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Monday, July 21, 2008

REMEMBERING DON RAFAEL IBARRA

Don Rafael Ibarra, the largest landowner and richest man in San Diego. And even though many people loved and respected him, there were others who seethed with envy; thus, hated him with a passion.

And so one day when he came across a vehicle tax collector who was blinded with anger -- beating and stomping a downed man who earlier made fun of him as being illiterate -- Don Rafael, indignant that no one else had the courage to intervene, came to the rescue. He grabbed the tax collector to prevent him from inflicting further harm to the man lying bloodied on the ground.

There were witnesses who claimed that Don Rafael hit the tax collector, others that he only pushed him. In any event, the Spanish ex-artilleryman who had been thrown out of the ranks for being loutish and stupid, and eventually handed a job as a vehicle tax collector -- so he wouldn’t make a living doing menial labor which would only embarrass the army -- stumbled a few steps backwards and fell, hitting his head on a rock. Blood spurted out of his mouth. He died soon afterwards.

Consequently, Don Rafael was arrested and imprisoned. Everyone deserted him, including those who once thrived in his kindness and generosity.

There was, however, one person who chose to stand by him -- a Spanish lieutenant, an old friend, who went through the appeals process on his behalf. But it was all to no avail. Languishing in jail, Don Rafael suffered much unpleasantness; the cruelty that abound undermined his iron will that he eventually fell ill with a disease. Death seemed to be the only cure.

And just when he was about to be exonerated, to be absolved of the accusation of having murdered the tax collector, he died in jail alone. His body was relegated to the Chinese Cemetery for burial only to be later exhumed and thrown into the water.

Hence, the life of Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere character, Don Rafael Ibarra, the father of Crisostomo Ibarra.

Labels: Featured book

posted by Senor Enrique at 9:58 AM | 31 comments

Sunday, July 20, 2008

THE SNAKE VENDOR OF MANILA

posted by Senor Enrique at 11:02 AM | 22 comments

Saturday, July 19, 2008

BLACK FRIDAY RALLY

The presence of anti-riot police force and firetrucks at the corner of Morayta Street and C.M. Recto Avenue yesterday surprised me. I had no idea there was a planned protest march to Mendiola by militant students.

And although I knew they wouldn't get to Mendiola beyond this point -- as is usually the case during any weekday -- I decided to stick around to take some video clips of the approaching march. As it turned out, this particular rally was different from the previous ones I had covered. The presence of imminent danger made it so.

What happened was, while the protesters neared the corner of C.M. Recto Avenue where the police had formed a human barricade to block their path, the fireman assigned to one of the firetrucks inadvertently released the water off the nozzle atop his truck. Many protesters in front, including some members of the police force got sprayed with water.

In reaction, the protesters got enraged; thinking it was an aggressive tactic by the police to thwart their march. And that was the scene where my video clip started (below).

I must commend the top police officials on the scene who tried to calm the incensed youths by telling them that it was a mistake that the water was released on them. The other officials, on the other hand, ordered their men not to hit anyone with their sticks -- that maximum tolerance was to be exercised. Thus, a highly volatile situation was diffused.

It was only today that I learned this rally was dubbed Black Friday; the aim of which was to call for the junking of the oil deregulation law and for a rollback of tuition rates. But nonetheless, while at the scene yesterday, all I could think of was these young peoples' intense passion to join such protest marches despite the risk of getting their heads smashed in by the sticks wielded by the anti-riot police force.

Again, kudos to both the protesters and the policemen for allowing a calm predicament to prevail at the peak of this intensely volatile situation.

Labels: Political Rally

posted by Senor Enrique at 9:48 AM | 4 comments

Thursday, July 17, 2008

HIDALGO STREET REVISITED

Named after one of the country's brilliant 19th-century painters, Felix Resurrection Hidalgo, the entire stretch of this street is bounded by San Sebastian Church on the east and Quiapo Church on the west. Notably, Hidalgo Street was one of Manila's most beautiful and fashionable streets -- boasting grand houses of some of Manila's finest families.

