. Herbert Zipper (who conducted the Manila Symphony Orchestra).

Severely damaged (losing some of its roofing and some walls destroyed) during the liberation of Manila in 1945, the theater was rebuilt, fell into decay in the 1960s (where it became an ice cream parlor, boxing arena, garage, motel and gay club) and was meticulously restored to its former glory by Arch. Otillo Arellano (Juan Arellano’s nephew) and former First Lady Imelda R. Marcos and rededicated on December 17, 1978.

However, it again fell into decay. Worst, a nondescript, 24-hour Park n’ Ride bus terminal and parking structure, with its accompanying itinerant vendors and equally unsightly food stalls, was built behind the theater by then Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, compromising the theater’s once-privileged landscape.

Stained glass panels above main entrance
Detail of bas-relief curlicues

In 1996, it was closed due to a long-running financial dispute between the city government and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) over its ownership and management. On June 3, 2010, after extensive renovations (the main roof and 2 minor ones were repaired), it was again reopened by Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Manila Mayor Alfredo S. Lim but again slowly deteriorated due to disuse, typhoons (Angela) and water infiltration.  Water and electricity has been cut off.  The main entrance is now home to the homeless vagabonds and its arcades are filled with garbage and stinks to the high heavens with urine.

Tiara-like pediment with minarets
The theater’s still exuberant and symmetrical exterior, with its tiara-like pediment with stylized minarets, has rectangular stained glass panels (by Kraut Art Glass of Germany), bas-reliefs with curlicues or mask-like chimeras; whimsical rope designs; friezes; colorful ceramic tiles; capiz shell main entrance lamps; intricate grille work at the doors and windows; and is also enhanced by sensuous, exotically-draped female statues, said to be Siamese dancers, done by Italian sculptor Francesco Riccardo Monti (who lived in Manila from 1930 until his death in 1958). It used to house the Museum of Philippine Costumes and Dolls, a GSIS district office, an LBC branch and a travel agency.
 
Female statues done by Monti
Detail of column with capiz lamps
Theater arcade
Another statue by Monti
NHI plaque

Such a beautiful Art-Deco masterpiece deserves a much better fate and should not follow the demise of other gems such as the Manila Jai Alai Building and Meralco Building.

Manila Metropolitan Theater: Padre Burgos Ave., Liwasang Bonifacio (near LRT Central Terminal), Manila

The Andres Bonifacio Monument (Caloocan City)

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A few days ago, I again got an invitation from Valenzuela City historian and museum curator Mr. Jonathan C. Balsamo, this time to attend the opening of the Valenzuela City Museum, the city’s second (after Museo Valenzuela). To get there, I took the LRT (Light Rail Transit) from the Gil Puyat Station (near which I parked my car), along Taft Ave., all the way to its terminus at at the Andres Bonifacio Monument.  At its end is the beginning of the MacArthur Highway (or Manila North Rd.), where I was to take a Malanday or Malinta-bound jeepney to Valenzuela City Hall.  West of the monument is Samson Rd..  As I still had time on my hands, I decided to view the monument up close.
 
The Andres Bonifacio Monument
Popularly called Monumento, the monument, dedicated to the lifework of Katipunan founder (July 7, 1892) Andres Bonifacio (the “Great Plebeian”), is also the terminal point of bus and jeepney routes.  The move to build it came from former Katipuneros, particularly Bonifacio friend Guillermo Masangkay.  On February 23, 1918, the Philippine Legislature passed Act No. 2760, approving the erection of a national monument in memory of Bonifacio. Eight years later, on August 29, 1930, a jury, headed by Arch. Andres Luna de San Pedro (the son of Spoliarium painter Juan Luna) and composed of sculptor Vicente Francisco and Arch. Tomas B. Mapua, was created and convened to select the best design for the monument.
 
Andres Bonifacio
The design chosen was from sculptor (and later National Artist for the Visual Arts in 1973) Guillermo E. Tolentino. On November 30, 1929,  its cornerstone was laid by First Lady Doña Aurora A. Quezon and was started in 1931 with the help of sculptor Anastacio T. Caedo.  It was inaugurated on November 30, 1933.  On August 17, 2002, it was declared as a National Monument, by the National Historical Institute, and a National Cultural Treasure, by the National Museum, on November 30, 2009. 
The ravages of Spanish colonial rule
The execution of Frs. Gomez, Burgos and Zamora
The monument, Caloocan City’s most famous landmark, is said to face Tondo (Manila), Bonfacio’s birthplace.  This sculptural masterpiece has 23 bronze figures surrounding a four-sided, 40-ft. high marble pylon that rises from a 4-sided marble base and is topped by the winged figure of victory.   At its base is a platform-like structure with figures symbolizing the causes of the Philippine Revolution.
 
