Philippine National Heritage Watch - Compiled Threads [Archive] - Page 7

overtureph

September 30th, 2007, 05:11 AM

Free for All in Metro Manila

Inquirer
Last updated 01:31pm (Mla time) 09/27/2007

1. Old Manila Walks’ Art Deco Tour

Time travel to the roaring ’20s and explore Manila’s rich Art Deco heritage. From the hallowed halls of the fabulous Far Eastern University campus to Malate’s secret moderne interiors, it’s all about the age of speed, jazz, boogie-woogie and the American colonial experiment in the Philippines as you join urban explorer extraordinaire Ivan Man Dy of Old Manila Walks.

Monthly - Log on to www.oldmanilawalks.com for schedules, or e-mail: oldmanilawalks@gmail.com for details.

2. Gantimpala Theater/ Concert at the Park’s award-winning plays

Celebrate Gantimpala’s 30th anniversary Pearl Theater Festival, featuring previous winners of the annual CCP Playwriting Contest. At the Rizal Park Open-Air Auditorium, 7 p.m.

“Bombita”, written by Tony Perez, was scheduled on September 23. A black comedy on blind obedience among young rookies in the military. Directed by Soxie Topacio.

On September 30, watch Leoncio Deriada’s “Taluktok," a coming-of-age tale about five graduating high school students and their climb to the peak of Mt. Apo. This is especially dedicated to Caloy Abrera, who performed in the original production as the retreat master. Directed by Gantimpala Theater Foundation’s artistic director Tony Espejo.

For more information, log on to www.nationalparks.ph for schedules of similar free shows at Paco Park and Concert at the (Rizal) Park.

3. National Book Month at the Ortigas Foundation Library

Beef up your Filipiniana, history and current affairs titles through a Mini Book Fair on October 18, 19 and 20. On October 18, 6 pm, enrich your knowledge of Philippine Fiction in English with a lecture by Dr. Gemino H. Abad.

On October 19, 6 p.m. join the UMPIL writers in "An Evening of Poems," a poetry reading session featuring Unyon ng mga Manunulat Sa Pilipinas poets Krip Yuson, Marne Kilates, Jose Wendell Capili, Rebecca Añonuevo, Fidel Rillo, Roberto Añonuevo, Michael Coroza, V.E. Carmelo Nadera, Jr. and Abdon Balde, Jr.

It’s the kids’ turn on October 19 and 20 at 2 p.m. with Ikwento Mo! an Adarna House storytelling session for kids aged 6 to 12.

The Ortigas Foundation Library is located at the 2/F Ortigas Building, Ortigas Avenue corner Meralco Avenue, Ortigas Complex, Pasig City.

For details, please call 631-1231 loc 222, e-mail maticat@ortigas.com.ph or visit www.ortigasfoundationlibrary.com.ph

4. Retail therapy at the ANP’s 22nd Trade Fair

Some 22 years after the price of Negros sugar hit rock bottom at the world market, the señoras and hacienderas are still at it— teaching the womenfolk of suddenly destitute haciendas how to make handicraft, pastries, baskets, pottery and assorted products to sweeten life again.

From the handful of workers, there are now 80,000 subcontractors and community workers turning up the beautiful concepts of the 94 entrepreneurs who make up the Association of Negros Producers. Let their undaunted spirit inspire you as you browse through their offerings: food, fashion accessories, furniture and housewares, at the Rockwell Tent, Power Plant Mall in Makati, from October 3 to 8. The shopping’s not free, but the surfeit of good feeling is.

Copyright 2007 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/philippineexplorer/philippineexplorer/view_article.php?article_id=91065

overtureph

September 30th, 2007, 05:12 AM

Tatayak- making keeps Ivatan seafarers alive

By EV Espiritu
Inquirer
Last updated 01:31pm (Mla time) 09/27/2007

ITBAYAT, Batanes – No more Ivatan warriors exist today to chant the ancient rawod, the stories about their seafarers that are passed down to generations.

The rawod chants are tales of high adventure woven out of the mythical journey that the Ivatan forefathers undertook to escape a disaster.

An excerpt, translated by the University of Georgia and attributed to Simina Vohang, illustrates how a “giant flood” battered their ancestors’ boats:

“We were on a big boat all kinsmen/In a big boat, sailing on the open sea/We almost reached our island/But the ocean prevented us from sailing home …”

In a comparative study, University of Georgia scholars said no living person had an accurate recollection of how each syllable of the rawod must be pronounced.

But every time Julian Ponce Jr. builds a tatayak, a type of native boat, this mythic journey is always revisited.

To ordinary eyes, a tatayak looks like an ordinary sailboat but it uses wooden pegs instead of nails.

The Ivatan people are skilled seamen because they live off the sea.

But Ponce, a boat maker in the village of Mayan in Itbayat, Batanes, admits to visitors that he does not even know how to swim.

Ivatan heritage

Yet he and a few community artisans maintain what is perhaps the only Ivatan heritage left in this island province.

Ponce said his poor skills as a seafarer did not prevent him from understanding why the tatayak remains vital to sustaining Batanes’ economy.

Faustina Cano, a retired teacher of the Itbayat National Agricultural High School, said: “The current population of Itbayat is composed of those who could not go to school, our children, a few professionals who found jobs running our municipal government and our elderly.”

Ponce said these were people who would not be able to buy their own boats that were vital to fishing so their daily meals would be assured.

First tatayak

Ponce said it took him three months to put together his first tatayak, described by legend as a vehicle that slices through the largest ocean waves with ease.

He said he was able build a respectable trade within five years, but only because he remained loyal to the way his ancestors built their vessels.

Each tatayak must be made of the expensive vayuy or the cheaper alternatives called bataraw, alimbasaw and aryus, the so-called century tree.

Each panel is carved out of the tree, and he sold a four-meter-long and a meter-wide tatayak for P20,000. He can also build a seven-meter long boat for P120,000.

Ponce said he could produce six tatayak each year.

In 2006, another villager learned the trade and has been producing the boat out of fiberglass.

But they do not compete. As long as Batanes thrives in marine life, the tatayak will continue to sail its waters, Ponce said.

Copyright 2007 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/philippineexplorer/philippineexplorer/view_article.php?article_id=91066

ivanhenares

September 30th, 2007, 07:22 PM

The Archidocesan Chancery of San Fernando, Pampanga is currently being restored thanks to Auxiliary Bishop Pablo "Ambo" David. This is great news for church heritage. Bishop Ambo got a copy of the old photo of the chancery and is trying to bring it back to its original form. To date, the ugly windows that covered the balconies and the small portico added to the facade have been removed. The structure also received a fresh layer of paint.

1956
http://images.ivanabouttown.multiply.com/image/3/photos/2/500x500/2/before.jpg?et=llsH0XsIiFwjYsIOIFrfqw

2005
http://images.ivanabouttown.multiply.com/image/2/photos/2/500x500/1/143_4309.jpg?et=%2BChijmYJS35LD2sZI%2CBNQg

2007
http://images.ivanabouttown.multiply.com/image/2/photos/2/500x500/3/DSC05898.jpg?et=syfgdNChLhc%2CqA86RnXVEQ

overtureph

September 30th, 2007, 09:25 PM

La Cocina de Tita Moning, #315 San Rafael Street, San Miguel District, Manila

http://www.lacocinadetitamoning.com/

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/San%20Miguel/edit7841-1.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/San%20Miguel/edit7838-1.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/San%20Miguel/edit7837-1.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/San%20Miguel/edit7833-1.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/San%20Miguel/edit7836-1.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/San%20Miguel/edit7832-1.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/San%20Miguel/edit7834-1.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/San%20Miguel/edit7835.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/San%20Miguel/edit7831-1.jpg

Photos by overtureph.

ivanhenares

September 30th, 2007, 10:31 PM

PRIDE OF PLACE
A calendar of heritage updates

By Augusto Villalon
Inquirer
Last updated 01:05am (Mla time) 10/01/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- The latest in the series of desk calendars and postcards published by the Heritage Conservation Society (HCS) where proceeds go to fund the Society’s projects, “Heritage Recycled,” the 2008 edition of the calendar is ready.

It features fine examples of heritage structures transformed into commercially viable business projects that revitalize dying city centers, enhance values of development projects and attract tourism arrivals.

The calendar shows elegant family residences recycled into boutique hotels and banks, a century-old train terminal (Tutuban) now a shopping mall, and the 1930s Art Deco Manila international airport (Nielson Tower) in Makati is today a research library and bookstore specializing in books by Filipino authors.

Applicable to most heritage structures, adaptive reuse is a creative mode of conservation that gives them new, alternative functions replacing original, outdated functions.

Adaptive reuse can be grand, like the vintage Department of Finance building now the National Museum. On the other hand, the HCS examples show that modest structures, ancestral homes, obscure town halls, colonial watchtowers and bridges, warehouses and train stations have successfully been recycled into sustainable projects.

Most often than not, heritage structures are now on premium real-estate property. Without strong protective legislation in place, the immediate developer impulse is to demolish rather than restore and recycle.

Today, there is a growing awareness that adaptive reuse can enhance property value in many countries.

In Australia, demolition of heritage structures is considered wasteful. Heritage resources are reused because it is good for urban image and the environment. Recycling a valued heritage place, Australians believe, makes adaptive reuse of historic buildings an essential component of sustainable development.

The United States of America abounds with examples of creative (and remunerative) reuse of heritage. Old warehouses in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District have been transformed into fashionable and expensive lofts. Elegant mansions in Southern “Gone with the Wind” country are now boutique hotels and restaurant destinations.

In London, a decommissioned power plant along the River Thames has taken a new life as the popular, elegant Tate Gallery of Modern Art.

In Mexico City, the Cemento Azteca plant is now an environment-friendly children’s museum—El Papalote.

Singapore has salvaged a cluster of decrepit shop houses, turning Boat Quay and Clarke Quay into an eclectic mix of high-end restaurants, al fresco dining, dazzling bars and pubs.

In the Philippine scene, recycling heritage and adaptive reuse are still polemical issues. Should heritage conservation be done strictly “in situ”? Should heritage structures be transferred to different sites and settings, when that is the only way to save them? Is adaptive reuse intrusive? Or, should heritage conservation be a priority at all?

HCS participates in the debate with academics, policy makers and planning officials on national and local government levels resulting in the adapting of heritage policy in many instances.

HCS has established good working relations with the Department of Education, Manila Historical and Heritage Commission, Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board, Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners and local government units.

HCS is involved in actual conservation projects as well. Since 2003, DepEd and HCS have jointly implemented the Heritage Schoolhouse Program where HCS undertook planning and construction supervision for three restored schoolhouses: Rizal Elementary in Bacolod (1904), Pampanga High School in San Fernando (1935) and Baguio Central in Baguio (1908).

Aside from having completed the Teachers Camp Master Conservation Plan (1908), HCS supervises conservation of key historic Teachers Camp buildings. Conservation of Roxas Hall is in progress. Conservation of other historic buildings within the camp are scheduled to start within the next few months.

Seminar program

“Philippine Towns & Cities: Reflections of the Past, Lessons for the Future” is the HCS seminar program that enhances civic engagement with local governments units so that the HCS can inform and guide them on the proper care and utilization of a valuable asset - built heritage resources. The first seminar was held in November 2006 in Manila.

In our towns and cities, wanton real-estate speculation and over-construction are often mistaken for modernization when, in fact, these exert devastating pressure on the historic and cultural core of many of our human settlements. As a result, a valuable economic resource—built heritage— is left to deteriorate or is thoughtlessly demolished in the name of progress.

Concerted effort is imperative to protect heritage resources because these are revenue- and job-generating assets that can spark economic revitalization, as the case of Vigan clearly shows.

However, there is a general lack of awareness in the local government level, which is precisely where policies should be formulated and ordinances passed to declare heritage districts and protect these as the town’s or city’s prime assets.

Built heritage resources should be the core of any masterplan for urban development and inner town/city revitalization. Livelihood opportunities are generated by adaptive reuse, the revival of traditional crafts for restoration work and an increase in tourism receipts.

Significantly, communities begin to feel a “pride of place.”

The Philippine Towns & Cities seminar series is a communications campaign to influence policy-akers at the local government level. Through the Mayors’ Forum, best practices are shared. Other stakeholders in the Executive branch, the private sector and academe are invited to participate because heritage conservation is a multi-disciplinary concern.

In a second seminar, to be held on Nov. 9 in Iloilo City, with the cooperation of Mayor Jerry Treñas, will take this awareness and education campaign to the local governments of the Visayas, where built heritage resources abound in the cities of Cebu, Bacolod, Iloilo, Dumaguete, Tagbilaran.

HCS is a nonstock, nonprofit, NGO established in 1994, duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and certified by the Philippine Council for NGO Certification (PCNC). HCS donors receive a tax rebate certificate.

HCS has chapters in the cities of Dagupan, Bacolod, Cebu, Iloilo, San Fernando, (Pampanga); Dapitan, Zamboanga and Silay, in Negros Occidental. Other cities like Baguio and Makati have formed their own heritage commissions.

To guarantee continuity, HCS has set up student chapters at University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, Far Eastern University, Ateneo de Manila, De La Salle University and Adamson University. In the provinces, HCS has chapters at the Holy Angel University (Pampanga), St. Paul’s University (Cagayan) and La Salle College (Bacolod).

“Heritage Recycled” is available at the HCS Secretariat at P200 a copy. A 10-percent discount is offered to bona-fide HCS members. Bulk orders (minimum 100 copies) also enjoy a 10-percent discount plus printing of personal or business logos.

HCS is at Museo Pambata, Roxas Blvd., Ermita, Manila. Call 5212239, fax 5222497; e-mail info@heritage.org.ph, visit www.heritage.org.ph or heritageconservation.wordpress.com

overtureph

October 2nd, 2007, 06:54 AM

Manila

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/San%20Miguel/edit7869.jpg

Photo by overtureph

overtureph

October 2nd, 2007, 06:56 AM

Still in San Miguel, Manila

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/San%20Miguel/edit7840-1.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/San%20Miguel/edit7839-1.jpg

Photos by overtureph.

ivanhenares

October 2nd, 2007, 08:50 AM

Hey Bernie and Arnold, tuloy ang Cebu and Iloilo trip ko first week of November. I fly to Cebu on November 4 in the morning. Then I fly to Iloilo November 6. I'll stay until after the seminar, November 11.

Let's plan! :banana:

habagatcentral1

October 4th, 2007, 11:56 AM

^^ Ok. I'll better be ready. :D

Pinoy_ako

October 5th, 2007, 12:03 AM

just look at this...
why did they put that hideous shed attached to the church portal... that's is so distracting.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1316/542601251_256d7461e3.jpg?v=0

photo from: cb_agulto (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cb_agulto/)

This portico is not a permanent structure and it can be dismantled overnight. Since the church is a landmark, I think this "temporary" portico was a compromise between the demands of heritage and the necessities of churchgoers, while plans together with budget for a more enduring structure can be drawn. Or may we also add, until the fashion, where the bride waits outside the closed door of this church before her grand entry, fades.

ivanhenares

October 5th, 2007, 01:01 AM

Lim reopens historic Manila museum
By Allison Lopez
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines -- City Mayor Alfredo Lim revived on Thursday the Manila Historical and Heritage Commission (MHHC) and the Museo ng Maynila that were in "hibernation" for several years.

Wanting to train the spotlight on Manila's rich culture once again, Lim signed Executive Order No. 10, "Constituting the Manila Historical and Heritage Commission," upon his return to office on July 7.

Writer Carmen Guerrero Nakpil was reinstalled as MHHC chair.

The commission that organized art exhibits and historical lectures at the former Army-Navy Club building on South Boulevard, Ermita, became inactive during the previous administration. The club building served as Museo ng Maynila and the office of the commission established by Lim in 1997.

Said the mayor, who said he wanted to raise interest in preserving the city's lost heritage: "What we are now, what we are seeing, we owe to our ancestors. Unfortunately these values are now distorted. What seems to be precious before is no longer considered as such."

At Thursday's launch of the commission and the museum, the mayor directed the MHHC, which was in charge of Museo ng Maynila, to document the heritage resources of Manila. He also asked city district councils to identify and protect heritage areas.

The mayor revealed that during his term from 1992 1998 he declined an offer from persons he did not identify to build a high-rise condominium in place of the classic edifice, a city landmark.

The four-story building designed by the team of American architect Daniel Burnham deteriorated when it was turned into a "warehouse for lanterns and lampposts."

Lim vowed on Thursday to restore the building to its former glory like the Metropolitan Theater, which is undergoing a major overhaul.

But MHHC Secretariat member Gemma Cruz Araneta said they were still sourcing funds for the numerous repairs needed.

At the moment, only the ground floor of the club is open to visitors.

overtureph

October 5th, 2007, 06:32 AM

Although this article from the Philippine Star is about Warsaw, Poland, I am posting it here so we can see the difference on the treatment and reverence of the Poles to their city which was reputedly the most devastated city during WWII, Manila being the second most devastated city. We can see the different approach taken during the post war reconstruction. Emphasis are mine.

Why did Chopin leave his heart in Warsaw?
By Scott R. Garceau
Sunday, September 30, 2007

Warsaw has a sad story to tell.

Invaded by German troops during the Nazi occupation, it was literally razed to the ground in 1944. Much of today’s downtown historical Warsaw has been rebuilt from photos and recovered rubble. During the war, its Jewish citizens were shipped off to concentration camps, most never heard from again. A century or so before that, Poland was practically wiped from the world’s map, annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia (1795) and then Russia (1815). And for half a century after World War II, it lived under grim Communist rule.

Yet Warsaw, the capital of Poland, also has a mighty heart buried deep inside its cobbled streets and reconstructed pre-War buildings.

And that heart belongs to Frederic Chopin.

It wasn’t supposed to be a week-long vacation in Warsaw, but a travel booking snafu meant that our family had quite a bit of time to discover this city during last Holy Week (and decidedly less time in the “hipper” tourist destination of Prague). But the baliktad booking actually allowed us to soak up the heart and soul of Poland — proud home to Pope John Paul II, Chopin, Lech Walesa, novelist Joseph Conrad and atomic scientist Marie Curie, to name a few.

One of the more interesting facts we discovered while touring Old Town is that Chopin’s actual heart — yes, the organ itself *— is buried inside the Church of the Holy Cross. It’s sealed up inside one of the church pillars, according to an attached plaque. Chopin was born in Zelazowa Wola, about a two-hour ride from downtown Warsaw; he moved to Paris to study classical music when he was 20, and succumbed to tuberculosis at age 39. He never learned to speak French well, and while the rest of Chopin is buried in Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, the great composer bequeathed his most vital organ to the country of his birth.

Since we were in Chopin country, we tried visiting the composer’s birthplace in Zelazowa Wola, but were turned away at the gate of his humble estate, after being told the “museum” was closed on that day.

No matter. We had an even more special surprise on our trip: my mother-in-law, a huge fan of Chopin, had asked if it were possible to attend a live concert of Chopin music while in Warsaw. One sunny day, we toured the Lazienki Palace, a 17th-century baroque palace used by Polish King Stanislaw August Poniatowski as a summer residence, and were treated to a “private” piano recital by one of their great national artists, Maciej Poliszewski. We entered a baroque music room filled with chairs situated before a Steinway grand piano. As it turns out, we were the entire audience — me, my wife, mother-in-law, brother-in-law and sisters-in-law — and sat rapt as Poliszewski played — sans written music, and totally for us — a blazing repertoire of Chopin ballades, mazurkas, scherzos and waltzes.

It was amazing. Imagine, say, if you visited Dublin and Bono sat down in a pub and played you a private, unplugged set of U2 songs; or if you went to Italy, and Andrea Boccelli gave you a live recital. It was that cool. Afterward, during a champagne intermission, we were moved enough to buy multiple copies of his CD. And as we enjoyed the rest of the waning afternoon sunlight, strolling around the “Palace on the water,” we knew it was going to be our most cherished memory of Warsaw.

There was much more to see, of course, and our towering tour guide, Agnieska, brought us around Old Town, where we imagined what it was like before the Nazis arrived in 1939 — and what it looked like after the German soldiers decided to burn the city to the ground while retreating. In case we couldn’t fully grasp the historical reality, we watched a 20-minute documentary film showing the people of Warsaw — happy, strolling with baby carriages, or walking along the Vistula river — completely unaware of Hitler’s plans to occupy the city in September 1939. Once Hitler’s tanks rolled in, the government was replaced by Nazi rule and, within months, Warsaw’s Jews — some 30 percent of the city’s population — were herded into an area surrounded by 10-foot walls known as the Warsaw Ghetto. It’s eerie to visit this part of the city near the highway today: it’s noticeably more elevated than the foreground. That’s because, as Agnieska told us, the ghetto was literally rebuilt over rubble and bodies. We visit the former ghetto, now mostly built up with Communist-era tenement homes and several Jewish memorial sites. We stand next to the last remaining portion of “the wall,” indicating where Polish citizens and Jews resisted the Nazi occupation before the final razing of the city. (A fairly accurate portrait of this chapter in history is also contained in Roman Polanski’s Oscar-winning film, The Pianist, which depicts the Warsaw ghetto. It was filmed entirely on location).

Sad music seems to float on the air in Warsaw. The Poles today are a combination of contrasting ages: older survivors, with vividly lived-in faces reflecting the War, the Communist era and the whole rebuilding experience; and younger Poles, absurdly fresh-faced, plentiful (reflecting an uptick in optimism after Communism fell in 1989), healthy, and seemingly untroubled by history. They snog in public a lot. Kids on skateboards meanwhile zoom around Old Town Plaza — now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Meanwhile, the old, the lived-in, sit on park benches, looking out, perhaps, on a square from an earlier era. We saw a gathering of WWII vets line up at a nearby church for an Easter parade: their faces were either fleshy and full, with tufts of white hair and red blotches showing years of boozing; or sunken and hollowed, carved and cavernous, reflecting a harder type of living.

The Warsaw Uprising is a big topic here, with museums dedicated to documenting what Germany did, and how Poles fought back. There’s also some thinly veiled bitterness toward the Russian soldiers, who arrived on the banks of the Vistula in 1944, yet cooled their heels for over a month as the city burned before coming to the “rescue.” All in all, 85 percent of Warsaw was destroyed. All that is left has been carefully reconstructed. They somehow managed to capture the look, if not the historical fact, of Old Warsaw. In a way, those old lived-in faces supply the true feel.

