A Beautiful City Gone Forever - Manila of the 1930s (Part 2)

This is the second of the two rare videos I wanted to share with you. This second video or "newsreel" as clips like this were called at the time was called "Manila, Queen City of the Pacific". It was made back in 1938 by a travel film producer named Andre de la Varre (1902-1989) as part of his "The Screen Traveler" series.

Back in the days before television, newsreels were shown in movie theaters as part of the "intermission", a term which refers to that short interval of time or break between showings of a particular movie.

For me personally, what stood out in this video clip was the grandeur and beauty of the old Jones Bridge and those of the Legislative and Post Office Buildings. All these beautiful buildings were designed by the great Filipino architect Juan Marcos de Guzman Arellano (or simply "Juan Arellano") along the neo-classic style. Mr. Arellano's involvement in these public projects was due to the fact that he worked for the then Bureau of Public Works from 1916 to 1935. Aside from the projects mentioned, he was also the architect behind other great Manila landmarks such as the Metropolitan Theater and the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

The original Jones bridge was completed in 1921. As can be seen from the video, the bridge had quite a bit of ornamentation, sculpted figures, and arches. The bridge was of such elegance that one could have easily mistaken it for a bridge somewhere in Old Europe.

Unfortunately, this Arellano masterpiece did not survive the Second World War. A cash-strapped and newly independent Philippine government replaced this elegant bridge with a rather plain-looking steel and concrete structure that remains in use to this day.

The Legislative Building (now known as the National Museum of the People) was completed in 1926 and the Philippine Post Office was completed in 1931. Both the Legislative Building and the Post Office Building suffered significant damage during the war. Unfortunately, although both these buildings were rebuilt after the war, limited government resources prevented the faithful reconstruction of these structures back to their former elegance and beauty.

One of the facts of daily travel that can also be observed was that people drove on the left side of the road (European style) back in those days. My guess is that this practice must have been a carryover from the Spanish era. It was only after the end of the Second World War did the Philippines switch to driving on the right side of the road American style.

Aside from the ubiquitous presence of calesas and caretelas (two-wheeled horse-drawn carriages), there were horse-drawn "buses" that may have been the precursor of today's jeepney. The number of passengers were quite limited and thus, as a mode of public transportation like the present day jeepney, it was quite inefficient.

If there were traffic lights in Manila at the time, this clip certainly did not show them. Instead, we see traffic directed by traffic policemen in "pith" style helmets. This helmet was also known as a "sun helmet" because it provided the wearer's head with ample protection from the sun's rays. As a result, this type of helmet was widely used in the tropics.

The Franciscan Church in Intramuros, sadly, was destroyed during the Liberation of Manila. On its former site now stands the Mapua Institute of Technology. There used to be seven major churches within the walls of Intramuros. However, out of those seven churches, only the San Agustin Church and the Manila Cathedral survived the war. The Manila Aquarium, also in Intramuros, opened in 1913 and was a popular tourist attraction at the time. It closed during the Second World War.

McKinley Square was the plaza in front of the Manila Cathedral. It is now called Plaza Roma and if you are standing at the plaza facing the Cathedral, on your left would be the ruins of the old and once beautiful Ayuntamiento Building. On your right would be the multi-storey Palacio del Gobernador.

Although it wasn't shown on the clip, the Ayuntamiento was once an administrative building used by the Spanish and American colonial governnments. It was also called the Marble Palace because it was said to be lavishly decorated and was the site of several balls or parties back in the day. Sadly, like the other structures mentioned above, the Ayuntamiento was also a victim of the Liberation of Manila. What remains are its ruins which the Central Bank of the Philippines uses as a parking garage and storage area.

Lastly, one can't help but be awed by the elegantly beautiful homes that lined Dewey Boulevard (now called Roxas Boulevard) in Manila's upscale Ermita district. Unfortunately, a lot of these homes would also suffer mightily from the war. Today, although a rather small number of them still exist, they are now mostly hidden behind high walls.

A lot more can be written about the people and places shown but that would require a rather lengthy blog entry. For now, let's simply enjoy this gem that takes us back to a time when our beloved city was one of Asia's most beautiful.