Historic Manila

23/07/2024

Calle Colon, Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines, 1938

The street in the photo was Calle Colon during the late 1930s. It was built in 1565 during the Spanish colonial period.

It is better known as Colon Street—a historical street in Cebu City.

Colon Street is often referred to as the oldest and the shortest national road in the Philippines. It has a length of 1.17 km.

The street was named after Cristobal Colon—Spanish name of Christopher Columbus.

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons

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16/07/2024

Quiapo Church, Quiapo, Manila, Philippines, 1945

During World War II, parts of Quiapo were wrecked. The church, which is the district's most famous landmark, miraculously survived.

Quiapo is known as the "Old Downtown of Manila."

Photo Credit: John Tewell

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16/07/2024

University of Santo Tomas' College of Education Building, España Blvd., Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines, circa 1940

The building in the photo formerly housed the College of Education of UST in the early 1940s. Several renovations and demolitions were made thereafter. Today, the building is now used as the UST Hospital.

Photo Credit: John Tewell

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16/07/2024

Calle Escolta, Binondo, Manila, Philippines, 1863

Calle de la Escolta, or simply Calle Escolta, was built in 1594. It is one of the oldest streets in Manila.

It was said that the name of the street was named after the Governor-General's Es**rt Guards who had their outpost there.

It is better known as Escolta Street.

Photo Credit: John Tewell

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16/07/2024

Central Methodist Episcopal Church, San Luis Street, Manila, Philippines, circa 1915

Credit to: John Tewell

11/07/2024

The Governor's Palace and The Navy Yard, Cavite Nuevo, 1899

The photo shows the former Governor's Palace in the walled Cavite Nuevo (present-day Cavite City). Cavite Nuevo was also known as Cavite Puerto.

Source:
• Library of Congress

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07/07/2024

Philippines' First-Ever Top International Award in a Songfest

, 46 years ago, Hajji Alejandro, a prominent figure in the Philippine music industry, brought honor to the Philippines by winning the Best Singer Award at the International Seoul Song Festival in Seoul, South Korea.

‘Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika’ was Alejandro's winning piece. It was composed by the renowned Filipino musician, composer and conductor, Maestro Ryan Cayabyab. In the same year, the song had previously won the grand prize at the prestigious Metro Manila Popular Music Festival (Metropop) that happened in Manila.

The International Seoul Song Festival was a prestigious international song competition. Through Hajji Alejandro's victory in this music event, the Philippines experienced the honor to have its first-ever top international award in a songfest. Alejandro’s performance did not only win him the Best Singer Award but also the grand prize for ‘Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika.’

‘Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika’ is a testament to the richness and beauty of Filipino music. It serves as a proof of Philippines' gifted composers, arrangers, singers, and musicians. Alejandro's historical victory in South Korea was a proud moment for the Philippines—highlighting the country's musical talent on the international stage.

Sources:
• The Kahimyang Project
• ABS-CBN News

IN PHOTO: Hajji Alejandro While Singing in 1978

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06/07/2024

Man Carrying Children in Baskets, Rizal, Philippines, 1932

In 1932, a man carrying baskets on his shoulders while two little boys were in it and two older girls walking beside him were photographed by Robert Larimore Pendleton in Rizal. The specific location where the photo was taken was somewhere in Cainta or Morong, Rizal.

The man smiled while the two little boys and the girl behind them looked curiously at the camera. The other girl in front of them looked like she was enjoying their walk while keeping her gaze ahead.

© American Geographical Society Library | Credit to: John Tewell | Photo colorized by: Historic Manila

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04/07/2024

The Remains of Cagsawa Church, Daraga, Albay, Philippines, May 14, 1934

This photograph was taken on one of the sides of what's left of the Cagsawa Church. The facade was still standing that time and was only hidden from the view behind the belfry.

Today, the solitary Belfry of Cagsawa Church is still standing. It is popularly known today as the Cagsawa Ruins.

📸: Robert Larimore Pendleton

© Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System | Credit to: John Tewell | Photo colorized by: Historic Manila

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02/07/2024

Rest in peace, Dinky Doo Jr.

Sending our heartfelt condolences for the loss of your family, friends, fans and colleagues.

REST IN PEACE 🕊️

Comedian Dinky Doo Jr. passed away on Tuesday morning, July 2, as confirmed by his family.

Dinky’s daughter announced the sad news on his Facebook account which read, “Family, Friends, Brethrens… This is his daughter speaking po. I’m here to inform po na wala na po si daddy. 7:20 AM of July 2, 2024, he was pronounced dead.” | LatestChika.com

FULL STORY: https://shorturl.at/6tUgR

02/07/2024

The Remains of Cagsawa Church, near Mayon Volcano, Daraga, Albay, Philippines, May 14, 1934

This photo of the Cagsawa Church was taken by Robert Larimore Pendleton during his visit in Daraga, Albay on May 14, 1934. Three men, who look like they were Filipinos, were included in the photo.

