Heritage Watch - Compiled Threads

[overtureph]

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/personal%20trips/laguna/misc288.jpg


Below is a facsimile of a book (probably one of the earliest printed in the Philippines) where the town of Pila (Laguna) is mentioned.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/personal%20trips/laguna/misc290.jpg

[icarusrising]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2337/1838351245_5279ae2414.jpg?v=0

Cibeles Fountain, Madrid



Wow! I just realized it's a fountain depicting Cybele, the earth mother of mythology.

[le Reine]

What do you think?

Carriedo Fountain was repainted more than a week ago. So what do you think of its new look?

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/9237/carriedofountain1ta3.jpg

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/1740/carriedofountain2ii0.jpg

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/3008/carriedofountain3bo5.jpggrrrr! :rant: talk about being tacky!

^^yah and the National Museum also looks like a Chiffon cake or perhaps a giant butter scotch...In fairness to the National Museum, the interior is very beautiful and it would still look better if it was renovated completely. I still dream of renovating it again to its pre-war look. The former finance building is also amazing! i was so ecstatic when I went inside a while ago.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2337/1838351245_5279ae2414.jpg?v=0
Cibeles Fountain, Madrid
^^ They couldn't made it dignified? Other cities makes it as part of their cultural icon. It say's much of the Filipino taste. :bash:
:nuts:
What a waste of public funds! I would like it to be with the golden bronze paint.I noticed that we lack (or non existent?) these kind of fountains here

[icarusrising]

^^ I like the fountains of UST.

[le Reine]

^^ I like the fountains of UST.what fountain, the one in front or the one beside the main hall? The fountain beside the main hall is actually gorgeous.

[icarusrising]

what fountain, the one in front or the one beside the main hall? The fountain beside the main hall is actually gorgeous.

I mean, they have fountains with classical themes.

I do not know who the lady is but the deer is an animal sacred to Diana Artemis.

http://inlinethumb49.webshots.com/16752/2133589920101994864S600x600Q85.jpg


Keepers of knowledge... The Sphinx and The Owl, an animal sacred to Athena.

http://inlinethumb04.webshots.com/7747/2563091140101994864S600x600Q85.jpg

[Wonderboy]

In celebration of World Heritage Day, the Heritage Conservation Society in cooperation with the Manila Historical and Heritage Commission and ICOMOS Philippines is organizing a tour of Manila's heritage parks and plazas on April 19, 2008. With the theme religious heritage in mind, we realize that many of our plazas are found in front of churches and have been a center of like of our historic districts.

Meeting time will be 8 a.m. at the Manila City Hall Freedom Triangle (the one with flagpole, access on Arroceros, now A. Villegas). Lunch will be provided. To reserve a slot, please call Dorie at 5212239.

[overtureph]

The Mindanao Examiner: Ancient Burial Cave Discovered In Mindanao

http://zamboangajournal.blogspot.com/2008/04/ancient-burial-cave-discovered-in.html

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/apr/11/yehey/prov/20080411pro2.html

I hope these doesn't end up in private collections. And also doesn't get smashed or mishandled by well meaning individuals but not trained in such kind of work or kahit yung mga taong mahilig pumapel lang.

[Waldenstrom]

What do you think?

Carriedo Fountain was repainted more than a week ago. So what do you think of its new look?

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/9237/carriedofountain1ta3.jpg

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/1740/carriedofountain2ii0.jpg

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/3008/carriedofountain3bo5.jpg

it looks like a cake! :lol:

[Hawayano]

^^^^^^

I'm sorry--this mess that someone authorized on painting Carriedo fountain adds a totally new dimension to the meaning of BADUY :ohno::ohno::ohno:Ewwwww!

[batang_makulit]

What do you think?

Carriedo Fountain was repainted more than a week ago. So what do you think of its new look?

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/9237/carriedofountain1ta3.jpg

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/1740/carriedofountain2ii0.jpg

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/3008/carriedofountain3bo5.jpg

Sorry pero para namang binaboy yung isa magagandang tanawin sa Sta. Cruz....cguro kung Trim na gold saka white mas okay di ba? mala European ang dating.

[red_jasper]

Controversy hounds Teachers Camp restoration

By Vincent Cabreza
Philippine Daily Inquirer (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20080419-131316/Controversy-hounds-Teachers-Camp-restoration)
First Posted 00:42:00 04/19/2008

BAGUIO CITY – A mad rush to complete the restoration work on the 100-year-old Teachers’ Camp has invited controversy.

Contractors who bid for the project complained that the Department of Education took shortcuts when it began conservation work.

Richard Yodong, owner of Salidummay General Construction, has complained to Education Secretary Jesli Lapus and the Office of the Ombudsman about officials who allegedly awarded major contracts, worth P20.6 million, to rivals who should have failed to qualify.

Yodong took to task Education Assistant Secretary Jonathan Malaya, acting manager of the camp, and members of the camp’s bids and awards committee (BAC), according to a notarized affidavit sent to the Inquirer.

Another contractor, who lost the bid, sent to the Inquirer another set of documents to suggest fraud, but he asked for anonymity because he has not yet decided whether he would also pursue a case against DepEd.

Lovenia Gorospe, acting assistant manager of the camp, said she would reply only when an official investigation is conducted. But she said everything about the restoration work has been above board. Gorospe chairs the BAC.

The Teachers’ Camp celebrated its centennial on April 6, but officials commemorated the event with a “soft launch” because of slow work to reconstruct the American-era buildings there.

Instead, the DepEd scheduled a major centennial celebration on May 10.

Under contention were six landscaping contracts that require a complete overhaul of the cottages, gardens and roads inside the camp.

Some camp facilities that would be renovated are the track and field oval, which used to be operated here by the Philippine Sports Commission, and buildings that house the Cordillera branch of the Philippine Public Safety College and the National Police Commission.

These agencies have been asked to move out of the camp, after almost 30 years.

The contract also requires the repair or reconstruction of the camp’s amphitheater, the Albert Hall, as well as the roads leading to these facilities.

Each contract is specific about the dimensions of the buildings and the variety of flowers that would be planted around the camp.

Malaya, in a previous interview, said he wanted to restore the green and white colors of the facilities, which used to identify the camp when it was run by the American colonial government.

[Askal82]

What do you think?

Carriedo Fountain was repainted more than a week ago. So what do you think of its new look?

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/9237/carriedofountain1ta3.jpg

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/1740/carriedofountain2ii0.jpg

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/3008/carriedofountain3bo5.jpg

Such a beautiful structure got overshadowed by the hideous paint job. Talking about lack of historical propriety and cultural sophistication.

Pero in fairness, mukhang masarap kainin. :lol:

[Wonderboy]

I heard that Carriedo Fountain has been repainted "all-white" after receiving negative criticisms. I haven't seen it yet but will definitely check it out upon my return from an out of town trip.

[Pinoy_ako]

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/1654/carriedofountainmb0.jpg

Sa wakas, naibalik na sa monochrome ang Carriedo fountain, this time, all-white, with the inscriptions in black.

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/5185/calderondelabarcapu1.jpg

Also part of the Carriedo waterworks system, this is the iron-cast fountain at the former Plaza Calderon de la Barca in front of Binondo church.

[mwg12a]

Sorry pero para namang binaboy yung isa magagandang tanawin sa Sta. Cruz....cguro kung Trim na gold saka white mas okay di ba? mala European ang dating.

I have to agree with you on this one. It just don't cut it,not in my book atleast... Gold and white would of been perfect instead of solid plain white!


They definitely need to rid off those unsighty electrical cable wires. One thing, its for safety reason, then next would be just simply the aesthetic and cleaner look of the surrounding.

[Pinoy_ako]

^^

Someone mentioned to Wonderboy that the Gold tint ( most likely the one that retains its color over time ) is not available here in Manila. This might have been the reason why the dome of the Golden Mosque looks that way.

[Asturiano]

the fountain in plaza de calderon de la barca should also be painted with white or gold like those fountain in plaza de la concorde in paris.

[icarusrising]

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/1654/carriedofountainmb0.jpg

Sa wakas, naibalik na sa monochrome ang Carriedo fountain, this time, all-white, with the inscriptions in black.

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/5185/calderondelabarcapu1.jpg

Also part of the Carriedo waterworks system, this is the iron-cast fountain at the former Plaza Calderon de la Barca in front of Binondo church.

That's good news, Jun.

And in the heat of summer, that metal fountain looks very refreshing! :cheers:

[habagatcentral1]

Finally a relief from that birthday cake! :D

[icarusrising]

Finally a relief from that birthday cake! :D

Talaga lang ah... Alam ko gusto mo cake eh.... :nocrook:

[Wonderboy]

Mukhang nakikinig naman pala ang Manila City Hall basta ipaalam lang sa kanila yung problema kasya magreklamo lang at magcomment tapos hanggang dun lang.

[habagatcentral1]

Talaga lang ah... Alam ko gusto mo cake eh.... :nocrook:

Dulce De Leche na cake to be exact. :lol:

Mukhang nakikinig naman pala ang Manila City Hall basta ipaalam lang sa kanila yung problema kasya magreklamo lang at magcomment tapos hanggang dun lang.

I heard that "Dirty Harry" is quite in tune with the heritage conservation.

[kyle@1008]

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/1654/carriedofountainmb0.jpg

Sa wakas, naibalik na sa monochrome ang Carriedo fountain, this time, all-white, with the inscriptions in black.

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/5185/calderondelabarcapu1.jpg

Also part of the Carriedo waterworks system, this is the iron-cast fountain at the former Plaza Calderon de la Barca in front of Binondo church.

ay salamat,... next ang jones bridge please,..

[IndioBravo]

Can somebody do something to those wires!!! And yes,the Jones bridge lamp posts,RIDICULOUS!:ohno:

[habagatcentral1]

There are some functioning government buildings that needs to be maintained...and I mean not cheaply maintained as these are manifestations of power. In this case, the glorious legacy of the titanic sugar industry of the past.
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h291/berniemacksouthcentral/aduanacom.jpg

[LordCarnal]

Kaplag 2008

- 443rd anniversary celebrations of the finding of the image of the Sto. Niño de Cebu; a turning point in the history of the islands


Mass at Magellan's Cross

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/Wordpress/kaplag2008/kaplag01.jpg




After the mass there was a procession from the Basilica to the Cathedral

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/Wordpress/kaplag2008/kaplag02.jpg




Preceding the procession were a group of Sinulog dancers

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/Wordpress/kaplag2008/kaplag03.jpg




Arrival at the Cathedral

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/Wordpress/kaplag2008/kaplag04.jpg

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[habagatcentral1]

By the way, while riding the LRT bound south towards EDSA from Manila, I noticed several old villas along Taft Avenue, Pasay City in particular. I wonder who owns those old villas.

[LordCarnal]

Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino de Cebu


Early 1900s
- The ceiling was barely decorated with strips of wood.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/Wordpress/Old_Churches/Old_Photos/old_santonino_interior02.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/Wordpress/Old_Churches/Old_Photos/old_santonino_interior_wordpress.jpg



I think this was right before WWII or perhaps right after it? (1950s?).
- There are now paintings in the ceiling.
- The paintings/drawings in the arches were also changed.
- The flooring was also changed to tiles

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/Wordpress/Old_Churches/Old_Photos/wordpress_blog_old_sto_nino01.jpg


The interiors today
- The four arches (which I think were made of wood) were removed; Carved wooden balusters were installed in the ceiling.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/Wordpress/Old_Churches/stonino/basilica_wordpress02.jpg

[Pinoy_ako]

By the way, while riding the LRT bound south towards EDSA from Manila, I noticed several old villas along Taft Avenue, Pasay City in particular. I wonder who owns those old villas.

One of these could have been the residence of Tomas Mapua.

[habagatcentral1]

^^ That I noticed, also those old villas along Roxas Boulevard (particularly Pasay City and Parañaque City), grand mansions or villas.

[LordCarnal]

I've got a question, since the Gregorian Calendar was introduced in 1582, then does this mean that Magellan didn't really arrive in the Philippines in March 1521? Perhaps it was 1522? and that Manila was really established at a later date?

[Asturiano]

I've got a question, since the Gregorian Calendar was introduced in 1582, then does this mean that Magellan didn't really arrive in the Philippines in March 1521? Perhaps it was 1522? and that Manila was really established at a later date?

the old julian calender was only missing a couple of days and magellan still arrived in the phillippines in 1521. actually it was magellan crews that discover this mistake when they completed the circumnavigation of the world a one day was added to thier trip when they return to europe the european didn't believe it until pope gregory order vatican scientist to find out and then it was discovered that it was true, so from that time on he ordered a new calender to be used and it was named after him. the estern christian known as orthodox christian still prefer to used the julian calendar until today that's why celebrate christmas and new year on january.

[Wonderboy]

Click the weblink below to check out the schedule of events for the Philippine Heritage Month 2008. This is a nationwide event and everyone is invited:

http://filheritagefest.fateback.com/home.html

[Animo]

By Andronico Wangag (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=goodLife3_may3_2008)

“To build among people a consciousness, respect, and pride for the legacies of Filipino cultural history” is the chief objective of the Filipino Heritage Festival as it commences this merry month of May.

Ongoing until June 12, a month-long celebration will take place across the archipelago to promote the diversity and richness of the Filipino culture. The whole event will be made possible by the tandem of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Department of Tourism.

This national festival aims to promote cultural heritage sites and architectural wonders, various facets of Filipino culture such as tiangges, music and dance performances, visual arts, exhibits, thematic culinary events, design retrospectives, walking tours and array of activities that will bring the Filipino people a new awareness of age-old traditions, cultural treasures and practices.

Filipino Heritage Festival director Bambi Harper stated that this year’s festivities will reopen a treasure trove of oral traditions presenting epic chants that showcase the traditional beliefs and values of early Filipinos.

To captivate local and foreign tourists, the festival will pay tribute to the Filipino epic by bringing to life age-old chants. This is spearheaded by Maranao’s venerable epic “Darangen ni Bantugen” to be performed by the Philippine Ballet Theater and Sayaw Foundation on May 14 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo. Excerpts of this epic chant will be revisited in Las Piñas and Cagayan de Oro City.

The odyssey of Darangen is a celebration of Maranao’s opulent history that narrates the adventures of mythical heroes. Embedded in the chant are social values, traditions and customary laws. This epic chant is one of the 43 declared by Unesco as “Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritages of Humanity,” which is told and retold in the original ancient verse.

The festival was born out of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Proclamation 439 on Aug. 11, 2003, “declaring the month of May as National Heritage Month.” This year’s roaster of events is organized by festival president Armita Rufino and finance officer Araceli Salas.

The Heritage Month kicked off in Cagayan de Oro City with the Darangen epic, Maranao and Higaonon weaving, Subanen baskets, mats, pottery and beads, and their crafting, and performances by homegrown talents Gintong Amihan Dance Troupe of the Mindanao Polytechnic State College, the Xavier University Dance Society, and the Rondalla of Pilgrim and Mr. Waway Saway.

Underscoring this event are Farola (exhibit of Spanish colonial lighthouses found all over the country) in Gameng Museo, Ilocos Norte until July and at Robinsons Galleria on May 8, Philippine Spanish Colonial Bridges (a weeklong photo exhibit of the old Spanish colonial bridges in the Philippines by architect Manuel Noche of the University of Sto. Tomas) at Robinsons Mall, Lipa City, Batangas on May 5, Bangsa Moro Exhibit with lecture ( 30-panel photo exhibit featuring pre-colonial photographs acquired by the family of former Rep. Michael Mastura from Washington archives) at the Davao Museum on May 11 to 31, Tapan Exhibit of Philippine Fiestas ( photo exhibits by renowned photographer Donald Tapan) at Robinsons Mall Ermita on May 13, Sinauna (showcase of Filipino artifacts) at SM Mall of Asia on May 15 to 21, Patawa (evoking laughter with poems, jokes, photos and memorabilia) at the Metropolitan Museum on May 19, National Artist Exhibit at SM Megamall on May 19 to 22, Banig Exhibit and Komedya Linambay (showcase of handwoven mats of Basey, Samar) at SM Cebu on May 24, Kisame ( display of the magnificent church ceiling paintings in Bohol) at the Ayala Museum on May 26 to July 6, and “Las Gran Damas de Negros” (biographical photo exhibit of Negrense Women of Substance then and now).

The observance of the Heritage Month will also feature Santacruzan in the City of Manila tomorrow, a Balagtasan on May 7, 8, and 14 in Hagonoy, Bulacan, and also at the Inner Ground of both the Quezon City Hall and Makati City Hall, a thematic food festival at the Intercontinental Hotel featuring Bicol Food Harvest Festival, May 6 to 31, and the Parian (a re-enactment of Chinese influx to Manila to serve the needs of the Spaniards) at the Binondo Plaza on May 17.

Different regional festivities will take place across the archipelago.

[habagatcentral1]

^^ Well that's weird. All along that we've been contacting Bambi Harper and the rest of the Filipinas Heritage people for the said Heritage Month and I don't see any of our activity here in Iloilo (even if we have one). Para yatang naging minor ata activity namin? Hmm...

[overtureph]

Segunda Katigbak's house located in Lipa City, Batangas


http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/personal%20trips/laguna/batangas/misc537.jpg


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Photos by overtureph

[Zodiac18]

^^Parang ancestral bahay namin yan sa Aringay, La Union, ah. Am again homesick! :(

Thanks for sharing your pix, overtureph!

[overtureph]

^^Parang ancestral bahay namin yan sa Aringay, La Union, ah. Am again homesick! :(

Thanks for sharing your pix, overtureph!

Your welcome. Good for you and fortunately for you may ancestral house pa kayo. Baka puede ka din mag-share ng mga litrato ng lumang bahay nyo at iba pang mga lumang buhay sa Aringay.

[overtureph]

The Villavicencio ancestral house in Taal, Batangas. The house was constructed as a wedding gift and it used to have a bridge connecting to the older Villavicencio house. The house was lovingly restored and as told to us by the present owners (and also a descendant) was restored with proper care and consultations with an expert (I think they consulted Mr. Tinio). For example, they had the tiles specially copied and customed made by Mariwasa to replace the original but unusable tiles. They had also the palitada mixed with lime and the garden planted to traditional Filipino plants. Truly a magnificent and elegant house. The owners too where very kind and gracious. They where really proud of their ancestral house. And a very big thank you to them for giving us a tour of the place.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/personal%20trips/laguna/batangas/misc649.jpg

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Sorry for the blurred pictures.



Photos by overtureph

[overtureph]

Villavicencio ancestral house Taal, Batangas


http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/personal%20trips/laguna/batangas/misc624.jpg


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Sorry for the blurred pictures.

Photos by overtureph.

[Animo]

LEYTEÑOS wowed guests and locals as it hosted the opening of last year's National Heritage Month.

Using a full menu of songs, dances, literature, gastronomic delights, and indigenous products, Leyte has delighted spectators.

The also presented their province's architectural treasures, and age-old traditions.

This year, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the Filipino Heritage Festival (FHF), the Province of Leyte, and the Leyte Provincial Tourism Culture and Arts Council have prepared yet another exciting roster of activities for the 2nd Leyte Heritage Festival in May and the Tacloban City fiesta in June.

"The Filipino Heritage Festival will revisit the culture-rich province of Leyte which started celebrating its own Heritage Month last year. Every time a province declares its own heritage month is a great success for all of us who are working to ensure the heritage reaches Filipino consciousness," said FHF director Anna Maria Harper.

Joycie Alegre, the festival organizer, said: "The heritage events in May include Catholic heritage masses in the various parishes of the archdiocese of Palo, Leyte.

A tour of eight select heritage sites in Samar and Leyte, a heritage food symposium, a tuba concoction contest, Samar banig exhibit, multimedia arts exhibit with banig as motif, Leyte-Samar tatu seminar and contest, heritage awards, performing arts festivals, and the Grand Santacruzan are also in the offing."

The FHF will also highlight on National Heritage Month -- the linambay (komedya), tatu (tattoo), banig, and tuba.

On May 18, at 8 p.m., Leyte's homegrown talents will perform excerpts from the Linambay Orihinal at the Leyte Heritage Performing Arts Festival.

The almost-extinct linambay will be colorfully revived by members of the Barangay Libas Community Center who continue to pass on the one-of-a-kind performance from generation to generation.

From the time Spanish colonizers introduced the komedya, the play, replete with real bolos and carefully choreographed moves, has been unwaveringly staged by the group to display their devotion to Santo Niño.

Ancient tattoo symbols will be topic of a symposium on May 19 at 9 a.m. at CAP building.

Philippine Tattoo Artists Guild president Aleks Figueroa alias Tattoo Tulisan will discuss the significance of heritage tattoo symbols and lead an exhibit and video presentation on tattoo motifs.

A Henna body tattooing competition among Visayan visual artists and tattoo artists will cap the day.

From May 19 to 21, various designs of traditional banig will be on display at CAP building. New forms of banig for practical use will also be part of the three-day exhibition.

Banig weaves from Basey, Samar will demonstrate the process of weaving -- from preparing the tikog grass to the final stages of implementing a design.

A number of mananggiti (tuba gatherers) will be in the same venue to demonstrate the process of making tuba, an alcoholic drink made from the sap of the coconut tree. A tuba concoction contest will also be held.

The Leyte Heritage Festival is spearheaded by the Leyte Heritage Society.

The society is composed of the University of the Philippines Visayas Tacloban College, Leyte Normal University, Department of Tourism regional office in Eastern Visayas, Department of Trade and Industry provincial office in Leyte, archdiocese of Palo, and Holy Infant College.

The United Architects of the Philippines Metro Tacloban and Leyte chapters, Philippine Information Agency-Eastern Visayas, Leyte Visual Arts Group, Runggiyan Social Development Foundation, artists, educators, and cultural workers are also partners.

"More cities and towns are striving to protect what they have. We are happy to note that many have come to the realization that they have so much to protect, and so, have declared the entire month of May as Heritage month," FHF president Armita Rufino said.

Backing the National Heritage Month festivities are major sponsors Air21, Air Philippines, ANC, Philippine Airlines, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Security Bank Corporation and Tanduay Distillers, Inc.

For more information on National Heritage Month, visit the Filipino Heritage website at http://filheritagefest.fateback.com, or call 892-5865. (Press release)

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/man/2008/05/14/feat/2nd.leyte.heritage.festival.html

[Animo]

DAVAO ORIENTAL, Philippines – The provincial government is seeking the approval of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) for the Mt. Hamiguitan Range to be declared as a World Heritage Site.

Rochie Ravelo, barangay captain of Magsaysay in Lupon, Davao Oriental, said they are now preparing their presentation for the Unesco officials who are expected to arrive Tuesday.

It was learned that Governor Corazon Malanyaon had earlier forwarded the formal information to Unesco.

Ravelo said the Mt. Hamiguitan Range situated in the boundaries of Mati City, Governor Generoso and San Isidro towns in Davao Oriental is host to 2,000 hectares of bonsai forest and other fora and fauna endemic in the province.

Provincial Board Member and former San Isidro mayor Tina Yu said the mountain range is also host to a plant that is now being studied by scientists as a possible cure for cancer.

The Mt. Hamiguitan Range has a total area of 6,834 hectares. Ravelo said that with the declaration of Mt. Hamiguitan as a world heritage site, the mountain would be more protected despite its earlier declaration as a protected area by the Philippine government.

Governor Malanyaon earlier said that she plans to make Mt. Hamiguitan as her province's showcase to invite tourists and investors. – Sun.Star Davao (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/93472/Davao-Oriental-wants-Hamiguitan-declared-as-world-heritage-site)

[Animo]

By Gabriel Cardinoza (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20080511-135800/Priest-after-whom-city-was-named-to-be-built-statue)
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:13:00 05/11/2008

URDANETA CITY -- AFTER 150 years, the first statue of Spanish priest Andres de Urdaneta, after whom this city was named, will be erected as part of the priest’s 500th birth anniversary celebration this year.

Mayor Amadeo Perez Jr. said the National Commission for Culture and the Arts has informed him that five national artists will be involved in the project, which includes the design of a new plaza in front of the City Hall along the national highway in Barangay Anonas here.

“We are proud that our city was named after somebody who was considered a hero in Spain and a very good priest at that,” Perez said.

Urdaneta, who was born in Ordizia, Spain, in 1508, was a navigator and soldier before he became a priest. He became a celebrity when he discovered the Manila-Acapulco (Mexico) route, which was used in the Galleon Trade that brought Asian culture to Europe through Mexico.

This city had forged a sister city relations with Ordizia during Perez’s visit to Spain in December last year.

President Macapagal-Arroyo had issued Proclamation No. 1423 declaring this year as the “Year of Urdaneta,” in recognition of Urdaneta’s achievements and “his contributions to Philippine culture and history.”

The proclamation also created the Urdaneta 500 Commission, which involves members of the private sector and co-chaired by Antonio Ynchausti and Dr. Alejandro Roces.

According to the NCCA website, the national artists who will collaborate on the project are Napoleon Abueva, who will create the wooden boat replicating Urdaneta’s original ship; Abdulmari Asia Imao, who will work on the bronze monument of Urdaneta; Ildefonso Santos Jr., who will design and landscape the park; Roces, who will write the text in English and Spanish that would be accompanied by Filipino, Basque, Ilocano and Pangasinan translations; and Benedicto Cabrera, who will design a mural facing the plaza from the city hall.

[LordCarnal]

Heritage Month in Cebu

Activities so far:

1.) May 15-16 last week - Training on the establishment of museum in various towns in Cebu participated by representatives from the different municipalities in Cebu.

2.) May 21-23 next week - Visayan Association of Museums and Guides Inc. (VAMGI) training on museums. Open to everyone interested. Fee is P2,500. There are various speakers including some from the National Museum.

3.) May 23 - 2nd Gabii sa Kabilin. This is very historic for Cebu because we are the only ones opening our museums (Casa Gorordo, Cathedral Museum, Sto. Niño Museum, Fort San Pedro - National Museum) until 12 midnight by purchasing just one ticket. This is the 2nd time around. We are the only ones doing it in the country in order to invite people to visit our museums. Each museums will have something to offer either a cultural video presentation or cultural show or native delicacy fair.

5.) May 25 - HAMBIN lecture still about museums with launching of book: Kapulongan.



Below: The successful seminar on museums sponsored by the Cebu Provincial Gov't. for the towns and municipalities

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/cebu_travel/may16/04_capitol.jpg

[LordCarnal]

With the overwhelming support of the Cebu Provincial Gov't., lots of towns in Cebu are now establishing "heritage groups." The Cebu Archdiocesan Commission on the Cultural Heritage of the Church went to these towns to conduct seminars/trainings, etc.

Photos below: A seminar about Church Patrimony, History of Dalaguete Church, etc.. conducted at the San Guillermo del Hermitaño Church in Dalaguete, Cebu.


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PHOTOS BELOW: Detailed shots of DALAGUETE CHURCH


The church exteriors

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/WordPress/Old_Churches/Dalaguete/08_dalaguete.jpg


The interiors

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The ceiling of the church was painted in 1935 with Biblical scenes by famous Cebuano artist Canuto Avila. He was also the same artist who painted the church ceilings in Bohol.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/WordPress/Old_Churches/Dalaguete/05_dalaguete.jpg

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Heavily damaged Pipe Organ

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/WordPress/Old_Churches/Dalaguete/06_dalaguete.jpg



This is the mechanism used to produce air for the pipe organ.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/WordPress/Old_Churches/Dalaguete/07_dalaguete.jpg




Mechanism of the belltower's clock, eaten away through time by rust. The pendulum and weights are still there.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/WordPress/Old_Churches/Dalaguete/14_dalaguete.jpg



At the convent

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/WordPress/Old_Churches/Dalaguete/09_dalaguete.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/WordPress/Old_Churches/Dalaguete/10_dalaguete.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/WordPress/Old_Churches/Dalaguete/11_dalaguete.jpg



An organ at the convento, damaged through time

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/WordPress/Old_Churches/Dalaguete/12_dalaguete.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/WordPress/Old_Churches/Dalaguete/13_dalaguete.jpg

[overtureph]

Thats great news that their establishing heritage groups.

[plmetzen]

Hi overtureph,

I saw your photos and well I've been there before :) That's my friend's ancentral house somewhere in Batangas but I do remember seeing that Juan Luna painting which was donated by himself to the family. The place is quite stunning and yeah they are a nice family, sure hope to meet them again some day.

I have some photos from that place in which I'll try and search for it. We made fun of that big table because it was the place where we ate and it looked a lot like the last supper. The errie bed in which the grandmother died is still there, and those photos of those ladies wearing black was something about rebellion which was quite an interesting story.

Did you manage to take photos of the neighbouring houses too?

regards
Paolo

[habagatcentral1]

http://mail.google.com/mail/?attid=0.1.0.1&disp=emb&view=att&th=119fc5e8fe518f66

[overtureph]

Hi overtureph,

I saw your photos and well I've been there before :) That's my friend's ancentral house somewhere in Batangas but I do remember seeing that Juan Luna painting which was donated by himself to the family. The place is quite stunning and yeah they are a nice family, sure hope to meet them again some day.

I have some photos from that place in which I'll try and search for it. We made fun of that big table because it was the place where we ate and it looked a lot like the last supper. The errie bed in which the grandmother died is still there, and those photos of those ladies wearing black was something about rebellion which was quite an interesting story.

Did you manage to take photos of the neighbouring houses too?

regards
Paolo

Hello Paolo,


I feel fortunate to have been given a tour of the house.

I think the 2 Luna paintings currently displayed are both reproductions. I forgot to ask as to the location of the original paintings.

I wasn't able to take photographs of the other old houses in Taal (Batangas) during this visit as it was already dark by that time.

Hopefully, one of these days you can join us in one of our trips.

Best regards,

Bogs

[Pinoy_ako]

^^

The 2 original paintings are in the original house, right next door.

[Animo]

http://media1.pioneerlocal.com/multimedia/dc-cleland-050808-p1_pp_feed_20080513_12_24_29_84-0-0.imageContent
http://media1.pioneerlocal.com/multimedia/dc-cleland-051508-p2_pp_feed_20080513_12_24_19_79-0-0.imageContent

By MYRNA PETLICKI Contributor (http://www.pioneerlocal.com/parkridge/entertainment/946833,dc-cleland-051508-s1.article)

James Edward Cleland didn't visit the San Pablo Apostol de Cabagan Church until 2006, but the Lincolnwood resident has spent a decade trying to save the historic Philippines edifice. He is hoping to attract interest in that cause with his first book, "The Silent Sentinel" (AuthorHouse, 2008; thesilentsentinal.com), which tells the architectural importance of the structure, as well as its significance to the history and people of the town in which it is located.

Cleland first became interested in the 300-year-old church after his wife, Natividad, visited her family in the Philippines in the late '90s. "I was looking over the photographs she had taken and I noticed the church, which immediately evoked the Spanish Southwest in the U.S., and I was intrigued with it," said Cleland. "I had forgotten that the colonial period in the Philippines was so heavily imbued with Spanish culture. I fell in love with it from that moment on."

It was a natural attraction for Cleland, who has taught architecture and design at Loyola Academy in Wilmette for 20 years and serves at the faculty moderator for the school's chapter of the American Institute of Architecture Students.

Cleland noted that even though he didn't see the church in person until he was well into his research, the parish priest sent him several hundred pictures of the building.

His initial impression of the church was that "It was very much as the Alamo would have been in the 1860s. It was crying out to be saved and nobody was saving it." Cleland added that because the building is constructed of "nothing fancier than dried earth and stone, it can easily be rebuilt."

It wasn't only the architecture that inspired Cleland's efforts to help raise funds for restoration. "There's a very close intimacy of the people with the church," he reported.

Cleland's wife can attest to that. "I grew up with it. I went there ever since I was a child," Natividad said. She added that the church is very important to her parents. "It's the oldest church in our place and they adore it. It's huge and a very impressive church. If possible, the people back home want to preserve the church and they're trying hard to raise money to rebuild the church."

"Eight generations of forefathers and foremothers were born there, were baptized there, were married there and are buried there," Cleland said. "They're actually buried across the national highway in an area about one mile west of [the church] in an above-ground burial area because they're in the flood plains of the Cagayan River."

In addition to its location in a flood plain, the church is also threatened by being in an earthquake zone. And it is located in one of the most impoverished areas of the Philippines.

Currently, only the quarter of the sanctuary nearest to the altar is used. "They made a makeshift cover out of sheet metal," Cleland said. "They reinforced it in 1995 with a modernist touch which waterproofs that quarter of the sanctuary. But there's still three-quarters of it that lies open to nature."

Cleland's extensive research process for his book began in 2000 with his reading everything he could locate in English on Philippine history. After three years, he hired a Spanish language expert to assist him in culling data from literature in that language. "Then several of my friends and associates who are Filipino would do the Philippine translations," Cleland said.

The scholarly book contains over 50 pages of sources and bibliographic details.

Cleland said that he wrote "The Silent Sentinel" for two reasons. "I want to save [the church], and I want to be part of the very fledgling Filipino architectural preservation movement. There are other churches in the Cagayan Valley which are just about as old and certainly very beautiful, too, and I plan on doing a lot more research on those in years to come. They are jewels that the world doesn't know about."

[overtureph]

^^Great article, encouraging for heritage conservation. And it took a foreigner to bring this to light and public attention.

[overtureph]

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/pic-05180713190179.jpg


THE MAIN sala of the Museo De La Salle, decorated in the late Spanish colonial period style, today a repository of the finest 19th- and 20th-century Filipina decorative arts.


WEEKEND DESTINATION
‘I like my 19th century fresh’


Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:36:00 05/18/2008

MANILA, Philippines - I like my 19th century fresh.” Joey Panlilio was rephrasing the famous line of fashion giant Karl Lagerfeld who was explaining in one interview his fuss and fascination with his mansion in Montecarlo.

Panlilio, a hardline advocate of heritage and conservation, doesn’t have his own mansion to speak of. What he has is perhaps even better. As executive director of Museo De La Salle, he has the ambitious task of the maintenance and growth of what is arguably the biggest lifestyle museum in the country-biggest in terms of size and bequeathed acquisitions.

The light showers had just cooled that humid October day last year, when the Museo held La Naval procession. The intermittent rain didn’t dampen the candlelit procession that brought the resplendent carroza bearing Nuestra Señora del Santissimo Rosario de La Naval around the Museo. In fact the fine-as-needle rain was like a gauze curtain through which you glimpsed the tableau of a procession as it slowly went past the aged trees around the Museo. As the endless threads of candlelight stirred in the dark, you felt as if you were sneaking a peek into a past long gone—an intruder into a century of genteel lifestyle, elaborate rites and pious devotion to the Virgin.

That night, true to his word of keeping the 19th century “fresh,” Panlilio replicated that tradition for his 21st century guests on a 21st century harried pace. We say harried because many of the guests were caught up in traffic, and a few, like us, had to leave shortly for Makati because it was a busy Friday evening.

But for that ethereal moment, the Virgin of La Naval had the limelight all to herself, on that all-white carroza covered with pristine white blossoms and glistening silver accents. It was her coming-out event in a way, her image recently retrieved from the Santos Joven-Panlilio’s ancestral home that was buried in lahar in Bacolor, Pampanga. (The image has been with the family since the 18th century.)

The vast two-story Museo De La Salle is an act of both retrieval, conservation, and as we learned from Bro. Andrew Gonzalez’s message of 2003—an act of “letting go.”

Today marks the anniversary of the cornerstone laying in 1998.

Now on its eighth year, it draws foreign and local tourists to the nearly 30-hectare campus of De La Salle University in Dasmariñas, Cavite, a 45-minute drive from Makati. Indeed it is a good weekend destination. (Museo is open Tuesdays to Saturdays, and by appointment, on Sundays.)

A reproduction (in liberal terms) of the 19th century Filipino “bahay na bato,” the Museo has the architecture details, furniture, home accents and art objects of a 19th century Christian home.

Today there’s a café on the ground floor where guests can dine overlooking the garden, and upstairs an azotea where they can have merienda amid the scent of sampaguita or champaca.

The garden, now available for wedding receptions and other events, has old Philippine trees and flowering plants.

As many know now, the Museo was the vision of Brother Gonzalez, FSC. When De La Salle opened its college in Cavite, Brother Gonzalez knew that to build a community, the La Salle Brothers had to go beyond academics and science, and into sports and culture. Having built the Palaruang De La Salle gym, he shifted his focus to building a church, reminiscent of medieval villages where the church would be the center of settlement. Even then the De La Salle community had already patterned its 28 hectares after the Hispanic “pueblo” in the style of Vigan and Intramuros—with “puertas” along the old Aguinaldo highway.

Pinatubo

Then came the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991 and in 1994, the lahar that buried towns of Pampanga, among them the historic and culture-rich Bacolor.

“God works in mysterious ways. We need to discern the signs of the times, see His finger writing on the wall…” Bro. Gonzalez said in his message at the Museo blessing in 2000. “The museum we are dedicating is a product of boldness, chance, risk-taking, but likewise vision and faith.”

Lahar buried Bacolor, its houses and its priceless heirloom pieces, including those in the ancestral home of the Santos Joven-Panlilios. “I suggested to him [Jose Ricardo or ‘Joey,’ a son of the Panlilios] my dream of building a 19th century Philippine Spanish house on the Cavite campus,” Brother Gonzalez recalled in his message. “My idea was to retrieve the work in Bacolor, dig up what could be spared, provide the Panlilio family a repository of their collection…”

With the full support of the entire De La Salle community led by Bro. Roly Dizon, the museum was built. Major remnants of the Santos Joven-Panlilio home—from the house parts to the colonial furniture—were incorporated in the Museo.

Christian heritage

Also behind the Museo, aside from Brothers Gonzalez and Dizon, were Bro. Armin Luistro, FSC, Bro. Edmundo Fernandez, FSC, Bro. Gus Boquer, FSC, president of DLSU Dasmarinas; Dr. Carmelita Quebengco, and Bro. Manuel Pajarillo, FSC.

Brother Gonzalez explained in his 2000 message, “My dream is to make this corner of Cavite and the province a place where Christian heritage will be maintained to give the present and the future generations of students a feel for the rich past that Joey and I experienced as young people growing up in the post-War; living the liturgical cycle of the calendar with its observance of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter done with traditional processions and celebrations…”

In time the Museo became the repository of family heirlooms, including furniture, donated or lent for long-term display by some leading collectors, notably Marie Theresa Lammoglia-Virata, Paulino and Hetty Que, Vicky Vizcarra Amalingan, Jaime Laya, Fe Sarmiento-Panlilio.

In 2003 came the biggest turnover to the Museo from a family—the Philippine lifestyle collection of Domingo and Carmen Guevara. The collection consisted of about 700 objects collected through the decades by the industrialist and his wife-from furniture to indigenous fabrics, photographs.

Letting go

Brother Gonzalez himself donated his clan’s heirloom possessions—those of the Arnedo-Gonzalez family of Sulipan, Apalit, Pampanga.

At the turnover rites in 2003, Brother Gonzalez titled his remarks “The Fine Art of Letting Go”—an articulation that bore a mix of exhilaration (over the process of acquiring fine objects), melancholia and ultimately, acceptance and humility in the face of mortality.

His words of wisdom: “The joy in the process of acquiring, exchanging, purchasing, completing a collection and then displaying it for optimal benefit of those interested in the field is often more important than the acquisition activities themselves. What happens then when one has had this fulfillment and one is in the process of slowing down and inevitably facing the prospect of mortality?”

He said that one inevitably realized that institutions—more than families and heirs—have greater chances of passing these culture objects down the generations.

Brother Gonzalez talked of his own separation from the family heirlooms: “Having gone through a similar experience with our own family’s modest collection, so painstakingly collected by my grandparents and parents, I built up some of the collection not much in furniture but in crystal and silver, and now in the last phase of my life realize that I must let go and let go graciously, to the point of making it a fine art.”

Indeed the Museo is both a retrieval of the past, and relinquishing of it. It is man’s surrender to time.
TSS


Copyright 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20080518-137268/I-like-my-19th-century-fresh

[habagatcentral1]

Here's our activity in today's Heritage Month celebration of our country:

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http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h291/berniemacksouthcentral/2008poster.jpg

[overtureph]

What happened to the structure, I think it was a sports complex that was constructed near the walls of Intramuros? Did it push through? It doesn't seem that Barber's was sacked or sanctioned for it. He appeared in a tv commercial promoting tourism.

[richard24]

sorry for the quality., this is the carriedo fountain located inside the LWUA-MWSS complex in balara. :)

http://i28.tinypic.com/2u4nhhz.jpg

at least it looks a thousand times better than that glammed-up birthday cake in binondo.

[LordCarnal]

The Fort San Pedro in Cebu will soon be inscribed in NCCA's list of national cultural treasures.. :okay:

Tomorrow, some officials from the National Museum will meet with the Cebu City Vice Mayor..

:banana:

[LordCarnal]

Regarding why the National Museum looks like a chiffon cake, was able to talk with Engr. Abinion (?) of the National Museum a while ago and he said that when they scraped the then white paint of the building they found a layer that was not white but rather somewhat flesh/yellowish.

