The Heritage Conservation Society

HCS News and Updates (30 March 2007)

I. COLUMNS AND ARTICLES

1. New book relives old Quiapo
By Tina Santos
Philippine Daily Inquirer, 03/24/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- If you have ever wondered how Quiapo looked like before sidewalk vendors invaded the area, then reading this book would be like taking a walk back in time.

"Quiapo: Heart of Manila" documents Quiapo's history, its esteros (canals), monuments, houses, paintings, sculptures, shrines, among others, said Fernando Nakpil Zialcita, grandson of Gregoria De Jesus and Julio Nakpil who used to live in the 1914 house now known as Bahay Nakpil-Bautista in the district.

Read entire article: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view_article.php?article_id=56762


2. PRIDE OF PLACE: The Mangyans of Mindoro
By Augusto Villalon
Philippine Daily Inquirer, 03/26/2007

MANILA, Philippines – Heritage covers such scope that its totality is difficult to grasp. Many of us compartmentalize heritage into one of its many components: music, dance, visual arts, architecture, literature, language, costumes, cuisine, depending on where our interests may happen to lie.

Often we fail to realize that all of the components interrelate, that each component forms a vital part that weaves into the splendid tapestry of our own national identity.

Focused (or hung up) as many of us might be on Philippine lowland Christian culture, our many cultural communities and indigenous peoples have gone unnoticed and misunderstood.

Read entire article: http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view_article.php?article_id=56935


3. LANDSCAPE: Afraid of history
By Gemma Cruz Araneta
Manila Bulletin, March 22, 2007

WHENEVER I write about the American occupation of Filipinas, I receive angry letters accusing me of blaming the USA "for our ills." It never fails; there are fellow Filipinos out there (some living overseas) who are incensed because they think I am calling the USA bad. Aside from these "Americanistas," there are "Hispanistas" who are just as enraged at my constant delving and think that I am up to no good, Frankly, I am baffled by such negative reactions, which compel me to burrow even more relentlessly into the forbidden chambers of our history.

Read entire article:http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2007/03/22/OPED2007032290154.html


4. LANDSCAPE: Afraid of history (2)
By Gemma Cruz-Araneta
Manila Bulletin, March 27, 2007

IN January 1900, Senator Alfred J. Beveridge delivered a very carefully prepared speech that belied all the Christianizing and civilizing as it was a rallying cry to get on with the war against the First Philippine Republic. Unfortunately for us, Beveridge spoke with authority as he had just come from a visit to the Philippines where he assessed US troop positions and claimed to have traveled more than two thousand miles in the interior.

Read entire article: http://www.mb.com.ph/OPED2007032790562.html


5. 'Developing Corregidor'
By Beth Day Romulo
Manila Bulletin, March 27, 2007

ON March 14th, the National Defense College of the Philippines hosted a roundtable discussion on "Developing Corregidor: Challenges and Prospects.'' Some nit-picking criticism of our present preservation efforts, under the aegis of the National Historical Institute, which had appeared on the Internet, had whetted their curiosity and 40 members of the college visited Corregidor the day before the meeting to see what was actually going on. Both our host, Commodore Carlos Agustin, and his group and the presidential adviser on veterans affairs, Jesus Terry Adevoso, agreed that "no desecration had taken place.'' Both seasoned world travelers, they made comparisons to ruins that have been preserved in Greece and Italy, and Mr. Adevoso suggested that Corregidor could be the Philippines Acropolis, its Coliseum. But much needs to be done. What we are working on now is simply the most urgent repair, that of Middleside Barracks, which took a direct hit in the last back-to-back typhoons and the trees close to it destroyed portions of walls.

Read entire article: http://www.mb.com.ph/OPED2007032790560.html

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Read more articles and columns at http://www.heritage.org.ph/article.php


  II. NEWS FROM OUR FRIENDS

1. President of Carcar HCS runs for municipal mayor
http://www.heritage.org.ph/news.php?id=8
Val Sandiego, president of the Carcar Heritage Conservation Society (CHCS), is running for Mayor of Carcar, Cebu in the May 2007 elections.

Related articles
Val wants to be Carcar City's first mayor, vows to help preserve heritage of the community: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/03/30/news/val.wants.to.be.carcar.city.s.first.mayor.vows.to.help.preserve.heritage.of.the.community.html
Choreographer runs for Cebu town mayor: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/36313/Choreographer-runs-for-town-mayor-in-Cebu

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Send news and updates, articles, photos, press releases and annoucements related to heritage conservation and Philippine built heritage resources to ivanhenares@heritage.org.ph. Read more news at http://www.heritage.org.ph/news.php


 

  III. HCS NEWS 

1. New HCS website is online
Check out the new HCS website at http://www.heritage.org.ph

2. Be an affiliate organization of HCS
Existing heritage councils and foundations in the various cities, municipalities and provinces all over the country are encouraged to affiliate with the Heritage Conservation Society in order to strengthen the national network of heritage organizations. As an affiliate, your organization and contact details will be included in the HCS websites as an affiliate organization. Contact info@heritage.org.ph for more information.

3. HCS student chapters
We encourage students to form chapters of the HCS in their own colleges and universities. Existing organizations can also get themselves accredited as an HCS student chapter of their school. Please download guidelines at http://www.geocities.com/ivanhenares/HCS_Youth.pdf for more information.

4. List of restoration architects and experts
As a service to the public, we are publishing the names of Filipino architects and experts with advanced degrees or extensive experience in heritage conservation and restoration. The list can be found in the "Membership" section of the HCS website.


IV. HERITAGE WATCH

1. San Agustin Seminary updates
In a meeting with Fr. Pedro Galende, director of the San Agustin Museum last Wednesday, HCS trustee Ivan Anthony Henares found out that reports and photos of a proposed seminary circulating among cultural workers on the Internet were not accurate. The photos were from an old design idea that never became a plan. The blue prints of the current plans are now on display on the first floor, an exterior reconstruction that was approved by UNESCO. The current design came about from several technical working groups which included representatives from the National Museum, NHI, NCCA and IA, and HCS members.

Visit http://www.heritage.org.ph/news.php?id=9 to view the current plans.


2. Download memo of Sec. Durano to GM Barbers
Re: Construction of a PTA Sports Complex in Intramuros
http://www.geocities.com/heritageconservationsociety/files/duranomemo.pdf


3. Download the latest version of the Heritage Bill
Senate Committee Report No. 297
http://www.geocities.com/heritageconservationsociety/files/scr297.pdf


V. WORLD HERITAGE DAY (APRIL 18)
April 18 is World Heritage Day! This year, to mark April 18, ICOMOS encourages everyone to organize activities to promote the theme "Cultural Landscapes and Monuments of Nature," to take this theme as an opportunity to raise public's awareness concerning this heritage and the efforts that are required to protect and conserve it, as well as to draw attention to its vulnerability.

A whole section of the ICOMOS website is dedicated to the 18 April 2007 ( http://www.international.icomos.org/18thapril/2007/18thapril2007-1.htm ), which will provide you with the information necessary to raise awareness about the theme.

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR MONUMENTS AND SITES
Theme for 2007 : Cultural Landscapes and Monuments of Nature
Theme for 2008 : Religious Heritage and Sacred Places

CULTURAL LANDSCAPES
The term "cultural landscape" as a World Heritage was introduced after a long and intensive series of meetings of international experts. They finally agreed on the definition that cultural landscapes "are cultural properities and represent the 'combined works of nature and man,' illustrative of the evolution of human society and settlement over time, under the influence of the physical contraints and/or opportunities presented by their natural environment and of successive, social, economic and cultural forces, both external and internal." The first site to be inscribed in the Wold Heritage List as a cultural landscape were the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras.

The concept of "cultural landscape" can be divided into two main categories. The first category includes "clearly defined landscape designed and created intentionally by man". This can range from garden and parkland landscape to polders. The second main category is called the "organically evolved landscape". It is the landscape that "has developed its present form by association with and in response to its natural environment".

OVERVIEW
The International Day for Monuments and Sites (World Heritage Day) was created on 18th April, 1982, by ICOMOS and later approved at the 22nd UNESCO General Conference in 1983. This special day offers an opportunity to raise public's awareness concerning the diversity of the world's heritage and the efforts that are required to protect and conserve it, as well as to draw attention to its vulnerability. For seven years now, ICOMOS has been choosing a common theme shared by all ICOMOS National Committees for this day.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
Below are a number of general suggestions for locally-organized activities to mark this event

• Visits to monuments and sites, and restoration works, possibly with free admission
• Articles in newspapers and magazines, as well as television and radio broadcasts
• Hanging banners in town squares or principal traffic arteries calling attention to the day and the preservation of cultural heritage
• Inviting local and foreign experts and personalities for conferences and interviews
• Organizing discussions in cultural-centers, city halls, and other public spaces
• Exhibitions (photos, paintings, etc.)
• Publication of books, post-cards, stamps, posters
• Awarding prizes to organizations or persons who have made an outstanding contribution to the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage or produced an excellent publication on the subject.
• Inaugurate a recently restored monument
• Special awareness raising activities amongst school children and youth

The essential thing is to mark this day so that it becomes not only a day to celebrate your national heritage, but also a day of international solidarity in favor of strengthening and safeguarding heritage worldwide.
  

