ESCOLTA, MANILA 1920s

One of the oldest streets in Manila, Escolta was created in 1594. Its name was derived from the Spanish word escoltar, meaning " to escort ". It certainly has a rich history dating back to the early Spanish colonial days. Escolta used to be a sleepy town during the early part of the Spanish colonial regime. Later on, it became known for its concentration of immigrant merchants, mainly from Fujian, China, who came to make their fortune during the Manila-Acapulco Galleon trade. The street was lined with shops and boutiques selling imported goods from China, Europe and elsewhere in Latin America that arrived in the nearby port of San Nicolas.

The coming of the American troops after the Spanish-American War ended transformed Escolta almost overnight into a wild and noisy row of bars and saloon. But Governor-General William Howard Taft soon changed all this when one of his earliest official acts was to bar all saloons from the Escolta in 1902. It became a respectable shopping thoroughfare once again with the influx of a large number of American investors, most of them established their headquarters and offices in and around Escolta.

ACME SUPERMARKET

Found on Padre Faura between Mabini and M.H. del Pilar, this grocery store was the first choice of families who wanted to buy imported chocolates, potato chips, and other food items from America, Europe, and Australia.

The ACME on Padre Faura was one of the first modern grocery stores specializing in imported foodstuffs. If you’re born in the 1950′s, you probably remember Acme Super Market as the store where kids would sneak in to buy their favorite Sen-Sen candies, Double Bubble Gum, or comics.

After World War II, there was a great construction and restoration of facilities in the Philippines undertaken by the U.S. Government. There were a lot of Americans involved in the major constructions that temporarily becomes residents of the Philippines and that includes their families.

American style supermarkets such as ACME provides for the daily grocery needs of American professionals and servicemen during that time. It also caters to Filipinos who wants to purchase imported goods.

TRANVIA TERMINAL AT PLAZA DE GOITI 1930s

Plaza de Goiti is a public square in Santa Cruz, Manila. Although the plaza is not considered the center of Santa Cruz, as it is located behind the Santa Cruz Church rather than in front of it, the plaza is considered to be one of the most important squares in Manila.

Prior to World War II, Plaza de Goiti was considered the heart of Manila and constituted part of the city's downtown area, which also included Plaza Santa Cruz, Rizal Avenue and Escolta Street. Commercial activity shifted to here from Binondo in large part due to infrastructure improvements made during the American colonial period to improve access to the northern half of the city, which were centered on the plaza. These included the completion of the Santa Cruz Bridge in 1902 and the opening of the Manila tram system a few years later, which had its central terminal at the plaza.

Originally named after Martin de Goiti, who founded the City of Manila in 1571, it was renamed by former Mayor Lito Atienza in 2003 after Arsenio Lacson, who previously served as mayor of Manila from 1952 to 1962. The public square was renamed Plaza Lacson.

OLD ATENEO DE MANILA CAMPUS

The Ateneo de Manila University began in 1859 when Spanish Jesuits established the Escuela Municipal de Manila, a public primary school established in Intramuros for the city of Manila.

Before they set foot in Loyola Heights in Quezon City, the Ateneo Campus is situated in the the corner of Arzobispo St. and Anda St. in Intramuros.

The Escuela eventually changed its name to Ateneo Municipal de Manila in 1865, when it became accredited as an institution of secondary education.

After Americans occupied the Philippines in the early 1900s, the Ateneo de Manila lost its government subsidy from the city and became a private institution. The Jesuits removed the word Municipal from the school’s official name soon after, and it has since been known as the Ateneo de Manila.

When the original campus was destroyed by fire in 1932. The campus transferred in the Manila Observatory in Padre Faura after the fire, with only the Grade School to remain in Intramuros when the site is rebuilt.

Devastation hit the Ateneo campus once again during World War II. But even if the Ateneo campus had been destroyed, the university survived. Following the American liberation, the Ateneo de Manila reopened temporarily in Plaza Guipit in Sampaloc. The Padre Faura campus reopened in 1946 with Quonset huts serving as buildings among the campus ruins.

In 1952, Jesuit Rector William F. Masterson S.J., moved most of the Ateneo units to its present Loyola Heights campus which was donated by the Tuason family patriarch Jose Ramon Tuason for educational purposes.

The lot and ruins of the grade school in Intramuros, the original campus, were made into a warehouse after it was sold to a private firm. The Intramuros Administration bought the lot in 1992.

BUREAU OF SCIENCE MANILA

Designed in 1901 by American architect Edgar Bourne, this Mission-style Neoclassic building was touted as one of the best equipped laboratory buildings in the world.

During the American Occupation, the building served as a laboratory where minerals, agricultural products, and fauna of the Philippines would be stored and studied.

Like other unfortunate Manila landmarks, the Bureau of Science Building was also destroyed during WWII. The building laid in ruins along with several irreplaceable specimens that were valuable to the scientific community.

The location of the building is now occupied by the U.P. Manila National Institutes of Health.

BONIFACIO DRIVE

It is named for national hero Andrés Bonifacio, the Supremo of the Katipunan and thus the father of the 1896 Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire.

The road was previously called Malecon Drive during the American period. During Spanish rule, it was known simply as Malecón (Spanish for waterfront esplanade) which the road was prior to the reclamation of South Harbor (Port Area) during the late 19th century. It was also known alternatively as Paseo de María Cristina, after the then Queen of Spain Maria Cristina.