I think that was really its original color when it was built during the American colonial period. A perfect example that we can give is the Cebu Normal University whose architecture is similar to the National Museum but the color of the paint is yellowish.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/manila/acfs_aknas24.jpg



for comparison.. Cebu Normal School building built in the early 1900s..

http://cebuheritage.files.wordpress.com/2006/12/cnu_new02.jpe

[Sinjin P.]

The Fort San Pedro in Cebu will soon be inscribed in NCCA's list of national cultural treasures.. :okay:

Tomorrow, some officials from the National Museum will meet with the Cebu City Vice Mayor..

:banana:

What qualifications have to be met for one to be inscribed in the list of national cultural treasures?

[LordCarnal]

^^

uniqueness among all other structures would be one of the criteria. tapos aside from that of course, there should have been no modifications like what was done in Argao church where the retablo was painted with gold and some Capilla Posas demolished. Sayang, according to Ricky Jose's book Simbahan, Argao is the only church in the country with a "capilla posa" daw... so surely it might have been included in the list too if it weren't touched.

Boljoon Church is the only one in our province that's included in the list.

[LordCarnal]

Last week, May 15-16, a seminar and workshop on museums and conservation was conducted by the Cebu Provincial Government which was attended by representatives from the municipalities in Cebu. The attendees brought with them artifacts to measure and to practice accessioning, proper conservation/handling, etc.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/cebu_travel/may16/04_capitol.jpg




In May 18, members and officers of the newly formed heritage council in Dalaguete Parish were formally installed by Bishop Julito Cortes, chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Committee for the Cultural Heritage of the Church.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/cortes01.jpg




The following days later, a forum on museums and conservation was conducted by the Visayas Association of Museums and Guides, Inc. (VAMGI) which were attended by representatives from Cebu and Bohol. The seminar culminated with a tour of different museums in Cebu.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/vamgi06.jpg

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http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s223/arnold_carl/vamgi01.jpg

[overtureph]

How we treat, show importance and view our history and heritage!

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/museum-1.jpg

LIGHTS OUT The museum of the Armed Forces of the Philippines has been in darkness the past year; its exhibits, like the rayadillo uniform which Emilio Aguinaldo wore during the 1898 Revolution, are turning moldy. In the stockroom (above), things go bump in the endless night. RAFFY LERMA



AFP museum relics wasting in the dark


By Nikko Dizon
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:54:00 05/23/2008



MANILA, Philippines—For a year now, the museum of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has gone without enough electricity to keep it well-lit and air-conditioned, endangering priceless artifacts like Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo’s uniform and hand-written letters of Apolinario Mabini.

The problem has yet to be fixed since a transformer outside Camp Aguinaldo’s AFP Theater, the building that houses the museum, broke down amid heavy rains on May 22, 2007, the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net) learned Thursday.

Lighting inside the museum was partially restored in October by tapping into the power lines meant for the theater proper, but this temporary solution was not enough to run the museum’s air-conditioning system as well.

“You can now smell the molds,” museum administrator Elizabeth Dapiton said in an interview. Formerly employed at the Metropolitan Museum, Dapiton began working at the AFP Museum in July last year.

She recalled being assaulted by the stuffy air the moment she stepped inside the military museum on her first day at work. Dapiton wondered aloud what had been keeping the AFP from having the busted transformer replaced.

Molds and fungi

Without temperature controls, Dapiton and staff have since been waging a war against molds and fungi that threaten to eat away at the museum’s fragile collection.

Despite keeping a regular schedule wiping and dusting the pieces clean, the staff just can’t stem the growth of molds which thrive in warm, damp areas, Dapiton explained.

“Our displays and the paintings are in danger. Most have fungi on them and [to think] these are valuable pieces,” said retired Police Director Rufino Ibay Jr., president of the AFP Museum and Historical Library Foundation Inc.

Prized exhibits

Among the prized items on display is the rayadillo uniform that was worn in battle by General Aguinaldo, the country’s first President and leader of the 1898 Revolution against Spain.

Aguinaldo, who passed away in 1964 at age 95, donated the uniform to the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in December 1959. The PMA later turned it over to the AFP Museum.

The museum also features authenticated, handwritten letters of Mabini, the “Sublime Paralytic” who served as Aguinaldo’s chief adviser. The letters are on loan from former Tarlac Gov. Margarita “Tingting” Cojuangco.

An 1899 letter on display has Mabini complaining to Aguinaldo about the “abusive manner” displayed by one of his generals, Antonio Luna.

Dioramas

Also on exhibit are vintage weaponry and other military hardware, field uniforms, documents and photographs that retrace the evolution of Philippine soldiery since pre-colonial times.

Dioramas also feature the military’s decades-old campaign against communist insurgents and Moro separatists. The two-story museum also has specialized exhibits depicting the AFP’s three major services—the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Conceptualized in 1992, the museum was completed three years later during the administration of President Fidel Ramos. It now has an entire section featuring memorabilia from Ramos’ military and political career.

Because of the power outage, however, Ramos’ blue golf cap, which bears the presidential seal, is now almost completely coated with mold.

‘Snowing in Mindanao’

A museum staff member showed the Inquirer a diorama of the AFP’s Mindanao campaign and said: “Look, it’s snowing,” referring to the white powdery growth covering the figurines.

Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, the recently appointed AFP spokesperson, sounded surprised when told of the year-long brownout at the museum. Torres said he would take up the matter with higher-ups.

Rechargeable lamps

Dapiton recalled that when the museum had not yet tapped into the theater’s power supply, tours were still being conducted—thanks to rechargeable lamps.

“Visitors insisted on coming in even after being told that we didn’t have power. But the lack of air-conditioning really discourages visitors now,” she said.

The museum relies on both government funding and private donations, and also charges a minimal entrance fee of P5 to P20 per visitor.

No walk-in visitors

Dapiton said the museum’s earnings would normally peak between July and November, when schools include it in their educational field trips.

But rarely does the museum get “walk-in” visitors, or those who are not on organized tours, probably because it’s “out of the way” for most tourists who may not have the patience to undergo several security checks inside a military camp, she said.

Ibay sadly observed that “very few” AFP personnel had checked out the museum together with their families in their spare time, considering that many of them live right inside Camp Aguinaldo.

Once, a group of military officers toured the museum as part of their “training,” but their commander told them that they only had “five minutes” to go around, another staffer told the Inquirer.

“We still haven’t inculcated in people the value of a museum and of history,” Ibay said. “The pieces here reflect [our soldier’s] heroism and accomplishments in the field.”


Copyright 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20080523-138273/AFP-museum-relics-wasting-in-the-dark

[IndioBravo]

:ohno:Another bad news for our already endangered culture.

[LordCarnal]

GABII SA KABILIN
(A Night of Heritage)

May 30, 2008, 6 p.m. to 12 midnight

This coming Friday May 30, 2008 from 6 p.m. until 12 midnight, one will be able to visit five museums in Cebu City for just a single ticket worth P100. Aside from that, there will be tartanillas stationed at each museum that will bring you to all the participating museums for just a one time fee of P50.

The event dubbed as “Gabii sa Kabilin (A Night of Heritage)” aims to boost the public’s awareness about the museums in Cebu City in order for them to be able to appreciate history and heritage. It also coincides with the Heritage Month celebrated throughout the month of May.

Security assistance at the museums will be handled by the City Tourist Police (CTP) while traffic order for the tartanillas along the route will be taken cared of by CITOM.

One may buy the tickets at any of the participating museums on the day of the event itself.

Below are the museums that will be participting in the Gabii sa Kabilin:


1.) Fort San Pedro

- A tri-bastion Spanish military fort that is the smallest in the country. This structure will soon be inscribed in the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts (NCCA) list of national cultural treasures according to Engineer Abinion of the National Museum. The National Museum itself operates a museum there showcasing some artifacts from the San Diego wreck which was found off Manila Bay. The San Diego was a galleon that was built in Cebu and was used for the Manila galleon trade which once plied between Manila and Acapulco in Mexico during the Spanish colonial times.


2.) Basilica Minore del Santo Niño Museum

- Contains past vestments of the image of the Sto. Niño de Cebu with some dating back to the Spanish era. Other displays include old documents and books, history of the Basilica and the finding of the image of the Sto. Niño de Cebu and its devotion, church accouterments, religious icons, archaeological finds, etc.


3.) The Cathedral Museum of Cebu

- An ecclesiastical museum of the Archdiocese of Cebu that contains some memorabilia of Ricardo Cardinal Vidal and Julio Cardinal Rosales, text panels detailing the history of Christianity in the Philippines, an old panoramic photo of the Cathedral and its environs, old books and documents, religious icons made of wood and ivory, church accouterments, etc.


4.) Yap-Sandiego House

- Though not yet officially open as a museum on ordinary days, the house is open during special events and occasions. It is basically a lifestyle museum that features old furnitures, chinaware, and other fixtures that gives one a picture of what a typical Pari-an household was during the Spanish era. The house is located in Pari-an, a district where Chinese-Filipinos and other prominent personalities of the city once lived.


5.) Casa Gorordo

- A house built by Alejandro Reynes and bought by the Gorordo Family. A scion of the family, Juan Gorordo, became the first Filipino Bishop of Cebu. The house is now a lifestyle museum showcasing the Gorordo household.




//acfs

[habagatcentral1]

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h291/berniemacksouthcentral/Teaser.jpg

[red_jasper]

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Where was the Filipino Flag first unfurled? (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/may/28/yehey/opinion/20080528opi7.html)

By Augusto de Viana, Chief History Researcher, National Historical Institute

May 28 is National Flag Day, honoring the glorious banner that inspired our heroes and heroines in the Great Revolution against colonial Spain and during the seven-year Filipino-American War. The tricolors were first unfurled on May 28, 1898,in Cavite Viejo and formally raised at the proclamation of independence on June 12, 1898, in Kawit, Cavite.

One of the historical errors being perpetuated in history textbooks and commemorative rites is the place where the Philippine flag was first displayed. One signboard in Cavite claims that the national standard was first raised in Alapan, Imus, Cavite, on May 28, 1898.

The source of this claim is Proclamation No. 374, issued by then-President Diosdado Macapagal on March 6, 1965. One of its “whereases” states: ”Our flags was (sic) first raised and received its baptism and victory in the Battle of Alapan, Imus, Cavite on May 28, 1898.” Alapan is a barrio in Imus.

Primary historical accounts indicate that the first display of the Philippine flag took place in Cavite City. Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo made this narrative. In Exhibit No. 71, Vol. 1 of the Philippine Insurgent Records, a printed pamphlet that was written originally in Spanish, Aguinaldo narrates:

“On the following day [May 28, 1898] and at the time when the arms were delivered to those of Kawit, in said barrio, a column of more than 270 Spanish soldiers, of the Marine Corps, surrendered, which was set by the Spanish General, Sr. Peña, in pursuit of said arms.

“It was there where the first fight of the Philippine Revolution of 1898 was started, which we may call the continuation of the campaign of 1896 to 1897, a fight which lasted from ten o’clock in the morning to three o’clock in the afternoon, when on account of lack of ammunition the Spaniards with all their arms surrendered to the Filipino Revolutionaries who entered into Cavite [port] with the prisoners. I took advantage of the glorious opportunity to bring to light and undulate the national flag which was saluted by an immense multitude, with cheers of delirious joy and great hurrahs ‘vivas’ for Independent Philippines and for the generous nation of the United States, all of which was witnessed by several officers and marines of the American Squadron, who plainly showed their sympathy for the cause of the Filipinos by taking part in their great rejoicing.”

The flag waving at Cavite port (then called Cavite Nuevo, now Cavite City) was duplicated later at Binakayan, Kawit, in a place called polvorin where the Filipino revolutionaries attacked a Spanish detachment. The Spanish defenders, numbering 250, surrendered in a few hours after exhausting their ammunition.

Aguinaldo again took advantage of this victorious moment to unfurl the national flag atop the polvorin barracks where it could be seen by foreign warships anchored on Manila Bay. According to his account, the foreign ships represented all the greatest and civilized nations of the world and those aboard were witnessing providential events after 300 years of Spanish domination.

Aguinaldo wrote that this glorious triumph was the prelude to continued victories. On May 31, the date set for the general uprising, the whole country rose as one to shake off the power of Spain.

The first flag-waving therefore took place near the port of Cavite Nuevo, not in Alapan. The latter was where a famous battle took place. Historical accounts do not say that the flag fluttered at the battle. Clearly, it was the sight of the prisoners marching into the Cavite port that prompted Aguinaldo to bring out the flag made in Hong Kong and to display it publicly. It was a festive occasion imbued with patriotism, according to the general, the first battle of the second phase of the Philippine Revolution.

The use of historic documents, which corrects our views of the past, does not diminish in anyway the pride and courage displayed by our heroes during this important episode in our history.

[habagatcentral1]

b'z2;21143452"]

Aguinaldo wrote that this glorious triumph was the prelude to continued victories. On May 31, the date set for the general uprising, the whole country rose as one to shake off the power of Spain.


Di naman ata the whole country pa ata ang nag-uprise during those times that is being indicated. In so far as Panay is concerned, the major revolution broke out at around late October and 09 November of 1898. During the time that the Spanish administration was moved to Iloilo after the surrender of Manila in a mock battle against the Yankees in August.

The Philippine Revolution (or some scholars say it is Visayan Revol'n) was late in penetrating the Visayas. Even the Visayans were the ones who supported the Spanish forces in fighting against the Katipuneros and Aguinaldo in the first phase of the Philippine Revol'n.

But anyway, if the Philippine flag was first raised in Cavite Nuevo and not Alapan, Imus (still it is in Cavite) 28 May 1898 and in the Visayas was in Santa Barbara, Iloilo 09 November 1898, where and when was the first Philippine flag raising in Mindanao?

The use of historic documents, which corrects our views of the past, does not diminish in anyway the pride and courage displayed by our heroes during this important episode in our history.
One of the purposes why the degree program of history still exists in the academe despite its unpopularity. It may reveal that the conventional may not be the final.

[overtureph]

The revolution reached the various areas of our country at different times and I guess was also enacted or interpreted in various manners. Like Negros and Bohol establishing their own government in the form of cantons.

It would be interesting to know indeed where was the Philippine flag first raised in Mindanao. But if I'm not mistaken, Zamboanga was the last bastion of the Spaniards before the whole country fell into American hands.

[habagatcentral1]

According to some accounts that I read, after the fall of Gov-Gen Del Rios to appease the Visayan revolucionarios, they surrendered in Plaza Libertad in Iloilo City on 25 December 1898. The Spanish administration waited for their peoples from Cebu, Negros and other places in the Visayas before proceeding to Zamboanga then fleeing to España.

The difficulty is that most of the people thought that by 12 June 1898, Independence have been won and the Spaniards already left the Philippines, but as a matter of fact they were "trapped" in Intramuros before the mock battle of Manila of August. Al

Unfortunately most of the Visayans don't know their local history and instead knows Manila and Tagalog provinces' events better than their own turf. They don't know Nay Isa, Leon Kilat, Araneta and Lacson, Delgado and the likes.

But the good thing is, history is being interpreted as such that people will remember like what they did in Kahilwayan Festival of Santa Barbara Iloilo and Cinco de Noviembre of Negros and Tres de Abril of Cebu. I just hope that the educators can focus also on local history as IMHO this is not a contributor to national disintegration but integration and enforcing nationalism amongst the students.

[LordCarnal]

^^

And it was the first attempt at Federalism. :okay:

Here in Cebu we have street names such as B. Aranas, Gen. Maxilom, Leon Kilat, N. Bacalso, etc.. Little did I know that these streets some of which are major thoroughfares have something to do with the revolution.



..

[overtureph]

Hi. The Gabaldon Building in our town in Camarines Sur will be demolished this year by the Municipal Government. May I please receive any kind of advise from this Forum or from any other concerned groups or individuals on how we can protest the demolition of one of our town's remaining cultural heritage? I am not quite sure how to proceed with our complaints. So far, we have drafted a petition letter which will hopefully be signed by concerned people in and out of the town. It would be great if we can receive any kind of support from the HCS.

Dada
kulturavolunteers@gmail.com.

Another heritage in danger.

[overtureph]

Historian found guilty of stealing Katipunan documents

By Allison Lopez
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 18:48:00 05/29/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- A historian was found guilty on Thursday by the Manila Regional Trial Court of stealing from the National Library nearly 2,000 documents of the revolutionary movement Katipunan which were sold to antique shops and collectors in the 1990s.

The Katipunan (Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalang na Katipunan ng mnga Anak ng Bayan, or Most Elevated and Esteemed Society of the Sons of the People) was the secret society founded by Andres Bonifacio that launched the revolution against the Spanish colonizers.

In a 16-page decision, Judge Thelma Bunyi Medina of the Manila RTC Branch 32 convicted Rolando Facinado Bayhon, formerly of the National Historical Institute, for qualified theft after he pilfered 1,859 documents valued at P800,000 from the Filipiniana and Asia Division (FAD) of the National Library.

Another case against him for taking 40 Philippine revolutionary letters valued at P2,000 was dismissed because the prosecution was unable to present his supposed buyer.

His friend and alleged accomplice, Maria Luisa Moral, ex-chief of the FAD, was acquitted by Judge Medina Thursday in a separate qualified theft case due to lack of evidence that she stole 51 items, including Rizaliana letters, for the same purpose.

Bayhon, who was sentenced by the court to 10-20 years imprisonment, was caught red-handed in September 1993 by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) as he was about to sell 45 documents to an antique store on Mabini Street, Ermita.

An anonymous call made to then acting National Library director Adoracion Bolos that precious documents from the FAD were being stolen led to the surveillance on and eventual arrest of Bayhon.

Bolos' appeal to the public to return the national treasures yielded more than 7,000 documents, including the manuscript of Andres Bonifacio's trial, the Declaration of Independence, the Pact of Biak-na-Bato and Leonor Rivera's letter to parents of national hero Jose Rizal dated December 10, 1893.

In its ruling, the court said the testimony of Vincent Padua, owner of the Manila International Coins and Stamps Center, that Bayhon sold him the documents was made "in clear and unequivocal terms."

Padua’s testimony was deemed substantially corroborated by Bolos, who conducted a surveillance of the accused and eventually sought the help of the NBI.

Padua said the historian first went to his shop in February 1992 and offered original documents from the Revolutionary period. After verifying their authenticity, he bought the materials in seven to eight batches for P150,000, and sold it to collectors at P800,000, making a profit of P650,000.

Upon learning from media reports that the documents were stolen from the National Library, Padua spent over a million pesos to buy the items back from the collectors, and returned over 700 of these.

Bayhon said in his defense that he was merely a victim of Bolos' revenge since he was supposedly being groomed as National Library director, being a protegé of NHI director Serafin Quiazon. He said Padua, whom he apparently did not know, was likely asked by Bolos to testify against him.

The court, however, did not buy his claims.

"To all these accusations and occurrences, which obviously brought accused in disgrace and humiliation, he simply put up as a defense that the same were sheer acts of vindictiveness on the part of director Bolos, who developed rancor and enmity against him for the reason that she had learned of the background check he made," the judge said.

Judge Medina also pointed out that the historian did not offer any explanation on his arrest.

In Moral's case, the court ruled that the prosecution failed to establish that there was "unlawful taking" of the documents stored in Vaults 1 and 2 of the FAD's rare manuscripts section.

The former FAD chief, who was charged with taking 51 items from the vaults to which she had access, claimed the allegedly missing documents were inadvertently placed with her personal belongings when she moved to the Catalogue Division Office in July 1993.

Moral surrendered the items to the NBI only in May 1994. It included letters of Rizal to his family and to Leonor Rivera from 1881 to 1885.

The accused explained the delay was caused by her agony of giving them to Bolos, with whom she had a strained relationship.

It was Bolos who directed Moral's transfer to the Catalogue Division after the accused protested an inventory of the Filipiniana section and called it a "waste of time."

The court ruled that Moral's version appeared "credible and convincing," and that her fear to disclose the incident to someone hostile was "consistent with human nature."

The determinative characteristic of theft, which was to dispose of the items, was also deemed not present in Moral's case because the documents never left the National Library, stressed the court.

"In the same way, the element of intent to gain was not also established by the prosecution...The voluntary act of accused Moral in turning over said documents negates intent to gain," Medina said.

Since the prosecution had fallen short of producing the required quantum of proof, the court said Moral was presumed innocent and must therefore be set free.

"This leaves the court with no option but to acquit Moral for insufficiency of evidence, at the very least, on reasonable doubt," said the court.


Copyright 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.




http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20080529-139575/Historian-found-guilty-of-stealing-Katipunan-documents

[habagatcentral1]

^^ Nakupo! Because of this, it might be harder to get in with the archives, tsk tsk! :ohno:

[Pinoy_ako]

^^

This happened in the National Library. I think this would somehow ease the restriction since the investigation is now over.

[habagatcentral1]

Hay sana naman Manong Jun...I almost went bezerk back then when I found out that the National Archives does not allow undergraduate students, I wasn't informed of this policy.

[Animo]

By Danilo Adorador III (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/net/2008/06/03/old.church.remnants.found.in.misamis.oriental.html)

OPOL, Misamis Oriental -- An archaeological team from the University of the Philippines (UP) have found old wooden slabs believed to be the foundation of a 16th-century church on top of a hill in this fishing town in Misamis Oriental.

The team spent three weeks feverishly sifting through tons of dirt until they found the wooden slabs on the right corner of the present day Our Lady of Consolation Parish church in Opol, where the ruins of old church walls can still be seen.

The team led by Dr. Victor Paz, director of the UP Archaeological Studies Program, presented their findings to Mayor Constantino Jaraula during the flag raising ceremony at the City Hall Monday morning.

Aside from the stone foundation, the team also found centuries-old bricks made of seashells and other Spanish-era construction materials from the dig site at the backyard of the present-day church.

The search has caused an excitement among the archaeologists even though they failed to find the old burial site believed to be located beside the 16th-century church.

"We were constrained by time but we will be back," Mary Grace Tesoro, UP assistant professor said.

Tesoro said finding the old church stone foundations was significant because it indicated that the old inhabitants in Opol built the place of worship atop the hill overlooking the sea.

She said this practice is common in the 16th century because inhabitants feared the raids by Moro and pirates in this period, noting the thickness of the old walls.

"The finds will solve some mysteries, such as why the Spanish friars decided to construct fortified walls surrounding the church, and what was the life way back then when this church was still standing," she told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.

Tesoro said the team is also trying to find a link between the old church in Opol and the St. Augustine Cathedral in Cagayan de Oro City, which was allegedly built in the 16th century.

The municipality of Opol was once part of Cagayan de Oro City before its officials decided to make it a town in the 50s.

The UP team made a controversial observation in 2004 when it declared that the Huluga Caves in Barangay Tibasak, Cagayan de Oro City, once thought to be the site of an ancient civilization dating back as early as 377 AD, was only an old camp site.

The findings caused an outcry from local anthropologists led by Dr. Erlinda Burton, head of the Xavier University Museum, who maintained that Huluga Caves is a permanent settlement. (Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro/Sunnex)

[Porknight]

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/322/img2001cd5.jpg



a jollibee in front of this amazing monumet is sacrilege !! only in the Philippines could happen something like that !!!

And I tell this even if i'm not a religious person !

[Animo]

By Tina Santos (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20080531-139998/Rediscovering-heritage-architecture-in-Manilas-U-Belt)
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:06:00 05/31/2008

URBAN PLANNERS, EDUCATORS and businessmen envision this part of Manila as “Asia’s answer to the academic boroughs of Paris, Hamburg and New York.”

Sadly, the Central University Belt or U-Belt -- where some of the country’s better known colleges and universities can be found -- has deteriorated over the years.

It has, in fact, been described by urban development researchers as “dirty, dangerous and disorganized.” They also noted that “esteros and canals have been converted into septic tanks; traffic in the area is considered among the worst in the National Capital Region. The area has also become notorious for its high crime rate.”

The situation prompted various sectors, like the Central U-Belt Stakeholders’ Group which includes longtime residents and city government officials, to come up with a plan they called “Recasting Heritage in Urban Renewal” that would help restore the U-Belt to its former glory.

The urban renewal scheme, drawn up by planners from the University of the East and Far Eastern University, started eight years ago, according to Dr. Zenaida Manalo of the University of the Philippines School of Urban and Regional Planning (UP-SURP).

Since 2000, a series of research studies have been conducted by community and academe-based groups calling for the revitalization of the area, Manalo said, adding that one of their goals is the restoration of the historic Gota de Leche building built in 1917.

“The restoration revived public awareness of the viability of integrating heritage structures with contemporary lifestyles,” she explained during a presentation of the concept plan recently.

Soon after, Manalo and her students at UP-SURP undertook a study on the development of Gota de Leche as a heritage conservation asset as part of the overall urban renewal plan. They also unveiled an urban usage plan that lumps together heritage conservation, commercial viability and tourism in the framework for infusing new life and energy into the area.

According to them, the U-Belt is historically significant because it is where pioneers in tertiary education established their institutions of higher learning.

“Its historical flavor merits the attention of people in the community. That’s why we encourage residents and establishment owners to do their part for this project for this will instill a sense of ownership and pride of place in them,” said Anna Leah Sarabia, one of the directors of La Proteccion de la Infancia Inc.

La Proteccion, which operates Gota de Leche on S.H. Loyola Street (formerly Lepanto), is a charitable foundation that campaigns against infant mortality. It also has a feeding program for indigent children.

The urban renewal project involves the creation of a unified area walkway and the improvement of sidewalks and alleys, the development of pedestrian and community parks, and the establishment of a gateway or landmark that would represent all the schools in the area or emphasize the U-Belt’s impact on education.

Among the concerns raised by people behind the project were problems concerning traffic, garbage, parking, sidewalk vendors, old dilapidated structures and peace and order.

“We were surprised and happy at the same time because when we invited Mayor Alfredo Lim for the project presentation, he immediately made a commitment to do several things based on the ‘doable’ recommendations,” Sarabia said.

“We’re hoping that under his administration, we might yet be able to prove that it’s possible to preserve heritage sites while making full use of them for educational, commercial or artistic purposes,” she added.

Among others things, city and police officials vowed to look into the implementation of a better traffic system, step up police visibility for the security of students and residents and help in the maintenance of old and abandoned structures and property.


On the beautification aspect, Sarabia suggested that the city government do something about hanging electrical wires which make the place ugly. She also urged officials to light up the streets around the U-Belt to discourage criminals from sniffing around for prey.

As part of the makeover, project proponents suggested that the City Council approve an ordinance that would not only regulate the size and placement of billboard advertisements but also ban those depicting sex and violence.

It would also be better if there could be an urban renewal ordinance, one that would declare the Central U-Belt area a pilot urban renewal zone, they added.

If their project succeeds, their experience can provide many lessons or inspire similar efforts in other areas, not only in Manila, but in other parts of the country as well, the proponents said.

Eight years ago, the total estimated cost of the project was pegged at around P18 million. “But it may be almost double the cost now,” Sarabia said. Apart from contributions, funding for the project is expected to come from a possible loan from Asian Development Bank or World Bank.

“There are also potential contributors like the European Union, the Spanish European Agency as well as corporate foundations like Gota de Leche and the Ayala, Lopez and Gokongwei foundations,” she added.

Sarabia said they also intend to establish a Heritage Passageway, preferably in an area between FEU and Gota de Leche, both Unesco heritage awardees. “Right now, we’re eyeing a vacant lot in the area that will serve as an open air art walk or gallery where students can hold exhibits,” she said, adding that city officials have vowed to to see to it that the passageway is constructed as soon as possible.

Eventually, the stakeholders plan to organize a walking tour to show locals as well as foreigners the various heritage treasures within the cluster of communities in the U-Belt.

Unknown to many, the area also hosts structures that stand out because of their architectural character or historical significance.

Urban development researchers have made an inventory of potential stops for a walking tour that could contribute to the commercial revitalization of the place.

They suggested that the tour start at Gota de Leche, a building with an impressive architectural design by pioneering architect Arcadio Arellano. In fact, it received the 2003 Unesco Asia Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

Tourists can also go to various educational institutions, including the University of Santo Tomas, considered the oldest existing university in Asia, and Far Eastern University, the country’s largest Art Deco complex.

Attractions on the UST campus include, among others, the Arch of the Centuries by the entrance which bears the inscription “Gateway to the history of the finest breed of Filipinos.”

On the other hand, FEU buildings showcase the Art Deco style of the 1940s that can be seen in the geometric details of the building design and grillwork.

The route can also include passing by the ancestral homes of personalities like former Sen. Eva Estrada Kalaw and Jose Maria Basa, a businessman whose home was open to Philippine Revolution figures like Jose Rizal.

At the end of the day, the people striving to revive U-Belt’s splendor hope that tourists, locals especially, would not only understand but more importantly, feel proud about the rich cultural background and heritage of the City of Manila.

[LordCarnal]

From, http://www.cebuheritage.com (http://www.cebuheritage.com)


http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk242/cebuheritage/boljoon_artifacts/04.jpg

Above: A gold earring, one of the artifacts found in the recent archaeological diggings in Boljoon, Cebu. This is the first time in the history of Philippine archeology that a gold earring was found in an actual burial.

A presentation regarding the archaeological findings in Boljoon was presented just a while ago at the Cathedral Museum of Cebu by Mr. Joeber Bersales of the University of San Carlos. The program was divided into two parts the first of which was a powerpoint presentation held at the audio-visual hall and the second part was the viewing of the artifacts at the Msgr. Virgilio Yap Memorial Chapel.

The artifacts being displayed include some ceramic plates, a gold earring worn by a male, a gold necklace, some iron daggers and spears, etc. All of these artifacts were found along with some skeletal remains at the plaza of the church of Boljoon, a southern municipality in Cebu. Religious medals dating back to the Spanish colonial period were also found.

The area where the artifacts and skeletal remains were found was once a settlement of pre-Hispanic Filipinos whose practices included burying the dead beneath their houses. It was from these pre-Hispanic settlements that parishes were established and massive stone churches built during the Spanish colonial era.

The presentation a while ago was attended by invited guests with no less than His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, archbishop of Cebu, gracing the affair. A bigger presentation that will perhaps be open to those interested will be conducted at the University of San Carlos. The artifacts will also be displayed there for about a month.


Below: The presentation of the findings at the audio-visual hall of the Cathedral Museum of Cebu.

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk242/cebuheritage/boljoon_artifacts/01.jpg




Below: Viewing of the artifacts at the Msgr. Virgilio Yap Memorial Chapel after the presentation.

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk242/cebuheritage/boljoon_artifacts/03.jpg

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk242/cebuheritage/boljoon_artifacts/02.jpg




Below: Some of the artifacts.

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[overtureph]

Wow!

[habagatcentral1]

If most of the people thought that by June 12 1898, Spain surrendered the Philippines and left the archipelago ASAP, then they could have been wrong...

The Iloilo culmination of the declaration of Philippine Independence
BRIDGING THE GAP
Henry F. Funtecha, Ph. D. (http://www.thenewstoday.info/2008/06/06/the.iloilo.cuimination.of.the.declaration.of.philippine.independence.html)

As already known, Emilio Aguinaldo declared Philippine independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. This came about as a result of the renewal of the revolution against Spain after Aguinaldo ended his voluntary exile in Hongkong. As may be recalled, the Pact of Biyak-na-Bato was agreed upon between the Filipinos under Aguinaldo and the Spaniards in December 1897 that led to the cessation of hostilities and the exile of the leading Filipino leaders. However, the Americans, vent on pursuing their imperialistic goal, persuaded Aguinaldo to go back to the Philippines to initiate the second phase of the Philippine revolution. This, Aguinaldo did in the middle part of May 1898.

Now, what part did Iloilo play in the events related to the declaration of Philippine independence? As early as March 1898, some members of the Ilonggo elite organized the Comite Conspirador in Molo under whose orders and plans the revolutionary movement in Western Visayas was initiated, especially in Iloilo. In May of the same year, the Comite was replaced by the Comite de Visayas that immediately sent out agents to secure funds for the purchase of arms and ammunitions. It also sent secret emissaries to the other provinces of Panay and the rest of the Visayas, and tried to establish contact with the Malolos government under Aguinaldo.

It must be pointed out though that long before these local revolutionary committees were formed, the babaylanes in Iloilo and the whole island of Panay were already harassing Spanish forces in the towns beginning 1896. Their cries of "Viva Rizal! Viva Filipinas libre y mueran los Espanoles!" show that from being a band that had settled in the mountains to escape Spanish control, they had become a political group actively fighting Spanish rule.

On August 13, 1898, a mock battle ensued between the Spanish and American forces in the walled city of Manila. As previously agreed upon by both parties, the Spanish troops eventually surrendered to the Americans. It must, however, be pointed out that there was no corresponding official surrender of the Spanish colonial government to the newcomer.

After the surrender of Manila, Gen. Fermin Jaudenes, acting commander of the Spanish Army in the Philippines, was summoned to Spain by the Madrid government. Gen. Diego de los Rios, commanding general for Visayas and Mindanao, being the most senior officer in the Philippines, was empowered to take over the provisional government in the archipelago and serve as governor-general. He then made Iloilo as the new capital of the Spanish colonial government.

Desiring to save the Visayas and Mindanao from the fate that had befallen Luzon, General de los Rios asked Spain to grant some reforms demanded by representative citizens of Iloilo. He issued in Iloilo a proclamation to the people of the Visayas calling on them to establish a "Council of Reforms" to be made up of 24 leading citizens, 12 of whom would be selected by popular vote, another 12 to be appointed by the general himself.

General de los Rios was obviously sincere in bringing about the reforms people asked for. The granted reforms, however, satisfied only a few ilustrado leaders. The reforms were doomed to fail from the very beginning. The flame of rebellion was too far spread for them to have any effect.

As agreed upon by the Ilonggo leaders, the general uprising against the Spanish authorities in Panay, particularly in Iloilo, took place on October 28, 1898. On this day onward, the interior towns of the province were liberated from Spanish control. By the first week of November, only Jaro, Molo and Iloilo City remained in the hands of the Spaniards. On November 21, Jaro was delivered by the Spanish government to the Ilonggos.

With the Spanish army being besieged by the revolutionary troops in the positions which they held in Iloilo City and Molo, and being threatened by a decisive attack, the Spanish government under Governor General de los Rios eventually opened up negotiations with the Ilonggos. The outcome of the negotiations was the evacuation of Molo and Iloilo City by the Spanish troops and their subsequent surrender to the native forces under the command of Gen. Martin Delgado at Plaza Alfonso XII (now Plaza Libertad)on December 25, 1898. In effect, therefore, it was the Ilonggos who were instrumental in putting to an official end the Spanish rule in the Philippines. The fruition of the declaration of the country's independence by Aguinaldo on June 12, 1898 from Spain became a concrete reality on December 25 in Iloilo City. This, the Ilonggos can be mighty proud of!

[overtureph]

Purely Personal
‘Ave Maria’ concert raises funds for Sta. Ana church

By Josephine Darang
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:04:00 06/08/2008

MANILA, Philippines - Listening to opera singers sing “Ave Maria” by different composers is like listening to angels singing in Heaven. That was our experience when we heard sopranos Rachelle Gerodias and Gloria Dizon-Coronel and baritone Noel Azcona give different renditions of the famous hymn done by various composers. This was on the occasion of the feast of Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados (Our Lady of the Abandoned) at the Camarin de la Virgen in Sta. Ana Church last May 27.

Conceptualized by banker-impresario Danny Dolor, the afternoon concert was seen by Jaime Laya, the Cofradia de la Inmaculada Concepcion founded by Imelda Cojuangco, and other Marian devotees.

The event formalized the participation of Laya and the Cofradia in the restoration of the Camarin, which had been initially submitted for study to the National Museum and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) by Fr. Eli Manlangit, parish priest; Jessie Coe Lichauco of the parish pastoral executive committee; and Philip Escudero. The work of restoration will require considerable expense and a good art restorer.

The exquisitely built chapel behind the ornately carved baroque retablo of the main altar carries valuable oil-on-wood paintings attached to the ceiling and beautiful images of different saints. The cape of the Virgin flowing from her crowned head facing the people is kissed and venerated. Called pahalik, the ritual is observed by devotees going up the piedra china steps leading to the Camarin and kissing the veil and whispering prayers to her. The chapel was built in 1718.

The blue and white porcelain tiles on the flooring are of Spanish origin and believed to have been brought to the country during the galleon trade in the early 18th century.

The only existing paintings belonging to the short-lived estampita age of the Fil-Spanish art period richly adorn the entire ceiling of the Camarin chapel. These frescoes in all their grandeur and majesty depict the life and glorification of Jesus and Mary.

The paintings, which were painstakingly retouched by Antonio Dumlao, Sr. in 1978, became for many years the subject of research studies on account of the various forms and styles executed by different schools of painters. Now, they are deteriorating and need to be restored.

First concert

Danny Dolor made history when he orchestrated the first concert at the Camarin de la Virgin. The afternoon of Marian songs began with “Bendita Cea” (A. Roa), sung by the trio.

Then Gerodias did “Ave Maria” by F. Santiago and J. Schubert. The song, which means “Hail Mary” in Latin, exults the Virgin as blessed at the same time cries to her for help.

With Julie Mendoza on the piano, Gerodias in that inimitable way of hers rendered the song with pathos, bringing tears to our eyes.

Baritone Azcona did the F. Gounod version, while Coronel sang “Santa Maria” by Ernani Cuenco and “Ave Maria” by R. Santos.

Tenor Philip Escudero, who is the recamadero of Our Lady of the Abandoned, expressed his love for the Virgin by singing “Ave Maria” by Father Cagsawan.

The concert was a one of a kind experience. It lifted our spirits and brought us to pleasant feelings of security and love of Mary.

Dolor said that we need sacred concerts these times of turmoil and uncertainty to lift us up.

Sta. Ana church

Jessie Coe Lichauco, 96, has lived in Sta. Ana all her life. When her family was offered to buy a property in Forbes Park, she declined and said she wanted to live in Sta. Ana and be close to the Virgen de los Desamparados. Today, we also find comfort as we pray to her.

Healing Mass

Fr. Zenki Manabat will celebrate a Healing Mass on June 14 at 9:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Fatima Parish on Cordillera Street, Quezon City. For details, text 0921-7909361.

The Kapatiran of San Antonio de Padua in Mendez, Cavite, will mark its 75th year with a Thanksgiving Mass on June 14 at 9 a.m. at the San Isidro Labrador Parish.

The St. Anthony Shrine in Bustillos, Sampaloc, on the other hand, will show a film on the saint on June 9 at 7:15 p.m., according to Miguel Alcantara of Phil. Bank of Communications.


Copyright 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20080608-141433/Ave-Maria-concert-raises-funds-for-Sta-Ana-church

[overtureph]

More funds needed for Oslob church reconstruction

By Bernadette Parco
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 13:04:00 06/09/2008

CEBU CITY, Philippines - Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal said there is still no specific date for when the reconstruction of the Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Oslob town, south of Cebu, will be started with only less than P1 million in collections so far for the project.

“Aside from the parish collections, from the second collections and other fund raising activities like the benefit concert, we now have P700,000 plus,” the prelate told Cebu Daily News (CDN) on Thursday.

The Cardinal said he is still waiting for word from the engineers and architects that the archdiocese has consulted for the reconstruction of the church, which was razed by fire last March 26, 2008.

“We still have to be sure about the architecture and engineering (aspect) of the project before work can be started. We have to see if it (the church) is still strong enough to hold the roofing,” Vidal said.

However, conservation architect Melva Rodriguez-Java, a member of the Cebu Archdiocesan Commission of the Cultural Heritage of the Church, said the amount collected so far was not enough to start the expensive reconstruction work on the 161-year-old church.

“It would cost us (to reconstruct the church) about P25,000 to P30,000 per square meter,” she told CDN, adding that she could not give an estimate as to the total cost of the entire project.

The church, which was about 64 meters long, 15 meters wide and nine meters high, was struck by fire three times since it was built.

The first was in 1942 when Filipino guerrillas burned down the church and only the walls and the columns, which were made of coral stones, were left of the church.

Based on the book “Angels in Stone” written by Father Pedro Galende, OSA, a second fire of unknown origin hit the church in 1955 that gutted the whole complex except for the masonry wall of both buildings.

The third time that the church was burned down was in March this year. Fire officials said the fire was caused by faulty wirings.

Architect Java, who gave a lecture on the Oslob church renovation on Thursday at the Cebu Cathedral Museum, said she and her students from the University of San Carlos College of Architecture were able to make drawings of the various designs of the doors and windows of the church.

She said that these patterns can be used as basis for the reconstruction work.

She added that there are “two very fragile things that survived the fire,” the high relief of the Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and the flowers that can be found beside the walls of the church.

“The image (of the Virgin Mary) is carved in wood while the flowers that survived were right at the side of the wall (of the church) that got burned,” she said.

To subscribe to the Cebu Daily News newspaper, call +63 2 (032) 233-6046 for Metro Manila and Metro Cebu or email your subscription request here.


