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A la Patria y Servicio Público! Zamboanga City Hall and Rizal Monument

In “El Pueblo,” as the local Zamboangueños call their city center or downtown, is an edifice that is synonymous to the city and perhaps throughout the history of Mindanao. The Zamboanga City Hall stands majestic amidst the well-groomed parks of Plaza Pershing (named after the American general John “Black Jack” Pershing) and Plaza Rizal. The edifice itself became Mindanao and Sulu’s bastion of power (the capital city) for several years during the American colonial era, making Ciudad de Zamboanga the capital of the whole southern islands itself!

Escudo de Ciudad de Zamboanga (City Seal) hanging on city hall's wall

City Hall from Valderoza Street

A lot has thought that it has incorporated the Spanish architecture, probably perhaps due to the Hispanic traditions that abound the city. However, the City Hall of Zamboanga was built in 1905 by the American colonizers and it served as the provincial capitol of the military-ruled Moro Province. Then in 1914, it became the seat of government for the Department of Mindanao and Sulu when the civilian government was restored in the colony. By the time the Commonwealth came in, Zamboanga was elevated into a city and the capitol became the city hall we all know today.

Preparing for the flag ceremony

The civil officials of the city hall, preparing for the flag ceremony. Reflecting diversity of cultures in the city of Zamboanga

Today, Zamboanga City Hall still stands proud as a reminder of the Zamboangueño heritage, The architecture still reminisce the early days of American colonial era, and the tower itself made it unique among the neo-classical contemporaries. The tower now is where the siren is blared at certain times of the day. Currently, its a declared a national historical site by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (formerly NHI).

Zamboanga City Hall and Monumento de Rizal

Every Christmas, the city hall turns into a showcase of lights as the whole plaza complex becomes a mecca of families and friends who like to spend their cool Christmas nights.

The tower and the Philippine flag

True to its old title, "Ciudad de Las Flores" - Zamboanga City Hall

Zamboanga City Hall manifests Zamboanga’s keen interest in preserving its own unique Creole and cosmopolitan culture, that made it very unique all throughout the republic.

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The Champion Tuna Float

I wasn’t planning for a second (actually the third) visit to General Santos City in the span of three months time (like I’m there every month!), but blogger Avel Manansala of Gensan.com convinced me otherwise. I’m no stranger to this city that I fell in love with for so long since the college days, but this latest visit just went a notch higher: Defied gravity four times, pigged out for three days, camwhoring galore, and of course celebrating one of the two big fiestas of the City by the Bay, the Tuna Festival.

Tuna is King here!

In its 13^th edition, Gensan’s Tuna Festival edition is more than a week celebration of General Santos City’s charter anniversary—or cityhood. Spanning from late August and culminating with the float parade (and supposedly street dance competition) on the 5th of September, the charter day itself, Tuna Festival is also a way of celebrating Gensan’s culture, and its economic prime mover—the tuna fishery and processing industry. After all, the city’s booming economy owes itself to the catch of the sea and the ever famed yellow-fin tuna.

Golden yield of Gensan: Yellowfin Tuna

More floats!

The crowd waited for hours to see the spectacular tuna floats

Tunasup!

The float parade was supposed to start at around 5PM with a street dance, yet I was frustrated that the street dancing competition came in early in the afternoon and not along with the neon lights of the tuna floats. That afternoon also, thousands gather at Pioneer Avenue to wait for the floats to come—and they’ve waited and waited…until the floats arrived at around 8PM, three hours after it set off at Lagao. It could’ve been better if they have the street dance parade and the float parade merged and make a shorter route so that people may not wait or be bored, that’s just my two cents worth.

Tropical Tuna

Tuna and yellowfin tuna!

All Aboard in search for uncharted waters

Yet despite the setback, the floats were still impressive enough to be seen by night. Testifying the talent the Generals have. Lights and revelry that night!

