Metro Manila
Which i took on family visits to philippines.
They've been sitting on my hard drive for a very long time, but now I am able to share them in the way I like best. I started doing articles as a way to display my photos but I want to create more than just a slide show. There are three key elements: photos, voiceover and music
Manila has changed but I've added some more up do date images from public domain sources. What we're going to see is a pictorial journey - a Bilderreise in German - around Metro Manila, visiting three cities, and travelling along that crazy highway called EDSA and there's a bit of history thrown in. In the past I've travelled on Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, and Qatar Airways and today we're going to take Qatar Airways. The journey is 18 hours and 25 minutes, with a three-hour stopover in Doha.
I see the flight has been called to the gate, so I've got my passport, boarding pass is on my phone, so let's get ready to go. Ninoy Aquino International Airport, where countless Filipinos depart to work all over the world and where countless tourists arrive and change planes without visiting Manila. As in Ireland, emigration and tourism are important themes. A megacity is a city of 10 million paople or more. Metro Manila has nearly 13 million inhabitants. A further 10 million live in the surrounding region. Metro Manila is made up of 16 cities. We'll visit three: Manila, Makati and Pasay.
Let's fly over the map into the historic centre of the city. On the highways there are always traffic jams. Manila is located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay. The Pasig River flows through the middle of the city. South of the river is Intramuros, the historic walled city. The Philippines was a Spanish colony till 1898. US colonialisation began soon afer. Full independence came in 1946.
It's the only Christian country in Asia. English is widely spoken. There are many Spanish influences. It's a devoutly Roman Catholic country. I have a feeling of dépaysement, or travel disorientation: Am I in Asia, the Mediterranean or Latin America? There have been changes since my first visit. The paint was removed from the façade of San Agustin Church, the oldest stone church in the Philippines. From the walls of Intramuros there are views over the city. Manila City Hall was built in the 1930s.
Its clock tower was once the tallest structure in Manila. In 2020 the clock tower was repainted in gold. As in Ireland, English is widely spoken and there's the national language: Tagalog or Filipino.
On the city hall there is a
Banner with the flag of the philippines.
The message says: Pilipinas kong Mahal! Lungsod ng Maynila. I love the Philippines! City of Manila. North of the Pasig River is the district of Quiapo. You can explore the street life but take care of your valuables, or don't bring any.
As in many south east Asian cities, most buildings are modern and functional. Some are in bad condition. The art deco Laperal building has been refurbished and is now student accommodation. Street names are in English with Spanish influences. Taft Avenue is named after Howard Taft, Governor General of the Philippines. In 1909, he became US President. Blumentritt Road is named after Ferdinand Blumentritt, an Austrian author who wrote books about the Philippines. He was a friend of Jose Rizal.
And in Fairview, Quezon City, there seems to be an Irish influence. There's a street named Belfast Avenue and there's a district called Fairview in Dublin. The neo-Classical Post Office Building dates from the 1920s. It was destroyed in World War Two and rebuilt. Old Paco station was built in 1915 in a neo-classical style. For years it's been derelict but it will be rebuilt as one of 36 stations on the 148 kilometre North-South Commuter Railway. On España Bouelevard I photographed some of the gigantic billboard adverts. 'Billboard blight', yes, maybe, but I find them a striking photographic subject.
Spanish-born Bishop Miguel de Benavides founded The University of Santo Tomas, which opened in 1657. The main building was designed by Spanish-born priest and architect. Father Roque Ruaño and opened in 1927. Many famous people attended UST including national hero José Rizal. The gardens are an green oasis in the city. We travel four miles south to Makati, with its gardens, shopping malls and skyscrapers. Many international banks and companies are based here. The Intercontinental Manila operated from 1969 to 2015.
It was demolished and a large mixed-use development will appear on the site. Striking new towers have been built, including the Zuellig Building. The German Embassy and EU delegation are also here. British Embassy is in nearby Taguig City. Ireland has a consulate in Makati.
An embassy is planned.
Ayala Triangle Gardens is bounded by streets
That used to be the runways of nielson field air base.
Manila is full of shopping centres, such as Greenbelt, Trinoma, SM, Megamall, The Mall of Asia.
The shopping malls are a great place to try out the local food and visit the legendary Jollibee. In Europe, there are Jollibees in Milan, London, Leicester and Liverpool. Filipinos love to cook and to eat so if you have some Filipino friends, ask them to make you some Filipino food. Jollibees are everywhere, including on main highways and often next to petrol stations. In 2004, a litre of premier unleaded cost 23.70 pesos. In 2021 it's around 46 pesos or 78 euro cents per litre. Now, let's drive along Manila's legendary EDSA - Epifanio de los Santos Avenue. We'll see more of those gigantic floodlit billboard adverts supported on steel scaffolding.
This crazy, congested twenty-four kilometre six-lane highway is like something out of a computer game or sci-fi movie. On the South Super Highway the billboard ads are even bigger. Everywhere there are Jeepneys, customised ex-US Army jeeps. They're the most popular form of public transport. Air pollution is a big problem. The light rail system transports millions each year but the network is not big enough. New lines are being built. From Recto LRT station there is a grim cityscape over slums and the overcrowded Manila City Jail.
Poverty is also a big problem. Rizal Park is named after. José Rizal. who was executed in 1896. Spanish rule ended two years later. José Rizal studied medicine in Heidelberg. He spoke German and other languages. There are some parallels with the heroes of Irish independence.
There are some parallels with the Irish independence movement. The statues of Jose Rizal in Manila and Daniel O'Connell in Dublin look similar. There's a big Chinese influence. The Jumbo floating restaurant in the Cultural Center district in Pasay is sadly closed. The Coconut Palace was a project of former First Lady Imelda Marcos intended to impress visiting VIPs. Pope John Paul the Second refused to stay there as it was too opulent in a country with such poverty. 0:17:56:090,0:18:02:280 The Folk Arts Theatre is to be demolished to make way for a new performing arts theatre. (Business Mirror 05.03.2020).
On the waterfront I get that feeling of dépaysement again. Are we in Spain, South America or maybe Hawaii? No, we are in Metro Manila, in the Philippines. Our journey ends with the sunset over Manila bay. So next time you land in Manila, I hope you won't just change planes. So that's it, quite a journey but at the moment, it's all just fantasy, I'm just sitting at home with time on my hands, in fact, that's how this channel got started. I can't travel at the moment, but in the words of General Douglas MacArthur "I came through and I shall return".