Copyright 2008 Cebu Daily News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/news/view/20080609-141614/More-funds-needed-for-Oslob-church-reconstruction

[overtureph]

GREEN ARCHITRENDS
More on the greening of Pasig River

By Amado de Jesus
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:07:00 06/07/2008

MANILA, Philippines--“Pretty Pasig, pretty river. Wear your best bouquets. Happy morning, dawning, give her all your brightest rays….” goes a rhyme that Dr. Jose Rizal wrote for a play titled “Along the Pasig.”

Such was the Pasig River of the past. Early poets were obviously enchanted by the beauty of the Pasig River so that they lavishly accorded it with verses.

Today one wonders what those poets were referring to when they wrote those verses. Pasig River, with its polluted waters and decaying riverside communities, evokes very little of that romantic era.

In spite of massive funding and the involvement of many organizations working for many years for the river’s rehabilitation, there seems to be so much more that needs to be done.

Major obstacle

For a start, we need to remove a major obstacle to its successful rehabilitation, namely, public apathy. This is the cold indifference of the public about Pasig River and everything that it stands for. All the money in the world and best intentions will simply go to waste if the people themselves who will benefit from it will not get involved.

Government alone cannot do all the work. The private sector needs to come in and be an active partner in the river’s development. This is the pattern in many successful river rehabilitation projects worldwide.

This is also the message of the present agency, the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission which is tasked to lead the development of a strategic plan for Phase 2. The World Bank will be helping PRRC in putting together Phase 2 of the rehabilitation efforts on the Pasig River.

Who will benefit from its rehabilitation?

A successfully rehabilitated Pasig River will be of great benefit not only to the business and residential communities along the river bank but also for the eight cities and three municipalities along its 27-kilometer span from Laguna de Bay to the Manila Bay.

On a wider scale, the country also stands to gain as it proudly claims ownership of a vital ecosystem and an irreplaceable natural resource.

Outstanding examples

Some of the best examples of successful river projects are the Thames River in London, which is considered one of the cleanest in the world. Others would be the Cheonggyecheon River in Seoul, Korea, and Tokyo Bay, Japan.

If it is any consolation, most of these projects also started with much-polluted waters and solid waste problems. Eventually, with dedication and strong political will, they managed to overcome the attendant problems of river rehabilitation.

One reader of this column, Mr. J. Valdes, has this to say about Pasig River. He suggests privatizing the river (front) as had been done for SLEX, NLEX and the inner city railways, then dividing the river into 4-kilometer sections for bidding out to businesses that have shown creativity and success in other privatization efforts. Taxes will have to be determined by government and residents who cannot afford to pay these taxes will have to move to inner sections of the city.

What is meant by successful river rehabilitation?

Despite the worldwide appreciation for the ecological and social benefits of river rehabilitation, there is still no agreement or internationally accepted standard on what constitutes a successful river rehabilitation.

The University of Maryland, College Park, USA proposes five criteria for measuring success:

• First, the design of the river rehabilitation must be based on a specific guiding image of a healthy river that could exist at the site.

• Second, the river’s ecological condition must be measurably improved.

• Third, the river system must be self-sustaining to allow for minimal follow-up maintenance.

• Fourth, during the construction phase, no lasting harm should be inflicted on the ecosystem.

• Fifth, before and after assessment must be completed and data made publicly available.

According to the study, conservation of rivers prior to their degradation should still be the greater priority. Where conservation has failed and crucial ecological services are diminished, restoration that is “ecologically” sound should be the option of choice.

Saving the Pasig River

Based on a study by the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (2001), they suggest the following to save a dying Pasig River: a strong political will; integration of environmental education in all subject matters in schools; creation of a system of waste minimization; relocation of informal settlers along the river easement; implementation of pollution controls for industries; regular monitoring of the river surroundings.

Lessons learned

According to the Habitat International Coalition, based on the work of 10 years on the river, the Pasig River rehabilitation work showed the following: distant relocation of informal settlers along the river bank is never worked well. While working for land and housing, their study also showed that food, health and the education of the children are not properly addressed in relocation areas. The rehabilitation program should be suited to the unique circumstances and culture of the people. Some politicians are difficult to deal with, while there are other governments officials who sincerely want to help.

The Japanese word for firefly connotes harmony between man and all other creatures. Fireflies have become the cultural symbol for river protection and environmental conservation in Japan. Long ago people enjoyed fishing, watching fireflies and listening to bird song by the clean rivers.

With industrialization and the accompanying pollution, people began to think how to bring back birds and fireflies. The river protection program in Japan has brought about an increase in the population of fireflies. In June 1981 the first Firefly Festival raised awareness of the river rehabilitation project which attracted donations from companies and organizations.

The festival changed people’s values and attitudes toward river protection. The clean river movement resulted in the upgrading of the river habitat and also the return of bird song.

* * *

The Green Architecture Movement of the United Architects of the Philippines will conduct Green Forum 2008 with the theme “Environmental Architecture” on June 14 at the Mandarin Oriental Suites, Level 4 Gateway Mall, Araneta Center Cubao, Quezon City. For details please call up the UAP secretariat at (632) 4126364, or 412-6394.

* * *

For comments or inquiries, e-mail amadodejesus@gmail.com.


Copyright 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



http://business.inquirer.net/money/breakingnews/view/20080607-141262/More-on-the-greening-of-Pasig-River

[overtureph]

This is interesting.



Spain wants Mediterranean diet on UNESCO cultural list


Agence France-Presse
First Posted 09:20:00 06/11/2008

MADRID -- Spain and Italy are to ask UNESCO to place the Mediterranean diet on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list, the Spanish government announced Tuesday.

The initiative, supported by scientific organizations around the Mediterranean, was presented to the Spanish parliament by Development Minister Elena Espinosa.

The UN's cultural organization set up the Intangible Cultural Heritage list in a 2003 convention.

It aims to preserve "oral traditions and expressions; performing arts; social practices, rituals and festive events; knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe; and traditional craftsmanship."

France announced in February it would propose French cuisine for the list, which would join The Royal Ballet of Cambodia and Mexico's Day of the Dead festival.

The mainstays of the Mediterranean diet are olive oil, fish, grains, fruit, nuts and vegetables, usually supplemented by a modest amount of red wine. Meat and dairy products have only a minor role.

Studies have praised the Mediterranean diet for cardiac and vascular health.


Copyright 2008 Agence France-Presse. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.




http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/breakingnews/breakingnews/view/20080611-142022/Spain-wants-Mediterranean-diet-on-UNESCO-cultural-list

[Pinoy_ako]

^^

May dalawang entries tayo diyan sa representative list - Hudhud Chants of the Ifugao at Darangen Epic of the Maranaos.

[etienne]

wow! amazing artifacts. now i hav more reasons to finally visit cathedral museum. may entrance fee ba?

[overtureph]

It would be nice if something like this would be part of our political parties stand or agenda. That our politicians would be conscious enough to recognize the importance of our heritage and that it has both tangible (tourism and aesthetic value) and intangible (part of a nations past and identity) values.


Sarkozy seeks new urban plan for greater Paris

http://www.globalphotos.org/paris/20050415/DSCN7472.jpg

PARIS, Sept 17 (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy, not normally seen as a patron of the arts, called on Monday for new ideas to develop Paris over the coming decades and pledged to encourage "bold" thinking by architects.

"The question for us is not to think about the next six months but the next century," Sarkozy said at a ceremony to open a new architectural heritage centre in Paris.

The new museum complex, completed after years of wrangling, will "be the occasion for putting architecture back at the heart of our political choices," Sarkozy said.

He outlined no specific plans to rival former President Francois Mitterrand's "Grands Travaux" such as the National Library or the redeveloped Louvre museum, which gave a new face to the French capital in the 1980s.

But he said it was not enough simply to maintain existing architectural treasures.

"Architecture bears witness to a shared past but at the same time, it is a projection towards the future," he said. "Architectural policy has to combine heritage and creation."

"I commit myself fully to this mission, to give back the possibility of boldness to architecture," he said.

Sarkozy's remarks were in line with a tradition of French presidents like Mitterrand and Georges Pompidou leaving their mark on the capital.

But he may also have had an eye on the mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, one of the rising leaders of the opposition Socialists, who has built a base with drives to improve life in the capital, most recently with a successful city bike scheme.

Sarkozy said eight to 10 architectural agencies, both French and international, could be commissioned to assess the needs of the greater Paris region "for the next 20, 30, 40 years."

STRICT PLANNING LAWS

Strict planning laws restricting skyscrapers in Paris have helped preserve the city's distinctively harmonious appearance. But they have led some to say it risks becoming a museum piece compared with more dynamic capitals like London and Berlin.

"I think there are certainly some taboos no one dared talk about or touch, for example big-scale projects or skyscrapers," Swiss architect Jacques Herzog told France Inter radio.

But Herzog, whose buildings include Tate Modern in London and the new National Stadium in Beijing, said he felt that change was in the air.

"Until not very long ago, Paris had several projects that were very, very visible in the world and I feel there is an energy there to pick up where we left off 10 or 15 years ago."

Sarkozy left open the question of relaxing planning laws to allow more skyscrapers but called for an end to "simplistic" arguments between supporters and opponents of big towers.

Remarking that the widely detested "Tour Montparnasse", a 210 metre black tower that looms over the Paris skyline, had "not made our job any easier," he said: "We can't have a policy of uniform skyscrapers".

But he praised projects such as the curving "Lighthouse" skyscraper being built in the business district La Defense.

Sarkozy, who as interior minister in 2005 cracked down hard on rioting in the poor, run-down suburbs outside Paris and other French cities, said any redevelopment had to include the whole greater city area and strengthen connections between the centre and the suburbs.

"Architecture must also humanise housing developments and suburbs which have been left to one side for far too long."

[LordCarnal]

^^

True.

An architect told me that in a country like ours with a tropical climate, real estate developers should have developed the "bahay-na-bato" style in our present homes because it suits our climate (i.e. Large windows with ventanillas, high ceilings, etc..etc..)



//

[overtureph]

Gabriel F. Fabella: ‘Father of June 12’

By Kristoffer R. Esquejo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 17:30:00 06/16/2008

THIS MONTH MARKS TWO EVENTS OF National importance. One was the commemoration of the 110th Philippine Independence Day on June 12 and the other is the celebration of the University of the Philippines Centennial on June 18.

Most Filipinos do not know that 2008 also marks the 110th birth anniversary of an academician, who is known as the “Father of June 12.” He was Gabriel F. Fabella.

While serving as chair of UP Department of History and Acting Director of UP Clark Air Base Branch 50 years ago, he made a valuable contribution to the first event.

Nationalist gesture

In 1962, President Diosdado Macapagal, father of the incumbent President, moved the date of Philippine Independence from July 4 to June 12. This nationalist gesture strengthened the fact that before the infamous Treaty of Paris of 1898, there was an independent Philippine Republic in the wake of the 1896 Revolution that ended Spanish colonial rule.

The American colonial government had timed the date of our formal separation from the United States in 1946 to fall on the date of the US Independence Day, perhaps to remind Filipinos of the ties binding us to Americans.

Youth activism

Macapagal’s action in 1962 was an indicator of the changing political temper in that decade when the youth in the colleges and universities were beginning to be concerned with national identity. It also made him won the distinction of being a nationalist president.

Since then, Macapagal had been commended for his well-deserved decision. However, it would be unfair and unjust if Filipinos would not acknowledge the man who fired the opening salvo in 1954 and tirelessly fought and campaigned for June 12 as the country’s proper Independence Day.

Inspiration

How did Fabella start it all?

In Celedonio Ancheta’s book, titled “Father of Independence Day,” Fabella said his inspiration came from Emilio Aguinaldo himself.

He first met the first president of the republic face-to-face when he visited Aquinaldo’s home in Kawit, Cavite in 1926. After the war, his visits were more often, especially during the general’s birthday celebrations. In 1953, he was partly responsible for Aguinaldo’s conferment of a UP Doctor of Laws degree honoris causa. Eventually, he never missed the remaining birthday celebrations of the old man and became so endeared to the Aguinaldo family.

Octogenarian veterans

As years went by, Fabella still realized the lack of proper recognition due Aguinaldo for his valuable services to his country. When Fabella attended the June 12 celebrations in Kawit in 1954, he noticed the octogenarian veterans of the revolution bent with the weight of years and sweating it out under the heat of the sun. It occurred to him that those living heroes deserved a better deal.

It was a disgusting fact that the people’s interest in the importance of that date was declining. This was reflected in the absence of the invited speaker at the 1960 celebration and the simple occasion in 1961.

He must do something. Why not campaign for the change of the independence celebrations from July 4 to June 12? That was the cue. A year later, he began writing for the papers starting with the Philippine Collegian.

He made the UP constituency aware of his project, but like any new and bold idea, some colleagues laughed it off. Unaffected, he said, “I will keep up the campaign until June 12 becomes the day for our independence celebrations.”

PHA resolution

In 1959, Fabella sponsored a resolution unanimously adopted by the Philippine Historical Association (PHA). This was endorsed to a committee who had it polished into its present printed form, but the basic arguments were Fabella’s. Here is the summary of his arguments favoring June 12 over July 4.

First. The United States does not celebrate its independence on the day its independence was recognized by England, but rather on the day the Americans declared their independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776. American independence was only recognized on Sept. 3, 1783. Following American precedent, we should naturally adopt June 12 since it was on that day in 1898 that Philippine independence was declared.

Second. Philippine independence celebrations thus far are generally overlooked and forgotten by the rest of the world. Falling at it does on the same day as that of the United States our celebrations are overshadowed by those of the United States.

Third. In determining the date of the granting of independence to the Philippines, the Filipino people had little or nothing to do with the fixing of the date. As a matter of fact, they really cared little for the date. All they wanted was independence irrespective of the exact day.

Thanksgiving Day

Now that we are a sovereign nation we are entitled to fix our independence celebrations and, as Fabella insisted, the most logical date is June 12. Instead, July 4 can be declared Thanksgiving Day as the Filipino people’s recognition of the good done by the United States, he said.

Other renowned people such as former Education Secretary Alejandro Roces and Rep. Ramon Mitra Sr. helped Fabella’s campaign. Aguinaldo, who was duly informed of the campaign, extended his full, unconditional and enthusiastic support. Unfortunately, the resolution was not given attention the following two years.

Proclamation No. 28

Fabella’s long wait bore fruit when Macapagal signed Proclamation No. 28 on May 12, 1962. The proclamation moved the day of independence from July 4 to June 12. It also declared June 12, 1962 a special public holiday.

Following this was the signing of Republic Act No. 4166 on Aug. 4, 1964. It states that the June 12 declaration be the official Independence Day, while July 4 is the Philippine Republic Day. Since then, the day of independence has been celebrated on June 12.

Macapagal’s proclamation reaped praises and resulted in the rejoicing of many. The celebration at Luneta on June 12, 1962 was splendid. Aguinaldo himself was the honored guest. During the occasion, plays about the events that happened during the declaration of independence in 1898 were staged.

Ready to die

Half a million Filipino viewers witnessed this. The PHA also celebrated the success. A gathering was held at Channel 10 in the GSIS Building on Arroceros Street in Manila on June 11, 1962. Two years later, Aguinaldo died, fulfilled and happy at the age of 95.

Few days after the approval of R.A. No. 4166, a member of the PHA teased Fabella by asking, “Well, Fabe, are you ready to die now?” The professor answered, “Yes, I am. If I had done nothing else but to change our independence celebrations from July 4 to June 12, I shall die content.” His statement showed that he considered the change of the day of independence as his biggest success.

Credit monopolized

Sadly, Macapagal monopolized the credit for it. After using Fabella’s arguments, he neither recognized nor mentioned that someone from UP had done a decade of tireless campaign in changing the Independence Day celebrations from July 4 to June 12.

Moreover, Macapagal claimed that it was the fulfillment of his very own idea, which he formed when he was still a congressman. He denied the allegation that his decision was an act of vengeance in the wake of the US disapproval of his proposed $73-million War Damage Bill.

Because of these statements, it can be said that the late president had selfishly claimed the full credit. As the then incumbent president, he turned into reality the lifelong goal of an academician. In other words, he merely acted upon the idea of someone, like Andres Bonifacio realizing the idea of a revolution ignited by Rizal in his second novel.

Holiday economics

Like his daughter, the incumbent President, who decreasingly values important events for the sake of her holiday economics, Macapagal had ignored the efforts of unsung heroes like Fabella. [President Macapagal-Arroyo declared June 9, a Monday, a nonworking holiday as part of her holiday economics but retained the Independence Day celebrations on June 12, which she made a regular working day.]

Fabella did not receive any credit except being mentioned in several newspapers and dubbed by his contemporary scholars the “Father of June 12.” After getting this support, Fabella did not lose faith in promoting nationalism and addressing problems regarding national interests.

Partido Nacionalista

The injustice done by Macapagal to Fabella’s role may be explained by the fact that the latter was a member of Partido Nacionalista, the rival of the President’s Partido Liberal. It should be noted that Fabella ran and won as an assemblyman of the lone district of Romblon for one term (1935-1938). Though Fabella abandoned politics and returned to teaching, he remained an active party member.

In 1960, Fabella attended the 25th anniversary of the First National Assembly of the Commonwealth. Most of those who attended were his pre-war colleagues in the party such as former President Sergio Osmeña. Somehow, Fabella’s influence in the party was constantly acknowledged. This could be proven by a letter from then Senate President Ferdinand Marcos, who asked for his support in 1964 against the reelectionist Macapagal.

Perseverance

Nowadays, his living contemporaries are getting older and fewer while the present generation no longer knows him and his deeds.

Born on March 18, 1898, Fabella was the 10th of 13 children of a poor couple from Banton, Romblon. In spite of poverty, he managed to finish not only his primary and secondary schooling but also his tertiary education. Through hard work and perseverance, he gradually realized his dreams, proving that not even poverty is a hindrance to anyone’s success if determination is present in a goal-oriented individual.

3 degrees in 3 years

Even his fellow Romblomanons today rarely knew that he was the first-ever Bantoanon to finish three degrees (BSE, BA, and HSTC) from UP in just three years (1917-1920), an MA History degree holder (1931), lawyer (1934), UP professor (1923-1934; 1946-1963) and assemblyman of Romblon (1935-1938).

Here are his exceptional qualities.

He was a Romblomanon leader. During his early years, he showed his profound ability as a journalist, a playwright and an organizer of various provincial organizations.

At 37, he became so popular when he defeated the so-called “Dean of the Lower House” and traditional politician Leonardo Festin as Romblon representative in the First National Assembly under the Commonwealth.

A leading Nacionalista party member of Manuel L. Quezon, Festin was known to be undefeated in Romblon and had served for seven consecutive terms (1916-1935). To Quezon’s dismay, Festin lost to a neophyte lawyer whose rigorous campaign and charisma gained tremendous support from the electorate.

He was an academician. Most of his life was dedicated to teaching—from private to public and from elementary in Capiz, high school in Romblon and Tayabas (now Quezon), and finally college at UP. Of course, many still know the several schools he founded and owned shortly after the war not only in Romblon but also in Mindoro and Batangas.

Popular professor

Before his retirement in 1963, he served as both chair of the UP Department of History and acting director of UP Clark Air Base (1958-1960).

Although known as a popular terror professor, he mentored numerous students who became successful in many arenas and the most successful was the future president, Marcos, who used to study far into the late hours under him during his pre-Law days at UP.

He was a historian. He wrote about a hundred articles in various scholarly magazines and he was involved in several academic organizations until his death. Even until now, the PHA reveres him as one of its founding members and its first president who served four terms starting 1955.

He was a Rizalist. Aside from being an active Knight Commander of Rizal, he strongly believed in the ideals of the national hero reflected through his own writings and speeches.

Insurgent records

He was a nationalist. Along with his being the “Father of the Philippine Independence Day,” he was also the first to bring back home the first microfilm copies of Taylor’s Insurgent Records from the United States in 1954.

On Jan. 29, 1982, the old and sick professor finally joined his Creator on his way to Manila from Canada. He died fulfilling his dream not to die in a foreign land, leaving a good name and a legacy to his children, relatives and province mates. Most of his children are successful graduates of UP and are living in different places abroad.

Indeed, Fabella was a unique individual who possessed admirable traits. No doubt he was truly dedicated to the advancement of our national identity as Filipinos. As we observe our independence this month, it is but fitting and proper to honor this “Father of June 12” of ours by remembering his greatest legacy to this country he loved so much.

* * *

(Kristoffer R. Esquejo is a graduate of BA History magna cum laude [April 2007] at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. Taking up MA History, he is an instructor at UP Department of History.)


Copyright 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


http://globalnation.inquirer.net/features/features/view/20080616-143018/Gabriel-F-Fabella-Father-of-June-12

[Marni]

http://photos.friendster.com/photos/31/20/19080213/1_700020769l.jpg
This is the front view,
http://photos.friendster.com/photos/31/20/19080213/1_440168325l.jpg
This is the back view,
http://photos.friendster.com/photos/31/20/19080213/1_681129998l.jpg

[boom_box]

Travel Film Archive - Video - Manila in 1930's :)

Castillian Memoirs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOI6rc38Qic

[Wonderboy]

http://www.hawaii.edu/cps/bonifacio.jpg

Philippine Ballet Theater performance

Gener Caringal's "Bonifacio"

Friday, 27 June 2008, 7 P.M.

Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila

Free admission

[Animo]

By Augusto Villalon (http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20080630-145499/From-Canterbury-to-Dauis-heritage-is-income-generating)
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:19:00 06/30/2008

http://images.inquirer.net/media/showbizandstyle/lifestyle/lifestyle/images/pic-06300155020496.jpg

FRAMED by lanterns hung on ancient trees, Dauis Church is a pilgrimage destination that also welcomes tourists.

http://images.inquirer.net/media/showbizandstyle/lifestyle/lifestyle/images/pic-06300156100404.jpg

INSERTED into the traditional silong of the Dauis convento, an ultramodern gift shop sells traditional Dauis craft.

http://images.inquirer.net/media/showbizandstyle/lifestyle/lifestyle/images/pic-06300156280975.jpg

GALLERY chronicling the history of Dauis church and of Bohol history occupies another section of the silong.


MANILA, Philippines - Across the short causeway from Tagbilaran to the tip of Panglao Island stands the 18th century La Señora de la Asunción church in the town of Dauis.

Its imposing roofline hovers above the pristine white sand beach surrounding church and convento.

Centuries-old acacias and a scattering of coconut trees backdrop the scene. In its foreground, a strip of clear, blue water reflects the intense Bohol sky. Quite a perfect scene.

Less than perfect, though, are the many Spanish colonial structures all over the country whose cracking and disintegrating stone walls, sagging and leaking roofs, termite-infested woodwork, tangled and frayed electrical wiring—are all part of a web of maintenance nightmares that demand urgent attention.

Repair funds for these churches are usually nonexistent. What can parishes do to conserve their creaking heritage?

As many see it, conservation is an expensive proposition, a one-way street to depleting already severely limited funds.

Therefore conservation of church heritage, hardly a priority among parishes, is done haphazardly, if at all.

But many parish priests go into expensive remodeling and beautification projects that damage rather than enhance the historic character of their churches.

Seeing the need to ensure that its heritage continues into the next century but caught in a bind of not having enough funds for proper conservation, Dauis parish realized its heritage was an untapped income-generating opportunity for the people and unrealized source for maintenance and conservation funding.

But is not the church confined to the spiritual realm? Why should it think about livelihood and conservation?

Canterbury experience

Yes, the church is completely spiritual, the Very Reverend Robert Willis, dean of Canterbury, told International Council for Monuments and Sites (Icomos) members in Kent, England last year.

Both a holy place and a World Heritage site, Canterbury Cathedral, Mother Church of the Anglican Communion and seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, is one of the three main pilgrimage destinations in Europe that has consistently received thousands of pilgrims yearly since the Middle Ages.

Most important, Canterbury, one of the most visited places in England, is a living community that continues the ancient tradition of Benedictine hospitality and seeks to make its town and cathedral places of welcome, beauty and holiness.

“Canterbury Cathedral is more than just a beautiful old building. It is a place of worship, place to meet, sanctuary, haven, celebration, place of joy and occasionally sadness, but most of all it is alive with the people that make the Cathedral what it is today,” said Willis.

Essential to the spiritual ministry is maintaining the massive but fragile Canterbury Cathedral structures dating from the mediaeval era, an undertaking requiring enormous funding, largely augmented by the church itself from its earnings through ticketing, tour organization, gift shops and publications, and the operation of a midsize hotel and conference center within the church grounds.

Beyond the cathedral gates, the town takes over. Local merchants provide pilgrims lodging, restaurants, pubs, shops and entertainment, service industries existing since the “Canterbury Tales” era of Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343-1400).

The spiritual heritage of Canterbury Cathedral provides material income resource for the residents of the town. Hospitality is big business.

Bohol hospitality

Dauis church, for generations a traditional pilgrimage center for Boholanos and now a tourist destination, has initiated a pioneering program with the Ayala Foundation to initiate heritage-based activities to generate additional income for both the church and the local residents.

To provide hospitality to the pilgrims, Fr. Val Pinlac, Dauis parish priest, and his parishioners are trying to blend the past and the present through participatory grass-roots tourism.

“We want to offer our guests a tour of faith, nature, culture, and history,” says Father Pinlac.

Pilgrims may take a journey of faith to visit the spot in the church where water, believed to be holy, continually flows.

Recently the relics of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, on a world tour, were brought to the church.

Locals are active in the sharing of their spiritual and cultural legacy by reviving traditional crafts (food production, weaving, jewelry), which are for sale in the convent’s ultramodern shop.

Under the magnificent wooden cupola of the convento, authentic Bohol and Dauis cuisine is served guests.

On open wooden decks built over the sand in the wide beachfront area, guests can relax under huge acacia trees while enjoying the view of the nearby river and busy fisherfolk at work.

The outdoor area has also become a popular local venue for pop concerts, weddings and religious events.

Dauis continues but updates the age-old tradition of ministering hospitality to pilgrims and visitors in the manner of the great Catholic pilgrimage churches such as Santiago de Compostela in Spain and Saint Peter’s Basilica and the three other papal churches in Rome.

Admirable is the courage of Dauis to take a step outside of the box that binds many Philippine churches so that they have looked at heritage as unproductive and unsustainable.

Only time will tell whether the Dauis experiment will be successful, but it is off to a good start. Dauis is certainly worth a visit.

For info about Dauis, e-mail valupin@hotmail.com.

E-mail: pride.place@gmail.com

[Wonderboy]

You are invited to join our Cultural Study Tour of the historical town
of Cavite, a living museum of Philippine revolutionary history. Many of
its landmarks are also a testament of the elegant tastes and lifestyles
of illustrados who led the revolution of 1898. Our guest lecturer is Ms.
Tina Decal.

Cavite Heritage Tour
July 19, 2008, Saturday
06:30 am Santuario De San Antonio Church, Forbes Park, Makati City
(parking area) We encourage everyone to buy breakfast for the trip
although light pastries and water will be served on-board). 8:00 -
9:00 am Arrive Kawit, Cavite
Tour to Aguinaldo Shrine - the mansion of the First Philippine President
was the site of the proclamation of Independence in June 12, 1898.
9:30 - 10:30 am Arrive General Trias, Cavite
Visit at GBR Museum (Geronimo Berenguer delos Reyes) 11:00 - 11:45 am
Arrive Amadeo, Cavite
Shopping at Café Amadeo 12:15 - 2:00 pm Arrive at Indang, Cavite
Lunch at Balai Indang (savor & enjoy a good lunch of : salad, pasta,
chicken, seafood, embotido, veggie, flavored rice, bottomless dalandan
juice and dessert). 2:00 - 2:30 pm Sidetrip to Indang Church (rare
tromp l'oeil in shades of old rose and grey enliven this church. A
rare oil painting of the seven archangels is revered in the right
altar). And sidetrip to Bonifacio Monument/marker. 3:00 - 4:00 pm
Arrive Dasmariñas, Cavite.
Tour at De La Salle Museum (Bahay Na Bato Museum). The alumni of La
Salle erected a museum in the manner of Philippine Colonial houses in
its vast campus in Dasmariñas. The Bahay-na-Bato or stone mansion
features the best of ornamentation found in affluent houses during the
19th century. 4:14 - 5:00 pm Arrive Silang, Cavite
Visit Silang Church. Three beautiful baroque reredos adorn the church.
The main reredo features events leading to the birth of the Savior. The
central niche is occupied by the statue of the N. S. de Candelaria. The
two side reredos feature Jesuit saints since Cavite was under the
spiritual care of the Jesuits prior to their expulsion. 05:00 pm
Departure for Manila. 07:00 pm ETA Makati, Santuario de San Antonio
Church
(ETA, depends on the traffic).
You can download the reservation form in pdf
<http://museumfounda tionph.org/ files/2008/ cavite-reservati on-form.pdf>
or zipped pdf
<http://museumfounda tionph.org/ files/2008/ cavite-reservati on-form.zip>
format.

Museum Foundation reserves the right to change the itinerary. In case of
bad weather, the tour may be cancelled. For more information or
reservations, please call the Museum Foundation office at
404-2685/0928- 503-9392, and look for Elvie or Menchie; at 722-9073 and
look for Flor.

For more Museum Foundation events and activities please visit our
website at http://museumfounda tionph.org/ news/
<http://museumfounda tionph.org/ news/>
Museum Foundation of the Philippines, Inc.
G/F National Museum of the Filipino People
Valencia Circle, Rizal Park, Manila 1004 Philippines
Telefax: (63-2) 404-2685
www.museumfoundatio nph.org <http://www.museumfo undationph. org/>

[Wonderboy]

The Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC)of the Ateneo de Manila University
is accepting more applicants for the two positions, New deadline for
application is on Friday, July 18, 2008:

I. CALL FOR A RESEARCH ASSISTANT
June 30, 2008

The Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC) of the Ateneo de Manila University
has opened a two year project, starting this June 2008, to inventory existing
heritage structures in Manila and selected municipalities in Metro Manila.
There is need for a Full Time Research Assistant to do the following:

1. Accompany the Research Associate in field trips
2. Do interviews with key informants on the significance of selected
structures
3. Assist the Research Associate in doing the documentation and analyses
4. Coordinate with the Principal Investigator on research relating to the
inventory

Preferred qualifications:

1. Recent graduate in architecture
2. Can do field interviews
3. Can work with a team
4. Willingness to walk regularly through the streets of Manila in order
to examine particular heritage structures

Please submit the following:

1. A letter of intent to:

The Principal Investigator
The Ateneo Inventory of Manila’s Heritage Structures
The Institute of Philippine Culture
Ateneo de Manila University

2. A curriculum vitae
3. Recommendations by two former professors

Salary:
Depending on qualifications: P 11,000 to 12,000 a month. Include the
following benefits: SSS, Philhealth, Pag-ibig, Accident/HMO insurance
coverage, Field allowance and Ateneo’s five days incentive leave.



II. CALL FOR FIELD RESEARCHERS
June 30, 2008

The Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC) of the Ateneo de Manila University
has opened a two year project, starting this June 2008, to inventory existing
heritage structures in Manila and selected municipalities in Metro Manila.
There is need for Part-Time Field Researchers to do the following:

1. Accompany the Research Associate in field trips
2. Do interviews with key informants on the significance of selected
structures
3. Assist the Research Associate in doing the documentation and analyses

Part-Time Field Researchers can participate in the inventory either on
weekdays or on Saturdays, depending on their schedule.

Preferred qualifications:

1. Interest in architectural heritage
2. Can do field interviews
3. Can work with a team

Please submit the following:

1. A letter of intent to:

The Principal Investigator,
The Ateneo Inventory of Manila’s Heritage Structures
The Institute of Philippine Culture
Ateneo de Manila University

2. A curriculum vitae

Pay per building inventoried: P 100. (Thus, a total of eight houses
inventoried in one day will be P 800).


Applicants may submit their CV/resume or please address all inquiries to:

Joanna M. Blancaflor(Ms)
Administrative Assistant
Institute of Philippine Culture
Ateneo de Manila University
Philippines
Tel: (63-2) 426-6067/68 loc. 213, 4266061 Loc. 4651 *213
E-mail: ipc@admu.edu.ph/jblancaflor@ateneo.edu

[Wonderboy]

http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/5530/urbanisminvitefrontqe3.jpg

http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/5015/urbanisminviteback1nm1.jpg

[habagatcentral1]

The Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC)of the Ateneo de Manila University
is accepting more applicants for the two positions, New deadline for
application is on Friday, July 18, 2008:


Jepoy, thanks for reminding me of this. :)

[overtureph]

3 Asian sites added to UNESCO's World Heritage List


Agence France-Presse
First Posted 23:45:00 07/07/2008


QUEBEC CITY -- (UPDATE) A Hindu temple from Cambodia, historic Malaysian towns and an agricultural site from Papua New Guinea were added to UNESCO's World Heritage List on Monday.

Honored were the 11th century Preah Vihear temple site, perched on a mountaintop on the Thai-Cambodia border, the cities of the Straits of Malacca: Melaka and George Town in Malaysia, and the Kuk Early Agricultural Site in Papua New Guinea, marking the country's first entry on the list.


Copyright 2008 Agence France-Presse. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20080707-147039/3-Asian-sites-added-to-UNESCOs-World-Heritage-List

[overtureph]

Hhhmmmm.........this sounds familiar.


Beirut's architectural heritage erased by modern towers


Agence France-Presse
First Posted 13:01:00 07/05/2008

BEIRUT -- The Ottoman-style mansions with Venetian windows, arches and lavish gardens that once epitomized Beirut are being levelled one after the other as high-rises mushroom across the capital.

"Now everyone is looking for towers, because they realize that above the tenth floor you can see the sea," says Mona Hallak, an architect and an activist with the Association for the Protection of Sites and Old Buildings.

"In 20 years time, this won't be the case because you will have lots of towers everywhere."

As a result, landlords are rushing to take advantage of the high prices now being offered for the land on which their ancestral homes are sitting.

The pattern is set: the home is demolished, its traditional garden destroyed and the land sold and developed.

"Every time an old house goes, a green pocket goes and with it go trees that are often hundreds of years old," says Hallak.

"It's not only the house. It's the tree. It's the bird that follows the tree. It's the quality of life."

The only law on the books that protects old homes in Lebanon dates back to 1933 when the country was under French mandate. It mainly protects buildings constructed before 1700 although younger buildings can be placed on the list of protected sites either by government directive or private initiative.

"The law basically focuses on the protection of archaeology and antiquities," Culture Minister Tarek Mitri told Agence France-Presse.

A survey commissioned by the government in 1997 identified about 250 buildings in Beirut that cannot be demolished.

"The list is outdated now," Mitri said. "Plus it was done hastily. Some buildings that should be on it aren't."

The list is of little consolation to activists such as Hallak, who say the issue is more about preserving the country's heritage than merely saving a building or a mansion.

"It's important to save an entire street, what we call a cluster. There is a social structure that is completely tied to these buildings," Hallak says.

"We need a modern law that will allow us the flexibility to preserve these buildings."

The relatively new and trendy Saifi village in downtown Beirut is made up of urban-style apartment buildings painted in pastel colors constructed with the flare of old Beirut.

"It simulates an old lifestyle. But when you go there it is empty. The shops are trendy. You won't find the interaction of a real old city," says Hallak.


Traditional Beirut neighborhoods tended to have a local market, butcher, bakery and shops making hand-made goods. Most of those neighborhoods are gone.

One neighborhood that has managed to preserve its architectural heritage, though not its traditional character, is Gemmayzeh, located near the downtown area.

While the three- and four-storey buildings have not been demolished, they have been transformed and their lower floors now house restaurants, bars and nightclubs.

Some old stores, however, still sprinkle the area.

"We wanted to turn it into another Montmartre where it would be a nice quiet neighborhood with cafes," said Joseph Raidy, who heads the Association for the Development of Gemmayzeh, referring to the Parisian district known to be a gathering place for artists.

"But it has become something else," he added, referring to the area's nightlife.

Gemmayzeh also boasts some of Beirut's most magnificent mansions owned by the Sursock family. The Sursock Museum was once a private home built in 1912 and is now host to an impressive permanent art collection.

The house had a splendid garden that kept it apart from its closest neighbor, another Sursock mansion.

But recently the garden was razed to allow for the construction of a 25-storey apartment block that will stand between the two mansions.

"It was a massacre a huge crime," Raidy says. "The garden had trees that were 40 meters (130 feet) high."

A resident of the area, who gave his name only as Maroun, bemoaned the demise of the garden.

"It makes you want to cry. It was the biggest, most beautiful garden in the area. There was a tree that was like 2000 years old. You would need four or five people to be able to wrap their arms around it."

Raidy says despite promises from the municipality that they would not allow the Sursock garden to be destroyed, it happened.

"In Lebanon, it's about connections and who you know," he says, referring to the wheeling and dealing that pervades in the country.

Jihad Khiyyami, an engineer on the project ironically named the "Park," says he understands the owner's decision to develop the land.

"It was an empty plot of land and the area's zoning allowed for it to be developed. There was high demand, so they went forth with the project," says Khiyyami, who adds that all the apartments have already been sold.

"If you want to solve this problem, people have to get money with a capital M," says Hallak.

The culture minister agrees.

"You have to give landlords incentives. They should not be punished for owning an old house," says Mitri.

Mitri has proposed a law that would give owners of old buildings exemptions on taxes and registration fees. Though the law has passed in the Council of Ministers, it requires a parliamentary vote to be ratified.

Lebanon's parliament has not met in regular session for more than 18 months due to a political crisis that paralyzed the institution.

Susan Hamza, who lived in a mansion originally built in the 1930s says they had tried their best to preserve the house when the family decided to sell.

"We wrote letters to Arab princes explaining its history and even suggesting turning it in to a textile museum," Hamza says, but adds that they never received a response.


Copyright 2008 Agence France-Presse. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/breakingnews/breakingnews/view/20080705-146642/Beiruts-architectural-heritage-erased-by-modern-towers

[Wonderboy]

Jepoy, thanks for reminding me of this. :)

Sure. Here's another one. Don't have time to edit the layout but this job is cool. I believe you can do this part time at sa ADMU pa office where you study.

Job Vacancy - Office Assistant for API Philippines

Job Vacancy: Office Assistant for the Philippine Office

The Nippon Foundation Fellowships for Asian Public Intellectuals

The Nippon Foundation is a grant giving body which supports exchanges among 5 Southeast Asian Countries. In the Philippines , the program is administered by the School of Social Sciences , Ateneo De Manila University. Currently serving as its Program Director is Fr. Jose M. Cruz, S.J., Dean of the School of Social Sciences and as its Program Coordinator, Isabel Consuelo Nazareno, faculty member of the Department of History, Ateneo De Manila University.

The position of Office Assistant is a project-based, part-time position, based at the API Office, Social Development Complex, Ateneo de Manila University. The position is renewed on a yearly basis.

QUALIFICATIONS:

-College graduate

-Previous experience with frontline office work

-good oral communication skills

-Computer literacy (working knowledge of Microsoft office)

- Prior work experience within Ateneo is a plus


AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY / DELIVERABLES:

Office Administration
Handle administrative work in the API office such as basic bookkeeping, filing documents, assist in facilitating inter-office communications
Maintenance of the office facilities and equipment
Receive visitors and walk-in inquiries
Communication and correspondence
Handle telephone communication for API and Nippon Foundation-related programs
Assist in the distribution of API material (brochure/newsletters)
Assist in the dispatch of API related mail
Assist in liason with Ateneo Offices
Compilation of receipts and reports
Circulation of documents for signature
Performing various tasks related to API and the requirements set by the Ateneo De Manila University
Handle Logistics in projects and special events
Assist in the arrangements (ingress and egress) of API related meetings and public fora
Assist in Fellows-related matters
Assist in making arrangements for arrival, accommodation and departure
When necessary, assist in VISA related matters of incoming and outgoing fellows

Interested applicants may forward their resumes to Ms. Chiara de Castro or Ms. Isabel Nazareno through the official email address: api@.... You may also complete the application form provided at the Ateneo Personnel Office (in Xavier Hall) and indicate your interest in this job opening.

For more information on the API Fellowships Program, visit: http://api-fellowships.org

The API Philippine Office is located at:

Ground Floor, Center for Community Services Bldg.

Social Development Complex

Ateneo de Manila University

Loyola Heights, Quezon City

1108

[overtureph]

Batanes seeks Unesco World Heritage listing

By Vic Albornoz Lactaoen
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:41:00 07/07/2008

MANILA, Philippines - Batanes is a remote archipelagic group of islands. It is also the smallest province and often referred to as the last northern frontier, which is another way of saying it is one of the few wilderness areas left to plunder.

Destructive fishing, massive real estate developments and quarrying practices have laid waste to much of the once paradisiacal Philippines.

But Batanes can still lay claim as one of the few spots in the country that has preserved its time-tested traditions and practices all these centuries.

Its people, called Ivatans, are of Malay stock. They inhabit the 11 isolated islands 150 km above Luzon and 75 km below Taiwan, between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

Batanes still offers a sample of what the rest of the country once had in abundance: mountainous jungles, deserted beaches, emerald-green water, dazzling coral reefs and outstanding architectural monuments as seen through the typical Ivatan houses all over the islands, and intrinsic cultural values and practices.

