Manila Transitio 1945: Remembering the day that changed Manila forever

Organized by Celdran Tours, Manila Transitio 1945 is an event commemorating the Battle of Manila fought from February 3 to March 3, 1945 by American, Filipino and Japanese army. After the battle, Manila was regarded as the second most devastated city in the world, second to Warsaw, after the World War II. More than 100,000 Filipinos died in the battle, around 10% of the entire population of Manila, resulting to what is presently known as the Manila Massacre. After the war, Manila had never been the same. 

Sixty seven years after, one man led us all to remembering once again the day that changed Manila forever. 

It's going to be a sunset tour for all us last February 26, 2012 with Mr. Walk This Way, Carlos Celdran. At 4:00pm, we assembled in front of the Fort Santiago ticket booth. Minutes after, the event was started with the singing of the Philippine National Anthem.

And then Carlos started to talk. Armed with a lapel mic and visual materials, he gave us the most insightful and most amusing history class we ever have attended. In this picture, Carlos showed everyone the symbol of Manila during the Spanish Era. A Chimera, a mythological symbol for illusion, is at the center of that symbol.

More than 200 people attended the Manila Transitio 1945 event last February 26, 2012. They're from all walks of life. Most are Filipinos, some are from the US. There's even a Buddhist monk who attended the event. It's a good crowd that day!

When the Spanish came to the Philippines, they built a fortress called the Fort Santiago. An image of Santiago Matamoros or St. James of the Moors was etched at the facade of the fortress. According to the legend, St. James appeared as a warrior on his white horse to help the Christian army of King Ramiro I of Spain against the Moors. Until today, St. James is the patron saint of Spain.

Before the Spanish Era, the Pre-Hispanic Filipinos were Moslems. 

Contrary to what the Spanish did to the Filipinos, the Americans taught the Filipinos their language. They were taught English. Now this was part of a bigger strategy. Carlos said, "Because we were supposed to be made to the image of the United States. We were supposed to be the 50th state."

Carlos also said, "Thanks to the United States! We now have a national hero!" Now this is insightful. Jose Rizal was an artist, a doctor, a poet, a scientist, a writer and etc. In short, he was westernized. For an ordinary Filipino during that time, his image was boring. Remember that the Filipinos were clamoring for a revolution, for a real change. Why would the Filipinos choose him as the national hero?

But we didn't! It was the United States. But the question is why? Why the diplomatic, the educated and the peace-loving Jose Rizal? Why not the revolutionary Andres Bonifacio? Was this part of a bigger picture again? Was the United States "softening" our warring tendencies during that time?

This got me thinking. 

We offered a short prayer for the souls of the more than a hundred thousand Filipinos who were killed in Manila during the World War II. Across us actually stood a white cross which was dedicated to the many Filipinos who were buried there, nameless.

Carlos enlarged this picture of an American bomb landing somewhere in Manila. Apparently, it wasn't just the Japs doing all the killings of the Filipinos during the Battle of Manila. This American bomb, along with the other armaments which devastated the former "Pearl of the Orient", has its own share of murder.

Carlos was mimicking Gen. Douglas McArthur complete with a hat, a pipe and the infamous photo which was even made a life-sized replica in Leyte. The photo showed Gen. Douglas McArthur along with his troops dramatically stepping unto the Philippine shores to fulfill the promise he made more than two years before the photo was taken. "I shall return."

Apparently, this photo had to be taken thrice. It's part of the drama.  

We walked upon the walls of Intramuros. I wonder how the Walled City looked like before the Battle of Manila. The Philippines was the "Pearl of the Orient". It must be THAT beautiful and prosperous during that time. I yearned for Manila of the past which I haven't even seen.

This was the prison cell where Jose Rizal was jailed before the day of his execution.

On the other side of the river is Binondo, home of the Filipino-Chinese in Manila. During the Spanish Era, Binondo was called Parian. As said, the Parian is one canon ball away from Intramuros. It was a place where non-Christian Chinese settled. The Spanish had to keep them in one place due to the alarming growth of their population during the 16th century. They were allowed residency in Manila as long as they convert to being Christians. Those who refused conversion had to settle at Parian.