As we stood in the Plaza, Agnieska told us a little about the dark days right after Communism’s fall. There was jubilation, of course; as an example of “the Polish sense of humor,” she said the old Communist Party headquarters was immediately turned into a stock exchange. But in reality, long lines for basic items were what followed. Not just food, but things like Barbie dolls and other “Western” luxuries were hard to come by. Not much investment poured in. But by the mid-‘90s, foreign brands finally arrived here: McDonald’s, KFC, and fabled Levi’s jeans made their first appearance behind the Iron Curtain.

Warsaw is unlike many European cities in that it’s no longer authentically preserved. Not much was left to work with after the War. Rather, it’s a restored city — the colors and materials of the buildings just a little too bright, a little too recent-looking. But rather than some Disney simulation, it’s a careful, heartfelt remembrance of what the city once was. It escapes kitsch largely by virtue of its aging inhabitants, who clearly loved the place enough to start from scratch.

The other big hero in Poland is Pope John Paul II, or native son Karol Jozef Wojtyla. Although born in Wadowice to the south and educated in Krakow, Warsaw residents claim him, too, especially during Holy Week, when thousands of colorful candles and prayers are laid out on the streets by the faithful. Large banners of the Polish Pope drape churches and public buildings. Colorful hand-painted Easter eggs are a big hit with tourists. Clearly, Warsaw is a place where faith was never abandoned. The spirit of the people is reflected in its love of the arts, its dedication to history and remembrance. And its heart — along with Chopin’s heart — still survives to this day.

Still on a music kick, we attended a Beethoven program at the Polish National Opera House, Teatr Wielki, downtown. The “Symphony No. 8 in F Major” was pleasing enough (followed by Act 1 of Wagner’s “The Valkyrie”), and it was cool to have our own private opera box to enjoy the show, but somehow it felt like another invasion — the German music taking over downtown Warsaw — and in our minds, perhaps, we were still hearing the searching, powerful lines of Poliszewski, giving us a direct line to Warsaw’s heart and soul.

Not surprisingly, too, there was a Filipino duo ensconced in the bar of the Hotel Bristol when we returned after the concert. Great peoples — and great music — seem to travel alike.

http://philstar.com/index.php?Travel&p=49&type=2&sec=48&aid=2007092955

icarusrising

October 7th, 2007, 01:14 AM

This portico is not a temporary structure and it can be dismantled overnight.

Sorry, just confused. Did you mean "not permanent"? It does look out of place though it serves a functional purpose as an additional protection against the elements for church-goers.

ivanhenares

October 7th, 2007, 04:35 AM

^^ As Fr. Galende mentioned, porticos give a reason for some church-goers to stay outside. In the first place, you hear Mass inside the church, not outside.

icarusrising

October 7th, 2007, 04:39 PM

^^ I see. Porticoes and cantilevered canopies were meant to serve as a transition point between outside and inside... A protected area where people may fix their rain-drenched umbrellas, for example, before going inside the main sanctuary.

I've read some architecture articles say that they symbolize outstretched hands beckoning the faithful to come inside.

It's too bad some people miss the point and linger there. :ohno:

For this particular case, that portico, just looks so inappropriate for the majesty of San Sebastian.

overtureph

October 7th, 2007, 06:25 PM

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/pic-10070249100620.jpg

DALI WAS ONLY No. 2 to Vicente Alvarez Dizon who won first prize for his painting, "After the Day's Toil" at the International Competition of Contemporary Art of 79 nations at the Golden Gate Exposition in 1939. French entry by Utrillo didn't even make it. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Missing Filipino masterpiece found at last

By Josie Dizon Henson
Inquirer
Last updated 01:56am (Mla time) 10/07/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- After a decades-long search, the family of Vicente Alvarez Dizon has located his painting that won first place at an international competition in 1939 which included the works of Salvador Dali and Maurice Utrillo.

The late Dizon's masterpiece, "After the Day's Toil," which was last seen by the family in 1952 when it was transported to the country for the Philippine International Fair, is in the possession of Dr. Rogelio Pine, a Filipino cardiologist based in New Jersey.

Pine bought it in 1980 from Daniel Grossman of the Grossman Gallery, who in turn bought it from IBM New York when the company unloaded a number of paintings in the late 1970s.

Dizon, of the University of the Philippines' then School of Fine Arts, painted "After the Day's Toil" in 1936 as a graduation thesis during postgraduate scholarship studies at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

When he returned home, he settled in Malate, Manila, and continued to lecture at UP, the National Teachers' College, and other schools.

From 79 countries
In 1939, Thomas J. Watson, founder of International Business Machines (IBM), conceived the idea of holding an international art competition at the Golden Gate Exposition in San Francisco, California.

He sent his representative, Kevin Mallen, to 79 countries all over the world to scout for entries.

In Manila, Mallen visited Dizon at his residence on 1111 A. Mabini Street, to take a look at "After the Day's Toil."

Mallen purchased the painting for IBM immediately after seeing it, and had it framed and shipped to the United States.

It was included in the International Competition on Contemporary Art of 79 Nations at the Golden Gate Exposition.

In that historic competition, "After the Day's Toil" won first place by popular vote. The entry of Spain by Dali won second place, and that of the United States won third.

Utrillo's entry did not win.

Pacific unity
The inscription on the winner's medal reads: "Unity of the Pacific nations is America's concern and responsibility. San Francisco stands at the doorway to the sea that roars upon the shores of all these nations; and so to the Golden Gate International Exposition I gladly entrust a solemn duty. May this, America's world's fair on the Pacific in 1939, truly serve all nations.--President Franklin D. Roosevelt"

The Golden Gate Exposition was held in celebration of San Francisco's two new bridges.

San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge were dedicated on Nov. 12, 1936, and May 27, 1937, respectively.

The exposition ran from Feb. 18 to Oct. 29 in 1939, and from May 25 to Sept. 29 in 1940.

Malate-born
Vicente Alvarez Dizon, son of Jose Sampedro Dizon of Bacolor, Pampanga, and Rosa Carlos Alvarez of Concepcion, Tarlac, was born in Malate on April 5, 1905.

The elder Dizon, an 1897 graduate of the University of Santo Tomas, was a landscape artist and botanist-agronomist at the Bureau of Agriculture.

In the course of his work, he was assigned to such places as Capas in Tarlac, Magalang in Pampanga, and Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija.

The young Vicente had his early schooling at the Malate Primary School, and continued his intermediate studies in the towns where his father was assigned.

The father wanted his son to study medicine. The latter obeyed, and attended the National University College of Medicine in 1921-23.

Dizon later transferred to the UP School of Fine Arts, where he took a five-year course and graduated with an art diploma in 1928. After graduation, he became the first artist-lecturer of the Philippines.

He is among the first Filipinos to win important scholarships abroad, such as that awarded him by the Federal Schools of Art in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

On his own, he applied for, and was granted, a scholarship at Yale.

Honors
In 1936, during his stay at Yale, Dizon became the first Filipino to be elected one of the 12 members of the "Yale Phi Alpha." (Only 12 members were elected each year from more than 300 students.)

It was also at Yale that he painted "After the Day's Toil" as his thesis.

Because of his studiousness, Dizon was given assignments during summer. Thus, after only one-and-a-half (instead of three) years of study, he graduated on June 7, 1936, with a bachelor's degree in fine arts (with distinction).

He specialized in painting, mural decoration, general art education, composition, and museum administration.

Art education pioneer
On his return to his motherland, Dizon continued to teach, and came to be considered the pioneer of art education in the Philippines.

He introduced the art of finger painting, and was invited to lecture on and demonstrate the new medium and technique in Manila and Central Luzon.

He conducted the famous "Chalk Talk" lectures, where someone from the audience would be asked to draw a form or line on the blackboard, which he would then transform into a recognizable object or figure.

Dizon was a faculty member of the UP School of Fine Arts where he lectured on history of art (1940-47), and of the UP College of Education, where he also lectured on art and interior decoration (1946-47).

Likewise, he was an associate professor in painting and theory of arts.

In 1938, he was appointed member of the UP School of Fine Arts' alumni committee for reorganization. He was also an artist and historical consultant in the US Army, 5th Air Force Command at Clark Field (February to August 1945).

He was as well a full professor of art at the Mapua Institute of Technology (1937-41).

War paintings
During the war years, Dizon secretly started recording life in those difficult times.

He completed 30 colorful and dramatic war paintings, which he titled "From Japanese Invasion to American Liberation, As My Brush Saw It."

He also wrote two books--"Art Education and Appreciation," which saw publication, and "Living As An Art."

Dizon was married to Ma. Ines Lutgarda S. Henson of Angeles, Pampanga.

The union was blessed with four children--the twins Victor and Daniel, Luminoso and Josefina.

Daniel and Josefina (Josie) became professional artists.

Early in 1947, while in the process of reorganizing the UP School of Fine Arts, Dizon fell seriously ill.

He died on Oct. 19 of the same year at the young age of 42.

The author is the daughter of the artist Vicente Alvarez Dizon.

Copyright 2007 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/news/view_article.php?article_id=93030

ivanhenares

October 8th, 2007, 08:26 PM

Save Burnham Park from more development!
http://www.ivanhenares.com/2007/10/save-burnham-park-from-more-development.html

http://bp3.blogger.com/_-fGx2wDrdVc/RwoUQ9poo-I/AAAAAAAABjY/KvllwiItZG0/s400/IMG_6143.jpg

Just received some horrible news from Baguio City! They are planning to build a bus terminal and multi-level vending station in Burnham Park. Some Baguio City officials really do not know how to preserve the city's heritage and the little charm it has left. The proponent is Councilor Perlita Rondez, chair of the tourism committee of the Baguio City Council. I hope this project is stopped. Let's keep what's left of Burnham Park an open space!

At least Councilor Elaine Sembrano, chair of market, trade and commerce committee, said that “vending in parks must not be encouraged.” For more details, read Burnham Park market, parking area mulled (http://www.nordis.net/blog/?p=1633).

Related article
Here are some excerpts from Remember Teachers Camp? (http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view_article.php?article_id=93106):
"The distinct Baguio identity of mountainous terrain with green-and-white architecture nestled under pine trees is fast vanishing. The single largest remaining ensemble of that identity survives in Teachers Camp. Although no other city in Asia or in the Philippines has an identity like Baguio's, the identity today is vanishing rapidly.

"Unregulated development has caused Baguio to lose its luster as the Philippines' most popular mountain retreat. Nondescript concrete buildings and residences have replaced the traditional green-and-white architecture. Informal settlers' shanties now cover urban mountain vistas, once open green spaces, in sheets of rusted tin roofing.

"Pine trees, once a familiar sight of Baguio landscape, have practically disappeared. Heritage, whether urban, architectural, or landscape, neither protected by legislation or by zoning, does not appear to be within the sphere of interest of most city authorities and residents, therefore urban and architectural heritage is going fast, and vanishing rapidly also is its landmark umbrella of pines and multicolored flowers.

"Present-day Baguio is homogenizing into the generic, typical look of 21st-century Philippine cities. Only its mountainous terrain now reminds us that once this was the glorious Summer Capital of our Land and the only American Hill Station in Asia.

"Since Baguio mystique and tradition are practically gone today, it is necessary to maintain whatever is left of its urban, architectural, and environmental traditions for the future."

ivanhenares

October 8th, 2007, 08:29 PM

PRIDE OF PLACE
Remember Teachers Camp?
By Augusto Villalon
Inquirer
Last updated 00:41am (Mla time) 10/08/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- Who does not remember Teachers Camp? For the past five or six generations, almost every Filipino teacher or student has had a Teachers Camp experience, spending a few education-enriching days or even a fortnight, for the fortunate few, in green-and-white pre-war cottages under the pines in cool Baguio air to attend a live-in conference or training event.

Teachers Camp, founded in 1908 by the US colonial government as a mountain retreat for the first group of American teachers, the Thomasites, needing a respite from lowland tropical heat, has a unique heritage. Since its early Thomasite days, generations of Filipino teachers and students have gone to Teachers Camp for educational training, conferences and seminars.

It is a place intrinsic to the history of the Department of Education and has become part of the educational ethos of many Filipinos. It is a nationally recognized teaching facility, also one of the nationally recognized Baguio City icons along with Session Road, Burnham Park, Mansion House, Wright Park and Camp John Hay. It is the last of the large, open, undeveloped parcels of government-owned land remaining in Baguio. The other large parcel, Camp John Hay, is now privatized as a mixed-use real-estate development.

Founded as a rest and recreation facility for teachers and also as a venue for summer training programs for teachers, education is the primary legacy of Teachers Camp. Its secondary legacy is that it is one of the few surviving Baguio environments today, a wide-open area still relatively forested with pine trees and landscaped in the typical but vanishing flowered Baguio garden style, where original green-and-white wooden architecture, once a Baguio City hallmark, still survives.

Hills station

The American colonial government built Baguio in the early years of the 20th century. However, Baguio has never taken its deserved place in the Asian chain of colonial Hill Stations (Simla and Darjeeling in British India, Bandung in Dutch Indonesia, Cameron Highlands in British Malaysia, Dalat in French Indochina).

Making Baguio stand out in this chain of upland vacation retreats is the fact that it is the only American-designed Hill Station in Asia. The green-and-white American-style wooden architecture once so prevalent in the Baguio mountain terrain is the only one of its kind in Asia.

Baguio is of pedigreed origin and Teachers Camp is part of that pedigree. Designed by Daniel Burnham, the leading American urban planner of the day, vast urban parks (Burnham and Wright Parks) opened up broad city and mountain vistas and served as visual and circulation anchors for the city.

A network of winding roads connected main points of the city—the City Hall overlooking a large park with a lagoon (now known as Burnham Park), Mansion House (the summer residence of the Philippine president), Camp John Hay (former American military rest and recreation facility), and Teachers Camp.

Session Road, the city commercial center that leads uphill in a straight line from the Baguio Market now connects to a new mall at its top end. It is likewise well-known throughout the Philippines as part of the Baguio image. Today a gigantic new mall at the top of Session Road now seriously threatens the future of its small commercial establishments that have been there for generations.

The distinct Baguio identity of mountainous terrain with green-and-white architecture nestled under pine trees is fast vanishing. The single largest remaining ensemble of that identity survives in Teachers Camp. Although no other city in Asia or in the Philippines has an identity like Baguio’s, the identity today is vanishing rapidly.

Baguio in decay

Unregulated development has caused Baguio to lose its luster as the Philippines’ most popular mountain retreat. Nondescript concrete buildings and residences have replaced the traditional green-and-white architecture. Informal settlers’ shanties now cover urban mountain vistas, once open green spaces, in sheets of rusted tin roofing.

Pine trees, once a familiar sight of Baguio landscape, have practically disappeared. Heritage, whether urban, architectural, or landscape, neither protected by legislation or by zoning, does not appear to be within the sphere of interest of most city authorities and residents, therefore urban and architectural heritage is going fast, and vanishing rapidly also is its landmark umbrella of pines and multicolored flowers.

Present-day Baguio is homogenizing into the generic, typical look of 21st-century Philippine cities. Only its mountainous terrain now reminds us that once this was the glorious Summer Capital of our Land and the only American Hill Station in Asia.

Since Baguio mystique and tradition are practically gone today, it is necessary to maintain whatever is left of its urban, architectural, and environmental traditions for the future.

On the eve of its 2008 centenary, Teachers Camp acknowledges its unique place as one of the principal government educational facilities in the Philippines that has consistently provided teacher training since 1908 in the traditional “Old Baguio” setting so intrinsic to the Teachers Camp image and ambiance.

Since both traditions, education and setting, are so intertwined, it is impossible to look at conserving one without the other.

Teachers Camp authorities are now looking at conserving the physical aspect of Teachers Camp heritage—its architecture, landscaping and infrastructure—while updating the entire facility and its physical plant to achieve 21st-century demands to continue its educational focus and improve its amenities as a rest and recreation facility for educators and students.

Heritage, the basis for the new Teachers Camp improvement efforts, is recognized as the primary resource for future income generation to be conserved and enhanced with new infrastructure, architecture and landscaping, to ensure the economic sustainability that will keep Teachers Camp in the lives of the next five generations of educators and students.

Please send feedback to pride.place@gmail.com

Pinoy_ako

October 8th, 2007, 11:39 PM

Sorry, just confused. Did you mean "not permanent"? It does look out of place though it serves a functional purpose as an additional protection against the elements for church-goers.

Yes, it's supposed to be "permanent". Sorry for that.

LordCarnal

October 10th, 2007, 04:59 PM

^^

Guys have you been to Camp Philips in Bukidnon? The place looks like a very small version of Baguio (houses, trees, buildings, etc..)

Anyway, I hope they can do something to save what is left of Baguio..

I remember when I was still small, we used to stay in this cottage that was alloted to my uncle who was a member of the SC.

Alitaptap

October 10th, 2007, 10:16 PM

By Juliet Labog-Javellana
Inquirer
Last updated 01:13am (Mla time) 10/11/2007

MANILA, Philippines--MALACAÑANG can have her Arlegui property, but Tarcila Laperal-Mendoza wants just compensation for it.

For well over three decades, Mendoza could not forget the day presidential security guards of the Ferdinand Marcos regime stormed her "Blair Mansion" and kicked her and her family out in 1975, with nothing but the clothes on their backs and memories of their house to take with them.

The 93-year-old matriarch thought she had gotten justice when the Supreme Court ordered last week that Malacañang return the 4,924.2-square-meter property on Arlegui built in the 1930s, near the Palace compound, to her and compensate her.

The mansion owned by the Laperal family was restored by National Artist Leandro Locsin in 1971. After it was seized by the Marcos regime, the Arlegui property served as an adjunct of the Office of the President and later as Residence of Presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos. It is now occupied by the Office of the Press Secretary.

But Mendoza, now living in the United States, was dismayed by the outcome of her 32-year quest for justice, according to her lawyer Alberto Borbon Reyes II. Reyes said Mendoza recalled that when the presidential guards kicked them out of their house, they were not allowed to bring anything with them.He said all the antique furniture, including Mendoza's favorite rocking chair, the priceless paintings and other possessions were left in the house with centralized air-conditioning.

"Everything inside the house, besides the memories. How can you recover that?" Reyes said.

For all the aggravation, the matriarch would receive P20,000 "rent" per month since July 1975, inclusive of a 6-percent interest rate and attorney's fees.
In its ruling, the high tribunal nullified the decision of Manila Regional Trial Court Judge Vicente Hidalgo to award Mendoza P1.48 billion in rent and P143.6 million in just compensation, saying the amount was "mind-boggling" and excessive.

The Supreme Court pointed out that the assessed value of the Arlegui property was P2.38 million.Reyes said Mendoza was informed by phone about the high court ruling after reading about it in the papers on Tuesday and getting a copy of the decision.

"She was dejected," Reyes told the Inquirer Wednesday.

"For us, P7 million is probably a lot of money. But what about all the things that she went through for 32 years? That is simply not enough," he said.
"It is not reasonable. It may even be unconscionable for all the sufferings she went through," the lawyer said.

A US general lived there. The house was called the "Blair Mansion" after an American general occupied it. The matriarch belongs to a landed family which had properties in Mendiola, Manila, and in Baguio City.

Mendoza, then a 60-year-old doctor who also taught at the University of Sto. Tomas, borrowed money from relatives after her family was forced out and purchased a unit at the Ritz Tower in Makati City to live in.

She pursued her fight to reclaim her property through the four administrations after the Marcos regime was overthrown in 1986. Reyes said Mendoza moved to the United States in 2000. Her husband Perfecto, also a doctor, later died. She has a daughter, Fortunata, several grandchildren and nephews and nieces helping in her fight.

Reyes said Mendoza could not believe that her house was only worth P20,000 a month. He said Mendoza never had any doubt that she could recover her property.

"She expected to win but not to have this unreasonable amount," Reyes said.
Mendoza, whom Reyes described as still "very lucid" despite her age, would seek a reconsideration of the high court ruling.

"She hopes we can enlighten the Supreme Court, that we can get a reasonable amount," Reyes said.He said the high tribunal might have overlooked the fact that the property was almost 5,000 square meters, and the mansion itself about 2,000 square meters.

"She was wondering which justice [of the Supreme Court] will rent his own house for P20,000," Reyes quipped.

While the high tribunal put the property's value at P2.38 million, the two parties have already discussed a possible P600 million settlement before the high court handed down its ruling, providing for the P7-million compensation for Mendoza. The property's assessed value now is P1.7 billion, according to the Asian Appraisal Company Inc.--a company agreed upon by the family and the solicitor general to look into its current worth.

Reyes said Mendoza was no longer interested in returning to her house, particularly with its state of disrepair and neglect. Reyes said he saw how the old glory of the mansion had been lost, with the once stately rooms now turned into a warehouse and the swimming pool filled with filth.

"The mansion is now dilapidated. It may not be right for the Office of the Press Secretary to return it to her in this state. Even an apartment owner expects that his property be restored to its original form," he said.

Reyes said Mendoza felt that the P7 million would not be enough to repair the mansion. Besides, he said the high court ruling did not put a deadline for Malacañang to vacate the property.

"She thinks that she might be dead when they will return it to her," he said.

Reyes said the neighborhood is also not an ideal place for Mendoza to live in.
"It may be impractical for her to return to her house. She's 93 years old and it may not be healthy for her to live in a neighborhood where you will be faced with tanks and soldiers. It may be a secured environment but when they bomb Malacañang, you will be bombed too," he said.

Besides, he said Mendoza was aware that her property had acquired a historical value with two Presidents calling it home. "Her position is that the government can have her property because of its historical value," Reyes said.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=93775

overtureph

October 12th, 2007, 04:52 AM

Bacolor, Pampanga.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/pampanga%20bacolor1/edit8354.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/pampanga%20bacolor1/edit8355.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/pampanga%20bacolor1/edit8353.jpg

Photos by overtureph.

Rence

October 12th, 2007, 11:17 AM

:ohno: Putting cement? Are they restoring the old House or destroying it?

ivanhenares

October 12th, 2007, 01:16 PM

Rence, wala silang sinisira diyan. Nalubog sa lahar yan. Stilts lang yan dati. Buti nga inakyat pa nila yan eh. Kung wala sila pakialam sa house, dapat nasa ilalim na ng lupa yan tulad ng kapit-bahay nila. But the wall could have been better. Wala siguro budget.

Rence

October 12th, 2007, 03:30 PM

:) Its okey if they are raising the house !

