Manila (Tagalog: Maynila; pronounced [majˈnilaʔ] in Tagalog and /məˈnɪlə/ (mə-nil-ə) in English) is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.
Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast, and Pasay to the south.
Manila has a total population of more than 1,660,714 according to the 2007 census. Manila is the second most populous city in the Philippines, behind its neighbor, Quezon City. The populace inhabit an area of only 38.55 square kilometers, making Manila the most densely populated city in the world. Metro Manila is the most populous metropolitan area in the Philippines and the 11th in the world with an estimated population of 16,300,000. The greater urban area is the fifth-largest in the world and has an estimated metropolitan population of 20,654,307 people.
The city is divided into six legislative districts and consists of sixteen geographical districts: Binondo, Ermita, Intramuros, Malate, Paco, Pandacan, Port Area, Quiapo, Sampaloc, San Andres, San Miguel, San Nicolas, Santa Ana, Santa Cruz, Santa Mesa and Tondo. Within their precincts can be found areas of bustling commerce and some of the most historically and culturally significant iconic landmarks in the country as well as the seat of the executive and judicial branches of the government. It is home to many scientific and educational institutions, as well as numerous sport facilities. These make the city a major political, commercial, cosmopolitan, cultural, educational, religious, and transportation center of the Philippines.
The earliest written account of the city is the 10th-century Laguna Copperplate Inscription which describe an Indianized kingdom maintaining diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Medang and commercial exchanges with Ancient Japan and Song Dynasty China. The city was invaded by Brunei's Sultan Bolkiah and was already Islamized by the 15th century when the Spanish first arrived. Manila eventually became the center of Spanish activity in the Far East and one end of the Manila–Acapulco galleon trade route linking Latin America and Asia. This caused it to be called the "Pearl of the Orient". Several Chinese insurrections, local revolts, a British Occupation and a Sepoy mutiny also occurred thereafter. Later, it saw the rise of the Philippine Revolution which was followed by the arrival of the Americans who made contributions to the city's urban planning and development only to have most of those improvements lost in the devastation of World War II. Since then the city has been rebuilt.
HISTORY
The earliest written account of the city is the 10th-century Laguna Copperplate Inscription which describe an Indianized kingdom maintaining diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Medang and commercial exchanges with Ancient Japan and Song Dynasty China. The city was invaded by Brunei's Sultan Bolkiah and was already Islamized by the 15th century when the Spanish first arrived. Because of its ideal location, between China and the west coast of North America, Manila eventually became the center of Spanish activity in the Far East and one end of the Manila–Acapulco galleon trade route linking Latin America and Asia. This caused it to be called the "Pearl of the Orient". Several Chinese insurrections, local revolts, a British Occupation and a Sepoy mutiny also occurred thereafter. Later, it saw the rise of the Philippine Revolution which was followed by the arrival of the Americans who made contributions to the city's urban planning and development only to have most of those improvements lost in the devastation of World War II. Since then the city has been rebuilt.
Manila was first known as Ginto (land of gold) or Suvarnadvipa by its neighboring provinces, and was officially the Kingdom of Maynila. The Kingdom of Maynila flourished during the latter half of the Ming Dynasty as a result of trade relations with China. Ancient Tondo was maintained as the traditional capital of the empire. Its rulers were equivalent to kings and not mere chieftains, and they were addressed as panginuan or panginoon ("lords"), anak banwa ("son of heaven") or lakandula ("lord of the palace"). During the 13th century, the city consisted of a fortified settlement and trading quarter at the shores of the Pasig river, on top of previous older towns. There is also early evidence of Manila being invaded by the Indianized empire of Majapahit, due to the epic eulogy poem Nagarakretagama which inscribed its conquest by Maharaja Hayam Wuruk. Saludong or Selurong which is a historical name for the city of Manila is listed in Canto 14 alongside Sulot, which is now Sulu, and Kalka.