VI. MEMBERS' HERITAGE BLOGS

1. Ivan About Town (Ivan Anthony Henares) - Finalist (Travel) Philippine Blog Awards 2007
http://ivanhenares.blogspot.com

• More travel notes from Manila (03/28): http://ivanhenares.blogspot.com/2007/03/more-travel-notes-from-manila.html
  
• Quiapo, heart of Manila (03/24): http://ivanhenares.blogspot.com/2007/03/quiapo-heart-of-manila.html

2. Old Manila Walks (Ivan ManDy)
http://www.oldmanilawalks.com

3. Authentic, Though not Exotic (Dr. Fernando "Butch" Zialcita)
http://www.dsa-ateneo.net/fzialcita
 
4. Walk This Way (Carlos Celdran) - Finalist (Travel) Philippine Blog Awards 2007
http://celdrantours.blogspot.com

5. The Sleepy Traveller (Karlo de Leon) - Finalist (Photo Blog) Philippine Blog Awards 2007
http://karlodl.blogspot.com


VII. HCS BLOGS

1. HCS Database of Philippine Built Heritage Resources  
http://heritageconservation.wordpress.com

2. HCS Database of Heritage Articles & Columns
http://preservephilippineheritage.blogs.friendster.com
 

VIII. MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL AND APPLICATION
HCS is reminding all its old members to renew their annual membership with the organization. We are also inviting all interested individuals, institutions and corporations to become registered members of the HCS.

Corporate Patron - PHP50,000.00   
Individual Patron - PHP10,000.00   
Executive - PHP5,000.00
Individual - PHP1,000.00   
Associate (individual below the age of 30) - PHP500.00   
Academic (undergraduate student) - PHP100.00

Please issue check payments to HERITAGE CONSERVATION SOCIETY. Cash payments could be deposited to HCS Current Account: 8105-8153-61, BPI-M H del Pilar Branch. Please send to Heritage Conservation Society, Museo Pambata Compound, Roxas Boulevard, Ermita, Manila or Fax to 522-2497 or e-mail to info@heritage.org.ph

Application Form - http://www.heritage.org.ph/uploads/documents/hcsapplication.pdf
Renewal Form - http://www.heritage.org.ph/uploads/documents/hcsrenewal.pdf


IX. NEW HCS E-MAIL ADDRESS
The Heritage Conservation Society (HCS) has a new e-mail address.You can reach us at info@heritage.org.ph 

X. ABOUT THE HCS
The HCS is a non-stock, non-profit organization advocating the protection and preservation of our built heritage, cultural and historical sites and settings, thus upholding the Philippine Constitution that heritage and culture should be developed and preserved for national identity.

VISION
A Filipino society that values and preserves its cultural heritage in order to instill pride of place and strengthen Philippine national identity.

MISSION
The HCS will be the prime mover and advocate for the preservation of Philippine built heritage resources in order to contribute towards the establishment of a Society that preserves and values its cultural heritage through advocacy and volunteerism, project implementation, education and information.

WHY CONSERVE HERITAGE?
The HCS affirms that an efficient 21st century lifestyle can take place in the same urban and architectural envelope created by earlier generations. Built heritage can be recycled for contemporary, adaptive re-use, thereby preserving the cultural charm and traditional character of our cities and towns. Heritage conservation enhances progress and modernization: from urban revitalization and community housing, to the revival of traditional crafts and the stimulation of entrepreneurial activities. It awakens our "pride of place," arousing cultural and historical awareness, which often advances cultural tourism.

Heritage Conservation Society
G/F Museo Pambata Building
Roxas Boulevard, Ermita
Manila, Philippines
Tel. +632 521 2239
Fax. +632 522 2497

HCS website is now online!

Visit the HCS website at http://www.heritage.org.ph

Lust for silver triumphs over Filipino heritage

By SEN. ALFREDO S. LIM

The brilliance of gold is dazzling and blinds the eyes of those who may gaze upon it. Indeed, it corrupts in much the same way as power, to which history has been witness from the birth of civilization. Its metaphorical image in the minds of people pierces deep within their skin and into their consciousness, excluding neither the poor nor the rich, that even if juxtaposed with our equally treasured symbols and relics of traditions and values, its temptation lingers, and not uncommonly, overpowers. We need not look far beyond, for even right before our eyes, in the premier City of Manila, it weaves its mystique, threatening to cast away to oblivion two public and inalienable lands, and the cultural worth that has been attached to them.

These two lands, inseparably identified with institutions devoted to education and imbued with memories of the Manileños' past, having existed for decades as public schools, accommodating no less than 10,000 poor students of Tondo, for free, the Rajah Sulayman High School and Jose Abad Santos High School, are awaiting their unexpected and dreaded demise, as their death certificates have been signed by no less than the City Council, with the death sentence struck - with a thumb-up sign, by its City Mayor. As heralded, from the schools' burial sites will rise luxurious malls: the stereotypical symbols of the modern care-free lifestyle – luxurious wares, expensive foods, entertainment centers, fully air-conditioned establishments.

Without a doubt, this is the voice of gold, the whisper of wealth, heard and heeded by ears of avarice and greed.

It is a paradox that those people who traded the worth of these two humble schools for the sophistication and grandeur of commercial malls, are the same people chosen by the residents of Manila who put them in office so that their children may be guaranteed free education. It is equally ironic, that those who wield the derivative authority granted by the Local Government Code of 1991, do not seem to know how to properly exercise it. Or, are they merely pretending to be strangers to it?

Yet, these "chosen" people in Manila project to be ignorant of this doctrine in land ownership, a decree that has been consistently written from the 1935 up to the 1987 Constitution. In its most recent articulation, the Regalian Doctrine declares in Article XII, Section 2, of the 1987 Constitution that "all lands of public domain, waters, mineral oils, all forces of potential energy, fisheries forests or timber, wildlife, flora and fauna and other natural resources are owned by the state" and "shall not be alienated", except agricultural lands.

In the landmark case of Chavez vs. PEA and AMARI, 384 SCRA 152, the origin of the doctrine was re-examined. It dates back during the Spanish conquest of the Philippines when "all lands, territories and possessions" were public domain of the King, except those he disposed of by grant or sale to private individuals. In the adoption of the Regalian doctrine, the State took the place of the King, manifested initially in Art. 339 of the Civil Code of 1889, and restated in Art. 420 of our present Civil Code, wherein it is written that property of public dominion are not only those devoted to public use but also to property not so used and employed for some economic or commercial activity, yet designed to increase the national wealth. Republic vs. Court of Appeals, 383 SCRA 611.

But as early as 1919, the Philippine Legislature approved Act No. 2874, the Public Land Act, which authorized the lease but not the sale of public lands of the government to corporations and individuals, even before the passage of the 1935, 1973 and 1987 Constitutions. Upon approval of the 1936-Commonwealth Act No. 141, also known as Public Land Act, the President was authorized by the National Assembly to classify lands of the public domain into "alienable or disposable" lands of the public domain and declare them open to disposition or concession.

Then President Ferdinand Marcos, through his 1977 PD No. 1084, created the Public Estates Authority (PEA), which was empowered to hold titles, not only of private lands but also of the public domain. Yet, it needed legislative authority to sell these lands, in view of Commonwealth Act No. 141 which provides that it can only do so when authorized by Congress. The late dictator also mandated the creation of the old Local Government Code, BP No. 881, which granted to local government units the authority to acquire, possess and own, as well as to dispose of their own property.

With the passage of the Local Government Code of 1991 or Republic Act No. 7160, authored by no less than our esteemed colleague, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., the era of local autonomy saw its advent. The authority then enjoyed by local government units under the old local government code was adopted. Thus, by virtue of Section 18 of R.A. 7160, they were empowered to generate and apply resources, among which was "to acquire, develop, lease, encumber, alienate or otherwise, dispose of real or personal property held by them in their proprietary capacity", making the same even more meaningful especially since the thrust was administrative independence. Still, the privilege was not unlimited, just as what the Constitution decreed. Particularly, as far as disposition of property is concerned, only those patrimonial in nature can be alienated.

These legal premises considered, disturbing, to say the least, are the circulating reports that the City of Manila, through its colluding City Council and Local Chief Executive, and despite the contrary mandates of the Constitution and the laws, is lustfully eager with selling several of its strategically posted properties - properties as old and famous as the important events to which these have been witnesses through the years. Who would not know the aged Rizal Memorial Stadium, the nearby Harrison Plaza and Sheraton Hotel? How about the Army and Navy Club where the present historic Museum stands and a host of other priceless places which became part of our national economy and patrimony?