LordCarnal

October 13th, 2007, 06:59 AM

@Arlegui Mansion

The assessed value of Arlegui Mansion is only P2.38 million?

How did the government compute the value of the property?

Rence

October 13th, 2007, 02:40 PM

@Arlegui Mansion

The assessed value of Arlegui Mansion is only P2.38 million?

How did the government compute the value of the property?

:nuts: Ganun mag-appraise ang gobyerno mababa , wala sa Fair market value para kung gusto nilang bilhin pupuwede or este kunin

ivanhenares

October 13th, 2007, 05:19 PM

Halina lusungin natin ang Malabon
http://ivanhenares.multiply.com/photos/album/203

Today, I joined a tour of Malabon called "Halina lusungin natin ang Malabon" organized by Archt. Richard Bautista of the NCCA and some of the old families of the city.

Our tour began with a briefing and a sumptuous lunch at the Pescadores restaurant at Letre Road corner Dagat-Dagatan Avenue. We then proceeded to our first stop, the San Bartolome Church. I had high expectations for this church knowing that it was one of the untouched churches in Metro Manila. But to our shock, it's in the process of being uglified by the current parish priest who is not even a native of Malabon.

The current hard-headed parish priest, Fr. Ric Torrefiel, has all but listened to the objections of the local community about his kitsch and tasteless renovations. Sadly, he was the same priest who bastardized the old Concepcion Church, also in Malabon.

I hope the townsfolk of Malabon stops this priest from wreaking more havoc to this historic church by halting all their donations to this utter waste of church funds. Why don't priests simply focus on their spiritual role rather than push their parishoners to cough out money to satisfy their whims and caprices? That money is best spent fulfilling the pastoral needs and responsibilities of the church.

Members of the group were aghast! From a simple but elegant centuries-old church, Fr. Torrefiel has managed to turn it into a cheap, gaudy, tasteless, kitsch, cabaret-like interior enumerating some of the adjectives blurted out by those in the tour. And when we asked the tour organizers about it, they said that the more the local people stop him, the more he pushes for what he wants. Now where is the CBCP when you need it?

Anyway, after that depressing first stop, we walked to Betsy's Cake House to have a taste of their broas and view the works of the silent artist, Serafin Serna, a contemporary of Fernando Amorsolo.

We went from one house to another. The group first entered the Dionisio House. Then we moved to Concepcion to visit three Luna houses, the Borja House, and Paez House, as well as the Concepcion Church which Fr. Torrefiel had already bastardized. We also dropped by Dolor's Kakanin to check out their sapin-sapin.

We also visited the home and gallery of Angel Cacnio, an artist whose works have been used by the Central Bank on our bills and coins. From Concepcion, we moved to the Rufina Patis Factory, passing by other old houses along the way. Indeed, Malabon is a treasure trove of heritage, which is sadly deteriorating due to the annual flood and subsidence (sinking of the ground).

From Rufina Patis, we were served a sumptuous Malabon merienda at the Martinez House. Of course, there was pancit malabon, puto bumbong, puto sulot, bibingka, pichi-pichi, sumpia (in Malabon, lumpia is fresh, sumpia is fried, what we know as turon is called valencia and when you say turon, it means it's filled with mongo beans), kikiam and camachile biscuits (which we thought were tamarinds), among many others.

Then we moved to the oldest known house of Malabon dated 1861, the Raymundo House. Behind the house, we got to see the Malabon-Navotas shipyards. The two towns are technically separated by a strait (and not a river) since we always forget that Malabon and Navotas are islands.

From the Raymundo House, we attended the soft opening of the Bahay Parokiyano Gallery, a place for local artists to showcase their works. Indeed, this trip to Malabon was most worth it! Thanks to the organizers for inviting us, and filling both our stomachs and our minds. Photos in http://ivanhenares.multiply.com/photos/album/203

Pinoy_ako

October 14th, 2007, 05:45 AM

^^

They formerly said they were restoring the church as it looked like before. When I went back months later, the tombstones with an ornate crest, a product of its time, was no longer in its place at the transept. I also heard that they removed some other tombstones at the sacristy. They have also altered the history of the church by desecrating these burials. They should have conducted researches first before removing these tombstones. These could have been the families who helped make this church one of the biggest in Metro Manila.

I'm just hoping they didn't alter the main altar.

ivanhenares

October 14th, 2007, 12:52 PM

I'm just hoping they didn't alter the main altar.

He might put his signature kitsch decor on the retablo. That's why people should stop donating.

Rence

October 15th, 2007, 01:58 PM

ivanhenares

October 15th, 2007, 03:25 PM

:ohno::nuts: Same story !
They are also restoring este destroying a portion of the historic Manila Central Post Office! Did those guys have consulted NHI, NCCA, HCS etc...?

They are pouring cement in room 203 within the lobby of the main Post Office in Manila . Yung original plan ni Juan Arellano Sa Post Office na-alter na

I guest the wholesale destruction still continues until today! Akala ko ba pag-nakaupo na itong si Dirty Harry matatapos na ang mga wholesale destruction na iyan sa Destruction in the City !

If i remember it right , may nag-post sa HCS na hindi na raw magkakaroon ng mga demolition ? Pero I keep warning everyone on the issue.

Hindi talaga sila matatapos gibain hanggang may natitirang old buildings sa Maynila.....

Next on the destruction list : Postal Museum and Philatelic Library :nuts:

Hindi nga pinupuntahan tapos i-rennovate na daw ito? Wala nga ito sa Map ng mga Museums at hindi nga alam ng mga taga- Cityhal ng Maynila !

Rence, please stop ranting about Mayor Lim because you never brought up that particular issue with Gemma or the HCS. You simply informed her of the existence of the museum. E-mail Gemma and tell her the particular problem. Gemma is so close to Mayor Lim, she can bring any heritage issue to his attention immediately.

To refresh your memory, this is what you said:
Hi, Another forgotten and virtually unknown museum in the heart of Manila is the Postal Museum and Philatelic Museum located on the third floor Security Building or Money Order Building .

Our Stamp Club ( Filipinas Stamp Collectors' Club) had sen letter to Mayor Alfredo Lim informing about the exsistence of such a museum near the Cityhall.

Sadly, even the people of the Manila Tourism and Cultural Affairs Bureau does not even know that such a museum occur.

The museum opened to the public in 1992 ! The club had started its postal history walking tour in 1998 !

and Gemma replied to you:
Dear Lawrence,
I shall ask Mrs. Ofie Co , director of the Mla Tourism
and Cultural Affaiars office for a copy of that
letter.
Cheers!
Gemma Cruz Araneta

So where is your warning about the room 203 issue? You didn't even mention that the museum was up for demolition. Please give Gemma the details so she could act accordingly. We're one in heritage. We shouldn't shed bad light on heritage allies like Mayor Lim when such is not deserved.

Animo

October 15th, 2007, 09:15 PM

http://images.inquirer.net/media/showbizandstyle/lifestyle/lifestyle/images/pic-10141145110079.jpg

By Augusto Villalon
Inquirer
Last updated 11:42pm (Mla time) 10/14/2007

MANILA, Philippines – The Army and Navy Club is having a tough time slipping graciously into old age. The landmark American colonial structure dating from the early 20th century has fallen into hard times.

During the previous term of Manila Mayor Alfredo S. Lim, the elegant club building was used as Museo ng Maynila, a project abandoned by the mayor who succeeded him. For a while the city architect’s office was in the building, but as the deterioration of the building went unchecked, it had to move out.

The empty building was then used as a manufacturing facility for the city’s Christmas lanterns that were stored in the premises after each season to wait for the next year. The Army-Navy was such a pitiful sight.

Meanwhile the Army and Navy’s companion structure and neighbor, the former Elks Club on the corner of Roxas Boulevard that dates from the same period, renewed itself as the Museo Pambata, a popular educational destination where schoolchildren have fun with interactive exhibits that teach Philippine culture, science and history.

While busloads of children filled Museo Pambata with wonder and laughter, the former Army-Navy Club next door decayed away into near ruin.

During his first three months as comebacking mayor, Alfredo S. Lim organized the Manila Historical and Heritage Commission to pursue his vision of restoring Manila’s former grandeur, focusing on the city’s rich and colorful cultural legacy.

The mayor noted Manila was the only city that showed all the periods of our history―pre-Hispanic, Spanish and American colonial, and modern Filipino.

“Legacies from the past like archaeological sites in Arroceros, Spanish colonial edifices in Intramuros, and American-period buildings have to be conserved,” Lim said. “Heritage is now an equal concern of the commission.”

The mayor announced: “The Manila Historical and Heritage Commission will document built heritage resources of Manila, undertake efforts to increase and inculcate historical awareness with the goal of establishing pride of place in all city sectors, including barangays, public and private schools, and universities.”

The commission’s centerpiece projects are the restoration of the Army-Navy Club and its reopening as Museo ng Maynila and the restoration of the Metropolitan Theater as a much needed venue for cultural events.

E-mail the author at pride.place @gmail.com.
http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view_article.php?article_id=94410

Rence

October 16th, 2007, 02:41 PM

Rence, please stop ranting about Mayor Lim because you never brought up that particular issue with Gemma or the HCS. You simply informed her of the existence of the museum. E-mail Gemma and tell her the particular problem. Gemma is so close to Mayor Lim, she can bring any heritage issue to his attention immediately.

To refresh your memory, this is what you said:

and Gemma replied to you:

So where is your warning about the room 203 issue? You didn't even mention that the museum was up for demolition. Please give Gemma the details so she could act accordingly. We're one in heritage. We shouldn't shed bad light on heritage allies like Mayor Lim when such is not deserved.

:ohno:Room or window 203 of the Main Post Office is a different story , I went there with a foreigner friend and we saw the sad state of the rennovation mahigit 3 months na ito .

:lol: Postal Musuem and Philatelic Library is a different story may plano din na i-rennovate The Building is a 3 story one just in the foot of the Mac Arthur or Sta. Cruz Bridge ( totally different ) The museum is located on the third floor !

:banana: This is not ranting Mr. Lim because this is an on-going issue , I am also a citizen of Manila ( I actually voted him) and this is just a constructive critism . You should not picture all the glossy tales of the conservation but also must picture what is the reality that is going on within Manila . Bakit hindi ba madaming mga old buildings na-demolished during the past few months? Atienza term expired last June 30 , 2007 .

Yung old historic narra tree sa harap ng Cityhall na tinanim pa ng Mac Arthur nasaan na? Hindi ba namatay noong time ni Lito Atienza because of fungus infection ?

Here are some of the Constructive Critism from a BLOG Site:
http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_celdrantours_archive.html
THE PROBLEM WITH GOODBYE IS HELLO...
And so it seems the the Age of Atienza is coming to an end. The fat man in the floral shirt who occupied Manila City Hall for the last ten years must now step down, his three term limit set by the Philippine Constitution of 1987 completed. Not only that, it seems that the mayor's son, Ali, will not be continuing the current agenda, as he is currently losing the race for the top spot to former Mayor Alfredo Lim.

Not that I'm shedding any major tears here. Even though I did work for Manila City Hall as an arts and culture consultant for many years, I do realize that Mayor Atienza had many shortcomings. And even though I liked many of his urban renewal projects (Baywalk, Pasig Riverside, San Andres Market renovation), it cannot be denied that he has been consistently remiss in protecting downtown Manila's precious heritage architecture and that his views on birth control are just short of retarded.

And although I am ready for a new regime and a new vision for the city, unfortunately I don't see Mayor Lim as a better alternative either. Considering the vindictive nature of Philippine politics, my prediction is that Lim will most likely spend his first year in office reversing or shutting down every completed Atienza project, whether that project be good or bad. Once such project that I shall miss will be Rizal Avenue (above). Once a blighted seedy area choked with traffic and vagrants, it was converted to a paved pedestrian promenade and organized vendor alley by Atienza four years ago. Mayor Lim promises to take that all away, remove the pavement and return the vehicles and street vendors in order to pander to jeepney drivers and commuters who are inconvenienced by Rizal Avenue's rerouting scheme. One small step forward for the jeepneys and vendors and one large leap backwards for pedestrians and urban renewal. Not only that, let's not forget Mayor Lim is a member of the opposition. Perhaps we can look forward to more street rallies around the Presidential Palace and all the instability/anarchy that it brings.

Then again, let's see. Ever the optimist, I'd like to believe that Lim may not be THAT unenlightened.
http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_celdrantours_archive.html
After all, it's rather obvious that I have very little support from "civil society" in saving this street. And since I believe in only choosing battles I know I can win, perhaps negotiating would be a better option than an all out word war against Manila City Hall. Really, I have to deal with this fricking man for the next six years and he has the power to make my life a living hell if I don't get along with him (Remember, I do this job with zero government support). Besides, I don't believe in wasting my time fighting either. Honey works way better than vinegar in getting flies that's for sure. So here goes.
Mayor Lim:
What is done is done. I can't change your plans to open up Rizal Avenue to cars. But allow me to beseech you to proceed with this decision with a bit more thought and planning than what is evident right now. The former walkway is being cleared at such a speedy pace that the needs of pedestrians are not being given credence at all. Please allow me to enumerate some issues that need to be addressed so that pedestrian and vehicular traffic may co-exist without incident. Here are a few of the issues which need to be addressed along with a few of my suggestions:
A) The corner of Plaza Goiti and Rizal Avenue has always been a bottleneck (above). Perhaps you could retain a large paved brick area/plaza for human traffic at the junction of Plaza Goiti and Rizal Avenue? I believe that the front of Isettan Department Store on the left would be ideal. After all, take a look at that photo of the vendors and shoppers above. They aren't going anywhere (and neither is the statue of Mayor Lacson by the way). Just imagine trying to squeeze jeepneys inbetween these folks. It isn't hard to see what a fresh hell it can be without giving room for pedestrians and vendors to congregate on either side of the road. I also recommend leaving a wide berth for pedestrians at the corner of Recto as well (below). But I believe that this won't difficult to do because the road widens at the that area.
B.) The area below the LRT is too small for two-way traffic (below). Perhaps the entrance way from Plaza Goiti into Rizal Avenue should be a one way street? Look at how narrow the space is below the LRT station (both pictures below). Perhaps all north bound vehicles should enter Rizal Avenue through Plaza Goiti and all south bound vehicles should exit Rizal Avenue via Plaza Santa Cruz. A proper crossroad area (with lights and zebra markings) is also recommended at the corner of Raon and Carriedo to access the east side of Avenida from the west side. An underpass would be an even better idea.

C.) Make the sidewalks just a little wider. By the looks of things at the construction site, it seems that the asphalt pavement will stop right at the edge of the the walkway columns (both pictures below). This is not advisable. The sidewalks of Avenida are already crowded enough as is (and this is already with full pedestrianization of the avenue). I recommend an easement of at least 1.2 meters onto the road so that there is space for pedestrians to navigate between Carriedo and Raon streets. This is also recommended for the area below the LRT stairs at the Carriedo Stop. It seems that the stairs right now will lead right onto the asphalt itself. Please read letter A once more.

My recommended easement size should be as wide as the sunlit area (above). I repeat, do not pave asphalt all the way to the edge of the columns...

Oh, and wrought iron barriers (pretty ones please) to prevent jaywalking and to assure that commuters load in the proper areas are also absolutely necessary.

D.) Reuse the former paving brick of Avenida (seen in piles on Plaza Lawton below) to improve the sidewalks of Ermita and Malate. Truth be told, I did find it rather ironic that the Atienza administration re-paved and fixed most sidewalks in Manila except for the two streets which are perhaps of the highest profile in the city, MH del Pilar and A. Mabini. These two streets are the main thoroughfares which people and vehicles use when going from Malate to Luneta and beyond and they have looked like hell for as long as I could remember. Take my advice, fix the sidewalks and traffic on these two streets (and Adriatico and UN too while you are at it) and just watch the investments, hotels, tourists, and families flock in...

E.) Oh, and please ditch the ideas of building a Jollibee and McDonald's at either side of Baywalk. The swimming pool idea on the baywalk is also a little crazy. Shelve that too please.

Thank you.
Carlos Celdran
A concerned Manila resident

I GIVE UP...

I didn't realize how much this would affect me. My heart is officially broken and I am a sniveling mess. I haven't slept well all week, I haven't left bed all day today, and this morning, I actually shed a tear in frustration (- and mind you, I never shed tears). All I kept thinking to myself was: Mayor Lim, why did you send The City of Manila back into the dark ages? The north side of the Pasig River is once again a crowded, traffic-choked mess since you started ripping out all the marble and pavement and returned asphalt and jeepneys to Rizal Avenue last Saturday. This is definitely not the best way to start your term. I am comletely unimpressed. As a matter of fact, I think I hate you.
To this (above)! And all for the motherfu*king jeepneys! I know you are on Erap (da jeepney drayber) Estrada's camp, but there must a better way to alleviate traffic than pandering to these undisciplined smoke belching death traps and wasting all the money we taxpayers spent on this urban renewal project. Please remember it was OUR money that was spent on the pedestrianization of Rizal Avenue - NOT ATIENZA'S! IF you had ever walked (or driven) in the area, you would have noticed that in the past year, the traffic flow had already settled into the new detour system. The newly widened Santa Cruz Plaza and accessway through F. Torres had really addressed the issue of congestion. There was no need to return Rizal Avenue to cars!! Your issues were outdated! That's how out of touch you are! How in heavens name could you possibly think opening up Rizal Avenue would be safer and more civilized for Manilenos!?? How will pedestrians cross the avenue to get from Santa Cruz Church to Quiapo Church now? How? HOW? In between the vehicles or through some overcrowded crossing?? Or should we all learn to fly? Gawd! I wonder how much worse things will be when you allow rallies to block traffic on Mendiola once again!

FYI, you all: My grief and anger for this regression has prompted me to cancel all my North Bank and ChinaTown tours until further notice. The dates you see posted on this blog will be the last that I ever do. I am just too pissed off and frustrated and it's just too painful to see the north side of the Pasig River go back to the medieval state that it was in back in the early nineties under your first term. For the last six years, I have been trying to convince people that Quiapo is a civilized spot for pedestrians/tourists/human beings only to have my efforts reversed by this one unenlightened act. I can't take it anymore.

Truth be told, I am this close to just throwing the towel in and fuc*king migrating to somewhere fricking else than here because of what Mayor Lim has done. See more heart wrenching pictures here on Senor Enrique's blog.

http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/2006/08/in-memoriam.html

http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/2007_08_01_celdrantours_archive.html

FAREWELL FOUNTAIN...
Okay, I was able to keep calm about the removal of every stall on Roxas Boulevard, the return of Carriedo Street and Avenida Rizal to the jeepneys, and the overall dull mood Manila's been having these days, but to hear that dear old Mayor Lim is now going to remove the fountain in front of Malate Church for "desecrating" the spirit of Rajah Sulayman, now that is just way way way too much and I gotta flip my wig.

Dude. What the hell? The fountain too "festive" for you, Mayor? Get realistic about Manila, Mayor Lim. The rich ain't coming back. Former high end establishments like Sala, Garlic Rose, Bravo, and their patrons have all packed their bags for malls elsewhere. And in the absence of a middle class, we need fountains, and lights, and commercial activity to add life to the area. Not only for safety but also to provide jobs for people, ok? And that comment about Sulayman only shows you how ignorant you are of Manila's history. The Plaza Sulayman is not a shrine. It's a park. Rajah Sulayman never lived or died there. That plaza was formerly a beach and then a school building before becoming Plaza Sulayman in the 1970's. Do you want to put the school building back? Do you want to bring the beach back? Is that how far you want to reverse things in Manila?

Just fix the fountain, Mayor. Make it simpler, more elegant, and more electricity and water efficient. DO NOT remove the fountain. It cools the concrete plaza down and adds delight to an otherwised hard-edged, vagrant-friendly area. C'mon - do we want the shab dealers back there? Because unless you add some life, those are the only people who are going to hang out there. Just like they did during your first term.

And HCS and Winners. Get with the program too. The mayor works fast so you guys have to work even faster. You are the only ones with the Mayor's ear right now. A lot rests upon you guys.

Hey, Mayor, if you want to make Malate more family and tourist friendly, why not the crack down on the unscrupulous money changers of Malate first? My friend Sidney just got swindled only LAST week! Get rid of them first. Get your priorities straight.

The hundred days are nearing an end, Mayor. Get with the program. So far, you have only proven that you can regress. Prove to me you can take us forward.

UPDATE: Things about the Lim Administration that scare me. This missing person and yet another reversed pedestrianized promenade by the Pasig River and Intramuros. Things that confuse me about the Mayor. Apprently, the only thing that he is in agreement with Mayor Atienza about is a lack of concern for family planning and birth control (read number ten on his platform). God help us all under Lim. God help us all.

I really want to like this Mayor. I really do. He isn't making it easy.

Then again, perhaps I should shut up soon before I go missing too.

Labels: kvetch kvetch kvetch
Friday, August 10, 2007
IN MEMORIAM...
BYE BYE BAYWALK...

When I first heard that Mayor Lim was going to ban alcohol and close down the performance stages on Roxas Boulevard because they were too loud, I was elated beyond belief. For three years I had to live with the shrilly strains of a karaoke machine until four am on a daily basis and the thought of a more "family-friendly", noise pollution-free Baywalk thrilled me to no end. But now I see that not only did he remove alcohol and bands, but the Cafe Adriatico, the Fruitas Fruit Shake Stand, The Ice Monster, and EVERY concessionare on the boulevard and Plaza Sulayman, I am once again in doubt of the wisdom of our new Mayor's decisions. Just last night, when I passed by the area, Roxas Boulevard was once again dark, deserted, scary, and littered only by the shadows of street children, stray dogs and vagrants. Sigh. Easy come. Easy go. Mayor Lim, I'm still not feeling you. Your first one hundred days are nearly up and you still haven't convinced me that you are a better choice for Manila. Time to get your groove on. So far, I just think you are a stuffy old goat who just killed the party. A cheezy, crowded party - yes. But it was still a party nevertheless...

I wonder how the businessmen who owned the concessions feel as well. I would definitely be p*ssed off if my contract was suddenly cancelled and my shop unceremoniously removed for reasons that were beyond my control and the "fault" of the previous administration.

C'mon Mayor, you could have just regulated the place better, you didn't have to kill it.

Labels: in memoriam

overtureph

October 16th, 2007, 05:41 PM

Priest wants Barasoain Church depicted in RP money as before

By Carmela Reyes
Inquirer
Last updated 10:08pm (Mla time) 10/16/2007

CITY OF MALOLOS, Philippines -- In a bid to remind Filipinos of the role the Barasoain Church played in shaping the country's history, a local parish priest and some of his parishioners are urging the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to restore the church's image to in any Philippine peso bill.

