Manila, Manila I keep coming back to Manila - Part 1

I wrote a draft post about Manila months ago but I wasn't able to finish it and it has been giving me the Devil Eye every time I open my 'Posts' page and more so when I finished a post whilst it remained being a draft. Here's what I wrote so far before Procrastination, Tiredness and Excuses took over.

The walled city of Intramuros has literally stood the test of time. Dear Wiki says Intramuros

"is the oldest district and historic core of the City of Manila, the capital of the Philippines."

Basically, it is the heart of Old Manila which is an apt venue for Pasyal Sundays of #VivaManila, a cultural revival movement spearheaded by cultural activist Carlos Celdran. Pasyal Sundays is a monthly free public event within the Walls that showcases the lush community potential of the city in the forms of local performers, artisans and businesses, as well.

Now, I have a more resolute writing soul to finish it and the reason behind it: Manila Day 2014.


I am a true-blooded Rosenian since I was a kid. Born in Santa Rosa. Studied there. Lived my formative years there. And even dreamed of not escaping this dreamy little city down South. But college pushed me (literally) beyond the confines of my comfort zone and threw me in the chaos that is Manila.

Welcome to Manila
(c) Yanidel Street Photography

My first weeks in Manila were hell. Sensory overload from the cacophony of sounds from the jeepneys in the street, the LRT overhead, and the peddlers with their wares on their shoulder. The unsightly sights of sidewalk gutter brimming with brownish muck hitting your nose down to your stomach with its putrid odor. I lost my naïveté and trust when my laptop got stolen. The fast-paced living pushed my poor promdi soul to adapt lest perish. Slowly, I have come to scorn Manila until I found myself lost within the Walls of Intramuros.

Within the Walls
(c) Wikipedia Commons

Inside the Walls of Intramuros, specially along General Luna Street, you feel yourself transported back in time with its cobblestone-laid street and old ancestral houses refurbished back to their glory days. These sights alone will sweep an old soul off his feet and forget about the stresses outside these moss-covered walls.

Just my luck last Manila Day when the infamous Carlos Celdran (go search him up!) opened a barter tour schedule for his Intramuros Tour to the public because of the holiday. For a lower cost compared to his regular tour rates and by trading in anything (I bartered a coral paperweight I made the very same morning), this is one activity I surely wouldn't want to miss!

For Intramuros "virgins", taking this tour is one of the best ways to learn more about the Walled City. But for the many living souls wandering the place for sometime already, joining Celdran's tour gives you a refreshing take of the various establishments around Ciudad Murada. So let's start the tour: "WALK THIS WAY!"

WALK THIS WAY!

The magic starts in Plaza Moriones where Celdran gives an introduction of Manila, which became more relevant considering it was 443 years since that very same day that Miguel Lopez de Legazpi encountered more Moros after his forefathers fought them less than a century ago in Grenada. With splashes of santan buds accompanying his old-school flipchart visuals, he entertained the crowd and educated them about the history of Manila from pre-Hispanic times until the present. You change your view about Manila literally every step of the way because in every tree-shaded stops along the tour, he gives a refreshing lecture whilst occasionally shouting at the Manila Cathedral or throwing away Chocnut to the crowd. 

Or wearing an Uncle Sam top hat to drive the point home.
(c) crappy phone camera 

Lectures range from introducing pre-Hispanic Manila to the crowd (the particular crowd last Manila Day was a mixture of Filipino and foreigner people), Manila as a province then a colony of Spain upon entering Fort Santiago, a Rizal lecture before being ushered inside the Rizal Shrine, Manila during American rule before exiting the Fort Santiago then segueing to the fate of Manila during the Second World War while passing through ruins said to be Macarthur's HQ during the war and aptly ending the multi-cultural tour with a halo-halo in the patio of Casa Manila. It was hard-earned money well spent, indeed. But this was just the morning of my Manila Day. I still had half a day to be spent for my shenanigans.

The fan and the idol in his bunny ears.
(c) crappy phone camera 

The National Museum, housed in the Old Finance Building, opened its doors for free because of the same holiday. Despite being here for several times already, the beauty of walking along the silent corridors (albeit it was a bit 'packed' this time because it's basically an open-house event that day) and taking in the rich history and culture of our country is an energy-revitalizing activity for an introvert like myself. One of my favorite spots inside is the Baybayin exhibit housed at the fourth floor of the Museum.