TEMPLE EMIL 1940

Temple Emil, a Jewish Temple in Manila, April 1940. This temple was badly damaged and was eventually torn down after the Battle of Manila.

The synagogue was rebuilt by 1948, but was relocated in the 70's to the Makati business district. The old property is still owned by the synagogue but houses commercial buildings now.

RIZAL MONUMENT, MALABON 1963

This monument has been in its present location for decades. Its base used to be around seven feet tall. But due to the continued rising of the sea level that resulted in constant flooding, the ground had to be constantly raised. That explains the current short base of this monument.

PUENTE COLGANTE

The Puente Colgante was a suspension bridge that connected the Manila districts of Quiapo and Ermita across the Pasig River in Manila. It was the first suspension bridge in Southeast Asia and the first toll bridge of its kind in the Philippines. The bridge was first named Puente de Claveria, likely in honor of the Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines Narciso Clavería, who served from 1844-1849.

It was built and owned by Ynchausti y Compañia, the business headed by Jose Joaquin de Ynchausti. He commissioned the design from Basque engineer Matias Menchacatorre. The building of the bridge was started in 1849 and completed in 1852.

During the 1930s, the suspension bridge was reconstructed and converted into a steel arch bridge in Art Deco style . It was renamed Quezon Bridge, after Manuel L. Quezon, President of the Philippines at that time.

ROCKWELL POWER PLANT, MAKATI  1960s

The Rockwell Power Plant was a thermal plant named after the first president of Meralco, James Chapman Rockwell. It sits on a 15.5 hectare land owned by the Lopez family, owner of Meralco. The plant is located in Makati. The property used to be in a quiet area behind an exclusive residential village called Bel-air.

The 130-megawatt thermal plant serves as a source of power generation for the most part of Metro Manila since 1955.

The thermal plant closed in 1995 and in its place comes the Rockwell Center, a bustling residential, office, shopping and entertainment hub. The centerpiece is the Rockwell Power Plant Mall which was completed in the year 2000.

U.N. AVENUE, MANILA EARLY 1900s

U.N. Avenue was formerly known as Isaac Peral Street, after the Spanish engineer who designed the world's first fully capable military submarine in the late 19th century. It was later renamed in recognition of the World Health Organization, a United Nations agency, whose building was built in 1959 in the former University of the Philippines property located at its southwest corner with Taft Avenue.

Now, United Nations Avenue is a major thoroughfare in Manila. A commercial, residential and industrial artery, the avenue runs east-west through the near-center of the city linking Ermita and Rizal Park with the eastern districts. It is home to the World Health Organization Western Pacific headquarters. The avenue was also the site of the first Hilton Hotel in the Philippines which opened in 1960. This hotel is now Waterfront Manila Pavilion.

LAWTON 1930s

All Philippine roads and avenues used to be right hand drive lanes since the Spanish period which meant our cars had been right hand driven or simply put the steering wheel is positioned on the right side of the car.

The left hand drive policy was implented after World War II. President Sergio Osmeña signed Executive Order No. 34 on March 10, 1945, which directed Filipino motorists to drive on the right side of the road.

AYALA AVENUE MAKATI 1960s

Ayala Avenue's segment from Paseo de Roxas to Makati Avenue used to be a runway of the Nielson Airport, which was one of the first airports built in Luzon. The airport was destroyed during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines on December 10, 1941 and resumed operations after the end of World War II in 1947. The runways were converted into a road in 1949 when the permanent facilities of the airport was passed on the owner of the land, the Ayala Corporation.

PLAZA MORAGA BINONDO EARLY 1900s

Plaza Moraga is the gateway to Chinatown and the whole Binondo district. During the American occupation, this was the home of different first class restaurants, business establishments and embassies of foreign countries. It was named after a Franciscan friar, Fernando de Moraga and it is by the opinion of many, that were it not for him, the history of the Philippines would turn out differently from what it is now.

Plaza Moraga is a thriving commercial area in Binondo. It was the site of the very first ice cream parlor in the Philippines. Opened in 1899, Clarke’s Cafe created a stir in those times by being able to offer ice cream to their patrons.

PANDACAN 1930

Officially, Pandacan was established as a community in 1574 when Franciscan priests of the Roman Catholic Church established the first mission in the district. Pandacan was originally part of the parish of Sampaloc; it was later established as a separate parish in 1712.

In the 19th century, Pandacan was described as a "Little Venice" or "Little Italy" for its numerous canals or estuaries leading to the Pasig River. Many would leisurely row through the estuaries in the late afternoons as described by Francisco Balagtas in his early writings. Pandacan was home to balladeers and a source of musicians in the early times. Pandacan was also home to prominent Filipino artists and writers of the 19th century, including Francisco Baltazar (also known as Balagtas) who authored Florante at Laura; musician Ladislao Bonus; Tagalog language theorist Lope K. Santos; and playwrights Miguel Masilungan and Pantaleon Lopez.

By the turn of the 19th century, the American colonial government decreed Pandacan as the center for industrial activity and had oil companies build their storage and distribution facilities in the district. With the presence of several manufacturing facilities in the district, a modern housing facility was built to house the workers at the nearby oil depots. The housing project was called "Kapitan Tikong" (Captain Tikong) subdivision, named after a popular local leader. The housing facility was built on the southeastern banks of the Estero de Beata. In honor of Francisco Baltazar, the streets in the subdivision were named after the characters of Florante at Laura.