For centuries and generations, the Ivatans have established a reputation as among of the most hospitable natives in the country, especially felt and seen as you farther go north in the province, where traditional attitudes still survive. A visitor lucky enough to visit the farthest town of Itbayat is usually fed and shown around, if not offered a place to stay for free.

Ivatans are especially preoccupied with pride and self-esteem, and an extended support system remains both the main strength of Ivatan society. Kinship ties of both blood and marriage, often up to three generations removed, are kept well-defined and operative on all levels and facets of Ivatan life.

Clans operate as custodians of common experiences, and in memory of geographical and racial origins.

Batanes Gov. Telesforo Castillejos says traditions are still practiced in everyday life. For instance, the community helps in times of planting and harvesting their crops.

The traditions are also prevalent in times of building houses in the province. “It is a community effort, the community is very much self-reliant,” says the governor.

Artistic

The Ivatans are a supremely artistic people. Historical facts show that the simple tools and accessories used by the early natives were artistically designed.

The Ivatans, an indigenous tribe, had their men and women donning a variety of headdresses (vakul), vests, earrings, anklets and bracelets that were no doubt the height of fashion in those times. Such artistic expressions, influenced by their adaptation to the environment, are still much visible these days.

Creative artisans, seeing the wealth of natural materials available—bamboo, rattan, nipa, palm, seashells, marble—soon fashioned what is now the famous Ivatan huts or houses, which are found on the provinces’ major islands of Sabtang, Batan and Itbayat. Perhaps the Ivatan house reflects the Ivatan’s historical blend of influences from the Austronesian, Malay, Chinese, Hindu and Muslim cultures.

While the spectrum of styles is broad, including fusion, one can discern three main eras: the early native huts of wood, bamboo, nipa and lime. These houses were multifunctional, built to withstand the strongest natural disasters at that time, and are still in use to this day.

Although construction has changed little over time, a common feature includes a steep roof over a one- or two-room affair and an open-type kitchen. Quite often, the structure would collapse with earthquakes, nipa roofs burning quickly or blown away by typhoon winds. But this type of house could be swiftly rebuilt with the abundance of local materials.

The patches of remaining houses on Sabtang, Ivana on Batan and Mauyen and Raele on Itbayat are powerful statements of the enduring interaction between man and nature.

Traditions are kept alive: from the maintenance of these houses to the skillful engineering that allows constant retention of the remaining structures where centuries-old traditions and values persists.

Unknown to many, the entire Ivatan lifestyle is one of the remaining living cultural landscapes awaiting confirmation on the Unesco World Heritage list. The provincial government, through Governor Castillejos, has recently submitted documents for the formal inclusion on the latest World Heritage listing.


Copyright 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20080707-146822/Batanes-seeks-Unesco-World-Heritage-listing

[Pinoy_ako]

^^

Baka next year pa iyan ma discuss, unless carried-over ang mga naka-submit last year at naihabol sa Secretriat ang papers bago nag-umpisa ang meeting.

Pero wala sa listahan ng mga ididiscuss this year for inscription.

[habagatcentral1]

Goodness, Manila was so envisioned like Washington DC back then! (Burnham plan that is). :D

Sorry for the poor image quality. I only got this from Professor Alcazaren's slide show last night at Instituto Cervantes.

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/59/P7093322.JPG?et=MJ2ufQ%2BY%2BUV2CpTVhPrHGA&nmid=104881192

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/61/P7093324.JPG?et=h22fDBPyrsiIT0y4NSKD7g&nmid=104881192

There were supposedly four big parks for Manila
http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/62/P7093325.JPG?et=IByldJiugBamLLoFfUnp3w&nmid=104881192
Tondo, Santa Ana, Santa Mesa and Harrison Park (currently Harrison Plaza Mall)

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/63/P7093326.JPG?et=CsILn41NK9T%2BujwsZzHeog&nmid=104881192

Manila Capitol Buildings
http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/65/P7093328.JPG?et=T05abUYQ4a1IqD8cugmp9A&nmid=104881192
^^ The New Capitol was supposed to be situated at now Agrifina Circle

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/67/P7093330.JPG?et=JneWmkrrGxKdywFNKuCH6g&nmid=104881192
New Capitol (Palace) Building

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/68/P7093331.JPG?et=ml95XirWv5B4qZUrZlcyIQ&nmid=104881192
Washington DC & Manila similarities

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/69/P7093332.JPG?et=QCE1WZZGIQs%2Cr7SUNYVLPQ&nmid=104881192
The tramvias

[overtureph]

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/Laurel.jpg

THE TORCH IS PASSED Ownership of Mandaluyong's historic landmark, the three-story, 51 year-old Laurel mansion on Shaw Blvd. has changed hands. The new owners, Sen. Manuel Villar and wife Rep. Cynthia Villar, are well aware that they bought a heritage property. It is so for having been built by Jose B. Laurel, the patriarch of one of the country’s politically illustrious family. It stands on 6,000 sq.m. with seven huge bedrooms. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO


Villars take over storied Laurel house on Shaw Blvd

By Gerry Lirio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:55:00 07/13/2008


MANILA, Philippines—The well-kept secret of the house on Shaw Boulevard can now be told.

Senate President Manuel Villar and his wife, Cynthia, the Las Piñas representative, have taken possession of the imposing, three-story 51-year-old mansion built by Jose P. Laurel, the president of the Japanese-sponsored Second Philippine Republic, that stands on 6,000 square meters of prime land in Mandaluyong.

The heirs of the Laurel patriarch have, for "practical reasons," let go of the storied property, once the center of political power because of the people who lived there. It has remained unoccupied for the past seven years.

"No one among us could afford to live in this house anymore, it is so big for us," said former Batangas Rep. Macario Laurel, the eldest son of the late President's eldest son, former Speaker Jose B. Laurel.

Both the Laurels and the billionaire Villars have refused to talk about the amount of money that changed hands. They dismissed rumors that the negotiation for the purchase of the property for a few hundred million was conducted "without haggling." Half of the purchase price was reportedly paid during the sale last December, with the balance to be paid in 12 to 24 monthly installments.

The Senate President's wife, a property developer before she went into politics, said she was very pleased with the deal, which she found "reasonable." She said she was fully aware that they had bought a historic site that "ought to be preserved."

First offer

The Laurels first offered to sell the white-and-green mansion to the Villars sometime in 2003, some months after Villar accepted the presidency of the Nacionalista Party, long dominated by the Laurel family, from the late former Vice President Salvador "Doy" Laurel, a younger son of the late President.

According to Macario, the family rejected an offer from a group of Korean businessmen because they proposed to destroy the mansion to put up either a gasoline station or a restaurant. "We wanted to preserve the history and dignity of the house," he said.

The Villars were initially not too keen to buy the property as they did not want to leave their Las Piñas residence.

According to Cynthia, when they first looked at the property early last year, what they found was a huge "bodega" in total disarray, with dozens of huge boxes containing photos, paintings and other memorabilia of the Laurel patriarch, his children and grandchildren.

Parts of the ceiling were falling. Some of the lamps were not working. The walls and flooring, though made of durable tiles, were dirty. There was no furniture at all.

After the Villars agreed to buy the property, Macario said the clan made only one condition: That they preserve the mansion's two historical markers. The first notes the date when the Laurel patriarch built the property in 1957. The second commemorates the visit of Indonesian President Sukarno, who twice slept at the mansion.

Golf enthusiast

A native of Tanauan, Batangas, Jose P. Laurel built the house on No. 515 Shaw Blvd. several years after he stepped down as President. He loved golf and wanted to have a house near the Wack-Wack Golf and Country Club, where he was wounded in an assassination attempt while playing golf in 1943. The mansion occupies 1,000 square meters of the land that was once overrun with cogon.

Called Villa Pacienca in honor of the late President's wife, Pacienca Hidalgo, the Shaw Boulevard house is the biggest of the three residences that Laurel built. He built a house in Tanauan, which the Laurels consider their ancestral home, and another in Paco, Manila, called the Villa Peñafrancia.

The construction of the Shaw Boulevard house was reportedly rushed in time for the arrival of the New Hampshire newspaper publisher, James Langley. Laurel and Langley headed a group that forged what would be known as the Laurel-Langley Agreement of 1956, which extended parity rights to Americans. When Langley came in 1957, Laurel hosted a luncheon in his honor at the mansion.

The entrance to the property was originally on Laurel Street to the left of Shaw Boulevard. An imposing 15-foot tall gate is topped by an arbor inscribed with the words "Villa Paciencia." A long driveway leads to a fountain. The mansion is surrounded on all four sides by old balete and royal palm trees. At the back is a patio where the Laurel patriarch would sometimes make important announcements.

Succession

The mansion has a large receiving room and two dining rooms, a large one for big gatherings and a smaller one for private meetings. It has seven big bedrooms, one on the third floor and five on the second floor. A bedroom on the ground floor has been collapsed by the Villars into the dining room. The Villars have also shifted the entrance to the property to Shaw Boulevard after they regained possession of a strip of the front yard that was being rented out to commercial establishments.

When the elder Laurel died in November 1959, his eldest son, the Speaker, acquired the property after buying out his siblings--Doy, former Sen. Sotero Laurel and the late car racer Arsenio "Dodjie" Laurel.

Doy would later build his own house on a 2,400-sq.m. lot beside his father's property.

When Speaker Laurel moved in, the mansion became the de facto Nacionalista Party headquarters, according to former Tanauan Mayor Paquito Lirio who is married to Emerlina Laurel, a cousin of the Speaker. The Lirios were frequent visitors to the mansion. [Not related to this writer.--Ed.]

Site of historic decisions

"Political leaders would troop to the house for meetings and caucuses. Many important decisions that affected the country were made in that house. Most political decisions affecting the province of Batangas were made there, as no decisions could be made then without consulting the Laurels," recalled Lirio.

Added Macario's wife, Letty: "Anybody who was somebody in Philippine politics had gone there. In fact, even the nobodies had also been there."

Speaker Laurel died in 1998, leaving the property to his children--Macario, Mimi, Batangas Rep. Lali Laurel-Trinidad--and the heirs of another son Banjo, who died in the 1960s.

"To us, the house was some kind of a white elephant after our Papa died. We have our own houses now," said Macario, now 76.

Not just a house for Laurels

More than just being a home for the huge Laurel clan, the mansion was an important venue for the political events that shaped the nation's history, especially when the NP was still the Grand Old Party.

According to Macario, during his 1963 state visit, Sukarno chose to stay overnight at the Laurel mansion, not in Malacañang, as the Indonesian president personally didn't like President Diosdado Macapagal, who headed the rival Liberal Party.

When he fell in love with a Filipino movie star, Amelia de la Rama, Sukarno returned for another visit several years later and again stayed at the Laurel mansion.

On both visits of Sukarno, the Laurels had to vacate the house and stay in a hotel, taking out all the crucifixes and other religious items from the rooms that the Indonesian leader occupied.

Silent witness

The mansion was also a silent witness to the rise of many politicians, including the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

It was at the mansion that Speaker Laurel, Sen. Gil Puyat and Marcos hatched the plan for Marcos' controversial transfer from the LP to the NP after Marcos realized that the LP would not draft him as the party's presidential standard bearer in 1965.

The Villars say they find the house just too big for them. They have not once slept there since they bought the property last December. They have no plans to, anyway, said Cynthia.

After the cleaning and refurbishing of the ground floor, the couple has only used the house for a series of small political and social gatherings and dinner parties.

"We would entertain friends here over dinner, then afterwards we go home to our Las Piñas home," Cynthia said.

P4M for renovation

The Villars have spent about P4 million for scrubbing, repainting and redecorating the mansion's ground floor alone. They brought in Thai silk curtains for the wall separating the dining room from the veranda, six pendant-type ceiling lights, granite lavatory and kitchen, an 18-seater dining table for the main dining room, a six-seater dining table for the dirty kitchen, an eight-seater conference table, and an Art Deco living room set in light yellow that blends well with the walls newly painted with a mural of birds and flowers, and several table lamps.

"When we moved in, the house was bare," said Cynthia who has also brought a piano and a huge flat TV from her husband's gym in Las Piñas.

The second and third floors remain locked, waiting for a makeover.

The Villars presented the refurbished mansion to the Laurel clan, NP leaders and their friends at a private party to bless the property last June 10. The Laurel family as well as the NP hierarchy was well represented.

Celia Diaz-Laurel

Celia Diaz-Laurel, Doy's widow, came with her son, Cocoy. She was in a wheel chair but was "as beautiful as ever," recalled Cynthia. She said Celia liked what she saw.

Cynthia said she is considering building four 20-story condominiums around the property, but the mansion will be kept intact.

"We are thinking of keeping the mansion as a clubhouse for the tenants and the public to see. Then we will call the place The Legacy," she said.

Displayed at the mansion's receiving room is a portrait of the Senate President done by Celia some years ago. Cynthia has also asked for the loan of some old Laurel photographs to hang on the walls.

Laurel's legacy

It is no secret that Senator Villar is eyeing the presidency in 2010. If he pushes through with his plan to run, Cynthia said they would probably use the mansion as a halfway house.

The senator has been a House Speaker like Jose B. Laurel and a senator like Doy. Whether he will become a vice president like Doy, or a President like Jose P. Laurel, only time will tell. For now, he has the Laurels' mansion, their political party and their past glory.


Copyright 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20080713-148119/Villars-take-over-storied-Laurel-house-on-Shaw-Blvd

[overtureph]

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/Korea.jpg

KOREAN war vet Max Young (right) and Art Villasanta: Keeping the memories alive. Behind them is the Marikorea Monument. PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/RAFFY LERMA


HEROES OF KOREAN WAR
Memorial a tribute to soldiers in 'forgotten' battle

By Beverly T. Natividad
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:14:00 07/12/2008

MANILA, Philippines--On June 25, 1950, war broke out between the northern and southern parts of the Korean peninsula.

While the battle did not affect any part of the Philippines, the country sent 7,000 Filipino soldiers to fight on the side of the South Koreans.

They were the first foreign troops from Asia to come to Seoul's aid, next to the United States and United Kingdom.

The Filipino soldiers--though not individually named in local history books--were considered among the best fighters who stood by the South Koreans during the war.

One of them, Maximo Young, an 86-year-old retired major, was a member of the 10th Battalion Combat Team (BCT) and among the first batch of 1,400 Filipino troopers sent to Korea. They were also the first to see overseas combat since World War I.

Before Korea, Young had already seen action in World War II where he was taken prisoner by Japanese soldiers. After that, he was recruited to wage war against the Hukbalahap (Hukbong Bayan Laban sa mga Hapon or People's Army Against the Japanese).

Later on, Young was selected by the Americans to train in Fort Knox in Kentucky.

Like most of the Filipinos sent to Korea that time, Young was already a seasoned fighter.

Before their deployment to Pusan, South Korea, he and the other soldiers underwent training in Parang, Marikina City where the mountainous terrain was similar to Korea's topography.

Three years ago, a memorial, fondly called the Marikorea Monument, was put up by the Marikina government, the association of Korean war veterans and the Korean community in the Philippines, in the city's Liwasang Kalayaan in Marikina Heights to honor the Filipino soldiers who served in the war.

The copper sculpture of an eternal flame was made by Marikina-based sculptor Juan Sajid Imao, son of National Artist Abdulmari Imao. At the base of the monument are metal plaques with mini histories of the five BCTs, the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (Peftok) that were deployed to the war front.

Tough as they were, Young said the biggest challenge they faced was the biting cold in Korea.

"The Filipinos were good fighters, the only question was, could they handle the climate? That October, we experienced Korea's coldest winter in 200 years," he recalled.

Young said that while the North Koreans were known as "hard fighters," the Filipinos were just as well-trained, disciplined and experienced, having been exposed to guerrilla fighting from facing the Japanese and the Hukbalahap.

Between October to November 1950, the members of the 10th BCT crossed the 38th parallel which separated the North from South Korea. They were there to secure the town of Syngue.

Along the way, the Filipinos were ambushed by a North Korean battalion at the town of Miudong. "We were attacked from higher ground. Our infantry was pinned to the ground," said Young.

During the critical situation, Young, who was commanding one of the tanks, immediately launched a counterattack.

He said he remembered opening the turret hatch, swinging the .50 caliber turret machine gun toward the enemies and firing away, sending many North Koreans scampering out of their foxholes to seek more secure positions.

His action inspired the other members of the battalion to mount a rally. The victory at Miudong was the first battle won by Filipino troops in a foreign land.

Young's bravery earned him a Gold Cross Medal from the Philippine Army in 2006--more than 56 years after the incident.

Art Villasanta, a former business journalist who has written many stories about the involvement of Filipino soldiers in the Korean war, said that statistically, not many Filipinos will remember the Korean War.

Of the 7,000 Filipino soldiers that served in Korea, only 2,000 are still alive today.

He and his father, Johnny, earlier planned to write a book about the Philippine participation in the Korean War. Johnny was the first Filipino war correspondent in Korea.

However, the elder Villasanta died in 1997 and plans for the book were put off. While he still hopes to make his and his father's dream a reality, Villasanta's personal crusade to make the youth aware of the bravery of the Filipino soldiers in the Korean war has led him to create a web site--http://www.geocities.com/peftok/--that pays tribute to these fighters.

"At present, there is no one book about the Philippines' participation in the Korean war. I would still like to publish a book about this because a book lasts forever," he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net).

Villasanta said the memories of war "compel us to yearn for peace." But more importantly, he added, Filipinos should look back at how their grandparents helped give a country its democracy to remember "how we were once a great people and how we can be great again."

"We were great during our fathers' time. There is no reason why we cannot be great again," said Villasanta.

Young said South Korea's example should also teach Filipinos to rise from the ashes, instead of spending time on useless politics.

He added he has been to South Korea three times since the end of the war.

Koreans, in gratitude to the soldiers who fought alongside them, encourage them to visit the country, shouldering most of their expenses.

"The Koreans have never forgotten us," said Young.

He added, however, that the most touching gesture of gratitude he experienced was made by a young Korean who sat beside him during an event.

Young said that when he introduced himself as a Korean war veteran, the youngster respectfully took his hand and placed it on his forehead--much like the Filipino tradition of "mano po."

"Had it not been for these soldiers, we would have been enslaved," the youngster said his father had told him.


Copyright 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20080712-148089/Memorial-a-tribute-to-soldiers-in-forgotten--battle

[overtureph]

Art and Law
Intramuros, Manila

By Rose Beatrix C. Angeles
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 10:58:00 07/09/2008

Ang tangi kong pag-ibig
Ay minsan lamang
Nguni’t sa iyong akala
Ay hindi tunay
Hindi ka lilimutin,
Magpakailan pa man…

Ang Tangi Kong Pag-ibig
Lyrics by Constancio de Guzman

During the governorship (1571-72) of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the founder of Spanish Manila, the only fortification in the city enclosed what had been Rajah Sulayman’s palisade of palm logs and banked earth – though even then the city limits extended well beyond the Malay settlement to encompass what is today the Manila Cathedral site and adjoining land up to where San Agustin Church still stands.

Historical Background, from Bastion de San Diego, monograph by Esperanza Buñag Gatbonton

When Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim began dismantling some of former Mayor Joselito Atienza’s projects, I did not raise my voice in protest. Of special interest to me was the dismantling of restaurants on the Roxas Boulevard bayside.

Mayor Lim was well advised in that instance – the area’s attraction is not the entertainment provided by restaurants and bars, but Manila Bay’s famed sunset. All the paving and fireworks could only gild the lily of that daily nature show.

The concept of tourism, which Mayor Lim’s actions espoused at the time, is that the view itself must not become a mere backdrop to facilities provided. In fact, some of the restaurants obstructed the view of the sunset, violating a long-standing city ordinance prohibiting such obstruction.

To my mind, the return of joggers and promenaders to Roxas Boulevard signified a return to sanity and organization –

heritage presented for what it is, without the bells and whistles, the better to be savored. Restaurants and bars should go back to Malate, whose establishments had suffered financial drawbacks from the cheap competition that used to be provided at the bayside, leaving the sunset as main attraction.

The reopening of the Muelle del Rio in Intramuros also made for better management of a heritage site. Heritage must be viewed and experienced. Turning the Maestranza into a walking area that leads nowhere was a failure of city planning; instead of the park-like atmosphere envisioned for the place, it became a haven for drug dealers and users as well as criminal elements. Without access to the rest of the city, it degenerated like a clogged artery attracting refuse human and man-made. Re-opened, the riverside is once more put on view, and Intramuros has regained another access point for people to enter a heritage site.

It is when Mayor Lim’s actions emulate those of ex- mayor Atienza that I take pause. For the past few months Lim has been issuing statements not unlike Atienza’s none too subtle past attempts to take over Intramuros.

Lim has said Intramuros cannot be fully developed unless the city takes over its restoration and management. He has made public his plans to build a mall in the Intramuros golf course – shades of former Philippine Tourism Authority Robert Barbers’ failed experiment that has been ordered dismantled by the courts at a cost of millions in taxpayers’ money.

In line with this, Intramuros Administrator Bambi Harper has disclosed that Congressman Amado Bagatsing is attempting to push a bill through the House of Representatives that will return Intramuros to the administration of the City of Manila – without consultation.

According to the Intramuros Administration (IA), they received notice on 08 May 2008, of a hearing on House Bill No. 2571 to be held on 14 May 2008. Since Ms. Harper could not attend, she sent restorations architect Aug Rustia and one other representative to allow the IA’s position to be heard.

Upon arrival at the hearings, however, the IA representatives were not allowed to present their side, nor were they allowed to submit a position paper. Instead they were pointedly informed that since Mrs. Harper could not attend, IA could no longer be heard. Thereupon, the hearings were terminated and the bill considered passed at committee level.

Hold it. For legislation to be enforceable, it must reflect the needs of its constituency. Law must emanate from the people, who will be expected to conform to the values encoded in the legislative act.

Despite the representative capacity of our legislators, it is necessary for them to make sure that consultations are conducted to ensure that the crafted law embodies what the constituency needs. For special laws that require expertise, expert opinions must be sought to ensure precision in the draftsmanship and identification of the interests to be protected by the law.

This being the case, the passing of House Bill 2571, requiring all transactions in Intramuros to clear through City Hall, has clearly not passed through the requisites of consultation. No heritage experts were asked; the Intramuros Authority, which has been managing the site since 1972, was barred from giving its opinion.

Even more mystifying is why the City of Manila would want Intramuros back. Under current laws, Intramuros is managed by the Intramuros Authority under the Department of Tourism. IA is responsible for, among others, peace and order, safety, restorations, managements of the sites, zoning and land use, and has its own permit system.

These powers do not remove the mandate of the city government to collect real estate taxes, building permits, business licenses, etc. In other words, the city government is relieved of management and administrative duties without any loss in income. So why does it want Intramuros back?

Mrs. Harper has a theory that some city government officials look at Intramuros not as a heritage site with a unique and important history, but as an increasingly tempting piece of real estate where high rises and malls can be built. Removing the Intramuros Authority will also put the management of heritage sites and other property within the area into the hands of city officials neither equipped nor inclined to include restoration and reconstruction in their own visions, if it can be called that, of the place.

Seen this way, one can only conclude that allowing a local government-managed Intramuros would amount to the same kind of damage from World War II carpet bombings that left only San Agustin Church standing. This time what would obliterate history and its priceless ambience would be billboards, fast food restaurants, high-rises and an ever-growing, vote-rich slum area.

Square foot for square foot, no other site in the country holds as much national historical interest as Intramuros. Even its very ground is unique as it holds artifacts that recount the ages of trade even prior to Spanish conquest. Every single conqueror of this country flew its flag over the Intramuros, and all – except the Americans – retreated to the safety behind its walls prior to ejection.

The oldest fortified city in the country needs help. It needs increased funding to provide, among others, more restored sites, an appropriate museum for the Intramuros Administration’s collection, removal of informal settlers, further archeological assessment and so on ad nauseam.

The IA has been doing a valiant job despite its myriad internal problems but much of its work had been delayed by lack of funds and political will, just like nearly every other government agency. The last thing it needs is to keep fending off covetous government officials whose minds are far, very far, from heritage.


Copyright 2008 INQUIRER.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20080709-147344/Intramuros-Manila

[Lili]

http://photos.friendster.com/photos/31/20/19080213/1_700020769l.jpg
This is the front view,
http://photos.friendster.com/photos/31/20/19080213/1_440168325l.jpg
This is the back view,
http://photos.friendster.com/photos/31/20/19080213/1_681129998l.jpg

Oh yeah, the map of Leyte does resemble the crucified Christ.

[Animo]

By Arch’t. Karl A.E.F. Cabilao, UAP (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2008/07/13/life/portals.of.reception.html)

FIRST impressions last. These are great ways to spur a stranger’s interest in getting to know a person more. If it were in a meal, these are what we call the appetizers, dishes that make one look forward to a hearty banquet.

Establishing good first impression is not only vital in creating new acquaintances and unforgettable dining experiences. In architecture, mustering an indelible image through space planning and design is a must.

Tantamount to appetizers, gates and arches conjure these impressions. They often reflect the character of the space (the main course, as we would compare it) where a person would set foot. It is a major welcoming element into a building or a group of structures or a park.

Most residences have highly ornate gates, most especially the abodes of high-ranking personalities, to serve as preview to their homes. The Ishtar Gate, which led to the ancient city of Babylon, was once tagged as a “wonder of the ancient world.”

Thus, architects and planners often pour part of their creative juices into the conceptualization of these portals aside from just the design of their buildings. It is part of whipping up continuity within a place and yes, etchimg an aesthetic imprint on the visitor’s mind.

Originally, gates were supposed to ward off enemies. During the medieval ages, gates were made massive and heavily fortified to protect castles and cities. Nowadays, although the purpose of regulation is still practiced, they are made more elaborate and eye-catching.

Apart from the chore of welcoming a visitor, gates provide the necessary shift from one place to another. In Japan, the torii, a traditional gate to a Shinto shrine, serves as transition from the sacred (the shrine) and the profane (the world outside). Some say that those who are unclean are not allowed through the torii.

In the Philippines, there are not much gateways as imposing and as historically significant as say the Arc de Triomphe in France. But we do have our own humble collection. One of the more prominent gateways is a triumphal arch named Arch of the Centuries at the University of Santo Tomas campus along España Manila. Among the details found in this centuries-old structure is the depiction of the life of St. Thomas Aquinas. There are also commemorative plaques of distinguished UST alumni: Jose Rizal and former Philippine President Manuel Quezon. The arch has recently become a component for tradition for students — an initiation walk for freshmen and a send-off ritual for graduates. According to Wikipedia “there is also an old superstition that one must not pass through the arch until graduation or else an event will happen that will not allow him to graduate.”

Our metropolis also has its share of old and new gates and arches just like the old stone gates leading to Spanish churches such as the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral and the Basilica del Santo Niño and the more avant garde designed portals in schools and business centers.

Buildings, cities and open spaces must have lasting imprints on people, may it be a local or a visitor from another place. And gateways play an important part in this reassuring, warm reception.

[Wonderboy]

I read on the papers last week that ALC Development Corporation will put up a hotel at the former site of Manila Grand Opera House and name it "Manila Grand Opera Hotel." Since the historical marker disappeared and the structure has been demolished already, I proposed that an NHI historical marker should be re-installed on the historic site. Below is Ambeth Ocampo's reply:

Jeffrey P. Yap
HCS Member

July 11, 2008


Greetings from the National Historical Institute!

Thank you for your email message dated 07 July 2008 about the proposed construction of a new hotel building on the former site of the Manila Opera House. We appreciate your idea to name the proposed hotel Manila Opera Hotel, so that the historic Manila Opera House would still be remembered by many Filipinos.

From our end, we will coordinate and try to convince the owner to have another historical marker on the new building indicating the place as the site of the historic Manila Grand Opera House.

We already contacted ALC Realty Development Corporation.



Sincerely,


AMBETH R.OCAMPO
Chairman

-----

I'm not really keeping my hopes up. But I will forward this letter to other groups so they can follow up as well.

A historical marker is still important even if the structure no longer exist. It's interesting that the owners thought of naming it in honor of the historic "Manila Grand Opera House." At least there's still a recognition of that historic grand dame.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2229/2260618493_57ec0a4835_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2161/2261412354_ed24e9203d_b.jpg

[Lili]

^^ It's actually a good idea to have a boutique hotel in place named after the Manila Grand Opera House. Boutique hotels are once again de rigeur.

Restoring the historical marker will not only give due recognition and remembrance of its colorful place in our country's history, but the new hotel owners/operators will also stand to benefit from the foot traffic and the claim to fame of re-building on the hallowed grounds of the "theater with a history." I think it's a win-win situation.

[overtureph]

I found this on ebay - Ewer from the National Museum of the Philippines Manila Item number: 200237959140. What exactly is a de-acquisition? Does a museum unload it's inventory/collection from time to time?

[Hawayano]

Is this the item you're talking about, overtureph?

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c211/hawayano/ebayitem.jpg
photo from ebay.com


If so, this tag is an example of a decal that's been used rather liberally by Philippines antiques dealers since at least the 1970s. Contrary to the description that accompanies the item's listing on eBay, this sticker does not necessarily mean that the National Museum can provide much information on it, nor does it indicate a de-accessioned item from the Museum collection. This sticker does however make it easier for international travelers bringing such items through their homeland customs inspections since antiques are admitted exempt of duty in some countries. It also lends some degree of credibility to the seller as a kind of verification of authenticity. How well its use is regulated is another question!

[Lili]

^^ Is that a 'banga'?

[overtureph]

Is this the item you're talking about, overtureph?

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c211/hawayano/ebayitem.jpg
photo from ebay.com


If so, this tag is an example of a decal that's been used rather liberally by Philippines antiques dealers since at least the 1970s. Contrary to the description that accompanies the item's listing on eBay, this sticker does not necessarily mean that the National Museum can provide much information on it, nor does it indicate a de-accessioned item from the Museum collection. This sticker does however make it easier for international travelers bringing such items through their homeland customs inspections since antiques are admitted exempt of duty in some countries. It also lends some degree of credibility to the seller as a kind of verification of authenticity. How well its use is regulated is another question!

Thanks for the info Hawayano. I use to think that these kinds of stickers where for authentication purposes of cultural properties. Like if you have a collection for example of antiques, I think you can have it authenticated at the National Museum.

[Animo]

By Dexter R. Matilla (http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20080714-148252/Heritage-diary-of-Negros-Oriental)
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:18:00 07/14/2008


MANILA, Philippines - Unity through heritage—the one message that the Filipino Heritage Festival has been promoting since 2003 through the annual National Heritage Month celebrations.

For the closing of the 2008 celebrations recently, the festival chose Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental in the Visayas (the opening had been in Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao). The choice could not have been more appropriate, for Dumaguete is a model of social cohesion and unity.

The high point of the closing ceremonies was the inauguration of the Sidlakang Negros Tourism Village, a project of Gov. Emilio Macias II. Located just beside the Hall of Justice in Barangay Piapi, the village is composed of 25 booths of re-invented nipa and bamboo huts assigned to each local government unit of the province.

In 1988, Macias opened a showroom and gallery of Negros Oriental arts and crafts, called Sidlakang Negros, or Eastern Negros. The present Sidlakang Negros Tourism Village amplifies that concept in an enduring form.

It is the one location where the people of Negros Oriental come together as one to promote their harvests, delicacies, products, culture and tourist sites. A stage and open-air auditorium provides local artists with an avenue to showcase their talents and skills.

Leon Kilat

Among those who showcased their talents were Silliman University’s College of Performing Arts. They performed a play based on the life of Pantaleon Villegas and his anting-anting or amulets. Better known as Leon Kilat (Leon of the Lightning), Villegas led the revolutionaries in Cebu during the Philippine revolution against Spain.

Villegas’ relatives would tell stories how the folk hero had the uncanny ability to seemingly appear and disappear at will with the aid of his handkerchief and with the speed of lightning.

Those who saw Villegas in battle would claim “he would advance toward his enemies even with bullets buzzing around him. It would be difficult to hit him. Or, even if he is hit, he simply dusts himself off and he is not even hurt.”

Villegas came from Bacong, Negros Oriental, whose people are known for their bravery and for standing up to the Moro marauders who historically raided and pillaged the town and kidnapped the natives for the slave trade.

“Bacon! Bacon!” (Rise! Stand up and fight!) was the rallying cry of the town folk during the raids that occurred well into the Spanish era, when the friars built massive churches and fortifications to ward off the marauders.

According to the historical notes of Fr. Roman Sagun Jr., the raids eventually ceased and the town was able to develop.

On May 2, 1849, the Parish of Bacong—under the patronage of St. Augustine of Hippo—was established in accordance with Church law and those of the patronato real. Recollect Fray Joaquin Soriano was its first parish priest.

During the term of Fray Jorge Carcavilla, the church acquired a pipe organ built by the House of Roque de Zaragosa in Spain.

In November 2001, the National Museum declared the church as a National Cultural Treasure. It is being restored by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

Silliman

Meanwhile, Dumaguete is best known for Silliman University.

Founded on Aug. 28, 1901, Silliman is the oldest American university in Asia. When Protestant missionaries of the Presbyterian Church started the school, they named it after Dr. Horace Brinsmade Silliman (1825-1910), a retired businessman and philanthropist from New York.

Silliman began as a boy’s school and started to offer college degree courses in 1910. It opened its doors to girls in 1912.

In 1938, it became the first school outside of Manila to be recognized as a university.

As part of the Heritage Month celebrations, Silliman University hosted the “Handurawan” photo exhibit.

“Handurawan is a graphic recollection of fond memories,” explained artist Danny Sollesta, who headed the project.

Images of old Dumaguete, most of which are those of Silliman University during its earlier years, were put on display.

The photographs of Silliman students having fun—some even playing tennis—were well-preserved. The images presented warm-hearted memories.

A younger brother of Silliman University is Silliman Hall. Constructed in 1903, the building is a typical American structure designed as a colonial mansion. It used to hold the school library, classroom and faculty until World War II when it was seized by the Japanese who used it as their provincial headquarters.

Silliman Hall houses the university printing press. Artifacts and archaeological discoveries dating back to 2,000 years ago as well as an ethnographic collection of Philippine tribal minorities are also on exhibit.

Silliman Hall also serves as the perfect setting for those in the mood for a little nostalgia, such as the heritage festivities where folk dances and kundimans were performed by the locals and Ang Ating Pamana group, respectively.

Nature tours

While Negros Oriental truly has a lot to offer, heritage-wise, its natural resources are also something to look forward to.

For those who enjoy nature treks, there’s Balanan Nature Resort in Barangay Sandulot, Siaton, home of three majestic waterfalls on the far side of Balanan Lake. A one-hectare pond ideal for fishing can be found in the southeast.

Balanan Lake is 285 meters above sea level and a “humerus” bone-formed body of water oriented along a northwest-southeast direction with an area of 24 hectares.

Another body of water worth visiting is Tañon Strait, the narrow channel between Negros and Cebu islands known to have one of the biggest concentrations of cetaceans in the world.

From Bais City, visitors can avail themselves of the tour and see dolphins and sometimes pygmy sperm whales in their natural habitat.

The tour also includes a stopover at Manjuyod’s White Sand Bar, a kilometer-long strip of white beach in the middle of North Bais Bay. The area is visible only during low tide and disappears at high tide. Cottages accommodate picnickers and overnighters.


E-mail the author at dxmatilla@yahoo.com

[Pinoy_ako]

Thanks for the info Hawayano. I use to think that these kinds of stickers where for authentication purposes of cultural properties. Like if you have a collection for example of antiques, I think you can have it authenticated at the National Museum.

I think they will no longer continue wth the practice, especially the ones done to paintings. It may have something to do with forgeries, which the panel would not be able to detect.

[overtureph]

I think they will no longer continue wth the practice, especially the ones done to paintings. It may have something to do with forgeries, which the panel would not be able to detect.

So it seems that the National Museum are lacking in experts like in painting?

[overtureph]

A good and very interesting article.

Romancing colonialism and the colonized mind
HINDSIGHT By F Sionil Jose
Sunday, July 13, 2008

attended the tail-end of the two-day conference on the Augustinian friar Andres de Urdaneta at the Instituto Cervantes recently. Before going into what I said at that last session, let me recount how I came to Manila in 1938 to enroll at the Far Eastern University High School in Azcarraga, now Recto. In the afternoons, after class, I swam in the Pasig or crossed through Escolta, to the Walled City then to the Luneta to swim in the bay behind what is now the Quirino Grandstand. I often idled in Intramuros, to gaze at the ornate altars of its dozen or so churches, notably Santo Domingo during the La Naval festival in October. Shortly after World War II when Intramuros was a desolate wilderness of grass and squatter huts, I sometimes visited the San Agustin church, the proud survivor of that war. It was not yet rehabilitated, the walls scarred, the huge paintings of departed Augustinians torn, and the garden at the back in shambles.


On those occasions that I pilgrimaged to the Ilokos, I marveled at the beauty, the durability of those old churches, particularly those architectural jewels in Santa Maria and in Paoay, and lamented, too, the laziness of their parish priests for not cleaning them up or sprucing up their yards. When I wrote that novel Po-on — the first in the chronology of a five-novel saga spanning a hundred years of our history — I delved deeper into the past of those churches and the friars who built them. A wise and compassionate Augustinian in the novel, Padre Jose Leon, teaches the main character, the peasant Eustaquio Salvador, Spanish and Latin and what he knew of the elementary sciences that the Augustinians took with them in their epic voyage to the New World and to Filipinas.

............(more at)

http://philstar.com/index.php?Sunday%20Life&p=49&type=2&sec=47&aid=2008071220

[Hawayano]

So it seems that the National Museum are lacking in experts like in painting?

Good question! (but I don't have an accurate answer)...
Speaking from personal experience, I've seen many such stickers primarily affixed to santos and Chinese ceramics in antique shops in the Philippines. As Pinoy_Ako mentioned, I too wondered about the accuracy in connoisseurship of the "National Museum" personnel who actually issued the decals.

[Pinoy_ako]

So it seems that the National Museum are lacking in experts like in painting?

Meron silang experts, pero sa dami yata ng iauauthenticate, di na dumadaan sa scientific method. The stickers are much more like a pass, so they can be cleared by th Customs Office. May mga technical terms na ginagamit sila. I'll check the fogery issues para mas accurate ang background regarding the stickers.

[habagatcentral1]

I remember Jeff, Manong Jun and Isagani whenever I see this photo: :D

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/202/600x600/33/Binondo00034.jpg?et=WfIJC29mZi3cn4G5PBoRKQ&nmid=105748240
A House at San Nicolas, Binondo, Manila
It has been condemned by the City Hall of Manila as structurally unsound and the tenants must vacate the said structure.

From what I've heard, they are planning to make a tourist spot out of this structure. It is one of San Nicolas' landmarks. It is located at Corner Peñarubia and Madrid Streets.

[Hawayano]

^^^^ Sayang! I had always hoped that this bahay na bato (a rare three-story towering specimen) would've been rescued for reloaction and restoration in Intramuros. It would appropriately complement the Casa Manila structure. Isn't there any way that its irreplaceable remnant parts could be salvaged and stored for future study and use when adequate funds and support are available?

[habagatcentral1]

MANILA
http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/5192/12068820nk5.jpg
by dolphin23 (http://www.panoramio.com/user/629389)

CEBU (now Malacañang of the South)
http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/18/photos/27/600x600/52.jpg/Malacanang-of-the-South.jpg?et=KmN0Fcz%2BJ0plqm5ubNkChQ&nmid=21224106

ILOILO
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h291/berniemacksouthcentral/aduanacom.jpg
[/SIZE][/FONT]

[overtureph]

I can't find the ancestral houses thread so I'll post this here.

This is the very well preserved Acosta-Pastor ancestral house in Batangas City.

http://www.gmanews.tv/largevideo/related/25640/-Mel-and-Joey--Hanep-Bahay

[habagatcentral1]

The scenes of San Nicolas is somewhat disheartening. People who do not care about tangible heritage and sometimes were left to be neglected. Some destroyed out of catastrophe, others by low maintenance.

Much of the people here are interested to know about the history of the houses. If only there was an ordinance after the war, it could have been saved and now Manila's bet for Taal, Vigan and Carcar.

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/3/photos/204/600x600/46/P7203598.JPG?et=l8161d%2BsLDqxben%2CT2OFkg&nmid=106532924
Maintained by the owner of this residence, they have quite maintained its old world ambiance though.

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/5/photos/204/600x600/54/P7203606.JPG?et=bt%2BVT1qijZZNRXTCHFtqmA&nmid=106532924
An old ancestral building chopped into two, the other section was demolished to give way for a new structure...magkaaway ata ang magkakapatid na may-ari ng bahay na ito or something.

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/3/photos/204/600x600/59/P7203611.JPG?et=VDbLQDBYYEz3kzErb6imnw&nmid=106532924
A house with brick walls

This house is a landmark in San Nicolas. It is rare to find a three-story house here in the Philippines...bad thing is that it has already been condemned. :(
http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/202/600x600/33/Binondo00034.jpg?et=WfIJC29mZi3cn4G5PBoRKQ&nmid=105748240

[overtureph]

Back in the early 90's somewhere too in that area there where still several ancestral houses. I even saw one with a tiled roof. It is indeed sad that those houses which survived the war and natural calamities and would survived to this day, would only fall into neglect and decay. It is like dying, a slow and painful death.