NHI plaque
The pylon has 5 parts, each representing the 5 aspects of the Katipunan. The monument stands on a base in the shape of an octagon whose 8 sides symbolize the first 8 key provinces (Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Manila, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac) placed under martial law for revolting against Spain and the 8 rays in the Philippine flag. The 3 steps leading up to the monument represent the 3 centuries (333 years to be exact) of Spanish rule.
 
Winged Victory
Bonifacio Monument: intersection of EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Ave.), MacArthur Highway, Samson Rd. and Rizal Ave. Ext. (Avenida), Caloocan City, Metro Manila

A Walking Tour of Escolta (Manila)

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I have been dying to do a walking tour of Escolta , Manila’s historic version of High Street. During the Spanish era, this short (less than a kilometer long) stretch was linedwith rows of camarines (1-storey Chinese shops). On his way to his office in Intramuros from Malacanang, the Spanish governor-general would usually pass here with his escolta (official escorts), hence the derivation of its name (from the Spanish word escortar meaning “to escort”).  Later, these camarines along Calle Escolta were replaced by bahay-na-bato  (stone houses) adorned with Neo-Classical elements such as Greek columns and caryatids and, towards the end of the Spanish regime, by European establishments, the only ones permitted to do business along the cobblestones (imported from Hong Kong) of this narrow, historic thoroughfare.

Escolta – A shadow of its former self

From the early 1900’s to the 1960s, Escolta was the country’s premier shopping mecca, with high-end stores such as La Estrella del Norte and Puerta del Sol, which marked the east and west entrances of Escolta.  It is also home to H.E. Heacocks and Oceanic (for fine household items);  Berg’s (for fashionable clothes);  Hamilton Brown and Walk-Over Shoe Store (for quality leather shoes); 2 high-class cinema theaters (Capitol and Lyric) which brought the glitz and glamour of Hollywood to Manila; restaurants (Henry’s Donuts, Max’s Fried Chicken, Dencia’s Pansit Malabon, Savory Restaurant, etc.); and Botica Boie (for mixed potent medicines).  Founded in 1830, the latter also served the best ice cream sodas, brewed coffee and clubhouse sandwiches in its glass-in mezzanine overlooking the street.  With the emergence of commercial and business districts of Makati City and Quezon City, the prestige of Escolta gradually faded.

The First United and Regina Buildings

Needing to buy some lighting fixtures along nearby Soler St., I decided to include a visit to Escolta  in my itinerary.  From Gil Puyat Ave., I took the LRT and dropped off at Carriedo Station.  The first notable piece of architecture I encountered was the Neo-Classical-style Don Roman R. Santos Building, fronting Plaza Lacson (formerly Plaza Goiti).  When the Japanese bombed the city during World War II, only 3 of its 5 floors were finished.  Luckily, it survived and the building was finished in 1957.  The building once housed the headquarters of Monte de Piedad and Prudential Bank and, later, a shopping mall (South Super Mart).  When the mall closed, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) took over the building. Its entrance has Ionic columns with a triangular pediment, within which is a big clock flanked by bas-relief sculptures.

Don Roman R. Santos Building

Both ends of Escolta open into impressive open spaces  (Plaza Sta. Cruz and Plaza Moraga).  Though no longer the premier shopping district it used to be, strolling along Escolta is still a rewarding experience as one could still find traces of its glorious past.  Upon crossing the little Visita Bridge spanning Estero de la Reina, at the Sta. Cruz entrance of Escolta, I was attracted by 2 impressive, eye-catching (though marred by entangled electrical cables) buildings facing each other – the fancy, Art Deco-style First United Building and the elegant Beaux Arts-style Regina Building.

First United Building

The pink and white First United Building, formerly the Perez-Samanillo Building, is one of the few surviving examples of the Art Deco architectural style in Manila. Built in 1928 by Andres Luna de San Pedro (Juan Luna’s son), it’s awesome façade has a large amount of architectural and decorative elements.  Its central bay rises towards a crowning block rendered with a bas-relief of the Creation. Once described as Manila’s foremost business address, it prides itself with providing maximized space, abundant lighting and ventilation to its tenants.

Check out “First United Building“

Regina Building

The graceful, white Neo-Classical-style Regina Building, built in 1934, its design (with traces of Renaissance Revival) also attributed to Andres Luna de San Pedro, was originally designed as a 3-storey commercial building. A fourth floor was added by Arch. Fernando H. Ocampo (founder of the UST College of Architecture and designer of the UST Central Seminary and the 8th Manila Cathedral) when the de Leon family bought the building from the Roxases. The staff of the late Sen. Vicente Madrigal (grandfather of Sen. Jamby Madrigal) rented a suite in this building.  Also on the same floor, across the hall, was the office of Madrigal Shipping, then the world’s largest tramp steamship company.