PLAZA CARLOS III BINONDO, MANILA EARLY 1900s

One great influences of Spain urban planning concepts in the Philippines is the Plaza System. Those residences and establishments near the plaza is said to be for the privileged families and the farther your distance from the plaza, your social status also diminishes. All of these plazas are named after some important people, events or places like the plazas the grace the other Spanish cities.

One such plaza is the Plaza Carlos III, named after King Carlos III of Spain. Hotel de Oriente and La Insular Cigar Factory were the plaza's principal landmarks before World War II. Unfortunately, both Hotel de Oriente and La Insular were burned down during the Japanese occupation. The Metrobank building now occupies the former site of the two buildings.

CALLE ROSARIO, BINONDO EARLY 1900s

Calle Rosario was named after the district’s patron saint Nuestra Señora del Rosario. Binondo church was built in 1614 and was dedicated to Nuestra Señora del Rosario. Most chinese families and merchants moved to Binondo when the old Parian near Intramuros was demolished in 1860 by the Spanish government for fear of chinese uprising and eventual control of the economy. Calle Rosario became the business hub of these displaced chinese businessmen during the late Spanish regime and the early days of the American colonial era.

Just like Escolta and the Puente de España, the street of Calle Rosario was paved with wooden blocks called Australian blue gum which had been imported for paving purposes. It was later replaced by native Philippine wood Molave while MERALCO used Ipil and Yakal to strenghten the foundation of its railways for its tranvia during the American period.

In the prewar years, Calle Rosario housed some wholesale emporia, banks, first-classs eateries and offices of prominent lawyers, doctors and accountants. It also rivalled Escolta as a shopping center being a haven of imported goods and quality textiles. Manila's first class hotel at that time called Hotel de Oriente once stood near Calle Rosario where our national hero Jose Rizal once stayed.

Today it is where the Filipino Chinese Friendship Arch stands and where the oldest Chinatown in the world is known. It is now called Quintin Paredes street after a brilliant lawyer and Philippine senator of the 1950s.

RIZAL THEATER, MAKATI 1960s

The Rizal Theater was one of the most elegant stand alone cinema of the 1960s and the 1970s. The theater was a lovely example of stylish art deco building designed by National Artist for Architecture Juan Nakpil. It was intended to become a part of the Rizal Memorial Cultural Complex originally intended for completion by 19th of June 1961, in time for Jose Rizal’s birth centennial. But due to lack of funds, the memorial complex was not built and the building that was constructed initially was redesigned by Nakpil, which what was to become the Rizal Theater.

During the 1980s, with the advent of the malls and fierce business competition, stand-alone movie theaters weren’t all that commercially viable. So the stylish Rizal Theater met the wrecking ball and was sadly demolished in the late 1980s. The Makati Shangri-la Hotel now stands in its place since 1993.

PIER 7, MANILA 1930s

Pier 7 was constructed in 1918 and was designed by National Artist for Architecture Tomas Bautista Mapua. Located near Manila Hotel, it was known as the Million Dollar Pier because it is reputed to be the longest passenger pier in the world back then. The government spent 12 million pesos for the construction of Pier 7. In World War II, the pier suffered great damage due to the air bombing raids of the Japanese in 1941 and got totally destroyed during the liberation of Manila in 1945. It was rebuilt by the Americans during the restoration period and is now known as Pier 13.

THE ALFONSO ZOBEL MANSION

Alfonso Zóbel de Ayala Roxas is the son of famous pre-war industrialist and philanthropist Don Enrique Zóbel y de Ayala, and father of former Ayala Corporation chairman Jaime Zóbel de Ayala. Together with his wife, Carmen Pfitz Herrero, the couple had built a grand mansion for their family.

The house, located along the scenic Dewey Boulevard ( now Roxas Boulevard ) corner Padre Faura street in residential Ermita, was designed and a masterpiece of the Paris-trained architect Andrés Luna de San Pedro, son of the great painter and national hero Juan Luna. The house had been designed in the French Renaissance style, which was the prevalent design of the houses of Manila's elite at that time.

Unlike the fate of Manila's other precious buildings, the house had survived the devastating Battle of Manila in 1945. After the war, Don Alfonso sold the house to compensate what they had lost during the war years. Their house became the offices of the French Embassy in Manila when the Zóbels moved to their new home in suburban Makati.

The French Embassy soon vacated the house and moved to another location. Then the Bank of Asia occupied the mansion and made it one of their main branch in the 1960’s. The Bank of Asia had vacated the mansion and art galleries from nearby Tesoro's occupied the property due to the renovation of the latter.

The mansion was finally destroyed by the wrecking ball in the 1990’s, giving way to the 1322 Golden Empire Tower which now stands on the property.

THE QUEZON MEMORIAL CIRCLE 1970s

The site was originally intended as the grounds of the National Capitol to be built in Quezon City to house the Congress of the Philippines. Only the foundations were in place when construction was interrupted by the beginning of the Second World War in the Philippines.