Gensan by Night

Tuna and more

A Generals’ Story: From Dust-diangas to Tuna Capital of the Philippines and beyond

General Paulino Santos and the people of Gensan

General Santos City, or Gensan for short, was once a backdoor, dusty town in the south. It was the “Pioneer Settler’s port of call” since it is the entrance for the Koronadal Valley Settlements where Christian settlers of Luzon and the Visayas landed and was led by General Paulino Santos in 1939. Other than that, it is a dustbowl with not much activity to mention, hence mocked sometimes as “Dust-Diangas” (Dadiangas was the original name of the city center).

Pioneer Avenue in Gensan

Because of its strategic location and an agricultural potential however, investors came in gradually, notably Dole Inc. Because of hard work, the Dadiangasnons or now known as “Generals,” the city by the bay flourished and in September 1968, it became a full-fledged city in the province of South Cotabato.

Mount Matutum and the pineapple plantation of Dole near Gensan

Because of its proximity to the rich fishing grounds, Gensan became an instant superstar for the foreign market, especially the Japanese who are into high-grade yellow fin tuna. The moniker “Tuna Capital of the Philippines” progressively grew as investments in the fisheries sector poured into the city. And by the late 1990s, when Gensan Fishport was opened, it has sealed its place in the Philippine economy.

Tuna!

Today, the tuna industry employs thousands of workers, and drives a multi-billion economy in this southern city in Mindanao.

The boats docked at Gensan Fish Port

General Santos City Fish Port

However in recent years, the industry’s growth has been stale and in some cases declining gradually. Due to stricter impositions of fishing tuna in the international waters and a depleting supply, the Generals once again face a challenge to go beyond the bay. Knowing the Generals, they have outsmarted the odds of establishing a city in a dustbowl. Hence, the thrust for diversification is on full speed.

The boat and the industry that brought Gensan to the stars

I remember Mayor Custodio saying, “let’s go beyond the bay!” I guess we’ll be seeing another bloom in Gensan’s industry. It’s not just tuna, it’s not just only Pacquiao, Shamcey and Melai, but the sheer determination and talent of the Generals, and the raw beauty beyond the city streets.

He may be representing neighboring Sarangani Province, but he grew in the streets of Dadiangas and had a story like every General that dreamed of a better life. (That's Mark, Pacquiao and yeah...me!)

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Calle Crisologo, Vigan City, Philippines

You haven’t been to Vigan if you didn’t set on foot at Calle Crisologo. This is the heart and soul of Spanish colonial Philippine village of Vigan. This brought the city to its prestige as part of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. Indeed, Calle Crisologo, or sometimes called Vigan Heritage Village, transports people back into time when the Philippines was under Madre España.

The streetscape, spanning from Burgos Plaza towards Liberation Avenue, is lined with old bahay-na-bato houses, mostly made of brick or stone at the ground floor and hard wood on its second floor. The complete row of aged ancestral houses survived the onslaught of Mother Nature, wars and Father Time himself. Most of the roofs of the houses though are made of galvanized iron, only a few still use tejas or tiles.

The street is paved in cobblestone, much like any old urban cores during the Spanish colonial era. It is a vestige of colonial Europe in Asian setting.

A Calle Crisologo antique shop

As mentioned earlier, the bahay-na-bato houses are made of stone, brick or masonry in the first level while the second floor, made of hard wood. Houses back then were like this since they use the first floor, not as a residential floor, but as a bodega and garaje for their calesas. Some make their ground level floors as commercial shops. The second floor on the other hand was used as the residential area. It seems to have brought the bahay kubo aspect.

Hero, the calesa horse, Calle Crisologo, Vigan

Our calesa stopped here. I was amazed with the number of heritage houses…the streetscape…everything! As if I was brought back a hundred years ago…minus the tourists though.

