Edsa Shrine

The EDSA Shrine is located at the crossroads of Epifanio de los Santos (EDSA) Avenue and Ortigas Avenue in Quezon City. It is formally known as the Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace (Our Lady of EDSA). It is dedicated to Our Lady who miraculously interceded to oust the Marcos dictatorship in a peaceful and bloodless uprising that is now world-renowned as the People Power Revolution of 1986.

The EDSA Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace

On December 15, 1989, the EDSA Shrine was established with then Rev. Fr. Socrates B. Villegas as Rector. Since then, the church has grown with the help of volunteers who have now formally organized themselves as the EDSA Shrine Community. A Holy Ground marker was inaugurated at the EDSA Shrine on February 25, 2001 during the 15th anniversary of the first EDSA People Power.

Malacañang Palace

That landmark etched at the back of your 20-peso bill is no other than the Malacañang Palace or the presidential palace, the seat of the government and the official home of the Philippine president. Originally the summer house of the Spanish governor general, the Malacañang (Spanish for “there’s a nobleman”) is a 150-year-old, 18th century complex built in neocolonial style, resembling the White House of America. If you want to trace the history of the leadership that shaped the Filipinos, this place could be a good start.

                    The Malacañang as seen from Pasig River

                                 (Photo from Google Images)

White House of the Philippines

In spite the palace’s grandeur by the banks of Pasig River, history has not always been kind to Malacañang. It went through the hands of American generals William Howard Taft and Francis Harrison during the Spanish-American War. As the residence of the country’s longest-serving leaders, Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, the palace became an icon of hatred as it was where Ferdinand declared martial law and where Imelda hid her infamous 3,000 pairs of shoes. Legend has it that Ferdinand looted Japanese general Tomoyuki Yamashita’s golden Buddha and melted it to be made as his presidential toilet bowl.

                                (Photo from Google images)

Although the palace today continues to become a magnet for protests along Mendiola Street, it continues to be an icon, well-visited by locals and tourists alike for its grand ballrooms, historic collections, and opulent rooms that every now and then have become the place for entertaining dignitaries like former US President George W. Bush.

Features

Today, the complex is divided into the main palace, the Bonifacio Hall (the former offices of former presidents Ferdinand Marcos, Corazon Aquino and Joseph Estrada), Kalayaan Hall (the former American-period executive building), Mabini Hall (administrative building), the New Executive Building (built by President Aquino), the grand staircase, and the Presidential Study, similar to that of US’ Oval Office at the White House. Across the river is the Malacañang Park, with its own garden, golf course, a recreation hall, and an American-era guesthouse.

Malacañang Museum (Photo by Jeff Pioquinto)

Inside Kalayaan Hall is Malacañang Museum, the heart of the complex. Built in 1920, it features exhibits and galleries showcasing the legacies of the country’s presidents. The museum’s collections are chronologically arranged, from the Spanish era (1750s-1898), to the first Philippine Republic (1860s-1901), American era (1898–1935), Commonwealth of the Philippines (1935–1946), Republic of the Philippines (1946-the present), EDSA People Power Revolution (February 1986), and several rooms used by former presidents and cabinet members.

Among the presidents’ personal collections on display are religious images, campaign posters, gifts of foreign VIPs, photographs, President Ramon Magsaysay’s riding boots, President Carlos P. Garcia’s chess set, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s necklaces, people power paraphernalia of Corazon Aquino, and mementos from Fidel V. Ramos.

Rules, fees and opening hours

 

The palace complex is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Entrance fees range from P200 to P500 depending on the sights you will be allowed to access. Be wary of strict security measures. You will also be accompanied by a guide or a presidential security guard in touring the palace. Visitors are only allowed in the main halls and in the reception areas. There are many restricted areas like the president’s quarters and the room being used for cabinet meetings.

If you want to visit the museum (open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.), write or fax a letter of appointment stating your nationality, the names of people coming with you in the tour and their nationalities, the passport details of everyone who will join the tour, the desired time and date of the tour, and your contact details. Letters should be sent at least seven days in advance to: The Director, Malacañang Museum, Kalayaan Hall, 

Once your letter has been received, the museum’s visitor and tours coordinator will process your permit and will contact you to confirm your visit. You will be asked to pay an entrance fee of P50 if you are an adult, or P30 if you are a student or a senior citizen. The fee already includes a tour guide.