After World War II, President Sergio Osmeña issued an executive order stipulating the creation of a Quezon Memorial Committee to raise funds by public subscription to erect a memorial to his predecessor, President Manuel L. Quezon. A national contest for the Quezon Memorial Project was held in 1951. Filipino architect Federico S. Ilustre's design won the contest. Construction of the Quezon Memorial began in 1952 but proceeded slowly, in part due to the cost of importing Carrara marble, brought in blocks and then carved and shaped on-site.

The monument was finally completed in 1978, the centennial of Manuel Quezon's birth. His remains were reinterred in the memorial on August 19, 1979. On April 28, 2005, the remains of Mrs. Aurora Quezon, widow of the president, were solemnly re-interred in the memorial as well.

THE METROPOLITAN THEATER

The Manila Metropolitan Theater is a Philippine Art Deco building found at the Mehan Gardenlocated on Padre Burgos Avenue corner Arroceros Street, near the Manila Central Post Office. It was designed by architect Juan M. Arellano and inaugurated on December 10, 1931.

It was in 1924, during the American Colonial period that an idea of constructing a theater in Manila came about. It was approved by the Philippine Legislature to build Senator Alegre’s theater proposal within the Mehan Garden (now Sining Kayumanggi). The construction began in 1930 in an 8,239.58 square meters of the park and was inaugurated on December 10, 1931. This new theater housed different performances from zarzuelas, dramas to translations of foreign classics.

Juan Arellano, one of the first pensionados in architecture, also known for his other major projects such as the Legislative Building and Manila Central Post Office Building, designed the Manila Metropolitan Theater in January 1930. He was sent to the United States to be guided by one of the experts in designing theaters, Thomas W. Lamb of Shreve and Lamb.

Performances like zarzuelas, bodabil (vaudeville) and operas once called the Metropolitan Theatre their home at the time when going to these shows was second nature to those who can afford it. Philippine National Artists like the Queen of Kundiman, Honorata ‘Atang’ dela Rama used to perform here.

The theater’s roof and walls were partially destroyed during World War II. During the post-war period, it was misused as a boxing arena, low-quality motels, gay bars, basketball court and home of the squatters. Restoration was done by Otilio, the nephew of Juan Arellano in 1978. This plan was initiated by Imelda Marcos in December 17, 1978 during her rule as the governor of Metro Manila. The Metropolitan Theater was revived and eventually became the location for celebrity performances and awarding ceremonies.

But this positive attention seemed short-lived. In 1996, the theatre closed after a dispute took place about the Met’s ownership and maintenance. The dispute was between the local government of Manila and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

It is very disheartening to see the theatre, once Manila’s crown jewel of theatres, in a state of despair and ruins. The building itself is a great reminder of Manila’s prosperous times, days when our country was finding its own identity in the midst of cultural progress and influence from the west.

A non-governmental organization, the Filipinas Stamp Collectors Club (FSCC) used to occasionally hold a free tour about the landmarks of Manila including the Metropolitan Theatre. However, the Met is currently not included in their guided tours (unless you have a permit from the city government). This is because finally, the Metropolitan Theater of Manila is said to undergo its much-needed restoration.

THE MANILA FILM CENTER 1980s

The Manila Film Center is a national building located at the southwest end of the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex in Pasay City. The structure was designed by architect Froilan Hong where its edifice is supported on more than nine hundred piles which reaches to the bed-rock about 120 feet below. The Manila Film Center served as the main theater for the First Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) from January 18 to 29, 1982.

Prior to the Manila Film Center, the Philippines did not have an official national film archive which is why on January 1981, then first lady Imelda Marcos spearheaded the building of the first Manila Film Center. She also wanted to stage an annual film festival that would rival Cannes Film Festival of France and put Manila on the international cultural map.

On November 17, 1981, during the pouring of cement, an upper floor collapsed, sending an untold number of workers hurtling into fresh cement or onto upright steel bars where they hung like barbeque for hours until their bodies were retrieved. It has been speculated that due to the 9 hours that passed before rescuers were allowed in the site, some of the workers were entombed alive and that the bodies were left in the hardened concrete slabs.

The Film Center opened in 1982 costing an estimate of $25 million. Amidst everything, the first Manila International film festival pushed through from the 18th to the 29th of January 1982. A total of 17 movies from different countries competed in the festival. Eventually it was India's entry, 36 Chowringhee Lane which would claim best picture while best actress and best actor were brought home by Lyudmila Gurchenko and Bruno Lawrence respectively. Yugoslav film director Goran Marković won best director.

In a 2005 documentary produced by GMA Network's i-Witness, all 169 workers were traced and the records show that not more than a dozen died. Furthermore all the bodies were retrieved and were given a proper burial.

THE LIZARES MANSION 1939

One of the most elegant reminders of Iloilo's rich and noble past is the imposing Lizares Mansion in Tabuc Suba, Jaro. Built in 1937 by Don Emiliano Lizares for his wife Conchita Gamboa and their two sons and three daughters, the mansion has three floors, a basement and an attic. It has a winding wooden staircase and big bedrooms with floor and doors made of hardwood. It has 59 doors which indicate the intricacy of its layout.

When World War II broke out, the family left for a safe hiding place in Pototan, Iloilo. The mansion was then used as headquarters of the Japanese army. It was believed that the basement became a dumping ground for tortured Filipinos.