One would wonder as to where the original owners of this houses are or why they left them. And with so much lost during the war, one would think that conservation would be a priority. So much for pride of place (to borrow from Arch. Augusto Villalon's column).

[overtureph]

Great documentation by the way, Bernie.

[habagatcentral1]

^^ Your welcome. Its all part of the job. :)

[Hawayano]

^^^^ @ habagatCentral: yes, thanks so much for sharing your photo documentation! It helps incredibly especially for those of us unable to physically be there to see and experience such places as San Nicolas' remaining old homes. Seems like to many have been demolished, and the few survivors are sorely threatened. I only wish I had the resources to dismantle and ship the demolished pieces to Hawaii for reconstruction as a Filipino heritage park. Being able to experience firsthand the beauty and richness of the architectural tradition would help restore pride to our local pinoy community.

[overtureph]

DENR: Half of RP fauna nearly extinct
By Katherine Adraneda
Tuesday, July 22, 2008

More than half of the species of birds, amphibians and mammals found only in the Philippines are either threatened or nearly extinct due to abuse of natural resources including smuggling, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said yesterday.

The country is the sole host to 1,137 animal species and 14,000 species of plants, the DENR said in a statement.

“Worldwide, we rank fifth in the number of plant species. We also rank fourth in bird endemism, which means that these birds are found only in the Philippines,” Environment Secretary Lito Atienza said.

However, the Philippines is also one of the top biodiversity hot spots with 592 endemic species of amphibians, birds and mammals considered “threatened or endangered,” he said.

In addition, 227 endemic species of flowering plants are listed in the “Red List” of “critically endangered” species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

With this, Atienza has instructed wildlife law enforcers to always aim at jailing violators in order to alleviate incidents of wildlife smuggling in the country and around the region.

It is about time, he said, that wildlife smugglers face the full extent of the law since they are “actually stealing the country’s resources through their criminal activities.”

“A wildlife smuggler has a slimmer chance of getting away if a law enforcer has the knowledge and confidence to say that this species is endangered or threatened with extinction during seizure operations. Not only detection but sure knowledge can lead to faster arrest of suspects,” Atienza said.

According to the DENR, the Philippines has 122 piers, 16 major seaports, six major international airports, 16 collection ports, and 160 ports that need to be monitored by the government.

It also said that some of the most commonly traded wildlife species in Southeast Asia are cats, sun bears, Asiatic black bear, loris, cockatoos, parrots, pangolins, napoleon wrasse or “mameng,” seahorses, tortoises and marine turtles.

These species are all listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, to which the Philippines is a party. The CITES strictly regulates international trade in threatened species since 1981, the DENR said.

The DENR’s own Red List of threatened, endangered or vulnerable fauna includes 215 species of birds, 96 mammals, and five reptiles.

The department did not give any list for the other threatened or near-extinct animals.

The most famous Philippine fauna in the IUCN Red List are a dwarf buffalo called the tamaraw, found only on the central island of Mindoro, and the Philippine eagle, one of the largest in the world and found only in Mindanao.

Mindanao police said last week that they arrested a farmer who shot and ate a Philippine eagle that had been released from a raptor conservation project just four months earlier.

The giant bird, one of only 250 estimated to be still alive, had been shot and wounded in 2006 but was nursed back to health by eagle conservationists and released back into the wild earlier this year.

Last month, 60 wildlife law enforcers from the DENR, the Philippine National Police, the Coast Guard, National Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Customs took part in a three-day seminar-workshop to improve their skills in wildlife species identification and of procedures in criminal prosecution.

“These wildlife enforcement officers, who have become well-versed in identifying endangered species in the country, now have to start locking up wildlife smugglers to let them know the government means business in preserving the country’s biodiversity,” Atienza stressed.

The DENR said that worldwide, the Philippines ranks fifth in the number of plant species and mammal endemism; and fourth in bird endemism.


http://philstar.com/index.php?Headlines&p=49&type=2&sec=24&aid=20080721156

[overtureph]

This is an interesting development.

Simple living at the Hacienda
By Lester Gopela Hallig
Friday, July 18, 2008

Don’t we all aspire for simpler living. At least for us who live, breathe, and eat urban living, finding a place — any place — with verdant greens and rolling hills is heaven on earth. Throw in good old Filipino culture and creature comforts into the mix and we are ready to pack our bags and relocate.

Of course, wishful thinking can only go this far. So when we accepted an invitation to visit Hacienda Escudero in Tiaong, Quezon, we were able to find out that “simpler living” is closer to what some call “hacienda living.” Well, at least that is the concept behind Hacienda Escudero, a partnership between Landco Pacific Corp. and the Escudero family of Quezon province.

Hacienda Escudero takes after its more popular namesake, Villa Escudero. While Villa Escudero has established itself as a tourist destination that showcases Philippine history and culture, Hacienda Escudero is aiming to become a Filipino-inspired residential-commercial development.

The clan’s Ado Escudero shares, “We are thankful that Landco accepted our family’s invitation of turning this land into a totally Filipino development. It is sad that most of the developments here are anything but Filipino. You will hear everything is European, except Filipino. At the Hacienda, we will return to our roots and celebrate our traditions.”

He promises that this will begin with the houses. Mind you, only houses designed according to the aesthetics of Commonwealth-era houses will rise within Hacienda Escudero.

“We will bring back those houses that defined the era, from 1940 down to the 1900s. All the old houses that are best suited for our climate will be seen here. There will be azoteas, wide open layouts, and raised floors,” he adds.

“The Commonwealth era was the grandest period of the Philippines,” chimes in Landco senior vice president for leisure and resort communities Pat Villano. “We want Hacienda Escudero to remind us of our glorious past. Hopefully, this will encourage more tourism in this area. We are the only development pursuing a totally Filipino identity.”

Even the buildings within the development will evoke the same theme, says Landco head for non-seaside development Joby Xerez Burgos. “While we are still a work in progress, we are making sure that this place will be homey and warm, typically Filipino. At the same time, we are going to make Hacienda Escudero the last word in relaxation and recreation.”

Included in the lineup are an 18-hole golf course designed by golfing hero Frankie Miñoza, basketball and tennis courts, a free-form pool, and a clubhouse. Hacienda Escudero will also have its very own spa village.

“We are building our very own wakeboard park in the premises for those into extreme sports. These offerings are meant to encourage more activity within the community,” says Villano.

He reveals that the community will also feature hotels, restaurants, shops, a convention hall, parks, and campus, retirement, and medical facilities.

A unique feature in the Hacienda is the Agritainment Center, which will offer fresh produce as well as an aviary, butterfly farm, botanical garden, and demo farms. Fishing areas will also be a common attraction around the Hacienda, as the area is dotted by lakes.

Before anybody thinks that these amenities will destroy the natural beauty of the surroundings, Hacienda Escudero ensures that this will remain intact. “The Escudero estate has always been protective of its natural habitats,” declares Don Escudero. “For decades, the hacienda has built an ecosystem related to its famed coconut plantation, which is a much more dynamic and friendlier environment.”

“The development is not a slash-and-burn thing,” Villano says. “The plantation is the setting and brings character. The whole idea is to preserve them to create a backdrop. Any type of habitation by humans as we all know will create some disruption. Residential land use for recreation and tourism is not necessarily a destructive use. As long as we can maintain a good number of trees and low traffic of buses, as long as the vegetation is preserved, the animals will be there because it is their habitat. That is what Hacienda Escudero is aiming for.”

Truth to tell, Don relates that they recently invited the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines to stay at the property overnight and identify the birds living there. Lo and behold, the club recorded 65 species within 24 hours. Escudero family members and resort employees have since added 13 more to the list.

The birds found spreading their wings here include the Purple Heron, Cattle Egret, Greater Painted Snipe, White-Throated Kingfisher, Zebra Dove, Oriental Magpie, Large-Billed Crow, Olive-Backed Sunbird, Barred Rail, Oriental Practicole, Mangrove Blue Flycatcher, Painted Snipe, and Cinnamon Bittern, among others.

“What surprised the club members was that the more highly frequented by people the area is, the more birds there are. The farther they got, the lesser birds they saw. I think it is because the birds feel very safe. In this estate, the rule is to never touch the birds,” Don informs us.

The estate itself is bounded by Mt. Banahaw, Mt. Cristobal, and Mt. Malarayat. It is home to Bulakin and Labasin rivers, as well as to various fruit-bearing trees. With these attractions, residents and tourists of Hacienda Escudero will definitely have a full schedule of down-home, back-to-basics enjoyment waiting for them. Now that’s the life.


http://philstar.com/index.php?Young%20Star&p=49&type=2&sec=45&aid=2008071789

[red_jasper]

LVN donates rare memorabilia to Lopez Museum

abs-cbnNEWS.com
(http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=126379)
The LVN Pictures, Inc., the Philippine counterpart of Hollywood's Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, donated hundreds of its rare film memorabilia to the Lopez Memorial Museum -- one of the country's leading museums.

LVN, along with the other members of the “Big Four” (Lebran International, Premiere Productions and Sampaguita Pictures), is acknowleged as one of the great Philippine movie studios whose output of critically acclaimed films helped usher in the Golden Age of Philippine cinema in the postwar years.

The heirs of Doña Narcisa Buencamino vda. De Leon, represented by Narcisa L. Escaler and Nieva Paz L. Eraña, presented the bequest to museum director Mercedes Lopez-Vargas, trustee Margot Fragante and Lopez Group chairman Oscar M. Lopez.

Escaler said that her grandmother wanted “to make the collection available to the public, to several generations.”

The collection includes photos with LVN firsts in Filipino Movies like “Orasang Guinto” (1946), the first Filipino post war film with Mila del Sol and Bimbo Danao under the direction of Manuel Conde; “Batalyon XIII” (1949), the first Filipino full-color movie with Carmen Rosales and Jaime dela Rosa, directed by Manuel Silos; “Rodrigo de Villa” (1952), the first Filipino co-production with a foreign film company, Indonesia’s Persari Productions, Inc., with Delia Razon and Mario Montenegro, directed by Gregorio Fernandez; scripts of acclaimed films including those under the direction of the National Artist Lamberto V. Avellana and casts led by Tony Santos and Rosa Rosal; “Anak Dalita” (1956), an Asian Film Festival Best Picture and “Badjao” (1957), Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay & Best Editing in the Asian Film Festival; posters, music sheets that include the song “Doña Sisang” with music by Jose Climaco, lyrics by National Artist Levi Celerio and four songs sung by Tessie Quintana and Armando Goyena in the film “Hawayana” (1953); and newspaper clippings relating to 327 movie titles and productions from 1939 to 1965.

Formed in 1938, LVN took its name from the first letters of the owners’ names: De Leon, Carmen Villongco and Eleuterio Navoa Jr. De Leon, known as Doña Sisang subsequently took over as president of LVN after buying out the inactive partner-families.

LVN rolled out its first production, “Giliw Ko,” under the direction of Carlos Vander Tolosa starring Ely Ramos, Fernando Poe Sr., Mila del Sol and Fleur de Lis (later known as “Mona Lisa”), in 1939. In 1941, it jumpstarted a new trend by producing the first Filipino film in color, Vicente Salumbides’ “Ibong Adarna”; the cast included Mila del Sol, Fred Cortes and Manuel Conde, who went on to become an acclaimed director.

LVN also became home to some of the biggest stars of the era, including Rogelio dela Rosa , Armando Goyena, Nestor de Villa, Mario Montenegro, Mila de Sol, Lilia Dizon, Norma Blancaflor, Rosa Rosal, Delia Razon, Nida Blanca, and Caridad Sanchez.

In all, LVN made over 350 movies in a variety of genres: musical comedies, costume adventures, and socially relevant fare now considered Philippine classics, including “Lapu-Lapu,” “Badjao,” “Anak Dalita” and “Biyaya ng Lupa.” Its output contributed in making LVN the Philippines ’ foremost movie studio for 30 years.

LVN produced its last film, “Kakabakaba Ka Ba?,” in 1980, 19 years after reinventing itself as a postproduction house in 1961; it closed in 2005.

The Lopez Memorial Museum now houses LVN’s glory years with 12,250 rare and original photos, scripts, posters, music sheets and newspaper clippings relating to 327 movie titles and productions from 1939 to 1965.

The Lopez Memorial Museum now ranks as one of the premier Southeast Asian institutions, built upon a rich trove of Philippine primary historical and cultural source materials.

It is dedicated to advance Philippine scholarship and preserving the heritage of art and literature, especially through the help and support of collectors such as the heirs of Doña Sisang’s.

[Animo]

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/july/27/yehey/images/life.jpg

Photo By KJ Rosales

By Rome Jorge (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/july/27/yehey/weekend/20080727week1.html)

In a world cared for, maintained and built by Filipino caregivers, nurses, seamen, engineers and other overseas workers, old traditions are taking root in strange places. Kababayans abroad are now spreading Filipino heritage themselves. Envision Fil-Ams in Los Angeles making their own bamboo orchestra instruments and playing well-loved folk songs; Pinoy expats in Brussels furthering Philippine cubism with their paintbrushes; our theater actors in Broadway’s production houses and our ballet dancers in Macau’s casinos showcasing our indigenous and folk dances and songs.

This is the age of cultural caregiving. And ardently espousing this doctrine is Cecile Guidote Alvarez, executive director of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

“We have directed our grantees who go out and get support from NCCA to do a complement of outreaches to Filipino communities—either by conducting clinics, participatory work or talks on the wealth of our heritage—for Filipino communities in places where they are scheduled to perform,” she explains.

Alvarez sites examples such as those conducted by the world-famous Luboc ‘Choir from Bohol’ “If there’s a competition in Singapore or Vienna, there’s an inter-cultural encounter afterwards with the Filipino community. Now, they don’t just drop by and give a show; they now leave something behind.”

“For instance, the Filipino-American Services Group, Inc. (a non-profit neighborhood-based health care provider for Filipino veterans since 1981) organized something to go with a tour of Los Angeles. They were so excited, we left our higantes [larger-than-life papier-mâché caricatures from the traditional Angono festival that artfully and subversively deride oppressive Spanish landlords with exaggerated features and pompous stances] with them because they wanted to use it,” she says.

“Now we’re planning something with the bamboo orchestra of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines better known as Banda Kawayan. They [Filipino communities in Los Angeles communities] will be taught how to make bamboo instruments themselves. The basic repertoire that will be taught to them will be our kundiman and folk songs,” cites Alvarez.

“With the AAP [Art Association of the Philippines], a group that would have had exhibitions anyway in Brussels and in London, we asked them, with a little additional funding, to do painting workshops for Pinoys there,” she examples.

Now, artists touring abroad that receives a grant from the NCCA must pay it forward. They must not only perform and inspire; they must also share their craft directly to a new generation of Filipinos abroad.

“We are not as rich as the other countries. We have no Japan House or Alliance Française. But we have so many brilliant Filipino artists abroad. They can also be harnessed and mobilized. We provide them with cooperative programming. Even they [the touring Filipino artists] themselves, we also give them cultural caregiving to strengthen them. We train them how to connect and explore what they can give,” Alvarez explains.

“We are now programming with the CFO [Commission on Filipinos Overseas led by chairman Dante Arevalo Ang Sr.] together with the Department of Foreign Affairs through our embassies and in consultation with the Church’s Center for Migrants and their concerns and other NGOs [non government organizations] and civic groups abroad. We are now going into a systematic cultural caregiving for Filipinos overseas,” she reveals.

Alvarez notes that collaborations between touring artists and resident Filipinos have long been practiced. The veteran theater artist explains, “When you travel and you have a cast of 80 or so, you only go with the core and do a performance collaboration with the local talent. They feel more connected.”

Now, the NCCA will systematize collaborations to maximize opportunities by mapping out where Filipino artists are and list what their skill set is. Each artist now will venture abroad with a roadmap that includes as many venues for synergy and collaboration as possible.

The same overseas Filipino workers who sustain the economy with their remittances from abroad are now key in nurturing our arts with their thirst for Filipino culture. We have the most global migrant workforce on Earth and one of the largest surplus of artistic talent we continuously export. The NCCA will be sharing the burden of carrying our culture across among them. It is nothing less than cultural bayanihan. The same Filipino communities that foster our touring artists during their brief stays will now nurture our traditions perennially, having been trained by the artists who visit.

Filipinos—sometimes criticized for assimilating foreign cultures all too well and surrendering heritage all too easily—are now uniquely poised to seed our culture across the globe. Though a small nation, the Philippines, by spreading its migrant population across nations, has created a global audience for its arts.

Local action

Cultural caregiving is not limited to Filipinos abroad. Locally, it uplifts marginalized sectors of society. Alvarez explains, “Right now, we have programs with local government. Because our chairman is Dr. [Vilma] Labrador [Department of Education Secretary Undersecretary], we now access regional art schools. We’ve also prepared a voc-tec [vocational-technical] curriculum for Tesda [Technical Education and Skills Development Authority], some performance and media arts modules. Out of school youths have artistic talents as well. These will not be developed unless you give them opportunities through these non-formal means. You will see what they can do if you just give them equity of time and opportunity.”

“Downstairs [at the NCCA ground floor lobby of the NCCA building] you will see some of the harvest of the caregiving for the differently-abled. They are able to discover their talents and build their confidence. We get to see the joy of transforming them into ‘handy-capable,’” he enthuses.

“Within this context of cultural caregiving for all these vulnerable groups, we go into the prisons. We go into DSWD [Department of Social Welfare and Development] centers like Nayon ng Kabataan [rehabilitation for abused, orphaned, abandoned, neglected and exploited children], The Haven [substitute home care for women].”

“It’s really heartrending for our cultural caregivers to have visited prison in Muntinlupa. You’ll be amazed how touched both prisoners and teachers are. We were even able to get [Justice Secretary Raul] Gonzalez to allow them—with of course guards—to have a Christmas show on television, to perform in Malacañang with Gary Valenciano. Now we are getting all these requests, from Davao Penal Colony to Quezon City Jail. It’s rehabilitation. It humanizes them. It gives them nutrition for the soul,” Alvarez believes.

Many things to many people

Cultural caregiving is just one of the many thrusts of NCCA. “Right now, with the FDCP [Film Development Council of the Philippines], we are assisting in the observance of the 10th anniversary of Cinemanila International Film Festival. We’ve rescheduled it for October because it will be two days after Pusan [International Film Festival].” She adds, “Within the framework of October, there’s the United Nations Global Conference on Migration. Besides this, the UN Millennium Development Goals (UNMDG) campaign is now a partner to give a UNMDG prize for film. With festival director Tikoy Aguiluz, we are institutionalizing the Vic Silayan Acting Award to honor acting as well for both local and foreign films.”

“October is also Indigenous Peoples’ Month. It’s going to be wonderful because the host city, Santiago City in Isabela will become like a living museum. The city has given a place where the indigenous communities will able to replicate their habitat. Real indigenous communities will showcase their own rituals and crafts. There will be various forums there on the issues of education, ancestral land rights and cultural survival. We will also have a forum with legislators from both the House and the Senate [Rep. Del de Guzman and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, both commissioners of the NCCA]. Even a board meeting of NCCA will be held there. Our schools for living traditions will all gather together earlier so they can see what traditions can be perpetuated. Now with CHEd [Commission on Higher Education], each indigenous community will have a partner school to help document and develop modules.”

“Now, all our sub-commissions are collaborating, led by the sub-commission on the arts for the preparation this early for the Arts Month in February. We are internationalizing it, involving more inter-cultural and inter-faith encounters.”

She reminds us, “We run a weekly live television show on Channel 4 [People’s Television Network, Inc.] called Sining Gising in cooperation with DepEd. It’s a creative classroom.”

She also notes that the NCCA’s support for handicapped artists extends year round and is not confined to National Disability Week, which this ran from July 17 to 23.

[B]Lifelong cultural caregiver

Alvarez’s nationalism and enthusiasm for cultural caregiving has its roots in her conception. In her response after receiving the Ramon Magsaysay (RM) Award on August 31, 1972, Alvarez revealed her life, “My father died before I was born [in 1943]. He joined the guerrilla movement and dismissed the fears, tears and anxieties of my mother with the urgent explanation of fighting to give us the gift of freedom. I often wondered about him. My father left me a shining legacy of giving, loving and fighting for one’s convictions. He got no medal for his valor, but he is my hero. Even as a child, as his daughter, I was resolved to define and seek my own service to our people.”

As a high school student, Alvarez dreamed of studying law at the University of the Philippines. However, her elder brother, fearing the 16-year-old was too young for the hotbed of activism, conspired to have her study at the St. Paul College in Ermita. It was there, under the tutelage of Fr. James Reuter, that she became part of the Paulinian Players Guild and later the Ateneo Summer Graduate Theater. It was there that her love for theater arts blossomed and her empathy for the disabled was first seeded.

Her speech for the RM Awards recalls her first experience of cultural caregiving: “At the age of 16, working at the Orthopedic Hospital, I was deeply impressed how a frail, shy girl on crutches, whose hands were sweaty, whose eyes were downcast, who could speak inaudibly only through trembling lips, found herself. She blossomed into a beautiful character on stage, acknowledging the cheers of the other patients who were a most enthusiastic audience. The wonder-therapy for her incredible personality development and social adjustment was drama.”

Reuter later prodded her to make her foray into mass media. At 18, Alvarez began directing the award-winning television series focusing on youth problems entitled Teenagers. She recalls, “A further realization of theater as a formidable means of influencing thought came into focus while I was working with teenagers as a constructive reaction against the rise of juvenile delinquency. It was noticeable that participants’ sensitivity, flexibility, imagination, creative facilities and expression were being cultivated as we continuously developed weekly original TV dramas. These dramas functioned not merely as a platform for entertainment, but also as an arena for social action where youth’s present problems and future goals were discussed to provide consciousness expansion . . . This is where I found meaning to serve, to care and to be involved.”

In 1964, she went to the State University in Texas to pursue a graduate degree in theater. In 1967, the same year she finished her studies and returned to the country, Alvarez founded the Philippine Educational Theatre Association (PETA). She was just 24.

Through Peta, Alvarez had a hand in honing the most acclaimed artists of our time: the late National Artist for Cinema Lino Brocka, Robert Arevalo, Alfred Yuson, Mario de los Reyes, Lutgardo Labad, Anton Juan, Isagani Cruz, Elwood Perez, Mario O’Hara, Frank Rivera, Nick Lizaso, Marilou Jacob, Joy Soler, Lily Gamboa O’Boyle and Joey Gosiengfiao to name a few. In turn, such experiences tempered and steeled her skills as a leader and as a visionary.

At age 29, she became the youngest person to receive the RM Award. But just 21 days after receiving recognition for progressive ideals, the Marcos dictatorship declared Martial Law on September 21, 1972. She and her family escaped to the US to avoid a shoot-to-kill order for her husband Heherson Alvarez (today the presidential adviser on overseas Filipino communities).

It was as an exile in America that Alvarez experienced migrant advocacy. She and her husband founded the Ninoy Aquino Movement in New York after the exiled senator was assassinated upon his return to the country on August 21, 1983. She continued her cultural work directing and producing Filipino plays at La Mama Theater off Broadway for the Third World Institute of Theater Arts Studies.

After the first People Power Revolt of 1986 overthrew the Marcos dictatorship, the Alvarez family returned to the Philippines. In 1987, then-President Corazon Aquino created the Presidential Commission on Culture and Arts, now known as the NCCA. As executive director, Alvarez has steered the NCCA through the tumult of several administrations and the internecine conflicts that characterize the highly polarized post-People Power arts community.

Today a breast cancer survivor, she endures with pills and prayers. Every breath she takes attests to her enduring tenacity. Talk about culture and she immediately lights up with an indefatigable conviction. More than just a fighter, she is a dreamer. Cecile Guiote Alvarez has so much more to give. It’s in her culture.

[Wonderboy]

^^ I'm not sure if she's the one who wanted to change the street name of Oroquitea Street in Manila to Anding Roces Street. I still have to confirm. Nonetheless, it should not be allowed. Buhay pa nga si Ading Roces, bibigyan na ng street name. Actually, street names should not be changed to begin with.

[Porknight]

We are building new streets called Bel Air , Chicago ecc.. Let's change these streets name they are just ridiculous . I'm not agree to change names of historical streets too . And if they really have to give names to new streets I prefer to name these after artists still alive like Roces than politicians that never did anything beside pocketing our public money.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquire...ticle_id=72957

[Waldenstrom]

^ Changing of street names is really ridiculous and confusing.

[IndioBravo]

Changing streetnames is like desecrating our heritage.So what's next, change our country's name?:bash:

[Animo]

By Augusto Villalon (http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20080728-151064/Heritage-questions-answered)
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:24:00 07/28/2008

MANILA, Philippines - A welcome addition to the scarce resource material on conservation in the Philippine context is “Balangkas,” a book focusing on the care of built heritage published by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

Chapter authors are respected heritage stalwarts Fernando Ziálcita, Bambi Harper, Datu Michael Matsura, Regalado Trota José, René Luís Mata, Clarissa Avendaño, Victor Venida, Jaime Laya, and Rose Beatrix Cruz-Angeles.

The publication answers “why preservation is needed despite our many economic and social problems; how preservation should be done for both the structure and its surrounding environment; the incentives that can be invoked; the funding sources that can be tapped; and the legal protection that can be expected.”

Some of the things pointed out by this book are: what first steps should be taken in the conservation of a building; how to fully document a structure; whether to reconstruct or not; and why the authenticity of architectural heritage must be maintained at all times.

Written in a simple question-and-answer format, the publication opens with “What is cultural heritage?”

Coverage

Cultural heritage includes the rarefied objects found locked away under glass in museums. However, it also includes the ordinary and mundane things such as the food we eat, clothes we wear, and even the special kind of humor that only Filipinos can get away with.

Cultural heritage objects can also be intangible: the unseen but equally significant singing and dancing that give an all-important human dimension when taking place in heritage houses; rituals and ceremonies that give life and relevance to our churches; and the literature, poetry, epics that provide a shared identity to all Filipinos.

Who determines what is heritage?

The National Historical Institute and the National Museum determine heritage of national importance. Each LGU is also charged to identify and protect its own local heritage.

Equally important is the private sector, groups of individuals all over the country who have pride of place and work to conserve their heritage.

Among the national heritage NGOs is the Heritage Conservation Society.

The Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church, which is affiliated with the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, oversees church heritage.

The Philippine Committee of the International Council of Monuments and Sites (Icomos) is the national affiliate of the official international organization of heritage practitioners. It governs the profession worldwide and advises the Unesco World Heritage Committee.

Islam

“Balangkas” investigates Islamic influence in Philippine architecture, a religion-based lifestyle that institutes the mosque and bazaar as the major public spaces in Islamic settlements. Since no building can be constructed higher than the mosque, Islamic settlements have a special visual harmony all their own.

We are reminded that in the 1700s, Magindanaw (now Cotabato City) had a compound-enclosure where the enormous roofs overshadowed the walls of buildings, continuing to this day as an architectural feature of the kotta (wooden ramparts) fortresses that still survive in Mindanao, particularly in the Lanao area.

Spanish fortifications

Being an archipelago, the importance of fortification along the coastline is a part of Philippine tradition. Fortification was not introduced by the Spanish.

When the Spaniards sailed to Manila, they encountered Rajah Sulaiman’s kotta of wood palisades guarding the Pasig River delta.

Spanish conquistadores found that Ivatans in what is known today as the Batanes archipelago, lived in tight, clustered villages cut into steep mountaintop ledges that protected them from invaders while providing a vantage point, providing a full view of the sea.

Spanish colonial-period fortress-churches are found along most of Philippine coastlines. One of the more notable clusters follows the coastline of southern Cebu where massive churches serve two purposes: religious as well as fortifications of refuge for parishioners in time of attacks.

What is the first step toward conserving a heritage building?

Before beginning any construction activity, finding out as much as possible about the building itself, its surroundings and history, is essential.

For background and additional guidance, international conservation charters (Venice Charter, Nara Charter, Burra Charter) and other Icomos documents outline guidelines for accepted conservation methods and practices.

Antiques

An interesting question asks: “Antique furniture and paintings appreciate in value in the Philippines. In contrast, antique buildings in the islands depreciate. Why is this so?”

Buildings, definitely more expensive but not moveable like furniture and paintings, are rooted to their locations, which determine their market value. Antique buildings appreciate if well maintained and situated in an equally well-maintained vicinity, a rarity in the Philippines where the older districts in the city center are often left to decay.

In Europe and other countries, tax laws allow relief for owners of heritage buildings in the form of lower tax assessments, tax-deductible conservation expenses, and government assistance for maintenance.

At this time there is no single law that specifically addresses heritage, although a bill is in the process of being presented for Senate consideration and approval. Nevertheless, heritage figures in Philippine legislation.

How is built heritage defined in Philippine law?

In the 1987 Constitution, Article XIV, Section 15 states: “Arts and letters shall enjoy the patronage of the State. The State shall conserve, promote, and popularize the nation’s historical and cultural heritage and resources as well as artistic creations.”

Article XIV, Section 16 declares: “All the country’s artistic and historic wealth constitutes the cultural treasure of the nation and shall be under the protection of the State which may regulate its disposition.”

“Balangkas” outlines existing government provisions for the benefit of heritage conservation and the few incentives available. It explains the steps to be taken in registering heritage with the appropriate government agency, and suggests which agencies can be of assistance for conservation of heritage that is in private hands.

“Balangkas” is available at the NCCA, Gen. Luna St., Intramuros, Manila. For inquiries, e-mail info@ncca.gov.ph or call 5272192.

Feedback is welcome at pride.place@gmail.com.

[Mojacko]

Hello, everyone!

Just out of curiosity (and taking my own risk!), I happened to take a stroll down old Muelle de la Industria along the north bank of the Pasig River (just beyond Jones Bridge - heading downstream toward Manila Bay), and while there, snapped just a few shots of two abandoned buildings marking the perpendicular of Juan Luna Street with Muelle de la Industria.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3179/2717927544_b8f998881f_o.jpg
Juan Luna Street. El Hogar (am I right?) on the left; right is (what's that building's name again - Ayala something)?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3031/2717927380_1ef84a4c03_o.jpg
If I recall the name right, this is the El Hogar Building. Compare this by the way to a shot of the EXACT same building taken in the 1960s, digitally archived from University of Wisconsin (I'm sure you'll find those in earlier "Philippine Then & Now" threads here in SSC) and note that the "Shell" neon on top of the building has since disappeared...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3157/2717111135_c8cd1bdcac_o.jpg
Top part of (unidentified?) building.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2159/2717111225_cb7a7e5ee5_o.jpg
Juan Luna-side entrance.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3163/2717111177_c6e52a30b1_o.jpg
Muelle de la Industria-side.

One favor I ask is for someone please help me remember what this building is (or originally was)? From what I recall, it may have been the original HQ building of Ayala WAY prior to their move to Makati, but I could be wrong... I'd very much appreciate some info confirming this.

What tickled my interest in these and other similar old buildings around this part of Manila is the history they have - or had - beyond their walls. These places are without doubt silent witnesses to Manila's changing times - originally erected during the American period, some surviving World War II, rebuilt, and then only to fall victim to disrepair and neglect after their tenants moved to more progressive parts of the city like Makati, Mandaluyong, and Quezon City. Today, they sit abandoned - no city government wanting to demolish them, much less revive them. (If only I had my way - and the resources - I'd give them new life...)

Maybe some of you could present your own ideas on what could occupy them if YOU were to revive them?

[xavierdude]

Hello, everyone!

Just out of curiosity (and taking my own risk!), I happened to take a stroll down old Muelle de la Industria along the north bank of the Pasig River (just beyond Jones Bridge - heading downstream toward Manila Bay), and while there, snapped just a few shots of two abandoned buildings marking the perpendicular of Juan Luna Street with Muelle de la Industria.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3179/2717927544_b8f998881f_o.jpg
Juan Luna Street. El Hogar (am I right?) on the left; right is (what's that building's name again - Ayala something)?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3031/2717927380_1ef84a4c03_o.jpg
If I recall the name right, this is the El Hogar Building. Compare this by the way to a shot of the EXACT same building taken in the 1960s, digitally archived from University of Wisconsin (I'm sure you'll find those in earlier "Philippine Then & Now" threads here in SSC) and note that the "Shell" neon on top of the building has since disappeared...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3157/2717111135_c8cd1bdcac_o.jpg
Top part of (unidentified?) building.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2159/2717111225_cb7a7e5ee5_o.jpg
Juan Luna-side entrance.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3163/2717111177_c6e52a30b1_o.jpg
Muelle de la Industria-side.

One favor I ask is for someone please help me remember what this building is (or originally was)? From what I recall, it may have been the original HQ building of Ayala WAY prior to their move to Makati, but I could be wrong... I'd very much appreciate some info confirming this.

What tickled my interest in these and other similar old buildings around this part of Manila is the history they have - or had - beyond their walls. These places are without doubt silent witnesses to Manila's changing times - originally erected during the American period, some surviving World War II, rebuilt, and then only to fall victim to disrepair and neglect after their tenants moved to more progressive parts of the city like Makati, Mandaluyong, and Quezon City. Today, they sit abandoned - no city government wanting to demolish them, much less revive them. (If only I had my way - and the resources - I'd give them new life...)

Maybe some of you could present your own ideas on what could occupy them if YOU were to revive them?


right now madalas yan gamitin as settings for commercials... would be nice if this strip becomes residential with ground level shops...pero dapat malinis na ang pasig by then

[galore]

^^ or boutique hotels.

i love these two.
i'd buy them if i can, seriously. ;p

[galore]

btw, i got this from carlos celdran's blog:

"This beautiful beaux-arts building, designed by architect Irrureta Goyena and set by the Pasig River on Muelle dela Industria in Binondo, was built as a wedding gift for the union of a Zobel daughter and a Peruvian count back in 1914. It housed the offices of the lending company El Hogar Filipino (hence its name) and the original headquarters of Ayala Life Insurance Company. After World War II, the building found itself in the hands of the Fernandez clan who still run the building till this day. Sadly, this strikingly elegant structure fell into disrepair in the 1980s when downtown Manila's street life was sucked out of Binondo and Ermita and spat out into the gated developments of Makati suburbia."

source: http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/2005/07/bravo-bravo_16.html

[Mojacko]

^^ Just as I thought. Little did I know I was partially correct at guessing that it was "Ayala... (something)"; now I remember. I do also know about Ayala Life Insurance moving to Makati around the 1970s-early 80s (where they have been since then), leaving their original building in disrepair. :(

Thanks for the info...

[Wonderboy]

Dear Mayor Lim:

I took my mentor and UP professor Dr. Rosario Cruz-Lucero, a British national, and some friends from the UP graduate school to Manila for a walking tour and they told me that the highlight of the trip was Plaza Lawton.

The marker installed by the City of Manila during the term of Lito Atienza is "In Memory of the Victims of Military Sexual Slavery During the Second World War."

However, the statues depict a certain kind of irony, as they show "a very strong sexual visual appeal." The most absurd statue is a woman covering or "holding" a man's private part.

"This can be a good material for your Manila stories, Jeff," my professor told me.

We all laughed when we realized how parks can be a source of rich material for a short story. The irony that Manila presents from time to time is something that we should not take for granted.

On the creative side, such ridiculous depiction can be turned into something comical (for humorous stories and essays). But how about from a visual/face value/historical standpoint? How about for a lowly Manileño? The marker and statue are out of place. Lawton was never a place for comfort women during WWII and the statues were not tastefully done.

On behalf of my professor and other colleagues, we hope that the City Hall of Manila headed by Mayor Lim as well as MHHC can do something about this.


Sincerely,

Jeffrey Yap

See photos below:

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/2625/lawton3ci6.jpg

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/9971/lawton4fm7.jpg

http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/2373/lawton5uo5.jpg

http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/4444/lawton6xs7.jpg

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/8890/lawton7db6.jpg

[Hawayano]

^^^^:ohno: Sorry--though the historical marker is indeed a valuable and significant gesture to this series of wartime atrocities, the placement and statuary are ludicrous and tasteless to the point that they detract and even mock the tragic event that they commemorate.

More appropriate venue: the Bayview Hotel or near the Luneta Hotel, since Ermita was one of the final scenes of abuse of Filipinas by the Japan military.

[Lili]

^^ I wholeheartedly agree with your point of view Jeff.

Mayor Atienza was never known for his good taste and sense of history. That is a bit twisted and has tenuous historical link. Quite misleading to put a historical marker there when it was not even used as a "comfort station". And yes, the statues are tacky and cheap. It just cheapens the memory of the abuse of comfort women.

What a waste of public funds and an insult to those who were victimized and ravaged by the brutalities of war.

[overtureph]

^^ I wholeheartedly agree with your point of view Jeff.

Mayor Atienza was never known for his good taste and sense of history. That is a bit twisted and has tenuous historical link. Quite misleading to put a historical marker there when it was not even used as a "comfort station". And yes, the statues are tacky and cheap. It just cheapens the memory of the abuse of comfort women.

What a waste of public funds and an insult to those who were victimized and ravaged by the brutalities of war.


Right on. I agree 100%.

[galore]

are you serious with those statues???

they look like those concrete statues you can buy by the bangketa.

[Animo]

Jeje, just look at it with the whole scene and it will make your laugh or cry because its so out of place. :crazy:

[overtureph]

Inquirer Northern Luzon
Ancient ‘balite’ tree battles for life in Aurora

By Tonette Orejas
Northern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 02:16:00 08/06/2008

MARIA AURORA, Aurora – A “balite” tree, carbon-dated to be between 400 and 600 years old and said to be among the oldest and biggest in Asia, has suffered from human abuse, as the Aurora provincial government and a family in Maria Aurora town try to settle a row over management of a park where the tree stands.

“Umaakyat ang mga tao. Inuukit pa nila pangalan nila. Nasasaktan ang puno (People climb it. They also carve their names on it. The tree is hurt),” Onassis Ronquillo, barangay chair of Quirino, said of the tourist-drawing natural wonder in his village at the foothills of the Sierra Madre.

This Ficus balete merr species towers as high as a five-story building, dwarfing the two-foot tree that Sen. Loren Legarda had planted on its far right. Its branches shade some 400 square meters of vacant space on the 12,500-sqm lot where it stands.

It takes 61 people with outstretched arms to encircle the tree, Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo said.

Neglect is all over the place. Grasses are untrimmed while garbage litters the park. The two viewing decks and a function room are idle and dirty. A building on its left side is vacant.

Metal bars on the fence ringing the tree have been stolen. Some of the concrete posts have collapsed.

Suspended

Ronquillo said the development of the park was suspended due to an ongoing dispute with the provincial government. His family, which claims ownership of the property, was ready to sign a deed of donation in 2004 in exchange for a 12-percent share from proceeds of the park.

Angara-Castillo said she started developing the park in 2000 as part of the provincial government’s community-based program. The park was designed to bring in additional income to the farming village of 3,000 people, she said.

Ronquillo said the governor and the Department of Tourism had disagreed with the family’s demand, saying no funds would be left for park maintenance if the demand was granted.

Pork barrel

Part of the Countrywide Development Fund, derisively called pork barrel, of Angara-Castillo when she was Aurora representative, funded the construction of the facilities.

She said she ordered a stop to the park’s development in 2004 because Ronquillo put up a videoke bar near it and his family had no title to show for the property.

Ronquillo said the 12,500-sqm land is part of the seven-hectare property titled in the names of his parents, Eliseo and Dolores.

Now 77, Dolores said she and Eliseo bought the land from the Catipon family in 1952. “We exchanged it for rice mill and palay,” she said.

“I cannot recall the exact year but Eliseo tried to burn that tree so that we would have more land to till. He surrounded it with dry coconut fronds but the tree refused to die. So he just decided to let things be, maintained it as a playground for the children in the village.”

Eliseo, she said, was one of Quirino’s founders. Before he died in 1992, Eliseo had donated a two-hectare lot as site for the village’s elementary school. Another hectare was lost from the property because Eliseo also agreed to give it away for a road leading to the school, she said.

“I will resurrect the project once the ownership issue is settled,” Angara-Castillo said.

Both Angara-Castillo and Ronquillo said they wanted to care for the tree and resume the park’s operations.


Copyright 2008 Northern Luzon Bureau. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20080806-152900/Ancient-balite-tree-battles-for-life-in-Aurora

[Wonderboy]

You are cordially invited to the 4th Architectural Conservation Lecture on the ECONOMICS OF HERITAGE PRESERVATION by Dr. VICTOR VENIDA. on Saturday, 16 August 2008, 2:30-5:00 p.m. at the Army & Navy Club Building (now Museo ng Maynila), South Boulevard, Ermita, Manila.

Dr. Venida is an Associate Professor at the Department of Economics and Lecturer on Basic Economics for International Economic Law at the College of Law, Ateneo de Manila University.

Registration starts at 2:00 p.m. There is a minimum donation of P200. Students with valid ID, free of charge. Snacks will be provided by the Manila Historical and Heritage Commission. For reservations, please contact Dorie or Luz (0917) 8668853, (0922) 8712061, (0906) 2625631; HCS
Secretariat: (02) 5212239 and (02) 5222497.

