Manila, Pearl of the Orient

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Saturday, October 16, 2010 | flickr photos

Manila is a sanctuary of people from all over Philippines gathered to pursue their dreams and help their family. A story of Manila would be incomplete without its history. The Manila - Acapulco trade in 15th – 18th century contributed an indispensable part in maritime history where the Manila Galleons, the largest ships ever built at that time carried goods across the globe, earning Manila the title – Pearl of the Orient.

Manila is home to the oldest commercial airline and the oldest existing university, even older than Harvard in Asia.. People in Manila are way civilized even before but why is Manila still not moving forward? It’s because of the society’s odds: the crab mentality, plunder, poverty and the war between the Church and the State… all part of Manila’s liabilities. The recent hostage-taking fiasco which killed Hong Kong tourists made the tourism in Manila worst than ever.

See the ‘Abandoned’ Museum with T-shirts hanging in front. It mirrors the government’s weaker interest in heritage preservation. San Agustin Church, UNESCO’s world heritage site represents the strong opposition of the Catholic Church against the proposed Reproductive Bill that promotes all forms of contraceptives to combat the growing population of the Philippines. These can be seen in Intramuros – a walled city of Old Manila noted for its many historical sites.

The giant Lapu – Lapu Shrine in Luneta Park is a symbol that Filipinos remain unfazed after centuries of colonization. Behold this rear view of a tramvia that could take a tourist to the historical sights of Manila. The dead Pasig River’s ‘Run for a Cause” last 10/10/10 is on its way to Guiness Book of World records that attracted 16, 000 runners. I belong to this place which once called - Pearl of the Orient. I should care!