Central Post Office - Memories of a Colonial Past (Manila)

The heart of the country's post-sorting and distribution station is Manila's Central Post Office, the head office of the Philippine Postal Corporation. Forget its salient function and it's understandable why the building is an eye catcher. Its neoclassical architecture was conceptualized by Juan M. Arellano and Tomas Mapua who designed and built the building in 1926. Though this was severely damaged during World War II, it didn't take long to rebuild it to its original glory. In fact, by 1946, it was proudly standing again.

A "fu dragon" welcomes from one side of the bridge.

The location of the Post Office was part of Daniel Burnham's city planning, deliberately situating it at the confluence of several streets near the banks of the Pasig River. It is accessible from several sides: Quiapo, Binondo, Malate, Ermita. It has 16 ionic pillars and cost PhP1 million to build.

Who was Daniel Hudson Burnham? He was a New York-born, Chicago-raised architect and urban designer who created master plans for several cities all over the world. This includes Chicago, downtown Washington D.C. and Manila.

Yes, Manila was from the brilliant mind of a world class planner. More than an urban planner, Burnham always wanted to be a good man. He believed that "man should strive to be of service to others". He was also commissioned to plan Baguio City, thus Burnham Park was named after him. If Bacolod City's Provincial Capitol seems familiar, this is because it is Daniel Burnham's work.

This central office has been featured in several local movies because of its scenic facade. It's also one of my favorite places in old Manila, though I have never stepped on its grounds until the day I took these photos. In front of the building is a statue of Andres Bonifacio, a revolutionary hero who hailed from Tondo. He was a mason and a member of La Liga Filipina. He eventually founded the revolutionary movement KKK aka the Katipunan who fought against the Spaniards. He was called the Supremo.

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Andres Bonifacio: The Supremo.

Pasig River

Naga City's Public Plaza and Naga Church (Cebu Province)

The other Naga City in the Philippines isn't near Nora Aunor's hometown (in Bicol), but my childhood nanny's. I remember her distinctly because she introduced me to the realm of the folkloric Visayan aswangs: Agta, santilmo, kikik, etc. After visiting Carcar, I decided to drop by Naga on my way back to Cebu City.

City Hall

Naga, founded 1829 by the Spaniards, is 22 kilometers from Cebu City, roughly about an hour by commuter bus (including all the stops to drop and pick up passengers along the way). It's easy to see why it easily qualified for its cityhood although it had the same "on-again, off-again" status like Carcar. In 2009, the Supreme Court decided to bestow its cityhood with finality. 

Factories of steel and cement, a power plant, a company producing semi-conductor gadgets for mobile phones, a marble industry, a shoe village - these constitute some of the businesses that make Naga a vibrant community. They have a well-laid out City Plaza and the Naga Baywalk, officially called St. Francis Ocean Park, a scenic seaside promenade, to show for these commercial and industrial potboilers. 

With a population (105,000) smaller than Carcar's, it's evident that the emergence of the factories and commercial plants have made Naga a more progressive place, and it shows. Unfortunately, Naga doesn't have Carcar's cultural and historical artifacts.

I took a multicab from Carcar (just a kilometer away from the Naga City boundary, PhP25) and got off when I saw the Metro Mall. In this area, you will find the city hall (that was being renovated during my visit) and the beautiful town plaza which displays Andres Bonifacio on a pedestal (instead of Jose Rizal); the Children's Playground; and the Naga Church (St. Francis de Assisi).. 

The Children's Park reminds me of how it probably once was: graciously carved concrete statues (with oodles of broken parts) surround a dry fountain; paint chipping off briskly. You do wonder why maintenance of this seemingly once-glorious park had been neglected. A sign of the city's true financial standing? Or simply one of governmental indifference? 

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI CHURCH

Naga Church, officially called St. Francis of Assisi Church, was built sometime in the 17th century. It was designed by Fr. Santos Maranon. Constructed out of coral stone, Spanish priest Fr. Simeon Aguirre supervised its construction with free manual labor provided by the Naganian townsfolk. With a 5-level stand-alone bell tower, Naga Church has simple interiors. Too simple in fact. White walls and a yellow altar define the interiors. There's sparseness of statues and other religious regalia, and the gradually fading walls are starting to show their gray undercoat. 