Burke Building

Further out was the Burke Building, with its simple balance lines.  Built in 1919, it was named after the cardiologist William J. Burke who introduced and installed the first electrocardiograph in the country.  Also a philanthropist, he donated the land for the street (Calle David, renamed W. Burke St. in 1990).  The first Otis elevator in the Philippines was installed in this building.

Natividad Building

The charming, Beaux Arts-style Natividad Building, one of the most beautiful landmarks in the area, is one of the oldest buildings along Escolta.  It was burned during the 1945 Battle of Manila (leaving only its exterior shell) and was later restored.  In the 1950s, this building housed the office of the Insurance Commission.  Its alluring, ivory and white-colored facade, evocative of a French café in a Parisian neighborhood, has four levels alternately decorated with arched and square windows with cornices with tooth-like dentils underneath it.

Calvo Building

The stunning, Beaux Arts-style Calvo Building, built in 1938, was also designed by Arch. Fernando Ocampo.   This 4-storey building, with its  richly-decorated facade, once housed the Philippine Bank of Commerce, the popular MV Villar Records Store and the original radio station of Robert “Uncle Bob” Stewart’s Channel 7. On its roof deck was Luisa, a popular soda fountain. Today, Mercury Drug and Tropical Hut flank the entrance to the building, with Wah Yuen Hot Pot and Seafood Restaurant in its Calle Soda side. Its mezzanine  is home to the little-known Escolta Museum.

Check out “Escolta Museum” and “Calvo Building“

Across the street from the Calvo Building is the decaying and dilapidated shell of the majestic, Mesopotanian-inspired Art Deco-style Capitol Theater. Built in the 1935, this theater, designed by National Artist Arch. Juan Nakpil, had a seating capacity of 800 and an unusual double balcony.  Its lobby once mounted a beautiful wall mural by the late Filipino modernist and National Artist Victorio C. Edades. Now abandoned, it ceased operations in the late 1980s.

Capitol Theater

On the face of its western tower were bas-reliefs, evocative of Art Deco lines and curves, showing Filipinas (one holding a mask and another holding a lyre) in traje de mestiza frame and set in a tropical landscape, attributed to the Italian atelier of Francesco Ricardo Monti. The bigger, 1600-pax Lyric Theater, another Art Deco masterpiece designed by Modernist Arch. Pablo S. Antonio, was demolished in the early 1980s.

Burke Building: 321 W. Burke St., cor, Escolta St., Binondo, Manila

Calvo Building: 266 Escolta St. cor. Calle Soda, Binondo, Manila.  Tel: (632) 241-4762.

First United Building: 413 Escolta cor. David St., Binondo, Manila.

Natividad Building: Escolta cor. Tomas Pinpin St., Binondo Manila

Regina Building: W. Burke St., cor, Escolta St., Binondo, Manila

Roman S. Santos Building: Escolta cor. Yuchengco St., Binondo, Manila

Calvo Building (Escolta, Manila)

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Calvo Building

The historic Calvo Building, an outstanding example of Beaux Arts architecture, is one of the remaining buildings from the earlier part of the 20th century along Escolta Street. It was designed by architect and civil engineer Fernando H. Ocampo, Sr. (of Arguille & Ocampo Architects) and inaugurated on August 14, 1938 on the land owned by the couple Angel Calvo and real estate businesswoman Emiliana Mortera Calvo.

Plaque installed by National Historical Commission of the Philippines in 2018

On November 1944, during World War II, it was temporarily used by Japanese Imperial Forces and was destroyed during the 1945 Battle of Manila and restored in 1946. On August 14, 2018, a historical marker (entitled Gusaling Calvo) was installed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

Cartouche above the arched window

This 4-storey building was one of the most prestigious business addresses of its time.  Its tenants were:

  • Philippine Bank of Commerce (ground floor)
  • Lissar Commercial (ground floor)
  • Aquino-Lichauco Law Offices (second floor)
  • Offices of Araneta & Co. (third floor)
  • MV Villar Records Store – then Manila’s biggest vinyl record bar
  • Sabater Optical
  • Mareco Broadcasting – owner of 105 Crossover FM
  • Mabuhay Records – a recording company that produced albums for kundiman legends Ruben Tagalog, Sylvia dela Torre and Pilita Corrales
  • Sorriente-Santos Department Store – the first store that introduced the “buy-one-take-one” selling strategy.
  • Luisa & Son (roof deck) – a pre-war soda fountain popular with Manila’s high society.