What is the forthcoming fate of these portals of Filipino heritage if the vagabond conscience of those authoring their lucrative dispositions is not flustered? Commercial districts being projected to rise from their ruins, is a nightmare forthcoming to the Manila constituents in the not-too-distant future, if we fail to manacle this excessive penchant for the sale of our symbols of heritage and culture.

Indeed, we ask: why are these City Officials of Manila so obsessed with selling otherwise key establishments and institutions in the City, only to have in their places the usual commercial centers which have casually become the "theme parks" for our people, promoting indolence and impracticality, and further diverting their attention to more meaningful and worthwhile activities?

Without a doubt, it is the lust and avarice for commissions expected to be generated from these multi-million peso projects – the hunger for power and wealth, summoning the vicious appetite for absoluteness and perpetuity, defying the voice of righteousness and integrity.

Of course, even these local executives will admit that majority of them saw light, later than the birth of those historical edifices and buildings, yet, they connive to deliberately pretend that these places are classified as agricultural lands and therefore alienable. Sadly, they project to be unknowing that Section 3 of the same Article XII of the Constitution is absolute and unalterable: public properties, being outside the commerce of man, could not be alienated or leased or otherwise be the subject matter of contracts, as ruled in Municipality of Cavite vs. Rojas, 30 Phil. 20; Li Seng Giap vs. Municipal Council of Daet, (CA), Off. Gaz. Supp., November 1, 1941, p. 217.

In the course of business, they may well argue that under Art. 422 of the Civil Code, the property of public dominion, when no longer intended for public use or for public service, shall form part of the patrimonial property of the State or its private property. Yet, it may be so only upon a declaration by the government, through the executive or legislative departments, to the effect that it is no longer needed for public use or service. (Ignacio vs. Director of Lands, (SC), 58 Off. Gaz. 2403; Cebu Oxygen and Acetylene Co. vs. Bercilles, 66 SCRA 481) For so long as the property has been intended for public use or service, and the government has neither devoted it otherwise, nor adopted any measure removing it from the public domain, the same remains property for public use or service, its non-employment as such notwithstanding. (Capitulo, et al. vs. Aquino, etc., (SC), 53 Off. Gaz. 1477)

Hence, the mere possession of land does not by itself automatically divest it of its public character. (Cuevas vs. Pineda, 143 SCRA 674; Director of Lands vs. Court of Appeals, 129 SCRA 689)

Consider the Roppongi site in Japan. Its non-use in a long time for actual diplomatic service did not automatically convert it to patrimonial property. Any such conversion happens only if the property is withdrawn from public use, since it is not, it continues to be part of public domain and thus, outside the commerce of man (Cebu Oxygen and Acetylene Co. vs. Bercilles, 66 SCRA 481 [1975]; Ignacio v. Director of Lands, 108 Phil. 335 [1960]).

No less than the Supreme Court was emphatic in several cases that where the municipality has occupied lands distinctly for public purposes, such as for the municipal court house, the public school, the public market, or necessary municipal building, in the absence of proof to the contrary, there can be no presumption of its grant from the state in favor of the municipality. (Municipality of Hinunangan vs. Director of Lands, 24 Phil. 125)

Beyond cavil, the extent of legislative control over properties of municipal corporations is simple. If the property is owned by the municipality or city in its public and governmental capacity, the property is public and Congress has absolute control over it. But if the property is owned in its private or proprietary capacity, then it is patrimonial and Congress has no absolute control. Province of Zamboanga del Norte vs. City of Zamboanga, L-24440, March 28, 1969

Although there is some authority to the effect that at the common law a municipal corporation, unless restrained by the express terms of its charter or by necessary implication, could dispose of lands and other property in the same manner as private persons, there is a clear distinction, recognized by practically all authorities, between property purchased and held by municipal corporations for the use of the corporation as an entity and that purchased and held by such corporation for the public use and benefit of its citizens. In other words, its title to and power of disposition of property acquired for strictly corporate uses and purposes are different from its title to and power of disposition of property acquired for and actually dedicated to the public use of inhabitants. As to the former class, the power of the corporation to dispose of it, unless restrained by charter or statute, is unquestioned. As a general rule, the power of a municipal corporation to convey such property is equal to its power to acquire it. A municipal corporation having absolute title to property without limitation or restriction as to its alienation may dispose of such property at any time before it is dedicated to public use.

On the other hand, it is generally held that a municipal corporation has no implied power to sell real property which is held for a public use, and that such power cannot be implied from general charter or authority to acquire, hold, or convey property. The principle is that all such property is held by the municipality in trust for the use and benefit of its citizens and is dedicated to the use of the public, and the corporation cannot divest itself of title without specific authority from the legislature. It is only when the public use has been abandoned, or the property has become unsuitable or inadequate for the purpose to which it was dedicated, that a power of disposition is recognized in the corporation. Municipal Corporations, etc., 56 Am Jur 2d, 602-604

Considering these precepts, the city officials of Manila, for instance, cannot rely upon the March 3, 2006 endorsement to the City Council of Manila from the Office of the City Mayor relative to the projected "sale, lease or for joint venture of the city's patrimonial properties with a lot area of less than 250 square meters in Manila", in line with its granted authority to Manila Mayor Jose Atienza through its enacted Resolution No. 10, dated February 1, 1996. Indeed, recourse to legal procedures of exercising the power of expropriation through enacted Resolution of the City Council is not an iron-clad guarantee of its success.

At the moment, let us be reminded of the lessons eruditely written by the ponente in the landmark Manila Hotel case, in which we may liken the present City Mayor and City Council of Manila to those GSIS officials who nearly sold to a Malaysian firm-bidder the block of 51% shares of the Manila Hotel, deigned as the repository of the 20th century Philippine history and culture, the reflection of the Filipino soul and not an ordinary piece of property in a commercial district. The Highest Tribunal aptly censured them in the Manila Hotel vs. GSIS, 267 SCRA 408, in the following tenor:

"The conveyance of Manila Hotel, an epic exponent of the Filipino psyche, to alien hands cannot be less than mephistophelean, for it is, in whatever manner viewed, a veritable alienation of a nation's soul for some pieces of foreign silver."

It is for these reasons that I call upon you, my esteemed colleagues, who have been chosen not by our constituents in one locality or region, but by the multitude of our fellow Filipinos across the land and even beyond its borders, to remind the aldermen in the City of Manila not to be blinded by the dazzling brilliance of gold, and certainly not to be blind to our past embedded and reflected in the gates, hallways, walls of the very same institutions which they would apparently bury in history with the sale of the lands on which they are situated.

Our experience more extensive, our concerns more nationalistic, our perspective more comprehensive, we, the Senate, have not been daunted nor cowered by attempts at intrusions into our own prerogatives and desecration of our own place in the Philippine Government and society by even the most powerful of the powers that be. Surely, we would not let other lesser people from fooling us right before our eyes!

Let us therefore make this firm: that Congress did not enact the Local Government Code in order to make council members and local executive officers in the localities and provinces masters above their makers, nor masters within their own respective domains. For while we in the National Government remain servants of our true sovereign, so should our creations in the local government, which we have made our agents in our goals for this country, remain loyal and faithful to those who have chosen them, and to their respective oaths to uphold and protect the Constitution and our laws.

As a final statement, let those officials in Manila be reminded: The postulates of our Constitution are not mere platitudes which we should honor only in rhetoric but not in reality. To contract for the sale of an inalienable property is illegal; to bargain the ideals of our Constitution through such sale is suicidal.

Ivan About Town (Ivan Henares) http://ivanhenares.blogspot.com
HCS Database of Philippine Built Heritage Resources http://heritageconservation.wordpress.com
HCS Database of Heritage Articles &Columns http://preservephilippineheritage.blogs.friendster.com
Philippine Heritage Watch http://heritagesentinel.wordpress.com
ICOMOS Philippines http://icomosphilippines.blogspot.com
The Gabaldon Legacy http://gabaldon.blogspot.com
Old Manila Walks (Ivan ManDy) http://oldmanilawalks.blogspot.com
Essays on Filipino Identity (Butch Zialcita) http://www.dsa-ateneo.net/fzialcita

RP 61st state to join UN convention on heritage protection

By Veronica Uy
INQ7.net

THE Philippines has become the 61st state party to the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.

In his report to the home office, Philippine Ambassador to France and permanent delegate to UNESCO Jose Abeto Zaide said UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura acknowledged receipt on August 18 of the country's original instrument of ratification of the convention, which is expected to take effect for the Philippines this November 18 as per Article 34 of the convention.

"Director-General Matsuura, who was in Manila last May, welcomes the Philippines as the 61st state party to the convention, which already counts a broad and diverse range of membership from Lithuania to Gabon, Oman to Nicaragua," he said.

After the UNESCO sounded the alarm over the loss of cultural heritage, it sought through the convention to protect and preserve oral traditions and expressions, including language, performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, as well as know-how linked to traditional crafts.