Carlos stood at the tranvia with an enlarged image of the San Agustin Church. During the World War II, this was the only structure in Intramuros that was spared. All the rest had to be flattened. It was said that someone placed a red cross on top of the church- symbolizing that the structure had to be spared. It'll be a great war crime to destroy it.

San Agustin Church is now regarded as the oldest church in the Philippines.

To cap off the whole walking tour, we were treated with halo-halo! The Philippines was compared by Carlos to this all-time favorite Filipino dessert. Like a melting pot of many culture and ethnicity, the Philippines can be compared to the halo-halo which is composed of many ingredients and flavorings. Yum!

That night, the beautiful music of the Mabuhay Singers filled the air in the heart of Manila again. They sang a lot of Kundiman songs that the younger ones like me may not be familiar with, but truly enjoyed listening to. It was so much fun to see them perform!

After a short while, Carlos showed us how to light the flying paper lamps or the spirit balloons to be released in a short while. This is one of the highlights we all awaited for.

We held our spirit balloons in front of Fort Santiago.

And then one by one, the spirit balloons all rose to the air and into the night sky!

Like stars at night, they shone. It was truly an amazing experience!

While the spirit balloons all rose above the ground, a beautiful rendition of the patriotic song, "Ang Bayan Ko" was given by the awesome Mabuhay Singers. They were the real stars that night!

My spirit balloon took a couple of minutes more before it took off. And when it finally did, the feeling was inexplicable. It was actually the last lamp to rise. I think I might join Manila Transitio 1945 again next year.

Special thanks to Carlos and his team for organizing this wonderful event.

God bless Manila! Long live the Philippines!

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4th Manila Transitio 1945

[Source:  http://carlosceldran.tumblr.com  ]

MANILA TRANSITIO 1945
Date: February 26, 2012, Sunday
Time: Tour @ 4:00PM
Meet-up Venue: Fort Santiago Ticket Booth

In February of 1945, the City of Manila was completely destroyed in a battle between the United States Armed Forces and the Japanese Imperial Army. An estimated 120,000 people were lost and our beloved City of Manila was never the same again.

This February 25th, to mark the 67th Anniversary of the Battle of Manila, Walk This Way Tours and Carlos Celdran will present the 4th Manila Transitio 1945. This art event hopes to become an annual commemoration/memorial where we as Manileños may reflect upon the passing of this event in our history.

The evening will start with a sunset tour of Intramuros at 4:00pm.

Art installations and musical performances will follow at the main field of Fort Santiago at 7:30pm. Stay posted for the listing of participants.

The evening will be highlighted by the release of spirit balloons.

Reasonably priced food and refreshment will be available.

Picnic baskets and bringing of your own refreshments allowed. Bring enough to share with others if you wish.

Cost: PAY WHAT YOU WANT.

*Php100.00 or more is RECOMMENDED.

This post was reblogged from http://bit.ly/wC5v2O.

IBC 2012: Best Travel Write-up Mechanics

BEST TRAVEL WRITE-UP CHALLENGE
Judge: Mr. Ivan Henares of Ivan About Town
Prize: An exclusive tour around Intramuros and Rizal Park with Castillan Carriage and Tours plus the book Intramuros of Memory authored by Dr. Jaime C. Laya and Esperanza B. Gatbonton
Deadline: February 10, 2012 @ 11pm

MECHANICS:

• WORDS. Using 1,000 words or less, create a blog post about your Intramuros Wall-king experience.
• PHOTOS & VIDEOS. As much as possible, do not place too much elements and big watermarks on your photos. You may also insert videos.
• STARBUCKS. Include a little bit about your Starbucks Intramuros experience. 
• CODE. At the bottom of the post, place the mandatory element. See it below.
• COMMENT BOX. When you're done, place the link to your post at the comment box below.
• TWEET. Tweet your post! Use this format: I blogged about my Intramuros Wall-king experience for #IBC2012 by @sleekinthecity [Insert short URL here via bitly.]
• SHARE. Share your post to your other social networks too such as your Facebook wall, groups, pages, Google Plus and etc. 

<---- Travel Write-up mandatory element below. Don't forget the links. ---->

This is a Travel Write-up entry to the Intramuros Bloggers Challenge 2012 organized by IntramurosManila.Asia. 