The Cagsawa Church was destroyed for the second time during the Mayon Volcano eruption on February 1, 1814.

© Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System | Credit to: John Tewell | Photo colorized by: Historic Manila

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01/07/2024

History of the Commander Drug

Commander Drug was once the biggest drugstore chain in the Philippines.

As a big competitor of Mercury Drug in the Philippines before, it played a significant role in the country's pharmaceutical retail sector. Its history highlights the competitive landscape and the choices available to consumers in accessing healthcare products and services.

▪️ Establishment and Growth

In 1970s, Commander Drug was established by Francisco Villanueva in the Philippines as a retail pharmacy chain, offering a range of pharmaceutical products and healthcare services.

Francisco started in the drug industry by peddling medicines using a cart or kariton along Divisoria, along with his contemporary who would later on establish what became the leader in the local retail drug sector.

Francisco's son, Dr. Rodrigo Villanueva, who was a Navy Doctor, and his wife, Alice, a nurse, manufactured medicines which was supplied to the Commander Drug. When at its peak, Commander Drug grew to about 30 branches which was located in various regions and cities in the Philippines including Manila, Quezon, and Caloocan.

It positioned itself as a competitor to Mercury Drugstore, which has long been the largest and most prominent pharmacy chain in the country.

▪️ Competitive Landscape

During its prime, Commander Drug competed directly with Mercury Drug in terms of service quality, pricing and store locations. It had several branches across different regions of the Philippines—aiming to serve a wide customer base. It offered prescription medications, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, health and wellness products, and even basic groceries and personal care items.

The competition between the two chains—Commander Drug and Mercury Drug—was significant in the pharmaceutical retail sector, influencing pricing strategies and customer loyalty programs.

▪️ Decline and Transition

Commander Drug faced challenges which include economic pressures, changing consumer preferences, and possibly shifts in management or ownership.

Some branches may have closed or have been rebranded, while others may have merged with larger chains or shifted focus to different market segments.

▪️ Legacy and Impact

While specific details and information about Commander Drug current status is limited, its legacy as a competitor of Mercury Drug reflects the competitive nature of the pharmaceutical retail industry in the Philippines.

The presence of multiple pharmacy chains provides consumers with choices and influences industry dynamics.

▪️ Scandal

One of the challenges known that Commander Drug faced was the alleged engagement in the deliberate sale of fake drugs containing only sugar or other inert substances.

However, there isn't specific and verifiable information readily available to confirm that.

Source:
• Philstar Global

IN PHOTO: It is a cropped photo of one store of the Commander Drug that was featured in a newspaper.

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01/07/2024

We extend our deepest sympathies to the bereaved family, friends and colleagues of Veteran Actor and Director Manny Castañeda. May his soul rest in peace.

Actor-director Manny Castañeda has passed away.

This was confirmed by Joey Reyes, film director and current chair of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) via a social media post.

READ: https://mb.com.ph/2024/7/1/manny-castaneda-passes-away

01/07/2024

Filipino Women at a Roman Catholic Ceremony, Philippines, 1935

Three Filipino women were photographed while chatting about what looks like a serious topic during a Roman Catholic Ceremony. The location in the Philippines where the photo was taken was not noted.

© Leiden University Libraries | Credit to: John Tewell

30/06/2024

Filipino Women Washing Clothes, Panay Island, Philippines, 1910

Three Filipino women doing their laundry in what looks like a lake in Panay. Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines today. It is a triangular island that is located in the western part of the Visayas.

This photo was a gelatin silver photograph and was hand-colored using photo oils or watercolors.

Source: The Forney Library | Credit to: John Tewell

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29/06/2024

Crossing A Body of Water, Philippines, 1910

The Filipino men helped a small French coterie and their vehicle to cross a body of water, perhaps a wide river. Beside them was an onlooker—a boy—who looked at the photographer and posed for a photo.

This photo was taken by one of the French coterie that took an excursion on various islands in the Philippines in 1910. It was originally a black and white photograph and was hand-colored using photo oils or watercolors.

Source: The Forney Library | Credit to: John Tewell

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29/06/2024

Asin Tunnels

Around the second half of the 19th century, Asin Tunnels were constructed during the time of the Spanish colonizers by their prisoners of war (POWs).

▪️ Location

The Asin Tunnels can be found in Tuba, Benguet in the Philippines.