Monsignor Angel Santiago, parish priest of Barasoain Church here, launched a signature campaign to drum up support for their appeal to bring back the image of the church to a Philippine bill.

"The people are starting to lose a sense of nationalism and history and a nation's currency system ought to help bring them back," Santiago said.

The church, where the revolutionary congress convened and where the first Philippine Constitution was drafted in 1898, was depicted in the old P10 bill. However, the bill has been replaced by a P10 coin and only a few old bills have remained in circulation.

Santiago said they would be happy even if the BSP would include the church's image in any of the paper bills in circulation.

"Kahit isama lang sa P100 bill o sa iba pang bills (They can include it in the P100 bill or in any other bill)," he said.

He said he has gathered at least 6,000 signatures from his parishioners, tourists and some residents since he launched the campaign last month.

He placed an open letter and a signature sheet at the church's entrance so churchgoers would be informed about the campaign.

Santiago, a native of Hagonoy town, said the events that transpired inside the Barasoain Church led to the birth of the Philippine Republic.

"It would be such a waste that Filipinos, especially the youth, would not get the chance to see the image of this historical church. We should join hands in this campaign to restore the image of Barasoain Church in our currency because it holds one of the most important events in our history," he said.

Santiago said he has asked the approval of Malolos Bishop Jose Oliveros to bring the signature campaign to other parishes in the province.

Copyright 2007 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=94845

Rence

October 16th, 2007, 05:44 PM

Maganda but this will need countless of signature.
One reason why the Central bank faced out the paper bill is the higher cost of maintaining paper bills than coins

ivanhenares

October 16th, 2007, 06:15 PM

My point is you never brought it up so don't blame Lim for it. Ikaw mismo nagsabi sa YM na ayaw ninyo magsalita. If you and your fellow stamp collectors don't have the courage to talk to the postmaster-general about Room 203, don't blame Lim for your silence.

On Carlos Celdran, let him rant about Lim if he wants. The Atienza projects he was mourning about were done without public consultations anyway. So Lim has all the right to remove them. But his suggestions are welcome.

Basta we know Lim is doing the right thing. And the HCS is there to guide him all the way. The people of Manila will decide in 2010.

:ohno:Room or window 203 of the Main Post Office is a different story , I went there with a foreigner friend and we saw the sad state of the rennovation mahigit 3 months na ito .

ivanhenares

October 17th, 2007, 05:48 AM

Finally, the Ayuntamiento will be reconstructed. I hope the Aduana and San Ignacio Church follow soon.

overtureph

October 17th, 2007, 06:11 AM

Finally, the Ayuntamiento will be reconstructed. I hope the Aduana and San Ignacio Church follow soon.

Which version of the Ayuntamiento will be reconstructed is it the one with the clock tower or the late 19th century version? Funding? Is it official?

This is indeed good news. I hope they use authentic or period materials in it's reconstruction.

overtureph

October 17th, 2007, 06:15 AM

These furnitures/artifacts are either being exhibited or was transferred by the Intramuros Administration to the lobby of the Palacio del Gobernador ((I'm assuming these are owned by the IA since they are located in this building.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/misc/Intramuros2/Intramuros3/edit2157.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/misc/Intramuros2/Intramuros3/edit2156.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/misc/Intramuros2/Intramuros3/edit2155.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/misc/Intramuros2/Intramuros3/edit2153.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/misc/Intramuros2/Intramuros3/edit2154.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/misc/Intramuros2/Intramuros3/edit2152.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/misc/Intramuros2/Intramuros3/edit2151.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/misc/Intramuros2/Intramuros3/edit2150.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/misc/Intramuros2/Intramuros3/edit2149.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/misc/Intramuros2/Intramuros3/edit2148.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/misc/Intramuros2/Intramuros3/edit2147.jpg

The 3 pictures that follows (below) shows a cabinet or a comode which seems to be damaged either by improper handling or someone viewing it and trying to open it since you can practicaly touch the exhibit. There are no signs that says "Please do not touch" , at least thats what I recall. There are no boundaries or demarcation or something like a velvet rope to separate the items from the viewers. You can actually just walk up to it. Nobody seems also to be guarding these items. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the items exhibited would be stolen or as we have in our country, mysteriously disappear.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/misc/Intramuros2/Intramuros3/edit2146.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/misc/Intramuros2/Intramuros3/edit2145.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/misc/Intramuros2/Intramuros3/edit2144.jpg

A view of Palacio del Gobernador from across Plaza Roma.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/misc/Intramuros2/Intramuros3/edit2110.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/misc/Intramuros2/Intramuros3/edit1050.jpg

Some of the items on display came from churches. As we can see, we would still have a lot of beautiful interior of old churches if such items/artifacts where not dispersed or was cared for properly by the parish priest or the clergy.

Photos by overtureph.

ivanhenares

October 17th, 2007, 09:35 AM

Which version of the Ayuntamiento will be reconstructed is it the one with the clock tower or the late 19th century version? Funding? Is it official?

This is indeed good news. I hope they use authentic or period materials in it's reconstruction.

Photo is on the front page of today's PDI. Speaker de Venecia, Mayor Lim, et al unveiled the model.

---

REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS
KAGAWARAN NG PANANALAPI
KAWANIHAN NG INGATANG-YAMAN
(BUREAU OF THE TREASURY)
INTRAMUROS, MANILA 2001

Funding the Republic

INVITATION TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND TO BID

The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr), through its Procurement, Bids and Awards Committee (PBAC), invites suppliers/contractors to apply for eligibility and to bid for the hereunder project:

A. Name of Project: RESTORATION OF AYUNTAMIENTO
Location: Ayuntamiento Ruins, Cabildo St. Intramuros, Manila

B. Brief Description: This project includes the supply of labor, materials, heavy equipment and tools necessary to complete the proposed parking area and basketball court inside the Ayuntamiento ruins with approximate area of 3,000 square meters, and the restoration of walls, inside and outside face of front elevation at Cabildo St. and side elevation of A. Soriano St.

C. Approved Budget: Php 1.2M
Prospective bidders should have the experience in supplying and undertaking similar project within the last 5 years with an amount of at least 50% of the proposed project for bidding, and have key personnel and equipment available for the execution of the project. The Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examination of Bids shall use non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria. Post qualification of the lowest calculated bid shall be conducted.

D. Cost of documents/forms for Pre-Qualification/Eligibility and to Bid is P500.00 to be paid to the BTr Cashier at the Cash and Custodial Division, G/F Palacio del Gobernador Bldg., Intramuros, Manila.

E. Issuance Date: March 21, 2006

F. Deadline for submission of accomplished Pre-qualification/Eligibility Requirements shall be on March 30, 2006, 5:00 P.M., addressed to:

ATTY. GISELA F. LOOD
PBAC Chairperson
Bureau of the Treasury
4/F Palacio del Gobernador
Intramuros, Manila

G. Time and Date of Pre-bid Conference will be confirmed by the issuance of Notice to Eligible prospective bidders.

All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference, Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations.

The PBAC assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of the bid.

ATTY. GISELA F. LOOD
Chairperson, PBAC

For inquiries, please call:
MYRNA C. DELA CRUZ
Tel. No. 5228122 loc. 410
5273082

http://www.treasury.gov.ph/news/bid/ayuntamientorestoration032106.pdf

le Reine

October 17th, 2007, 09:57 AM

B. Brief Description: This project includes the supply of labor, materials, heavy equipment and tools necessary to complete the proposed parking area and basketball court inside the Ayuntamiento ruins with approximate area of 3,000 square meters, and the restoration of walls, inside and outside face of front elevation at Cabildo St. and side elevation of A. Soriano St.

could someone please explain this? is it just me or they are really planning to preserve just the walls of the ayuntamiento and build a parking lot and basketball court inside the ruins?

Rence

October 17th, 2007, 01:10 PM

Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 361 My point is you never brought it up so don't blame Lim for it. Ikaw mismo nagsabi sa YM na ayaw ninyo magsalita. If you and your fellow stamp collectors don't have the courage to talk to the postmaster-general about Room 203, don't blame Lim for your silence.

On Carlos Celdran, let him rant about Lim if he wants. The Atienza projects he was mourning about were done without public consultations anyway. So Lim has all the right to remove them. But his suggestions are welcome.

Basta we know Lim is doing the right thing. And the HCS is there to guide him all the way. The people of Manila will decide in 2010.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rence
Room or window 203 of the Main Post Office is a different story , I went there with a foreigner friend and we saw the sad state of the rennovation mahigit 3 months na ito .

:nuts:Akala ko ba confidential ang mga pinag-usapan natin?
You got all the answers mess up! We are in the process of talking to the Postmaster general about making the Manila Central Post office a Historical monument na kahit may historical plaque from whatever government agency na nakalagay sa main building, Hindi sa wala kaming kibo sa mga nangyayari sa Post Office , in fact we are very active in the promotion and preservation of the Post office not just the main building but also the Museum and Library na hindi naman pinapansain kahit ng mga taga-Cityhall. Kami nga ang nag-print ng mga leaftlets advertising the exsistence of a Museum and Library .

Hindi kami nag-walang kibo sa mga nagyayari sa mga heritage site sa Maynila kasi ever since naitatag ang iba't-ibang stamp club we are very active in the promotion of the Postal Museum and Library .

Kaya nga as a stamp club , nagsasalita kami with regards to the ongoing rennovations sa loob ng Post office kasi alam namin na in the future kung hindi ma-proclaim na historical site ang Manila Central Post Office ay madami pang alternations na magaganap ang sabi mo nga wala sa listahan ng mga sites ang Manila Central Post Office na classified as historical sites!

Shocking but true, na patuloy pa din ang mga pag-demolish sa mga old buildings at bahay sa Maynila. Madaming reasons at madaming alibi pero kahit sinong tanungin mo patuloy ang destruction in the city !

Yan ang realidad ng conservation do not paint a "Rosy Picture" na ala Betsy ng Rosy Life !

Bakit kami mag-post sa iba't-ibang forum sites kung wala kaming concern sa Post Office ni Ikaw nga hindi mo alam na may museum at library sa may malapit sa foot of Mac Arthur Bridge na within sa Manila Central Post Office compound ?

What I mean of hindi na ako magsasalita , Is that kung walang pakialam ang mga tao sa Post Office eh di hindi na kami magsasalita kasi hindi naman pala historical ang Old Manila Central Post Office .

Thanks ! Some point of Clarification

habagatcentral1

October 17th, 2007, 02:49 PM

Guys from Manila, may I ask something?

Why is the Father Blanco's Garden under "construction"?

Wonderboy

October 17th, 2007, 02:58 PM

^^ Fr. Gallende wanted to "restore" the ruins and turn it into a dormitory for Augustinian priests.

I'll try to take photos of the construction if my schedule permits.

Rence

October 17th, 2007, 03:01 PM

Sana may proper restoration plan sila , baka pare-pareho na lang ang buildings diyan sa Intramuros mukhang dali-dali lang ang pag-gawa ng mga building para lang mag-mukhang Spanish or Colonial style!

habagatcentral1

October 17th, 2007, 03:16 PM

Another question, is it only the Church of San Agustin that is the declared part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site or does it cover the entire church compound?

Thanks for clarification. :)

Rence

October 17th, 2007, 03:22 PM

ivanhenares

October 17th, 2007, 08:47 PM

Hindi sa wala kaming kibo sa mga nangyayari sa Post Office , in fact we are very active in the promotion and preservation of the Post office not just the main building but also the Museum and Library na hindi naman pinapansain kahit ng mga taga-Cityhall.

So why did you remain silent about the renovations for three months and only announce it here when a lot of damage had already been done? Tapos biglang rant na may nasira na sa Post Office sabay hirit kay Lim. You should have informed us earlier so we could have done something about it, not after when it's too late.

Bakit kami mag-post sa iba't-ibang forum sites kung wala kaming concern sa Post Office ni Ikaw nga hindi mo alam na may museum at library sa may malapit sa foot of Mac Arthur Bridge na within sa Manila Central Post Office compound

Rence, do you know the existence of every single museum all over the country? Ano tingin mo sa amin, superman? I'm not a fan of philatelic history so you can't fault me for not knowing the existence of the museum. On the HCS naman, I don't think stamps fall under architectural heritage. All NGOs have their thrusts. That of the HCS is the conservation of built heritage resources. But we'll gladly link you to the proper channels as Gemma already did.

Kanya-kanya tayo ng interests hindi ba? So let's be vigilant watching over what we personally feel is important. The HCS is not a bunch of super heroes with ESP to detect all uglification or demolitions happening to heritage structures all over the country. It's a network of individuals and we take care of our own areas. I for example, watch over San Fernando, Pampanga. But we help each other when there are hard-headed Goliaths. So watch over the Post Office dahil kayo ang laging nandiyan and do something about it rather than rant na walang nagyayari. Hindi mare-renovate ang Post Office kung umalma kayo in the first place.

ivanhenares

October 17th, 2007, 09:17 PM

Another question, is it only the Church of San Agustin that is the declared part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site or does it cover the entire church compound?

Thanks for clarification. :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Agustin_Church%2C_Manila

Just visit the link:

I checked the link. No details there. Anyway, it's the whole compound. Which is why Father Galende had to get the blessings of UNESCO before constructing the seminary.

ivanhenares

October 17th, 2007, 09:20 PM

could someone please explain this? is it just me or they are really planning to preserve just the walls of the ayuntamiento and build a parking lot and basketball court inside the ruins?

Oooops, I think I quoted the wrong bidding. Last year pa ito and I think that was the repainting of the ruins. Kaya pala P1.2M lang and cost. Basing on the PDI photo, the real reconstruction would cost much more than that. I will ask around.

Lili

October 18th, 2007, 04:16 AM

Rence

October 18th, 2007, 01:15 PM

So why did you remain silent about the renovations for three months and only announce it here when a lot of damage had already been done? Tapos biglang rant na may nasira na sa Post Office sabay hirit kay Lim. You should have informed us earlier so we could have done something about it, not after when it's too late.

Rence, do you know the existence of every single museum all over the country? Ano tingin mo sa amin, superman? I'm not a fan of philatelic history so you can't fault me for not knowing the existence of the museum. On the HCS naman, I don't think stamps fall under architectural heritage. All NGOs have their thrusts. That of the HCS is the conservation of built heritage resources. But we'll gladly link you to the proper channels as Gemma already did.

Kanya-kanya tayo ng interests hindi ba? So let's be vigilant watching over what we personally feel is important. The HCS is not a bunch of super heroes with ESP to detect all uglification or demolitions happening to heritage structures all over the country. It's a network of individuals and we take care of our own areas. I for example, watch over San Fernando, Pampanga. But we help each other when there are hard-headed Goliaths. So watch over the Post Office dahil kayo ang laging nandiyan and do something about it rather than rant na walang nagyayari. Hindi mare-renovate ang Post Office kung umalma kayo in the first place.

Thanks for the concern.

Actually , Hindi talaga naka-lista ang Postal Museum and Philatelic Library sa lahat ng mga directories . Our group had been constantly talking with the people in the Marketing division of the Central Post Office. I guest we are stuck in Jurassic time! Kulang talaga ng promotion in every aspect . Kaya sadly even if the First country in Asia to issue stamps and had one of the most colorful history in architecture , postal history etc.... The Philippines had the least collectors o stamp in the Whole of Southeast Asia ! population wise .

IndioBravo

October 18th, 2007, 08:23 PM

hthttp://img206.imageshack.us/img206/2159/cambridge130by4.jpgtp://

That's a most welcome news Ivan! I hope they make well in restoring it.It might have been half a century before the Ayuntamiento rose up again,but it's worth the wait!It made my day!Good work HCS!Good work Ivan!Sana they finish it before GMA gets impeached.Kasi,the new govt. might stop the restoration eh!

ivanhenares

October 19th, 2007, 05:49 AM

[IMG]That's a most welcome news Ivan! I hope they make well in restoring it.It might have been half a century before the Ayuntamiento rose up again,but it's worth the wait!It made my day!Good work HCS!Good work Ivan!Sana they finish it before GMA gets impeached.Kasi,the new govt. might stop the restoration eh!

Don't thank us. We're just reporting it. :) But it is good news indeed!

Rence

October 19th, 2007, 04:47 PM

I hope hindi titipidin ang mga materials diyan sa restorations!

ph_matrix

October 21st, 2007, 05:50 PM

History

As early as the 10th century, people from Butuan had already established trading relations with the Kingdom of Champa (now southern Vietnam) and Srivijaya empire of Java.

By the 11th century, Butuan was the center of trade and commerce in the Philippines. The evidence to prove this fact is the discovery of 9 balangays (the Butuan Boat) and other archeological find in the vicinities of Butuan City, particularly in Ambangan, Libertad near the old El Rio de Butuan and Masao River.

Much controversy and debate have been generated with regard to the holding of the first mass. Whether it was held in Limasawa, Leyte or in Masao, Butuan City. It is sure, however, that Ferdinand Magellan did drop anchor by the mouth of Agusan River in 1521 and held mass to commemorate the event.

The first municipal election in Butuan took place on March 1902 in accordance with Public Law No. 82 which coincided with the American occupation of the place.

During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II, Butuan was razed to the ground when the guerilla forces attacked the enemy garrison during the middle of 1943. On October 20, 1948, still recovering from the war, the entire municipality was ruined by a fire.

The boom of the logging industry during the 1950s up the middle of 1970s has made Butuan the "Timber City of the South". The outcome of which was the influx of business and fortune seekers from other provinces. The once lethargic town suddenly became a bustling locality. The flourishing logging industry inspired and prompted Congressman Marcos M. Calo to file a bill converting Butuan into a city. On August 2, 1950, Butuan became a city by virtue of Republic Act No. 523 otherwise known as the City Charter of Butuan.

From being a chartered city, Butuan was reclassified into a highly urbanized city on February 7, 1985 pursuant to the provision of section 166 and 168 of Local Government code of 1997 and Memorandum circular 83-49 of the ministry of local Government. The re-classification was based on its outcome and population as certified by the ministry of finance and national census and statistics office.

Topography

Butuan City has a land area of 816.62 km², which is roughly 4.1% of the total area of the Caraga region. With an estimated total population of 350,000, it has an average density of 428 persons per km², higher than the regional average density of 101 persons per km².

The existing land use of the city consists of the following uses: agriculture areas (397.23 km²), forestland (268 km²), grass/shrub/pasture land (61.14 km²) and other uses (90.242 km²). Of the total forestland, 105 km² is production forest areas while 167.5 km² is protection forest areas.

The forestland, as mentioned earlier, comprised both the production and protection forest. The classified forest is further specified as production forest and protection forest. In the production forest industrial tree species are mostly grown in the area. The production forest on the other hand, is preserved to support and sustain necessary ecological performance. One is the watershed areas will dry up and during heavy rain, rapid water run-off will occur creating flash floods. And in sunny days, rapid evaporation happens, leaving the area arid.

The city is endowed with swamplands near its coastal area. These swamp areas are interconnected with the waterways joined by the Agusan River. Most of the swamplands are actually mangroves that served as habitat to different marine species.

Filling material needs of the city are extracted usually river from the riverbank of Taguibo River. Others are sourced out from promontories with special features and for special purpose.

The fishing ground of Butuan is the Butuan Bay of which two coastal barangays are located. It extends some two kilometers to the sea and joins the Bohol Sea. These are barangays Lumbocan and Masao.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butuan_City

ph_matrix

October 21st, 2007, 05:52 PM

Butuan Archeological Sites

Description

In 1975, as a result of the construction of an extensive network of large drainage channels, or esteros, to relieve Butuan City from destructive annual floods, significant amounts of archaeological artifacts were discovered that dated back to the Age of Contact with the Great Traditions of Asia, co-eval with the Yueh type wares to Ming Dynasties of ancient China from the 10th Century to the 16th Century AD. 1) The major finds in various areas is the appearance of the remains of large open-water-going boats, the "balanghai" of historical records. The same type of boats and construction has been recovered in Sumatra and Pontian in Malaysia, apparently of the same period. There eleven of these boats: three were fully excavated, two preserved, and the rest still unexcavated. The boats are of Neolithic architecture using a planking edge-peg technology. The boats range in age from the 10th to the 13th century AD.

2) The other significant sites yielded multiple interred wooden coffin burials, containing secondary burials that feature modified skulls that are frontally flattened, ascribed to the 14th-15th Century AD. Similar finds in Central Philippines have yielded similar burials but with the difference that all these were found in caves along the islands coasts.

3) The third significant feature of the stratified sites are the tremendous amounts of trade high-fired ceramics coming from China, Cambodia, Thailand and other southeast Asian countries were also recovered, as well as distinctive white stamped pottery from Thailand; and Persian glassware, suggesting prehistoric links as far as the Middle East.

There were other notable discoveries like the Ivory Seal and the Silver Paleograph. Gold and tools for gold processing of ornaments have also been recovered from a village site Over a hundred clay crucibles and tools for the processing of gold items were discovered in the area, leading to the conclusion that an extensive gold ornaments industry was located in these areas as far back as a thousand years ago. Altogether, these data demonstrate that Butuan was a thriving international trading port a thousand years ago. This site has a tremendous historical impact in the Asian region.

Justification for Outstanding Universal Value

Satements of authenticity and/or integrity:

The finds were authenticated by the National Museum, and deeper studies by reputable archaeologists were subsequently done. The oldest Chinese ceramic ware found in Butuan were the Yueh and Yueh type ware which dated back to the Five Dynasties (A.D. 907- 960). In a quantitative survey of the ceramics discovered in Butuan, there were representative types from various Asian realms, ranked according to volume: Chinese (10th - 15th centuries A.D.); Khmer/ Cambodian (9th-10th centuries A.D.); Thai (14th - 15th centuries A.D.) pre-Thai Satingpra (900-1100 A.D.); Haripunjaya (800-900 A.D.); pre-trade Vietnamese (11th - 13th centuries A.D.), and Persian (9th - 10th centuries A.D.)

Comparison with other similar properties:

There is no other known site in the Southeast Asian region that have archaeological recoveries of a concentration of large, open-water going boats, as that found in Butuan. The fact that the boats are of Neolithic marine architecture is very unique, and which date between the 10th and 13th century AD. Only one other boat has been found in Southeast Asia, specifically in Pontian, Malaysia, where a similar boat was recovered.