IBC 2012 is fully supported by the Intramuros Administration, Barbara's Restaurant, Celdran Tours, Mabuhay Guides, Pilgrimage Pilipinas, Castillan Tours, Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation, Inc., DigiEntrepreneur, DigitalFilipino, Third Team Media, Payless Pancit Shanghai, Ruthilicious, Ruthilicious Fanpage and GadgetGambit.com.

<---- Travel Write-up mandatory element above. Don't forget the links. ---->

This post was updated last February 6, 2012.

Rizaliana Furniture Exhibit: A Photoblog Tour

Jose Rizal's bust upon entering the Rizalian Furniture Exhibit. 

Some years ago, the Baluarte de Santa Barbara was just a curious and derelict room inside Fort Santiago. Today, it is now the site of the Rizaliana Furniture Exhibit. The exhibit showcases some of the interesting properties of the Rizal family from their ancestral house in Calamba. The entrance to the exhibit costs ten pesos and, to my delight, taking of pictures is allowed.

Jose Rizal's thick clothes he used during his stay in Europe.

When I saw Rizal's thick clothes that he wore in Europe, I can't believe that he was a just small guy. I mean, I know that he was just around 4'11" when he died. But I never thought that he was really that small- considering the number of things that he had accomplished not only for himself but also for the whole nation. When I saw how small his clothes were, my respect for him rose only higher.

A furniture set taken from the Rizal family residence in Calamba, Laguna.

The furniture exhibited are all awe-inspiring, being a fan of old Filipino style myself. Not only that they looked elegant in my eyes. There all still looked sturdy and highly usable, considering how old they already are.

The dining table and the cabinet were all from the Rizal family residence in Calamba , Laguna.

Did you see that blue translucent vase on the table-top? It glows with sunshine! But this picture was nothing compared with how I exactly saw it inside the exhibit. It was a beauty.

Each member of the Rizal family member was made a genealogy chart. This one is of Jose Rizal's sister, Olympia. 

The area that I stayed the most in the exhibit was in front of the clan's genealogy charts. I found it very delightful looking at the names of the ancestors as well as the children of each of the Rizal family member. Somehow, I mused to myself, "Could it be that we were a distant relative of the Rizals? We came from Binan, Laguna." Hahaha. Wishful thinking.

One of the copies of El Filibusterismo is kept inside the Rizaliana Furniture Exhibit.

Rizal's novels were all works of love. He wrote his manuscripts using his hands. No typewriters. No printers. No iPads. Just his mighty pen!

This is the writing chest Jose Rizal used.

This was Rizal's "iPad" during his time. This was his writing chest. I have also read from somewhere that Rizal actually used a wooden pen with a metal nib- not a quill. This is contrary to what most of the paintings and illustrations of him told us.

I enjoyed my quick visit to the Rizaliana Furniture Exhibit. It was very telling of how rich the Rizal family was- judging from the characteristics of the properties that they had. My ten pesos went a long way!

Top 10 Reasons to Visit (and Revisit) Fort Santiago

The imposing gate of Fort Santiago.

1. The Gate. The imposing gate of Fort Santiago was decorated with the image of St. James, Slayer of Moors. St. James is the patron saint of Spain. According to the legend, he appeared as a warrior on his white horse with white banner to help the armies of King Ramiro I in his battle against the moors. St. James was known in Spain as Santiago Matamoros. The name of the fortress came from him.

The Martyrdom of Rizal by Carlos "Botong" Francisco.

2. The Painting on the Wall. The Martyrdom of Rizal was created by Botong Francisco, a National Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts. Personally, I believe that Botong Francisco is one of the best Filipino painters who ever lived- alongside Fernando Amorsolo and Paeng Pacheco. Among his unforgettable works are The Blood Compact, First Mass at Limasawa, Bayanihan, Magpupukot, Fiesta, Bayanihan sa Bukid, Sandugo, Portrait of Purita, The Invasion of Limahong, Serenade and Muslim Betrothal.

Jose Rizal's prison cell. 

3. The Cell. From November 3 to December 29, 1896, Jose Rizal was detained as a prisoner in this very cell. He was falsely charged with rebellion, sedition and formation of illegal societies. His death was announced at 6:00am of December 29 and then was kept in an improvised chapel until his execution at 7:03am of December 30 at Bagumbayan, outside Intramuros. In the walls outside his actual prison cell, his words were carved in metal plates and were lit from the inside. One if it says, "To foretell the destiny of a nation, it is necessary to open the book that tells of her past."