▪️ Description

Asin Tunnel 1 (Sipitan) and Asin Tunnel 2 (Yanged) are 95 and 158 meters long respectively, with a height of about 7 meters. It is said to be safe for any kind of vehicle to enter the tunnels since they did not suffer a single crack even after the killer quake on July 16, 1990.

▪️ Historical Significance

The Asin tunnels were purposely built to form part of the supposed railroad system that was to connect the existing railroad in Damortis, La Union and Baguio City.

In 1911, Manila Railway Co., Ltd., a British company, was commissioned to improve the road and the tunnels. Unfortunately, the construction was eventually discontinued due to a budget constraint in 1915.

During the World War II, the Japanese Imperial Army used the Asin tunnels as a storage facility and as a bomb shelter.

Sources:
• DocFun
• Nunki Rider

IN PHOTOS: Photos of the entrance and inside of one of the Asin Tunnels

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28/06/2024

Alice Guo was already identified as Guo Hua Ping through a fingerprint analysis, proving that she is not a Filipino but a Chinese. But, some of the constituents of Bamban, Tarlac still wanted her as their Mayor.

Filipinos, wake up!

She may have done several good deeds that may have helped you but it was just a facade. This is also a wake-up call to real Filipino politicians to do what they have pledged to do. Do not just make promises but fulfill them. A pure-blooded Chinese is being chosen by the people because she was seen doing what a real public servant should be doing.

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28/06/2024

Water Gate, Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila, Philippines, 1899

The water gate was used to fill the moat around Fort Santiago.

© Library of Congress | Credit to: John Tewell

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27/06/2024

Philippine Airlines (PAL) "Know the Philippines" 4-Day Tour Ad, The Philippines Herald, July 15, 1950

This was the Tour Ad of Philippine Airlines (PAL) in the defunct The Philippines Herald newspaper on July 15, 1950. Imagine, that time, your P275 can get you a plane ticket already and you get to enjoy a 4-day all-inclusive tour for only P360!

© Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System | Credit to: John Tewell

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26/06/2024

Plaza During Bicycle Races, Bacolod, Western Negros, Philippines, 1901

This is a photo of the Bacolod Public Plaza during bicycle races in 1901. This was taken at the Municipality of Bacolod, Western Negros, United States Territory, which is presently known as City of Bacolod, Negros Occidental.

The "bicycles" were actually two-wheeled single horse-drawn carriages. In the Philippines, they are known as calesas or carretelas.

Photo Credit: Dean Conant Worcester
Colorized by: Historic Manila

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25/06/2024

A Male Walden's Hornbill, Philippines, 2006

The bird in the photo is locally called Dulungan and is also known as the Visayan wrinkled hornbill, Rufous-headed hornbill or Writhed-billed hornbill. It is a critically endangered species of hornbill living in the rainforests on the islands of Negros and Panay in the Philippines.

Photo Credit: Callan Bentley

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24/06/2024

A Piloncito with Baybayin Ma (ᜋ) Character, circa 9th century

Piloncitos are the first form of coinage in the Philippines.

Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=993469769453087&set=a.341515634648507

Photo Credit: JournalmanManila

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24/06/2024

Laguna Copperplate Inscription

The Laguna Copperplate Inscription is the earliest known written document found within the Philippine Islands. It is a legal document, specifically an official acquittance or debt relief certificate, inscribed onto a copper plate in the Shaka year 822.

▪️ Discovery

The plate was found in 1989 near the mouth of the Lumbang River in Wawa, Lumban, Laguna in the Philippines by a man named Ernesto Legisma. He was dredging sand to turn it into concrete at that time.

Legisma suspected that the artifact might have some value, so, he sold it to an antique dealer. The antique dealer, having found no buyers, eventually sold it to the National Museum of the Philippines.

The National Museum of the Philippines refers to the artifact as the Laguna Copper Plate.

▪️ Description

The inscription is made out of copper and measures about 20 by 30 centimeters, with the words directly embossed onto the plate. It differs in manufacture from Javanese scrolls of the period, which had the words inscribed onto a heated, softened metal scroll.

The inscription was written in the Kawi script in a variety of Old Malay containing numerous loanwords from Sanskrit and a few non-Malay vocabulary elements whose origin is ambiguous between Old Javanese and Old Tagalog.

▪️ Analysis

After the artifact was found, the text was first translated in 1991 by Antoon Postma, a Dutch anthropologist and Hanunó'o script researcher.

The inscription documents the existence and names of several surrounding states as of A.D. 900, such as the Tagalog city-state of Tondo. Some historians associate the toponym Medang in this inscription regarding the Medang palace in Java at that time, although the name is a common term of Malayo-Polynesian origin.