After the war, the family went back to live in the mansion, but life was never the same. In 1950, Don Emiliano Lizares died and his widow left for Manila, leasing the mansion to a businessman who turned it into a casino. The city mayor later ordered that the casino be closed, claiming that it corrupted the Ilonggos. After that, the mansion was left to the hands of a caretaker Tio Doroy Finolan who, with his wife, kept it intact.

In 1962 the Lizares Mansion was sold to the Dominicans. In 1963, it was converted into a House of Formation for young Dominicans in the Philippines. In 1978, the Lizares Mansion compound became the home of Angelicum School Iloilo. The mansion now serves as the school’s chapel.

THE LEGISLATIVE BUILDING 1930s

The building was originally designed by Bureau of Public Works (precursor of the Department of Public Works and Highways) Consulting Architect Ralph Harrington Doane and Antonio Toledo in 1918, and was intended to be the future home of the National Library of the Philippines, according to the Plan of Manila of Daniel H. Burnham.

Instead, the Philippine Legislature decided to move into the Library building in 1926, and changes to the building's layout were done accordingly by architect Juan M. Arellano. The building therefore became known as the Legislative Building. The Second Regular Session of the 7th Philippine Legislature was formally opened on the inauguration of the building on July 16, 1926 in the presence of Governor-General Leonard Wood, then Senate President Manuel L. Quezon, House Speaker Manuel Roxas, and Colonel Carmi A. Thompson, envoy of President Calvin Coolidge of the United States.

The Senate would use the Legislative Building until May 1997, when it moved to the Government Service Insurance System Building on reclaimed land on Manila Bay in Pasay. The building was then turned over to the National Museum of the Philippines, and presently houses the National Art Gallery.

PASIG RIVER LIGHTHOUSE 1902

The Pasig River Lighthouse was the first light station in the Philippines when it was established in 1642. It was not until over two centuries later that a lighthouse tower would be built on the location by the ruling Spanish government. The first lighthouse tower was erected and later lit on September 1, 1846.

It was then located on the north jetty at the mouth of Pasig River in San Nicolas, Manila, marking the entrance of the river for vessels cruising Manila Bay, looking to dock on the inland Port of Manila that was then located along the banks of the Pasig River in Binondo and Intramuros. The light was a welcoming beacon for all mariners of inter-island vessels entering Pasig River and bringing their vessels up for berthing along its busy wharves.

The Spanish colonial lighthouse was demolished in 1992 for unknown reasons, without regard for its historical significance. A reinforced concrete tower was built on the foundation of the old tower. The present tower is an unpainted gray concrete conical structure which is slightly shorter than the old tower.

The present station does not serve its original function as a lighthouse because it is now obscured from Manila Bay by the much larger Port of Manila and the shantytown community that developed from the reclaimed lands along Manila Bay which is now known as Parola.

PLAZA MIRANDA 1949

At the heart of Quiapo is a public square known as Plaza Miranda named after Jose Sandino Miranda, who was Secretary of the Treasury between 1833 and 1854 during the Spanish colonial era. Inaugurated in its current form by Mayor Arsenio Lacson in 1961, it is the plaza which fronts the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church), one of the main churches of the City of Manila.

In the era of grand demonstrations and mass mobilizations, Plaza Miranda was described as “the crossroads of the nation, the forum of the land.” President Ramon Magsaysay, arguably the most popular of our postwar chief executives, famously recognized the square as a gauge of public opinion when he asked a proponent of a policy or project: “Can we defend this at Plaza Miranda?” Far removed from the closed, air-conditioned rooms of Congress or cushioned seats in public buildings, bringing an issue to Plaza Miranda was the ultimate act of transparency and accountability, where the people, any Juan or Juana de la Cruz, could question their government.

Regarded as the center of Philippine political discourse prior to the imposition of martial law in 1972, the plaza was the site of the famous 1971 Plaza Miranda bombing, where two grenades were launched at a political rally of the Liberal Party, killing nine people and nearly liquidated the party’s leadership.

The 1971 Plaza Miranda Bombing was, in a way, the square’s last hurrah as the country’s foremost stage for political discourse. The advent of mass media allowed candidates to reach a wide audience through television, radio and the internet. It made political rallies in the plaza reserved for proclamations or the traditional miting de avance. While no longer the grandest nor most prominent political forum, Plaza Miranda continues to remind Filipinos that Philippine democracy is alive and free.

DON MARIANO RAMOS MANSION

The Mariano Ramos Ancestral House is the home of the late Mariano Ramos, first appointed Presidente Municipal of Bacolod City, Philippines during the American occupation. In 1935, he commissioned a certain Architect Mendoza of Manila to design and build a house for him in the Castilian and Tuscan style.

Don Mariano Ramos loved to entertain. Many elegant parties were held here attended by the crème de la crème of Bacolod society and visited by both local and national government officials. One such guest was Mariano's close friend and classmate, Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon. Legendary in those days were his twenty or more cars of different makes chauffeured by Spanish mestizo and Filipino drivers.

During World War II, Bacolod City was occupied by the Japanese forces in May 21, 1942 under the command of Lieutenant General Takeshi Kono, the Japanese commanding officer of the 77th Infantry Brigade 102nd Division. The House of Don Mariano Ramos being the tallest building in the city was seized by the Japanese became the foothold for command and coordination since it had a 3-storey octagonal tower which gave a full view of Bacolod City.. His family was forced to retreat at the Municipal of Murcia, where they spent most of their time during the war era.