It is also unique that an entire village site has been found to contain evidences of a specialization in the purification of gold and the manufacture of gold ornaments, dating at least to the Ming Dynasty. There is no report of a similar find in the rest of the region.

The presence of deformed skulls in underground coffin burials have counter parts in the rest of the country, but differing in that the rest were found in caves along coasts of islands in Central Philippines. Deformed skulls have been reported in some areas in Southeast Asia, as in Sulawesi.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/2071/

ph_matrix

October 21st, 2007, 05:58 PM

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff75/ph_matrix/silver1.jpg
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff75/ph_matrix/silver2.jpg

http://www.bibingka.com/dahon/mystery/silver.htm

ph_matrix

October 21st, 2007, 06:13 PM

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff75/ph_matrix/tara1.jpg
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff75/ph_matrix/tara2.jpg
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff75/ph_matrix/tara3.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Cyprus/8446/tara.html

ph_matrix

October 21st, 2007, 06:20 PM

The right place for disputed first Mass in Limasawa

By Rolando O. Borrinaga
Inquirer
Last updated 06:10am (Mla time) 04/14/2007

TACLOBAN CITY -- A new twist in an officially settled historical dispute again requires action from authorities.

On March 31, the 486th anniversary of the recorded First Mass in the Philippines in 1521 was commemorated by two claimants—Limasawa town in Southern Leyte and Butuan City on behalf of its old Masao District.

The decades-old Limasawa vs Masao dispute was officially settled in March 1998 when the National Historical Institute (NHI) ruled for Limasawa. But this verdict did not deter the pro-Masao group from persisting with their claim and performing parallel ceremonies.

The NHI decision ignored another historical error by tacitly upholding the belief that the First Mass was held in the southeastern coast of Limasawa, in the vicinity of the present Barangay Magallanes.

Legacy

A legacy of this error, the new Shrine of the First Holy Mass—an edifice made of bricks and polished concrete that was inaugurated two years ago—sits on top of a hill overlooking the barangay.

Vicente C. de Jesus, an independent scholar who strongly supports the Butuan claim, has criticized the NHI commission that looked into the issue for allegedly dismissing an eyewitness account that implied a western site of the First Mass on the island recorded as Mazaua in 16th-century documents.

The witness was Gines de Mafra, a member of both the Magellan expedition in 1521 and the Villalobos expedition in 1543. He had dropped by Limasawa on both occasions. In 1543, he met again the same chief, presumably Rajah Kolambu, who received Magellan in 1521.

De Mafra’s account had remained hidden in a Madrid archive for 375 years before it was found and published in 1920. It mentioned that the Magellan fleet anchored in Mazaua at “a good harbor on its western side, and is inhabited.”

De Mafra’s claim is corroborated by a map made by Antonio Pigafetta, chronicler of the Magellan expedition, according to De Jesus. The map in the Nancy-Libri-Beinecke-Yale codex is said to show a cross in one of two hills facing the sea southwest of the island.

The Pigafetta map in the Beinecke manuscript shows the cross on the upper hill near the sea. The lower hill, drawn in the middle of the land mass at the bottom of the map, does not have the cross symbol.

Ships’ movement

A single sentence in the popular James Robertson translation of the Pigafetta account could give the First Mass event to western Limasawa. It said: “In the afternoon we went in the ships [and anchored] near the dwelling of the king.”

This meant sailing the ships from their initial anchorage off the southeastern coast and rounding the island at the south toward the acantilado (deep) waters of the western cove fronting Barangay Triana, the oldest settlement and present town proper of Limasawa.

Such overlooked movement of Magellan’s ships could corroborate De Mafra’s account.

The locals had always believed that Triana was a word play on Tirana, the name of the legendary Bisayan queen who was known as one of the five wives of Rajah Bankaw.

But Fr. Peter Schreurs, MSC, who had published two books that favor the Limasawa claim, told this writer in a 1999 letter that Triana was a suburb of the old Spanish capital of Seville, across the Guadalquivir River, in which main church Magellan was wedded to Beatriz Barbosa.

Thus, it now seems that it was Magellan himself who designated the name Triana to the settlement in Limasawa.

Affirmatory proof

An aerial photograph of Limasawa Island shows the two prominent hills that affirm the landmarks on Pigafetta’s map in the Beinecke manuscript. The hill on which Magellan and his crew erected a cross after the Easter Sunday Mass in 1521 was presumably the upper hill marked with a cross on the old map, and the one nearest to Triana and overlooks the present town proper from the north.

Perhaps now is the time for the NHI to consider issuing a complementary amendment to their verdict related to the First Mass being held in Limasawa. The supporting evidence strongly suggest that this event happened in the vicinity of the present Barangay Triana and not in Barangay Magallanes, and that the cross was erected on the hill overlooking Triana and nowhere near the present shrine southeast of the island.

With the official correction, it is hoped that the fifth centennial of the Limasawa event in 2021, or 14 years from now, could be celebrated in its right place on the island.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view_article.php?article_id=60362

ph_matrix

October 21st, 2007, 06:44 PM

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff75/ph_matrix/but1.jpg
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff75/ph_matrix/but2.jpg

http://mindanao.wowphilippines.com/agusandelnorte/2006/10/31/butuan-cityhistorical-background/

BOB-bXu

October 22nd, 2007, 06:43 AM

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1361/1354216724_085b28a7b4.jpg?v=0
The Nipa wine as described in Pigafetta's chronicler Enrique still sembles the local practice in the Butuan's old northern barangays

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1061/1353330303_891e825ba1.jpg?v=0
one of the several Balangay boats unearthed in the Masao-Sosompit, Ambanagan site... relics of ancient maritime port bearing wares of various south east asian origins...some carbon dated to as early as 1000 AD

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1354/1354215724_3a85e0ce64.jpg?v=0
Banza Church Ruins and marker...marks the earliest sites of the old Butuan Poblacion during early Spanish colonization

GearX

October 22nd, 2007, 07:17 AM

nice thread ian....proudly, truly and purely Mindanaoan treasures^^

ph_matrix

October 22nd, 2007, 07:40 AM

^^ thanks, your very welcome for your contribution on this thread :lol::lol::lol:

ph_matrix

October 22nd, 2007, 07:53 AM

Balanghai Boat

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff75/ph_matrix/butb.jpg

http://nmuseum.tripod.com/archaeo.htm

GearX

October 22nd, 2007, 08:32 AM

na-feature na ba to sa Discovery Channel or National Geographic?

ph_matrix

October 22nd, 2007, 08:34 AM

National Geographic Magazine, di ko sure sa video.. :cheers:

GearX

October 22nd, 2007, 08:43 AM

mas properly documented kasi itong sa Butuan..baka meron electronic file ng Nat'l Geographic

ph_matrix

October 22nd, 2007, 08:50 AM

where looking the same thing since yesterday.. mahirap hanapin sa internet kasi ang discovery na to sa butuan was before the internet age.. sa books ramami talaga..

BOB-bXu

October 22nd, 2007, 01:18 PM

Butuan Silver Strip Deciphered?
by Hector Santos
© 1996 by Hector Santos
All rights reserved.

"Butuan paleograph deciphered using Eskaya script" by Jes Tirol (in UB Update) attempts to show that a "translation" of the Butuan silver strip had been done by using the Eskaya script. A clipping of this article was provided by Antoon Postma of Mindoro, who in turn obtained it from the late William Henry Scott of Mountain Province. This proves that "real" scholars do share information.

Eskaya is a secret organization based on the island of Bohol. Its members claim that their ancestors arrived on the island in 677 A.D. from Sumatra. Tirol writes:

One of the books of the Eskaya of Bohol is entitled Unang Katawhan Sa Bohol (First People of Bohol). According to the book, Dangko and his 12 children of 11 boys and one girl and his men arrived in Bohol in 677 A.D. They started from Sumatra-Manselis which is the western side of Sumatra, Indonesia on board a "Lutsa." (See: "Lorcha," Webster Int'l Dictionary, Unabridged.)
The only daughter of Dangko got married to a chieftain of Butuan. From that time on until the present, the inner psyche of an Eskaya is geared towards Butuan. Since the center of Eskaya culture is now at Biyabas, Guindulman, Bohol, the migrant Eskaya in Butuan maintain close contact with the Eskaya of Bohol.

Further on, Tirol continues:

The Butuan Kingdom is no more. Its literature and writings are gone, except for the Butuan paleograph. But the Eskaya of Bohol is still existing with their system of writing. It is logographic system not alphabetic, and therefore older than the Malayan-Bisayan recorded by the Spanish writers. The Eskaya scrupulously transmitted their system of writing and literature by conducting classes. At present, classes are conducted every Saturday and Sunday.
The Eskaya were once part of the Butuan thalossocracy. There is therefore no reason to doubt that the system of writing of the present Eskaya is the same as that of Butuan of olden times. But due to passage of time and cultural intrusions there will be variations, but basically it should be the same.

A chart showing values for the symbols of the Eskaya script provided by Jesus T. Peralta of the National Museum is shown on the Eskaya page. There are many interesting things in the chart. One is that Eskaya writing system includes symbols for numerals, even one for "zero." It also includes symbols for consonant clusters, a characteristic that was not a feature of old Philippine languages. However, the most interesting thing for me was that some of the symbols can be seen on the Calatagan jar.
A cursory look at the script chart shows that similarities between symbols whose values are closely related are not there. I get the impression that this was an artificially created script, perhaps devised by one individual. It does not seem to be a writing system that had evolved over several generations.

Be that as it may, let us now examine the translation provided by Tirol. The figure below relates the symbols on the silver strip to those of Eskaya and their corresponding phonetic values and meanings.

http://www.bibingka.com/dahon/mystery/silver2.gif

The translation reads as follows:

This 821 year when Liyuxie (Les Ece) traveled, I accompanied the trip and returned the next year. I was in good condition.

I will repeat the Eskaya sound and Meaning columns from the above chart below for those who find them hard to read.

1 Ce "His , Her, This"
2 Ual "eight (8)"
3 Tre "2"
4 Oy "1"
5 Pong "Apong" means "year"
6 De "De Ra" means
7 Ra "When he left"
8 Les "Les Ece" same as
9 Ece "Liyuxie" the ambassador of Butuan Kingdom to China in 1011 A.D.
10 Ciuo "Ciou Cod Col Ning"
11 Cod means
12 Col "I accompanied the trip"
13 Ning
14 Gue "Gue Apong" means
15 Pong "Return the next year"
16 The period punctuation mark
17 Co "I or me"
18 Gre "Co Greyalo" means "I was in good condition or I am well

Quoting W.H. Scott (Filipinos in China Before 1500; Manila, 1989, p. 4.), Tirol explains:

In the year 1003 A.D., King Kiling of Butuan sent his ambassadors, Liyihan and Jiaminan to the Sung Court of China. In 1011 A.D., another king of Butuan, Sri Bata Shaja (Xi-li-ba-da-sha-zhi) sent Liyu-xie to china with a memorial engraved on a gold tablet. Liyu-xie obtained a recognition from China that Butuan had equal status with Vietnam (Champa) as China's tributary.

Regarding the date, Tirol does not explain 821 but says:

The experts of the National Museum estimated the date of the paleograph between the 12th to 15th century. The date of the trip of Liyuxie which is being referred to, occurred in the 11th century. This difference of one century is acceptable in archeology. The paleograph was found in Butuan and the inscriptions refer to an important person of Butuan.

The silver strip was found with material dated 14/15th century not as early as the 12th century as Tirol wrote. While it is true that 821 in the Islamic calendar would be the equivalent of our 15th century, the characters of the proposed translation would have lived four centuries before the artifact came into existence. That certainly is too much water under the bridge to establish a connection.

More studies on the Eskaya can verify whether there is truth to their claimed connection to an ancient group of people from Sumatra or whether they came up in recent times and developed an artificial script for secret messages.

ph_matrix

October 22nd, 2007, 01:21 PM

nice research you've got there bob.. :applause::applause::applause:

BOB-bXu

October 22nd, 2007, 01:32 PM

thanks a lot pH for starting this thread...there is a lot of data found in the historical archives as well as in the net concerning this glorious history..

in these times of tarnished national pride ..may this thread bring forth the lost sense of being and identity of the true Pinoy....from a proud malayan race of a progressive maritime society who once braved the high seas with their Balangays to trade with neighboring ancient kingdoms...

ph_matrix

October 22nd, 2007, 01:34 PM

^^ will do our best to find those info... :cheers:

ph_matrix

October 22nd, 2007, 01:42 PM

Brief Chronology Of How Mazaua (Magellan’s Port) Became Limasawa (Isle Without Anchorage)

1521 – Magellan fleet anchors west of skerry named Mazaua. Five seamen write eyewitness accounts on Mazaua where mass was held and cross planted.

1536 – G.B. Ramusio restranslates back to Italian from French translation of firsthand account of Antonio Pigafetta. Mazaua becomes Butuan, Stop-over isle on way to Cebu becomes “Messana” is Gatighan in Pigafetta map.

1601 – Antonio de Herrera relates Mazaua incident faithful to the actual incident.

1663 – Fr. F. Colín recounts incident as Ramusio wrote it, renames stop-over isle Dimasaua to signify it was not the site of the first mass, di is Bisayan of “not”

1667 – Fr. F. Combés recounts incident of Ramusio, renames stop-over isle Limasaua

1734 – Fr. Pedro Murillo Velarde draws map tracing Magellan route incldg. Butuan incident and stop-over in Limasaua. His book Geographica gives other name for isle Dimasaua.

1734 – French cartographer Jacques N. Bellin publishes his pliagiaristic copy of Murillo map.

1794 – Carlo Amoretti discovers one of 4 extant Pigafetta codices, this Italian is now known as Ambrosian codex, the more known of all.

1800 – Amoretti publishes transcription of codex. He says in a footnote Mazaua may be Bellin’s Limasava, fusing the anchorage (Mazaua) and the stopover isle (Gatighan). A second footnote states Mazaua’s latitude 90 40’ N is the identical as Limasava’s (90 56’ N).

1825 – Francisco Albo eyewitness account (Madrid copy) published in Navarette’s Colección… Albo’s latitude for Mazaua in this copy is 90 40’ N same as Pigafetta’s.

1826 – Genoese Pilot’s firsthand account, Lisbon copy, published by Academia Real das Scinceas de Lisboa. Latitude of isle is 90 N but its name is transcribed as Macangor.

1874 – Lord Stanley of Alderley’s English translations of Pigafetta, Albo and Genoese Pilot published. Stanley repeats Amoretti’s note that Mazaua and Limasaua maybe one and the same. Albo’s latitude, based on London copy, is 90 20’ N. Genoese Pilot’s name for skerry, in Paris manuscript, is Maçaguoa, according to Stanley.

1894 – Andrea da Mosto’s transcription of Ambrosian comes out. It establishes the text of the codex on which J. A. Robertson’s based his English translation that Filipino historians invoke.

1895 – Dr. T.H. Pardo de Tavera, after reading Spanish translation of Amoretti’s text, declares Butuan is not site of first mass but fails to acknowledge Amoretti.

1902 – J.A. Robertson, in Vol. II of Philippine Islands…cites Stanley’s footnote but fails to state Stanley is just citing Amoretti publishes English tr. of Ambrosian.

1903 - Fr. Pablo Pastells, in annotation of Colín’s Labor…, restates Tavera’s declaration without adverting to Tavera and without acknowledging Amoretti.

1906 - Robertson’s English tr. of Mosto’s transcription published. In a footnote he states as certain, without proof or reasoned argument, that Mazaua is “doubtless” Limasawa. He still fails to acknowledge Amoretti’s paternity of the Limasawa hypothesis.

1911 – J. Denucé’s Magellan La question…states Albo’s Mazaua latitude in London copy is 90 20’ N which he repeats in his transcription of Pigafetta’s MS fr. 5650.

1920 – Ginés de Mafra account published in Madrid. Mafra is unknown to Philippine historians save Wm. H. Scott. This Magellan seaman returned to Mazaua in 1543. He states Mazaua’s circumference is 3 to 4 leguas and that it is 15 leguas below 1521 Butuan.

1960 – Congress passes law, R.A. 2733, naming Limasawa site of first mass. Not one of the legislators had read Pigafetta’s 4 MSS, Albo, Genoese Pilot, Ginés de Mafra, and Martin de Ayamonte.

1998 - National Historical Institute dismisses Mafra as fake, ignores other evidences that show Limasawa does not possess a single property of Mazaua. It declares Mazaua and Limasawa as identical—the two are perfect, exact, total equal of each other.

2001 - Dr. Ricarte S. Javelosa, geomorphologist, and team discovers hidden isle now fused with present-day Butuan which has some of the earmarks of Mazaua.

2001 - Archaeologist M.J.L. Bolunia unearths metal pestle. If brass, the artifact could be proof Mazaua is buried in Butuan since Magellan carried one and only one brass pestle. Philippine Nuclear Research Institute establishes it is bronze.

2001 - Talks with National Geographic Society to fund further Mazaua geo-archaeological investigation enters formal proposal stage. Early talks also start for help of Philippine Nuclear Research Institute and possible assistance of International Atomic Energy Agency of Vienna.

Study of Pinamanculan and Latest Finding on Mazaua (Magellan’s Port)

Two incidents and a new historiographical insight mark the continuing search for Magellan's lost port, Mazaua. On November 29, 2001 geomorphologist Dr. Ricarte S. Javelosa and geologist Fred Carpio made probings in the Chinese cemetery in Bancasi (the side going towards Mt. Mayapay) in Butuan City and discovered the soil there is limestone. That alone establishes the Pinamanculan "isle" that he earlier hypothesized to be definitely an isle. That same week, Ms. Mary Jane Louise Bolunia (who dug up a bronze pestle of indeterminate provenance in May 30, 2001) dug up pre-Hispanic bones also in Pinamanculan, further strengthening the finding of Javelosa earlier that Pinamanculan is one of the oldest geological structures in Butuan. The limestone discovery has prompted Dr. Javelosa to rethink many of the things he had assumed which now turns out incorrect. Geologically speaking, according to Dr. Javelosa, even today Pinamanculan is "detached" from mainland Butuan because of creeks and other waterways that completely surround it. The coconut grooves that he earlier thought indicated solid ground now turns out to be alluvial sedimentations. He hypothesizes that the shoreline of Butuan was way further inland of present-day Butuan. He is convinced Pinamanculan was under sea water or at least parts were brackish water. All that Dr. Javelosa's new findings tell us is that Pinamanculan was indeed an isle. It does not in any way tell us it is Mazaua. Only authentic remains of the 1521 Magellan visit and the 1543 Mafra second visit will prove that. In other words, archaeological diggings will be the next major step that alone will prove if Pinamanculan was Mazaua. The bronze pestle Bolunia discovered is at least tantalizing. We know it is not the item brought by the Magellan expedition. The fleet had one and only one pestle and it was brass. The pestle is approximately 18 cm or just a little over 7 inches. Its specific gravity is 7.37 g/ml. Its weight is 408.51 grams (using analytical balance). Was it Mafra's? How old was it? Who made it? Was it European? If European, what, Belgian, Portuguese, Spanish? If not, what, Chinese? A well-funded study would have tried to determine the age of the artifact by analyzing associated materials that can be carbon-dated. There are suggestions the artifact is 15th or 16th or 17th century material because of the Ming shards/sherds just a few centimeters above it. It is ironic that no one asks if an authentic remains of the Magellan and Mafra expedition has been found in Limasawa. Now as for the historiographical insight. How did we come to the notion Mazaua is in today's Butuan? Here is how we arrived at that conclusion. Mafra said that Mazaua was south of 1521 (please remember that he is talking of what he knew then at that time) Butuan 15 leguas away. There are at least 28 values to the legua. How do we know which of the 28 Mafra used. We know he is Spanish, so very likely he used the Spanish legua which is 3 nautical miles to one. We will find confirmation of what he used only after we are able to know for sure where Butuan was and where was Mazaua was. So where was Butuan of 1521? We shall be able to locate 1521 Butuan by the latitude of Mazaua. Pigafetta says Mazaua was in 9 degrees 40 minutes North. We know this is a wrong latitude because no isle exists in that latitude. If Butuan was 45 nautical miles above Mazaua, that puts Butuan at 10 degrees and 25 minutes N. That latitude is above Mindanao and puts Butuan in the Visayas. This at once eliminates Pigafetta's latitude. The second latitude is that of Albo's, 9 degrees 20 minutes N (which no Philippine historiographer who has participated in the Mazaua debate has discovered: it is in Lord Stanley of Alderley and Jean Denuce). Thus Butuan will be in 10 degrees and 5 minutes N. Again this is above Mindanao and well into the Visayas. Here we see also the argument or proof that Albo's latitude for Mazaua is erroneous. Now, we come to the Genoese Pilot's 9 degrees sharp. Forty-five nautical miles from 9 degrees is at latitude 9 degrees and forty-five minutes N. This is at the tip of today's Surigao. More precisely, at Bilaa Pt. Here we see the coincidence between Mafra's 1521 Butuan and the Genoese Pilot's latitude for Mazaua. What are the other corroborative evidence? The French pilot, Pierres Plin or Plun, of the Legaspi expedition said that the gap between Panaon and 1565 Butuan was 4 leguas (12 n.m.). Now the gap between Panaon and today's Surigao is 11 n.m. Plin's 1565 Butuan cannot be 2001 Butuan which is more than 45 n.m. away from Panaon. A Spanish friar by the name of Sanchez wrote in a letter to the Jesuit HQ that fronting 16th century Butuan was Leyte. Today's Butuan can't possibly be said to be in front of Leyte. Surigao is fronted by Panaon which is the southernmost tip of Leyte. In another posting, I will describe how an isle that was named precisely to signify that NO MASS WAS HELD THERE is today heralded as the site of the first mass in the Philippines. As I have been signalling to all non-navigation historians (all those who have participated in the Mazaua debate are neither Magellan scholars nor navigation historians) Limasawa can never be Mazaua because it has no anchorage. Mazaua was first and foremost a port! Vicente C. de Jesus

http://members.tripod.com/philipppines/mazauatime.htm

Alingatong

October 22nd, 2007, 01:55 PM

Ang KASAYSAYAN sa OBISPADO sa BUTUAN

Laudetur Iesus Christus – Nunc et in saecula! - Pagadaygon si Jesukristo – Karon ug sa kahangturan!

ni Rdo. P. Joesilo C. Amalla

1. “Hadtong una ang Pilipinas wã pa … pero ang Butuan yaon na!”