▪️ Present Location

It is displayed in the National Museum of Anthropology in Manila.

Source:
• Wikimedia Commons

IN PHOTO: Laguna Copperplate Inscription, approximately 900 A.D.

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23/06/2024

Two Filipino Ladies Carrying Bamboo Poles, Near Mayon Volcano, Albay, Bicol, Philippines, 1903

Two Filipino ladies, who were carrying bamboo poles that were used as water vessels, paused walking for a while to get their picture taken while facing each other.

The background appears to be the Mayon Volcano.

© Library of Congress | Credit to: John Tewell

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23/06/2024

Piloncitos: Proof of Philippines' Rich Cultural Heritage

"Piloncitos" is a collectors' term for the bead-like gold masa coins and believed to be the oldest form of currency in the Philippines.

These coins were used during the Archaic period of the Philippines and in the early years of Spanish colonial rule. They are called bulawan in many Philippine languages or salapi or ginto in Tagalog.

Piloncitos not only represent a form of currency but also showcase the artistry and technical ingenuity of the Filipino ancestors.

▪️ Description

Spanish records described the gold coins as "grains of gold" ("granitas de oro"). Piloncitos are so small and weigh from 0.09 to 2.65 grams of fine gold. Large piloncitos weighing 2.65 grams approximate the weight of one mass.

Piloncitos have been excavated from Batangas, Marinduque, Samar, Leyte, Bataan, Mandaluyong, the banks of the Pasig River and Bumbungan River, and some areas in Mindanao. The gold was mined and worked in the Philippines was proven by many Spanish accounts, like one in 1586 that stated:

“The people of this island (Luzon) are very skillful in their handling of gold. They weigh it with the greatest skill and delicacy that have ever been seen. The first thing they teach their children is the knowledge of gold and the weights with which they weigh it, for there is no other money among them.”

▪️ Historical Significance

Extensive use of gold throughout the Philippine archipelago before the arrival of European colonists was documented in early historical records. They were used as currency and in everyday items such as clothing and finery. Piloncitos emerged when there was an inconvenience of the barter system.

Piloncitos are the earliest form of precious metal-based currency of Tondo, Namayan and Rajahnate of Butuan in present-day Philippines.

They are the first recognized coinage in the Philippines circulated between the 9th and 12th centuries.

▪️ Similarities in Neighboring Countries

Piloncitos are not exclusively found in the Philippines as most collectors and local historians had stated. Similar type of gold was found in some regions of Indonesia which they called massa.

▪️ Origins

The gold piloncitos of the Philippines were a late offshoot of the Indonesian gold coinage. They have been found in large numbers in Indonesian archaeological sites.

▪️ Present Locations

Some collections of piloncitos can be found at the Manila Mint in Manila and Ayala Museum in Makati. There are also other piloncitos that are being auctioned with a starting price of P100,000.

Source:
• Wikipedia

IN PHOTO: Gold Masa Coins or Piloncitos, circa 9th Century

📸: William Harper

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22/06/2024

Good day, everyone. We ask for your help to report the FB page (not our page) that is being used now to deceive people. Kindly report the FB Page — Page has bad for community see why. You will see the name in the pictures below. We cannot tag it because we have already blocked it.

Their modus operandi: They will share one of your posts or videos. When you see it on your notifications, it will make you think that you have violated Facebook Community Standards. They plan to get you to click the link they have included in their post. Other people who will see their posts and who are still not aware of this, may also fall into their trap. Once you click the link, your accounts may be compromised and you may lose access to them.

It is obvious that the page is new and is being used solely to deceive and scam people. Please be aware of this modus operandi and do not click the links to avoid your accounts being compromised.

Thank you very much.

Historic Manila

22/06/2024

Aetas with US Marines, Olongapo, Zambales, Philippines, 1907

A group of barefoot Aetas posed for a photo with the US Marines behind them.

© The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration | Credit to: John Tewell

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21/06/2024

Ibaloi Women of Kabayan Weeding Rice Fields, Cordillera Mountains, Benguet, 1903

Weeding rice fields is important to prevent build-up of w**d seeds in soil, prevent insects or rodents (rats) or act as a host for diseases and prevent clogging of field irrigation channels to facilitate water flow.

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20/06/2024

Malinao Volcano North Slope Hot Spring, Tiwi, Albay, Philippines, May 14, 1934

The children took a pause in playing to pose for a picture close to a hot spring near Mayon Volcano. Imagine how uncomfortably hot it was with the steam in the air and the danger of getting scald burns.

📸: Robert Larimore Pendleton

© The American Geographical Society Library

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