Then and Now Pilipinas

“ 𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗟𝗔 𝗖𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗘 “

𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Liwasang Bonifacio, Magallanes Dr, Intramuros, Maynila, Metro Manila , Philippines
𝗪𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 September 23, 1932

THEN AND NOW

DID YOU KNOW ?!
•The Philippine Postal System (PHLP) has quite a remarkable history. It was first established in Manila during 1767. Later in 1779, Spain managed the postal office serving the entire Philippine archipelago
•The first known location of the Manila Post Office was on the Escolta, next to the Estera de la Reina close to the Santa Cruz church
•The post office was transferred to offices in the westerly part of the building complex, known as the Cuartel Fortin, located on the south side of the Pasig River by Plaza Lawton just about where the new Post Office building would be built years later
•The transfer, with all the furnishings, hardwood partitions, lock boxes, etc., took place on Saturday, June 25, 1904, in the midst of a severe typhoon, and the post-office was open and ready for business the following Monday morning, June 27, 1904
•The Cuartel Fortin had been transferred from the army for the use of the insular government, renovated and fitted up for use of the Bureau of Posts
•The construction of the new building began on 1926 under the supervision of the architecture firm of Pedro Siochi and Company
•The original building was designed by Juan M. Arellano and Tomás Mapúa in neoclassical style
•The Japanese occupation lasted from 1942 through 1945 and, although hardship ensued for the general populace, the postal service continued albeit with Japanese censorship.
•It was severely damaged in World War II during the Battle of Manila and was subsequently rebuilt in 1946 while retaining most of its original design
•Now, The Manila Central Post Office, often called the Post Office Building, is the main postal office of Manila, which also serves as the home of the Philippine Postal Corporation
•It also houses the main mail sorting-distribution operations of the Philippines

“ TOLENTINO HERITAGE HOUSE “

Location: Dr Jose P. Rizal Ave, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
Wayback 1960’s

THEN AND NOW

DID YOU KNOW?!
•The Tolentino House, an American period home of concrete and wood
•This riverside house looks derelict, but its charm can still be glimpsed through its Art Deco grills mounted on the second-floor windows

“ BAUTISTA - RODIL ANCESTRAL HOUSE “

Location: Tejeron St., Santa Ana, Manila, NCR, Philippines
Wayback May 29,1929

THEN AND NOW

DID YOU KNOW?!
•It is one of the 17 vintages house’s in Santa Ana Manila
•The house undergoing a major renovation interrupted by Mr. Covid

“ SANTA ANA AVENUE “

Location: Sta. Ana Ave, Poblacion District, Davao City, Davao del Sur, Philippines
Wayback 1930’s

THEN AND NOW

DID YOU KNOW?!
•It is the primary residential area of the Chinese Philippine community in the city
•The area is bordered by Santa Ana Avenue, Monteverde Avenue, Ramón Magsaysay Street and León García Street
•Davao's Chinatown came into being in 2003, when the city's mayor Rodrigo Duterte issued an executive order declaring a Chinatown
•It is the Philippines' largest Chinatown by area with a total land area of 44 hectares and is part of four barangays
•Today, The Davao Chinatown is the Chinatown located in Davao City and the only one in Mindanao
•The Friendship Arch was inaugurated in August 2008
•The archway's design is an inspiration from the 400-year-old architectural designs of Yuan Garden in Shanghai, China
•The archway is embellished with fish and pearl - symbols of the Villa-Abrille Family, and was done by Architect Arnel Villacampa

“ REMEDIOS CIRCLE “

Location: Remedios, Malate, Manila , Metro Manila, Philippines
Wayback 1970’s

THEN AND NOW

DID YOU KNOW ?!
•Remedios Circle, also known as the Plaza de la Virgen de los Remedios, Remedios Rotonda, and Rotary Circle
•Remedios Circle was originally the Malate Cemetery, built in a manner similar to what is now Paco Park
•It was one of two traffic circles built in Manila during the Spanish colonial period, the other being the Carriedo Fountain on the Rotonda de Sampaloc (now the Nagtahan Interchange)
•The circle and its immediate area were destroyed by aerial bombs dropped in the Battle of Manila during World War II
•Immediately after the war, the Malate Cemetery was turned over to the newly independent Philippine Government by the Church in the Philippines, demolished, and the bodies re-interred at the Manila South Cemetery
•Government investment has focused largely on infrastructure improvements, with the circle last being renovated in 2006
•On August 30, 2009, a monument to Marcelo H. del Pilar was transferred here by the Association of Filipino Journalists
•Today the circle is known today for being the center of Manila's nightlife

“THE FULE - MALVAR MANSION “

Location: San Pablo, Laguna, Philippines
Wayback 1915

THEN AND NOW

DID YOU KNOW?!
•Dr. Potenciano Malvar built this mansion in 1915
•It was served as home for spouses Eusebia Fule and Potenciano Malvar
•Malvar served as a medical officer in the Filipino-American war then became governor of Laguna until just before WWII
•He was chosen mayor of San Pablo when it turned into a city just before the war
•The mansion was the locus of the town’s social and political life.
•After the war it served the Malvar heirs until it was sold to the National Life company in the ’60’s
•The mansion changed hands in the 1980’s to the Philamlife company, which spent over P40 million to bring it back to its prewar glory
•The mansion is one of the oldest structures in the city of san pablo and was the former home of city's first appointed
•It was where the Philippine American Life insurance company operated, which led its restoration in 1990
•Today, Philam life has posted a "for sale" sign in the building that it occupied for decades - the historic fule malvar mansion