During the reign of Sultan Bolkiah in 1485 to 1521, the Sultanate of Brunei decided to break the Dynasty of Tondo's monopoly in the China trade by attacking it and establishing the state of Selurong (now Manila) as a Bruneian satellite-state. A new dynasty under the Islamized Rajah Salalila. was also established to challenge the House of Lakandula in Tondo. Islam was further strengthened by the arrival to the Philippines of traders and proselytizers from Malaysia and Indonesia. The multiple states that existed in the Philippines simplified Spanish colonization. Manila was temporarily threatened by the invasion of Chinese pirate-warlord Limahong before it became the seat of the colonial government of Spain.
In 1571 Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi founded the Manila in what today is Intramuros. Manila was made the capital of the Philippine Islands, which Spain would control for over three centuries, from 1565 to 1898. The city was occupied by Great Britain for two years from 1762 to 1764 as part of the Seven Years' War. The city remained the capital of the Philippines under the government of the provisional British governor, acting through the Mexican-born Archbishop of Manila, Manuel Rojo del Rio y Vieyra and the captive Real Audiencia. However, armed resistance to the British persisted, centered in Pampanga, and was led by Oidor Don Simón de Anda y Salazar.
Manila also became famous during the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade which lasted for three centuries and brought goods from as far as Mexico and Peru all the way to Southeast Asia. Silver that was mined in Mexico and Peru were exchanged for Chinese silk, Indian gems, and the spices of the East Indies.
In 1898, Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States. Under American control, the new government invited Daniel Burnham to plan a modern Manila. The Burnham Plan was a project that attempted to create Manila as Paris on the Prairie, with a vision of a government center occupying all of Wallace Field, which extends from Luneta to the present Taft Avenue. The Philippines Capitol was to rise on the Taft Avenue end of the field, facing toward the sea, and would form, with the buildings of different government bureaus and departments, a mighty quadrangle, lagoon in the center and a monument to Rizal at its Luneta end. Of Burnham’s proposed government center, only three units were built: the Legislative Building and the building of the Finance and Agricultural departments, which were completed on the eve of the War. By then, President Manuel L. Quezon had doomed the Burnham Plan by creating a new capital outside Manila, which was named after him, Quezon City.
Manila was the site of the bloodiest battle in the Pacific theater during the war. During the battle, Manila became a city of bloodbath in Asia where 100,000 civilians were killed. It was the second most devastated city in the world after Warsaw during the Second World War. Since then the city has been rebuilt.
With Arsenio Lacson becoming the first elected mayor (prior to this all mayors were appointed), Manila underwent The Golden Age, Manila was revitalized and became once again the Pearl of the Orient, which it has earned before the outbreak of the war. During the Marcos dictatorship, the region of the Manila metropolitan area was enacted as an independent entity in 1975 encompassing several cities and towns, being as a whole the seat of government of the Philippines.
In 1992, Alfredo Lim became the mayor, and was known for his anti-crime crusades. When Lim ran for the presidency during the 1998 presidential election, his vice mayor Lito Atienza was elected as city mayor. Atienza was known for renovating most of the city's plaza, and projects that would benefit the populace. He was the Mayor of Manila for 3 terms (9 years); barred for seeking a fourth consecutive term. Lim defeated Atienza's son Ali in the 2007 city election and immediately reversed all of Atienza's projects claiming the projects made little contribution to the improvements of the city. On July 17, 2008, councilor Dennis Alcoreza filed human rights complaints before the Commission on Human Rights, against Lim, and other Manila officials. Twenty-four Manila officials also resigned because of the maltreatment of Lim's police forces.
While the eastern part of Metro Manila faced a catastrophe during the flooding of Tropical Storm Ketsana (local name: Ondoy) in 2009, the only major inconvenience in the city was the flooded Quezon Boulevard underpass which took two days to clean up and the district of Santa Mesa, the most flooded area within the city. During the 2010 city elections, Alfredo Lim won against secretary Lito Atienza. After a few months of taking office, Lim was harshly criticized on the bloody resolution of the Manila hostage crisis, one of the deadliest hostage crisis in the Philippines.