[Wonderboy]

Vote for Mayon Volcano, Chocolate Hills, Puerto Princesa, etc. as one of the 7 New Wonders of the World!

www.new7wonders.com

[Wonderboy]

Saw this in Manila Bulletin last Sunday. Perhaps this is a good oppotunity for you guys to talk to the architect regarding the issue on high rise construction on F.R. Hidalgo as well as Acuzar's future plans to dismantle, transport, and "restore" of old sturctures in Manila:

-----

Lectures on conservation of architecture

The first ever Fine Arts School of the University of the Philippines called Escuela De Bellas Artes is an example of conservation of architecture. Built in 1867, the two-story bahay na bato structure was desgined by Felix Roxas, the first Filipino earn an architectural degree.

The school eventually moved from R. Hidalgo in Quiapo to Padre Faura campus of UP, thus dooming Bellas Artes to its derelict state of neglect.

The save the sturcture, a team of architects moved each brick, stone, and mortar to the Cuidad Real de Acuzar complex in Bagac, Bataan, where it was reconstructed and restored.

The principal architect of Cuidad, Joel Rico, will discuss conservaton of architecture using his experience in the dismantling, transporting, and restoring of the Bellas Artes and other structures.

The lecture takes place on August 16, 2 P.M. at the Lopez Memorial Museum.

Architect Rico obtained his Bachelor's degree in Architecture from the National University in 1993.

Lecture fee is P120 per person or P100 for students. For more information, e-mail admin@lopezmuseum.org.

[Wonderboy]

BUTUAN GLOBAL FORUM, INC.
Ground Floor, Urios Gym, J. C. Aquino Avenue, Butuan City 8600
TeleFax No. (6385) 341-9555

August 8, 2008


Butuan Global Forum, Inc. is pleased to invite you to the “FIRST MASS” Symposium on August 23, 2008 (Saturday) from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Ayala Museum in Greenbelt 5 at the corner of Legaspi Street and Makati Avenue in Makait City, Metro Manila. Our Heritage Committee Chairman, Mr. Gregorio P. Hontiveros, author of “Butuan of a Thousand Years” and “Fire on the Island”, will lead the presentation.

This symposium will present to a select audience the position paper of the Butuan group that was submitted to the NHI Panel on the “First Mass” issue, incorporating therein the latest evidences that should finally open the way to a correction of a long-standing historical error.

The evidences range from the navigation logs of Magellan’s pilots, an analysis of the ecosystems of Limasawa island and the Masao estuary, with special focus on the presence of gold mines in its environs as reported by Pigafetta, the geological studies that prove the presence of islands in the Agusan River Delta, to a review of the 300-year old oral/documentary tradition of the “First Mass” in Butuan before the revision.

A dynamic interaction with the participants will help sharpen the relevance of the evidences, and the enhancement of the mode of presentation.

Please RSVP by email to this address or by text message or by phone call to Jody B. Navarra at (0917) 819-2420. Please give us a list of your fellow historians who may be interested to attend this symposium on the First Mass.

Respectfully yours,



LAURICE GUILLEN-FELEO ANGELO A. JIMENEZ
Chairperson President

[Animo]

I know we have some conservationist who are against moving historic structures from their original areas, but I like the idea with the Ciudad Real de Acúzar. I saw a feature about the area and all the restored houses and it really is better compared to having it rot in the cities.


Saw this in Manila Bulletin last Sunday. Perhaps this is a good oppotunity for you guys to talk to the architect regarding the issue on high rise construction on F.R. Hidalgo as well as Acuzar's future plans to dismantle, transport, and "restore" of old sturctures in Manila:

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Lectures on conservation of architecture

The first ever Fine Arts School of the University of the Philippines called Escuela De Bellas Artes is an example of conservation of architecture. Built in 1867, the two-story bahay na bato structure was desgined by Felix Roxas, the first Filipino earn an architectural degree.

The school eventually moved from R. Hidalgo in Quiapo to Padre Faura campus of UP, thus dooming Bellas Artes to its derelict state of neglect.

The save the sturcture, a team of architects moved each brick, stone, and mortar to the Cuidad Real de Acuzar complex in Bagac, Bataan, where it was reconstructed and restored.

The principal architect of Cuidad, Joel Rico, will discuss conservaton of architecture using his experience in the dismantling, transporting, and restoring of the Bellas Artes and other structures.

The lecture takes place on August 16, 2 P.M. at the Lopez Memorial Museum.

Architect Rico obtained his Bachelor's degree in Architecture from the National University in 1993.

Lecture fee is P120 per person or P100 for students. For more information, e-mail admin@lopezmuseum.org.

[Animo]

By Augusto Villalon (http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20080810-153819/More-glossary-terms-of-Philippine-heritage-styles)
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:42:00 08/10/2008

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NEO-RENAISSANCE Gabaldon schoolhouses constructed by the American colonialists

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SAN AGUSTIN Church in Paoay with its anti-earthquake buttresses

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CAPIZ windows arch gracefully beneath the vaulted loggia of Gota de Leche, constructed 1907.


MANILA, Philippines - Gabaldon: Named after Isauro Gabaldon, a Philippine congressman, author of 1908 legislation paving for the construction of American colonial-period schoolhouses of reinforced concrete and wood, architecturally designed for the tropics by Yale graduate Willliam Parsons. The schoolhouses, based in standardized designs, were raised above the ground, had high ceilings under steep roofs, kapis shell (Placuna placenta) windows, and wide porticos evident in the outstanding surviving examples Pampanga High School in San Fernando and Baguio Central School.

Neoclassical: A revival of motifs from Graeco-Roman art in architecture, done or sometimes replicated in a precise, scholarly manner. This was the style favored by the American colonial authorities in the early 19th century to mark their presence in the Philippines. The 19th century church of Malabon (Manila), and the American colonial era structures, Manila Post Office and the National Museum(both in Manila), and various Provincial Capitols constructed by the American colonial government during the early 20th century are good examples.

Neo-Gothic: Revival of decorative motifs from the European Gothic era (ca. 1140-1550) with pointed arches, ribbed vaulting, spores, stained glass windows seen at San Sebastian Church (Manila), the interiors of 19th century Lopez (Balayan, Batangas) and Ilagan (Taal, Batangas) houses.

Neo-Mudejar: Revival of a 14th century medieval Spanish-Muslim style characterized by complicated, exposed wooden trusses, horseshoe arches seen in the former Agustinian Provincial Building in Intramuros (Manila) now the Cojuangco Building and the exposed trusses of Santa Monica Church in Sarrat (Ilocos Norte).

Neo-Renaissance: Revival of 14th century Italian Renaissance that revived the formaility of ancient Roman architectural details, rounded arches, colonnades, open galleries, and cupolas. Examples are the Philippine General Hospital Nurses Home and Calvo Building in Manila, and the Provincial Capitol of Pangasinan in Lingayen.

Streamline Moderne: This style evolved from Art Deco in the early 1930’s when streamlining became the hallmark of industrialized production that appeared not only in architecture but more significantly in ocean liners, aiplanes, home appliances, furniture. The Jai Alai Building in Manila (destroyed on 2000) and the “Boat House” in Iloilo are outstanding examples.

Tampinco: The popular late 19thcenturty sculptor IsabeloTampinco adapted stylized Philippine flora into doors, panels, and frames, known in elite circles as the estilo Tampinco, that gained even more popularity with the incorporation of Art Noveau designs for sinuously carved tropical vines and leaves from the Phliippines. Many examples of his work survive in private residences today.

Vigan style: During the 19th century, Ilocos province developed its own variant of civil architecture. Instead of the conventional stone and brick ground floor with wooden upper floor, in the province both floors of the entire structure were of brick. Instead of an upper floor overhang traditional in the rest of the country, facades were flat and articulated by heavy cornices and pilasters dividing bays. Bricks were never exposed, always covered with a coat of lime plaster for protection.
Volada: A “flying gallery” (galeria volada) extends the length of the street front to protect the interior from sun and rain. This gallery, enclosed from the elements by sliding windows of kapis panels, can be closed off from the interior with wide double doors, as seen in two Vigan (Ilocos Sur) examples, the Archbishop’s Palace and the Quema House.

The glossary, an extremely brief and incomplete introduction to a few architectural styles, is by no way comprehensive or conclusive. Two descriptive sentences cannot even begin to express what a style sets out to achieve through architecture.

To be aware of the nuances of architecture through the ages takes deeper study, which is precisely what reading “Balangkas” encourages.

“Balangkas” is available at the NCCA, General Luna St., Intramuros, Manila. Call 5272192, fax 5272191 or e-mail info@ncca.gov.ph.

Heritage lecture

Heritage Conservation Society will hold its 4th Architectural Conservation Lecture on the “Economics of Heritage Preservation,” by Victor Venida, on Aug. 16, 2:30-5:00 p.m., at the Army and Navy Club Building (now Museo ng Maynila), South Blvd., Rizal Park, Ermita, Manila.

Venida, of the Department of Economics of the Ateneo de Manila University, will speak on government and private financial initiatives to spur heritage development.

Registration starts at 2 p.m. There is a minimum donation of P200. Students with valid ID are free of charge. Snacks will be provided by the Manila Historical and Heritage Commission. For reservations, call 5212239 and 5222497.

[overtureph]

RP wonders dropping out of race
By Mayen Jaymalin
Thursday, August 14, 2008

The Philippines’ nominations to the new seven wonders of the world online contest are continually dropping from the top 20 list, the Department of Tourism (DOT) reported yesterday.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said that as of the latest count, the Tubbataha reef ranks eighth, the Chocolate Hills ninth, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean National Park 10th and Mayon Volcano at 18th place.

“We have the most number of destinations in the top 20 list, which is dominated by Asian and South American countries. But we are continually dropping,” Durano pointed out.

Durano then renewed the DOT’s call to the general public to continue voting for the country’s nominees.

“The DOT encourages everyone to participate in the survey,” Durano said as he expressed appreciation over efforts of communities and groups in promoting the nominated destinations to both domestic and foreign audience.

Durano said the rankings are updated twice daily and may be viewed at http://www.new7wonders.com/nature/en/liveranking. Voters have until Dec. 31 to log in their nominations at www.new7wonders.com and the top 21 finalists at the end of the first round will be announced in January 2009.

A second year-long competition will then be held to determine the top seven contenders to be officially declared the new “Seven Wonders of Nature” by the year 2010.

Durano, earlier, expressed hope that the search would not only promote the country’s destinations to foreign tourists but also encourage every Filipino in advocating the conservation of our ecological treasures.

“By landing in the list of the Seven Wonders of Nature, tourism activities near these sites will rise, thus benefiting the livelihood of Filipinos living nearby,” the tourism chief added.

Since its inception on July 7, 2007, the Seven Wonders of Nature list has included the Tubbataha Reef and Chocolate Hills as top candidates in the 2nd and 3rd place positions.

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean National Park has beaten India’s River Ganges in reaching for 5th place, while the Mayon Volcano bested Japan’s Mount Fuji and was ranked 9th in the overall tally.

The search for the Seven Wonders of Nature was organized by the non-profit Seven Wonders Foundation, an association that aims to conserve the world’s natural and man-made heritage through advocacy and documentation.


http://philstar.com/index.php?Headlines&p=49&type=2&sec=24&aid=20080813124

[icarusrising]

I know we have some conservationist who are against moving historic structures from their original areas, but I like the idea with the Ciudad Real de Acúzar. I saw a feature about the area and all the restored houses and it really is better compared to having it rot in the cities.

If that's the way to save them, I'm for it.

[icarusrising]

Taal of old (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Travel&p=49&type=2&sec=48&aid=2008080990)

TEXT AND PHOTOS By Ayvi Nicolas

Sunday, August 10, 2008

I spent Independence Day in Taal, Laguna. And I left with many hopes, too many unanswered questions and one lasting image.

For a town with a pedigree like Taal, it isn’t hard for a stranger to see what its residents know. That Taal is a town with a glorious, historical past.

Taal is an Old Rich aristocrat who has suddenly realized that its past, no matter how illustrious and colorful it was, has been all but completely forgotten now and there is no other way but to live in the present no matter how strange the present might be. Genteel Taal couldn’t hide behind iron gates and capiz windows and shun the world for long. With dignified, careful steps, she walked the same old familiar streets and realized the brisk, competitive pace of modern life has fully taken over.

The words may seem a rash and sweeping statement and yet, like many other towns in the country, Taal is now described in whispered, sympathetic tones as a dying town.

Taal’s rich past dates back to early history. Internationally celebrated archaeological finds once put the town in the display cases of the world’s museums.

During the fight for Philippine freedom, Taal was the stage where great men and women plotted and played out their various roles in pursuit of independence and national identity.

Last Independence Day, the Philippine Flag was raised simultaneously in various symbolic locations in the country like Cavite and Rizal Park in Manila. In Taal, the Philippine Flag was also raised right in front of the monument of the woman who rendered the very first one. Though Marcela Agoncillo sewed the first flag with daughter Lorenza and Josefina Herbosa y Natividad (a niece of Jose Rizal) in exile in Hong Kong and though Emilio Aguinaldo would unfurl it in Kawit, Cavite, the Philippine Flag seemed to have been led home to its mother Lola Marcela, now cast in bronze standing tall and gracious at the very heart of the town she loved. And on that rainy Day of Independence, her townspeople gathered around her and relived the great stories of love and heroism that happened on the same streets where everyone gathered, lined by the very houses that stood there over a century ago.

Old glories are hard to let go, much like love stories wherein we never want the lovers to part or the fairy tale to end. Yet even the fiercest lovers have to let go of each other in mortality. And so no great town is ever truly immortal. That’s why on this day I have heard the question asked, is Taal a dying town?

This sad sentiment is reflected by its slowly disappearing crafts and trades. A long time ago Taal was a site of a bustling port where commodities and cultures were channeled through, an ideal place for artists and artisans, merchants and scholars. In recent time, the place was known for its piña cloth and balisong. Now it is sadly like any other town whose main industry is exporting professional and skilled workers overseas.

What every epic hero knows is that the story can make him immortal. And so our great Filipino heroes’ stories have been told to one generation after another keeping every name Rizal, Bonifacio Aguinaldo... all immortal. As what is true of a story’s protagonist, it may also be with a story’s setting.

Since that one day of restored glory on that Independence Day, Taal now wishes to be given a chance to tell its story to those who would come to visit. Taal yearns to showcase that by opening the heavy old wooden doors of its century-old houses. Yes, this is a town that wants to bring its old, illustrious image back. But it, too, is a town that humbly wishes to remember its identity and unique place in our nation’s fight for freedom.

I hope Taal would be able to hold on long enough to its historical treasures. I hope the Taalenos would remember the stories of heroism and love long enough. I hope the visitors would come to Taal just in time before all those are completely lost and forgotten. I have many questions as to how that will all become reality. Yet Taal today is slowly living, growing into the answer. Characteristic of its Hispanic past, a revolution is brewing right along its quiet, laidback streets.

A group of Taalenos has already formed the Taal Active Alliance League which aims to showcase Taal’s historical and architectural treasures. The league is comprised of committees on tourism, cultural mapping, a citizen watchdog, a technical working group, legal, finance and special projects and secretariat and media relations. With Vigan for an inspiration, the project to restore Taal to its rightful place in Philippine history is underway and the people behind it are aware that the first step must be for Taalenos to know their complete history and identity as a people.

Currently, volunteer teachers are taking a second look at each barangay to identify historical houses and other structures, and conduct research and interviews with the residents. Once notable landmarks and anecdotes have been identified, a group of photographers and writers will contribute their expertise to document the town’s heritage.

The project’s aim is to once again transform Taal into a quaint, interesting town with many touching sites and historical insights to offer to students and local tourists, ultimately giving the Filipinos a glimpse of their own proud history.

On the local government’s side, ordinances have already been implemented to control air and noise pollution caused by tricycles, the town’s main mode of transportation.

Like a few other towns in Batangas, Taal is a phoenix that has risen from volcanic ash. When Taal Volcano erupted in 1754, it wiped out Taal and surrounding towns Lipa and Tanauan. Through fires and floods, revolutions and legacies, Taal never ceased to be the graceful old dame of the South.

I have an image in my mind described to me one breezy afternoon on a balkonahe in one of Taal’s old houses. It’s a crowded street bustling with merchants, artists and artisans trading goods and stories while in the horizon the galleon ships’ sails flutter wildly under a blue sky and a hot sun.

[overtureph]

Taal of old (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Travel&p=49&type=2&sec=48&aid=2008080990)

TEXT AND PHOTOS By Ayvi Nicolas

Sunday, August 10, 2008

I spent Independence Day in Taal, Laguna. And I left with many hopes, too many unanswered questions and one lasting image.

For a town with a pedigree like Taal, it isn’t hard for a stranger to see what its residents know. That Taal is a town with a glorious, historical past.

Taal is an Old Rich aristocrat who has suddenly realized that its past, no matter how illustrious and colorful it was, has been all but completely forgotten now and there is no other way but to live in the present no matter how strange the present might be. Genteel Taal couldn’t hide behind iron gates and capiz windows and shun the world for long. With dignified, careful steps, she walked the same old familiar streets and realized the brisk, competitive pace of modern life has fully taken over.

The words may seem a rash and sweeping statement and yet, like many other towns in the country, Taal is now described in whispered, sympathetic tones as a dying town.

Taal’s rich past dates back to early history. Internationally celebrated archaeological finds once put the town in the display cases of the world’s museums.

During the fight for Philippine freedom, Taal was the stage where great men and women plotted and played out their various roles in pursuit of independence and national identity.

Last Independence Day, the Philippine Flag was raised simultaneously in various symbolic locations in the country like Cavite and Rizal Park in Manila. In Taal, the Philippine Flag was also raised right in front of the monument of the woman who rendered the very first one. Though Marcela Agoncillo sewed the first flag with daughter Lorenza and Josefina Herbosa y Natividad (a niece of Jose Rizal) in exile in Hong Kong and though Emilio Aguinaldo would unfurl it in Kawit, Cavite, the Philippine Flag seemed to have been led home to its mother Lola Marcela, now cast in bronze standing tall and gracious at the very heart of the town she loved. And on that rainy Day of Independence, her townspeople gathered around her and relived the great stories of love and heroism that happened on the same streets where everyone gathered, lined by the very houses that stood there over a century ago.

Old glories are hard to let go, much like love stories wherein we never want the lovers to part or the fairy tale to end. Yet even the fiercest lovers have to let go of each other in mortality. And so no great town is ever truly immortal. That’s why on this day I have heard the question asked, is Taal a dying town?

This sad sentiment is reflected by its slowly disappearing crafts and trades. A long time ago Taal was a site of a bustling port where commodities and cultures were channeled through, an ideal place for artists and artisans, merchants and scholars. In recent time, the place was known for its piña cloth and balisong. Now it is sadly like any other town whose main industry is exporting professional and skilled workers overseas.

What every epic hero knows is that the story can make him immortal. And so our great Filipino heroes’ stories have been told to one generation after another keeping every name Rizal, Bonifacio Aguinaldo... all immortal. As what is true of a story’s protagonist, it may also be with a story’s setting.

Since that one day of restored glory on that Independence Day, Taal now wishes to be given a chance to tell its story to those who would come to visit. Taal yearns to showcase that by opening the heavy old wooden doors of its century-old houses. Yes, this is a town that wants to bring its old, illustrious image back. But it, too, is a town that humbly wishes to remember its identity and unique place in our nation’s fight for freedom.

I hope Taal would be able to hold on long enough to its historical treasures. I hope the Taalenos would remember the stories of heroism and love long enough. I hope the visitors would come to Taal just in time before all those are completely lost and forgotten. I have many questions as to how that will all become reality. Yet Taal today is slowly living, growing into the answer. Characteristic of its Hispanic past, a revolution is brewing right along its quiet, laidback streets.

A group of Taalenos has already formed the Taal Active Alliance League which aims to showcase Taal’s historical and architectural treasures. The league is comprised of committees on tourism, cultural mapping, a citizen watchdog, a technical working group, legal, finance and special projects and secretariat and media relations. With Vigan for an inspiration, the project to restore Taal to its rightful place in Philippine history is underway and the people behind it are aware that the first step must be for Taalenos to know their complete history and identity as a people.

Currently, volunteer teachers are taking a second look at each barangay to identify historical houses and other structures, and conduct research and interviews with the residents. Once notable landmarks and anecdotes have been identified, a group of photographers and writers will contribute their expertise to document the town’s heritage.

The project’s aim is to once again transform Taal into a quaint, interesting town with many touching sites and historical insights to offer to students and local tourists, ultimately giving the Filipinos a glimpse of their own proud history.

On the local government’s side, ordinances have already been implemented to control air and noise pollution caused by tricycles, the town’s main mode of transportation.

Like a few other towns in Batangas, Taal is a phoenix that has risen from volcanic ash. When Taal Volcano erupted in 1754, it wiped out Taal and surrounding towns Lipa and Tanauan. Through fires and floods, revolutions and legacies, Taal never ceased to be the graceful old dame of the South.

I have an image in my mind described to me one breezy afternoon on a balkonahe in one of Taal’s old houses. It’s a crowded street bustling with merchants, artists and artisans trading goods and stories while in the horizon the galleon ships’ sails flutter wildly under a blue sky and a hot sun.

Wrong geography. Taal is in Batangas and not in Laguna.

[Animo]

If that's the way to save them, I'm for it.

This Mr. José Acúzar actually caused an uproar because he was buying heritage houses and moving them away from their original sites. But in my opinion, this is the only way to save our dying heritage pieces. I cannot hope for the government to do all these reconstructions.

Ciudad Real de Acúzar

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Homenaje a las mujeres de Malolos

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Universidad de Filipinas: Escuela de Bellas Artes
Fundado Año 1908

- Used as a location for the UP School of Fine Arts summer program.

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Hispano-Filipino Architecture and Design

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Casa Tolentino - Año 1898

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[overtureph]

Impressive post Animo. Have you visited the place personally? Some people collect antique items like furniture etc. artefacts. But I guess some people collect antique houses. Truly impressive!

[icarusrising]

Wrong geography. Taal is in Batangas and not in Laguna.

:lol: Hahaha. That's really funny. Everyone should know that. I've posted the same article in the Batangas thread though I didn't alter any part of the content.

[Wonderboy]

The problem with Acuzar's project is that he doesn't really save the heritage structures in the area per se. What he does is he chooses an area that is feasible for real estate, take away the old house, transfer it to Bataan, and turn the former site of the old house into a condo unit.

This is what happened on R. Hidalgo Street. With the high rise being constructed, it will be a domino effect. Same with what happened to the streetscape of San Nicolas when one house was turned into a condo unit and everyone thought that they should dismantle their old houses and turn it into a condo or office building as well. San Nicolas could have been the Vigan of Manila. Same fate will happen on R. Hidalgo Street because of what Acuzar did.

So it's not really saving per se. Acuzar just wants the land. He even planned to dismantle a chruch in Pampanga and transfer it to his land. Mabuti na lang, the townsfolk fought for their church. And that chruch is still intact and being used by the people to begin with. It's not like it's being neglected. So I don't understand why Acuzar wants to transfer a church.

Being in the thick of things here in Manila, I know more than just a face value media released information on the heritage town. What are posted on the internet or published on dailies are all media mileage. I know this because I'm part of the media. Yes, the government is at fault for letting Manila decay but transferring the old houses and churches is not a long term solution. If you take away an important landmark, the cultural space and its history will disappear forever. Even a marker cannot suffice.

[overtureph]

The problem with Acuzar's project is that he doesn't really save the heritage structures in the area per se. What he does is he chooses an area that is feasible for real estate, take away the old house, transfer it to Bataan, and turn the former site of the old house into a condo unit.

This is what happened on R. Hidalgo Street. With the high rise being constructed, it will be a domino effect. Same with what happened to the streetscape of San Nicolas when one house was turned into a condo unit and everyone thought that they should dismantle their old houses and turn it into a condo or office building as well. San Nicolas could have been the Vigan of Manila. Same fate will happen on R. Hidalgo Street because of what Acuzar did.

So it's not really saving per se. Acuzar just wants the land. He even planned to dismantle a chruch in Pampanga and transfer it to his land. Mabuti na lang, the townsfolk fought for their church. And that chruch is still intact and being used by the people to begin with. It's not like it's being neglected. So I don't understand why Acuzar wants to transfer a church.

Being in the thick of things here in Manila, I know more than just a face value media released information on the heritage town. What are posted on the internet or published on dailies are all media mileage. I know this because I'm part of the media. Yes, the government is at fault for letting Manila decay but transferring the old houses and churches is not a long term solution. If you take away an important landmark, the cultural space and its history will disappear forever. Even a marker cannot suffice.

Is this the same guy who owns the construction company, who partly demolished the Paco train station? So medyo self serving pala and with vested interest.

[IndioBravo]

^^We should be cautious about this.You know businessmen,there's always a catch.

[Xangreal]

There is no sense of history nor pride in cultural heritage amongst real estate developers. Like any rapacious capitalists, they're all interested only in the profit.

[icarusrising]

The Century House in Navotas, Metro Manila

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n37/icarus05x/Heritage/IMGP3407.jpg

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n37/icarus05x/Heritage/IMGP3408.jpg

[icarusrising]

A house on Naval Street, Navotas

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n37/icarus05x/Heritage/IMGP3415.jpg

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n37/icarus05x/Heritage/IMGP3417.jpg

[mygz14]

MANILA, Philippines – Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim wants Filipinos, especially the youth, to appreciate the old glory of the capital city that he heads. That's why he's been urging architects to help the National Historial Institute reserve and restore the city's old structures.

He repeated his appeal Wednesday night in his keynote address at the induction of the new officers of the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) District B-2 at the Manila Pavilion Hotel.

"Please help me teach the younger generations to appreciate Manila’s old glory and structures and not to look at them as old, decrepit buildings," Lim said. "Every chipped portion of an old building, the cobblestone walkways, the green moss between bricks are all silent witnesses to our rich history."

He also challenged the 24,000 UAP members to build new structures that would capture the essence of the Filipino.

Quoting French priest and writer Ernest Dimnet, Lim said: “Of all the arts, it is the one which acts the most slowly but the most surely on the soul."

He cited Filipino architects like Juan Nakpil, Leandro V. Locsin, Pablo Antonio, Juan Arellano, Bobby Mañosa, Carlos A. Santos-Viola, and Jose de Ocampo – all of whom designed notable structures.

Nakpil and Locsin have been declared National Artists.

"Now is the time to leave the mark of the Filipino in public works and facilities," he added. "If you are able to do this, then truly the Filipino has arrived."

"With a membership of 24,000, I would say that if you are evenly distributed in over 7,000 islands of the country, we would at least have three architects per island," Lim said. "With that kind of configuration, we should have the most ultra modern skyline in Asia." - GMANews.TV (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/115247/Mayor-Lim-urges-architects-to-help-preserve-restore-Manilas-glory)

[IndioBravo]

^^So Mayor LIM has become a heritage protector eh?,so change those hideous lamp posts in Roxas blvd. & Jones bridge please!:lol:

[Wonderboy]

Actually, I realized that those lamps on Jones Bridge were installed to make the area look "Chinese inspired."

Was also informed that the reason why Manila is putting up those lamps is because they can get cheaper lamp post (with hideous designs) at a much lower price, as they came from China. At mas malaki ang kick back nga naman. Mukha raw expensive so pwede dayain ang financial report. Or so they thought. Pinoys are not stupid.

I can't say that Lim does not have a sense of aesthetics but after years of coordinating with the government, it is usually the city engineer who is the culprit and other divisons in Manila City Hall that does not coordinate with each other. Lim on the other hand was convinced that it looked good after all.

This is what happened to the Carriedo Fountain. Some City Engineer painted the fountain tehcnicolor without consulting other divisions. When the issue was raised, the Manila Histotrical and Heritage Commision repainted the fountain with a white paint.

[overtureph]

http://www.gmanews.tv/largevideo/related/27220/-100-Pinoy--Wika-ng-Lahi

[icarusrising]

Some more houses from Navotas...

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/4/photos/112/1200x1200/1/IMGP3403.JPG?et=8jqU0wWMaWojlZQ2T%2BFtbg&nmid=111660590

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/4/photos/112/1200x1200/7/IMGP3409.JPG?et=a%2B0iOhQKTk3vuXflYltxAA&nmid=111660590

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/4/photos/112/1200x1200/11/IMGP3413.JPG?et=3YZtAp2lPBcN6Mni1iO34g&nmid=111660590

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/5/photos/112/1200x1200/2/IMGP3404.JPG?et=uH7G35ZOT%2C%2C2mLJZQD%2BSUQ&nmid=111660590

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/4/photos/112/1200x1200/17/IMGP3419.JPG?et=sQbe4TjS37hYhuXyVR3D8A&nmid=111660590

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/5/photos/112/1200x1200/16/IMGP3418.JPG?et=YxEB8dzGyr37zuVhPDw3oQ&nmid=111660590

[Xangreal]

http://www.gaerlanstreet.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/scottishritetemple.jpg

The Scottish Rite Temple, Seat of the Supreme Council of the 33rd and Last Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish
Rite of Freemasonry in the Philippines. Marked as a historic edifice by the Philippine National Historical Institute.

During the Japanese occupation in World War II, this Temple was used by the Kempetais (Japanese Secret Police) and
Makapilis (Filipino Collaborators of the Japanese) as a place for torture and execution. Around 200 innocent Filipinos were
herded and killed in this place. The Scottish Rite Temple is located at 1828 Taft Ave.

[overtureph]

I didn't know there where old houses in Navotas. Great find.

[LordCarnal]

I've been to this building. :banana: Sayang because the LRT obstructs the view of this building. :bash:




http://www.gaerlanstreet.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/scottishritetemple.jpg

The Scottish Rite Temple, Seat of the Supreme Council of the 33rd and Last Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish
Rite of Freemasonry in the Philippines. Marked as a historic edifice by the Philippine National Historical Institute.

During the Japanese occupation in World War II, this Temple was used by the Kempetais (Japanese Secret Police) and
Makapilis (Filipino Collaborators of the Japanese) as a place for torture and execution. Around 200 innocent Filipinos were
herded and killed in this place. The Scottish Rite Temple is located at 1828 Taft Ave.

[icarusrising]

^^ I've often passed by this building when I used to teach on Taft Avenue. I've been curious why it's called a Scottish Rite Temple. I didn't know there's blood in its history. Thanks for posting Xangreal.

[Xangreal]

^^ I've often passed by this building when I used to teach on Taft Avenue. I've been curious why it's called a Scottish Rite Temple. I didn't know there's blood in its history. Thanks for posting Xangreal.

Here's a short article about the Scottish Rite Temple written by my wife on her blog. Click on this link. (http://bambit.kusangpalo.com/2008/in-the-hearts-of-men.html)

[Xangreal]

http://www.gaerlanstreet.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/pedxingtime.jpg

Pedestrian crossing time, from ancient to modern. The Old Sta.Cruz Building, facing Sta.Cruz Church, Manila.

[Xangreal]

http://www.gaerlanstreet.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/ma-mon-luk.jpg

Inside the old Ma Mon Luk in Quiapo. Photo taken by my wife, circa 2008.

[SleMarKen]

respost from Cebu Heritage Walk thread

Some priests just have that unending love affair with gold. "Midas' Touch" finds its way in Carcar's church.

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x248/gibbster1/Cebu%20Heritage/Carcar08200801.jpg
the golden bells of Carcar church.

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x248/gibbster1/Cebu%20Heritage/Carcar08200804.jpg
Before it was painted. April 2008

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x248/gibbster1/Cebu%20Heritage/Carcar08200802.jpg
and the doors too!

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x248/gibbster1/Cebu%20Heritage/Carcar08200805.jpg
April 2008


Balik sa Langit
14 of the 19 angels will have the chance to go back to heaven.

Have they consulted the people knowledgeable in heritage conservation? The Parish Pastoral Council is handling this project. I heard returning each angel would cost PHP 22,000.00

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x248/gibbster1/Cebu%20Heritage/Carcar08200806.jpg

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x248/gibbster1/Cebu%20Heritage/Carcar08200807.jpg


Too bad these angels will never have the chance to back to heaven.

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x248/gibbster1/Cebu%20Heritage/Carcar08200808.jpg

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x248/gibbster1/Cebu%20Heritage/Carcar08200809.jpg

[Animo]

http://images.inquirer.net/media/showbizandstyle/lifestyle/lifestyle/images/pic-08181249250841.jpg

http://images.inquirer.net/media/showbizandstyle/lifestyle/lifestyle/images/pic-08181250430187.jpg

AMORSOLO pastoral common in middle-class homes of bygone years

http://images.inquirer.net/media/showbizandstyle/lifestyle/lifestyle/images/pic-08181251020725.jpg

IN THE Laya Room among Ocampo, Malang, Edades, Manansala

By Constantino Tejero (http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20080817-155240/Jaime-Laya-culture-champ)
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:46:00 08/17/2008

MANILA, Philippines - A small hole can be found in Mariano Asuncion’s “Coronation of the Virgin.” This oil painting from the 1860s used to be a board for target practice of air-rifle shooting of the owner family’s son, and the Holy Spirit, depicted as a dove, was, of course, a natural bull’s-eye.

Before the sacrilege could become total, the piece was salvaged by banker Jaime C. Laya. It has since become part of the famous Central Bank Collection, which consists of 77 paintings, pre-Hispanic gold jewelry, excavated pottery.

It was while serving as Central Bank governor in 1981-84 that Laya expanded the collection of ancestral portraits, colonial-era religious art, masterpieces of unknown provincial artists, curios and artifacts. He gathered numerous pieces from dispersed private collections, such as of the Paterno family and the heirs of Felipe Hidalgo and Alfonso Ongpin.

The bottom line, of course, depended on his judgment and taste.

“The usual criteria—aesthetics, good condition,” he explains the selection process. “Small works are not bagay for the Central Bank, baka mawala lang. Nudes are not appropriate naman.”

Family and writings

Laya says he is essentially a banker. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of the Philippines, magna cum laude, and got his PhD from Stanford University.

Aside from books, collecting stamps was his only hobby vaguely related to culture. He is even bored while watching movies, but he is really interested in cultural artifacts.

And he writes valuable essays on culture, too. His writing is assiduously researched and well-documented, the prose lucid and effortless, the style faintly literary without the flourishes.

Humor runs through these essays like a smile, a snort, or a suppressed giggle. Some Amorsolo pastorals he describes as “canvases of women engaged in watery pursuits on a forest stream.” A woodcarving shop he reports as having unsold inventory of “man-in-the-barrel in sizes ranging from ‘how cute’ to ‘omigosh.’ ”

His eyewitness account of First Lady Imelda Marcos’ dispersed art collection and jewelry is both important document and disarming personal essay, a graphic record of shock and awe, sorrow and regret.

Laya’s love of culture is rooted in family. His father was the writer Juan Laya, author of the Commonwealth Literary Award-winning novel “His Native Soil.”
His parents’ friends and colleagues included stalwarts of Philippine art such as Fernando Amorsolo, Romeo Tabuena, HR Ocampo, Vicente Manansala, Galo Ocampo.

First art acquisitions

Recently, he and sisters Eleanor, Susana and Trinidad donated a room to the National Gallery of Art on the second floor of the old Legislative Building on Padre Burgos Avenue at the Luneta. Called the Silvina and Juan C. Laya Hall, or simply the Laya Room, it was named in honor of the siblings’ parents.

The Laya Room was inaugurated on July 11, the birthday of their late father. It also marked the opening of its inaugural exhibit, “Art in Ordinary Lives, 1930s-’70s,” which runs until Oct. 31.

Curated by Laya himself, the exhibit features 30 artworks owned by the Laya family and borrowed from relatives. These are mostly portraits and genre pieces that middle-class Filipinos adorned their homes with in those four decades. National Artists are well represented, from Amorsolo to Bencab.

While he was teaching at the UP College of Business Administration, Laya befriended artist-colleagues such as José Joya and Ang Kiukok. When he eventually became dean of the college (the youngest at 29), among his first art acquisitions for the government were a few Manansalas, with which he tried to enliven his drab office at Benton Hall.

In the ’70s, a Manansala, a Joya or an Ocampo could be had for P2,000, while an Angelito Antonio went for P600. Laya got his from the master as donations to UP in exchange for tax reduction.

While he was budget minister, he commissioned Onib Olmedo to do 12 drawings for their annual report, featuring Filipino workers such as soldier, teacher, farmer. The originals are now government property.

Growth of collection

The CB had numerous artworks before Laya came in, but its collection started to grow rapidly in the early ’80s when it agreed to accept paintings as collateral. When Bancom Development Corp. (then the largest investment house) went under, Laya says the CB “ended up owning quite a few nice works,” ranging from a Manansala still life to Alcuaz tapestries.

The Monetary Board, which Laya chaired, subsequently approved funding for an art-acquisition program.

He articulates its mission statement thus: “To know a country and its people means to know its culture and traditions. Statistics on growth, trade and prices are hardly enough. The full understanding of a nation calls for an awareness of its people’s aspirations, psychology, history, way of life, all of which are evident in their art, literature, music, drama. It is in this spirit that the Central Bank art collection was formed, to present the rich tapestry of the nation’s past and present, as seen through artists’ eyes over three centuries.”

When he passed word around that the CB was buying, offers started coming, mostly from dealers and art galleries. He acknowledges the help of informed collectors such as Manuel Morato and Severina de Asis.

Several top-caliber artists directly dealt with the CB, such as Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Victorio Edades, Arturo Luz, Romulo Olazo, Cesar Legaspi, Ang Kiukok.

“Since the Central Bank had the space and the Monetary Board had money, we bought,” he recalls. “If in the hands of the government, it’s easy to consolidate these things.”

Salvaged masterpieces

The vandalized Asuncion piece was just one of the several items he had salvaged for the CB. Two-thirds of a Legaspi mural he retrieved from the Heroes Hall of Malacañang.

A large interaction work of six artists headed by HR Ocampo, which was languishing at Rustan’s Galerie Bleue, he acquired for P7,500.

Simon Flores’ celebrated “Portrait of Cirilo and Severina Quiazon and Their Two Children” was discovered in a house behind Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City.

Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo’s replicas of his lost masterworks, “Christian Virgins Exposed to the Populace” and “The Boat of Charon,” he retrieved from the Hidalgo house near San Sebastian Church in Quiapo.

The only signed Damian Domingo panel painting, “Apotheosis of Sto. Tomas Aquino,” was discovered in the bodega of the Paterno house in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

Despite his art shopping right and left, though, there seemed to be no controversy that arose.

“I was very careful,” he says. “Hindi ako tumatawad. It’s either yes or no.”

The only bidding he remembers he had engaged in when he was at the CB was for an ivory Niño Dormido on a silver-filigree bed, said to be taken during the 1762 siege of Manila. Christie’s in London was auctioning it off, so he requested the Philippine National Bank branch there to bid, and got it for £15,000 (then equivalent of P200,000).

The twin Hidalgo masterpieces he purchased for the princely sum of P3.2 million—but still a far, far cry from the king’s ransom GSIS honcho Winston Garcia paid for that minor Luna.

Fabulous objects

Then there is the legendary gold collection of the CB’s Money Museum, most of which acquired through his initiative. These prehistoric barter rings and pre-Hispanic jewelry chiefly came from discoveries and diggings in Surigao, Butuan and Samar.

The fabulous woven-gold sword strap from Surigao, recently shown in a TV documentary, had been offered to Laya for P4 million but he refused as he found the price astronomical. It was eventually sold to a private collector for P2 million.

“If the price is not reasonable, kung masyadong mahal, then no,” he says smilingly. “I don’t want to be criticized naman—and then, what for? After all, it’s not for me, it’s for the office.”

When he headed the Intramuros Administration in 1979-86, he duplicated his CB exploit with the Intramuros Collection, consisting of some 6,000 items of Spanish colonial art.

Religious statues and icon paintings, ecclesiastical silver, wooden reredos and gilded relleves, bibelots and jewelry, furniture and furnishings, Murano and Venetian chandeliers, a gigantic tres lunas, even a fireplace and an entire neo-Gothic altar—were spilling out of the IA building, that a plan had to be drawn for turning the ruins of San Ignacio Church into a museum to hold the mind-boggling accumulation of objects.

Tangible heritage

Aside from this heritage collection, his major accomplishments then included the restoration of much of Intramuros’ fortifications; the building of replica houses; the rehabilitation of the plazas.

It was during his tenure at IA that the elaborate plans for the rehabilitation of the Walled City had been drawn—something that, more than two decades later, his successors have been trying to complete.

As minister of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports in 1984-86, his shopping spree for artworks stopped as, ironically enough, the department had no budget for cultural stuff.

When he headed the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in 1996-2001, his office had acquired 24 paintings by contemporary artists.

Today, as chair of Philippine Trust Company, Laya may be lying low from his cultural binge. But in his years as public servant, he had accumulated enough cultural bric-à-brac to fill up a series of museums.

It is clear then that, if not for this man, a significant portion of Philippine tangible heritage would have been lost to the public. It is a task that’s no less than herculean, something that no one else has dared follow.

