A Look at Manila History can Illuminate Your Manila Experience!

Written Manila history is widely held to date back to 1571 when Spanish conquistadors, led by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, took control from Rajah Sulayman. Manila derived its name from two Tagalog words; "may," meaning "there is," and "nilad," the name of a shrub that originally grew abundantly along the shores of the Pasig River and Manila Bay, hence the title Lungsod ng Maynila or City of Manila is appropriately used.

Aside from limited times of British and American rule, the Spanish influence permeated throughout the city for over 300 years until 1898.

From Andres Bonifacio & Jose Rizal to Ferdinand Marcos & Corazon Aquino, many people and events have shaped the present day Manila. A dandy place to discover this chronology of outcomes is to visit the National Museum of the Philippines, near Luneta Park.

From the Lingayen Gulf to Palo, Leyte where these two photos were snapped, General Douglas MacArthur made a habit of Coming Ashore not only in Korea but the Philippine Archipelago.

The History Channel has an interesting program that sheds light on Philippine resistance and intelligence coups ahead of MacArthurs return, which according to this report, came two months earlier than planned to Leyte and not Mindanao. Visit Asia at War: Philippine Resistance: Refusal To Surrender to see the viewing schedule.

Events surrounding the Bilibid Prisoner of War Camp, an important part of Manila history is retold and reenacted as well.

Here is a recent report from October, 2011, on the Katipunan Bank via MABS or Microenterprise Access to Banking Services.

Philippines: News from USAID & MABS for Visayas & Mindanao.

Emilio Aguinaldo became the first President of the Philippines when it was considered the First Republic. The date he officially assumed the presidency varies from 1897 to 1899 but since the First or Malolos Republic was formally established on January 13, 1899, this could be an acceptable date, though the official government website shows his office beginning in 1898.

This historical marker within Luneta Park relates to & commemorates the masonic links to the Philippine Revolution from 1896-1898.

Note: Some background on Independence Day in the Philippines which will be celebrated on June 14th this year reveals how recognition of a specific date is made complicated during periods of emergence and the transition of a nation breaking the bonds of colonialism. The Philippines started a revolt against the United States in 1899 and achieved national sovereignty on July 4, 1946, through the Treaty of Manila. Independence Day was officially observed on July 4 until the Republic Act No. 4166, which set out to move the holiday to June 12, was approved on August 4, 1964.

The Jose Rizal Monument is located along the western stretch of Rizal Park and commemorates the man who is widely known as the National Hero of the Philippines: Jose Rizal. The layout of the park is very much suitable for a leisurely stroll with many stops both within and on both sides.

Rizal Monument is under the administration of the Department of Tourism which is located nearby & the site is guarded by ceremonial soldiers known as the "Kabalyeros de Rizal" though during my visits I did not witness the precise and reverential shapings that one might expect to find at such a place or compared to my visits to Washington D.C. and The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

"The book listed 58 places in the Philippines, the most numbers of places in the Philippines mentioned in ancient Chinese books. It also contained navigation routes to the Philippines from north to south."

This photo was taken in Rizal Park and is of Rajah Sulayman & I hope it captures the juxtaposition of past and present Maynila.

I will need to learn more to corroborate, but I remember reading that some of the treaties signed by the Philippines and the United States were never recognized by the Sultanate State in the Southern Philippines and not signed.

Indeed, Senate Bill 3307 proposes amendments to Republic Act No. 8491, which will add a 9th ray to the National Flag of the Philippines.

Another photo of Rajah Sulayman.

Here is a link to the

HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.

I would like to find a link to the recent GNN broadcast of Libertas that covered some of the current issues surrounding the Muslim cooperation with the current elected administration in the Philippines.

If you have this, please pass it along!

Here is a WordPress Blog that offers some historical perspective via a report by Kamar Sabdulla titled:

EARLY HISTORY OF THE PHILIPPINES.

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