GEOGRAPHY
Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila bay, which rests on the western shores of Luzon. The city lies 800 miles (1,300 km) from mainland Asia. The Pasig River bisects the city. Almost all of the city sits on top of centuries of prehistoric alluvial deposits built by the waters of the Pasig and on some land reclaimed from Manila Bay. The city's land has been altered substantially by human intervention, with considerable land reclamation along the waterfronts since the American colonial times. Some of the natural variations in topography have been evened out due to the urbanization of the city. The city occupies an area of 38.55 square kilometers and was divided into 897 barangays, the smallest unit of local government in the Philippines. Each barangay has its own chairperson and councilors. For administrative convenience, all the barangays in Manila are grouped into 100 zones and which are further grouped into 16 geographical districts. These zones and districts have no form of local government. These 16 geographical districts are further grouped into the six legislative districts of Manila.
CLIMATE
Under the Köppen climate classification system, Manila features a tropical savanna climate that borders on a tropical monsoon climate. Together with the rest of the Philippines, Manila lies entirely within the tropics. Its proximity to the equator means that the temperature range is very small, rarely going lower than 20 °C and going higher than 38 °C. However, humidity levels are usually very high which makes it feel much warmer. It has a distinct, albeit relatively short dry season from January through April, and a relatively lengthy wet season from May through December.
ECONOMY
Manila's economy is diverse and multifaceted. With its excellent protected harbor, Manila serves as the Chief Seaport of the Country, as the Port of Manila is one of the busiest in the world. Diverse manufacturers produce industrial-related products such as chemicals, textiles, clothing, and electronic goods. Food and beverages and tobacco products also produced. Local entrepreneurs continue to process primary commodities for export, including rope, plywood, refined sugar, copra, and coconut oil. The food-processing industry is one of the most stable major manufacturing sector in the city. Manila is a major publishing center in the Philippines.
One of the largest projects within the city is the ₱5 billion development by Ayala Land Inc., the Celadon Residences. Binondo has begun to be revitalized along with Divisoria, and several high-rise condominiums and offices are rising. Recently, a 20-hectare development was planned by the city government within the Port Area. A blueprint was created for the development of the area while the city government waits for President Aquino to authorize the use of the idle land. An area within the North Harbor was invested in by the San Miguel Corporation, which plan to build a ₱20 billion development known as San Miguel City. This would be a new business area located within the Metropolis which then serve the shipping requirements of the different divisions of the San Miguel Corporation.
Tourism in Manila attracts over 1 million tourists each year. Major destinations include the 1322 Golden Empire Tower, Intramuros, the Mendiola, museums such as the National Museum of the Philippines, and other tourist destinations including Ermita, Malate, Santa Cruz, the Manila Zoo, the City Chinatown and events such as the Feast of Black Nazarene, and free performances in Rizal Park and events within the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Rizal Park is a major tourist attraction and one of the most recognizable icons of the Philippines. Ermita and Malate, aside from being known for its nightlife, are well-known shopping destination for the upper class while Divisoria was the shopping destination for local residents.
In terms of cash position, the city has ₱1.6 billion while its gross operating expenses was ₱2.97 billion. The financial expenses of the city was P45 million and has a liability of 3.3 billion. Manila has the highest budget allocation to health and was one of the cities with the highest tax revenue. Manila was also one of the cities with the highest internal revenue.
Manila is home to majority of the colleges and universities in country. As the center of education in the country since the colonial period, the city, particularly Intramuros, is the home of several of the oldest schools in the country. It served as the home of the University of Santo Tomas (1611), Colegio de San Juan de Letran (1620), and Ateneo de Manila University (1859). Only Colegio de San Juan de Letran (1620) is left at Intramuros; the University of Santo Tomas transferred to a new and more spacious campus at Sampaloc in 1927, and Ateneo left Intramuros for Loyola Heights, Quezon City (while still retaining "de Manila" in its name) in 1952. The University of the City of Manila located at Intramuros, and City College of Manila located outside the walled city, are the two universities owned and operated by the Manila city government. The national government controls the University of the Philippines Manila, the oldest of the University of the Philippines constituent universities. The city is also the site of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, the largest university in the country in terms of student population.