[icarusrising]

Hwa Chong Temple in Malabon

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3098/2488610309_193049fd37_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2158/2488610197_da9fb4301d_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3115/2489428926_fc6f001db7_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2406/2489428516_fe2033f05f_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2104/2488610253_26c58d5a74_o.jpg

Photos by: ibugyellow (http://www.flickr.com/photos/72368473@N00/with/2488610253/)

[Mojacko]

^^
Wow! Icarus-rising, mukhang genuine Chinese temple sa Taiwan, Hong Kong, o Macau! Puwede mo sigurong i-copy yung post na yan - kasama yung mga shots - sa "Parang hindi sa Pinas" thread.... :)

[Lili]

http://images.inquirer.net/media/showbizandstyle/lifestyle/lifestyle/images/pic-08181249250841.jpg

http://images.inquirer.net/media/showbizandstyle/lifestyle/lifestyle/images/pic-08181250430187.jpg

AMORSOLO pastoral common in middle-class homes of bygone years

http://images.inquirer.net/media/showbizandstyle/lifestyle/lifestyle/images/pic-08181251020725.jpg

IN THE Laya Room among Ocampo, Malang, Edades, Manansala

By Constantino Tejero (http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20080817-155240/Jaime-Laya-culture-champ)
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:46:00 08/17/2008

MANILA, Philippines - A small hole can be found in Mariano Asuncion’s “Coronation of the Virgin.” This oil painting from the 1860s used to be a board for target practice of air-rifle shooting of the owner family’s son, and the Holy Spirit, depicted as a dove, was, of course, a natural bull’s-eye.

Before the sacrilege could become total, the piece was salvaged by banker Jaime C. Laya. It has since become part of the famous Central Bank Collection, which consists of 77 paintings, pre-Hispanic gold jewelry, excavated pottery.

It was while serving as Central Bank governor in 1981-84 that Laya expanded the collection of ancestral portraits, colonial-era religious art, masterpieces of unknown provincial artists, curios and artifacts. He gathered numerous pieces from dispersed private collections, such as of the Paterno family and the heirs of Felipe Hidalgo and Alfonso Ongpin.

The bottom line, of course, depended on his judgment and taste.

“The usual criteria—aesthetics, good condition,” he explains the selection process. “Small works are not bagay for the Central Bank, baka mawala lang. Nudes are not appropriate naman.”

Family and writings

Laya says he is essentially a banker. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of the Philippines, magna cum laude, and got his PhD from Stanford University.

Aside from books, collecting stamps was his only hobby vaguely related to culture. He is even bored while watching movies, but he is really interested in cultural artifacts.

And he writes valuable essays on culture, too. His writing is assiduously researched and well-documented, the prose lucid and effortless, the style faintly literary without the flourishes.

Humor runs through these essays like a smile, a snort, or a suppressed giggle. Some Amorsolo pastorals he describes as “canvases of women engaged in watery pursuits on a forest stream.” A woodcarving shop he reports as having unsold inventory of “man-in-the-barrel in sizes ranging from ‘how cute’ to ‘omigosh.’ ”

His eyewitness account of First Lady Imelda Marcos’ dispersed art collection and jewelry is both important document and disarming personal essay, a graphic record of shock and awe, sorrow and regret.

Laya’s love of culture is rooted in family. His father was the writer Juan Laya, author of the Commonwealth Literary Award-winning novel “His Native Soil.”
His parents’ friends and colleagues included stalwarts of Philippine art such as Fernando Amorsolo, Romeo Tabuena, HR Ocampo, Vicente Manansala, Galo Ocampo.

First art acquisitions

Recently, he and sisters Eleanor, Susana and Trinidad donated a room to the National Gallery of Art on the second floor of the old Legislative Building on Padre Burgos Avenue at the Luneta. Called the Silvina and Juan C. Laya Hall, or simply the Laya Room, it was named in honor of the siblings’ parents.

The Laya Room was inaugurated on July 11, the birthday of their late father. It also marked the opening of its inaugural exhibit, “Art in Ordinary Lives, 1930s-’70s,” which runs until Oct. 31.

Curated by Laya himself, the exhibit features 30 artworks owned by the Laya family and borrowed from relatives. These are mostly portraits and genre pieces that middle-class Filipinos adorned their homes with in those four decades. National Artists are well represented, from Amorsolo to Bencab.

While he was teaching at the UP College of Business Administration, Laya befriended artist-colleagues such as José Joya and Ang Kiukok. When he eventually became dean of the college (the youngest at 29), among his first art acquisitions for the government were a few Manansalas, with which he tried to enliven his drab office at Benton Hall.

In the ’70s, a Manansala, a Joya or an Ocampo could be had for P2,000, while an Angelito Antonio went for P600. Laya got his from the master as donations to UP in exchange for tax reduction.

While he was budget minister, he commissioned Onib Olmedo to do 12 drawings for their annual report, featuring Filipino workers such as soldier, teacher, farmer. The originals are now government property.

Growth of collection

The CB had numerous artworks before Laya came in, but its collection started to grow rapidly in the early ’80s when it agreed to accept paintings as collateral. When Bancom Development Corp. (then the largest investment house) went under, Laya says the CB “ended up owning quite a few nice works,” ranging from a Manansala still life to Alcuaz tapestries.

The Monetary Board, which Laya chaired, subsequently approved funding for an art-acquisition program.

He articulates its mission statement thus: “To know a country and its people means to know its culture and traditions. Statistics on growth, trade and prices are hardly enough. The full understanding of a nation calls for an awareness of its people’s aspirations, psychology, history, way of life, all of which are evident in their art, literature, music, drama. It is in this spirit that the Central Bank art collection was formed, to present the rich tapestry of the nation’s past and present, as seen through artists’ eyes over three centuries.”

When he passed word around that the CB was buying, offers started coming, mostly from dealers and art galleries. He acknowledges the help of informed collectors such as Manuel Morato and Severina de Asis.

Several top-caliber artists directly dealt with the CB, such as Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Victorio Edades, Arturo Luz, Romulo Olazo, Cesar Legaspi, Ang Kiukok.

“Since the Central Bank had the space and the Monetary Board had money, we bought,” he recalls. “If in the hands of the government, it’s easy to consolidate these things.”

Salvaged masterpieces

The vandalized Asuncion piece was just one of the several items he had salvaged for the CB. Two-thirds of a Legaspi mural he retrieved from the Heroes Hall of Malacañang.

A large interaction work of six artists headed by HR Ocampo, which was languishing at Rustan’s Galerie Bleue, he acquired for P7,500.

Simon Flores’ celebrated “Portrait of Cirilo and Severina Quiazon and Their Two Children” was discovered in a house behind Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City.

Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo’s replicas of his lost masterworks, “Christian Virgins Exposed to the Populace” and “The Boat of Charon,” he retrieved from the Hidalgo house near San Sebastian Church in Quiapo.

The only signed Damian Domingo panel painting, “Apotheosis of Sto. Tomas Aquino,” was discovered in the bodega of the Paterno house in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

Despite his art shopping right and left, though, there seemed to be no controversy that arose.

“I was very careful,” he says. “Hindi ako tumatawad. It’s either yes or no.”

The only bidding he remembers he had engaged in when he was at the CB was for an ivory Niño Dormido on a silver-filigree bed, said to be taken during the 1762 siege of Manila. Christie’s in London was auctioning it off, so he requested the Philippine National Bank branch there to bid, and got it for £15,000 (then equivalent of P200,000).

The twin Hidalgo masterpieces he purchased for the princely sum of P3.2 million—but still a far, far cry from the king’s ransom GSIS honcho Winston Garcia paid for that minor Luna.

Fabulous objects

Then there is the legendary gold collection of the CB’s Money Museum, most of which acquired through his initiative. These prehistoric barter rings and pre-Hispanic jewelry chiefly came from discoveries and diggings in Surigao, Butuan and Samar.

The fabulous woven-gold sword strap from Surigao, recently shown in a TV documentary, had been offered to Laya for P4 million but he refused as he found the price astronomical. It was eventually sold to a private collector for P2 million.

“If the price is not reasonable, kung masyadong mahal, then no,” he says smilingly. “I don’t want to be criticized naman—and then, what for? After all, it’s not for me, it’s for the office.”

When he headed the Intramuros Administration in 1979-86, he duplicated his CB exploit with the Intramuros Collection, consisting of some 6,000 items of Spanish colonial art.

Religious statues and icon paintings, ecclesiastical silver, wooden reredos and gilded relleves, bibelots and jewelry, furniture and furnishings, Murano and Venetian chandeliers, a gigantic tres lunas, even a fireplace and an entire neo-Gothic altar—were spilling out of the IA building, that a plan had to be drawn for turning the ruins of San Ignacio Church into a museum to hold the mind-boggling accumulation of objects.

Tangible heritage

Aside from this heritage collection, his major accomplishments then included the restoration of much of Intramuros’ fortifications; the building of replica houses; the rehabilitation of the plazas.

It was during his tenure at IA that the elaborate plans for the rehabilitation of the Walled City had been drawn—something that, more than two decades later, his successors have been trying to complete.

As minister of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports in 1984-86, his shopping spree for artworks stopped as, ironically enough, the department had no budget for cultural stuff.

When he headed the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in 1996-2001, his office had acquired 24 paintings by contemporary artists.

Today, as chair of Philippine Trust Company, Laya may be lying low from his cultural binge. But in his years as public servant, he had accumulated enough cultural bric-à-brac to fill up a series of museums.

It is clear then that, if not for this man, a significant portion of Philippine tangible heritage would have been lost to the public. It is a task that’s no less than herculean, something that no one else has dared follow.

I think, in that sense, Jaime Laya has redeemed himself from being associated as the Central Bank Governor under the Marcos regime when CB became an instrument to the plundering activities of the incumbent at that time.

At least, under his term, there was premium given on collecting and preserving cultural arts and artifacts of the Philippine heritage. As kids, we used to visit the Central Bank museum a lot and marvelled and got immersed in all these art, philately and coin collections. That was one of my most favorite museums in the Philippines then, including the Ayala museum.

[habagatcentral1]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3144/2818325948_a2eb22fa62.jpg?v=0
Iloilo City, Philippines

[LordCarnal]

Help me build the country's online database of vintage photos that can easily be accessed by everyone especially students and teachers.

http://oldphilippinephotos.co.cc/

You may also register as a contributor.

And also I am looking for sponsors for a dot com domain. It's only P500..



..

[Wonderboy]

From last Sunday's Inquirer:

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20080831-157785/What-Korina-might-do-for-the-love-of-Mar

Is Mayor Lim out to kill Malate?

From a reader:

The Malate area is one dreary place at night now that Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim has prohibited al fresco dining or drinking by all of the establishments along Nakpil and Orosa Streets.

There is nothing wrong with al fresco dining or drinking. It is absolutely unfair to prohibit this especially on weekends, because this is the only time that most of the establishments in the area recover from a week-long dearth in business revenues!

Is Lim trying to kill Malate like what he did to Ermita and Baywalk? With Ermita, it was tolerable because of the rampant prostitution in the area. But Malate is a totally different case. People come here on weekends just to unwind and have fun.

If Lim is really after prostitution, he should instruct his police to arrest the female prostitutes around Malate Church and Rajah Sulayman at night. Their pimps openly approach those who would park and ask if they want a “chick”.

Do not do this to Malate, Mayor Lim. You are gradually curtailing the means of livelihood for many people. This comes at a time when life is so difficult and these establishments give employment to a lot of people.

You intend to tax them but do not wish them to make money. That is being too unfair and cruel. Malate does not deserve to die like Ermita or Baywalk.

-Mariano Bermejo
Manila Resident

[johnmizer]

bakit kasi binotoboto si lim,,, lintek na yan oh... TAE NG KALABAW TALAGA YUNG MEYOR!!!

[habagatcentral1]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/2825768053_d76baa7880.jpg?v=0
Casino Español

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/2827263334_7fd371fed1.jpg?v=0
Central Market

Iloilo City, Philippines

[Xangreal]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3144/2818325948_a2eb22fa62.jpg?v=0
Iloilo City, Philippines

This is a nice photo. This Masonic Temple in Iloilo City is one of the oldest Masonic structures in the country. One of the oldest Masonic lodge under the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines, the Iloilo-Acacia Lodge No. 11, meets here.

Most Masonic Temples scattered around the Philippines are silent witnesses to the growth and development of many old towns and cities. In fact, many pioneering, founding and prominent figures of these towns and cities were Freemasons.

[Animo]

http://images.inquirer.net/media/showbizandstyle/lifestyle/lifestyle/images/pic-09080727440537.jpg

SWIRLING classical geometry gives unmistakable drama to Sta. Maria Church’s plain façade.


By Augusto Villalon (http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20080908-159285/World-Heritage-churches-in-the-Philippines)Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:14:00 09/08/2008


MANILA, Philippines - Four philippine churches from the Spanish colonial era were inscribed in the Unesco World Heritage List in 1993 as “The Baroque Churches of the Philippines.”

The churches are Santo Tomás de Villanueva in Miag-ao, Iloilo, San Agustín in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, Santa María de la Asunción in Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur, and San Agustín in Intramuros, Manila. Their inscription in the World Heritage List elevates them to the status of having outstanding universal value, unique in the world.

Why are they unique? The Argentine Spanish colonial expert Jorge Gazaneo of the International Council of Monuments and Sites (Icomos) states: “No (Philippine) church is a complete example of one art period, but a living document of how time and context have left traces on the early founding intentions of the original designer-builder. This is architecture built in response to local natural and climatic conditions, executed by Filipino and Chinese craftsmen who had absolutely no experience of Western architecture.”

Santo Tomás de Villanueva, Miag-ao, Iloilo

When the Augustinian mission station of Miag-ao in the island of Iloilo became a parish in 1731, friars built a simple church and convento (friars’ residence). After Muslim pirates burned the town and church twice, the friars decided to transfer the town and its church to a safer location on the edge of a hill overlooking the sea and the Miag-ao River.

The new church was built to also function as a fortress to protect townspeople from invasions. Built of local yellow-orange sandstone, the fortress-church was completed in 1797. Although the church withstood typhoons and earthquakes, it nevertheless burned twice: once during the revolution against Spain in 1898 and a second time during the Philippine-American War a few years later.

Miag-ao is among the best examples in the Philippines of a type of church style known as “fortress baroque.” The church stands on the highest elevation of the town, its towers on permanent lookout for Muslim invasions. The squatness of the church, the massive pair of bell towers and the angled buttresses strengthen its fortress image. Its façade is a masterpiece. Filipino stone carvers filled its entire surface with tassels, vines, tendrils, swags, and festoons in wild abandon. The façade sums up the Filipino transfiguration of western decorative elements. The central element in the façade is St. Christopher, clad in Filipino rolled-up trousers carrying the Christ Child on his back while holding on to a lush coconut tree for support. Beside him are guava and papaya trees. The iconography is western, the interpretation and setting are Philippine tropical. The façade swirls around statues and reliefs of saints, bursts out in scrolls framing a central niche where the patron saint is enshrined. Massive, unmatched bell towers taper upwards to end in uneven heights frame the entire whimsical, undulating façade composition.

While the Baroque style in its pure form was in vogue in Europe, Latin America and the Philippines evolved its own interpretation of the Baroque, contextualized in the local vernacular, a derivative style of the Baroque but totally folk in execution. The church is an example of that style. The Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva is one of the most outstanding examples of the fusion of the western Baroque style embellished with naïf folk motifs found in the Philippines.

San Agustín, Paoay, Ilocos Norte

The construction of the present church was started in 1604 completed many years later in 1710. Situated in the earthquake belt, Philippine bell towers were constructed apart from the main church structure to prevent the towers from collapsing on the main church structure during an earthquake. The Paoay bell tower is a stunning example. Standing quite a distance from the church, the coral stone bell tower was finished in the second half of the 18th century and its pagoda-like design is testament to the Chinese craftsmen who constructed the structure.

This church is the most outstanding variant of “earthquake baroque,” where the primary consideration was to design the structure for earthquake protection. To protect the long side walls from earthquake damage, a phalanx of buttresses line the walls. It is the most massive buttressing in any Philippine church. Fourteen S-shaped buttresses rise almost to the roof line. Each one is topped by a triumphant pyramidal finial.

The church façade varies from traditional Baroque design precepts. Heavier coral stone blocks occupy the upper levels and finials. On the lower portion, smaller stones are used as building material. On the façade the decorative carving is limited only to the uppermost levels, with the lower two-thirds a massive blank.

The visual impact of the massive S-shaped buttresses and the exaggerated distance of the pagoda-like bell tower make this property the most outstanding example of a structure braced against earthquakes.

The exterior of the property is deteriorating badly. Damaging foliage growing on the stone of the church and bell tower is difficult to control. Stucco covering the coral stone walls is chipping off and exposing small portions of the structural stone to the damage natural elements. The façade is tilting forward, in danger of detaching from the rest of the structure. The interior of the church structure has been totally renovated.

Nuestra Señora de la Asunción,
Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur

The town of Sta. Maria in the coastal province of Ilocos Sur in northern Philippines is located on a narrow, flat plain of land between the sea and the central mountain range of Ilocos Sur. Not following the traditional Spanish urban town plan that situates the church in the central town plaza, the location of the Sta. Maria Church and convento (parish house) atop a hill fortified by a stone wall, citadel-like, without any adjacent structures. St.a Maria is the only example of such siting in the Philippines. The bell tower is completely detached from the church façade, a typical feature of Philippine-Hispanic church architecture. The tower, massive and squat, constructed of stacked octagonal shapes of decreasing diameter and crowned by a small dome, evokes a Chinese pagoda.

From any angle, the approach to the Sta. Maria ensemble is magnificent. A stairway of 85 stone steps rises from the town to the small courtyard at the top of the citadel separating the church and convento. On the opposite side of the courtyard, another equally grand stairway descends to a causeway built up over rice fields leading to the circular cemetery at the bottom of the hill.

Built of brick, the church follows the usual plan of Philippine churches: a monumental façade masking a straight roofline covering a long, rectangular building. The thick lateral walls, with no ornamentation but with delicately carved side entrances are bolstered regularly by huge quadrangular buttresses (contrafuertes), necessary structural reinforcements for earthquake protection. A pair of exaggerated cylindrical columns frames the plain façade. The church and cemetery repeat the curved pediment motif. The power and simplicity of its geometric forms, and the citadel formation of the complex make this one of the most outstanding examples of Philippine-Hispanic Baroque architecture.

The Church of Sta. Maria has withstood the test of Philippine climatic and natural conditions well. The interior of the church is relatively intact. However, on the exterior walls and bell tower, all of the original stucco covering was removed to expose the structural brick following the misguided fashion in the 1960s. The brick is slowly deteriorating. The round cemetery behind the church is no longer in use and is deteriorating slowly due to foliage growth on the walls and small chapel. The courtyard, citadel walls and stairs are in good condition.

To be continued.

E-mail the author at pride.place@gmail.com.

[icarusrising]

Unprecedented exposure for Amorsolo paintings (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Opinion&p=49&type=2&sec=25&aid=20080909164)
SUNDRY STROKES By Rosalinda L. Orosa
Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Fernando C. Amorsolo who, through eight decades produced over 10,000 paintings, sketches and drawings, and whose masterpieces are “true reflections of the Filipino soul”, will be given unprecedented exposure by seven of Metro Manila’s biggest museums which will take turns exhibiting his works.

The rare honor is richly deserved. Regarded a national treasure and an artistic legend, Amorsolo, four days after his death, was posthumously conferred the country’s very first National Artist Award in 1972.

According to the Ayala Museum curator, Amorsolo became known as the “painter of the Philippine sunlight” because of his talent for capturing the brilliance and shimmer of the Philippine sun on his subjects, a talent which modern painter Fernando Zobel de Ayala duly recognized.

The curator continues: “More than having captured the sun, Amorsolo painted the glow from within — Filipino values, character and soul. Many of his portraits of women in the countryside and in his studio are fine examples of this.

“While many of his pre-war (American) period dalagang bukid types were tangible expressions of the prevailing sentiments of the country’s optimism and hope-filled visions his numerous post-war variations of the subject showed concern for the local market’s growing demands. The Ayala exhibition ‘Amorsolo’s Maidens Concealed and Revealed’ from Oct. 23 to March 8, 2009 will survey Amorsolo’s rendering of women as a means of following his career, and will draw attention to his maidens from the American period and his studies of nudes from the post-war years as a tribute to his brilliance.”

The GSIS Museum's ‘Rituals and Amorsolo’, from Oct. 2 to Dec. 20, “underlines how rituals reflect values, beliefs, and shared knowledge, how it brings about interactions among people, places and objects, how it expresses the core of social identity of communities, how it fortifies social structures and institutions, and perpetuates social values. Portrayals include baptisms, praying the Angelus, a family’s walk to Sunday mass.”

The Lopez Memorial Museum’s ‘Tell Tale: The Artist as Storyteller, Amorsolo as Co-Author’, from Sept. 24 to April 4, 2009, is illustrative of Amorsolo’s generation of artists, of how Amorsolo became subject to the workings of image-making industries central to the crafting of fictions — about what it was to be a citizen, to be learned/civilized, to be devout, to be Filipino in the transitional junctures of Spanish-American rule. Beyond looking at illustrations as potboilers, the exhibit hopes to look at how artists such as Amorsolo may have brought other layers of meaning upon texts primarily intended as didactic instruments.”

The Metropolitan Museum’s ‘Philippine Staple: The Land, the Harvest, the Maestro’ will display a harvest field of rice-related pieces and outstanding landscapes.”

At the National Museum’s ‘Master Copy’ from Sept. 25 to Jan. 15, 2009, the drawings transfigure into portraits that imagine the national self and the imperialist other, the Filipino and the American, a President like Manuel Roxas or a Gov. Gen. like Francis Burton Harrison, an elegant American lady or a nameless Katipunan revolutionary immortalized in oil after their stint in sketches.”

The Jorge B. Vargas Museum’s ‘Amorsolo: His Contemporaries and Pictures of the War, Capturing Anxieties’, from Sept. 23 to Nov. 16, will feature the works of Amorsolo and his contemporaries spanning the Second World War (1941-1945) until the immediate postwar years (1946-1947), family and official portraits commissioned by Vargas, and genre paintings. Works by peers — Manansala, Saguil, Miranda and Castañeda — will also be showcased.

Yuchengco Museum’s ‘Mukang Tsinoy’ from Oct. 1 to Jan. 17, 2009, will exhibit paintings commissioned by Tsinoy families.

Speakers at the Pen press conference on “His Art, Our Heart” were Evelyn Lim Forbes, Doris Magsaysay Ho, Cristina Estrada who represented the exhibition beneficiary CRIBS, the artist’s daughter Sylvia Amorsolo Lazo, Tony Maughan and Jaime Laya.

[overtureph]

HABITAT, FOREST DESTRUCTION
Studies say Palawan animals’ extinction looms


Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:30:00 09/14/2008

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan, Philippines—Scientists and leading conservation experts raised warnings Friday about the imminent extinction of some of the country’s most important species that are found only in Palawan due mainly to the destruction of their habitats and the illegal wildlife trade.

“All threatened species in Palawan are endemic and they are facing total extinction because of our neglect in protecting their habitats which are the low elevation forests,” Aldrin Mallari, a foremost ornithologist [expert on birds], told the Inquirer.

Mallari presented a study at a three-day bird festival organized here by a global network of bird watchers and conservation groups.

The study said all of Palawan’s endangered animal species live in low elevation areas and forest fringes that are classified as “buffer” areas and open to human intrusion.

Mismatch

Palawan is covered by a special law, Republic Act No. 7611, which categorizes old growth forests and areas above 1,000 meters in elevation as “core zones,” or areas exempt from human development.

“There is a mismatch in the protected area systems and the requirements of important species. All threatened species in Palawan live in what had been designated as buffer areas and these are open to exploitation, primarily mining,” Mallari said.

Mallari was alluding to dozens of mining applications all over Palawan, particularly in the nickel and chromite-rich southern Palawan, as he criticized government agencies issuing mining permits and endorsements for not taking into consideration Palawan’s endangered species.

“It is easier to secure a mining permit than to request for a permit to conduct scientific expeditions,” Mallari said.

Center of illegal trade

In a separate study, the Katala Foundation, a group that monitors the illegal trafficking of birds and wildlife, raised concerns over the increasing trade of the Palawan talking mynah (sp. Gracula religiosa), the blue naped parrot (Tanygnathus lucionensis) and the Philippine cockatoo, all of which are endangered species.

Rommel Cruz, a field officer of the Foundation, pointed out that southern Palawan is the hotbed of the illegal wildlife trade where birds are captured and sold to the black market in Manila.

“There are at least three wildlife trade groups operating in southern Palawan,” Cruz said.

The Katala Foundation study showed that there are 13 species of mammals that are endemic to Palawan, and 11 bird species that are threatened by the illegal wildlife trade.

Cruz noted that the Philippine cockatoo, classified as critically endangered, is the most threatened by the illegal wildlife trade because of its dwindling population of only over 1,000 individuals. Its market value in Manila’s black market, he said, ranges from P2,500 to P8,000 per individual.

He identified the municipalities of Rizal and Bataraza, both in southern Palawan, as the areas where most of the birds originate. Redempto Anda, Inquirer Southern Luzon


Copyright 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20080914-160505/Studies-say-Palawan-animals-extinction-looms

[amitaliri619]

Goodness, Manila was so envisioned like Washington DC back then! (Burnham plan that is). :D

Sorry for the poor image quality. I only got this from Professor Alcazaren's slide show last night at Instituto Cervantes.

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/59/P7093322.JPG?et=MJ2ufQ%2BY%2BUV2CpTVhPrHGA&nmid=104881192

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/61/P7093324.JPG?et=h22fDBPyrsiIT0y4NSKD7g&nmid=104881192

There were supposedly four big parks for Manila
http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/62/P7093325.JPG?et=IByldJiugBamLLoFfUnp3w&nmid=104881192
Tondo, Santa Ana, Santa Mesa and Harrison Park (currently Harrison Plaza Mall)

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/63/P7093326.JPG?et=CsILn41NK9T%2BujwsZzHeog&nmid=104881192

Manila Capitol Buildings
http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/65/P7093328.JPG?et=T05abUYQ4a1IqD8cugmp9A&nmid=104881192
^^ The New Capitol was supposed to be situated at now Agrifina Circle

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/67/P7093330.JPG?et=JneWmkrrGxKdywFNKuCH6g&nmid=104881192
New Capitol (Palace) Building

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/68/P7093331.JPG?et=ml95XirWv5B4qZUrZlcyIQ&nmid=104881192
Washington DC & Manila similarities

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/69/P7093332.JPG?et=QCE1WZZGIQs%2Cr7SUNYVLPQ&nmid=104881192
The tramvias

sigh...:ohno: i've always dreamed of living in a country i can pride myself with a being unique among it's neighbors... i want it to stand out... during the course of my career, i've been trying to figure out, what's wrong with manila, and there it is! Ocassionally, i keep thinking of how i'm going to someday restore manila the way it's planned... (now i'm only an architect working on the reconstructions of minimal bahay na batos)...for a very long time, as an architect devoted to history, i've always wanted manila to look like that... and now, knowing that it was intended that way... makes me wonder even more... (WELL IF IN THE 1960s JUST AFTER THE WAR, THE PHILIPPINES WAS THE SECOND WEALTHIEST NATION IN ASIA,after japan, THEY COULDN"T HAVE FIGURED OUT HOW TO CARRY ON WITH THIS PLAN):wallbash: i get restless of knowing how much we've lost and how very few people are doing about it...:badnews:

[amitaliri619]

i've been meaning to tell you... i could never sto looking at the fifth picture... it reminds me of what my grandmother used to tell me when she was in the U.S. that manila would be a great city one day... :( but now... sigh... i've been staring at the 5th pic for already past 5 minutes..(it tkes a long time to soak it all)

[Asturiano]

Imagine how beautiful and so well-organized Manila could have been today if only those structures and city plan were followed after the war. There is no doubt that Manila could not have only been given the titled "pearl of the orient" but also "the Paris of the east." Its just sad that our Filipino leaders after the war didn't have the same aspiration just like our leader before the war. Those pre-war leaders like Quezon has far greater aspirations to make the Philippines a great and prosperous nation for the filipinos.

[Wonderboy]

Dear Mayor Lim:

I took my mentor and UP professor Dr. Rosario Cruz-Lucero, a British national, and some friends from the UP graduate school to Manila for a walking tour and they told me that the highlight of the trip was Plaza Lawton.

The marker installed by the City of Manila during the term of Lito Atienza is "In Memory of the Victims of Military Sexual Slavery During the Second World War."

However, the statues depict a certain kind of irony, as they show "a very strong sexual visual appeal." The most absurd statue is a woman covering or "holding" a man's private part.

"This can be a good material for your Manila stories, Jeff," my professor told me.

We all laughed when we realized how parks can be a source of rich material for a short story. The irony that Manila presents from time to time is something that we should not take for granted.

On the creative side, such ridiculous depiction can be turned into something comical (for humorous stories and essays). But how about from a visual/face value/historical standpoint? How about for a lowly Manileño? The marker and statue are out of place. Lawton was never a place for comfort women during WWII and the statues were not tastefully done.

On behalf of my professor and other colleagues, we hope that the City Hall of Manila headed by Mayor Lim as well as MHHC can do something about this.


Sincerely,

Jeffrey Yap

See photos below:

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/2625/lawton3ci6.jpg

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/9971/lawton4fm7.jpg

http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/2373/lawton5uo5.jpg

http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/4444/lawton6xs7.jpg

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/8890/lawton7db6.jpg

One month later, I was informed by Ms. Gemma Cruz-Araneta, OIC of the Manila Historical and Heritage Commission that Mayor Alfredo Lim had the statues removed. I took the photos around 7 P.M. last night.

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/532/gone1hr1.jpg

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/3819/gone2bt6.jpg

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/5371/gone3pf7.jpg

[overtureph]

Imagine how beautiful and so well-organized Manila could have been today if only those structures and city plan were followed after the war. There is no doubt that Manila could not have only been given the titled "pearl of the orient" but also "the Paris of the east." Its just sad that our Filipino leaders after the war didn't have the same aspiration just like our leader before the war. Those pre-war leaders like Quezon has far greater aspirations to make the Philippines a great and prosperous nation for the filipinos.

I believe Pres. Quezon was the one responsible for the re-alignment of funds from the development of the Burnham plan, the funds was (supposedly) diverted for agricultural purposes, irrigations.

[overtureph]

One month later, I was informed by Ms. Gemma Cruz-Araneta, OIC of the Manila Historical and Heritage Commission that Mayor Alfredo Lim had the statues removed. I took the photos around 7 P.M. last night.

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/532/gone1hr1.jpg

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/3819/gone2bt6.jpg

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/5371/gone3pf7.jpg

This is good news, at least something was done about it.

[amitaliri619]

I believe Pres. Quezon was the one responsible for the re-alignment of funds from the development of the Burnham plan, the funds was (supposedly) diverted for agricultural purposes, irrigations.

:) yes, i'm not sure, but didn't quezon change the capital to quezon city? why? is it out of his vanity? it would've worked so so well if he sticked to the manila plan... (but...can i ask anyone here? can manila be the city planned? well i mean are there any chances of the government to organise pa plan to rehabilitate manila? and turen it to the city it was supposde to be? after all, the newly reconstructed buildings, they have no historical significance, even the reconstruction is very poor :ohno: that's the awful thing...)

[amitaliri619]

:) my grandmother said... "at a newspaper in the us before ww2": manila, at any point would have looked like rome on one side, new york on the other, andparis the next...anyway...i'm still young, so..let's see if there's more instore~:cheers:

[icarusrising]

:) yes, i'm not sure, but didn't quezon change the capital to quezon city? why? is it out of his vanity? it would've worked so so well if he sticked to the manila plan... (but...can i ask anyone here? can manila be the city planned? well i mean are there any chances of the government to organise pa plan to rehabilitate manila? and turen it to the city it was supposde to be? after all, the newly reconstructed buildings, they have no historical significance, even the reconstruction is very poor :ohno: that's the awful thing...)

Quezon's vision must have been influenced by his visits to Washington, D.C. with its being the focal point of government administration. Manila then (as it is now) was a hodge podge of residential, commercial, government, educational and religious institutions. Manila must have seem crowded with its narrow streets and burgeoning population compared to the US capital.

One of the reasons I heard from a college professor was Manila's vulnerability to invasions coming from the sea although it would seem absurd now with the developments of aerial cavalry, satellites, and guided missile technology.

It could be that he really wanted to perpetuate his name though I've read from postings here that the name of the new capital was not his own doing.

[Animo]

:) yes, i'm not sure, but didn't quezon change the capital to quezon city? why? is it out of his vanity? it would've worked so so well if he sticked to the manila plan... (but...can i ask anyone here? can manila be the city planned? well i mean are there any chances of the government to organise pa plan to rehabilitate manila? and turen it to the city it was supposde to be? after all, the newly reconstructed buildings, they have no historical significance, even the reconstruction is very poor :ohno: that's the awful thing...)

Amitaliri, the only problem would be money and property problems since the government has to buy all of those lands.

Why can't we use the old Manila plan on a new Philippine location? Preferably somewhere near a river and ample land to start from scratch! :D

[Animo]

By Augusto Villalon (http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20080915-160668/More-World-Heritage-churches)
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:02:00 09/15/2008

(Conclusion)

MANILA, Philippines - It is impossible to take San Agustín out of the context of Intramuros, the fortified Spanish colonial walled center of Manila surrounded by a protective moat, where the seat of Spanish power rested.

All Filipinos consider Intramuros in Manila as the primary symbol of former Spanish influence in the country. San Agustín has always been the parish church of Intramuros, the oldest stone church in the country, and the only church among the many in Intramuros to have survived the brutal destruction of World War II.
For the 350 years of Spanish rule, Intramuros was the nerve center of the country, from where the highest political and religious power emanated. Even if Intramuros today is a ghost of what it originally was, the aura of Spain still lingers within its walls.

Originally built of bamboo and nipa, the original San Agustín was the first church to be built in Luzon, the principal island in the Philippine archipelago. After repeated destruction by fire and earthquake, a stone church was constructed in 1587. It took 20 years to complete.

Because it occupies an urban city block, the façade and exterior walls of San Agustín are box-like and plain. Twin bell towers designed by the Spanish architect Luciano Oliver in 1854 augmented its squat façade. However, the left tower cracked during the earthquake of 1880, demolished for safety reasons and never reconstructed.

Extraordinary structure

The interior of the church is superb. Traces of the original wall painting done in the Mexican style can still be seen. The existing trompe l’oeil interior painting, done in the late 19th century, influenced the interior painting of many Philippine churches.

The structural design of the church is extraordinary. It is said the structure is supported by a raft-type foundation that permits the entire structure to sway during earthquakes.

Take a look at the small chapels lining each side of the nave which have thick walls between them. The walls are buttresses that protect the structure from earthquake damage.
Because of its limited urban space, the buttresses were integrated into the interior of the church. All built of stone, a barrel vault, dome and arched vestibules support the choir loft. No other construction of this type is seen in the Philippines.

Within the church and its adjoining monastery is a priceless art collection, including the earliest dated retablo (altarpiece), wall paintings, pulpit, choir lectern and choir stalls.

San Agustín figures prominently in Philippine history. Miguel López de Legazpi, the founder of Manila, was buried there together with other prominent historical figures.
The church hosted the first Church Council in 1578 and the first National Synod in 1581. In 1898 the negotiations for the surrender of the Spanish to the Americans were held there.

Global significance

The global development of the Baroque style, widely documented in Europe and Latin America, is not as well known in the Orient by Western scholars. Philippine Baroque churches are examples of the local interpretation of what was originally a Western architectural style, a fusion of East and West that shows the naïf but harmonious integration of a Western architectural idiom into the Philippine context.
Aside from the genius of Philippine artistry, the ingenious structural solutions for earthquake protection stand out. The Baroque churches of the Philippines exhibit the genius of Philippine artistic talent that is expressed through the high level of local craftsmanship, living proof of the fusion of East and West.

Information excerpted from “Living Landscapes and Cultural Landmarks, World Heritage Sites in the Philippines,” published by ArtPost Asia (www.artpostasia.com)

[amitaliri619]

well, Animo thank you, i agree with you 100%. they should find a new locations and relocate the primary government organizations. i forgot, but a few years back when i went to malaysia, putrajaya was being developed so the covernment would escape the congestion in kuala lumpur. i havent been to manila in a while, so is it congested there? and does the government need to move? plus, if there was no corruption, would it be possible for us to rebuild the manila we lost? and "i know this may be out of topic" but... i wonder, why did the cascos dissapear? i know they existed, but they seem to have dissapeared after ww2...

[icarusrising]

Pinoy kids in Brunei learn RP history and culture (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/120925/Pinoy-kids-in-Brunei-learn-RP-history-and-culture#)

Article posted September 17, 2008 - 01:33 PM
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino children in Brunei are being given an extensive seminar on Filipino language, history, and culture to deepen their roots and sense of identity, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the DFA cited a report of Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat, the chargé d’ affaires of the Philippine Embassy in Brunei, which said the training program is free of charge and will run every Sunday for three months at the Philippine Embassy Chancery.

Balatbat said the embassy, in cooperation with volunteer Filipino teachers and members of the newly formed group “Filipina sa Brunei," launched its initial program entitled “Pilipino Po Ako: Mag-Aral Tayong Mag-Pilipino" on , September 14.

“The “Filipina sa Brunei" is an initiative encouraged by Ambassador Virginia H. Benavidez and spearheaded by Filipino women in Brunei Darussalam," the statement quoted Balatbat’s report as saying.

It said the group first met in April 2008 at the “Ang Bahay," the official residence of the Philippine ambassador. One of the objectives of this association is to promote love of country and Filipino culture among Filipino children who grew up in Brunei Darussalam.

Slots are on a first-come, first–serve basis and are available for Filipino children aged 7-15 years.

Balatbat said the teachers involved in the program are led by Teresita A. Alabastro, Naima R. Basher, and. Noorhayati Cynthia Noorhaizamdin, who are also the pioneer members of the association.

She said the program also hopes to enhance the children’s basic language skills and help them prepare for further studies on, and/or travels to, the Philippines.

An initial batch of 32 Filipino children, aged 4 to 14, registered on September 7 at the Philippine Embassy Chancery. The children took an assessment exam to enable the team of volunteer instructors to better match the program with the participants’ level of language skills.

Balatbat noted the value-added activity as an effective means to rekindle an appreciation for their personal and cultural ties with the Philippines.

Ambassador Benavidez also welcomed the program as part of the embassy’s ongoing efforts to promote the Philippines as well as foster the bayanihan spirit between the embassy and the Filipino community in Brunei.

The embassy is encouraging members of the Filipino community to volunteer their time and talent to the program for the benefit of Filipino children and youth, said the DFA statement. - GMANews.TV

All Rights Reserved. 2006 © GMA Network Inc.

[Pinoy_ako]

The Second World War destroyed the historic quarter of Manila. We lost the most famous civil and ecclesiastical structures in the city. The buildings were reduced to shells by bombs. While wrecking balls were busy doing their job, the citizens responded with apathy and neglect. Whatever remained of the buildings were obliterated forever.

Whenever we see pictures of the buildings, we always ask, why didn’t they restore the structures?

A few decades ago, a very famous institution was razed by fire. After the disaster, only the walls of the buildings were left. The old San Lazaro Hospital complex was ruined, but it is a magnificent ruins.

It has been standing at that site for the last 200 years, ever since the British invasion underscored the military threat posed by strong stones structures like San Lazaro to the safety of the city. It was this fear that prompted authorities to demolish the old buildings around the walls of Manila and transfer them to other places in the extramural towns. San Lazaro had to move to the Mayhaligue estate in Sta. Cruz.

Like most building complex of the early 19th century, the San Lazaro complex is built around a central, interior patio. The chapel is located at the northern side. Its most notable feature is a magnificent portal, the only remaining example of its kind in the city. Each side of the doorway has three-engaged columns. The entablature is just a shadow of its old self, probably damaged and never restored after some past disasters. An ornate crest, with the royal coat-of-arms, surmounts the portal. The threshold is a single granite block with floral carvings at the edges. Sadly, only fringes of the granite’s ornamentation are visible when the patio was overlaid with brick pavements. The side of the chapel, at least along the patio, is lined by the rectangular windows, which are framed by a cock’s-comb outline. These decorative schemes are more common in Portugal and its colonies.

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The royal coat-of-arms is also found in other sections of the complex, such as the one over the main entrance to the complex. This is enclosed by feathery c-scrolls, one of the motifs used in rococo. Unfortunately, the portal at the opposite side of the complex, the wing which adjoins the chapel, has a badly weathered decoration, most likely a coat-of-arms.

Despite the sorry state of the portal decoration, the walls and its decorative pillars have an interesting pattern. In contrast to the façade, the two other structures have 2 stories of stone walls. Second-storey windows have rounded pediments . Simple pilasters support an frieze of alternating tri-glyphs and x-motif at this level. On the ground storey, simple rectangular windows pierced the walls, the simple pilasters support an rudimentary frieze. The adjoining wing, the one opposite the chapel has an arcade at the first storey and rows of rectangular windows at the second level.