The Don Mariano house was saved from destruction when the Filipino and American forces liberated Negros on May 29, 1945. The Japanese army that held camp in the mansion retreated to the mountains of Negros before the liberation forces arrived.

Today on a short stretch of Burgos Street once known as "Millionaires' Row" still stands several grand houses belonging to some of the richest and landed families of Bacolod City. The Ramos house considered one of the most prominent of these houses is cherished by the descendants of his eldest son Romulo V. Ramos.

AYUNTAMIENTO DE MANILA BEFORE WORLD WAR II

The Ayuntamiento de Manila is a building located at the corner of Andrés Soriano Avenue (formerly Calle Aduana) and Cabildo Street in Intramuros, Manila. Construction of the Ayuntamiento began in 1599 and it officially opened in 1607.

The Ayuntamiento was the seat of the Manila City Council during the Spanish period, which consisted of two alcaldes (city leaders), eight oidores (judges), a clerk, and a chief constable.

During the early American period until 1903, the Ayuntamiento was used as the office of the American military governor. Later on, the building was used by the First Philippine Assembly, then by the Philippine Legislature until 1924.

The Ayuntamiento was destroyed in 1945 during the Battle of Manila, with only the outer walls of the first floor remaining and the lot repurposed as a parking lot.

Reconstruction of the Ayuntamiento began in 2009 and was completed in 2013. The building now houses the office of the Bureau of Treasury.

MANILA CITY HALL 1940

Manila City Hall is located in the historic center of Ermita, Manila. It is where the Mayor of Manila holds office and the chambers of the Manila City Council. It was originally intended to be a part of a national government center envisioned by Daniel Burnham in the 1930s.

This was designed by Antonio Toledo, the same architect who built the Finance Building and Old Legislative Building. It was immediately destroyed by the war in February 1945. With the aid of the United States Army and the city government, the new 8,422 square meter-City Hall was built which included around 200 rooms and uniform windows on all of the facade. It added an east wing which accommodated other offices.

The clock tower, also designed by Antonio Toledo which was completed during the 1930s is the largest clock tower in the Philippines. It stands out during nighttime when the whole of the tower lights up. Every hour, they rung the bell three times continued by a melody. It has now become the icon for the city of Manila.

THE OLD PACO STATION  1930s

The Paco Station is one of oldest buildings constructed by the US government during the American colonial period. Resembling the Penn Station in New York, the station was designed by William E. Parsons, the man behind the notable structures of the Philippines under the early years of American rule which include the Manila Hotel, the Customs Office in Cebu City, the Manila Army and Navy Club Building, the Manila Elks Club, Philippine General Hospital, the Philippine Normal School, the Original Provincial Capitol of Laguna Province in Santa Cruz, the University Hall of the University of the Philippines in Manila and The Mansion House in Baguio.

The Paco railroad station came into being on March 25, 1908 when the Manila Belt Line from Tutuban to Paco Station and the railroad line from Paco Station to Binakayan, Cavite was opened. Furthermore, the Paco Railroad Station to Muntinlupa line was inaugurated on June 21, 1908. With the closure of the Manila-Dagupan line in the early 1990s, the Tutuban to Muntinlupa line is now the oldest railroad line still in operation here in the Philippines. It was constructed starting in 1912 and by 1915, the station was already complete.

The Paco Railroad Station was also the scene of a heroic battle during World War II and the recapture of the station led to the crucial defeat of the remaining Japanese forces in Manila. In the bid to reclaim Manila from the Japanese during World War II, Paco became a bloody battleground for hundreds of lives. On Feb. 7, 1945, the US 149th Infantry Regiment crossed Pasig River and landed in the suburbs of Pandacan and Paco, where an epic battle took place around the railway station with some 300 Japanese defending it. The battle cost 335 American lives before the Japanese resistance was finally smashed and the enemies annihilated.

On February 9, 1945 Technical Sergeant Cleto Rodríguez's platoon was ordered to initiate an offensive assault against the Paco Railroad Station that was being held by the Japanese. While crossing an open field in front of the railroad station his platoon was stopped 100 yards from the railroad station by intense Japanese gunfire. Without being ordered to do so Cleto and a fellow soldier, Private First Class John N. Reese, Jr., left the platoon and continued forward under heavy Japanese gunfire until they made it to a house 60 yards from the railroad station. The two soldiers remained in their position for an hour while firing at targets of opportunity, killing 35 Japanese soldiers and wounding many others. After an hour the 2 soldiers moved forward towards the railroad station where they discovered a group of Japanese replacements attempting to reach pillboxes. Cleto and Reese opened heavy fire and killed more than 40 Japanese soldiers and stopped any other attempts to reach the pillboxes. The enemy fire increased as the two soldiers came within 20 yards of the railroad station. Cleto's comrade provided cover fire while he moved up to the railroad station where he threw 5 grenades through a doorway killing 7 Japanese soldiers and destroying a 20-mm gun and wrecking a heavy machine gun. With their ammunition running low the 2 soldiers made their way back to their platoon while each took turns providing cover fire for the other to move. During the return to their platoon Private First Class Reese Jr. was killed. During the 2½ hours of fighting the two soldiers killed more than 82 Japanese soldiers and completely disorganized the defense of the railroad station, which paved the way for U.S. soldiers overwhelming the railroad station in victory. Two days later Cleto again enabled his platoon to advance when he single-handedly killed 6 Japanese soldiers and destroyed a well placed 20-mm gun. As a result of these actions both Rodriguez and Reese were presented with the Medal of Honor for their determination to destroy the enemy, and courage in the face of tremendous odds.

