Hidden: The scattered gems of Quiapo

A FEW are familiar with this image: The "Birhen sa Eskinita", and far fewer know the story that accompanied the image, of how this large image of the Virgin Mary on top of a globe ended up in the middle of the urban jungle of Quiapo. 

Hidden away in the shanties, behind walls and in the middle of homes, lies the few gems of what was once the majestic Ocampo garden, a one hectare property that was filled with religious icons, fish ponds, and statues of female nudes of different races, all surrounding the Pagoda-like structure that stands as the centerpiece of Don Jose Mariano Ocampo's "fantasy land" of sorts. The Birhen was his ode to the patron of the local parish, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, and it was his own version of a grotto (a grander one at that; compare it with the grottoes we had in our own homes)

Don Ocampo had a great fascination for Asian Culture but has never traveled abroad: All the designs he used on the Pagoda were taken from what he had read and seen in the various books about Asia, hence giving birth to the mix to a whole compound adorned with various designs. Shachis, which is seen in most parts of the compound, are said to invoke aid against fires.

Come to think of it, this may have worked. The compound, according to the residents, has never suffered any serious incidents of fire. But they attribute this mostly to the Birhen de Eskinita. So ardent was their faith to that image that one could frequently see candles laid out at its base. The smoke of the candles blackened the globe's bottom. At times one could also find strings of sampaguita and rosaries hanging from the fingers of the male nudes holding up the globe on which the Birhen de Eskinita sits. The marble base of the image had prayers, in Latin, English, Spanish, and Filipino (and maybe some other languages too) all etched in markers. A sample of one of these markers could be seen in one of the pictures in this post.

During the time when the Birhen de Eskinita was being transferred, they still feared that some form of misfortune would befall them. 

The residents have lived with the religious images. It had become part of their lives. At times, the residents would even be happy to show the curious travelers their hidden treasures and tell their tales: How it was once a cemetery (dubious, but plausible), and how they knew men who once worked on the making of the Ocampo garden. They would even happily show people a tarpaulin that had an old picture of the Pagoda in its heydays, still intact and pristine. They still even use the flower pots that Ocampo made for his garden, playing basketball where his fish pond and bridge once was, gossiping beside the perimeter wall of the garden, and going about with their lives under the gaze of the statues of the saints, in the presence of gems that time had forgot.

SOUTH BIKE is open to your comments, suggestions, corrections, and other related material.
SOUTH BIKE owns all rights to pictures, videos, and other related media published on this blog unless stated otherwise.

The hound that is DPWH

Hounds, as known, are very loyal to their masters and in this case, the hound is the Department of Public Works and Highways and its true master is nothing more than wealth and the moneyed people. 

Why else would they insist on disobeying cease-and-desist orders, or reject laws, or even turn a deaf ear to the various talks between the department, the NCCA, and the people of Sariaya when they can't even raise a single finger against the Manila Yacht Club, who appropriates for themselves public land for their parking lot and in the process hinders the development projects planned for the entirety of Roxas Boulevard? 

It is just gross injustice, a revelation in fact, or rather just proof that, as always, in this country money trumps law and the public good.

Sariaya, Quezon as viewed from the bell tower of the historic St. Francis of Assisi Parish Church. Shown here is the municipal hall and the Rizal Plaza

As Early as March of this year, talks have been finalized between the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and the concerned people of Sariaya, Quezon regarding a certain road widening project which will ultimately damage/affect several structures and properties of great cultural importance, such as the San Francisco de Assisi Church Complex (built 1784), the Sariaya Municipal Hall (built 1931, designed by Arch. Juan M. Arellano, the same man behind the design of many important structures such as the Metropolitan Theater and the Manila Central Post Office), the Rizal Monument and Plaza (Inaugurated December 30, 1924), and the Natalio Enriquez Ancestral House (1931, designed by Andres Luna de San Pedro) 

The decision? No road widening project would be done and only certain loading and unloading bays would be constructed. Despite all the agreements and cease-and-desist orders from the NCCA, along with the construction of alternative road projects, such as the 7.2-km Sariaya bypass road and the 24.7-km Quezon-Batangas ecotourism road, the DPWH still stubbornly insists on pushing through with the road widening projects, despite violating Republic Act 10066

A Lawless State

It is no wonder that people still see laws as nothing more as mere guidelines and suggestions. How could this nation obey the laws when the people within the government are violating them? What kind of government expects its citizens to obey laws that they themselves trample upon? It was not the first time that DPWH has damaged or even completely destroyed heritage structures.

In 2004, DPWH "insisted on constructing a highway over a series of exceptional, well preserved stone bridges along the provincial road originally built during the Spanish colonial period. They consulted the community before finalizing the highway design, but ignored all suggestions to save the bridges." 

In 2005, the DPWH "was bent on demolishing a row of heritage houses to widen the highway that cuts through the town center and passes perilously close to historic Baclayon Church."

In 2007, DPWH raised roads around the Lazi Church (Built in 1857) in Siquijor which only endangered the whole structure.

And in 2014, DPWH committed a whole bunch of blunders, from attempting to demolish a 200-year old brick bridge in Nueva Vizcaya to cutting down a century old tree without a permit nor proper coordination with the local government, the NCCA, and other related groups. Besides this, certain houses in Quiapo which are over a century old were threatened by plans of road widening.

It's a whole history of DPWH being a lowly hound that eats everything in its path, showing its brute power, all brawn and no brains.

On the other hand, miles away from Sariaya, Manila faces another problem. This time around it is the Department of Public Works and Highways which are now so powerless against the Manila Yacht Club. In a certain post of Mr. Carlos Celdran on his public account, DPWH's development project in Roxas Boulevard has been affected by the Manila Yacht Club, causing in the halt of construction of bike lanes and other developments in the famous beach front road, by insisting that the project would affect the club's "historic" parking lot. And thus, DPWH shows the only thing that could stop it; not laws, nor petitions, nor even cease-and-desist orders from the government... it is money and rich individuals that hold sway over DPWH.

SAVE OUR HERITAGE. PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION

Sources: 

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/725476/dpwh-drops-road-widening-plan-in-sariaya

http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/169599/nueva-vizcaya-protests-dpwh-plan-to-destroy-ancient-bridge

http://www.ivanhenares.com/2007/07/dpwh-stupidity-strikes-again.html

http://dailybalita.com/?p=63248

http://www.caysasay.com/Taal%20Controversies/heritage_alert.html



REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10066, Section 2.

"In the pursuit of cultural preservation as a strategy for maintaining Filipino identity, this Act shall pursue the following objectives:

(a)Protect, preserve, conserve and promote the nation's cultural heritage, its property and histories, and the ethnicity of local communities;

(b)Establish and strengthen cultural institutions; and

(c)Protect cultural workers and ensure their professional development and well-being.

The State shall likewise endeavor to create a balanced atmosphere where the historic past coexists in harmony with modern society. It shall approach the problem of conservation in an integrated and holistic manner, cutting across all relevant disciplines and technologies. The State shall further administer the heritage resources in a spirit of stewardship for the inspiration and benefit of the present and future generations."

SOUTH BIKE is open to your comments, suggestions, corrections, and other related material.
SOUTH BIKE owns all rights to pictures, videos, and other related media published on this blog unless stated otherwise.

The Manila Post Office

A gem.

Years ago, according to my teacher, she used to recall the long lines that the post office had every Christmas, mostly friends and family members who had loved ones in abroad. Before the rise of technological advancements in Manila, the post was the life-blood of communication and business during those crucial years. It was a gem, making "talking" with relatives and acquaintances a happy possibility for an era where text messaging was nothing more than an object of one's sci-fi read.

Before and, especially, after the war the influx of a need to connect with other people was met by mail. My family was a witness to the transition of mail to electronic mail, with my father being a maritime man and my parent's grandparents living in Japan the number of mail we received was fairly big -- with my dad's collection of stamps and TB stubs counting among them Japanese stamps.

Comics of the 1990s still make the passing remark of the tradition of having "pen pals" and joke about them, how people still try to find friendship and love through mail, there was even a time when, in a bid of advertising and looking for anyone to talk to, people would write to magazines to have their names and addresses printed in the Pen Pal corner of the magazine. Some even write their addresses on paper bills, hoping that they'll find decent people to talk to on the mail.

But, with the march of progress, the numbers dwindled and the lines gradually decreased. The once large crowds that flock to the post office decreased to a few who still clamor for a classic form of what is now called "art." We became one of the patrons of the first internet cafes in Escoda and would usually send electronic greeting cards to our father. The physical cards and letters changed to nothing more than electronic data as memories of an era full of mail got stacked into my desk along with Philippines 2000 booklets on mail and my book on Philippine Stamps.

In the Christmas season of 2012, I went to the Post Office to mail one letter to Adam Young (Owl City) in Minnesota, where I received from him some signed album covers and a stamp from MN. It was my first time in there, with only a few people sending Christmas wishes in there, but the structure captured my imagination as I wonder about its past, beyond the stinking fountain and the smelly informal settler land, it was still a gem.

