Disappearing history
While channel surfing at home one night, I chanced upon a World War II documentary on one of the cable channels. What piqued my curiosity was when the narrator mentioned the Philippines. The episode covered Gen. Douglas McArthur's return to the country, as he promised after leaving, because of the overwhelming effects of the Japanese invasion. Upon reaching Manila, the narrator described the fighting as fierce, making Manila the "second most devastated city in the war, second only to Warsaw, Poland."
The film clips said it all. The destruction of buildings and structures, sparing nothing in the push to get the Japanese out of the city. This must be the reason we have so few old buildings and structures left in Metro Manila. You would have to travel to the provinces like Vigan to get a glimpse of how houses and buildings looked in the past. World War II practically obliterated everything where, now, modern structures stand where the historically essential used to be. The very few that were spared destruction must be preserved and maintained. Some groups have taken it upon themselves to crusade for the preservation of our historical and cultural heritage.
One issue at present is the construction of a condominium in Manila, that changes the sightline of the Rizal Monument. In the past, if one were to look at the Rizal Monument, nothing but the heavens would be seen serving as a backdrop for this magnificent monument to our national hero. With the construction of Torre de Manila behind it, that changes everything. The word "photobomb" comes to mind, a new addition to our ever changing technology-induced vocabulary. Calls have been made from groups like the Knights of Rizal and Damas de Rizal to put a stop to the construction, even calling for the demolition of what has been built. When finished, Torre de Manila would stand more than forty stories high. The magnificence of the monument overshadowed by the presence of the building. A photo collage shows how it looked before, and after the building is finished. With the apparent blessing of the city of Manila, it looks like an inevitability.
Meantime, the DPWH wants to remove the Anda Circle, and transgendered elsewhere. Its removal is intended to ease traffic caused by trucks coming and going from the pier. Built in 1871 to honor Simon de Anda for his initiative in the resistance against the British which occupied Manila in 1762, the monument was first located beside the Pasig River. After surviving World War II with considerable damage, it was transferred to its present location. No word yet on where the DPWH plans to transfer what it says is a "historically insignificant structure".
I remember the Carriedo Fountain that used to be located where the Nagtahan flyover stands today. Living in Sta. Mesa in the 70's we passed by the fountain on our way to the city center. The fountain was transferred to Plaza Sta. Cruz to give way to a flyover. Some happen to think that the original location where a historical structure was built is its authenticity and makes for a large part of its value. The Carriedo Fountain marked the first working water system of the city, built in 1882. Oh, well, progress by other terms... Other old buildings in danger of being demolished to give way to modern structures are the old Post Office, the Metropolitan Theater and the Army Navy Club. Several groups have taken up the cudgels to press for the preservation of these buildings.
We cry for the destruction of heritage strictures because of natural disasters. The Sto. Niño. Church in Cebu lost its beautiful bell tower from the tremors of last year's earthquake. It doesn't take a historian to assess the damage that goes beyond just how much it will cost to restore. "It will never be the same", was what one candle vendor said about the destruction of part of the historic church. We grieve over what is taken away from us by nature, but we condone what we destroy ourselves?
Filipinos are thought not to be so conscious and appreciative of history. How could most us believe in yesterday when majority are busy struggling to survive today? Where is the market who will buy the books on history? We find more historical material like photographs and documents from foreign books and historians. The preservation of history is a foundation for a sturdier future, an anchor for our children generations to come. It is, at once, hilarious and appalling that some young people do not even know what the EDSA revolution was about.
Historical heritage once gone, can never be brought back. And the disappearance, rather, destruction, of the physical structures simply reflects on what is essential.
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