In 1996, a contractor of a 7-storey mall partly demolished the PNR station but due to the lack of funds it stopped, leaving behind a skeleton of the first four floors of the mall and the facade of the station.

Having such colorful history and the beauty of decades-old structures that have braved the storms and wars, the National Historical Commission, the PNR and other governing bodies decided to restore the structure in celebration of the station's centennial, with the addition of a historical marker on the structure in 2009.

But on April 27, 2012, Home Guaranty Corporation (HGC) pursued the air rights sale over the mall despite the ongoing PNR protest, thus stalling the restoration and re-construction work for the station. As of now, there is no visible effort to restore this grand structure to its former glory. Years after its centennial and as the hype over it died down, the ruins remain as ruins.

This is the sad reality of heritage sites in Manila or in any parts of the country, they don't find the importance of these kinds of buildings. Every year, more and more old buildings and homes like this one disappear to give way to tasteless and unimaginative architectural pieces such as mall and condos.

REGINA BUILDING

Regina Building, previously known as Roxas Building, is a historic building located along Escolta Street in Binondo, Manila. It was designed sequentially by Andres Luna de San Pedro and Fernando H. Ocampo. The neoclassical beaux-arts commercial structure was built in 1915.

Before the present Regina Building was built, another building stood on its location. The old Roxas Building was located opposite the Pérez-Samanillo Building, occupying a block from Calle David (now Burke St.) to Calle Banquero. The owners of the old Roxas Building were the de Ayala-Roxas family, specifically Doña Carmen de Ayala Roxas de Roxas, widow of rich man-nationalist Don Pedro Pablo Roxas Castro.

The de Ayala-Roxas matriarch and heiress Doña Carmen de Ayala Roxas de Roxas died in 1930. As a result, the Roxas family sold the property to Don José Leoncio de León, a prominent industrialist from Pampanga. The old structure facing the estero was demolished and was replaced by a concrete building.

The building was designed by two architects, Fernando H. Ocampo, and the great Andrés Luna de San Pedro, the son of Juan Luna. Ocampo was credited in designing and renovating the existing concrete building while Luna was the one who designed the new building facing the estero and Plaza Sta. Cruz.

One of the tenants of the building was Pacific Motors, dealer of General Motors vehicles in Manila. Pacific Motors was responsible for bringing General Motors to the Philippines.

In 1934, the new building was completed. Designed in a mixed neo-classical and beaux-arts styles by Andrés Luna de San Pedro. The building was renamed as Regina, in honor of José Leoncio de León's wife, heiress Regina Joven Gutiérrez Hizon de León. The building became the offices of the de León businesses of Pampanga Sugar Development Co. ( PASUDECO ) and National Life Insurance Co.

World War II brought destruction to the city and the Regina Building was not spared in the battle. However, it only had minor damages and was repaired after the War.

The post-war years saw a new era for the Regina Building. Most of the de León businesses were housed in the Regina and its sister property, the Natividad Building. Today, the building is still owned by the heirs of Don José Leoncio de León of the PASUDECO wealth and now houses several freight forwarding companies.

PUENTE DE CAPRICHO

Puente de Capricho is the oldest bridge in the Philippines. It was a project of Spanish friar Victorino de Moral, a Franciscan priest of Majayjay in the 1850s. It is described as a huge unfinished stone bridge jutting out of Olla River. The bridge was meant to be a short cut to the town of Majayjay, Laguna.

The aborted bridge that Fray De Moral supervised in the ravines of the Olla River acquired descriptive tags, which became famous. To the ancestors and the people of Majayjay, the bridge was called “Tulay ng Pigi” ( Buttocks Bridge), to honor the ancestors who worked on the bridge and got whacked on their buttocks. Late comers for the job were given a dozen whacks with a paddle.

Government representatives sent by Spanish Governor General Urbiztondo filed a report which devastated the pride and honor of Fray De Moral. The report cited ignorance of scientific studies and engineering principles in the construction. The Manila authorities in Intramuros gave the bridge a mocking title Puente de Capricho.

The report strongly recommended the demolition of the bridge and construction of a new one based on proper project studies with engineering and architectural planning.

The bridge that was left unfinished still exists in the jungles of Majayjay, where it will always be called by natives as Tulay ng Pigi.

Puente de Capricho became such a buzzword in the social circles in Manila. In the early chapters of José Rizal’s novel, “El Filibusterismo,” the bridge was derisively mentioned by the Friar named Camorra to journalist Ben Zayb while traveling on a boat on Laguna de Bay.

The bridge and the Olla River have reached a kind of immortality in film. Some scenes of the great classic war movie Apocalypse Now starring Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen were shot here during the 1970s.

Unfortunately, the original wooden sections on each end of the bridge were blown up in the film. At present, both ends of the bridge are made of narrow concrete slabs which explain why it’s not a popular route.

THE STORY OF BAHAY NA PULA

The Don Ramon Ilusorio Mansion, more popularly known as "Bahay na Pula" is an old house in the town of San Ildefonso, Bulacan, which is rife with meanings and regarded as haunted. The “Comfort Women” of Mapaniki,Candaba, Pampanga have their narratives that recount their own harrowing experiences in this mansion during the Second World War.