“ THE ALI MALL “

Location: 13th Avenue corner, P. Tuazon Blvd, Cubao, Quezon City, NCR, Philippines
Wayback 1978

THEN AND NOW

DID YOU KNOW ?!
•It was built in June 30, 1976, making it one of the oldest malls in the country
•The Ali Mall is owned by The Araneta City Inc. (ACI,Inc.), a subsidiary of the Araneta Group. •The first major shopping mall in the Philippines
•The retail area was named in honor of boxer Muhammad Ali
•The mall was designed by Filipino architects Fernando Hizon Ocampo and Antonio Sevilla Sindiong (Sindiong/Ocampo)
•The first enclosed and fully air-conditioned mall; the Alimall Cineplex 4, first cineplex with 2 cinemas (upgraded to 4 theatres); the largest indoor skating rink (Skate Town); the first multi-level covered parking garage, featuring a spiral driveway accessing all floors; and the first food court (Food Plaza), [8] with its first tenants being Papemelroti, Blue Magic, and Rusty Lopez
•During the 1980’s, the mall underwent expansions and renovations, however, from the 1990’s to the 2000’s, the mall gradually deteriorated
•In 2009, a new expansion to Ali Mall was opened and a renovation was completed in 2010
•In March 2019, a section of the mall's upper ground floor was remodeled to cater novelty items, antiques, art, music, and memorabilia
•Among its tenants were Automatic Centre, Smart Communications, Globe Telecom, Philippine Airlines , Penshoppe, National Book Store, Adidas, and Vans and more than 100 other shops, including food, retail, tech services, and government services

“ THE VILLA VALENZUELA “

Location: Santa Cruz, Laguna, Philippines
Wayback 1920’s

THEN AND NOW

DID YOU KNOW ?!
•The house was built in 1919
•It was also around the time the municipal building of Santa Cruz had been built
•The current owner’s grandfather named Don Jacinto Valenzuela, also known as “Don Intong” was the original owner
•The Valenzuelas were one of the most prominent families during that time.
•In fact, Don Jacinto was the alcalde of the town from 1926 to 1929
•The house was slowly renovated and refurbished through time, becoming this big ancestral house that every local knows
•The current owner also revealed that its designs were actually symbolism of Don Intong’s status and personality
•The mansion was likened to castles, evident by the merlons and crenels (ngipin ng moog) and sentry (garitas). The architect was also bedazzled by the grand staircase (escalera), window canopies (tapangco) and wide windows
•During the World War II in 1945, it became the hideout of the Japanese army against the guerillas
•Before 1950, Don Intong’s family went to Manila because of business, while some of his relatives went to the United States reportedly. Thus, leaving the house to caretakers and inevitably led to poor maintenance

“ OLD FASHIONISTA STYLE “

Location: Manila, Philippines
Wayback 1970’s

THEN AND NOW

DID YOU KNOW?!
•By the late 60’s - early 70’s, minis &
even micro mini-skirts were allowed inside the church as it became a key piece to women's liberation, further emphasized by women wearing bell bottom pants throughout the 70’s & the shoulder pads of the 80’s

“ ESCOLTA DURING WW2 ”

Location Escolta St. Binondo, Manila, Philippines
Wayback 1945

THEN AND NOW

DID YOU KNOW?!
•The Regina Building (left), and the Pérez-Samanillo Building (right) partially damaged during the Liberation of Manila in 1945

“ OLD COLON STREET “

Location: Colon St., Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines
Wayback 1890’s

THEN AND NOW

DID YOU KNOW?!
•Colon Street is a historical street in downtown Cebu City
•Colon Street It called the Oldest Street in the Philippines and the shortest National Road in the Philippines
•It is named after Cristóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus)
•It traces its origins to the town plan by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi the Spanish Conquistador who arrived in the Philippines to establish a colony in 1565
•Colon Street was owned by the family name Fronteras
•It was once the heart of Cebu City’s shopping and business activity but in recent years (specifically during the early 90’s) much of this activity has shifted in land to the more modern
•Now spread in almost all of the urban areas of the city in what was considered residential and leisure settlements
•In 2006 the cebu city council proposed a plan to close parts of colon street from vehicular traffic and convert it to a tourism zone

“ ROXAS BOULEVARD “

Location: Roxas Blvd, Metro Manila, Philippines
Wayback 1912

THEN AND NOW

DID YOU KNOW?!
•It was first called Cavite Boulevard that was part of Architect Daniel Burnham's beautification plan for the City of Manila in the early 1900’s
•Later it was named Dewey Boulevard in honor of the American Admiral, George Dewey, who destroyed the Spanish fleet at the "Battle of Manila Bay" during the Spanish-American war
•Then it was changed to Heiwa Boulevard during the Japanese occupation
•And finally in the 1960’s its present name was given to honor the fifth President of the Republic of the Philippines, none other than
Manuel Roxas