BUTUAN - usa ka daang dapit ug gingharian sa Mindanao kansang ngalan maoy pinakakaraan nga nahisgutan sa mga talaan sa atong kasaysayan ug mas una pa kay sa ngalan nga gibunyag sa mga Katsila sa 1543 sa atong nasud - ang Filipinas. Ang ngalan nga Butuan na-asoy na sa Tsina sa Sung history (tuig 1000 AD) sa Sanskrito (Butuan paleograph ug ivory seal, siglo 13 ug 14), sa Portugues (1512) ug sa Español (1521). Sa kakaraanan ang iyahang mga lumulopyo nagagamit usab og mga balanghai nga hinimo nila gikan sa kahoy nga lumad sa Butuan, ang dungon (Heritierra littoralis). Ang pinakadaan sa siyam (9) nga nakuha nga balanghai sa Butuan anaa na sa tuig 320 AD ug kapin na 1,680 ka tuig ang panuigon (sumala sa Carbon dating nga gihimo sa 1976 sa Gakushuin University sa Tokyo). Sa tuig c. 1000 aduna nay patigayon ang Butuan sa iyang mga silingan sa Asya (National Geographic Society Magazine, July 1986). Ang mga kabtangan nga nakaplagan ilalom sa iyang kayutaan magtug-an kanato sa matang sa kinabuhi sa iyang katawhan nga nagagamit kanila kaniadto pa. Kini nga ngalan gigamit hangtod karon nga ngalan sa dakbayan ug sa obispado. Butuanon usab ang ngalan sa pinulungan ug sa mga daang nanimuyo niining makasaysayanong nga gingharian.

Kini usab nga gingharian ug ang katawhan niini nga dapit (inunahan sa mga managsuong Butuanon nga hari: sila Rajah Siago ug Rajah Colambu) ang mi-abi-abi sa pag-abot sa mga sakay sa Armada de Malucco gikan sa Espanya nga nakalibot sa kalibutan sa unang higayon sa 1521. Ang ilahang kapilyan mihalad og Misa Pasalamat sa isla sa Masawa sa adlaw sa Domingo sa Pagkabanhaw ug gi-ugbok sa Kapitan Heneral nila sa unang higayon ang Krus dinhi sa atong nasud (kinutlo gikan sa “Primo Viaggio Intorno Al Mondo”, The Phil. Islands, vol 33, pp. 123, 133).

More... (http://www.butuanglobalforum-bgf.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1170825403)

ph_matrix

October 22nd, 2007, 01:57 PM

^^^^ thanks @Alingatong ... but where is the English Translation ! lol :lol::lol::lol:

Alingatong

October 22nd, 2007, 02:03 PM

'ala eh. Translate mo na lang. :)

ph_matrix

October 22nd, 2007, 02:08 PM

:lol::lol::lol: just joking here...

BOB-bXu

October 22nd, 2007, 02:10 PM

salamat kadiyaw Ali :)

Alingatong

October 22nd, 2007, 02:11 PM

Ang gandang thread nito @ph_matrix, thanks. Ang dami nating matutunan. :cheers:

Alingatong

October 22nd, 2007, 02:13 PM

salamat kadiyaw Ali :)

You're welcome BOB. :) Interesting Butuan thread. :cheers:

ph_matrix

October 22nd, 2007, 02:13 PM

ya you're right madami tayong matotonan.. I remember I always flunk on my exams in history before :lol::lol:

Ang gandang thread nito @ph_matrix, thanks. Ang dami nating matutunan. :cheers:

MtApoStandard

October 22nd, 2007, 03:31 PM

a very nice thread. good start with full of interesting stories

LordCarnal

October 22nd, 2007, 03:32 PM

Sayang, I lost my replica of the Golden Tara..

Farirah

October 22nd, 2007, 03:33 PM

Nice thread guys! Keep it up!

MtApoStandard

October 22nd, 2007, 03:43 PM

BXU AngelC

October 23rd, 2007, 02:55 PM

BXU AngelC

October 23rd, 2007, 02:56 PM

but they know the truth.............:lol::lol::lol:

Animo

October 23rd, 2007, 03:55 PM

Filling the gaps in early RP history
INSIDE CEBU By Bobit S. Avila
The Philippine Star 06/12/2006

Last week was Portuguese Week in Cebu and the Embassy of Portugal in
the Philippines, led by his Excellency João Caetano da Silva, held a
lecture and the launching of the book, "The Portuguese Maritime
Power, Rights and Enclaves in Asia; The Philippine Connection," by
Prof. Ivo Carnerio de Sousa at the CAFA Theater of the University of
San Carlos' Talamban campus attended by many academics, including
famous Cebuano historians Dr. Resil Mojares and Dionisio Sy.

What Prof. De Sousa told his audience virtually opened us to a new
reality that Portugal was doing its own exploration around these
islands even before — and a lot more after — Magellan came to Cebu.
Prof. De Sousa's book is a must-read for all Filipino historians
because he tells us something that we've never heard or read before.
No, sir, he is not trying to rewrite history, rather he is filling
many blanks in Philippine history that we've not encountered in the
history books in our schools. What a great revelation!

For instance, the Treaty of Tordesillas on June 7, 1494 virtually
divided the unknown world between Spain and Portugal with the
approval of the Holy See. Did you know that Magellan, in a previous
expedition, had already come to the Moluccas, just south of Mindanao?
In those days, Portugal had something that the Spanish didn't have:
cartographic maps of the so-called Spice Islands. Therefore, since he
was a Portuguese, it is safe to assume that Magellan used Portuguese
cartographic maps during his historic expedition that brought him to
Cebu on March 16, 1521.

With the Treaty of Tordesillas, Prof. De Sousa said the Philippine
archipelago fell under the jurisdiction of Portugal… but Magellan
made his claim for the King of Spain who paid for his expedition.
Thus, in 1750, Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Madrid whereby
the Portuguese exchanged the Philippines for the South Frontier of
Brazil, which gave Portugal control of Rio de la Plata. Again this is
something we've never read in our history books. History tells us
that Spain sold the Philippines to the United States for a measly sum
of $20 million, but we never knew about this exchange deal between
Spain and Portugal for Brazil!

Talking about rewriting history, we all know about the claim made by
some Butuanons that a place called Mazaua was allegedly the site of
the first Holy Mass instead of Limasawa Island off Southern Leyte.
Well, Prof. De Sousa has another insight on this, which I'm sure puts
an end to this endless debate and enrich our pre-Spanish history. It
turned out that the ill-fated Magellan expedition ended Spanish
exploration of these islands. But Portuguese navigators like João de
Barros, Gaspar Correia, Diogo do Couto, Francisco de Castro and
Antonio Galvão have been exploring Mindanao from 1520 to 1565 until
the Spaniards resumed its conquest of the Philippines through another
expedition led by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.

Even as early as June 1970, Cebuano historian Dionisio A. Sy already
wrote a book entitled "Butuan through the ages" where he already
disproved that Mazau or Mazawa was the site of the first Mass because
the naval latitude coordinates that Pigafetta used almost matched
that of Limasawa in Leyte. Therefore, if Magellan never went to
Butuan… who did?

Any of these Portuguese explorers I mentioned went to Mindanao, but
the best bet is Antonio Galvao who circumnavigated the whole island.
In fact, one Portuguese captain named João de Canha Pinto (who is
also mistaken as João de Caminha) went to the island of Sirigao,
which could very well be Siargao today, and had a blood compact with
the King there.

Ambassador Da Silva gave me two books, "As Filipinas Na
Historiograficda Portuguesa Do Seculo XVI" or Philippines in
Portuguese XVIth Century Histobiography, and Discussing the First
Portuguese Maps with the Philippines by Ivo Carnerio de Sousa and
Jose Manuel Garcia, and in a map made between 1535 and 1538, Butuan
is named Butan or Butuão. I'll elaborate on this in our future
columns. Spain didn't even know Butuan existed!

Portuguese Week ended with the unveiling of the newly renovated
Magellan's Cross, which was a project funded by the Portuguese
Embassy through the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in coordination of
the Cebu Parks and Playgrounds and the Cebu City Historical and
Cultural Commission. Mrs. Therese Gonzalez led the project. It was
more than just as simple celebration of Portuguese Week; it was a
rekindling of friendship between the two nations as Cebu City Mayor
Tomas Osmeña and Vice Mayor Michael Rama both stressed.

More importantly, this week filled the gaps of our history, which was
long denied to Filipinos; after all, we were under Spanish rule for
more than 400 years. We shall be writing about this in future columns
with the hope that the National Historical Institute would put it in
our history books.

* * *
For e-mail responses to this article, write to vsbobita@mozcom.com.

Animo

October 23rd, 2007, 04:31 PM

City Mayor Jerry Treñas invited the Manila Historical and Heritage Commission (MHHC) to Iloilo City on November 9 to participate in the conference on "Philippine Towns & Cities: Reflections of the Past, Lessons for the Future."

The MHHC will be represented by Gemma Cruz Araneta, erstwhile Secretary of Tourism, now consultant for cultural affairs of Manila Mayor Alfredo S. Lim.

The Manila Historical Commission was reconstituted as the Manila Historical and Heritage Commission by Manila Mayor Lim by virtue of Executive Order 10, which he signed last July.

Iloilo is known as the heritage capital of the Visayas, and Mayor Treñas is a well-known heritage advocate and active member of the Heritage Conservation Society (HCS).

This is the second in the series of "Towns & Cities" conferences organized by the Heritage Conservation Society (HCS) in cooperation with Urban Partnerships Foundation (UPF). The Instituto Cervantes (IC) and the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) are among the sponsors.

"Towns & Cities" will be held on November 9 at the Kalantiao Hall of the prestigious Sarabia Manor Hotel in Iloilo City. Local government officials, heritage advocates from the private sector, university students and professors will attend the conference. Registration will begin at 8 in the morning; the conference is expected to adjourn at 5 pm.

The "Mayors' Forum" is a much-awaited feature of the conference. It is a stimulating exchange of "best practices" and conservation policies by Mayors who have heritage resources in their towns and cities. In the 2006 Forum, Mayors Ferdinand Medina (Vigan) and Oscar Rodriguez (San Fernando, Pampanga) explained how they approved city ordinances to balance modernization with heritage conservation. Mayor Rex Bernardez of Bucay, Abra , a heritage "convert" vowed to protect with proper legislation the ruins of a Spanish fort in Bucay.

Mayor Jerry Treñas will lead his colleagues in this year's forum. Mayor Treñas is a long-standing member of the HCS. Others who have confirmed attendance are Mayors Danilo Mindanao (San Juan, Batangas), Rosauro Masilang (Sariaya, Quezon), Jose Montelibano (Silay), Oscar Tetongco, Jr. (Apalit), Canuto Oreta (Malabon) and Celso Lobregat (Zamboanga)

Seven case studies will be presented by: Engr. Jose Peñalosa (Iloilo), Profs. Floro Quibuyen (Apalit), Icelle Estrada (Zamboanga), Victoria de Villa (Sariaya) and Jaime Veneracion (19th Century Estates), and Archs. Leon Mayo (San Juan), Nathaniel von Einsiedel (Silay) and Richard Bautista (Malabon and Navotas),

For more information about seminar fees, please call Dorie Soriano (HCS) 521 2239; telefax 522 24 97; EM info@heritage.org.ph or Ms Len Diòo (UPF) tel 895 1812/ 896 1902, EM annalynn.upf@gmail.com, Ms. Vivian Taparo (Iloilo Tourism Office) 033 3372172, EM benitojimena@yahoo.com.

http://www.thenewstoday.info/2007/10/18/heritage.conservation.confab.set.nov.9.html

BOB-bXu

October 24th, 2007, 03:54 PM

1.3 Billion Peso Bancasi Airport Modernization (250 Million initial outlay)

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/thirdairportB3.jpg

BOB-bXu

October 24th, 2007, 03:56 PM

UN MDG-Butuan LGU Millennium Cultural Park and Boardwalk Project

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/news_clip_image002.jpg

BOB-bXu

October 24th, 2007, 03:58 PM

Butuan Waterfront and Urban Renewal Project

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/tulay.jpg

BOB-bXu

October 24th, 2007, 04:02 PM

Bishop Morelos Campus - Father Saturnino Urios University, Ambago Campus

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/facade1.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/facade3.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/facade4.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/facade2.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/facade99999.jpg

BOB-bXu

October 24th, 2007, 04:07 PM

New Butuan City Hall, Doongan

http://static.flickr.com/78/189175769_28c52882a8.jpg?v=0

BOB-bXu

October 24th, 2007, 04:09 PM

Diosdado Macapagal Bridge

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h73/davao_world/bxu/IMG_8471.jpg

BOB-bXu

October 24th, 2007, 04:12 PM

Sunrise Christian University Building, Bonbon Campus

http://lh4.google.com/sunrisechristiancollegegallery/RpyKFSX6HbI/AAAAAAAAAHI/kXdi3TNzLKs/campus%20arial%20view002.jpg?imgmax=576

BOB-bXu

October 24th, 2007, 04:13 PM

Butuan City Government Training Center, City Government Complex, Doongan
(rendering)
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/butuan-2.jpg?t=1193234624

BOB-bXu

October 24th, 2007, 04:17 PM

Butuan Regional Museum Redevelopment Project

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/butuan2.jpg?t=1193235409

BOB-bXu

October 24th, 2007, 04:21 PM

Butuan Coliseum and Civic Center, Ampayon

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/butuan3.jpg?t=1193235516

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/butuan6.jpg?t=1193235632

BOB-bXu

October 24th, 2007, 04:22 PM

D and L Building

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/butuan4.jpg?t=1193235696

flymordecai

October 24th, 2007, 04:25 PM

Very nice! Good for Butuan. Good to see that appreciation for good, modern architecture is spreading into other provinces.

Kaiser

October 24th, 2007, 04:29 PM

Wow!

What are the updates about this projects?

ph_matrix

October 24th, 2007, 04:46 PM

nice thread bob ! :applause::applause::applause::applause::applause:

ph_matrix

October 24th, 2007, 04:48 PM

bob, the design has no plans for aerobridge ?

1.3 Billion Peso Bancasi Airport Modernization (250 Million initial outlay)

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/thirdairportB3.jpg

BOB-bXu

October 25th, 2007, 05:35 AM

I am afraid there wont be...

but hopefully in the long term they will build one

lightsaber46

October 25th, 2007, 10:44 AM

Are those projects finish or U/C; if it is UC what's the date of completion and status?

BOB-bXu

October 25th, 2007, 01:34 PM

the airport poject is already bidded out

while the FSUU Morelos Campus is 70% complete

the River Boardwalk and Park site is already cleared of structures and is also landfilled/elevated...

same with the Civic center site...

the Regional Museum redvelopment has not begun to a single shovel of earth yet

BOB-bXu

October 25th, 2007, 01:48 PM

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/7550/otismetroma3de.jpg

OTIS Mall will be fully developed once new capital infusion from a partner (NCCC Mall of Davao) will be finalized (unverified sources at present however say NCCC will build a mall of their own instead of joining partnership )

KulasKusgan

October 25th, 2007, 05:34 PM

1.3 Billion Peso Bancasi Airport Modernization (250 Million initial outlay)

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/thirdairportB3.jpg

looks like the one in indonesia. maski walay aerobridge, ok pa rin. very mindanaoan.

BOB-bXu

October 26th, 2007, 06:31 PM

1.3 Billion Peso Bancasi Airport Modernization (250 Million initial outlay)

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/thirdairportB3.jpg

this billion peso project as Mrs Aquino brandished in her SONA will be worthless if this morning's incident lead to a hundred deaths due to her administration's dilly dally with the fast tracking of the airports redevelopment.

Rence

October 27th, 2007, 03:47 PM

Historical lighthouse in Calatagan needs rehabilitation

By Marlon Alexander Luistro
Inquirer
Last updated 00:28am (Mla time) 10/25/2007

CALATAGAN, Batangas – In the early days of maritime travel, the lighthouse of Cape Santiago safely guided international shipping vessels crossing the Verde Island Passage, San Bernardino Strait and Manila Bay.

Also known as the Faro de Punta Santiago, the 51-foot tower on a cliff was established by the Spanish authorities in the 1890s, which modeled it after the medieval castles in Europe.

Old-timers believe that Cape Santiago was used by the Japanese during World War II. It had an underground tunnel that led straight to the sea.

Made of bricks and lime cement, the red structure has withstood earthquakes, typhoons and other natural calamities, including the ravages of the Filipino-Spanish, Filipino-American and Filipino-Japanese wars.

Today, however, the lighthouse is no longer open to the public. No roads lead to it since the adjacent lands are now privately owned. Its state of neglect and dilapidation has prompted the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA) to restore it to its original design.

Guide

“The lighthouse is the oldest remaining structure in Calatagan today. Aside from promotion as tourism site, Cape Santiago will be a perfect gift to the town’s centennial celebration in 2011,” said Ltsg. Derrick Manas of the 501st PCGA Squadron, who heads the Task Force Lighthouse.

The PCGA wants to promote Cape Santiago as the “cultural center of Calatagan,” where people can hold concerts, beauty pageants, graduations, stage plays, photography and painting sessions, and other events.

Its squadron also plans to transfer its headquarters to the lighthouse.

Lighthouses are not only popular tourist attractions though. They also serve as compass for vessels in the high seas. Usually, they are found along shallow coastal areas.

“When the US captured the Philippines from Spain in 1898, the Americans inherited close to 60 lighthouses and minor lights built by the Spanish colonial authorities,” said American author Russ Rowlett in an article that appeared in the University of North Carolina website.

While many of the major Spanish lighthouses have survived and are still in service, others have been ruined, Rowlett said. The website listed 27 major lighthouses in the Philippines, including the Pulo Caballo in Corregidor, Siete Pecados in Panay, and Cape Bojeador in Ilocos Norte.

In Batangas, there are Cape Santiago in Calatagan and Cape Malabrigo in Lobo.

Manas said Cape Santiago has long been abandoned. Nobody maintained and preserved its natural beauty. Its original light source is missing; an automatic light bulb donated by the Japan International Cooperation Agency switches on at sunset and off at sunrise.

The light device on top of the tower, reached by a long, winding flight of stairs, is no longer being used because it is very costly to operate it, Manas said.

On April 18, 1995, the PCG, under then Commodore Arturo Capada, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with former Batangas Gov. Jose Antonio Leviste, president of the Resort Association of the Philippines Inc. (Rapi), to develop Cape Santiago as a tourism site.

But the group has failed to do its task for the past 12 years and even reclaimed sea portions “unauthorized by the MOU,” Manas said. An internal report issued by then PCG Capt. Alejandro Flora on June 23, 2003 said Rapi had reclaimed “more or less 9,000 square meters of sea area adjacent to the Cape Santiago Lighthouse.”

Flora said the MOU only authorized Rapi to “improve the existing building and develop the surrounding areas.”

Undeveloped

Jessie de los Reyes, chair of the Calatagan Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council, claimed that the reclamation covered at least 1.8 hectares of sea grass beds and coral reefs, which reportedly drove away fish and other marine creatures.

The project not only affected the rich coastal resources in the area but also deprived some 300 families of their earnings from gathering sea shells and shrimps, he said.

“What really hurts is that the lighthouse was not restored but renovated. Too many alterations happened. Some of its antiques, particularly bronzes, are gone and the woods were replaced with cement,” he added.

The PCG plans to terminate the contract with Rapi, Commodore Darwin Torres, PCGA commander, said in a phone interview. “We’re on top of it,” he said.

On Aug. 5, the barangay council of Bagong Silang in Calatagan issued Resolution No. 14 regarding the request of the PCGA to adopt and restore the Cape Santiago Lighthouse.

As soon as the municipal government approves the resolution, Manas said he would establish a Calatagan Heritage Foundation, composed of PCGA members and town residents, to help raise funds for the lighthouse rehabilitation project.

He dreams of having Cape Santiago declared a national historical monument by the National Historical Institute and a national cultural treasure by the National Museum.

overtureph

October 28th, 2007, 01:32 AM

'Santo' enthusiasts bond in cyberspace

By Tonette Orejas
Central Luzon Desk
Last updated 11:33pm (Mla time) 10/27/2007

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Philippines -- All Saints' Day or Todos los Santos, which Catholics observe every Nov. 1, is a daily event for more than 1,000 "santo" (icons or statues of saints) enthusiasts the world over.

Their virtual carrosa (carriage) for preserving religious arts and traditions is the online group Semana Santa Filipinas (SSF).

Their two-year "procession" on the web began through the online chats of two men, according to the group's chronicler, advertising executive and santo collector Alex Castro.

Victor Ancheta, 18, a Filipino art student in Houston, Texas, and Robby de la Vega, 20, a student in Meycauayan, Bulacan, then decided to put up SSF on Flickr, a free online photo sharing service, in 2006.

"The initial intent was to create a visual reference of our religious traditions from all parts of the country, with content contribution from members. Simple discussion threads are also appended to the photos, so that more information and opinions can be shared among members," said Castro.

Ancheta and De la Vega quickly drew a large following.

SSF's pool grew to more than 8,000 photographs of santos and 700 discussion topics.

Bursting with ideas and materials, SSF birthed a sister cyber group, the "Santos: Images of Faith," and more religious-themed Filipino Flickr groups.

"SSF today is the most informative, progressive and largest group on the web, using the members' collective passion and knowledge to perpetuate, propagate, and increase the devotion to Philippine [religious] traditions, thus ensuring that these remain a permanent and significant part of Filipino culture everywhere in the world," said Castro.

Some members have bonded beyond the Web by starting the "Sponsor-a-Santo" program.

In this, they pool their money to give a devotional santo to a member who cannot afford to own one or donate a piece to a poor parish.

It was through the same program that De la Vega managed to replace the family's image of the Virgin Mary that he lost to his mother's relatives.

In typical Filipino bayanihan (community cooperation) way, the group labored together.

The image De la Vega got was donated by an SSF member in Pampanga and restored through the cash donation of a paralegal from Nashville. The image got its gold crown from a lawyer in Makati City and obtained its scepter from another member in San Mateo, Rizal.

The image's carved base was funded by a member who works in the foreign service in Kuwait.

Ancheta created a Sto. Niño to accompany the statue named as the "Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary."

The image was displayed in its first procession in May this year.

Online, a favorite is a personal interview series with what Castro called "movers and shakers of the santero (makers of the images of saints) as well as names associated with culture and heritage."

