Manila: National Artist Pablo Antonio’s work to be demolished

What are people doing to Manila's heritage? It seems the uglification of Manila is moving forward at such an alarming rate. The sad part is our utter disregard for the works of people we call National Artists. Why do we give out the award in the first place if we don't even care whether their works are preserved for future generations of Filipinos to appreciate?

I got this from Richard Tuason Bautista of the Heritage Conservation Society, "This morning (3 June 2006) during our taping and inspection of the ongoing demolition of the Avenue Theater and Hotel, we learned from the EVJ Demolition Team, with representation of their general manager Mr. Esteban Toting, that the Galaxy Theatre is next to face the demolition crew.

"Galaxy theatre is a work of National Artist for Architecture Pablo Antonio. It may not be too late to save this one. But how to save it, an uproar from the public is needed."

We should not sit down and simply watch while what's left of the Pearl of the Orient and its capital city, goes down one by one! To the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), National Historical Institute (NHI) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), it's about time you guys take a stand and protect the works of our National Artists! And to all of us ordinary citizens, let's write Mayor Atienza and tell him to stop giving out demolition permits for Manila's architectural heritage!

In fact, the NCCA lists the Galaxy Theater as one of Antonio's major works! Again, for those who would like to save this heritage structure, you can call or fax a complaint to Mayor Lito Atienza at 5276063 or 5274991 or send an e-mail at mayor_atienza@cityofmanila.com.ph.

Check out Ellen Tordesillas' blog for more comments about Atienza's latest rampage.

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Manila: Save Manila from Mayor Atienza!

This is the third entry with the word save in such a short span of time. The ignorance of our local government officials, moreso in the nation's capital city, is getting to be really depressing. It seems Mayor Lito Atienza is living up to his name as Manila's heritage destroyer. In the PDI article Arroyo orders rehabilitation of endangered buildings (May 31, 2006), Atienza calls for the demolition of the Luneta Hotel Historical Landmark! It is difficult to fathom how a mayor would even consider doing such.

The article says, "However, the mayor called on the DPWH and the owners of abandoned private buildings to demolish the structures because these posed a danger to the public.

"He cited the Veteran's Bank Building in the Port Area, the Royal Hotel on Carlos Palanca Street and the Luneta Hotel on T.M. Kalaw Avenue, among other buildings.

"These are abandoned buildings," Atienza said. "Uninhabited structures tend to become brittle as the years pass, and this is dangerous."

Photos of the Luneta Hotel came from the Heritage Watch Forum. The white building to the right of the hotel is another pre-war structure, the University Club Building.

The Luneta Hotel was declared a national historical landmark by the National Historical Institute and is thus protected by P.D. 1505. According to the decree, "Sec. 5. It shall be unlawfully for any person to modify, alter, repair or destroy the original features of any national shrine, monument, landmark and other important historic edifices declared and classified by the National Historical Institute as such without the prior written permission from the Chairman of said Institute.

"Any person who shall violate this Decree shall, upon conviction, be punished by imprisonment for not less than one year nor more than five years or a fine of not less than one thousand pesos nor more than ten thousand pesos or both, at the discretion of the court or tribunal concerned."

After chopping down centuries-old trees in Manila's last lung, the Arroceros Forest Park; demolishing the art deco Jai Alai Building in order to build a Hall of Justice which up to today has not begun (the lot where the Jai Alai Building used to stand is still a gaping hole in the ground); building a park and ride facility in the Mehan Gardens Historical Landmark, an archaeologically rich area being the site of Manila's Parian, thus destroying evidences of our rich culture; and getting rid of the YMCA Building and San Lazaro Hippodrome to build SM malls, sad to say SM City Manila now towers over the Manila City Hall and the area has become so congested and ugly; he is at it again!

Congratulations for a job well done Mayor Atienza! Kudos to your Patayan ang MayniLA program!

When was the last time you displayed the Philippine flag?

When was the last time you displayed the Philippine flag outside your home? According to Section 7 of RA 8491 - An Act Prescribing the Code of the National Flag, Anthem, Motto, Coat-of-Arms and other Heraldic Items and Devices of the Philippines:

"SECTION 7. The flag shall also be displayed in private buildings and residences or raised in the open on flag-staffs in front of said buildings every April 9 (Araw ng Kagitingan); May 1 (Labor Day); May 28 (National Flag Day) to June 12 (Independence Day); last Sunday of August (National Heroes Day); November 30 (Bonifacio Day); and December 30 (Rizal Day); and on such other days as may be declared by the President and/or local chief executives."

May 28, 1898 was the day the Philippine flag was first unfurled after the Battle of Alapan, where the Philippine Revolutionary Army lead by Aguinaldo defeated the Spanish Army. This day is recognized today as National Flag Day.

As one Filipino nation, let us display the Philippine flag outside our homes and offices from May 28 (National Flag Day) to June 12 (Independence Day)!

Manila: Save the Avenue Theatre and Hotel

Manila was the second most devastated city after the Second World War. Most of the architectural heritage that earned for us the moniker "Pearl of the Orient" was lost in the hostilities. With so little left, we must thus endeavor to preserve what is left of our heritage. It is thus sad to hear that so many heritage structures are lost at such an alarming rate.

I got this from the Heritage Conservation Society: "For those who would like to save this heritage structure, you can call or fax a complaint to Mayor Lito Atienza at 5276063 or 5274991 or send an e-mail at mayor_atienza@cityofmanila.com.ph.

"This building was designed by National Artist for Architecture, Juan F. Nakpil in the 1930s with 1950s renovation of the same. It is among those buildings with a hotel, office space, and theatre. For those who are not familiar of it's location, it is along Avenida Rizal corner Soler, beside National Bookstore."