To punish the village of Mapaniki for supporting guerillas, the invading Japanese soldiers killed its male inhabitants and brought several of its female inhabitants to Bahay na Pula, then a Japanese army garrison. The females served as comfort women for the soldiers in the house.

It is said that many of the women have been abused and killed in the vicinity of this house, mostly Bulakenyas and Nueva Ecijanons. Locals claim that at night they would hear screams of women crying for help. Others would say that they would hear men talking at night in an unknown language (most probably japanese). The house is now considered a heritage site.

Situated in the boarders of San Ildefonso and San Miguel in the northern part of Bulacan province, its grandeur has become a permanent stature in the area beaming with elegance and a stylish ‘espanyol’ look that amazes everybody that pass by this house. Yet with its elegant facade also equals the eerie feeling that haunts those who know its dark history.

The house serves a multiplicity of purposes as heritage. It could either remind of the good old colonial days of the Bulacan elite; of the sufferings of Mapaniki women; of the need for an alternative treatment of women; of the brutality of war; of the helplessness of Filipinos; or of the shame of Imperial Japan. Aside from representing the past, the Bahay na Pula structure is the stage where the past is reenacted and experienced.

There were so much pain that could be felt in the house. The greatest pain was coming from the comfort room upstairs where the compass reading clearly showed that there were manifestations in the area. Some of the members cried after scanning that place for some unexplained reason. One of the the victims, a beautiful girl was drowned in that bathtub before being raped.

The particular girl was a favorite of the Japanese soldiers and sexually abused her for about 20 to 30 times a day, until she could take no more. On the last day of her life, the girl detested of being abused and ran towards the bathroom. She was overpowered and was drowned in the bathtub, before being used again for the last time. Other comfort women could only cry in silence as they're taken one by one to be abused, but the said girl suffered the most.

The creepiest area was upstairs in the terrace where an entity was peeking from outside. We could have buffered the ghosts so that they will no longer manifest but it was never our objective since they don't do harm to any of the people. They are just there watching the house, reliving their life all over again. As if, they are placed in limbo, because of their regrets, because of anger, because of pain, they try to change things but end up repeating them.

The window, bathtub, and terrace of the mansion structure the presentations of vignettes of the past. Not only is the 1940s realized in the visual and auditory spheres, but is also resurrected with strong, permeating emotions. Pain and suffering is communicated through the bathtub, which also generates the feelings of pity, sorrow, and fear, much like the window and terrace.

The house has been recently renovated, in an attempt to stop it from decaying and further damage due to its' age, but the events that transpired in it will always be a haunting reminder of its' dark past, with or without ghostly presence.

EL HOGAR BUILDING

Built in 1914 and located at the corner of Juan Luna Street and Muelle dela Industría in the Binondo district, El Hogar Building was designed by Ramon Irureta-Goyena and Francisco Perez-Muñoz in the Beaux-Arts style. Its architecture reflects elements of Neoclassical and Renaissance styles. The El Hogar was built sometime between 1911 and 1914, which it was said to be a wedding present in celebration of the marriage of Doña Margarita Zóbel y de Ayala, sister of patriarch Don Enrique Zóbel y de Ayala, and Don Antonio Melián Pavía, a Spanish businessman who was titled as the Conde de Peracamps. During its heyday, El Hogar Building housed the Sociedad El Hogar Filipino, a financing cooperative founded by Don Antonio Melian, and the offices of Smith Bell and Co.

It survived World War II and a number of earthquakes and is one of two remaining American-era structures in the area facing the Pasig River. In the post-war years, the lending company El Hogar Filipino had closed down, along with other Melián businesses, leaving only the Filipinas Compañía de Seguros. Because of this, the Meliáns sold the El Hogar to the Fernandez family, and the El Hogar was rented out to other companies. The building was finally abandoned as an office building some decades ago.

The value of the building is its architecture, which is a representation of American period design, materials, and construction method. El Hogar is a representation of the architecture of business establishments of that era. It also has a collective value as one of the significant structures within the historic Binondo district and Escolta Street, along the cultural landscape of the Pasig River.

The El Hogar Filipino Building is one of those structures that tell stories of the past. The building has seen numerous events, from the American insular government to the Philippine Commonwealth, from the Second Philippine Republic to the liberation of the city, and finally the independence of the country in 1946.

News involving the El Hogar sparked when it was reported that it was sold to a Chinese-Filipino real estate developers, which reported that it will demolish the El Hogar because of the building's stability, and be turned into a condominium. The news spread like a wildfire throughout heritage conservationists, cultural advocates, and ordinary citizens alike. Heritage conservationists had written to both the city government of Manila and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, or NHCP, to stop the demolition of the El Hogar. Because of this, a petition to stop the demolition was created. The new owner of the El Hogar however, who was not named, said that they do not have plans of demolishing the El Hogar, but will use it as a warehouse instead.

Recently, early this year of 2015, an online furor became viral when pictures of pending demolition of El Hogar circulated the internet. It prompted the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) to isuue a cease-and-desist order against the demolition being carried out by the New Golden City Builders (NGCB). Manila City Hall, which apparently issued the demolition permit, had not identified the new owner of the 100-year-old building.