The Philippines' Hudhud chants of the Ifugao and the Darangen epic of the Maranaos were among the 90 masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity proclaimed by the UNESCO.

"The Philippines as a major biodiversity trove is complemented by its cornucopia of cultural diversity. The Philippines intends to actively contribute to the success of the Convention, in order to preserve our rich cultural heritage for the benefit and enjoyment of all humanity," Zaide said.

Matsuura noted the "urgent need for [cultural heritage's] international protection given the threat posed by contemporary lifestyles and the process of globalization."

"It is absolute necessary to fill in the legal void concerning this essential aspect of cultural diversity and to offer to living cultures inherited through tradition adequate means of preservation," he added.

Aside from the Philippines, the state parties to the convention also include France, China, Japan, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Romania, and Algeria.

 

 

More transport terrorism

By Paulo Alcazaren
The Philippine STAR 09/02/2006

I'm still getting a lot of e-mail about that Palawan misadventure and taxi terrorism. It hit a nerve among a lot of people. First, here's an update on the Palawan issue. BEH e-mailed to say that a few days after the article came out, Palawan authorities contacted her and informed her that all tour operators were warned to police their ranks and ensure public safety. The DPWH was tasked to look at rationalizing transport access and other stakeholders informed that the province has to address these issues immediately. BEH was also informed that the tour operators in question had their license suspended for three months. Other owners and operators of hotels and tour companies assured me that their outfits do ensure tourist safety and that visitors should check on the reputation of the outfits they choose.

Well, that is all and good but, of course, the incident should not have happened in the first place. We have far too many tour, travel, and transport mishaps every year to blame it all on bad luck or fate. We have got to really achieve levels of safety acceptable in all other sane countries. This is true of all provinces and cities.

On the terrorism of taxis – many wrote in to expand the axis of transport terror to include tricycles and jeepneys. Here is a sampling of the many e-mails I received.

"I just finished reading your column about the horrific experiences of both foreigners and locals in taxi rides. Let me share with you another monster in the Philippines which causes both traffic jams and undiagnosed hypertension (undoubtedly due to anger) to private car drivers like me. It is the jeepney. The mongrel vehicle is considered a colorful part of the Philippines' history and a reminder of its American ties. Because of this, the country promotes the jeepney ride as a great experience that cannot be found elsewhere in the world. The lavish descriptions of jeepneys on Philippine tourism websites make foreigners want to ride in them, completely unaware that the difference between the photographed jeepney and the actual jeepney in Philippine reality is like black and white, earth and sky – you get my point.

"First, let me point out that most pictures of the said pest of the Philippine roads in tourism-promoting media are 'fake' – colorful and creative images featuring smiling, polite drivers. How can I say fake? Well, heck, has any one of us seen an artfully-decorated jeepney on Manila's roads in the past decade? Flags, colorful lights, and even paintings were once used to beautify the simple jeep, yet today, most of what you'll see is scratched aluminum, broken lights, black smoke emanating from mufflers, and drivers shouting at passengers to hurry up to get on or off their vehicles. Where is the creativity in that? I won't fly 10,000 miles to see an ugly moving wreck, much less trust the sweaty, shouting driver with my life.

"The jeepney drivers' undisciplined ways are not ignored by foreigners. This can be evidenced by the phrase 'only in the Philippines,' joined by a pitiful description of the uniqueness, or shall I say "weirdness," of the Philippines. One description I encountered from a foreigner friend was: 'Only in the Philippines will you find innumerable road signs which end up as graffiti canvases because motorists ignore them.' It may be funny, but then, as you have said, promotion of tourism is best shared through word of mouth. What, then, are the impressions of other foreigners who have set foot on Philippine soil?

"They were once icons of the Filipinos' creativeness and ingenuity, but today they are more like symbols of Philippine corruption, undisciplined ways, and plain stupidity. They stop anywhere, and even have the nerve to suddenly cut in front of you with no warning whatsoever, and if they find themselves in a situation wherein they get your car wracked up, I assure you that their answer would be 'Sorry, Ma'am, pero wala akong pambayad (Sorry, ma'am, I don't have money to pay for the damage).'

"My conclusion for all this is that we should first fix our country before we promote our beautiful islands to the world. Not only would foreigners be disappointed when they set foot on our land, it is also beyond a doubt that they will experience horror stories that should have been a great family vacation in the tropics."–PC

Yes, PC, jeepneys may have started as a stopgap solution to post-war transport needs, but it has been over half a century since and we have not progressed to a saner, safer mode of transport. Another e-mail adds tricycles to the ring of terror:

"The problem mentioned about taxi drivers is not just isolated to taxi drivers. I have been living in the US for over 27 years and whenever I come back to Manila and ride taxicabs, the drivers always pretend like they don't know the place at all and they will play a game with passengers and take you for a ride all over the place. Another terror is tricycles. Their drivers play a similar game and when you take a ride and ask them how much it will cost you to go from point A to point B, they will tell you 'I don't know.' For goodness sake, these guys ply the same route day in and day out, and they don't know? The word for these people is 'mapagsamantala.' They take advantage of unsuspecting passengers.

"Filipino workers in the US are the most sought-after group of workers because we are hardworking and honest. At home is a different story. We are dishonest even to our fellow kababayan. If they can do it to their fellow men, then it is easy to do it to a foreigner, especially when they don't know the language. In Tokyo, taxis have upholstery in white and the cab drivers have uniforms. In the Philippines, taxi drivers even wear tsinelas (flip-flops) and the cabs are falling apart yet they are still allowed on the road. The ACs are not working and trunks are held shut by pieces of twine." – MTT

What can I say, MTT? I wish I could slap these drivers silly with my tsinelas (or actually take a number of them to jail as my niece was mugged by one of these trike bandits, who even ran over her after snatching her cell phone!).

Another horror story from a late-night taxi user:

"I just read your article yesterday about taxi drivers and how horrible the situation is. I had an experience once with my wife after a college reunion. After the party, we decided to queue for a taxi. It turned out to be a nightmare. Our driver was an old manong and we went into the usual discussion on the best route to our house. I got a little sleepy because of the night's revelry, but my wife was still alert and noticed that the meter was running fast. She woke me up and warned me. We were talking when we noticed the taxi was swerving like a boat. My wife freaked out: The driver was sleeping at the wheel! My wife noticed that he reeked of alcohol, too, so we demanded he pull over but he refused, saying: 'Relax lang, I'm okay, hindi pako nababanga at nahuhuli at lalong lalo na hindi ako lasing (I won't crash the taxi or get caught and I'm not drunk)!' Thank God we arrived safely although the crazy driver charged us twice the fare. Something has to be done about drunken extortionist drivers who prey on the public." – GA

Yes, GA, something has to be done – but no one will claim responsibility. It is not only drunken taxi drivers that are a menace at night but drugged-out cargo-truck drivers. I try not to go out at night anymore.

Finally, an e-mail with disturbing news of a travel advisory circling the globe about the Philippines:

"We always enjoy your writing. After reading about the taxi situation, what can one say? There is no enforcement of the taxi trade. In the United States and elsewhere, they have taxi enforcement units, but that's not why we are writing. The problem is much greater than the filthy Filipino taxis. I just read an e-mail that is going around the world advising tourists not to travel to the Philippines. Before I continue, let me state that we are happy campers here. I am European and my wife is Filipina. We have a son – a mestizo Pinoy. We have happily been living here for 20 years, but it has been difficult. Let me quote the highlights of the e-mail:

"'Never trust the police. They appear to actually be behind the organized crime in the islands and are linked to murders, robberies and cases of extortion. Better to forget requesting assistance in event of a problem. Best to arm yourself.

"'All government employees are corrupt. Better believe that. Everyone wants 'grease' to perform even a simple task. Children see their teachers sell overpriced sweets and food in the classroom for better grades.

"'Never build a house. Why? Because that process will expose you to the corrupt permits people and all sorts of shakedown artists.

"'Never invest in anything in the Philippines. Rules change. You are the loser. Long-term education/insurance plan providers simply close down, leaving hapless parents stranded with no government intervention whatsoever.

"'The government, from the top down, stinks of corruption. They estimate six million Filipinos go hungry every night (although the truth is it is closer to 20 million). Every caring country in the world has given billions of dollars to help lift the Philippines out of poverty, but none of it reaches those in need. The funds go to corrupt politicians' bank accounts.

"'Final advice. Trust nobody in government. Keep to yourself and mind your own business. The Philippines is a banana republic of the worst kind, ruled by corrupt leaders and an inutile corrupt legislature and judiciary. But nevertheless, enjoy this country. It has lots to offer and the Filipinos are the warmest people. Sad to say, they have had nothing but bad government for four administrations.'