The truncated corner

On March 1, 1950, the GMA Kapuso Network was also born at a makeshift studio at the fourth floor of the building (before moving to its present location in Diliman, Quezon City) when former American war correspondent for United Press Robert “Uncle Bob” Stewart (who eventually fell in love with a Filipina and the country as a whole) transmitted the first signal of  Republic Broadcasting System, now radio station DZBB-AM. Stewart would later expand his media enterprise into television, and Radio Broadcasting System would later be renamed GMA.

Today, Uno Seafood Wharf Palace, Mercury Drug and Tropical Hut flank the entrance to the building, with Wah Yuen Hot Pot and Seafood Restaurant in its Calle Soda side.

Old pre-World War II photo of Calvo Building without its fourth floor

Its mezzanine is home to the little-known Escolta Museum which contains memorabilia from the past.  During the post-war years, a fourth floor was added to the three-storey edifice.

Check out “Escolta Museum”

The ground floor lobby

Its front being a flagstop for the tranvia (electric tram line), it is the only building along Escolta that is pushed back. It house one of the few classic-style and rare, manually operated Otis elevators.

The richly-decorated and stunning facade at the second level has arched windows (except at the truncated corner) flanked by Ionic pilasters, above which is a cornice embellished by garlands and gracefully broken, in alternating sections, by cartouches supported by corbels above the window’s arch.

Photo of Don Angel Calvo

Calvo Building: 266 Escolta cor. Soda Sts., Binondo, Manila. Coordinates: 14.597141°N 120.978221°E.

How to Get There: The building is accessible from the LRT1-Carriedo station. The Pasig Ferry also has an Escolta stop.

A Tour of Valenzuela City

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After the video documentary presentation on the life of Dr. Pio Valenzuela, I requested museum curator Mr. Jonathan C. Balsamo for a tour of the city’s historical sites using their open pickup.  Sandy, Mark, Ronnie and Violeta  joined us.  Jandy and Violeta stayed inside the pickup’s airconditioned cabin while Mark, Sandy, Jonathan, Ronnie and I rode on the open cargo area as we traversed the city’s very narrow streets exposed to the hot, late morning sun.

Arkong Bato

Our first stopover was at Arkong Bato (Spanish for “stone arch”), along the only road that links MacArthur Highway with the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).  This arch was built in 1910 along the old national road passing through the old town of Polo before the construction of MacArthur Highway.  It formerly marked the boundary of Rizal (where Malabon formerly belonged) and Bulacan (where Polo formerly belonged).  Today, it marks the boundary between Brgy. Santulan (Malabon City) and Brgy. Arkong Bato (Valenzuela City).

San Gabriel House
The former Valenzuela City Emergency Hospital

We next proceeded to the old town proper and made a stopover at Liwasang Rizal, the old town plaza with its own simplified replica of the Rizal Monument (its base somewhat shorter because the plaza’s grounds were elevated through the years).  Surrounding it are the old town hall (now home to the former Valenzuela City Emergency Hospital), the San Diego De Alcala Church and the old but still wonderfully preserved, 2-storey San Gabriel house (now home to Aida Carinderia).  The latter has capiz sliding windows, intricate woodwork and double roofs typical of houses built during the Spanish and American eras.  This house should be added to the list of the city’s tourist attractions.

Church of San Diego Alcala Ruins

Beside the church are the ruins of the oldest church in Valenzuela, built by Fr. Juan Taranco and Don Juan Monsod and later expanded and completed by Fr. Jose Valencia, aided by Capt. Juan Tibay, in 1632.  In 1852, the church was fully repaired and remodelled by Fr. Vicente but was razed to the ground during World War II.  Only the octagonal bell tower and the arched main entrance have been preserved.

Gabaldon-style building of Pio Valenzuela Elementary School

From the church, we also walked to the nearby American-era, Gabaldon (named after Assemblyman Isauro Gabaldon of Nueva Ecija, author of Act No. 1801, better known as the Gabaldon Act)-style schoolhouse of Pio Valenzuela Elementary School, one of a number of heritage schoolhouses, built in the Philippines between 1907 and 1946, that follow standard plans designed by American Arch. William Parsons.

Church of San Roque

Back to our pickup, we next proceeded to the San Roque Church which dates to 1763.  The church facade has a semicircular arched main entrance flanked by statue niches and twin bell towers with pyramidal roofs.  The wall above the triangular pediment as well as the wings on the sides of the church are probably modern additions.  Our last destination in our city tour was the 2-storey Pio Valenzuela House.  The original house was, together with its antique furniture, razed during World War II.