Manila, being a major city, has various transportation options, the most famous being the jeepney, which has been in use since the years immediately following World War II. In more recent years, air-conditioned Tamaraw FX, the third generation Toyota Kijang was often used for the service, which have begun to compete with jeepneys. Along with buses, jeepneys and FX ply fixed routes for a set price, though each mode has different routes.
Manila is headquarters to the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific, the World Health Organization Country Office for the Philippines, main office of the Department of Health, and several private and public hospitals and medical centers.
As the cultural center of the Philippines, Manila houses a number of notable museums. Bahay Tsinoy, one of Manila's most prominent museums, documents the Chinese lives and contributions in the history of the Philippines. The Intramuros Light and Sound Museum chronicles the Filipinos desire for freedom during the revolution under Rizal's leadership and other revolutionary leaders. The Metropolitan Museum of Manila exhibits the Filipino arts and culture. The Museum of Manila is the city-owned museum that exhibits the city's culture and history.
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
Manila, being the seat of political power of the Philippines, has several national government offices headquartered at the city. Planning for the development for being the center of government started during the early years of American colonization to the country when they envisioned a well-designed city outside the walls of Intramuros. The strategic location chosen was Bagumbayan, a former town which is now the Rizal Park to become the center of government and a design commission was given to Daniel Burnham to create a master plan for the city patterned after Washington D.C.. These improvements were eventually abandoned under the Commonwealth Government of Manuel L. Quezon. A new government center was to be built on the hills northeast of Manila, or what is now Quezon City. Several government agencies have set up their headquarters in Quezon City but several key government offices still resides in Manila. However, many of the plans were substantially altered after the devastation of Manila during World War II and the subsequent administrations.
The city, as the official capital, still hosts the Office of the President. Aside from these, important institutions such as the Supreme Court (Kataas-taasang hukuman), the Court of Appeals, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Departments of Budget and Management (Kagawaran ng Pagbabadyet at Pamamahala), Finance, Health, Justice, Labor and Employment, and Tourism still call the city home. Manila also hosts important national institutions such as the National Library, National Archives, National Museum and the Philippine General Hospital.
Congress previously held office at the Old Congress Building. In 1972, due to declaration of martial law, Congress was dissolved; its successor, the unicameral Batasang Pambansa, held office at the new Batasang Pambansa Complex. When a new constitution restored the bicameral Congress, the House of Representatives stayed at the Batasang Pambansa Complex, while the Senate remained at the Old Congress Building. In May 1997, the Senate transferred to a new building it currently shares with the Government Service Insurance System at reclaimed land at Pasay.
EDUCATION
Manila is home to majority of the colleges and universities in country. As the center of education in the country since the colonial period, the city, particularly Intramuros, is the home of several of the oldest schools in the country. It served as the home of the University of Santo Tomas (1611), Colegio de San Juan de Letran (1620), and Ateneo de Manila University (1859). Only Colegio de San Juan de Letran (1620) is left at Intramuros; the University of Santo Tomas transferred to a new and more spacious campus at Sampaloc in 1927, and Ateneo left Intramuros for Loyola Heights, Quezon City (while still retaining "de Manila" in its name) in 1952. The University of the City of Manila located at Intramuros, and City College of Manila located outside the walled city, are the two universities owned and operated by the Manila city government. The national government controls the University of the Philippines Manila, the oldest of the University of the Philippines constituent universities. The city is also the site of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, the largest university in the country in terms of student population.
Intramuros and Sampaloc are now a part of the University Belt, the colloquial term for the high concentration of institutions of higher education in the city, which also includes of San Miguel and Quiapo located in the northern bank of the Pasig River, and the districts of Ermita on its southern bank. Several institutions within the south as far as Malate are somewhat included.
The Division of the City Schools of Manila, a branch of the Department of Education, refers to the city's three-tier public education system. It governs the 71 public elementary schools, 32 public high schools and the two city-owned universities.