More than a year has passed since I first walked along Hidalgo Street and blogged about it. I went back there the other day, only to be dismayed to find it just as I had the first time -- jeepneys making a terminal out of the western end of the street, while a number of what used to be impressive ancestral homes remain neglected if not abandoned altogether. And from what I was told, the vagrants that gather at night makes the street even less desirable for anyone to venture into.

However, according to a Philippine Daily Inquirer article, some of the residents and leaders of various organizations located on the street and in the nearby area -- such as the NCS, Manuel L. Quezon University, St. Rita’s College, San Sebastian College, the Shrine of the Holy Face of Jesus and Hospitaller Order of the Brothers of St. John of God -- are now involved in some sort of concerted effort to restore certain aspects of the old Hidalgo Street, especially those that are historically and architecturally significant.

Msgr. Gerry Santos, director of the Nazarene Catholic School, claims that such restoration program is part of the school’s social commitment. “It is important to become socially aware and be concerned about our environment,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer during a recent meeting with different sectors involved in the project.

He added, “It’s a historical street, and if only for that, it merits the attention of educators as well as other stakeholders. So I decided to gather not only the residents but also the parents of children enrolled in our school, teachers and the Muslim community in Quiapo to ask what they could contribute to the project. The program has become multisectoral in terms of focus.”

The article also mentioned Dr. Fernando Nakpil Bautista, editor of the book "Quiapo: The Heart of Manila," who said that R. Hidalgo Street -- originally named Calzada de San Sebastian during the Spanish era -- is now a far cry from what it was decades ago. He recalled this street was once a "favored location for upper to middle class families because of its proximity to Malacañang, schools and churches, and recreational facilities on Rizal Avenue."

The article goes on to mention that:

“Many prominent families lived on the street in fabulous mansions, a few which are still around. The Aranetas, Zaragosas, Ocampos, Genatos, Paternos built their homes there because the street has a strategic location,” Zialcita said. “In fact, in 1817, the street was called the most beautiful street in Manila because of its grand homes,” he said, adding that the street was “okay” until 1960 when it started to decline.

Zialcita, who usually takes tourists around for a glimpse of Old Manila, also revealed that European architects were amazed at the vista. “But because it is congested with vehicular and human traffic now, one cannot appreciate its former beauty,” he lamented.

However, Zialcita stressed that the problem of R. Hidalgo has also been a problem of the City of Manila, and perhaps all cities in the country. “There was no plan for the buildings which were gradually neglected by the owners. Eventually, the owners left the place and fled to the suburbs,” he said.

But despite these unhappy changes taking place, Zialcita said it was nice to know that there are people who still feel affection and a pride of place for the street, and hope that restoring it to its old glory would not just be a pipe dream.

Below is a slide show of photographs I had taken during my walk on this street the other day.

Labels: life in Manila, Quiapo

posted by Senor Enrique at 9:35 AM | 14 comments

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

COTTON CANDY VENDOR IN QUIAPO

Imagine my great surprise when I ran into this cotton candy vendor at the corner of Bilibid Viejo and Matapang Streets in Quiapo the other day. It has been ages since I've had one of these sweet treats.

According to CottonCandy.net, although it's made mostly of sugar and food coloring, cotton candy doesn't contain all that much sugar; only as much sugar as one would get from drinking a can of soft drink. Supposedly, a normal serving of cotton candy (about a 1 oz. cone) contains only about 100 calories; that is, compared to anywhere from 130-170 calories in a can of non-diet soft drink.

Nonetheless, watching how cotton candy is made never cease to fascinate me -- sugar, along with some food coloring, is poured into the bowl at the center of the machine. The heated rim melts the sugar and out through the center bowl's tiny holes it gets spun out of. It then solidifies in the air looking like cotton within the large cylindrical metal bowl.

And from this vendor, the small one costs five pesos, while the large is ten.

Labels: Featured food, Street foods

posted by Senor Enrique at 7:04 AM | 24 comments

Sunday, July 13, 2008

STUDENT PROTEST AT MORAYTA

Labels: Political Rally

posted by Senor Enrique at 5:11 PM | 8 comments

Life in Manila as observed by a former New Yorker who with a laptop and camera has reinvented himself as a storyteller. Winner of the 2007 Philippine Blog Awards - PHOTOBLOG OF THE YEAR.

 

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