Manila South Harbour

MA-BU-HAY - "Life be with You" Greeting used.

Philippines, named to honor King Philip II of Spain in 1543, is a nation of 7,107 islands (2,000 inhabited) with a total area of 111,830 square miles. The population is 109 million (15+ million in Manila). Luzon (in the North) is the largest island with one-third of the land and half the population. The Philippines are 1,152 miles long and 688 miles wide, with no land boundaries. The official languages are Filipino (also known as Tagalog) and the country has 80 dialects … but mostly people speak English.

Manila, the National Capital, on the island of Luzon, is called the “Pearl of the Orient”, with the heart, mind, and spirit of the Philippines. It was founded in the 16th Century by Spanish conquistadors as a “Spanish only” island who built a walled city (Intramuros) to control and develop to be like Spain and bring Catholicism (while the Chinese still lived outside the city). Spanish in Philippines were successful at building a very successful spice trade route to Acapulco (if you have ever been to the Fuerte San Diego by the port in Acapulco) and it became a UNESCO world heritage route (yes, they are not all sites).

The Spanish-American War of 1898 and the defeat of the Spanish led the Filipino leader Emilio Aguinaldo to declare independence from Spain. The US declared itself protector of Philippines by Admiral Dewey in the Battle of Manila Bay after which the US took control. After the Philippine-American War in 1902, the Philippines became an American territory with (President to-be) William Taft serving as the first governor. The islands were given commonwealth status in 1933 (with independence expected after 12 years) but the Japanese invaded the Philippines early in 1942 and ruled until 1944. During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, in order to stop more mass killings, American soldiers agreed to withdraw from Manila, and General Douglas MacArthur declared Manila an open city. Unfortunately, Japanese continued bombing the city and Manila was finally recaptured by American and Philippine troops and independence for the Philippines was declared on July 4, 1946.

Ferdinand Marcos governed from 1965-1986, Corazon Aquino ran against him in 1986 and although Marcos claimed victory, it was “questionable” and the "People Power” declared Aquino president. U.S. military forces withdrew in 1991 and Fidel Ramos served from 1991-1998 (and Joseph Estrada was elected in 1999, but later impeached). Marcos died in Hawaii but Imelda Marcos (and her shoes - in a museum) is still alive at 90. Their son is now President of the Philippines. Independence and Nationalism was and still remains most important and the mantra for these islands.

On our way to the Chinese Cemetery, we stopped at La Loma for Lechon. The district of La Loma in Quezon City has been famous for the home of Metro Manila's lechonan, roasted suckling pig, one of the most popular dishes in the Philippines. The slowly-roasted suckling pig is usually stuffed with lemongrass, tamarind, garlic, onions, and chives, and is then roasted on a large bamboo spit over an open fire. Manila is known for this district where pigs are cooked in a special way making them a unique delicacy for locals and a city-wide stable (see photos).

The 133 acre Chinese Cemetery was built in the 19th Century for the non-Catholic Chinese that the Spanish would not allow in their areas. We learned about the National right to be buried and saw graves and mausoleums that were in a range of conditions (mostly “luxurious”) from generations that had/had not renewed their leases. The leases for 25 years can cost over $1 million. In death as in life, Manila’s rich Chinese like to live large, some of the mausoleums were complete with air-conditioning and toilets. The cemetery has a poorer section with regular-sized tombs and mausoleums too. Strange experience.

As we drove through the city to get a better feel for how people live here, we drove through the flower market where every day many people get their beautiful fresh flowers. We passed some “sari sari” translates from Tagalog to “whatever” and is used to describe small stores that sell everything from candy to skewers.

Of course, driving in some of the wealthier areas, we saw high end shopping in Makati (upscale area), Oritgas (business district), and Fort Pnifacio (army headquarters), many of which have gated communities and wealth. We also got to experience the high poverty areas, showing once again the extreme variance between those with so little in a city that has so much. We had reservations at a beautiful hotel for an incredible lunch like no brunch/lunch we had ever seen.Read more