From the outside, the two minarets are styled like Carcar's St. Catherine Church, but that's where the similarity stops. The sculpted cornices are chipping off fast, and as earlier mentioned, the white paint is fading fast. The church looks worn and neglected with hardly a sign of care or refurbishment. Ain't that sad? A "third class industrial" city with bustling commercial establishments has thrown its very central landmark to utter neglect. 

I couldn't help but think that the development of their beautiful Baywalk, fetching as it is, has probably left the city penniless for the maintenance of their other landmarks. Unless there's another story behind this.

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Andres Bonifacio

Dry fountain's chipping off paint.

A burst of colors at the Playground.

Broken statues and paint fading fast.

Naga Church waits to crumble

Eye-catching Bell Tower.

Don Sergio Osmena, former President of the Philippines during the Japanese Regime.

Metro shopping center

I had to squeeze in to fit on the chair in this Cebu City-bound bus.

Serene Neglect - Quezon City Hall Lagoon & Dedication to New Westminster Canada

Right in front of the Quezon City Hall Complex is a quiet corner - a place of serenity and, sadly, neglect. I was surprised to find this park/lagoon which is curiously dedicated to a Canadian City called New Westminster - otherwise referred to as the Royal City! In fact, at the center of the park grounds is a totem pole, and a sign that says "New Westminster Canada - Kapatirang Tunay" which translates to "true brotherhood". Empty water bottles were seen on top of the wooden sign board and a sack full of garbage dangling under it. All this space and property unfortunately forgotten in the hustle of it all.

Unfamiliar with this Canadian city, I later found out that New Westminster is a historically important city in the Greater Vancouver Regional District of British Columbia, Canada. Founded as the second capital of the Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866), it is located on the north bank of the Fraser River, some 19 kilometres (12 mi) southeast of the City of Vancouver proper. It has a population of about 55,000. Quezon City has a comparative population of 2.7 million. New Westminster and QC have been official sister cities since 1991, and the park is a testament to this pact.

In light of this, we do hope that whoever wins the elections (Herbert Bautista) should find the time to explore the possibilities and develop this prime piece of property. There is so much possibility!

Congratulations to the Filipino people for seeing through a very swift first-ever fully automated elections!

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List of Quezon City's sister cities: includes Salt Lake City, Taipei, GenSan, Iloilo, Caracas Venezuela and Chiba Japan, among others!

New Westminster, BC Canada. These photos only courtesy of wikipedia's dennissylvesterhurd (left) and bardsmaid.org (right).

Location of New Westminster in Canada.

Andres Bonifacio's statue is just beside this neglected park/lagoon. There is a gate, but admission is free.

Check out Part 1 which features Quezon City Hall Grounds - a little history and photos

http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2010/05/philippines-stroll-around-quezon-city.html

Philippines – A Stroll Around Quezon City Hall Complex

Quezon City used to be the capital of the Philippines, and it went on for 28 years (1948-1976). Named after Manuel Quezon, the Philippine President during the Commonwealth Republic of the Philippines, QC was once a conglomeration of small towns. President Quezon patterned the inception of QC right after he visited Mexico! More importantly, QC was where Katipunan’s Andres Bonifacio declared the revolution against Spain – in Melchora Aquino’s house, somewhere in Project 8.

These days, QC is the most populous city in the Philippines with 2.7 million residents in it. It is home to most of the major television networks; Megamall and SM North Edsa, Gateway, Trinoma and the Araneta Complex. I’ve recently visited its City Hall. Though most of my career trainings in the past were located in Quezon City, I almost never roam. I remember attending some medico-legal cases at the Hall of Justice some years back as training requisites, but I was never interested in checking the exterior complex. That was then.

The whole QC Hall Complex is home to 3 statues of Philippine National Heroes: former President Manuel Quezon, Revolutionary Leader Andres Bonifacio, and the country’s National Hero – Dr. Jose Rizal. In its vicinity is a neglected park which has a lot of possibilities, dedicated to its sister city – New Westminster BC Canada, which we shall feature in the next post.

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President Manuel Quezon's statue, right in front of the main building.

QC Hall of Justice

National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal, ophthalmologist, novelist, and international loverboy. ;->

Revolutionary leader of the Katipunan - Andres Bonifacio: declared war against Spain.

Map/locator of Quezon City courtesy of wikipedia.

Bonifacio when it rained.

Up Next: QC Hall Park and Lagoon dedicated to New Westminster BC Canada - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2010/05/serene-neglect-quezon-city-hall-park.html