The city also contains the Manila Science High School, the pilot science high school of the Philippines; the National Museum, where the Spoliarium of Juan Luna is housed; the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, the premier museum of modern and contemporary visual arts; the Museo Pambata, the Children's Museum, a place of hands-on discovery and fun learning; and, the National Library, the repository of the country's printed and recorded cultural heritage and other literary and information resources.
TRANSPORTATION
Manila, being a major city, has various transportation options, the most famous being the jeepney, which has been in use since the years immediately following World War II. In more recent years, air-conditioned Tamaraw FX, the third generation Toyota Kijang was often used for the service, which have begun to compete with jeepneys. Along with buses, jeepneys and FX ply fixed routes for a set price, though each mode has different routes.
On a for-hire basis, the city is served by numerous taxicabs, "tricycles" (motorcycles with sidecars, the Philippine version of the auto rickshaw), and "trisikads" or "sikads" (bicycles with a sidecars, the Philippine version of pedicabs). In some areas, especially in Divisoria, two stroke motors are fitted to the pedicabs and are used to transport goods. Spanish-era horse-drawn calesas are still used in the streets of Binondo and Intramuros, but mostly for tourists. Which mode of for-hire used depends upon the distance to be traveled, the cost, and the width of the streets. All types of public transport are privately owned and operated under government franchise.
The city is serviced by the Manila Light Rail Transit System, popularly known as LRT, as distinct from the MRT in other parts of Metro Manila. Development of the railway system began in the 1970s under the Marcos administration, making it the first light rail transport in Southeast Asia. In recent years, the system has undergone a multi-billion dollar expansion.Two lines provide service to the city: the LRT 1 line (Yellow Line) that runs along the length of Taft Avenue (R-2) and Rizal Avenue (R-9), and the LRT 2 line (Purple Line) that runs along Ramon Magsaysay Blvd (R-6) from Santa Cruz, through Quezon City, up to Santolan in Pasig.
The main terminal of the Philippine National Railways lies within the city. Railways extend north to the city of San Fernando in Pampanga and south to Legazpi City in Albay, though only the southern railway is currently in operation.
The Port of Manila, located in the vicinity of Manila Bay, is the chief seaport of the Philippines. The city is also served by the Pasig River Ferry Service which runs on the Pasig River.
MEDICAL FACILITIES
Manila is headquarters to the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific, the World Health Organization Country Office for the Philippines, main office of the Department of Health, and several private and public hospitals and medical centers.
One of the many programs of the Department of Tourism is the promotion of Medical Tourism in the Philippines. Manila hosts a large number of wellness centers and spa facilities.
The Manila Health Department, which responsible for the planning and implementation of the health programs of the city government, operates 44 health centers and lying-in facilities scattered throughout the city. Hospitals in the city are the Manila Doctors' Hospital, Philippine General Hospital, Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center, Dr. José R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, San Lazaro Hospital, the University of Santo Tomas Hospital and the city-owned Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center.
ARTS & CULTURE
Roman Catholics predominate, comprising 93.5% of the population, followed by Philippine Independent Church 2.4%, followed by Iglesia ni Cristo, comprising 1.9% of the population followed by Protestants (1.8%) and Buddhist (1.1%). Other religions comprises the remaining 1.4% of the city's population. Manila is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila, the oldest archdiocese in the country, and the Primate of the Philippines, whose offices were located at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Manila is home to three other basilicas, besides the Manila Cathedral, namely, the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz and the Basilica Minore de San Sebastian. Being the seat of the Spanish colonial government in past centuries, it has been used as the base of numerous Roman Catholic missions to the Philippines.