Dr. Pio Valezuela House

The marker in front of the house erroneously identifies it as the birthplace of Dr. Pio.  He was actually born in Brgy. Tagalag, its actual location already unknown even to his relatives.  This house was where Dr. Pio lived and died.  Only a caretaker lives here.  The grounds of the house were partly flooded, a result of it being situated on one of the lowest parts of the city.  Valenzuela City is located on swampy land crisscrossed by rivers.

Historical Marker

Arkong Bato: Brgy. Arkong Bato
San Roque Church: Brgy. Mabolo
Pio Valenzuela House: Velilla St., Brgy. Pariancillo Villa

The "Real" Bagbag Bridge? (Calumpit, Bulacan)

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On our way to Pulilan, I was on the lookout for the Bagbag Bridge, site of, according to Wikipinino.org:

“the first battle between Filipino and American soldiers during the retreat of Aguinaldo to the Ilocos Region and of the longest battle during the Filipino-American Wars (sic) led by Gen. Gregorio del Pilar on April 25, 1899.  The bridge commemorates the bravery displayed by the Filipinos as they victor (sic) in the battle against the American forces.”

Bagbag Bridge

Upon crossing a concrete bridge, I espied the much lower, similarly concreted bridge on the right.  This old, now disused bridge was impassable as one span has fallen into the river.  I guess I got the right bridge as pictures at the the Bulacan provincial government website depicts it as such.  However, looking at it, it begs the question “Was it the actual bridge that was the site of that battle?”  “We’re Filipino forces really victorious in that battle?”  First, let me state the facts, on the Battle of Calumpit, as I researched it at “Philippine-American War, 1899-1902” (written by Arnaldo Dumindin).

After taking Quingua (now Plaridel), Calumpit, only 8 kms. (5 miles) north of Malolos, became the next American objective. Gen. Antonio Luna, however, was nowhere near the town as he left for Guagua to punish Gen.  Tomas Mascardo, the military commander of Pampanga, for leaving his post to inspect troops (others say to attend a fiesta or visit a girlfriend) at Arayat (Pampanga). 

Gen. Mascardo, with around 21,000 men under his command at the time, had been supposed to strengthen the defense of the Calumpit–Apalit Line by providing reinforcements in the area when needed.  Luna took most of the defending cavalry and the artillery with him, leaving Gen.  Gregorio Del Pilar to counter the advancing American troops. Aguinaldo had ordered Luna to retreat and burn the railway bridge spanning the Bagbag River, but Luna ignored the order.

However, on April 23, 1899, Gen. Del Pilar did cut the iron girders of the railway bridge, with the intention of making the bridge collapse once the enemy’s armored artillery transport train, with 6 pounders and rapid fire guns, passed over it. However, the section of the bridge prematurely collapsed, under its own weight, before the train had reached it. Chinese porters pushed the train to the mouth of the river.  

Col. Frederick Funston, with 6 men, crawled, under heavy fire, across the ironwork of the bridge and, upon reaching the broken span, dropped into the water and swam to the opposite shore, where Filipino trenches were located. Upon reaching the opposite bank, they charged the trenches and killed 25 Filipinos.  Other troops promptly repaired the bridge to let their supply wagons cross over the river.

By nightfall of April 25, Luna had returned from Guagua with only Filipinos in the barrio of Sta. Lucia holding out against the Americans in the Bagbag sector. Gen. Luna tried to fight and repulse the Americans, but he was eventually forced to retreat, destroying bridges as his troops fell back to slow the American advance.

Based on this research, the bridge in question was actually a railway bridge made of iron, not concrete.  The bridge in the recent photo I took was probably a more recent replacement but the location may be the same.  Here’s an actual photo taken of the damaged railway bridge, then being repaired by American troops, taken after the battle.  Aside from the difference in the materials used, I also noticed that the bridge supports are also different in size and shape.

Second, there was no Filipino victory in this battle.  Probably, the victory being referred to was the April 23, 1899 (not April 25) Battle of Quingua (now Plaridel) where the same Gen. Gregorio del Pilar, with 700 to 1,000 men, halted the advance of 62 Scouts plus a troop of the 4th Cavalry, all led by Maj. James Franklin Bell; or of their subsequent halting of the cavalry charge of Col. John M. Stotsenberg (who was killed together with 6 of his men).  This all happened in Quingua, not Calumpit.  In spite of these small victories, the Americans still triumphed in the end and took the town. 

This moment in history deserves a second look ……..

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.

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.