American Regime Manila Thru Postcards (Part 3)

Manila and her immediate towns and landmarks were always the main feature during the American regime.

Escolta street earn the moniker “Queen of Manila’s street” since this one of the oldest street and a major street of the city.

One of the oldest streets in Manila, Escolta was created in 1594. Its name was derived from the Spanish word escoltar, meaning “to escort”. This was further developed during the late Spanish and American colonial regime when tall buildings were built.

Another important note is this street would host ticker tape parade when visiting dignitaries, crowned beauty queens and heads of states even until the mid-1970’s.

There was an obscure ordinance in Manila that requiring men to wear formal dress when within Escolta. This was finally repealed in the early this millennium.

American Regime Postcards

Avenida Rizal

Avenida Rizal is one of the important commercial centers of pre-war Manila. This comprises of Quiapo, Santa Cruz district. The business activity from Avenida Rizal is an extension from nearby Escolta. Some businessmen preferred this district since rentals is a little bit lower compared to Escolta, Chinatown or Binondo.

Bridge of Spain with trolley tracks and industrial area

Bridge of Spain – Is one of the most featured bridge of Manila during the late Spanish and American regime.  This postcard was probably printed before 1914 flood which had almost destroyed the bridge.

Government Printing Plant– postcards was issued around 1909. This building was one of the casualties of the last war.

Philippine General Hospital– This hospital is one of the facilities built by the Americans.

Manila Hotel– is the grand dame of hotels in the city, opened in 1912, it was once the residence of General Douglas Macarthur. Ernest Hemingway, to say, ‘It’s a good story if it’s like the Manila Hotel,”. This hotel is one of the most featured hotel in the country.

Most of the landmarks featured were infrastructure built by Spanish and American colonial government. Please try to visit my previous post on postcards issued during the American regime .

Link to “American regime Manila thru Postcards” Part 2 and Part 1

Sources and References:

Collins English Dictionary : Postal Card

Littrell, Robert, Ed; Postal Cards of Spanish Colonial Cuba, Philippines, Puerto Rico, UPSS, 2010.

Personal interview from postcard collectors

Philippine Postcards page 130 to 137 Consuming Passions

Mr. Florentino Cayco memorabilia

Mr. Florentino Cayco Sr. memorabilia housed inside the library

The late Florentino Cayco, Sr., first Filipino Undersecretary of Public Instruction and illustrious educator, conceptualized the birth and administered the growth of Arellano University.

This prestigious institution of learning opened in 1938 as the Arellano Law College, named after Cayetano Arellano, first Filipino chief justice. It closed in December 1941 until March 1945 under the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II. At the end of the war, this educational institution reopened in April, 1945 and was renamed as Arellano Colleges offering a two-year preparatory law course and the regular four-year law course, as well as a complete secondary education curriculum.

In June 1945, Arellano Colleges offered a four-year course in education (Bachelor of Science in Education), a two-year teacher training course (Elementary Teacher’s Certificate) and an elementary school training department. Likewise offered were courses in commerce, foreign service, and arts and sciences.

A year later, in June 1946, Florentino Cayco, Sr., became the first President of Arellano Colleges. Through his efforts, Arellano Colleges was elevated to, and recognized as, Arellano University on February 22, 1947 by the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports.

It was also in 1947 that the graduate school was organized and authorized to offer a course leading to the degree of Master of Arts in education as a requisite for the grant of university status.

In 1954, Arellano University opened a school of nursing which offered a basic nursing course. In April 1960, the School of Nursing expanded its curricular offerings by adding courses in post-basic nursing with majors in public health and clinical teaching. The School of Nursing was later renamed College of Nursing. At about the same time, a preparatory medical course was added to the general curriculum of the College of Arts and Sciences.

In 1978, the graduate school was renamed Florentino Cayco Memorial School of Graduate Studies, in honor of the founder and first president of Arellano University. Added to the graduate courses were the degrees of Master of Business Administration, Master of Science and Economics and Master of Arts in Nursing. In the same year, the management of the College of Law was turned over to Arellano Law Foundation under a Memorandum of Agreement.

Its incessant expansion in all areas and locations has evolved into a network of campuses, the better to serve Metro Manila by going closer to the people.

At present, the Arellano University System boasts of seven campuses, as follows:

Arellano University Main, Legarda Campus Juan Sumulong Campus in Legarda , Manila Jose Abad Santos Campus in Pasay City (AU School of Law) Apolinario Mabini Campus in Pasay City Andres Bonifacio Campus in Pasig City Plaridel Campus in Mandaluyong City Elisa Esguerra Campus in Malabon City.

Arellano University- Legarda main library

A street in Sampaloc was named after this famous educator. The Legarda campus also boast some of his memorabilia like photographs, awards, plaque, certificate, collections of rare books  , medals and other stuffs. The current collection is housed within the university main library .

Katipunan Tree

Century old tree w/in Metro Manila College campus

The country is rich in natural resources and old trees tell a lot of interesting stories. There is a 155 year old duhat tree ( Syzygium cumini )  which is located at the foot of a wooded hill called “ Binugsok” now within Barrio Kaligayahan , Jordan Plains Subdivision . Within the Metro Manila College compound just about a kilometer  away from  Our Lady of Mercy Church in  Novaliches town proper in Quezon City . The area was once heavily covered with thick vegetation up to the late 19th and early 20th century .