Photography is allowed only within the museum. Video footage can be taken through securing a permit prior to the visit. The permit should be secured from the presidential security group.

How to get there

 The palace is at JP Laurel St., San Miguel, Manila. The best way to get there is through a taxi from anywhere in Manila. If you are coming in through a private vehicle or a taxi, you should enter the complex either through the entries at Arlegui Street or J.P. Laurel Street. You may park your car at the car park in Mendiola Street, then take a short stroll along J.P. Laurel Street until you reach the Kalayaan Gate.

When arriving on foot, you should take the entrance at either at San Rafael Street or General Solano Street. You can also see the palace’s façade when you ride the Pasig River Ferry Service from  Intramuros

Corregidor in Bataan

Corregidor is a small rocky island in the Philippines, about 48 kilometers west of Manila, which is advantageously positioned at the entrance of Manila Bay. This island fortress stands as a monument to the courage, valor, and heroism of Filipino and American defenders who valiantly held their ground against the great number of invading Japanese forces during World War II. Also known as “the Rock,” it was a key bastion of the Allies during the Second World War. When the Japanese invaded the Philippines in December 1941, the military force under the command of Gen. Douglas MacArthur carried out a delaying action at Bataan. Corregidor became the headquarters of the Allied forces and the seat of the Philippine Commonwealth government.

The big guns of Corregidor in 1941 were used in support of Filipino and American defenders of Bataan until the island itself was invaded by Japanese Forces.

Why go to Corregidor?

You must be a history buff with a huge interest in the events of World War 2 in the Pacific. For sons and daughters of the war veterans, it is an emotional and learning experience. For the young, it serves as a painful reminder of what a war can bring to humankind.

Intramuros Manila

Intramuros, the walled city multifaceted built by the Spaniards upon their occupation of Manila, is a marvelous way to spend the day in Manila. It is located along the southern bank of the Pasig River and was built by the Spaniards in the 16th century and is the oldest district of the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. The name is taken from the Latin, intra muros, literally "Within the walls", meaning within the wall enclosure of the city/fortress, also describes its structure as it is surrounded by thick, high walls and moats. During the Spanish colonial period, Intramuros was considered Manila itself.

It is constructed almost completely of stone blocks and possesses the same architectural traits one can see in other Spanish defenses like the Caribbean. It has been attractively landscaped with abundant tropical flowers and plants, and it is a relief for many families looking for shade in ever hot and muggy Manila. One can walk around the paths or use the pleasingly decorated horse drawn carriages. Some of the features of this park are old gunpowder rooms used as recently as World War II, seminaries and chapels, the Manila cathedral and museums. It is recommended that if going for the first time, a driver or guide be hired from your hotel. This is a gigantic area neighboring Rizal Park, and it is not recommended to hire an amateur guide loitering near the entrance.

Pre-Hispanic settlement

The site of was Intramuros was ruled by three chieftains Rajah Sulayman, Lakan Dula and Rajah Matanda and was originally a large Malayan-Islamic settlement named "Maynilad",. The name came from "may nilad", "nilad" being a water plant whose star-shaped flowers huddle in abundance along the low-lying riverbanks. The strategic location of Maynilad, being on the Pasig River and the Manila Bay, made it an ideal location for indigenous Tagalog tribes to trade with other Asian civilizations, including Chinese and Islamic merchants who had come from China, Borneo and Indonesia. Maynilad was also the seat of power for native chiefs who ruled the area before Europeans first arrived in Luzon.

Spanish colonial period

In 1564, conquistadors led by Miguel López de Legazpi sailed from New Spain (Mexico) and arrived on the island of Cebu in February 13, 1565. There they established the first Spanish colony in the archipelago. Having heard of rich resources of Manila by local natives, López de Legazpi dispatched two of his Lieutenant-commanders, Martín de Goiti and Juan de Salcedo to explore the northern regions of the Visayas.

In 1570, the Spaniards arrived in the island of Luzon. After quarrels had erupted between the Islamic natives and the Spaniards; Goiti and López de Legazpi's soldiers waged war on the people, before they were able to take control and establish a permanent settlement in the area. In 1571 after the natives were defeated in battle, López de Legazpi made a peace pact with Rajah Sulayman, Rajah Lakandula and Rajah Matanda; who, in return, handed over Manila to the Spaniards.