House under renovation, Calle Crisologo, Vigan

Today, Calle Crisologo is frequently used as a shooting location for local films and TV shows. I saw this at Marilou Diaz-Abaya’s film “Jose Rizal” and CCP’s “Noli me Tangere” series. The well-preserved streetscape and houses has brought tourists by the thousands every year. Houses were turned into antique shops or commercial establishments. It gave jobs to local Bigueños and Ilocanos and has boosted Vigan’s economy and commerce. Although the presence of tourists has brought “artificiality” in the area, this proves that old houses can be used for today’s benefit. Not only it teaches us our history and heritage as a Filipino nation, but on how we can create a sustainable living with our heritage held high!

It’s 11:30AM. Time to hit the road again and go back to Manila…(passing by La Union province though for a brief visit). We bid our cucheros farewell at Burgos Plaza, paid them and thanked them for their service. I shall return! Veni Vidi Vicci Vigan!

More photos of Calle Crisologo here:

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Monumento, one of the few places in Metro Manila that earned its name as a hub and a bustling commercial center. Lagi nating dinadaanan ang Monumento ni Gat Andres Bonifacio pero di natin napapansin na isa ito sa mga pinakadakilang monumento sa ating republika. For most of us, Monumento in the northern Metro Manila city of Caloocan serves as a landmark for shopping and for those who would like to go up in Central and Northern Luzon since buses and jeepneys pass by this busy thoroughfare at the intersection of Rizal Avenue Extension, MacArthur Highway, Letre and the historical EDSA. This is Caloocan’s most famous landmark.

Bonifacio Monument, Monumento, Caloocan City, Metro Manila

The statues made of bronze was made by Guillermo Tolentino, a renowned artist who also created the Oblation of University of the Philippines. It was erected in 1933 and served as a colossal yet majestic  I wonder, how would Bonifacio feels seeing his monument in the middle of a bustling roundabout?

Aside that right now that the country is celebrating his birthday (ironically not his day of martyrdom unlike other Filipino heroes, thoughts later), this is one way of commemorating Lolo Andres Bonifacio and the Katipuneros, the supremo of the revolutionary group Katipunan (a secret society that initiated a massive rebellion during the Philippine war for independence against the Spaniards) which eventually lead to the country’s independence from the three centuries of Don Quixote’s rule from 1896 to 1898.

Hub

This certain place in Caloocan is so called because of the imposing monument dedicated to the Supremo of the Katipunan. It is indeed Caloocan’s most well-known landmark which greets visitors from the north bound for Metro Manila.

The LRT Yellow Line at Monumento Station bound for Baclaran

And because the monument greets the visitors and people coming from the north, it became a hub for virtually almost anything to Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela area), and Northern and Central Luzon. A transport hub that is.

Victory Liner Caloocan Bus Terminal

Here are some of the public transport terminals that are located in Monumento, Caloocan area:

1. LRT Monumento Station – the northern end of the classic Light Railway Transit Yellow Line (Line 1) which runs from Baclaran in Parañaque, passing through the heart of Manila and towards Monumento. This station indeed is the terminus for those who live in northern Metro Manila and beyond. And just below it are the jeepneys and buses…
2. Bus stations – Most predominant of the provincial bus stations would be Victory Liner. This is one of their terminals where you can ride a bus going to Malolos, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Olongapo and Baguio. There are other bus stations surrounding the Monumento area…pero wala akong time para libutin ang buong Monumento, hehe!
3. Bus stop – Buses that ply EDSA to Malanday, Letre/Sangandaan pass by here. You can also catch up Pacita-Laguna and Dasmariñas-Cavite bound buses here too in rare occasions. Monumento is the bus hub for those who are bound for Caloocan City proper in Sangangdaan/Dagat-Dagatan and Malanday.
4. Jeepney hub – Like any other hubs in Metro Manila, this is the main hub for CAMANAVA (or CAloocan, MAlabon, NAvotas and VAlenzuela Cities) area. Jeepneys bound for Malabon Bayan pass by Letre and Puregold while those who are bound to the pilgrimage site of Our Lady of Salambao in Obando can take a jeepney just behind the Victory Lines bus terminal in Caloocan.
5. Soon to be Northrail – when the controversial Northrail would be finished, Caloocan would serve as its main dropping point (not Tutuban in EDSA) just a few meters from Monumento…The question is, when will it be finished and are there any more anomalies left?