"Well, Paulo, I have to say that I agree with this e-mail 100 percent. I personally know of many ex pats who have just given up and left in disgust. Getting simple things like a driving license, electricity service, broadband connections or telephone service is a nightmare for expats. 'Grease' is everywhere. We, as an expat family, have survived and want to stay because we love it here – we just have learned to avoid the sharks in the water." – MGG

That's it, MGG. All this makes me want to do a Jim Paredes and give up hope for any change in this country. Not that I have done as much as Jim – and I don't blame him or the hundreds of thousands of fellow-middle class Filipinos like him who have made a choice to fend for themselves or their immediate families. And what can we really do when terror is everywhere anyway. But oops – I'm late for my next appointment. Taxi!

* * *

Feedback is welcome. Please e-mail the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com

 

 

Those Gabaldons

By Gemma Cruz Araneta

PUBLIC schools were to the American colonial regime what Baroque churches were to the Spanish period. In their time, both were the most imposing structures in all our provinces, cities and towns. As Spain used religion to colonize and Hispanize, the United States of America established the public education system for "pacification" and Americanization.

Lamentably for heritage conservation, most of the school houses built during the Spanish colonial period were reduced to rubble during the Philippine-American War (1899-1911) and when the Philippine Commission sent the American Secretary of War a telegram about the "pacification" strategy, Eng. Edgar K. Bourne was instructed to go to Manila. Daniel Burnham, famous city planner, and other American architects soon followed.

Acting rapidly, the Philippine Commission passed Act No. 268 creating the Bureau of Architecture and Construction of Public Buildings, with Mr. Bourne as its head. The construction of schoolhouses in Manila and the provinces began and this activity was viewed as the most important work of the Bureau.

No sooner was the Philippine Assembly formed after the elections of 1907, when Act No. 1801, authored by Assemblyman Isauro Gabaldon of Nueva Ecija, was approved and became widely known as GABALDON ACT . This appropriated Php 1 million between 1907 to 1915 for the "construction of schoolhouses of strong materials in barrios with guaranteed daily attendance of not less than sixty pupils…"

Funds for each school could not exceed Php 4 thousand unless the municipality contributed a counterpart sum of not less than fifty percent of the total amount granted to it by virtue of the Gabaldon Act. The municipality was authorized to appropriate its own funds, receive voluntary contributions in cash, kind, or in manual labor, for the construction of schoolhouses.

The Gabaldon Act stipulated that only on land owned by the municipality could schools be constructed. Because proposed sites had to be surveyed and registered with the Court of Land Registration, very few schools were erected in the first three years. As separate planning for each school was burdensome, the Bureau of Public Works and Bureau of Education soon came up with standardized designs. These were known as "Gabaldon School Buildings" or simply "Gabaldon," long after the expiration of Act 1801.

Fifty-one "Gabaldons" were completed by 1911 and by 1916, four hundred five more were constructed bringing the total number of classrooms to one thousand eight hundred fifty-two. Three hundred twenty seven of these "Gabaldons" were made of concrete. In the Gabaldon-style school, there was architectural harmony between the main building and other accessory structures. As it turned out, an elegantly-designed school instilled in both teachers and students a certain pride and an appreciation for the finer things in life. ( gemma601@yahoo.com)

 

 

Spanish heritage complex in the heart of Manila

By Augusto Villalon

Published on page C2 of the August 28, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer                 

WHO SAID CONSTRUCTING A NEW building beside an old one is not good design? Many people believe that the new building must "conform" to the old one by attempting to look alike or at least somewhat similar.

Philippine architects today still follow the outdated "conforming architecture" concept, pairing old and new, designing new buildings that mimic the old by grafting a detail or a feature that echoes a bit of the old building in the new one.

Many times the borrowed heritage detail is force-fit into the new structure, resulting in an uneasy, out-of-place architecture that awkwardly attempts a blending of old and new.

The truth is that the new always pales in comparison with the old. The original is always better. Imitation is seldom better than the original. So why imitate? Why put the old ill at ease with the new?

In planning its new headquarters on San Luís Street in Manila, Instituto Cervantes decided not to imitate the historic Casino Español de Manila beside it. Instead what it built was a new, totally modern building that relates wonderfully to its heritage neighbor.

The two buildings are totally at ease with each other.

Respected

Among the oldest private clubs in the country, the Casino Español is a respected Manila institution. The club premises, designed in 1951 by architect Jose Ma. Zaragoza, are done in the fluid "Filipino-California-Spanish style," a hybrid architectural style popular during the post-World War II years.

The venerable building, a low single-story structure whose arched loggias spread around a shaded interior courtyard, is one of the last surviving Manila structures from that forgotten era.

The membership should be commended for retaining the original structure of their club and for resisting "modernization."

Now comes the new Instituto Cervantes. Erected on Casino Español property, the new building located on the far side of the existing club quadrangle is architecture unmistakably of the 21st century, a structure in total contrast with the Zaragoza building on the other side of the shared quadrangle.

Contrasting with the arches of the Casino's loggia, the Instituto presents a two-story all-glass wall looking out to the quadrangle from behind a covered open walk connecting classrooms on the ground floor and exposing the library above. Although no details in the new building mimic the old Zaragoza structure beside it, there is full architectural respect between the two structures.

Interiors

The interiors of both buildings mirror the eras when they were built. Beneath the low ceilings of the Casino everything is well-burnished wood, polished red tile floors, and insets of azulejo tiles shipped from Spain.

Javier Galván, architect and former director of the Instituto Cervantes, takes the traditional Philippine bahay-na-bato as his organizing principle for his conceptual design of the new structure.

The lobby evokes the traditional zaguan from a Spanish colonial house in the Philippines. Ground-floor walls are rendered in raw concrete, reminiscent of the stone walls of old. A grand staircase rises to the upper floor, where wood makes an appearance on the floors and walls, much like traditional Philippine houses. Evoking capiz windows in old houses, wooden grids frame the glass on doors and windows.

Finishes are definitely 21st century. So is the allocation of space and the handling of natural light.

On the ground floor, gray ceramic floor tiles link walls rendered in raw concrete bathed in natural light from rooftop skylights that continue into the second-floor library, whose floor stops short of the perimeter wall to allow more natural light to filter into the enclosed classrooms below.

Light

Light pierces all areas of the building, achieving luminosity and transparency as well as the air circulation so central to tropical architecture. The building captures Philippine lifestyle and satisfies local climatic conditions perfectly.

Galván, who has devoted years studying Philippine architecture, successfully updates historic and traditional references into 21st century architecture, an approach common in other countries but rarely seen in the Philippines.

History and tradition coexist on San Luís Street where both buildings stand in neighborly harmony. The low, horizontal lines of both façades form a harmonious dialogue along the street with the two-story Instituto building accentuating rather than dwarfing the low older building next to it.

Most important, one does not dominate the other. Each building, confident of its excellence, does not try to outshine the other. There is unity of vision on the street.

Think of a May-December architectural arrangement in this fusion of old and new where each partner enters the relationship with strong perspectives rooted in different generations. In the relationship, one is not forced to "conform" to the other nor do the different perspectives clash.

Despite an apparent disparity in form and style, the two partners build a lasting bond that allows each one to maintain his individuality as a shared identity is jointly built up.

May-December harmony is the lesson to be learned from Instituto Cervantes and the Casino Español who show Manila how to be good neighbors.

Now, does it still hold that you cannot marry a new building with an older one?

Heritage watch

The new Citibank Savings branch shines on Quintin Paredes Street. Its sensitive, straightforward reuse of an old Binondo building converted into a contemporary banking area signals the start of a heritage trend in a highly commercial inner-city neighborhood that usually has little regard for its rich pedigree. Bravo!

E-mail the author at pride.place@gmail.com

Revisiting Filipinas Heritage Library

By Augusto Villalon

Published on page C2 of the August 21, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

NIELSON AIRPORT WAS THE Philippines’ first modern commercial international airport. It was inaugurated on July 17, 1937, and celebrates its 70th anniversary next year.

The old airport is now the home of Filipinas Heritage Library, now in its 10th year offering traditional library services and being a one-stop research center on Filipino national-heritage information.

Not only has Filipinas Heritage Library contributed to library development; it has also contributed to raising the community’s awareness of and interest in studying and preserving the country’s heritage.

By increasing creative interaction, the restored Nielson Tower has also become a source of information, inspiration and national pride, proof that heritage buildings can, indeed, be recycled for contemporary uses.

In the late 1930s, before the days of heavy equipment, a thousand-man construction team built the airport’s two principal runways—now Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas—in the heart of central Makati.

Between the two runways was the airport control center and passenger station, then known as Nielson Tower, among the first airports in Asia.

Only the fortunate few air passengers of the day could view the airplane-shaped building from above. The earth-bound public saw an elegant structure designed in the Art Deco style of the period.

The low-slung building with a control tower at its center captured the romance of air travel, a popular motif of the Art Deco age. From the airport tower, now reused as a function room, was a sweeping view of the runway and of rural 1930s Makati fields.