Will have these panes installed in my (future) kids' bedroom.

Sadly, just a reprint.

Here, my childish desires to learn about Baybayin resurfaced. The sablay display did not help with these desires. First off, it's not Alibata but Baybayin. Second, it's so beautiful, I have irrationally used this to make a second point. Third, there is none because it's just goddamn beautiful. Period. Ironically, the largest collection of surviving documents written in Baybayin is in possession of a Catholic institution instead of the Museum of the Filipino People. *le grand sigh*

The capiz-looking thingamabob is a key.
At least according to the display's card.

 Moving on, the Museum offers different exhibits to satiate the varying taste of its tourists. For shipwreck lovers (if there are any), there is the San Diego exhibit in the second floor housing the salvaged wares from the trading ship. Wooden sculptures, earthen jars and blue-and-white china are just some of of the displays in this exhibit. There is also a Linnean exhibit on the same floor showcasing the wide variety of flora and fauna of our country. Hoping this one gets expanded because we have the Verde Island Passage (that China can NEVER EVER get its dirty hands nor nine-line dash shittery on) dubbed as the "Center of the Center of Marine Shorefish Biodiversity". 

Appreciation handed down from one generation to another.

On the third floor, people wanting to know more about the diverse culture of the Philippines can step right in the ethnography exhibit. Displays range from simple agricultural implements of our farmer brothers in the Central plains to bulul statues of our Igorot brethen up north. Traditional dresses of the Tagalogs down to innately-designed royal attire of the Muslim people are also on display. One cannot help but stare in awe in the cultural diversity of this little archipelago in the Pacific Ocean and how it is aptly termed as the Pearl of the Orient.

If given the chance, I would have used my
bus ticket as canvas and draw something on it
and post it there along with artworks of other kids.
HAHAHA

Alongside the Baybayin exhibit that I just fanboy-ed, the fourth floor contains a recently installed exhibit that will surely capture the hearts of the children and children at heart. Its theme is the biodiversity of the Philippine flora and fauna and it contains children-friendly activity areas and audio-visual presentations that will surely keep the kids engaged and educated at the same time.

Just across Finance Road and what used to be the Old Congress Building stands the National Art Gallery containing Luna's 'Spoliarium' to greet you upon entering the building. I have been fooled by pictures of the world-famous painting as a kid, particularly the ones without any person as a reference for size, thinking it's a "normal-sized" painting placed on the floor because it's a goddamn hipster. Just imagine how my mind blew upon seeing it in real life. The artwork towers over the people around it and it almost touches the ceiling of the main atrium of the National Gallery. It's not a hipster. It's a behemoth chained to the floor to keep it from eating you.

Now this is how it should be shown: with possible painting victims/people as reference for its humongous size.

The exhibits are divided according to eras when the artworks were made. Aside from the "Hall of The Masters" containing the works of Luna and Hidalgo that garnered distinction during the Madrid Exposition of 1884, the National Art Gallery has 10 other galleries open to the public containing artworks of different media made during different periods of time. Some galleries contain colonial and religious art, several showcase the works of classical masters like Juan Luna, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo and even Jose Rizal, contemporary successors of the mentioned like Fernando Amorsolo and the great modernists Vicente Manansala, Ang Kiukok and Carlos "Botong" Francisco. Must-visit is one of Francisco's work, "The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines", in Gallery X as it used to adorn the lobby of the Philippine General Hospital. Aside from these halls, I particularly like a gallery dedicated to the works of Guillermo Tolentino and the pictures below will show you why:

From paper to bronze, this man used them all and deserving to called as the "Father of Philippine Arts". Without him, we wouldn't have the Bonifacio Monument nor Oble in existence. Without him, we wouldn't have any father to our arts. 

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Procrastination, Tiredness and Excuses are in the horizon. Better post this before it becomes another draft that gives me the Devil Eye! See you on the second part of my Manila escapades (because one entry is not enough to describe how much I enjoyed Manila that it trampled my scorn for it).