They include cultural activist Basilidez Bautista of Bulacan; ecclesiastical artists Nick Lugue and Jeric Canlas of Pampanga, Francisco Vecin of Makati, wigmaker Bella Francisco and vestment maker Ramon Gutierrez.

The group has also done heritage tours for members who live in the Philippines.

Don Ado Escudero, for one, hosted a tour of his family's Villa Escudero in Quezon and a discussion there on the state of devotional practices.

A group called Semana Santa RealWorld (SS RealWorld), led by its president Rainier Sexon, also documents in photographs the local Lenten traditions, specifically religious imageries, processions, vanishing arts and crafts.

For the love of saints and as an expression of religious faith, SS RealWorld is undertaking the "Pilgrim Santo," outreach programs for poor parishes, heritage church tours in Pampanga and Pangasinan, santo exhibits and a convention, a book and video documentation projects.

Theirs is not a first-time journey.

Fernando Zobel, for instance, has written the book "Philippine Religious Imagery."

Zobel classified Philipine santos based on popular, classical and ornate styles.

Sinibaldo de Mas wrote accounts on the overly decorated images of
saints and Virgin Mary in Manila.

Much of the early santeros had gone unknown, according to Castro.

The few known ones were Juan de los Santos, a carver and silversmith in Laguna in the 18th century; Isabelo Tampingco of Binondo who was said to have started the use of native floral motifs in his carvings; and the Flores family of Betis, Pampanga.

Copyright 2007 Central Luzon Desk. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view_article.php?article_id=97166

BOB-bXu

October 30th, 2007, 06:46 AM

Another new architectural form to expect:

Plaza Fair Store to Enter Butuan Retail Scene

Fair prices at Plaza Fair
October 30,2007

MOTHERS browsing for dresses, children looking for toys. Everybody who is in a buying mood is almost everywhere, wanting to have a hold of the on-sale items… These scenes are a normal sight inside Plaza Fair Cagayan de Oro, the one-stop-shop store known for its fair price.

For 15 years, Plaza Fair has never failed to attract shoppers, young and old alike. Much more now that the Christmas season is up in the air.

Post comments here on President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's grant of pardon to former President Joseph Estrada.

Plaza Fair bigwig Danny Velasco proudly says Plaza Fair has maintained its No. 1 position in Cagayan de Oro.

"We know Cagayan de Oro customers, their needs and wants," Mr. Velasco says, who is in the city to personally market the store's Christmas and Halloween promotional activities.

He says Cagayan de Oro has a special spot in his heart, owing to the magnificent aura of the Macajalar Bay and the rolling terrain in Barangay Bulua, which he says he felt in love with.

As Mr. Velasco feels in love with Cagayan de Oro, Plaza Fair also wants to give its share by offering sale items at lower prices, true to the byword that the store has been known for - Fair Price.

Customers can avail of select items in a buy-one-take-one scheme at Plaza Fair's department store and wet market.

What's more, shoes fanatics can get the chance to buy new styles as Mr. Velasco says at least 45 styles of ladies shoes are up for display every week.

"Who doesn't want shoes? Everybody loves shoes, including former First Lady Imelda Marcos," he says.

Plaza Fair has been in Cagayan de Oro for 15 years. And until now, it continues to serve its customers with utmost dedication, along with the other Plaza Fair branches in Manila, Baguio, Angono, Cubao and Makati. In January 2008, two more branches will be open in Zamboanga City and Butuan City.

Mr. Velasco says every store has its own niché and specialty, just like Plaza Fair. But one edge Plaza Fair has that its competitors don't have is "fair price" that ordinary Juan dela Cruz could really afford.

"The market is big for everybody and customers have their own taste. But what we all want is to value every money the customers would spend," Mr. Velasco explains.

With almost all items available at lower prices, customers would surely continue to flock to Plaza Fair Cagayan de Oro and experience hassle-free and convenient shopping, especially this Yuletide Season. (Press release)

SOURCE (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2007/10/30/life/fair.prices.at.plaza.fair.html)

Rence

October 30th, 2007, 03:24 PM

Try to join this group- Philippine Native Plant Conservation Society Incorporated at yahoo groups
http://tech.ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/philippine_plant_conservation_soc/photos/view/a02e?b=1

overtureph

November 7th, 2007, 06:28 AM

5-ton shipment of endangered RP coral, seashells seized in Argentina

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

BUENOS AIRES (AFP) – Argentine customs said Monday it had seized a valuable, five-ton shipment of endangered and protected coral and seashells from the Philippines that was destined for the black market in tourist haven Mar del Plata.

The illegal shipment of some 1,500 pieces of coral and seashells was listed as manufactured goods when it arrived at the Buenos Aires port, customs officials said.

Most of the protected species are included in the 1975 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which ensures that trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

Argentine customs officials said they were considering donating the coral and shells to museums or environmental organizations for their preservation.

Mar del Plata, 400 kilometers southeast of Buenos Aires on the Atlantic coast, is one of Latin America’s top tourist destinations.

http://philstar.com/index.php?Headlines&p=49&type=2&sec=24&aid=20071106112

overtureph

November 7th, 2007, 06:44 AM

DENR seizes salvaged metal from WWII ship
By Katherine Adraneda
Wednesday, November 7, 2007

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has confiscated some 200 metric tons of scrap metal, valued at more than P1 million, believed to have been salvaged from a World War II shipwreck off Leyte.

Reports reaching the DENR main office in Quezon City revealed that the confiscation of the scrap metal occurred at the Ouano wharf in Cebu last Nov. 2.

According to the DENR, the seized cargo was consigned to Lilia Dapuran Marketing, which is also holder of a shipwreck/sunken vessel recovery permit issued by former secretary Angelo Reyes in June 2007.

But DENR-Region 7 executive director Leonardo Sibbaluca said the company transported the scrap metal from the sunken ship in Leyte to Cebu without the required transport documents and inventory of the scrap materials from DENR-Region 8.

DENR’s Mines and Geosciences bureau Region 7 director Roger de Dios insisted that even when the firm had a shipwreck and sunken vessel permit, it is still liable for violating the rules, particularly DENR Administrative Order 2002-04, which outlines the rules governing the issuance of permits for treasure hunting, shipwreck/sunken vessel recovery and disposition of recovered treasures/valuable cargoes, including hoarded and hidden treasures.

Last month, however, the Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving (PCSSD) asked the DENR to immediately issue a cease-and-desist order to prevent the salvaging of the WWII era shipwreck off Leyte that would adversely affect the livelihood of at least a thousand fishermen families along the coast.

The salvaging operations, previously halted due to wide media coverage, have reportedly been “renewed and pursued with vigor”— much to the dismay of local residents.

In a letter to Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza dated Oct. 16, PCSSD Commissioner Yvette Lee said that salvaging operations returned immediately after Reyes was transferred to the Department of Energy (DoE) two months ago.

“I am appealing to you, in behalf of all these marginal fishermen, to issue an immediate cease-and-desist order to the salvaging activities and the transport of the metal that they have already taken out and to order an investigation into this matter,” Lee stated in her letter to Atienza.

According to Lee, she was contacted three years ago by a group of bantay-dagat volunteers based off MacArthur, Leyte regarding the attempted salvaging of the WWII era shipwreck, which has been serving as underwater Historical Tourism Site and fisheries reserve for families along the 10 coastal barangays of San Pedro Bay.

Lee said these designations for the WWII era shipwreck were covered by two separate resolutions drafted and signed by MacArthur town mayor Leonardo Leria, who later revoked them.

Following wide media coverage, the salvaging operations were stopped. The salvaging firm then requested for a permit to salvage.

But volunteers insisted that the shipwreck is a Historical Tourism Site and more importantly, a fisheries reserve that was serving the needs of over a thousand families along the coast.

“The permit they were carrying is for treasure hunting. The terms and conditions are clear and simple. It is to look for hidden treasure. Nothing in it says anything about salvaging the metal of the wreck. There is actually a different permit for this. Simply put, they are using the permit for another activity than what was specified,” Lee said.

Lee has estimated that so far, metal scraps collected from the shipwreck that were already loaded on the barge have been valued at P7 million (P14.95 per kilo).

“There is a provision in the terms and conditions of the permit that allows the DENR secretary to cancel the permit if it is in the public’s interest,” Lee said.

http://philstar.com/index.php?Headlines&p=49&type=2&sec=24&aid=20071106106

allan_dude

November 7th, 2007, 04:17 PM

Commentary: What happened to the 'Speak Pangasinan' rule?

By Danny O. Sagun (http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=12&fi=p071107.htm&no=14)

Lingayen (7 November) -- THAT first order by Gov. Amado T. Espino to have the Pangasinan language the primary tongue in transactions within the provincial Capitol appeared not seriously taken. Tagalog or a mix of English and Filipino are mainly used by the people there, even by officials themselves, who should lead their staff in using widely their native tongue.

We could not help but sort of remind the governor when we had the chance to shoot a question in a press conference some two weeks back. We asked him what happened to his directive as we noted that the question and answer in that conference itself was done in languages other than Pangasinan. In fact, before this writer tossed the last question (of course in Pangasinan), all questions but one were all done in other tongues.

"Anta manpapasagiligak lad sikara diad pansasalitak na Pangasinan ag ira met makalikas," he replied. Indeed, he spoke liberally in our native language mixing it with English and Tagalog while answering questions by the media.

He said he was really serious in his bid to propagate the native tongue, now considered one of the major languages in the country. In line with such objective is the undergoing research on the birth of the province. He noted that the celebration of Pangasinan Day is not actually the observance for the birth of the province but a memorial day for the late Speaker Eugenio Perez.

There were attempts to dig at history as to the birth of the province, which according to some people, had used to occupy parts of La Union, Zambales and Tarlac. It is no wonder that people in Sto. Tomas in La Union and Camiling in Tarlac are very fluent in the Pangasinan language.

Pangasinan, if we believe those stories, was not just a simple province as it is now. It was actually a kingdom or fiefdom with vast territory. The legendary Princess Urduja, a mighty warrior, amazon you may call her, bespeaks of the prestige and might of this part of the country had during those olden days.

The governor really had a point in his first order of the day he assumed office. The rich culture, tradition, mores, folkways and of course, language, of Pangasinan must be maintained, preserved, propagated and expanded to the hilt.

We hope he needs no reminders about that task. And we hope to see results before his first term ends. (PIA-Pangasinan)

TheRick

November 10th, 2007, 10:56 AM

Remembering the Past... Enjoying the Present...

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v1434357r2GJpyjE
(Better Quality Video)

Remembering the Past... PART 1. :lol:

pqDW9OJtdwk
Be Proud of the Philippines !!! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqDW9OJtdwk)

^^

Remembering the Past... PART 2. :lol:

xzuvP3yUpwc
Be Proud of the Philippines !!! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzuvP3yUpwc)

^^

Alitaptap

November 10th, 2007, 06:09 PM

Malabon’s old houses survive despite time and tide

By Nancy C. Carvajal
Inquirer
Last updated 08:48pm (Mla time) 11/10/2007

MANILA, Philippines--THE OLD MAJESTIC houses of Malabon City refuse to fade away into obscurity despite the threat of being erased from the map because of constant flooding.

These century-old homes scattered all over the city have endured time and tide, literally, having survived murky floods that have been the city’s perennial problem.Despite being continuously ravaged by salt water, these grand houses remain solid as a fortress.

“Most of the old houses were originally three-story structures, but because of the constant flooding, their ground floors have became useless as these are always submerged in water,” said Richard Bautista, one of the prime movers in the preservation of the city’s historical structures.Bautista, together with Monchet Lucas (whose family’s famed Rufina Patis factory is also one of the city’s attractions), and some owners of the old houses recently sponsored a tour of the city’s “treasures.”

The tour was dubbed as “Lusong Malabon,” an acknowledgement of the city’s predicament during high tide.“We want to create awareness that there’s more to Malabon City now and before,” Lucas said.Lucas, who also manages “Pescadores,” one of the city’s original restaurants located on Letre road (one of Malabon’s most flood-prone areas) emphasized, “There is so much to see if you know where to look.”

He explained that with the tour, they hope to give glimpses of the city as it was during a more illustrious era of huge houses, splendid churches and magnificent streets.By promoting the old houses as a tourist attraction, they are hopeful that the city government could be prompted to act drastically on the flooding problem.“Tourists travel all the way to the northern part of Luzon to see old houses when we have them here in Metro Manila,” Bautista said.

Malabon Mayor Canuto Oreta recently launched a project to declog the city’s waterways. He has also repeatedly called on the Department of Public Works and Highways to expedite the Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela) flood control project which is being touted as the solution to the flooding problem in the area.

From the outside, the houses, despite their magnificent interiors, look like any old big house in need of a paint job to the untrained eye.The facade of most of the houses, according to Bautista, have been left untouched, with most of them retaining their original features.Minor renovations, however, were carried out in some homes, mostly in the electrical and plumbing systems.If any changes were made in the old houses, these were carried out keeping in mind the house’s original design.

“Most of the style or architectural details were not altered and if renovations, particularly in the kitchen, were done, these were just to make it user-friendly,” Bautista recounted.

Almost all of the houses, he explained are in Barangay Concepcion, a venue chosen by their original owners because of its proximity to their businesses.

Most of the houses share common features: A narra grand staircase which leads to a landing on the second floor. Wooden floors that are either made from yakal, tindalo or narra. A huge dining room with a long table in the center surrounded by tall antique chairs.

In addition, the living rooms are as big as a medium-sized ballroom in a hotel.

Among the houses considered as one of the city’s treasures, owned by the Dionisio family, is located on Gen. Luna Street.The hardwood and stone house was built in the 1920s and underwent renovations in the 1990s but it has retained its original features, according to Pacita Dionisio-Bautista, the wife of former Ambassador to England Cesar Bautista. “We wanted it preserved as a reminder of our family’s roots,” she said.

Located in a place which is now a commercial area, the house’s added attraction is a small statue of the country’s national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, standing at the entrance.The huge living room, with its shiny narra floor and century-old furniture, can easily be converted into a dance hall.

According to Pacita, few changes were made when the house was renovated. It still looks the way it did when it was built in the 1920s, she pointed out.The Martinez house, which looks out on a busy street, was another stop on the “Lusong Malabon” tour.“This house is well-preserved and it can remain strong and safe for the next 100 years,” said Terry Martinez, whose family is in the fishing business.She said that they tried to preserve all of their home’s original features, including the intricate drawings in the living room.“The original wall with paintings was covered by the previous owner who apparently disliked exquisite prints on the walls,” she said.The house has two grand staircases leading to an elegant living room which is about the size of a ballroom.

Staying in a huge house like theirs took some getting used to, she revealed. “It took a while before I got accustomed to sleeping in such huge surroundings. I even had to leave the television set on at one point, because it seemed so vast and quiet,” Martinez said.An air-conditioning unit and a television set are the only modern additions to the Martinez bedroom which has a huge antique four-poster bed and an old-fashioned porcelain sink in one corner.

The Rojas-Borja house, which is also one of the most well-preserved homes in the city, has also retained its original features, including the pharmacy established by the family, when it was built in 1923.“We have not changed any feature of the facade, including the pharmacy. We even retained its wooden signage,” Dr. Carmela Borja said. For the next generation
She pointed out that owning an old house has both its joys and trials. “It’s expensive to maintain an old house but we are preserving it for the next generation,” she added.

The Raymundo house, considered the oldest in the city, is also famous for a Hapsburg eagle by its gate that indicates the house was built in 1861.What sets it apart from the others are the narra tree trunks that serve as the posts of the over 100-year-old house.There are also old books displayed in antique glass shelves in the house. Among the books is a first edition of Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere.”

According to Richard Bautista, the owners of the old houses have agreed that even though the structures may be subdivided among family members, “nothing should be sold outside the family.”It’s the families’ way of preserving their heritage, he said, adding that their ultimate goal was to keep the city’s treasures safe and intact for future generations to enjoy.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view_article.php?article_id=100145

Hawayano

November 11th, 2007, 08:54 AM

^^^^@ Alitaptap: thanks for the article on the overlooked heritage homes of old Malabon. It's important that the townspeople work to protect the remaining structures. Does anyone have related pics to post in here?

Pinoy_ako

November 12th, 2007, 06:03 AM

Old houses from Concepcion, Malabon.

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/4982/miradorci0.jpg

An American-period house with a mirador.

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/3826/farmaciaxc0.jpg

Farmacia Borja

http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/4524/p109jl3.jpg

Interior, San Bartolome Church, Malabon undergoing renovation during 2005.

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/8744/houseux5.jpg

Another early American-period house, in the traditional style. The ground storey was greatly affected by the raising of the street, ruining the proportion of the house.

BOB-bXu

November 12th, 2007, 11:48 AM

The new Butuan City Library fronting the War Memorial Monument

http://www.pia.gov.ph/press/image/070604-r13-memorial.jpg

dinabaw

November 12th, 2007, 02:15 PM

Butuan City Government Training Center, City Government Complex, Doongan
(rendering)
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/butuan-2.jpg?t=1193234624

i like this one! :okay:

Hawayano

November 13th, 2007, 07:55 AM

^^@Pinoy ako: thanks so very much! These pics help me to better understand my grandfather's hometown--I have yet to visit Malabon!

ivanhenares

November 13th, 2007, 08:57 AM

^^@Pinoy ako: thanks so very much! These pics help me to better understand my grandfather's hometown--I have yet to visit Malabon!

Check out the Malabon photos of Richard Bautista in his comprehensive album of Malabon heritage http://richardtsb.multiply.com/photos/album/19

My photos of the tour are in http://ivanhenares.multiply.com/photos/album/203

glenntoy15

November 13th, 2007, 09:33 AM

Butuan Regional Museum Redevelopment Project

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/butuan2.jpg?t=1193235409

elow ito ang gusto ko sa lahat.
ganda talaga lalo na ung roof. may mix of modern architecture with a blend of indigenous concept

BOB-bXu

November 13th, 2007, 02:04 PM

elow ito ang gusto ko sa lahat.
ganda talaga lalo na ung roof. may mix of modern architecture with a blend of indigenous concept

it more appeared to me like sails of a Spanish galleon....rather than a balanghai...

flesh_is_weak

November 13th, 2007, 02:10 PM

Butuan City Government Training Center, City Government Complex, Doongan
(rendering)
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/butuan-2.jpg?t=1193234624

this ought to be Butuan's City Hall

* * *

and i love the coliseum...way better than the ill-fated megadome

Pinoy_ako

November 13th, 2007, 02:16 PM

^^@Pinoy ako: thanks so very much! These pics help me to better understand my grandfather's hometown--I have yet to visit Malabon!

You're welcome. I used to spend a lot of time in this town, since some relatives live here. When I was young, I used to swim and fish at the palaisdaan during out reunions. I was a great town back then, a little rustic, yet just at the backyard of the metropolis. sayang.

BOB-bXu

November 13th, 2007, 02:30 PM

this ought to be Butuan's City Hall

* * *

and i love the coliseum...way better than the ill-fated megadome

yeah agree...the style seems more iconic to the city than the current one

zoroethgenre_003

November 14th, 2007, 03:49 PM

ang gaganda man ng mga concept ng mga artist from Butuan..keep it up//

BOB-bXu

November 15th, 2007, 02:16 PM

Butuan Lines to the Heavens,
Diosdado Macapagal Bridge Cables
http://images.arkidech.multiply.com/image/6/photos/4/500x500/9/DSC05386.JPG?et=6SBrPTkmdUT4FE47WQF7Ow

BOB-bXu

November 15th, 2007, 02:36 PM

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
rendering
http://www.bciasia.com.cn/top10/firm_img/90/RRPayumo_BangkoSentralngPilipinasTuguegarao.jpg

I stole this photo from psylock sa Zambo thread....the building rendering looks nice but seems generic because seems they will build it in Butuan, Zamboanga and Tuguergarao with the same design?

BXU AngelC

November 15th, 2007, 03:05 PM

BOB-bXu

November 16th, 2007, 06:37 AM

is this foe real!!!.....i like the design...hope q lang matuloy na....

it will be because they already had their lot land filled along Rosales Ave.

zoroethgenre_003

November 16th, 2007, 04:19 PM

Butuan Lines to the Heavens,
Diosdado Macapagal Bridge Cables
http://images.arkidech.multiply.com/image/6/photos/4/500x500/9/DSC05386.JPG?et=6SBrPTkmdUT4FE47WQF7Ow

of all the infrastructures ng Butuan..itio ung favorite ko..magkano ba ang bridge na ito?

Ex!lE

November 16th, 2007, 04:45 PM

of all the infrastructures ng Butuan..itio ung favorite ko..magkano ba ang bridge na ito?

balak mo bang bilhin ang Macapagal bridge? :lol::jk::nocrook:

zoroethgenre_003

November 16th, 2007, 04:47 PM

hehe..kung puede..lagay ko dito sa Zambo..transversing the Basilan Strait..

Ex!lE

November 16th, 2007, 04:50 PM

hehe..kung puede..lagay ko dito sa Zambo..transversing the Basilan Strait..

OT. How far is Basilan from Zamboanga?

zoroethgenre_003

November 16th, 2007, 04:54 PM

5-10 km cguro..

BOB-bXu

November 17th, 2007, 06:11 AM

of all the infrastructures ng Butuan..itio ung favorite ko..magkano ba ang bridge na ito?

it was built at a cost close to 2 Billion pesos:)

bariQ

November 17th, 2007, 06:18 AM

wow those new buildings are beautiful! world class indigenous design! :cheers:

BOB-bXu

November 17th, 2007, 06:21 AM

sana they will tap local architects and planners din..

bariQ

November 17th, 2007, 06:23 AM

i think architectural schools should include local architecture in thier courses.
i mean if you buy food from the philippines. it should taste like the philippines :D
poor ng analogy ko :lol:

BOB-bXu

November 17th, 2007, 06:26 AM

no bariQ...your point is excellent...

we have seen a lot of our architects from the Philippines doing good abroad...and here we are hiring foreign consultants..

unfortunately Philippine Architecture in its essence is on the brink of extinction..

bariQ

November 17th, 2007, 06:28 AM

BOB-bXu

November 17th, 2007, 06:37 AM

thanks mr bob.

i think one factor of that is the notion that there is no such thing as pure pinoy architecture which is largely influenced by spanish and mostly european design...

but the pictures above proves it wrong, that we do have our own design.
i think i saw a picture of the manila peninsula hotel in the 70's which was then filipinized.

that was before....but the trend now is different....

when you walk in makati staring those new skyscrapers above you...I dont see the 'Filipino' with the designs...at least a touch... the very 'Filipino' sadly is the one we see down and along the streets...haay

BOB-bXu

November 17th, 2007, 07:02 AM

Madiyaw nga Pagkani Hong Butuan !