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Epifanio de los Santos Avenue or EDSA for short spans around 24 kilometers. Named after a Filipino historian, it was once known as Highway 54, it forms a semi-circle road which links the cities of Pasay, Makati, Mandaluyong, Quezon and Caloocan and considered to be one of the busiest thoroughfares in Metro Manila (with about more or less 200,000 vehicles per section everyday!). Also called C-4 or Circumferential Road 4. I know that this wouldn’t be my last post about this very interesting road that we have at the heart of Metropolitan Manila.

EDSA Today

Ortigas Interchange, EDSA

A major artery of socio-economic force not just in the capital but also of the country itself, as it connects several important financial, educational, residential and government institutions of the country.

Written on August 01, 2009 — I just learned earlier this morning of the passing of a Philippine icon of democracy. A caring housewife and widow of a senator turned into a mother of millions of people after ousting 2 decades of autocratic rule. As the heavens of Manila cried over the passing of Corazon “Tita Cory” Cojuanco Aquino, former president of the Republic of the Philippines, she has left a mark in Philippine history that restored democracy, weathered several coup d’etats and became a symbol of power of Filipino women and a mother. This article I write shows defiance on that fateful day when the heavens created a miracle, and Cory was one of its instruments. To Tita Cory: Many thanks and be happy with Ninoy and to God, you have done well in your life. Padayon!

On February 1986, being the location of two important headquarters of both the PC (Philippine Constabulary, Camp Crame, successor is today’s Philippine National Police) and the military (Camp Aguinaldo), people barricaded the streets in protest and defiance with the Marcos rule. The public outrage, brought by the assassination of the opposition figure late Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino in 1983 and the so-called “dayaan sa (cheating at) Snap Elections” in which Tita Cory (wife of Ninoy) run against the Marcoses during those times.

“Sobra na, Tama na, Palitan na!” (It’s too much, that’s enough, let’s change it) was the battlecry of multitudes who went in to EDSA on that day, defying and courageously confronted the tanks and guns with flowers, food and rosaries.

As the people cried for change, this strong defiance of status quo has reached it’s mark when the Marcoses fled to the United States and installed Corazon Aquino as the new president of the republic. That was a fateful February. I was only 2 months old by then.

The Shrine

It was not so long ago when people went here and ousted another president, that was in 2001. Former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada was accused of corruption that sparked another revolt, and yes they all went to EDSA once more. Meeting place: EDSA Shrine.

EDSA Dos Relif at EDSA Shrine

Tell me, what’s with this place that it seems to be a magnet of protest and defiance on authority on a peaceful note? Perhaps the lure of the first EDSA People Power Revolution of 1986. The shrine was constructed in 1989 as a remembrance of the mass action that ousted a dictatorship. A miracle that happened at EDSA with no blood shed in the road.

EDSA Shrine, Quezon City, Philippines

The big statue of Mary, Queen of Peace is a famed landmark. A reminder of the democracy that we Filipinos cherish more and that peaceful day when millions joined hands in facing what it seems to be an impenetrable forces.

It does not only serve as a reminder and a landmark, but also its a venue for Catholic masses as well. Yes, its not just a monument, but also a Catholic Church.

Our Lady of Peace, EDSA Shrine

Today, its located just at the corner of EDSA and Ortigas Avenue in Quezon City. Going there is as easy as pie. You can take an MRT (go down at Ortigas Station and walk towards Robinsons Galleria), bus or taxi here from almost anywhere in the Metro.

So whenever you think about EDSA, think again. It has done probably so much of its span in  much of our daily lives that we didn’t noticed the little things it has done for us today. Philippines stood here, historically and socio-economically.

More photos below: