Coral

One last post about our trip to Bantayan Island (see previous two posts)—the Saints Peter and Paul Parish Church, better known simply as Bantayan Church.
  The church had already closed for the night when we went to visit, but the caretaker graciously opened it for us when he found out that we had a priest in our group. The parish traces its history back to 11 June 1580 when the Spanish Agustinians established it. The first church was destroyed when the town was attacked by Muslim pirates in 1600. It was rebuilt in the same year but was transferred to the management of secular priests. The current church was constructed in 1839–1863. Unfortunately, the plaque on the wall didn't say what happened to the previous building. 
  The church's design is typical of other Spanish-era churches in the country. A portion of the roof was damaged by Typhoon Haiyan, but it had been repaired completely by the time we visited. 
  What makes Bantayan Church unique is the fact that it is made almost entirely of coral. Moss grows easily on them, but I think they just add beauty and interest to the walls.
  And those walls are thick! I measured myself against the depth of a doorway, and I think the walls are easily six feet deep.

1904

"The car has become an article of dress without which we feel uncertain, unclad, and incomplete in the urban compound."

~Marshall McLuhan (1911–1980), Canadian philosopher of communication theory

This 1904 Richard-Brasier Roadster was the first car to roll on Philippine roads. It was built by French and Belgian manufacturers Georges Richard and Charles-Henri Brasier, and has a 9-horsepower, 2-cylinder engine. It was first brought to the country in 1904 by the trading firm Estrella del Norte. It then passed through many hands until 2006, when Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation acquired it as part of its commitment to preserve artifacts that are part of our culture and heritage. It is currently on loan to The Mind Museum at Taguig.

~Text edited from The Mind Museum's sign

Half the sky

In 1973, the previously all-male Ateneo de Manila University accepted its first women students. 127 enrolled as freshmen, and 35 transferees were accepted in the upper years. It was a tough road to get to that point, with both the student council and the administration against it as late as 1968. The year-long commemoration of coeducation in the university is titled "40 Years, Half the Sky," after the Chinese proverb which says that "Women hold up half the sky." The young female students of Ateneo now take their presence in the university for granted; many of them don't even know what "coeducation" means. I hope that the commemoration helps them understand the issues back then, and how many women and girls all over the world continue to struggle with disempowerment, oppression and violence.

Father and Son

This statue of St. Joseph with the child Jesus stands in front of the Jesuit Residence inside the Loyola Heights campus of the Ateneo de Manila University. The inscription on the base is in Latin and declares, "Behold a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord setteth over his family." The statue was one of the few things left standing when the school's Padre Faura campus was razed to the ground during World War II. The inscription further states that the statue was donated by Don Rafael Perez in 1916 and was transferred to its current location in 1955.
 

Green

The Club Intramuros Golf Course is located just outside the Spanish colonial era 16th century walls of Intramuros, which are barely peeking between the trees to the right of the golfer. The green and white building towering over the course is the 1977 expansion of the Manila Hotel, which first opened its doors in 1912.

City lights

This is the skyline of the City of Manila as seen from the 9th floor patio of The Bayleaf Intramuros. The two neoclassical buildings just beyond the trees are the National Museum of the Philippines. The National Art Gallery is the building on the left, which used to be the Legislative Building. The Museum of the Filipino People is the building on the right, which used to be the Finance Building. Both were built in the early 1900s during the American colonial era, suffered extensive damage during WWII, and reconstructed soon after.

School history

As I promised, here is the Heritage Room of the Ateneo de Manila Grade School where yesterday's mural is located. The room displays mementos from the school's 150-year history, and statues of the Immaculate Conception, the school's patroness, and St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order which runs the school. Another room off to the right, which I wasn't able to take a photo of, features portraits of all past headmasters of the Ateneo Grade School, who have all been Jesuit so far. If I'm not mistaken, the Heritage Room was built soon after the school celebrated its sesquicentennial in 2009.

History in blue

The mural inside the Heritage Room of the Ateneo de Manila Grade School shows images from the 150-year history of the school. Based on this, the school has had four seals since it was first established as the Escuela Municipal de Manila in 1859. It also has had two special, double seals. One was to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the school, and the other its 150th—its sesquicentennial, which filled this blog back in 2009.

I didn't go up to the mural to check what it was made of, but I doubt very much if it was handpainted. Tomorrow, I'll show you the room where I saw the mural.

See murals from around the world in Monday Mural.

Filipino Australo-Melanesians

The Aetas are an indigenous people who live in the mountainous regions of Luzon, most notably in the province of Zambales. They are usually darker and smaller in frame and height than the average Filipino, and tend to have curly or kinky hair. Of course, they now live like any other Filipino, and these three young men donned their traditional bahag (loincloth) only to demonstrate several of their traditional dances during our Zoobic Safari tour. But truth be told, like many other indigenous peoples in the Philippines and all over the world, they have problems claiming and protecting their ancestral domain from people who want their land, and their access to basic services (eg, healthcare, education) and employment opportunities are not at par with with the rest of the population.