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2373/2039179194_61d1da3e9a.jpg?v=0
photo taken from Jody Navarra album

diz

November 17th, 2007, 07:06 AM

all i see in these threads are nice buildings! i especially like the colisseum. great work! :okay:

bariQ

November 17th, 2007, 07:06 AM

^^ and those are mostly dilapidated....

my aunts house in manila is in a row of old houses with those capiz shell windows... i hope they restore those... they would look great!

people tend to look more to churches and shrines for filipino architecture...

MtApoStandard

November 17th, 2007, 10:24 AM

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/boybleauxx/butuan-2.jpg?t=1193234624
love it. too nice for a government building.

BOB-bXu

November 17th, 2007, 01:15 PM

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2172/2039163080_ceacf2826d.jpg?v=0

Early preHispanic Butuanons practice cranial deformation as a means of cosmetic puprposes. Where females as early as infancy are molded by this art of cosmesis. This previously signifies stature in ancient Butuanon society.

Note also the golden death mask.

Butuan Regional Museum

Ex!lE

November 17th, 2007, 01:17 PM

^^can't wait for that building to rise. :cheers:

dinabaw

November 17th, 2007, 01:24 PM

BOB-bXu

November 17th, 2007, 01:26 PM

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2213/2039163502_9d0fbc77bc.jpg?v=0

Magallanes, El Pueblo de Butuan
Commemorar Arribo Celebracion
De La Primera Misa
En Este Sitio
El Dia 8 de Abril de 1521

Ericido En 1872 Siendo Gobernador del Distrito
Jose Maria Carvallo

The marker erected by then Spanish Governor Jose Maria Carvallo in 1872...marking the site of the first Christian Mass in Philippine soil..

BOB-bXu

November 17th, 2007, 01:34 PM

ANECO Building
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2272/2038087449_1d8b5b1cfe.jpg?v=0
ANECO Building now sporting aluminum cladding in its main building

BOB-bXu

November 17th, 2007, 02:41 PM

I like this candy-bar looks of Sacred Heart School pre school building...looks tam-is :)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2320/2039167480_b3e8521ac6.jpg?v=0

yoncha789

November 17th, 2007, 04:37 PM

butuan's 2nd bridge:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/edison_lee/dmbxu1.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/edison_lee/dmbxu2.jpg

island at lake mainit, viewed from the highway:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/edison_lee/lakemainit1.jpg

sunset at the almont resort in lake mainit:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/edison_lee/lakemainitdeck.jpg

ivanhenares

November 17th, 2007, 06:07 PM

Senate hearings start again on Monday :)

Jeff, please text me so I could send you the details.

BOB-bXu

November 17th, 2007, 06:30 PM

butuan's 2nd bridge:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/edison_lee/dmbxu2.jpg

This is the nicest night shot of Macapagal Bridge I have seen so far....^^:)

The bridge even looks more glorious at night....no wonder many young night owls drop by this spot to have fresh air...after some bar gimiks

Salamat Kadiyaw Yoncha and welcome to SSC:)

ph_matrix

November 18th, 2007, 01:22 AM

what a powerful camera you have there ! nice shots ! many thanks..

:applause::applause::applause:

butuan's 2nd bridge:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/edison_lee/dmbxu1.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/edison_lee/dmbxu2.jpg

island at lake mainit, viewed from the highway:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/edison_lee/lakemainit1.jpg

sunset at the almont resort in lake mainit:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/edison_lee/lakemainitdeck.jpg

BOB-bXu

November 18th, 2007, 03:22 AM

if they could have installed halogen illuminators to light up the bridge's center tower.....the effect will really be dramatic..:)

yoncha789

November 18th, 2007, 04:42 AM

if they could have installed halogen illuminators to light up the bridge's center tower.....the effect will really be dramatic..:)

my thoughts exactly.. para mahighlight ang tower sa bridge, and that way makita ang bridge from afar...

btw taga cebu ko, ako gf ang taga butuan, .:banana:

ph_matrix

November 18th, 2007, 05:17 AM

hey @yoncha789, may i ask what model # of the camera you are using ? :)

yoncha789

November 18th, 2007, 05:53 AM

hey @yoncha789, may i ask what model # of the camera you are using ? :)

canon 40D sir.:)

ph_matrix

November 18th, 2007, 06:00 AM

wag mo po akong e sir :lol: , by the way, taga asa kaw ?

ph_matrix

November 18th, 2007, 06:04 AM

OMG !! di nako ma afford imong cam ! , prof goro ka no..

http://www.mobilemag.com/content/images/13157_super.jpg

http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2007/08/40d-back.jpg

canon 40D sir.:)

BOB-bXu

November 18th, 2007, 06:54 AM

yoncha welcome to SSC...

good thing we have an architect now here with us in the thread...

we were discussing previously regarding the state of Filipino architectural style these days...

Is there really a Pinoy architectural style?

yoncha789

November 18th, 2007, 09:32 AM

@ph: hobby lang nako ang photography. sakit gani sa bulsa... hehe., taga cebu ko but currently in butuan supervising a project...

@bob: naa man nuon pinoy na architectural style, si Architect Francisco Mañosa kay well known sa iyang dedication to promote pinoy architecture.

but kami more on sa modern gusto namo na looks but still adapting filipino style... like if you look at singapore grabe ilang design really fit for a tropical climate like ours, dapat unta ang design sa mga architects muadapt sa tropical climate namo, mao jud na number 1 concern namo when designing. kasagaran man gud makita nako puro mga mediterannean inspired houses, classical houses, dili mana angay sa atong region. just my opinion lang ha. hehe.

btw i really like the design for the propose museum, infused niya ang modern with the traditional... dapat ana unta, mao na akong gusto na mga buildings. hehe.

ph_matrix

November 18th, 2007, 09:44 AM

^^ subdivision or private ni @yoncha789 ? :)

yoncha789

November 18th, 2007, 09:47 AM

^^ subdivision or private ni @yoncha789 ? :)

private cya PH.:)

ph_matrix

November 18th, 2007, 09:54 AM

i see, kamolo pud mi himo sa among balay.. architect diay ka ehehe, pla nasad worth ana nga house ? wala labot sa lot..

private cya PH.:)

yoncha789

November 18th, 2007, 10:08 AM

i see, kamolo pud mi himo sa among balay.. architect diay ka ehehe, pla nasad worth ana nga house ? wala labot sa lot..

estimate namo kay 6-7m depende na sa sulod unsa ang design kay wala paman na design ang interior.

ph_matrix

November 18th, 2007, 10:29 AM

e post nako amo plan ha, tagai ko ug unsa imo comments.. wait.. e PM ko nalang..
'
estimate namo kay 6-7m depende na sa sulod unsa ang design kay wala paman na design ang interior.

BOB-bXu

November 19th, 2007, 06:27 AM

yoncha; I can see that you will be a big contributor soon to this city as far as architectural style is concerened..:cheers:

ivanhenares

November 19th, 2007, 04:29 PM

Just found out we have new National Cultural Treasures and Important Cultural Properties. Among the new NCTs are:
1. The eastern and western facades, belfry and baptistery of the Daraga Church
2. Bulakena, painting by Juan Luna
3. The Revenge, sculpture by Jose Rizal
4. Feeding the Chickens, painting by Simon Flores

ICPs are:
1. Maribojoc Church, Bohol
2. Cape Engano Lighthouse
3. Kiangan Historical Buildings

BXU AngelC

November 19th, 2007, 05:03 PM

OMG !! di nako ma afford imong cam ! , prof goro ka no..

http://www.mobilemag.com/content/images/13157_super.jpg

http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2007/08/40d-back.jpg

terrific.......high end....gadgets....:lol::lol::lol:
this blessing!

BXU AngelC

November 19th, 2007, 05:04 PM

yoncha; I can see that you will be a big contributor soon to this city as far as architectural style is concerened..:cheers:

well..i'd like to speculate maybe yoncha is hired by FILINVEST for BXU projects....:lol:^^

yoncha789

November 19th, 2007, 05:05 PM

what's new in butuan? bati mupicture sige ulan. hehehe.

BXU AngelC

November 19th, 2007, 05:06 PM

yoncha789

November 19th, 2007, 05:06 PM

well..i'd like to speculate maybe yoncha is hired by FILINVEST for BXU projects....:lol:^^

that would be great... hehehehe. gusto mi muoffer i-update ang butuan. hehehe. mayta naay muhire namo.:)

BOB-bXu

November 19th, 2007, 05:07 PM

yoncha789

November 19th, 2007, 05:08 PM

ganito ba ang i co construct ninyo sa BXU CITY!!!
SANA NGA!!!^^

actually it's under construction na, exterior painting na karon...

BXU AngelC

November 19th, 2007, 05:08 PM

LIKE LIGHTNING I STRIKE.....MAI NALANG WAH AN NIMO NAABTAN ANG FLOODS...WELL MAKA INGUN KO...NA BLESSED NA DAKBAYAN KARUN...SALAMAT SA MGA PROJECTS DAKU ANG AMO COLLECTIONS...

BOB-bXu

November 19th, 2007, 05:09 PM

that would be great... hehehehe. gusto mi muoffer i-update ang butuan. hehehe. mayta naay muhire namo.:)

maybe the city could tap your talents at the City Architects Office yoncha...am sure you will be a big asset:cheers:

there's this office that coordinates all the architectural structures being built around the city..

BXU AngelC

November 19th, 2007, 05:12 PM

SO CONFIRM....IMO...LIST THIS PLS..:lol::lol::lol:

MAGKALATA ANG MGA DEVELOPER DRI SA BXU FROM SMALL SCALE TO LARGE TRACTS....

MAG PA FINANCE NAKU FOR ABROAD PARA MAKA PALIT ANE NGA UNIT....:lol::lol:

yoncha789

November 19th, 2007, 05:12 PM

maybe the city could tap your talents at the City Architects Office yoncha...am sure you will be a big asset:cheers:

there's this office that coordinates all the architectural structures being built around the city..

oh naa ingana na office sa butuan? is it at city hall OBO? wala pa mi nameet fellow architects here in butuan.

btw kami nag himo atong city hall model being displayed there. katong nindot ug landscape na model ha? hehehehe.

BXU AngelC

November 19th, 2007, 05:15 PM

BOB-bXu

November 19th, 2007, 05:18 PM

City Planning And Development Office

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2030/2047571520_d38350905b.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2282/2047569572_7849c2c84b_m.jpg

General Function:

Integrate, coordinate and formulate sectoral plans and programs of the City.

Office Function:

Provides staff assistance in the formulation of various plans and programs of the city in agriculture, Infrastructure, social services, commerce and industry, education, water supply, etc.;
Conducts continuing studies, researches, and the relevant trainings necessary to evolve plans and programs for the implementation of various development plans and programs.
Monitors, evaluates and assists in the implementation of various development plans and programs.
Recommends to the City Mayor and the Sangguniang Panlungsod any matter concerning city development plans and matters affecting the plans and activities thereof.

Objectives:

Formulates economic, social, and physical development of he city to respond to the needs of the growing populace especially the disadvantaged;
Establishment of Data Bank;
Establishment of permanent office with adequate space for the technical and clerical display of proposed plans and programs, and pictorial of completed projects;
Full complement of the City Planning and Development Office to provide the different planning sectors a responsible staff; and
To conduct and participate in the trainings, seminars, workshops, and conferences in order to develop the staff capability in development planning, resources management, community organization, and technical feasibility studies.

yoncha789

November 19th, 2007, 05:18 PM

were in butuan city well this edifice rise?...let me guess Bancasi? Libertad?
Villa Kannanga? Bonbon? tell...tell...promotion aside.....go sales talk..:lol::lol::lol:

later nalang, will post actual pics. kay basin makasab-an ko sa client namo. hehehe.
:lol::lol::lol:

BXU AngelC

November 19th, 2007, 05:18 PM

tommorrow will eb a nice day...unta mag practice mig driving apa maka anha q Villa kannaga i will take a photo of our soon to rise private coliseum....SJIT....hmmmn:lol::lol::lol:

yoncha789

November 19th, 2007, 05:21 PM

City Planning And Development Office

http://www.butuan.gov.ph/government/deptpics/planning2.jpg

http://www.butuan.gov.ph/government/deptpics/planning1.jpg

General Function:

Integrate, coordinate and formulate sectoral plans and programs of the City.

Office Function:

Provides staff assistance in the formulation of various plans and programs of the city in agriculture, Infrastructure, social services, commerce and industry, education, water supply, etc.;
Conducts continuing studies, researches, and the relevant trainings necessary to evolve plans and programs for the implementation of various development plans and programs.
Monitors, evaluates and assists in the implementation of various development plans and programs.
Recommends to the City Mayor and the Sangguniang Panlungsod any matter concerning city development plans and matters affecting the plans and activities thereof.

Objectives:

Formulates economic, social, and physical development of he city to respond to the needs of the growing populace especially the disadvantaged;
Establishment of Data Bank;
Establishment of permanent office with adequate space for the technical and clerical display of proposed plans and programs, and pictorial of completed projects;
Full complement of the City Planning and Development Office to provide the different planning sectors a responsible staff; and
To conduct and participate in the trainings, seminars, workshops, and conferences in order to develop the staff capability in development planning, resources management, community organization, and technical feasibility studies.

this is at city hall right? naka-adto namo didto before when we renovated the "cardinal bakeshop". although wala kaau mi nagkaila sa mga officials didto. maybe sunod...

BXU AngelC

November 19th, 2007, 05:22 PM

City Planning And Development Office

http://www.butuan.gov.ph/government/deptpics/planning2.jpg

http://www.butuan.gov.ph/government/deptpics/planning1.jpg

General Function:

Integrate, coordinate and formulate sectoral plans and programs of the City.

Office Function:

Provides staff assistance in the formulation of various plans and programs of the city in agriculture, Infrastructure, social services, commerce and industry, education, water supply, etc.;
Conducts continuing studies, researches, and the relevant trainings necessary to evolve plans and programs for the implementation of various development plans and programs.
Monitors, evaluates and assists in the implementation of various development plans and programs.
Recommends to the City Mayor and the Sangguniang Panlungsod any matter concerning city development plans and matters affecting the plans and activities thereof.

Objectives:

Formulates economic, social, and physical development of he city to respond to the needs of the growing populace especially the disadvantaged;
Establishment of Data Bank;
Establishment of permanent office with adequate space for the technical and clerical display of proposed plans and programs, and pictorial of completed projects;
Full complement of the City Planning and Development Office to provide the different planning sectors a responsible staff; and
To conduct and participate in the trainings, seminars, workshops, and conferences in order to develop the staff capability in development planning, resources management, community organization, and technical feasibility studies.

it a new office created to supervise the growing city...housing public or private...madame...actually sa relocation palang daghan na...mga private establishments....pud sprouting like mashrooms...:lol::lol::lol:

BXU AngelC

November 19th, 2007, 05:28 PM

the new office that was created..is the CITY ARCHITECTS OFFICE....:lol:

BXU AngelC

November 19th, 2007, 05:33 PM

HOW MANY UNITS YOUR TEAM ARE GOING TO ERECT.....^^:lol:

BOB-bXu

November 19th, 2007, 05:33 PM

Hmmm....Butuan City Government Center should have followed the planned landscaping to the details of this model..

http://images.8designstudio.multiply.com/image/13/photos/1/600x600/6/101_0194.JPG?et=8brBxdJzN7lHifW6yp3D5g

http://images.8designstudio.multiply.com/image/9/photos/1/600x600/2/IMG_0136.jpg?et=dHppE5FJxFBZPvb4V2btyw

http://images.8designstudio.multiply.com/image/8/photos/1/600x600/3/IMG_0139.jpg?et=eiYjxd2P3B4W2Mf5%2B2EXMg

http://images.8designstudio.multiply.com/image/8/photos/1/600x600/7/2.JPG?et=aspCA0AUxVjzz7QqmlxAlQ

yoncha789

November 19th, 2007, 05:38 PM

HOW MANY UNITS YOUR TEAM ARE GOING TO ERECT.....^^:lol:

oi nasayop ka, 1 unit ra na oi..:lol:

how i wish makahimo mi ug subdivision sa butuan. hehehe.:lol:

yoncha789

November 19th, 2007, 05:39 PM

the landscaping wasn't followed d i? basin nahurot ang budget. hehe.

BOB-bXu

November 19th, 2007, 05:46 PM

there are more trees kase sa model....sa actual gamay ra trees then the car parks are much bigger... hmmm a car park in exchange for a park for strolling and relaxation..hmmm

yoncha789

November 19th, 2007, 05:55 PM

there are more trees kase sa model....sa actual gamay ra trees then the car parks are much bigger... hmmm a car park in exchange for a park for strolling and relaxation..hmmm

im in favor of more greens. kay ang grass and trees mafilter nila ang dust, noise, heat. fresh pa ang air sa hangin.:okay:

BXU AngelC

November 19th, 2007, 05:57 PM

im in favor of more greens. kay ang grass and trees mafilter nila ang dust, noise, heat. fresh pa ang air sa hangin.:okay:

dont worry I'll handle this......:lol::lol::lol:

BXU AngelC

November 19th, 2007, 05:59 PM

oi nasayop ka, 1 unit ra na oi..:lol:

how i wish makahimo mi ug subdivision sa butuan. hehehe.:lol:

who knows...an opportunity will come....:lol::lol::lol:

ph_matrix

November 20th, 2007, 12:56 AM

@yoncha789 (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/member.php?u=117406) powera mga design nin u oi, sayang kayon pata nag ila ikaw unta to himo among balay !

icarusrising

November 20th, 2007, 04:41 AM

yoncha789

November 20th, 2007, 04:06 PM

ok lang bah mupicture sa butuan city hall at night? hehe.

BOB-bXu

November 20th, 2007, 05:53 PM

thanks ph and icarus. we're honored that you like our designs.

ok lang bah mupicture sa butuan city hall at night? hehe.

yeah by all means.... we used to make tambay at the city hall grounds even if its not fenced pa before and have a good time taking photos of ourselves there..:)

overtureph

November 21st, 2007, 06:37 AM

A royal house in a state of neglect

By Yolanda Sotelo-Fuertes
Inquirer
Last updated 01:57am (Mla time) 11/21/2007

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Residents of Pangasinan’s capital town of Lingayen may not know it, but a “royal building” is right in their midst. Called Casa Real (Royal House), the building is, however, neglected and in a state of disrepair.

“I saw a photograph of it in the Philippine Picture Post Cards, a collection of 1900-20 post cards by Jonathan Best, and realized that we have a heritage landmark which we took for granted all this time,” said Arabela Arcinue, president of the Pangasinan Heritage Society Inc. (PHSI).

Arcinue’s research showed that the structure was the Casa Real built by the Spanish government in the 1840s. It served as the provincial seat of government, where the alcalde mayor held office as governor and judge of the defunct Court of First Instance (CFI). It was also his official residence.

Casa Real—one of the early public structures built of brick in the province—is a two-story structure with a floor area of 1,728 square meters. It is located between the town hall and the carcel (provincial jail), another historical landmark.

“The still intact thick brick walls, ornate ceilings, the staircase of piedra china (granite stone) and wooden balustrades that lead to hardwood planks are all mute witnesses to the province’s history from the Spanish regime to the present,” Arcinue said.

The building has survived the elements, earthquakes and bombings during World War II.

Immense

A French ethnographer, who visited Lingayen in 1880, described Casa Real as “immense” and “covered with cogon roof.” In 1891, it had zinc roofing, Arcinue said, showing photocopies of the cover page of the building’s restoration plan (1885-87).

In 1886, Casa Real was renamed Gobierno to conform with political changes when the alcalde mayor was made to retain his judicial function as CFI judge, while the executive function went to the gobernador civil.

The landmark also played a part during the revolution against Spain.

According to the account of Felipe Quintos, a Katipunero from Alaminos town, Spanish soldiers and some Filipino recruits fought the native revolutionaries holed up in Casa Real.

The Katipuneros tried to capture the building from the nearby Baraca Street after crossing the Agno River behind it. Their movement was detected, however, and they were arrested and killed.

The Americans used Casa Real as seat of the province and changed its name to Capitol.

Residents also watched for the first time an exposition mounted by the Americans in the building on Feb. 3, 1910.

“It was a very big occasion that attracted many guests from all over the country. They think it was a carnival because their parents regaled them with stories of seeing wild animals like lions, tigers and elephants for the first time in their lives,” said Arcinue, citing accounts of old-timers.

In 1918, the present capitol was built along the historic Lingayen Gulf during the administration of Gov. Daniel Maramba. The following year, Casa Real was vacated and the provincial seat of power was transferred to the new capitol.

‘Juzgado’

Casa Real was used as a public elementary school for three or four years before it became the Juzgado, which housed two regional trial court branches and other offices of the court.

The courts moved out in 1996, but some local government agencies are still holding offices on the ground floor.

According to Arcinue, 90 percent of the building’s original design is intact but parts of the ornate ceilings are destroyed. Pipes protrude through the floor, some balusters are missing, and the wooden floors of the abandoned rooms are decaying.

“If it were human, it is in the throes of death and needs to be taken to the intensive care unit quickly,” she said.

When she was serving as president of the Soroptimist International of Lingayen, Arcinue asked the National Historical Institute to declare Casa Real a national historical landmark.

In 2002, the NHI issued the proclamation, citing Casa Real as “an outstanding and unique example of civic architecture from the Spanish colonial period, [surviving] the Second World War and [remaining] to this day as a beautiful monument to the artistry, craftsmanship and ingenuity of the builders.”

Plans were initially made to repair Casa Real, but these did not push through because of lack of funds from the provincial government. Then Gov. Victor Agbayani directed the offices occupying the building not to renovate any part of it.

The PHSI, whose advocacy is to preserve Pangasinan’s rich culture and heritage, has brought the issue to the attention of current Gov. Amado Espino Jr.

“We are still waiting for an answer. We are very hopeful because the governor shares our advocacy,” Arcinue said.

She said she would seek the help of Lingayen natives abroad to pool funds for the restoration.

“Or maybe we could ask [help from] the Spanish government, which might be interested in restoring one of the stately buildings that the Spaniards built during their reign in the Philippines,” she said.

Copyright 2007 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=102178