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Pictures show that a number of artifacts were lost. A pulpit with bas-relief of saints used to adorn one side of the chapel, a few feet away from a neo-classic retablo. Old-timers still recall a pair of stone lions that used to stand guard at each side of the doorway.

Nonetheless, we are still left with a series of buttressed walls, that enclose a courtyard and a rebuilt chapel. There is an impending plan to rebuild sections of the complex. One part has been started. In all probability, it will not follow the original lines of the old structure. Worse, the materials used may not be compatible with the old stones.

Problems abound. The San Lazaro complex is a government institution. The new buildings of the institution are overcrowded with sick people, who are barely provided with medicines and other necessities to sustain their lives. Are there funds for the restoration of the buildings, when there is barely enough for building additional wards for the sick?

The irony of life is exemplified in these structures. Buildings in need of restoration at a time when there is heightened heritage preservation awareness, set in an institution that has a measly budget to sustain the people’s lives.

In the future, whenever the succeeding generations see the San Lazaro complex, will they also ask, why didn’t they restore the structures?

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The institution is under the advocacy of Saint Lazarus.

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The main entrance has a royal coat-of-arms above the portal.

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An arcade spans the ground storey of one wing.

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Another wing has well-defined pilasters, freize with tri-glyphs and rectangular windows with rounded pediments.

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Some of the exterior walls are buttressed, like most buildings in the city.

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The windows of the chapel along the patio are framed in a linear silhouette, culminating in a cock's comb motif.

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The magnificent portal of the chapel is the only remaining example of its kind.

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The threshold is a granite slab, with decorative carvings at one side. The granite is partially hidden by the new brick pavement of the patio.

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/112/interiorew6.jpg
The chapel has been rebuilt, and a new main entrance was carved from one wall.

[overtureph]

Very informative Jun.

[Wonderboy]

^ Will visit San Lazaro Hospital sometime soon.

[stanleymalls]

Goodness, Manila was so envisioned like Washington DC back then! (Burnham plan that is). :D

Sorry for the poor image quality. I only got this from Professor Alcazaren's slide show last night at Instituto Cervantes.

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/59/P7093322.JPG?et=MJ2ufQ%2BY%2BUV2CpTVhPrHGA&nmid=104881192

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/61/P7093324.JPG?et=h22fDBPyrsiIT0y4NSKD7g&nmid=104881192

There were supposedly four big parks for Manila
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Tondo, Santa Ana, Santa Mesa and Harrison Park (currently Harrison Plaza Mall)

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/63/P7093326.JPG?et=CsILn41NK9T%2BujwsZzHeog&nmid=104881192

Manila Capitol Buildings
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^^ The New Capitol was supposed to be situated at now Agrifina Circle

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New Capitol (Palace) Building

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/68/P7093331.JPG?et=ml95XirWv5B4qZUrZlcyIQ&nmid=104881192
Washington DC & Manila similarities

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/201/600x600/69/P7093332.JPG?et=QCE1WZZGIQs%2Cr7SUNYVLPQ&nmid=104881192
The tramvias

Back-read myself, and my! WHAT A KIND OF SET OF PICTURES!

I would really love to see the tramvias running nowadays. And the Daniel Burnham Plan carried out and be very well done to Manila, and bam! Manila is the Queen City of the Orient! :banana: :banana: :banana::cheers::cheers::cheers:

[amitaliri619]

Back-read myself, and my! WHAT A KIND OF SET OF PICTURES!

I would really love to see the tramvias running nowadays. And the Daniel Burnham Plan carried out and be very well done to Manila, and bam! Manila is the Queen City of the Orient! :banana: :banana: :banana::cheers::cheers::cheers:

:) :) yes! isnt it very motivational? anyone that would see these pictures would want manila restored and rebuilt that way. and i figured, why not get rid og mrt and have tranvias above ground and an integrated ultramodern subway undergrond well of course, both run by environmentally safe power sources, sigh... i hope one day, some president of the future would see this and realize, wow! this is amazing! during my term, i will make manila unique within asia, the worl's the oyster manila is the pearl! :cheers: :cheers:

[LordCarnal]

Hi guys please visit the blog page of the Cathedral Museum of Cebu.

Here, http://www.cathedralmuseum.com/blog


...

[GearX]

Museum of Three Cultures (http://hgpm.blogspot.com/2008/09/museum-of-three-cultures.html)

Last Saturday, for our weekend together time, I brought Annika and Angela to Capitol University for a visit to the Museum of Three Cultures.

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It is an institution within the organization of Capitol University in Cagayan de Oro City. From its main academic base, the Museum of Three Cultures houses galleries of the three rich intermingling cultures present in Cagayan de Oro City – the migrant lowland cultures of Cagayan de Oro City, Iligan City and the province of Bukidnon.. the indigenous peoples of Northern Mindanao.. and the Muslim M’ranao of Marawi.

This new tourism site in Cagayan de Oro City is a special dedication of Madame Laureana San Pedro Rosales, founder of the Capitol System of Schools, who started her educational apostolate in Mindanao in 1951 and served the three distinct culture groups of Mindanao. Thus, the museum traverses the three cultures to reach a concert of unity.

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We began with the Prehistoric Gallery displaying a rare collection of artifacts of Cagayan de Oro and a collection of Chinese tradeware porcelain and pottery from Butuan City's archaeological sites. The collection of stones and bones and pottery were fascinating. And the girls were so happy to see the story of the "balanghai" and its role in the early trade - a familiar lesson in Philippine history.

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The Kasaysayan Gallery houses a mixed and multi-disciplinary collection of historical and ethnological objects. Its main collection consists of rare period photographs of Cagayan de Misamis and North Mindanao, many of which date back to the Hispanic era and to the American era.

At this point, we were joined by Dr. Antonio J. Montalvan II, the Museum Curator and Director, who kindly involved himself into a short conversation with the girls. Annika and Angela discussed with him about knowing Juan Luna and studying about his famous paintings in their Civics class in St. Mary's School.

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The Lumad Gallery shows ethnic crafts from the indigenous people of Bukidnon - basketry, jewelry and accessories, weaponry and musical instruments. Photos of the daily routine of the Higaonons were on display.

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[Animo]

The Grand Dame of Hotels continues its tradition of excellence celebrates its 96th Anniversary October 6, 2008


Inaugurated on October 6, 1912, the Manila Hotel is the oldest premiere five-star hotel in the country built in 1909 and centrally situated in the heart of the Manila Bay area. Within walking distance is the Rizal Park and Intramuros, an old walled city of the Spanish period. It celebrates on this day its 96th year of serving as the venue of historical events and the seat of hospitality for the nation’s guests and official visitors.

The management of the Manila Hotel justly takes pride in its past which has made it a historic landmark and a part of the nation’s patrimony, for it was the site for crucial decisions that contributed to our country’s journey towards nationhood. It was the guest house of the American colonial administration, the residence of General Douglas MacArthur when he served as military adviser to President Manuel L. Quezon under the Commonwealth Government from 1935 to 1941. During the Japanese Military Administration period, it became the seat of government under General Masaharu Homma.

It was also the site for conventions of the Nacionalista Party and the Liberal Party that nominated President Ramon F. Magsaysay, President Carlos P. Garcia, President Diosdado P. Macapagal, and President Ferdinand E. Marcos. The 1971 Constitutional Convention was held at the Manila Hotel; here President Carlos P. Garcia was elected as the Convention President, succeeded later by President Diosdado P. Macapagal. It also served as the venue for the Philippines’ Oscars, the FAMAS Awards, for many years. From 1961 to 2002, the Manila Hotel hosted twelve glittering incarnations of the annual awards night. The hotel has the offices of several foreign news organizations, including The New York Times.

In keeping with its tradition of being a showcase of Filipino culture and tradition, in addition to the General Douglas MacArthur Suite, where the distinguished friend of the Filipino people resided, the present management of the "Aristocrat of the World" refurbished the Presidential Suite for visiting Heads of State, and redecorated suites named in honor and in memory of the country’s great heroes – Dr. Jose P. Rizal, General Emilio Aguinaldo, Andres Bonifacio, and Gabriela Silang.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Philippine independence proclaimed on June 12, 1898, the Manila Hotel constructed the Centennial Hall. Then in 2000, it constructed the Millennium Hall. These are sites for big conferences and grand receptions. On January 17, 2008, the Manila Hotel Tent City’s blessing and grand opening was held at 5:00 p.m. Its conference halls will accommodate 2,500 guests for wedding receptions, anniversaries, conventions, and exhibitions.

Besides playing host to the nation’s official guests and visiting personalities, the hotel has likewise been the symbol of happy memories of debuts, birthday parties, wedding receptions, anniversaries, conferences, conventions, exhibitions, and other occasions with the elite of Manila society as its regular patrons.

The Manila Hotel 96th Anniversary is an auspicious occasion for its management and its staff to rededicate themselves to their mission of providing the country the example of elegance and gracious living and hospitality as the Manila Hotel continues its tradition as witness to history and custodian of some of the traditions of the Filipino.

The Manila Hotel has a rich tradition of hospitality, fine dining, and first-class service that is truly Filipino in character. Through the years, some of the world’s prominent personalities such as country presidents, prime ministers, royalty, political figures, and international movie and entertainment celebrities have come and stayed here.

The hotel has a total of 570 fully renovated deluxe rooms and suites. The rooms provide exceptional views of the city, especially the gardens of Rizal Park and the walls of Intramuros. All rooms make use of the Ving Card electronic lock system for maximum security. A 24-hour butler service is available for MacArthur, Presidential, and Penthouse Suites. More, it is the first Philippine hotel to offer Home Box Office (HBO), among other television network systems.

Also offered here are world-class amenities, and extensive health and recreational facilities. These include a sports and health club complex, two tennis courts, two squash courts, gyms, sauna, massage services, a game room, and a pool with a swim-up bar. There is also an Executive Services Center, which provides a wide range of administrative services. A 24-hour full-menu room service, medical and dental clinic, babysitting, and many more are likewise offered.

For meetings and other occasions, the hotel offers eight function rooms including the grand Fiesta Pavilion ballroom that can accommodate up to 2,500 people, fully equipped with modern meeting and presentation facilities.

The Manila Hotel is an affiliate of the Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation (PCVC) and the Movement of Incentive Travel Executives (MITE).

We congratulate the historic landmark Manila Hotel, the Grand Dame of Hotels and venue for great events and memorable gatherings, headed by its Chairman Dr. Emilio T. Yap, President Atty. Jose D. Lina Jr., General Manager Andrew James Olivar, Directors, Officers, Staff, and its valued friends and clientele, as it continues its tradition of excellence and celebrates its 96th Anniversary on October 6, 2008.

http://www.mb.com.ph/OPED20081006137158.html

[skyscraper100]

^^Manila hotel was the the only premiere hotel of the pacific.now is it's already on it's centennial year.wow it's really historic.

[icarusrising]

Modern Living
Wow, Amorsolo: His art, our past (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Modern%20Living&p=49&type=2&sec=46)
CITY SENSE By Paulo Alcazaren
Saturday, October 4, 2008

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I was invited recently to the Conservatory of the Manila Pen for the launch of one of the biggest retrospectives in Philippine art. I always go to press launches at the Pen because I know the food will be good and I always welcome the chance to visit its fabled lobby — the real nexus of power in the city, where deals are struck and armored personnel carriers are welcomed with aplomb. But I digress.

“The Amorsolo Retrospective: His Art, Our Heart,” is an awesome, eight-month, seven-museum exhibition of Fernando Amorsolo’s masterpieces. The retrospective will also showcase his rare sketches, illustrations and drawings. Fernando Amorsolo is our premier National Artist for painting and his body of work, composed of over 10,000 paintings and even more sketches and drawings, is a cultural treasure trove and a reflection of 20th-century Filipino life. The exhibit hopes to put his oeuvre in perspective and introduce Amorsolo to a new generation of Filipinos.

Aside from these museums, the organizers, led by Evelyn Lim-Forbes, the project’s executive director, has invited the Department of Tourism into the program. She said, “More than just an exhibit, this is a multi-layered campaign that’s aligned with international and local channels in the government, private sector, media and schools. DOT’s role in this is huge, as we aim to generate presence through their valued conduits.”

Secretary Ace Durano was reported as saying, “More than just capturing the beauty and charm of our scenery, Amorsolo’s works breathe life into the Filipino values of kinship and hard work.”

Eduardo Jarque, Jr., Tourism Planning and Promotions Undersecretary, also responded, adding, “The project is strategic to our objectives because Amorsolo’s sun-drenched countryside landscapes best promote our colorful culture and history. Projecting the beauty of the Philippines through his works has a mileage that goes beyond what any picturesque ad can achieve.”

I don’t own any Amorsolos but some of my most prized possessions are tourist brochures from the pre-war years. They invariably featured an Amorsolo on its cover. I feature two in this article.

The first is a lovely pamphlet printed in 1924 by the Bureau of Commerce and Industry. The Tourist Handbook of the Philippine Islands has an Amorsolo illustration for its cover — a countryside scene showing a barrio lass bringing what appears to be a bilao of buns presumably to market. The composition, color and lighting are classic Amorsolo. Inside are features and photographs of tourist destinations in Manila and the rest of the Philippines. The images are framed with borders illustrated by Amorsolo depicting landmarks of Manila like the Jones Bridge, Rizal Monument and San Sebastian Church.

I assume because of the style that all these artworks were done by Amorsolo, but there is no printed credit for them in the publication. It may be that Amorsolo was not that famous yet. The turning point for him as an artist seemed to be in the mid-’20s; as explained in a short biography in another tourist pamphlet printed in 1938, where he is now credited on the front page directly under the main cover subject — a smiling Amorsolo lass in baro’t saya seated with a basket of goodies.

The publication was produced by the American Express company. Manila had, by then, developed into a prime tourism destination because of the building of Pier 7, reportedly the longest passenger terminal in the world in the 1930s, and the establishment of a dozen or so good hotels with air-conditioning and other luxuries to match the expanded Manila Hotel. AmEx was in the business of tourism and made money arranging itineraries and providing tourists with its traveler’s checks.

Its pamphlet Manila and the Philippines: The original and only comprehensive guide to the 7,000 emerald islands of the East, covers far more island destinations than the 1924 publication. It also has numerous tips for the trans-Pacific traveler like “Don’t burden yourself with too much luggage as it is possible to buy dresses, hats, and shoes in Manila that you would be proud to wear on Fifth Avenue or the Rue de la Paix.”

The pamphlet suggests the best things to shop for. One of these is Manila cigars. “The Philippines export more cigars than any other country in the world, and they are so famed for their quality and aroma that anyone who has tried them keeps a constant supply on hand.”

Also suggested is rattan furniture: “Visitors from all over the world buy in Manila furniture made from the rattan reed, or, as it is locally known by the natives, palasan. This furniture is made from sketches by expert designers, and often incorporates one of the Philippine hardwoods with rattan.”

The pamphlet states one good source for this furniture is the Bilibid prison, whose inmates produce “…wicker furniture (rattan), some of which is of most artistic design and all of which is of excellent quality.” It goes on about the prison as a tourist spot: “Those interested may, at four o’clock in the afternoon, see the ceremony known as ‘retreat.’ At this time the inmates are reviewed in the prison yard, and put through a routine course of exercise to the accompaniment of music by the prison band.” It looks like the famous YouTube Cebu dancing inmates were not the original dancing inmates after all!

In that 1938 tourist guide, Amorsolo was already so renowned that his achievements were highlighted with a one-page bio, which showed his already international stature in those years:

“Amorsolo is not only a great painter in the Philippines; he has also achieved worldwide recognition. Our cover shows a native girl in the country costume — the costumes worn by the society women in the cities are much more elaborate. Probably the most loved of Amorsolo’s works are his numerous paintings of native life, vivid in color, and with a magnificent play of light and shadow. He also paints portraits, and some of the most prominent people who have stayed in the Philippine Islands have carried home, proudly, an Amorsolo portrait. One of his most impressive works is a mural of tremendous proportions in the beautiful home of Don Gregorio Araneta. This shows Magellan presiding over the first baptism in the Philippine Islands.

“Fernando Amorsolo was born in Manila and educated at the Liceo de Manila. He studied painting at the University of the Philippines’ School of Fine Arts, and later became an instructor at the same school. In 1919 he went to Madrid, Spain, to engage in further study. After that he went to New York City, where he executed several commissions for wealthy Americans. He then came back to his native land, resumed teaching and entered into a busy art life as commission after commission jammed his studio. He tells us that he is up before sunrise and never leaves his easel until sundown.

“1926 was an important milestone in Amorsolo’s life. That year, 40 of his paintings were exhibited at the Art Center in New York City. They were highly acclaimed by the critics, and all of his paintings were sold. 1928 was another milestone. He received a commission to do several paintings for the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, which are now on permanent exhibition there. He is constantly receiving invitations from famous galleries in Europe and America to exhibit his works.American Express is proud to have an Amorsolo for the 1938 edition of the booklet Manila and the Philippines.”

These tourist brochures showed a booming and vibrant Manila (22 cinemas with two able to stage operas, the largest cabaret in the world in Sta. Ana, three golf courses, two racing clubs, a yacht club and two polo clubs). The publications painted a developing Philippines ready to take on the world in terms of products and destinations for visitors.

Amorsolo’s art enhanced this image by painting what, to foreigners, was exotic, but what to Filipinos was, and still is, the heart of our culture — our joyous celebration of life, community and the illuminated beauty of our blessed 7,107 islands.

Amorsolo was named National Artist in Painting in 1972; he died the same year. The magical light he used to imbue his work with life is today compromised by air pollution and the blight of unbridled urbanization. The young lads and lasses planting rice or bathing in streams are now answering calls in soulless BPO cubicles or selling their souls to work overseas. No one paints any more uplifting murals of heroic deeds or the promise of a progressive Philippines because we seem to have run out of heroes and have had too many promises broken by our leaders.

We need to look at Fernando Amorsolo’s work again, as well as Guillermo Tolentino’s sculpture and Juan Arellano’s architecture — all their generation’s artistic accomplishments — to regain what we have lost. This is not to romanticize the past, but to recover the optimism, resilience and belief, along with pride, in ourselves that these men built, sculpted and painted. A retrospective is looking back but its real goal is to see the future in a better light.

The museums and exhibit dates are as follows: At the Jorge B. Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research Center, “Capturing Anxieties: Amorsolo, His Contemporaries and Pictures of the War” is from Sept. 23 to Nov. 16; at the Lopez Memorial Museum, “Tell-Tale The Artist as Storyteller, Amorsolo as Co-Author” is from Sept. 24 to April 4, 2009; The National Art Gallery of the National Museum of the Philippines’ “Days of Drawing, Portraits of Passage” is from Sept. 25 to Jan. 15, 2009; at the Metropolitan Museum, “BayANInanding: The Motherland and the Harvest of Maestro Amorsolo” is from Sept. 26 to Jan. 13; at the Yuchengco Museum “Mukhang Tsinoy: Portraits by Fernando Amorsolo” is from Oct. 1 to Jan. 17; at the GSIS Museum of Art, “SALIW: Rituals in Amorsolo’s Art” is from Oct. 2 to Dec. 20; and at the Ayala Museum, “Women Concealed and Revealed” is from Oct. 24 to March 8, 2009.
* * *
Feedback is welcome. Please e-mail the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.

[Pinoy_ako]

Once again, Manila will be flooded by lights. After all the bruhaha over the Sputnik stations along the Jones bridge had died down, another project is underway. "I Shall Return," but this time along MacArthur bridge. A preview of the Soda Fountains of Manila.

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Setting up the Soda Fountains of Manila, placing the straws where they belong.

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/6771/sc3ct9.jpg
A classic backdrop for the new project. Even the skies cannot contain its tears.

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/5905/sc2fm1.jpg
A more intimate view of a soda fountain.

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/8337/sc1uh6.jpg
Let there be light. One side of the MacArthur Bridge is already spruced up with soda fountains.

[Wonderboy]

^^ Hideous indeed.

FOR ALL HERITAGE ADVOCATES WHO HAVE LAMENTED THE MINDLESS CHANGING OF STREET
NAMES, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO BE HEARD!

WHO: COUNCILOR YUL SERVO (a.k.a. J. NIETO) WILL CONDUCT A HEARING
ABOUT CHANGING THE NAMES OF STREETS IN MANILA

WHY: PERHAPS IT IS BECAUSE THIS WAS BROUGHT UP IN THE LAST MEETING
OF THE MANILA HISTORICAL AND HERITAGE COMMISSION

WHEN: TUESDAY, 14 OCTOBER 2008
2 - 5 P.M.

WHERE: SESSION HALL OF MANILA CITY HALL
2ng FLOOR
ENTER ARROCEROS GATE ON A.VILLEGAS (FORMERLY ARROCEROS ) STREET

HOW: BEST TO LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE AT THE SM MALL PARKING, IF THERE IS SPACE
BEST TO GO BY LRT

COME IN GROUPS ! ARRIVE IN DROVES! DRAG FELLOW CONVERTS AND INFIDELS!

LET US TRANSLATE OUR LAMENTATIONS AND ANIMADVERSIONS INTO REAL UNITED ACTION.

KINDLY SEND ME A CONFIRMATION EMAIL (gemma601 at yahoo dot com) SO I CAN RESERVE SEATS.

FROM:

Gemma Cruz Araneta
Vice-chairperson, Manila Historical & Heritage Commission
OIC, Manila Tourism & Cultural Affairs Bureau

[icarusrising]

Renovating Intramuros/Focusing on RP lensmen (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Opinion&p=49&type=2&sec=25&aid=20081010127)
SUNDRY STROKES By Rosalinda L. Orosa
Saturday, October 11, 2008

Intramuros, Nick Joaquin’s “ever noble and loyal city”, is the setting of his celebrated drama “Portrait of the Artist as Filipino”. Quite logically, the Barangay Theater Guild first presented the play on an improvised stage in Intramuros.

The ramparts of Intramuros, built by the Spaniards, protected the city from marauders. The Manila Cathedral, the imposing Palacio del Gobernador serve their purposes. The golf course still draws divot diggers.

Not too long ago, Ana Marie “Bambi” Harper was appointed overseer of the entire area, and those who know her well can’t think of a more qualified person for the position of Intramuros Administrator. For years, Harper has been and continues to be an environmentalist who, along with her colleagues, fiercely fights pollution — I wonder why public and private vehicles keep emitting smoke with impunity — and illegal logging. In this regard, Harper staunchly opposed the cutting of the trees in Arroceros, which act was meant to give way to a dormitory for teachers. By this token, Harper could not possibly have ordered the cutting of those 29 Narra trees in Intramuros because it would have totally gone against her principles.

At the moment, all seems quiet on the Intramuros front, and hopefully, DENR Secretary Lito Atienza and Harper are now on cordial terms — as they should be. Indeed, both being appointees of President Arroyo, they should be harmoniously working for common causes.

At any rate, despite the hazards and challenges confronting Harper, her agenda unwaveringly includes the beautification and renovation of Intramuros. Here are the activities relating to this as officially announced.

The Walled City enters a more exciting phase of development this month with the launch of “Reliving Intramuros Today”. With no less than President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as guest of honor, activities on the special day were led by Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano and Intramuros Administrator Anna Maria L. Harper.

First on the list of events was the Cornerstone Laying at Maestranza Park. This signifies the beginning of the reconstruction of the walls as the Northern part of Intramuros, the only section of the walls yet to be restored. Funding for the reconstruction project was granted by the government of Japan in 2004 upon the initiative of then Tourism Secretary (now Senator) Richard J. Gordon. Site of the Baluarte de Herrerias and Puerta de Almacenes, the curtain wall along the Pasig River was demolished by American Engineers in 1903 to give way to the construction of river wharves.

Next on the list is the ceremonial planting of flame trees (Delonix Regia). With the vision of 238 trees abloom in red for annual Flame Tree Festivals, Harper sought donations to bring the project to fruition. The donors’ names are engraved in markers at Plaza Roma and Maestranza in appreciation of their generosity.

Activities then moved to Fort Santiago with the opening of the Museum Shop at the Intramuros Visitors Center (IVC). Harper personally conceptualized the items for sale at the Museum Shop, such as mugs, note cards, tote bags, shirts, coffee/tea sets, and other gift items under the name The Intramuros Collection. The IVC occupies the chambers at Baluartillo de San Francisco Javier, a fortification built in 1662 as part of the seafront defense of the Walled City. Storage chambers for military supplies until the early 20th century, these were later used as barracks by the Japanese army and as garages and a warehouse by the American Army.

Capping the day’s festivities was the inauguration of the Almacenes Reales (Royal Warehouses) as an adaptive re-use facilities, with Marian images from the L.A. Museum collection on display. The brick walls were strengthened and polycarbonate sheers were installed as roofing to provide an indoor function area at Fort Santiago.

Antique windows, balusters and doors enhance the old charm of the structure. Originally put up in 1591 as a storehouse for goods unloaded along the river-wharves, it was renovated as soldiers’ quarters after the 1863 earthquake and eventually fell into disrepair.

With things happening in Intramuros at a fast pace, the future looks brighter for the Walled City.

* * *

Like other foreign cultural agencies, the Goethe Institut, whenever it can, projects Filipino performing and visual artists. On Oct. 17, at 6 p.m., the exhibition “Mapping Invisible Cities” at the Shangri-la Plaza (3/F) will feature the works of 27 photographers, eight of them Filipino: Cathy Quiogue, Che Katigbak, Cristina Luisa Sevilla, Dennis Rito, Estan Cabigas, Gigie Cruz, Kidlat de Guia and Tammy David.

This is how their photos came to be included in the exhibit which ends Nov. 7. When German photographer Peter Biallobrzeski traveled through SE Asia in 2007-8, he combined his own photographic investigations with workshops for young talents in Jakarta, Hanoi, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Singapore.

Correction: Overall chairman of “Francisfest 2008” is Menchu de las Alas Concepcion.

[amitaliri619]

hmmm? i see. i wonder how much it would be to cobble the whole of intramuros' streets. for one thing, i now bambi harper is very far from acomplishing that. but she did noteworthy things towards beutifying intramuros.

[IndioBravo]

^^She didn't promise much.She said she will try to clean up Intramuros and build a museum for the many artifacts that is wasted because no one can see them.Let's not expect miracles,but let's do our part in making Intramuros clean & heritage friendly.:)

[dvbaicrviser]

Once again, Manila will be flooded by lights. After all the bruhaha over the Sputnik stations along the Jones bridge had died down, another project is underway. "I Shall Return," but this time along MacArthur bridge. A preview of the Soda Fountains of Manila.

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/3958/sc4pa9.jpg
Setting up the Soda Fountains of Manila, placing the straws where they belong.

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/6771/sc3ct9.jpg
A classic backdrop for the new project. Even the skies cannot contain its tears.

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/5905/sc2fm1.jpg
A more intimate view of a soda fountain.

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/8337/sc1uh6.jpg
Let there be light. One side of the MacArthur Bridge is already spruced up with soda fountains.

Hindi pa parang nagkakabastusan na sa mga ilaw na yan? pagsasayang ng pera yan e. Buti pa kung parol na lang ang nilagay baka madami pa ang matuwa. :bash:

[kyle@1008]

Once again, Manila will be flooded by lights. After all the bruhaha over the Sputnik stations along the Jones bridge had died down, another project is underway. "I Shall Return," but this time along MacArthur bridge. A preview of the Soda Fountains of Manila.

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/3958/sc4pa9.jpg
Setting up the Soda Fountains of Manila, placing the straws where they belong.

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/6771/sc3ct9.jpg
A classic backdrop for the new project. Even the skies cannot contain its tears.

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/5905/sc2fm1.jpg
A more intimate view of a soda fountain.

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/8337/sc1uh6.jpg
Let there be light. One side of the MacArthur Bridge is already spruced up with soda fountains.

wtf!!! wtf!!! ey dude, what can we do about this?? I mean I'm not in manila all the time so I can't really get involved in it physically,...anybody we can write to or something,.... I've really cringed at the foo dogs and firecracker lights,...now this...

[Pinoy_ako]

wtf!!! wtf!!! ey dude, what can we do about this?? I mean I'm not in manila all the time so I can't really get involved in it physically,...anybody we can write to or something,.... I've really cringed at the foo dogs and firecracker lights,...now this...

I think Wonderboy is right. Are these spill-over projects that are only being implemented today? We can't do anything if these were acquired sometime ago. But we can ask them to pinpoint areas where these lamps may be set-up without ruining the historic areas of the city - I think this has already been pointed out to them. But the bottomline is, wherever these lamps are placed, people might think these are the latest fad and copy them (like when Pasay outdid the Manila galactic lamps along Roxas ).

I believe these bridges have beautiful lighting fixtures when the Save the Pasig River was launched - lamp posts na pinag-isipan at dinesign for these bridges: classic lamp posts for Jones Bridge and streamlined ones for MacArthur Bridge. I wonder why these were not maintained and instead were replaced.

[Pinoy_ako]

hmmm? i see. i wonder how much it would be to cobble the whole of intramuros' streets. for one thing, i now bambi harper is very far from acomplishing that. but she did noteworthy things towards beutifying intramuros.

Historically, not all Intramuros streets were cobblestoned. It would rouse the people from their siesta whenever the calesa passed by.

Even in Rome, the mayor is already thinking of ripping off the cobblestones since studies show that the vibrations are endangering the monuments in the city. In Intramuros, they should also look into the effect of these vibrations on San Agustin, since the cracks it incurred during 1863 and 1880 were only patched up.

Anyway, cobblestoned streets are a sight to behold.

[overtureph]

It seems when the Spaniards and Americans left, it also ended our civic pride. And the era of fine architectural design and harmonious look also ended. Civic mindedness and aesthetic quality are surely lacking in our tastes and cities.

Most surviving notable architectural designs seems to be those made or built during our colonial period.

[LordCarnal]

Did you guys know that someone from SSC Heritage Thread is involved with the reconstruction of the Ayuntamiento?

I think he's the consultant or what.

Hehe.

[LordCarnal]

Artifacts recovered the past week during the monitoring of the road tunnel project in Plaza Independencia where Fort San Pedro is.

The National Museum is set to declare Fort San Pedro and it's environs as a national cultural treasure.

Photos by @archaeologue, from the Cebu heritage walk thread.


Three gold burial masks have been found, one of which is complete (eye, nose, and mouth covering)

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/goldmask.jpg




A set of gold earrings were also found

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/goldearrings.jpg




The burials. Pre-hispanic Cebuanos practiced burying the dead beneath their houses.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/burial17.jpg




The earthenwares that were found

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/bunchofbowls.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/fortsanpedro6.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/fortsanpedro8.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/kendi.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/yuanpowderbox.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/vietnamesejars.jpg




The earthenwares that were excavated superimposed on a page of the book "Chinese and Vietnamese Ceramics found in the Philippines" by Rita Ching Tan, et al.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/sqaurejarlet.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/yuanpowderbox-1.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/Sawankhalokpowderbox.jpg

[overtureph]

Check this out - The Philippine Islands- Explorations, History, Missions
Very rare limited edition 55 volume set. Maps, plates.. Item number: 180300053666

[Pinoy_ako]

Did you guys know that someone from SSC Heritage Thread is involved with the reconstruction of the Ayuntamiento?

I think he's the consultant or what.

Hehe.

Is he the one who worked with the Cebu Provincial Museum ? :)

[LordCarnal]

^^

Yes sir, hehe. I think you guys know each other.

[red_jasper]

Artifacts discovery might lead to lost tribe
Thu Oct 23, 2008 8:25pm EDT
By Manny Mogato

MANILA (Reuters) - When Philippine police confiscated 22 bags of broken pottery from antiquity smugglers near an area where Muslim rebels operated, little did they know that they may have uncovered the remnants of a long-lost tribe.

Now, experts at the National Museum in the capital Manila are studying the burial urns from a tribe that lived in the Philippines over 2,000 years ago, in what could be a major archaeological discovery.

"The pottery has human faces that show emotions," Eusebio Dizon, head of the archaeological unit at the National Museum, told Reuters.

http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20081024&t=2&i=6505731&w=&r=2008-10-24T002438Z_01_BTRE49N012U00_RTROPTP_0_PHILIPPINES-ARCHAEOLOGY

http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20081024&t=2&i=6505732&w=&r=2008-10-24T002438Z_01_BTRE49N012V00_RTROPTP_0_PHILIPPINES-ARCHAEOLOGY

Dizon said that pictures of people on the shards might mean the tribe that used the vessels had different origins from the known indigenous tribes in the Philippines.

"The Manobos, Tirurays and B'laans tribes that have survived over time do not bury their dead in painted anthropomorphic (human form) jars. So, we have no idea what kind of people are behind these unique burial jars," Dizon said.

A U.S.-trained archaeologist, Dizon spent several years in the 1990s excavating in a cave in Sarangani province on Mindanao after he was tipped off by treasure hunters about rare anthropomorphic, or human form, pottery in the area. Carbon dating tests showed the jars to be from about 5 BC.

He said the latest pottery find could be much older because of the cruder method used in the pottery as well as the human forms on the jars. But, further studies are needed to establish the real origins of the latest finds, he added.

"We have no idea where these artifacts come from because the people who were trying to smuggle them out from the area could not tell us where exactly they found those materials. But, I am sure the materials are not fake."

Read more (http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE49N01120081024?pageNumber=3&virtualBrandChannel=10339&sp=true)

[overtureph]

The Philippine Islands- Explorations, History, Missions
Very rare limited edition 55 volume set. Maps, plates..Item number: 180300053666 - sold for $6,500.00. Although I'm not an expert, I think the price that it was sold at was quite reasonable.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/ThePhilippineIslands-ExplorationsHi.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/Veryrarelimitededition55volumese-1.jpg

[LordCarnal]

Are there any reprints of that volume nowadays?

I mean something like 2008 edition?

[overtureph]

Are there any reprints of that volume nowadays?

I mean something like 2008 edition?

I believe there are no reprints for 2008. If I'm not mistaken, the last reprint was the Taiwan edition. Maybe pinoy_ako is more familiar with this.

[Pinoy_ako]

I believe there are no reprints for 2008. If I'm not mistaken, the last reprint was the Taiwan edition. Maybe pinoy_ako is more familiar with this.

Yes, there are no reprints. There are only three editions: the original 1903, the Cacho Hermano and the Taiwan Editions. Who was able to buy the last one up for sale?

[johnmizer]

has anyone of you have seen the new basilica of san sebastian....? colored light green!

[LordCarnal]

I believe there are no reprints for 2008. If I'm not mistaken, the last reprint was the Taiwan edition. Maybe pinoy_ako is more familiar with this.

Yes, there are no reprints. There are only three editions: the original 1903, the Cacho Hermano and the Taiwan Editions. Who was able to buy the last one up for sale?


Umm, for the interest of everybody, there should be reprints in paperbacks or newsprint..

Who owns the copyright to these books? The Philippine Government should look into this because these books deal with our history.

At least we'll have an unbiased account of our history, hehe.


//

[Pinoy_ako]

Umm, for the interest of everybody, there should be reprints in paperbacks or newsprint..

Who owns the copyright to these books? The Philippine Government should look into this because these books deal with our history.

At least we'll have an unbiased account of our history, hehe.


//

Arnold,

History from the point of view of the colonizers and travellers pa rin ito since these are all translations from the original documents. You'll have to read between the lines to partly recover the history of the Filipino people. And you'll have to compare the translations with the originals since some of the words used are the product of the minds of those living in 1903.

[Pinoy_ako]

has anyone of you have seen the new basilica of san sebastian....? colored light green!

Yes, just like the color of the original paint (let me call it "fresco") of the interior.

[OshHisham]

Historically, not all Intramuros streets were cobblestoned. It would rouse the people from their siesta whenever the calesa passed by.

Even in Rome, the mayor is already thinking of ripping off the cobblestones since studies show that the vibrations are endangering the monuments in the city. In Intramuros, they should also look into the effect of these vibrations on San Agustin, since the cracks it incurred during 1863 and 1880 were only patched up.

Anyway, cobblestoned streets are a sight to behold.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3043/2965837276_447b1bf6d4_o.jpg

does cobblestone really harmful to old structures? so then all buildings in Florence, Italy should be in danger....i don't think so..

oh, btw, that's a picture taken inside Intramuros during my visit to Manila...:yes:

[Pinoy_ako]

does cobblestone really harmful to old structures? so then all buildings in Florence, Italy should be in danger....i don't think so..

oh, btw, that's a picture taken inside Intramuros during my visit to Manila...:yes:

Not the cobblestones themselves but the vibrations caused by passing vehicles.

http://www.amoretravelguides.com/blog/cobblestone-roads-in-rome-the-end-of-a-very-long-era.php

Cobblestone Roads in Rome: The End of a Very Long Era

After 2,000 years, Rome will replace some of their cobblestone roads with asphalt. Most of the stones to be replaced over the next few months were laid down in the 16th and 17th centuries. Soon, even the ancient Roman stones may be replaced in all but the pedestrian walkways and piazzas.

The old cobblestones, known as “sampietrini” (sampietrini translates as little stones of St. Peter’s) were originally used in St. Peter’s Square.

Paving of the Via Delle Botteghe Oscure and stretches of roads that run along the Tiber River will begin in the fall. More roads will be paved over time, leaving only a small number of cobblestone walkways in the city. The cobblestones will be left in place in Piazza Venezia, a large square in the heart of Rome and the Fori Imperiali which connects the Coliseum with the forum.

What is driving this change? The stones are prone to potholes, replacements are difficult to produce, the existing stones are expensive to repair (only 8 people are trained to replace cobblestones) and the vibrations from cars and buses driving on the old roads damage historic monuments and palaces. The stones also pose a danger to scooters and high heels, especially when they are wet and become slippery.

[overtureph]

Yes, there are no reprints. There are only three editions: the original 1903, the Cacho Hermano and the Taiwan Editions. Who was able to buy the last one up for sale?

The buyer's id is amro could also be a Filipiniana collector.

[overtureph]

Umm, for the interest of everybody, there should be reprints in paperbacks or newsprint..

Who owns the copyright to these books? The Philippine Government should look into this because these books deal with our history.

At least we'll have an unbiased account of our history, hehe.


//

Although I'm not quite sure, I think Filipinas Heritage Library is selling these books not as reprints but in digital format. It's either in cd or dvd versions.

[estan]

Tayabas, Quezon

http://simbahan.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/cemetery_chapel_1.jpg

Lucban, Quezon

http://simbahan.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/cemetery_chapel_4.jpg

Tabaco, Albay

http://simbahan.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/cemetery_chapel_2.jpg

San Joaquin, Iloilo

http://simbahan.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/cemetery_chapel_7.jpg

Extant mortuary chapels in the country are hard to find except maybe if you are in the province of Iloilo where there are a few excellent examples. However, beyond that province and Cebu, there are also scattered across the rest of the regions but not all and I haven’t seen one from Mindanao. During my travels, I was able to find some that are now posted here.

Not all towns and cities have them as only the more affluent ones were able to build these. Typically, these cemetery chapels are either found at the center, some are at the back end and an exception seems to be the Simbaan a Bassit which, other than located at the front, it has the only working espadaña, architectural feature where the bells are hung at the pediment, in the region. Nagcarlan is beautiful with its circular cemetery like Paco in Manila (not shown here), sports an espadaña and has a catacomb, the only one that I’ve seen.

Lucban and Tayabas surprised me with its twin belfries. While the former is in ruins, the latter is still in working condition and made me smile because of the gothic architecture (lancet portal & trefoil). Still in Tayabas, the Santuario de las Almas is huge compared to the other chapels.

Cabatuan, San Joaquin, Miag-ao all in Iloilo and Tabaco City in Albay have their own octagonal chapels of which San Joaquin is the most impressive. Tabaco’s is also stunning because of its dark volcanic stones. These two are domed.

Lastly, Sta. Maria in Ilocos Sur looks impressive but it’s difficult to ascertain as it is already in ruins. The one in Malabon, Metro Manila has only its lower part extant and is also in ruins. Both were constructed by the Augustinians and are located just near the main church.

More photos at simbahan.net (http://simbahan.net).

[estan]

Calamba, Cebu City

http://simbahan.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/cemetery_chapel_cebu_1.jpg

Argao

http://simbahan.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/cemetery_chapel_cebu_2.jpg

Dalaguete

http://simbahan.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/cemetery_chapel_cebu_4.jpg

The cemetery and mortuary chapels in Cebu are not as grand as those in Iloilo and are in different degrees of condition with most having been renovated and one in near collapse. For purposes of identification, I should clarify the two: cemetery chapels are those structures that are within the cemetery perimeter. It was in the 19th century that churches complied with the king’s edict to relocate these away from churches. In more affluent towns, these burial places were fenced and a chapel was built either at the center or at the far end. The mortuary chapel are structures that were built typically within the church compound either beside it or infront. It was where masses were said or a wake was held.

In the island province of Cebu, the presence of these structures are quite rare and are usually concentrated in areas that were under the Augustinian order. In this post, I have included those that can be found only in Cebu City (Calamba), Oslob, Boljoon, Sibonga, Argao and Dalaguete.

More photos at simbahan.net (http://simbahan.net).