At the right is a photo of Avenue Theatre, a proof that it did surive the Second World War! It had survived this long. What a pity if we allow it to go down just like that.

Visit "Heritage Watch," a forum website, for more information...
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=8553348#post8553348

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Manila: Poking around the old millionaires' row in San Miguel

It was another adventure with Manila's streetwalker, my tokayo, Ivan ManDy. This time, it was in the most happening place in Manila before the war and the birthplace of our national beer... San Miguel!

Our walking tour actually started in Quiapo, in Asia's first all-steel church, the Basilica of San Sebastian. After looking around, I'm always fascinated by the Gothic architecture and stained-glass windows of this church, we were off to San Miguel. From San Sebastian, it was a short stroll towards Mendiola and its American period schools.

The next stop was a little chapel in San Beda College known as the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat. According to the history of the Abbey, "In 1895 a group of Benedictine monks from the Abbey of Montserrat in Spain came to the Philippines and worked as missionaries and pastors in Surigao. Later they moved to Manila and in 1901 founded San Beda College. The community was raised to a priory in 1904 and in 1925 was elevated to the rank of Abbey with the titular of Our Lady of Montserrat."

From there, it was through the Malacañang gates and security checks galore. Since we had a reservation at the La Cocina de Tita Moning (they had a letter with the guards complete with the names of all the guests), they let us in.

But this was a very sad picture of our country... barbed wire along the sidewalks ready for action when needed; a paranoid security detail always on hightened alert (even with the rallies going on in Bangkok, you could easily marvel at the architectural beauty of their government houses); the once see-through walls of the elegant old mansions in San Miguel now covered with metal sheets; I do hope the Malacañang complex becomes an area of the people again where Filipinos could walk around freely and enjoy their history and heritage. In fact, our bike escort (yes, we had a guard on a bike monitoring us while we were inside) did not even allow us to take a peek at Kalayaan Hall from the gates.

From Mendiola, we took a walk down Arlegui where more mansions could be seen. One of the mansions of interest is among the list of palace guesthouses. Known as the Arlegui Guesthouse it served as the official residence of two presidents namely Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos.

According to the Malacañang website, the house is "a remodeled and enlarged 1930s mansion owned by the Laperal family. It later housed the Japanese Embassy, the National Library and the Presidential Economic Staff, one of the agencies that was later merged with another to constitute the present National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). Mrs. Marcos doubled the size of the mansion when it was converted to a guesthouse; it now has two towers where it used to have one."

It was straight down the road on Arlegui and even more mansions. We then made a left on San Rafael where the Legarda House was located. The house had been converted into a fine dining restaurant called La Cocina de Tita Moning, giving their clients a glimpse into the family recipes and lifestyle of the Legarda household. There are set meals available for a minimum of two and a maximum of 50 people. But for us, it was just a sampler. For our welcome drink, we had lemon grass tea. And for our meal, it was pasta with the special chopped tomato sauce, baked chicken with garlic and banana cue for dessert, which was accompanied with vermouth as its "syrup." The houses also had a shop where one could purchase bottled family specialties such as the queso de bola spread, vinigarettes, and sauces.

After second and even third servings and some chatting here and there, we continued our walk. Right beside the Legarda House is another well preserved art deco mansion which today is the Malacanang Clinic. This used to be the home of former chief of staff of the Philippine Army, Dr. Basilio Valdes.

From San Rafael, we took a right back on J. P. Laurel and exited the secured area of the palace complex towards the San Miguel Church. But we made a brief stop in front of an empty part of the palace lawn where the offices and factory of the tenth largest brewery in the world was first built over a century ago. The San Miguel Brewery factory is no longer there. That alone would have been a museum worth visiting if it were still standing today. Sigh!

The San Miguel Church has a lot of history attached to it. It was for several years in our history the seat of the Archdiocese of Manila when the Manila Cathedral lay in ruins after the war. The church was host to celebrity weddings as well including that of President Ferdinand Marcos to then Imelda Romualdez.

We were nearing the end of our tour. Our last stops were two more Malacañang guesthouses. "The Goldenberg Mansion (so called after the previous owners) was informally referred to by Mrs. Marcos as the 'big antique.' A historic structure built by the Eugster family (probably Spaniards long returned to Spain) about a hundred years ago, it was the office of the Marcos Foundation, a cultural heritage structure. It was a combination residence and shampoo factory when bought by the Marcoses and exquisitely restored by Architect Leandro Locsin in 1971.

"It held Mrs. Marcos' collection of excavated porcelain and pottery, Ban Chieng prehistoric pottery from Thailand and Filipiniana book rarities, and treasures such as a statue from Angkor and Chinese jade furniture.

"The Teus house next door was purchased and converted to a guesthouse in 1974, under the supervision of decorator Ronnie Laing. It has a large living-dining area that held a display of antique European silverware (since sold at auction), including some by famous 18th and 19th century silversmiths Paul de Lamerie and Paul Storr. Much of these were apparently given to the Marcoses on their silver wedding anniversary."

Talk about opulence in the Philippines! Despite their many faults, the Marcoses, particularly Imelda and her edifice complex, made Manila the most happening place in all of Asia. The results of these whims and caprices are architectural legacies such as the Cultural Center of the Philippines among many others.

In front of the two mansions was a shop which should be of particular interest to those who would like a piece of Philippine heritage in their homes. The old tiles we see in old houses and churches are made by companies such as the Machuca Tile Company which has made tiles since 1900. Their office is in front of these mansions and if you check the photo, their phone number is in the sign.

That was the end of the tour and it was back to San Sebastian by jeep. That's it for now.