Gateway

The Old West Gate in what used to be the Subic-Olongapo Base (now the Subic Bay Freeport Zone) was called the Spanish Gate by the Americans when they took over the base. The plaque on the gate reads:

This gate was the entrance to the original Spanish naval station established in Subic Bay in 1885. The principal Spanish construction lay to the east along what is now Rivera Point and consisted of an arsenal, several warehouses, and a number of shop buildings.

The base at Subic-Olongapo was used by the Spanish Navy to provide repair, supply, ammunition and medical support for ships. The post was commanded by the second commandancia of the base at Cavite and was considered a subsidiary of that command.

The Spanish garrison remained in possession of the Subic-Olongapo base until June of 1898 at which time they were driven out by Filipino forces. The area was formally occupied by the U.S. Navy in September of 1899.

On June 12, 1898, the Philippines declared its independence from Spain. Despite being occupied by the Americans soon after, it is the date that we now commemorate as our Independence Day. After all, what is 48 years compared to 333 years?

Self-offering

The mural on the second floor of the University of the Philippines - Diliman's Palma Hall features scenes from the country's long history of fighting for freedom—against the Spanish, Japanese, and Americans, then against the Martial Law regime of Ferdinand Marcos. The figure in the middle is the sculpture called the Oblation, which has become the state university's symbol.

See murals from around the world in Monday Mural.

My last farewell

The Jose Rizal museum inside Fort Santiago in Intramuros has a replica of the prison cell where the Philippine national hero was incarcerated before his execution by the Spanish colonial government. It was in this cell on the eve of his execution that he wrote his final poem, left untitled by Rizal but now known as "Mi ultimo adios."

Touch me not

The museum inside Fort Santiago in Intramuros dedicated to Philippine national hero Jose Rizal has one of the oldest existing copies of his novel "Noli Me Tangere." By writing the book, Rizal was trying to expose the injustices committed by the Spanish friars and government officials in the Philippines. It was first printed in Berlin in 1887.

Sharp and pointy

Inside Fort Santiago in Intramuros is a small museum dedicated to Philippine national hero Jose Rizal, who was imprisoned in the fort just before his execution by the Spanish colonial government. The museum houses some of his memorabilia, including this kit of medical instruments which Rizal used in his profession as a doctor. The thing is, he was an ophthalmologist—I don't think I'd want any of those tools anywhere near my eyes.

School artifact

The 1932 "Jesuit Bell," from the time when the Ateneo de Manila University was still located along Padre Faura Street in Manila. It is inscribed with the monogram IHS (iota-eta-sigma) from the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus, which also appears in the seal of the Society of Jesus.

Into the bowels

The walls of the 16th century Spanish citadel Fort Santiago are so thick, it actually has rooms, tunnels and staircases. Too bad most are too dangerous to explore nowadays.

Guiding light

The Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, also known as the Burgos Lighthouse after the town in the province of Ilocos Norte where it is located, is the highest elevated original Spanish colonial era working lighthouse in the Philippines. It also marks the northwestern-most point in the island of Luzon. Construction on the lighthouse began in 1887 and it was first lit on March 30, 1892 to guide Spanish ships away from the rocky coast of the area. The octagonal stone and brick tower is topped with a bronze cupola, and used to be equipped with a kerosene lamp and Fresnel lens, though the light nowadays is provided by an electric lamp powered by solar panels.

Pamulinawen

The Pamulinawen Fountain at the Aurora Park in Laoag, Ilocos Norte is named after a maiden in a traditional Ilocano folk song.
 
The fountain is a celebration of the farmers of Ilocos—both male and female—and of the two products that they are most famous for: garlic and tobacco.
  The obelisk-like monument at the back is called the Tobacco Monopoly Monument and commemorates the lifting of the monopoly on tobacco imposed by the Spanish colonial government on the country. The monopoly was established in 1780 and abolished in 1881.

Earthquake-proof

The Church of San Agustin in Paoay, Ilocos Norte is one of the four Baroque Churches of the Philippines listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The parish was founded by Augustinian missionaries in 1593. Construction on the current church began in 1694 and it was completed in 1710. In the UNESCO citation, the Paoay Church is described as being the most outstanding example of "Earthquake Baroque" in the country. It also has the biggest bell tower I have seen in a church so far.

Religion and war

The Archbishop's Palace of the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia, located in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, was constructed in 1783–1790. It also has a colorful history, having been occupied by revolutionists against Spain in 1896 and used as a garrison by American forces in 1899.