López de Legazpi declared the area as the new capital of the Spanish colony in the Philippines on June 24, 1571; Referring to the rich resources and location of Manila; The King of Spain, delighted at the new conquest achieved by López de Legazpi and his men, awarded the city a coat of arms and declaring it “Distinguished and ever loyal city".

The planning of the city of Manila was commenced by López de Legazpi who had become the first Governor general on the islands. He established forts, roads, churches and schools. The plans for Intramuros were based on King Philip II's Royal Ordinance issued on July 3, 1573 in San Lorenzo, Spain. Its design was based upon a medieval castle structure and covered 64 hectares of land, surrounded by 8 meter thick stones and high walls that rise 22 meters.

Intramuros was completed in 1606 and it served as the center of political, military and religious power of the Spaniards during the time that the Philippines was a colony of Spain. Inside Intramuros; there are several Roman Catholic churches, like the Manila Cathedral and the San Agustin Church, convents and church-run schools, such as the Universidad de Santo Tomás, the Colegio de San Juan de Letran and the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, which were usually being run by religious orders such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans and Jesuits. The Governor's Palace, the official residence of the Spanish Viceroyalties to the Philippines was originally in Intramuros before it was officially moved to Malacañang Palace and Fort Santiago. Only Spaniards and Mestizos were allowed to take part on political issues and take residence inside the walled city, Christian natives and Chinese were also allowed inside, but Spanish officials prevented them living there. The vast majority of the natives and Chinese residents lived outside the walled city.

Rizal Park

The park was a tribute to the Philippine's national hero, Jose Rizal, a doctor and novelist who was shot by firing squad at this site on December 30, 1896 on charges of fomenting local rebellion against the Spanish government.
However the Philippines declared its freedom from Spain on June 12, 1898 but the American forces quickly replaced the Spanish colonizers. The US granted the Philippines its freedom on July 4, 1946 , after the defeat of Japanese forces in the country.

José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda (June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896, Bagumbayan), was a Filipino polymath, patriot and the most prominent advocate for reform in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. He is regarded as the foremost Filipino patriot and is listed as one of the national heroes of the Philippines by National Heroes Committee. His execution by the Spanish in 1896, a date marked annually as Rizal Day, a Philippine national holiday, was one of the causes of the Philippine Revolution.

Rizal was born to a rich family in Calamba, Laguna and was the seventh of eleven children. He attended the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, earning a Bachelor of Arts, and enrolled in medicine at the University of Santo Tomas. He continued his studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid in Madrid, Spain, earning the degree of Licentiate in Medicine. He also attended the University of Paris and earned a second doctorate at the University of Heidelberg.

Rizal was a polyglot conversant in twenty-two languages. He was a prolific poet, essayist, diarist, correspondent, and novelist whose most famous works were his two novels, Noli me Tangere and El filibusterismo. These social commentaries on Spanish rule formed the nucleus of literature that inspired peaceful reformists and armed revolutionaries alike.

As a political figure, José Rizal was the founder of La Liga Filipina, a civic organization that subsequently gave birth to the Katipunan led by Andrés Bonifacio and Emilio Aguinaldo. He was a proponent of achieving Philippine self-government peacefully through institutional reform rather than through violent revolution, although he would support "violent means" as a last resort.Rizal believed that the only justification for national liberation and self-government is the restoration of the dignity of the people, saying "...why independence, if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow?" The general consensus among Rizal scholars is that his execution by the Spanish helped to bring about the Philippine Revolution.

                         June 19, 1861-December 30, 1896

Puerto Princesa Underground River

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of the city center of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. The National Park is located in the Saint Paul Mountain Range on the northern coast of the island. It is bordered by St. Paul Bay to the north and the Babuyan River to the east. The City Government of Puerto Princesa has managed the National Park since 1992. It is also known as St. Paul's Subterranean River National Park, or St. Paul Underground River. The entrance to the Subterranean River is a short hike from the town of Sabang. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is one of the 28 finalists for the "New Seven Wonders of Nature" competition.

The park has a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2 kilometer navigable underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers. The lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. Until the 2007 discovery of an underground river in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula,^[1] the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River was reputed to be the world's longest underground river.
The area also represents a habitat for biodiversity conservation. The site contains a full mountain-to-the-sea ecosystem and has some of the most important forests in Asia. It was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site on December 4, 1999.