Other notable churches in the city include San Agustin Church in Intramuros, the shrine of the canonically crowned image of Nuestra Señora de Consolación y Correa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a favorite wedding place of notable people and one of two fully air-conditioned churches in the city; the Binondo Church, also known as Basilica Minore de San Lorenzo Ruiz; Malate Church, the shrine of Nuestra Señora de Remedios; Ermita Church, home of the oldest Marian Image in the Philippines, Nuestra Señora de Guia; Tondo Church, home of the century-old ivory image of Sto. Niño (Child Jesus); and Sta. Ana Church, shrine of the canonically crowned image of Nuestra Senora de los Desamparados.
Aside from the Evangelical Christians, Manila is also the home of most of the country's Mainline Protestants. The Pro-Cathedral of the Saint Stephen, the center of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Philippines of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines is also found in the city. The mainly Ilocano revolutionary church Iglesia Filipina Independiente ( Philippine Independent Church or Aglipayan Church ) is headquartered in the city : The National Cathedral of the Holy Infant Jesus.
The city also hosts other faiths. There are many Buddhist and Taoist temples built by the Chinese community in Manila. The Quiapo is home to a sizable Muslim population in Manila, where Masjid Al-Dahab is located. There is also a large Hindu temple for the Indian population, and a Sikh Temple was also erected.
Nightlife in Manila centres around Ermita and Malate, along with Intramuros. Areas in Binondo, the city's Chinatown, also attract many people, while other notable areas in the city such as Quiapo and Divisoria are known for being one of the shopping center of bargain goods. Ermita and Malate, being a popular tourist destination, showcase a wide variety of hotels, restaurants, clubs, bars, cafes, art and antique shops. The nightlife offers everything from cultural exhibitions to discothèques, casinos, entertainment lounges, and fashionable cafes.
MUSEUMS & OTHER POINTS OF INTEREST
As the cultural center of the Philippines, Manila houses a number of notable museums. Bahay Tsinoy, one of Manila's most prominent museums, documents the Chinese lives and contributions in the history of the Philippines. The Intramuros Light and Sound Museum chronicles the Filipinos desire for freedom during the revolution under Rizal's leadership and other revolutionary leaders. The Metropolitan Museum of Manila exhibits the Filipino arts and culture. The Museum of Manila is the city-owned museum that exhibits the city's culture and history.
Manila is also home to other notable museums of the country, namely the Museo Pambata, a children's museum, the Museum of Philippine Political History, which exhibits notable political events in the country, the National Museum of the Philippines (which includes the Museum of the Filipino People) of which exhibits life, culture and history of the country, the Parish of the Our Lady of the Abandoned and the San Agustin Church Museum, which houses religious artifacts, Plaza San Luis, a public museum, the UST Museum of Arts and Sciences and the DLS-CSB Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (mcad), both of which are university museums dedicated to science and technology, and contemporary art respectively.
Numerous notable landmarks are located in Manila, such as Rizal Park, and the historical Intramuros. Rizal park is a crescent-shaped 58 hectare (143 acres) park that lies within the heart of Manila's cultural and business district, as an honor and dedication to the country's national hero José Rizal, who was executed in the same place where the park was created by the Spaniards on charges of subversion. Among the attractions in Rizal Park is the Chinese and Japanese Gardens, the National Museum of the Philippines, The National Library of the Philippines, the Planetarium, the Orchidarium and Butterfly Pavilion, the park auditorium, a landscaped relief map of the Philippines, the fountain, the children's lagoon, the chess plaza, the Quirino Grandstand and the Manila Ocean Park, which features a wide variety of marine animals. The flagpole west of the Rizal Monument is the Kilometer Zero marker for distances to the rest of the country. In the northern most part of the city lie three cemeteries: the Loyola and Chinese cemeteries, and Manila North Green Park, the largest public cemetery in the Manila metropolitan area.
PARKS & RECREATION
Manila is the site of the country's premiere park, Rizal Park, which was erected for the country's national hero, José Rizal. Besides having parks and green areas, Manila is the home to several plazas, such as the Plaza Balagtas and Plaza Miranda, the site of the 1971 politics-related bombings. Within Manila lies notable parks and green areas, such as the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Rajah Sulayman Park, Manila Boardwalk, Liwasang Bonifacio, Mehan Garden, Paco Park, Remedios Circle, the Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden, Pandacan Linear Park, and the Malacañang Garden.