Wild chickens , native deers, monitor lizards and boars roam while the revolutionaries’ troops forage for food within the immediate vicinity.

The natural contour of the hill served as a battery and an outpost of the Katipuneros during the 1896 revolution and served as a target of many Spanish soldiers.  The late Kapitan  Bernabe Serrano popularly known as Kabesang Abeng who was a member of the Katipunan and the former owner of the property where the historic duhat tree stands. He stated that on several occasions, the place was visited by Andres Bonifacio , the Supremo of the Katipunan in order to bolster the morale of the troops. Under the canopy of the duhat tree served as medical headquarters, resting, meeting place and troop formation of the revolutionary forces.

This is also where Melchora Aquino , popularly known as Tandang Sora , treated those who are sick , wounded under this tree.  The tree also provided some nourishment to the Katipuneros and to the people of the surrounding area. The natural elevation of the land served as a vantage point and lookout for the guerilla forces in Novaliches also during the Japanese occupation.

Older residents within the place would recall that they even bathe in the nearby streams and would also remember how they would climb and pick the fruits of this duhat tree.

Now the tree is within the property of the Metro Manila College and the school had some artifacts and old pictures to prove that when the revolution broke out in 1896 the tree is already several decades old.

Big holes, scratches and scars are visible on the trunk and branches of the tree and up to now the tree still fights for its survival. The tree has a diameter at breast height of approximately 140 meter, and about 15 meter tall and has a crown diameter of approximately 16 meter.   When the hill was leveled during the development of the area and many bullets made of copper were found in the area presumed used during the Spanish period .

There are 2 younger duhat trees nearby which is presumed as the siblings of the tree.  This duhat tree is a silent witness in the history that every Filipinos should never forget and the urgent need to care and protect the tree from natural diseases and human harm.

Dr. Mamerto S. Miranda the founder of the college is a native of Novaliches and is a war veteran who founded Metro Manila College formerly known as Novaliches Academy in 1947.

For those who wanted to visit the school , here are the contact number:

Address: 966 Plaza Novaliches
Barrio Kaligayahan, Novaliches
Quezon City, Metro Manila 1123
TEl : (1123)939-11-62 , 9363082
Fax : (1123)419-14-82

Heritage Trees

old trees behind the main building

Far Eastern University is one unique institution that had molded hundreds of thousands of its alumni, employees and even passerby to the campus vicinity. This institution had preserved its unique architectural heritage which earned 1^st runner-up mention during the 2005 UNESCO – for the largest and best preserved Art Deco architecture ensemble in the entire country. Various national artists like Vicente Manansala, Pablo Ocampo Sr., Carlos “Botong ” Francisco, Antonio Dumlao , Robert Ko  and international artists  like Italian sculptor Francesco Monti made its lasting contributions to the university.

But, silent testimonies to the university history are its living natural heritage found inside its main campus located inside Nicanor Reyes Sr. street (formerly Morayta).  Several trees like acacia (Samanea saman) and narra (Pitherocarpus indicus ) were carefully planted and nurtured by its founding president Dr. Nicanor Reyes Sr .in the early 1930’s. During convocation in the university before the outbreak of war, the late President Manuel L. Quezon visited the university in 1940 and paid unsolicited tribute to Dr. Reyes “ as an educational builder”.  The trees were already several years old back then and the student population is more than 10,000. Then during the early part of the bombing of the Philippines in 1941, Dr. Reyes was only person among the officials of the university to visit the school every morning to check the school premises and usually hands over the keys of the post office inside the school compound.

When the Japanese brought chaos to the country, The Imperial army had occupied the school compound and the school was crisscrossed with foxholes and the whole place was enclosed with barbed wire. The university became a veritable prison and was made a headquarter of the Kempetai (Japanese military police) the trees were the silent hostages, the army used some of the branches as firewood or bonfires which lighted the campus grounds since there was lacked of electricity.

On February 5, 1945 at around 7:00 pm heavy bombing and air raid were rampant in the Sampaloc area. Battle was ranged in the vicinity as the Japanese in heavily fortified campus sternly opposed the American advance. When the American occupied the university the school was re-opened during the second semester in 1945 .the Americans also set up quonset   huts at the quadrangle which was later converted into classrooms. The trees were also there to witness the university rise in the ashes of the war.

After the war, some trees still stood within the campus, while some of the trees were toppled down by typhoons that had hit Manila during the 1960’s and 1970’s. These trees were also there when then president Cory had visited the campus in 1987 .

present day- FEU chapel with narra trees

Somehow trees do tell stories of happy individuals, students who stayed under their canopy, famous personalities and common people who happily stayed under these old majestic trees inside the campus that is not only known for its architectural heritage but also living natural heritage that one will surely become a link to a distant past.

The university also had a guided tours around the campus which attracts art , environment , architecture and heritage advocates  for more information:

Address: Nicanor Reyes Sr. Street ( formerly Morayta) Sampaloc, Manila

Telephone : 735-56 21 loc. 283 Alumni Affairs ( Mr. Martin Lopez)

Monday to Friday -Office Hours