Although Nielson Tower now houses Filipinas Heritage Library, the ground floor and control tower of the building retain their original 1930s layout.

In 2001, Unesco recognized the library’s restoration efforts by including Nielson Tower among the prestigious annual Unesco Asia-Pacific Cultural Heritage Awardees for outstanding conservation and architectural re-use.

Subsequent Philippine Unesco Asia-Pacific Cultural Heritage awardees were the Gota de Leche building in 2003 and the Far Eastern University campus in 2005.

Impressive
The Unesco citation for Nielson Tower reads: “The impressive conversion of one of Asia’s earliest airports into a heritage library represents a major achievement in preserving an important era of Manila’s history.

“Historical events and architecture are exemplified in the legacy of the structure and in the excellent choice to continue its livelihood as an educational facility.

“In a time of rapid urban development and expansion, the Nielson Tower is an excellent model for others to follow on how to appropriately readapt historic structures in the community.”

Just as the historic Nielson Tower connected the Philippines to the world in the 1930s, Filipinas Heritage Library now links the country globally with its information highway.

The Unesco document states that restoration of the structure painstakingly began when project managers using old photos established the original appearance of the building. Apart from some damage received during the Second World War, it was clear the tower’s structure and appearance had remained virtually unchanged since the 1930s.

Minimal work was required in the exterior. The roof, walls and original window frames were refurbished with a fresh coat of paint, window-glass panels replaced, and the Manila International Air Terminal signage on the rear of the building restored.

The only major exterior modification was the removal of the 1970s-era canvas canopy at the front entrance, replaced with a permanent circular canopy in a new design that complements the building’s architectural style.

While the layout of most rooms in the building was left unchanged and original features such as hardwood doors retained, some major alterations were made to the interior.

The central staircase, which provided access to the basement and the tower, had to be replaced to meet safety standards. A new spiral staircase was installed at the back of the building and an elevator was fitted in to allow access by the handicapped.

In order to meet the space requirements of a library the building had to be expanded. Since maintaining the original external appearance of the building was essential, enlargement was implemented underground in the basement area. Effects on the foundations were minimized by limiting the direction of the expansion toward the rear of the building.

Since its restoration, the building has also become a popular venue for community activities such as book launches, lectures, conferences, poetry readings, concerts and social functions, including weddings.

Filipinas Heritage Library brings Philippine history, literature and culture to the rest of the world through information technology. The library was opened to the public on Aug. 23, 1996.

An exhibit showcasing the transformation of the Nielson Tower has been mounted at the Alcove Photo Gallery of the library.

Feedback is welcome at pride.place@gmail.com

Remembrances and the streets of Manila

By Luis R. Sioson

Editor's Note: Published on page A17 of the August 20, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer    

CERTAIN sections of Ermita, Sta. Cruz, Binondo and Quiapo are fascinating pieces in the city of Manila’s mosaic. But the plazas seem to have shrunk because there are more people and motor vehicles.

The churches, on the other hand, remain durable and visible landmarks, spiritual sanctuaries for hundreds of pedestrians and visitors. People ply various trade on streets and sidewalks among old buildings and structures, testaments to time’s quick passage.

The pace is slower in the Ermita of the Guerreros than in Sta. Cruz and Quiapo across the Pasig River to the north. There is more space in this district that still bears traces of its genteel past. Shady trees line some of its streets and a few old homes still exude the elegance of a bygone era.

On T. M. Kalaw Street, just off noisy (and polluted) Taft Avenue that intersects UN Avenue (formerly Isaac Peral), one can retreat to the quiet of the United Central Methodist Chapel hidden in the shadows of a large mall that replaced the old Harris Memorial Building.

The section, bounded on the south by Padre Faura Street, on the north by T. M. Kalaw (San Luis Street), on the east and west by Taft Avenue and Roxas Boulevard (Dewey Boulevard), respectively, is dominated by American Period buildings housing the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, University of the Philippines Manila and Philippine General Hospital.

The old Ateneo and its next-door neighbor, Assumption College on Adriatico Street (Dakota Street) and Pedro Gil (Herran), have been replaced by Robinson’s tower and a sprawling mall.

At the corner of Padre Faura and J. Bocobo Street (Nebraska) is a cream-colored residence- turned-restaurant, its charming balcony and stairway remarkably well maintained.

Oldest ‘real’ bookstore

The nearby Marietta Building also on Bocobo, has been re placed by a condominium. Ulog was a popular jazz joint on the same street. F. Sionil Jose’s Solidaridad Bookshop, probably the oldest “real” bookstore in the city, still sells books on P. Faura. Erehwon Bookshop, once the hangout of poets, English majors or anyone looking for hard-to-find books, was once a neighbor.

Za’s Café and Hizon’s Bakeshop at the corner of Arquiza and Bocobo streets still serve their famous ensaimadas, raisin bread and pricey coffee. The café has outlived the other coffee shops in the neighborhood—Taza de Oro, Country Bakeshop, Rolling Pin and United Supermarket’s.

To the west of Padre Faura, corner Roxas Boulevard, one faces the unsettling vista of rundown buildings side by side with a modern glass, steel and concrete structure. On this corner once stood a beautiful mansion owned by a prominent family. It became a bank later.

Ermita Church stands guard over the now quiet tourist belt and a row of naughty bars. The park in front of it is no longer called Plaza Ferguson but Nuestra Señora de Guia.

On UN Avenue is the Philamlife building. Inaugurated in 1961, it has a well-maintained theater that was (and still is) a venue for memorable musical performances and stage plays. The glass-paneled cafeteria, with its adjacent chapel and indoor garden, drew thousands of faithful patrons for lunch and merienda.

Across the avenue is the Manila Pavilion (formerly Manila Hilton and then Holiday Inn). Still eye-catching is the tall white and green Don Alfonso Sycip Building, standing at the corner of UN Avenue and M.H. del Pilar.

Delightful sight

On a quiet narrow street called Alhambra that connects UN Avenue to T.M. Kalaw, is the old Diokno house, a striking two-story white building with a black iron-railed balcony overlooking the street. It is a delightful sight amid towering structures and a tangle of telephone and television cables.

The renovated Bayview Hotel, built in 1935, still stands at the corner of UN Avenue and Roxas Boulevard. Across is the Bel-Air Apartment building, designed and constructed in 1937 by National Artist Pablo Antonio.

Opposite are the former Elks Building and the fabled Army and Navy Club where members of the elite hosted parties or watched plays staged by members of the American community.
Beyond the stretch of graceful apartments and glamorous hotels beckons Manila Bay where people watch magnificent sunsets.

Northward across Jones Bridge, are Plaza Moraga and Plaza Cervantes of Binondo. The conjoined squares that once comprised the city’s throbbing center of commerce now lie desolate in the shadows of aging buildings.

The El Hogar Filipino, almost a century-old, stands forlorn on the seedy southern end of Juan Luna Street (Anloague Street, where Capitan Tiago’s house in Jose Rizal’s “Noli me Tangere,” once stood). Standing beside it are the concrete remains of the old Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank on storied San Gabriel Street.

Farther north, intersecting Juan Luna, is Estraude Street where Rizal’s house was located and where his mother supposedly waited and prayed while he was being escorted to his execution in Bagumbayan (Luneta).

El Hogar, standing by the banks of the Pasig River, still has a number of tenants. Its ground floor gets flooded when the smelly Pasig River—thick and brownish—swells when filled with wild water lilies. The dank odor of old buildings follows you as you gingerly step on improvised wooden planks to avoid the muddy water.

Nearby, the old Insular Life Building facing the Uy Chaco Building (constructed in 1914) in Plaza Cervantes looks dreary and worn, shorn of its emblem of a proud eagle perched on top of its small dome. The top floor used to house radio station dzRH that featured in its programs popular movie stars at the time like Rosa Rosal, Jaime de la Rosa, Pugo, Tugo and other entertainers.

Rizal slept in this hotel

On the same small block stood the First National City Bank of New York and the Bank of the Philippine Islands. Paredes (Rosario) Street still does some business. Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz (Plaza Calderon de la Barca) in front of Binondo Church teems with pedestrians and motor vehicles. On this square once stood Hotel de Oriente, a “five-star hotel” that Rizal patronized.

Escolta has retained its name but not its unofficial title, “Queen of the Streets.” The Crystal Arcade, Botica Boie, Heacock’s, Alonzo, Estrella del Norte, Dencia’s Pansit Malabon, Max’s Fried Chicken, Henry’s Donuts and other well-known establishments are gone. But Savory Restaurant is still around.

A dying Escolta

Escolta has been dying all these years though some businesses still remain. First-run movie theaters Capitol and Lyric are long gone. Nueva Street, where Andres Bonifacio once worked as a sales agent of Fressell y Cia, now carries the name E.T. Yuchengco.

David Street is now Burke Street while across the City College of Manila (formerly the Philippine National Bank head office) is Calvo Building. Soda Street, the Love Bus terminal before, is unrecognizable.

The Perez-Samanillo Building (now First United) and Regina Building still stand strong, proud sentinels at the entrance to Escolta from Sta. Cruz Church. The Samanillo Building, constructed in 1930, was designed by Andres Luna de San Pedro, son of painter-patriot Juan Luna.

Neglected and unnoticed by passersby is a historical marker honoring patriot-newspaperman Patricio Mariano on Banquero (Bangkero) Street, beside the Escolta Bridge, on the edge of a garbage-congested canal.

From the bridge to the left on Plaza Sta. Cruz, the historic Carriedo Fountain shoots out sprays of water that sparkle in the sun. The fountain stands between the Sta. Cruz Church and Monte de Piedad, the country’s oldest savings bank where Manuel L. Quezon, Commonwealth President, once worked as a clerk. The short Bustos Street links the plaza to Avenida Rizal.

The strip between the drab dirty-white Capitan Pepe Building and the equally drab dirty-white Priscilla Building on the Avenida Rizal-Recto Avenue intersection, southward to Carriedo Street and Plaza Lacson (Plaza Goiti), was the most popular part of downtown where one could eat, shop and see first-run movies.

The popular cinemas—Ideal, Universal Theater (now Universal Park Mall), Luzon Theaters’ Avenue and State, and Ever—are all gone. Some familiar landmarks like the Arguelles and Guison buildings remain, but the strip has been transformed into a pedestrian promenade with dusty alfresco cafés accented with balding worn-out topiaries.

Locksmiths on Ronquillo Street still practice their trade. Stores painted in loud Mediterranean colors of yellow, blue and red, and a barber shop crowd under the LRT Station on the Carriedo Plaza Lacson junction. This section has, quite accidentally, developed into a kind of open-air concert hall.

The crowds form a half circle to watch and listen to a blind duo of singer and guitarist, static distorting the sound of the music coming from an amplifier powered by a car battery. The blind musicians and their motley audience of commuters have carved out a space under the LRT tracks.

Distracting background

Further distorting the sound of music is a combination of the hard and heavy rhythmic roll of LRT cars, the ear-splitting sounds of videoke machines and the hoarse voices of ambulant peddlers.

On nearby Palanca Street (Echague), Henry Sy’s old Shoemart (some say the first, the original SM) still does brisk business.

Plaza Lacson honors the colorful Manila Mayor Arsenio “Arsenic” Lacson. He stands tall on a pedestal across the old Roman Santos Building topped by a big clock and stone sculptures.

The popular Clover Theatre that brought the public Don Jose Zarah’s Extravaganza and jazz pianist Ping Joaquin, has become the City College of Manila annex.

On the crowded streets leading to Quiapo Church and Plaza Miranda, Sta. Cruz and Quiapo meet, borderless and offering a mix of colors and scents of street food, fruit and flowers. The aromas of fishball, smoked fish, pineapple slices, flowers, burning candles, herbs, roasted castañas and other “chichiria” fill the air.

Platerias, barely visible on congested Carriedo Street, still offer hard-to-find “piezas” (music sheets).

The stretch from Sta. Cruz Church to Quiapo Church is almost impassable, choked by crowds, stalls and merchandise of all kinds. On Plaza Miranda, balloon vendors, fortune tellers and novena sellers vie for the attention of church goers.

Take a trip to nostalgia and enjoy the walk and the remembrance of things past and present. It will be good for your soul and your sole.

(Luis R. Sioson, president of the Torres High School Class 1955 Foundation, has been writing articles about Tondo and other districts of Manila.)

Krag and concrete

Manila Bulletin, Tuesday, 8 August 2006
by Gemma Cruz Araneta

If Spain conquered these islands with the "Cross and sword", the United States of America crushed the First Republica de Filipinas   with "Krag and concrete". During three hundred and fifty years of Spanish colonial rule, fortifications, bridges and aqueducts, lighthouses, public buildings and roads were constructed by military and civilian authorities. Not to be outdone, the religious orders who came brandishing the Cross built their own centers of power at vantage points all over the countryside. Ingeniously, they fashioned imposing Baroque churches, massive bell towers and conventos with endemic materials and indigenous labor.

After the Treaty of Paris and during the Philippine-American War (1899-1911) that ensued, the battle cry of infamous General Jacob Smith resounded through the islands-- “Civilize them with the Krag!” Samar was left a “howling wilderness”, after all natives above nine years old were slaughtered with the Krag.  As America’s “pacification “strategy gained ground, concrete, the latest material in modern construction, was generously poured all over this country.  Our war of resistance was still raging, but already, the new masters were flaunting their technological supremacy and imperial architecture. After a Philippine Assembly was elected in 1907, construction became a frenzy and continued unabated until the eve of the Second World War. Soon, the native populace was mesmerized by splendid government edifices that strongly projected the strength of American colonial policies. In provinces were anti-American resistance was particularly fierce, democratic slogans about power and the people were carved, for posterity, on the commanding façades of municipal palaces.  Everything built during the American colonial period— town halls, public schools, hospitals, fire stations, bridges, highways, prisons, courthouses, and the Executive House of Malacanan — magnificently imparted the new political ideology. Democracy, though ushered in by the cruel Krag,  was immortalized in architectural monuments of concrete.

As early as 1904, the American Secretary of War advised Commissioner W. Cameron Forbes, to hire the foremost city planner, Daniel Burnham., of “White City” fame (the 1893 Chicago World Fair) to do Manila.  He had successfully transformed Chicago, San Francisco and Washington D.C. into cities beautiful. Burnham came to the Philippines, stayed for six weeks during which he drafted blueprints for the east and southern margins of Intramuros,  including the Manila Bay area. In addition, he was to convert Baguio into a superb hill station for American officials who could not bear the hot summer months of the lowlands. Surprisingly, Burnham was more respectful than his Krag-bearing compatriots. He preserved significant Spanish colonial structures that survived America’s “dirty little war”, impressed by their elegance and convinced of their practical sustainability in tropical conditions. Burnham’s decision to restore and improve, instead of demolish and rebuild was indeed rare in Western urban planners of that epoch.

Like many of his peers, Daniel Burnham favored the Neo-Classical style, monumental buildings reminiscent of Greece and Roman; palatial structures with imposing vaults and domes, though non-sectarian in function. Lush gardens and parks, dramatic tree-lined avenues, reflecting pools and landscaped lagoons were trademarks of “City Beautiful”.  Burnham believed that was the way he could create “enduring witnesses to the efficient services of America to the Philippine Islands...”

Famous as Burnham was, it was the almost obscure Arch. William E. Parsons of the Bureau of Public Works (BPW) who gave substance to his colleague’s “imperial space”. There were other Americans like Ralph Harrington Doane who eventually handed the reins over to the first generation of Filipino architects--Antonio Toledo, Andres Luna de San Pedro, Tomas Mapua and the Arellano brothers, Juan and Arcadio. The elegant architectural designs of these pensionados dominated the landscape during the Philippine Commission, the Commonwealth and pre-World War II periods. From the classical revivalist style that came with  Burnham , Parsons and Doane, our Filipino architects  brought in new forms from Europe, like the Arts Nouveau and  Deco, which they transformed with native elements and with such eclectic refinement.(more on Thursday…)
(gemma601@yahoo.com)

“Krus na daan” DZRJ 810 khz, Monday to Friday, 5 to 6pm. Watch “Only Gemma!” RJTV, Mondays, 8pm, Sky 19 Manila & Baguio, Destiny 6 Cebu & 79 Manila, Palompon 23 Leyte, Colorview 40 Zambales, Caceres 6, Comsatel 44 Quezon 29, Mananap 18, Mariveles Space 27, La Union 38, Albay 6, Isabela 18.

Be seated at the Metropolitan Museum

By Augusto Villalon   

Published on page D4 of the August 7, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer    

AN OUTSTANDING SERIES OF exhibitions illustrating the development of Philippine character over generations marks the tenure of Ino Manalo as director of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila. His exhibition program presents the total Philippine-culture spectrum, going beyond the stereotypical visual-arts window to include objects of daily life.

Manalo uses ordinary objects to portray Philippine culture, everyday things such as baskets, carving, clothing, folk art, religious icons, old photos and commonplace stuff usually taken for granted by most Filipinos whose daily lives are surrounded by what they perceive as ordinary.

Whatever its origin, an object tells a story, whether it be an heirloom or an export overrun T-shirt manufactured in the past week.

Manalo’s sharp vision transforms ordinary objects into extraordinary storytelling icons that powerfully express attitudes, habits and beliefs of Filipinos, which makes viewers return to shared roots.

Manalo has organized exhibits that bring out our shared Philippine roots. He has presented all facets of Boholano culture from rare Spanish colonial church treasures through traditional basketry and craft items of recent design manufactured for the export market.

He has taken Metropolitan viewers on an extensive walk through Quiapo, highlighting the quarter’s treasures, from its surviving bahay-na-bato and their illustrious residents to neighborhood minutiae like the anting-anting sold outside Quiapo church.

Exhibiting everyday stuff removes culture from wrongly perceived ivory-tower altitudes, returning it to earth, and bringing culture back to the people where it rightfully belongs.
 
The present exhibition at the Met sees how Philippine life evolved through the American colonial era by showing different chairs that people sat on during those days. This is an unusual journey and a visual treat not to be missed.

At the “Upuan” exhibit, chairs go beyond their function. They are presented as social commentary.

“For many centuries,” says the exhibit catalogue text, “chairs were articles of state and dignity rather than items of ordinary use. They have their origin in the hierarchic society of medieval Europe, where only the king sat on chairs.”

Ordinary folk of the time were lucky to have a bench or stool to sit on. The world has turned full circle since. Now we all have chairs to sit on, but we can’t sit on all of them.

Chairs of authority in dining rooms, boardrooms, reception halls and on the ceremonial dais are restricted to special persons. In airports, special people gain access to airline lounges where seats are much more comfortable than outside, where ordinary folk still sit on ordinary chairs, not much change from the stools and benches of medieval days.

The rural Filipino, the exhibit points out, spends most of his day outdoors with little need for chairs. Rocks serve as stools, and branches become benches. Others just squat on the ground.

Squatting was not for all. Generations of Cordillera elders have discussed community issues while ceremonially seated on the honored stone seats of the circular dap-ay. Lowland bishops and priests have ornate seats on cathedral altars. Power comes with privilege and special seating.

Rural people traditionally sit or squat under the shade of their bahay-na-nipa to cool off from the hot sun. Inside their houses, there is a minimum of furniture since they live in a one-room, multipurpose space. Since sleeping, cooking and eating happen within the same area, too much furniture restricts movement and flexibility.

When the Spanish moved people from rural to urban areas, “a more indoor kind of living and a new social order” developed, which “increased the chances as well as the need of families to socially interact with each other within the confines of their residences to enhance their prestige and power.

“Such interaction required showing off the elegant design and grandeur of their bahay-na-bato as well as the splendor and magnificence of their furniture,” the catalogue says. Such can be seen at Casa Manila in Intramuros, Casa Gorordo in Cebu and the Museo De La Salle in Dasmariñas (Cavite).

During the American colonial period, people flocking to urban centers seeking employment ushered in a construction boom. Government offices, schools, corporate structures, and houses rose quickly all over the Philippines, all needing furniture.
 
With lifestyle changes introduced by the new colonial regime, areas within offices and residences compartmentalized into smaller, separate spaces, requiring a new range of specialized furniture for living or dining rooms, bedrooms, offices, schools.

Craftsmen designed and executed a variety of new furniture, adapting American designs to the tropics. The furniture of the era demonstrate “stylistic hybridity… making colonialism appear as a civilizing continuity rather than a disruption of a native civilization.”

Go see “Upuan” to revisit the excellence of Philippine craftsmanship. The exhibit runs until Sept. 9.

It is not only “Upuan” that completes its museum run in September. Ino Manalo ends his tenure as Metropolitan Museum director as well.

Ino deserves a solid round of appreciation for his pioneering determination in telling the Philippine story through the culture of the everyday.

“Upuan” is one of those rare Manila exhibits that expand the horizons of anyone who takes the time to experience it. The exhibit is especially enlightening for practicing or student architects and interior designers needing to take inspiration from Philippine tradition.

Interesting and educational as they may be, Metropolitan Museum exhibits are underutilized opportunities. More people should go to see them, but then the Filipino is notoriously not a museum-
going individual. Maybe exhibits should go to the malls to reach more people.

Heritage watch

“Bid for Heritage” is the annual art and design auction organized by the Heritage Conservation Society. It takes place Aug. 20, 4 p.m., at The Loft, Rockwell Drive, Makati.

Proceeds benefit the projects of the Heritage Conservation Society, particularly the HCS-DepEd Heritage Schoolhouse Restoration Program, which has completed restoration of American-period schoolhouses in Bacolod, Baguio and San Fernando, Pampanga.

In 2006-07, buildings in Teachers Camp, Baguio, and public schools in Zamboanga and Davao will be restored by the project.

Tickets for “Bid for Heritage” are available at the HCS Secretariat at Museo Pambata, Roxas Boulevard. Call 5212239 or 5222497.

E-mail the author at pride.place @gmail.com

The office villages of Makati

By Paulo Alcazaren
The Philippine STAR 08/05/2006                   

In the 1970s, I started my professional career working in the Central Business District of Makati. The commute was five minutes from Baryo Kapitolyo in Pasig where I lived and traffic was never heavy except across the then-narrow bridge of pre-billboarded Guadalupe. Although the office I worked in was on Paseo de Roxas, what struck me as odd were the names of the two major office districts that flanked Ayala Avenue.

Legazpi Village and Salcedo Village housed dozens of pint-sized office buildings that rose up from their curved streets. They were half the height of the Ayala buildings, which were uniform at about 12 stories high (the limit in the ‘60s was about 15 stories because of fear of earthquakes – building technology has since progressed – and the proximity to the airport). I figured that maybe the areas were called villages because of their small-scaled structures and smallish network of roads.

I was wrong, of course.

The answer lay in the very success of Ayala’s Makati. But the clues were in that network of streets, the fact that both areas had central open spaces and the fact that surrounding these two were several already established residential villages – San Lorenzo, Urdaneta, and Bel-Air.

Salcedo and Legazpi Villages were actually designed and laid out as residential villages to support the central spine of Ayala Avenue, which was the only area originally meant to house multi-story office buildings. The two were to be the last in a sequence of "subdivided" housing (or "homesite," to use the term then prevalent) developments that complimented the live-work-play new suburb of Makati.

The background story is one of Ayala’s Makati and the strategy that the original planners led by Don Alfonso Zobel, Don Enrique Zobel, Colonel McMicking and Col. Jaime Velasquez took to develop the 1,650 hectares of former Jesuit-held swamp and marginal agricultural land.

They had taken the tack to develop a complete new satellite city with industry, offices and housing all connected via well-paved, well-lit, quick-draining roads. Few today remember that Makati in the ‘50s and early ‘60s was the most industrialized town in the province of Rizal (Makati was still a municipality and Metropolitan Manila as an entity was still decades away so any place not a city was under the control of the provincial government). The developers knew that people would move to Makati if work was nearby in factories, if the administrative offices of these plants were a few hundred meters away and if housing was a short hop away in your Dodge, Chevy or Chrysler.

Makati offered an alternative to war-damaged Manila and did so ahead of the government’s own plans for Quezon City (which I’ve written about several times in this column). Since the National Capital Plan was forever short of funds to consolidate land, much less put in infrastructure, anyone with a viable alternative was able to meet the demands of the post-war market. Makati offered all this plus it was only four kilometers from the old center compared to 15 from Quezon City.

Sales of housing sites, office and factory plots boomed. The Ayala Avenue strip was soon filled and by the early ‘70s the demand was so great that the last two residential clusters, Legazpi and Salcedo Villages, were turned into commercial zones and opened up for small office buildings. Of course, the drainage and power infrastructure was designed for residences so it took a while to retrofit the utilities. Traffic was also a problem eventually as no one had expected such huge volumes of cars and people. Ayala took another two decades to fix the problem with overhead pedestrian bridges to encourage walking and parking garages to increase capacities. In addition to all these factors was the development of Alabang and alternatives for housing even farther away.

Today, Makati is filling out and density is increasing. The office villages are booming in a second wave that is seeing structures as tall as their Ayala Avenue cousins. The call center phenomenon and new lifestyles are also turning the two into real villages where people actually live-work-play. Ayala Land has started to build high-rise condominiums in, or close to, these villages like the Columns and Columns 2 to bring back the original intent full circle – village life has never been more urban and, from the looks of plans, more urbane.

* * *

Feedback is welcome. Please e-mail the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com

Galaxy of treasures, avenues of loss

By Paulo Alcazaren
The Philippine STAR 07/22/2006                  

Manila suffered another heritage loss last month. The Avenue Theater was a grand Art Deco structure that provided entertainment for generations of Manilans. Designed in the 1930s by National Artist for Architecture Juan Nakpil, the structure was a landmark building that helped define Manila's downtown – Avenida Rizal. The success of the current pedestrianization and revitalization of that street has led ironically to a tragedy of greed over heritage. This may eventually negate the very logic of urban revivification – that of recovering Manila's sense and pride of place.

Avenida was the main street of pre and postwar Manila. Movie houses, restaurants, department stores, bookshops and small hotels lined the street from its start near the banks of the Pasig northward, past the drugstores and the San Lazaro Hospital. It was the place to go to for movies, shopping and a night out with family and friends. Busy with traffic by day and vibrant with neon lights till the wee hours of the morning, the avenue was the entertainment capital of Manila and the Philippines.

Named after the street it was on, the Avenue Theater was one of the