Within the city lies the cemeteries of the Manila Chinese Cemetery, La Loma Cemetery,[note 2] the Manila South Green Park and the Manila North Green Park, notable as being the resting place of several historical figures and being the largest cemetery in the Metropolis. Both the Manila North and South Green Park are city-owned cemeteries. A large number recreational areas are found scattered within the city. Also, several playgrounds and gardens were erected within the city, most of which are now being developed in a commercial area.
PLACES TO VISIT:
Plaza San Luis
Named after one of the old barrios of Intramurous. This is a cultural-cum-commercial complex currently composed of 5 houses - Casa Manila. Casa Urdaneta, Casa Blanca, Los Hidalgos & El Hogar Filipino. Plaza San Luis will eventually consist of 9 houses representing different areas in Filipino/Hispanic architecture. Aside from gift & specialty shops, the complex has a museum at Casa Manila containing the 19th century & early 20th century furnitures found in a typical filipino illustrado or priviledge class home.
Fort Santiago
Marks its entrance on the Northwestern trip to Intramuros which started in 1571 & completed nearly 150 years later by Filipino forced labor. The pre-Spanish settlement of Rajah Sulayman was a wooden fort on the ashes of which, was built the Spanish fortress which was Spain's major defense position in the island. It looked out on the sea towards which it canons were trained forward off pirates & invaders. Also known as the "Shrine of Freedom". In the memory of the heroic filipinos imprisoned & killed here during the spanish & Japanaese eras. Partly rebuilt from the ruins of World war II. It is now a park & promenade housing, a resident theaters for both traditional & modern plays.
Malacañang Palace
Seat of the head of the Government of the Philippines since Spanish times, officially stands on the north bank of the Pasig River whose legendary beauty celebrated in song.
Malacañang, from the vernacular "May Lakan Diyan" meaning "There lives a noble man", expansion of the city's free educational system and health care delivery and maintenance of the city government's strong financial position through intensified revenue generation and judicious fiscal management. City executives, councilors, civil servants and peace officer unite to achieve the vision of peace and good quality of life for its people.
University of Sto. Tomas
The oldest university in the Philippines and in Asia, Founded on April 11, 1611 by Reverend Father Miguel de Benavides. Originally opened as the College of Our Lady of Rosary. The University has been bestowed the title "Royal" by King Charles III of Spain in 1758, while Pope Leo XIII granted the title "Pontificial" in 1902. Located originally in Intramuros, it was only transferred to its present site in 1911. Owned by the Spanish Dominicans which is governed by the Board of Trustees until the late 19th century, the university only accepted students of Spanish parentage. Women were first admitted in 1927. UST campus served also as an interment camp for Americans, British, Canadian and other allied nationals by the Japanese Occupation Forces from January 1942 - February 1945. More than 10,000 people were imprisoned although it never held more than 4,000 at one time.
Rizal Shrine
The restored shrine inside Fort Santiago houses Rizaliana items in memory of the Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal spent his last few days here before he was executed on December 30, 1896. Among the objects exhibited are various books and manuscripts about the national hero; sketches, paintings, wood curvings and sculptures done by the hero; paraphernalia and souvenirs acquired during his several trips abroad and collections of colonial-style furnitures from his hometown in Calamba, Laguna.
Mabini Shrine
Apolinario Mabini, the intellectual leader of the Philippine revolution, lived in this house as a law student, a lawyer and worker who advocated Philippine Independence from Spain. During the American occupation, it was much frequented by foreign correspondents who found Mabini both interesting and informative and become the intellectual headquarters of the first Philippine Republic.
Rizal Park
During the Spanish era, which was where the Filipinos-Moslems took refuge after the Spaniards occupied Intramuros in 1571. It was also used as an execution ground by the Spaniards for Filipino rebels and mutineers. It has an area of 58 hectares which runs from Taft Avenue up to the walls of the famous Manila Bay.
P.L.M.