The original copies of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo are exhibited in the Chamber of Text in Fort Santiago.

4. The Chamber of Text. The Rizal Shrine in Fort Santiago was divided into different parts with different interesting names such as Silid ng Pagninilay or Contemplation Room, Ang Piitan or The Cell, Silid ng Nalalabi or The Reliquary Room, Ang Tulaang Walang-Hanggan or The Valedictory Poem and Bulwagan ng Panulat or Chamber of Text. Among the divisions, the one that stood out the most for me is the Chamber of Text. In this chamber lie the various objects I only have read about from my books on Philippine history and Jose Rizal during high school and college! Among the objects that I saw were Jose Rizal's pictures, sculptured works, medical tools, the animal species he discovered and named after him, calling cards and most importantly, the original copies of his novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

Jose Rizal's bone in an urn.

5. The Urn. Felice P. Sta. Maria's words were etched on the glass case protecting the glass urn located at the heart of the Reliquary Room. It says:

"After the execution, the name Rizal was not to be spoken. He was referred to safely as El Difunto (The Dead One). He has been abandoned directly in the soil. After the Philippines declared itself independent on June 12, 1898, it honored Rizal officially. Narcisa retrieved her brother’s remains and placed them in an ivory urn. A bone with a bullet wound was enshrined separately in a glass urn and is now a secular relic at Fort Santiago."

Jose Rizal's clothes.

6. The Last Vest. Some of Jose Rizal's clothes can be found in Reliquary Room in Fort Santiago. Looking at the size of the clothes, it can be said that he wasn't a tall man. He may have died 4'11" but many people from around the world, not only Filipinos, look up to him.

The actual written piece of untitled poem hidden inside the alcohol stove, not an alcohol lamp.

7. The Untitled Poem. Did you know that Mi Ultimo Adios is not the actual title of the poem of Jose Rizal hid inside an alcohol stove (not alcohol lamp)? In fact the poem was untitled, unsigned and undated. A copy of the news story taken from The Inquirer dated December 30, 2002 says:

"On the afternoon of Dec. 29, 1896, a day before his execution, Dr. Jose Rizal was visited by his mother, Teodora Alonzo, sisters Lucia, Josefa, Trinidad, Maria and Narcisa, and two nephews. When they took their leave, Rizal told Trinidad in English that there was something in the small alcohol stove (cocinilla), not alcohol lamp (lamparilla). The stove was given to Narcisa by the guard when the party was about to board their carriage in the courtyard. At home, the Rizal ladies recovered from the stove a folded paper. On it was written an unsigned, untitled and undated poem of 14 five-line stanzas. The Rizals reproduced copies of the poem and sent them to Rizal's friends in the country and abroad. In 1897, Mariano Ponce in Hong Kong had the poem printed with the title "Mi Ultimo Pensamiento." Fr. Mariano Dacanay, who received a copy of the poem while a prisoner in Bilibid(jail), published it in the first issue of La Independencia on Sept. 25, 1898 with the title "Ultimo Adios."

The final resting place of approximately 600 Filipinos and Americans who were victims of atrocities during the last days of February 1945.

8. The Cross of Memories. Approximately 600 Filipinos and Americans were brutally killed inside Fort Santiago during World War II. Their bodies were found inside a nearby dungeon which had inner doors of massive iron bars and outer doors of iron plate on wood. It is said that the appearances of their bodies suggested starvation and possible suffocation.

The dungeons of the Baluarte de Santa Barbara used to give an eerie feeling to every visitor who passes by it.

9. The Dungeons.This can be the dungeon that the inscription below the cross was referring to. These dungeons used to be storage vaults of the Baluarte de Santa Barbara. Because of the dampness caused by the humid weather and its nearness to the Pasig River, the Spaniards built a new powder magazine on top of the baluarte in 1715. From then on, the dungeons were turned into prison cells.

Jose Rizal's last footsteps.

10. The Trail. These were Rizal's last trail of foot steps leading to Bagumbayan, his place of execution.