Sporting a neoclassical design similar to most, if not all, of the government structures built during that period. Designed by Juan M. Arellano, the post office is home to the head office of Philippine Postal Corporation, commonly known by its nickname "Philpost" by people.

The office was a witness to the passing times; Built besides the Pasig River during a time when that watery arm that connects Laguna De Bai and Manila Bay was used as a major waterway and boats were a mode of transportation, destroyed by the war between the Americans and the Japanese before being restored to its former glory just when the nation is beginning to stand up again on its feet and its wobbly members is still in need of a way to connect with family and friends.

It faces the Liwasang Bonifacio which, too, had a whole too many name changes in the past. It was once called Plaza Arrocerros during the Spanish era and it was the first home of the statue of the Queen of Spain, Isabel II. Then, with the tide that swept the Americans and brought forth a new change to Manila the plaza was re-christianized and named after Gen. Henry Ware Lawton, the highest ranking casualty in the war with the Filipinos. Busses and jeeps still now the place as "Lawton" even after more than six decades since it was re-named as a fitting honor to one of the notable sons of Manila: Andres Bonifacio.

It was a witness to the intrigue that surrounded and soon destroyed the reputation of the corporation as issues of missing mail and money orders grew large and spread like wildfire into the whole of the nation... a big set back to the only thing that once connected the many islands of the archipelago. The corporation still has a long way to go to bring back and gather the trust of the people they are serving.

Stamps: A mirror

Philately records the many faces of the country and the world, giving a mirror into what was and what is. In celebration of many things like the inauguration of a new president or the passing of a law. After some time, the government even used the stamps themselves to promote the main projects of the government, lauding praise for the president. They also commemorate anniversaries and give honor to men and women who were leading figures in the history of the Philippines and those that shaped the course of the future.

Then it featured nationalism, themes that delved into nature and the arts. The stamps themselves become an art form so elegant and worth collecting, just as many men of before and now still continue this glorious past time of collecting stamps.

The Post Office itself houses a whole collection of stamps, a small sample of a wonderful art in print. But the museum itself was clearly unattractive and unkept. The whole exhibit was dark, with none of the adequate lighting expected of museums of such wonderful specimens. It was hot, having viewed this place in summer, and it had no adequate air conditioning. Banes for any tourist, the exhibit itself would have attracted tourists if it had it made known to the tourism world and placed it in a more attractive space, one that does not go to a random building full of dust.

One other thing that I found quite... well... annoying is the fact that they had no labels. At least not all of the items. Which leaves any visitor to the museum wondering what is what. It would have been better, of course, if it had tourist guides to explain the fascinating story behind each item. But,alas, this is too much of a dream for them too accomplish.

In my opinion, the Philippine Post Office must;

a. Organize a tour of the whole structure

This would mean more people, students and foreigners alike, will find interest in the Post Office and would therefore have some of the budget from the fees collected from the organized tours of the facility. It should be really publicized so that even schools would op to visiting this historically-significant place rather than some mall.

b. Re-locate the exhibit

Or at the very least, add air conditioning and add lighting and labels to all of the items concerned. Why? AN exhibit will fascinate anyone, making them curious about stamps. In the end, it will even attract the youth to collect stamps and that will in turn be business for the post office. The place where the museum is located in its present condition, I'm sorry to say, is hardly attractive. If anything, it repels people, looking like a haunted house and whatnot.

c. Remove the squatters surrounding Liwasang Bonifacio

Seriously. They ward off people.

d. Promote a new image of the Philpost/re-update the website

The people are more on the web, so what better way of attracting attention and providing information than by posting info on the web? This, and some options regarding alternative ways to purchase stamps and to have them mailed to anyone interested will be a great boost for the world of Philately and the Post Office. 

If only they could do that, well, let's just say that this gem has hope of getting polished once more.

Afternote:

Mr. Lawrence Chan and the Filipinas Stamp Collectors' Club have a monthly tour of the Manila Post Office and other locations for free (plus donations and museum fees). It is guaranteed to be the most awesome tour of the city. 

For more info, please contact:

Mrs. Josie Tiongson – Cura – ( 0917-9800708 / GLOBE )
Everyday -preferably office hours

Mr. Lawrence Chan – ( 0919-3901671) anytime preferably 7:00am to past 10PM Email:L_rence_2003@yahoo.com.
Mr. Rey Ong De Jesus- Education and Exhibition
(577-1297) Monday to Saturday 8am to 5pm only

SOUTH BIKE fully supports any inquiries on the facts noted on this page or for any question regarding this article, the pictures and other materials on this blog. All pictures are property of South Bike and Midsummer Daydreams Film & Photography and may be used for any non-profit material, post and/or article.