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila is the first University in the country to have its official name in Filipino. The first and only free tuition fee institution of higher learning in the Philippines. It is also the first and only university funded solely by a municipal government in the country.
Pasig River
Considered as the "Cradle of Civilization" in Manila, a 16 km. long river. Great communities have always sprung along waterways and that was how Maynilad must have begun..
Manila Bay
Considered the finest harbor in the far east where the famous "Battle of Manila Bay" was fought between the Americans and the Spaniards in 1898. Many historians believed that the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade between Philippines and Mexico, principally because of the strategic location of Manila Bay. The Galleon Trade lasted for 244 years.
San Agustin Church and Museum
The San Agustin Church and Museum which is a private museum under the supervision of the Augustinian Friars is housed inside the Old Monastery of the church. The collections include 26 huge oil paintings of saints, the Don Luis Araneta Collection of Antiques, the crypt where Philippine Notables are buried, leads to the refractory with its fine collection of colonial religious art, the Capitulation room where the Spanish surrendered to the Americans in 1898, the Sacristy which house antique carrosas, richly embroidered vestments, a wonderful Saint Michael and famous choir hand carved from Molave wood that dates back to 1614.
Manila Cathedral
The seat of the Catholic Archdiocese of Manila, is presently the 6th cathedral to rise on the site since 1581. Previous structures were destroyed by typhoons, earthquake and fire during the last war. Rebuilt on the second half of the 50's through the efforts of Architect Fernando Ocampo and Archbishop Rufino J. Santos. The cathedral incorporated the stone carvings and rosette windows of the old cathedral. Stained glass windows celebrating the Christianization of the Philippine light up with its clerestory. Mosaic artwork decorated three of its side chapels.
Quiapo Church
Pres. Ramon Magsaysay made this plaza the touchstone for public endorsement of policy and action. This plaza was a place where people congregate to express their charismatic chores through songs, dances, debate, declamation or simply to let off steam whenever they feel the need for appreciation of ones being.
Ermita District
Originally known as "Lagyo". In 1951, a chapel was constructed for Nuestra Señora de Guia. A Mexican hermit arrived in the place, lived in the chapel, and people called it as "La Ermita". Ermita was a fishing village prior to arrival of the Spaniards that moved out of Intramuros and integrated with the Indios in Ermita and adjacent Malate and to a lesser extent, Paco. These became a fashionable residential areas in the Spanish era up to the American era.
Philippine Normal University
The first college institution founded by the American Colonial Government in 1903 specializing in the field of education.
Bonifacio Shrine
Built to pay homage to our great hero Gat. Andres Bonifacio whose courage and conviction in fighting for freedom & independence serve as an inspiration for the youth.
China Town
The Chinatown which is located along the northern bank of the historic Pasig River symbolizes the long history of the Chinese presence in the Philippines long before the arrival of the Spaniards. The Chinese had been much involved in the business specially the retail trade and have been absorbed in a Philippine life-style.
Bulwagang Gat Antonio Villegas
Description: Priceless paintings done by our famous National Artist Carlos "Botong" Francisco showing not only the history of Manila but the whole country as well.
The above mentioned priceless paintings is now located in the building of the Manila City Hall, right beside the office of the Mayor.
Casa Manila
It is a colonial lifestyle museum which is part of Plaza San Luis Complex. The house which is rebuilt of the original house that stood on the same site was patterned after a mid-19th century house that stood along Calle de Jaboneros in San Nicolas, Binondo. The house features antique and furnishing from China and Europe dating back to the 19th century.
Some of the famous collections inside are the crystal chandeliers, Persian rugs, Chinese ceramics, four poster ebony bed, religious images, antique piano and harp, marble tables and such other items that shows luxury of the era.
Some of the famous collections inside are the crystal chandeliers, Persian rugs, Chinese ceramics, four poster ebony bed, religious images, antique piano and harp, marble tables and such other items that shows luxury of the era.
Marikina River Park
Diocesan Shrine-Parish of Our Lady of the Abandoned
