#old escolta

[escoltaofficial]

“If there's one place in Manila that I really like the most, well look at this photo first, the image of old ESCOLTA in Manila, Phillippines circa 1910. So beautiful and like what our elders said there's so much resemblance in old Europe. From the horse drawn tranvia to how the way our ancestor dress up and everything. Nostalgic.” - Glenn Ambrosio

Photo credit to the owner. Colorized by the master Ed S. Sison (Kinulayang Kasaysayan)

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THROWBACK THURSDAY

An old photo of the elegant stairs inside the Crystal Arcade in Escolta Street, Binondo, Manila. Crystal Arcade was the first air-conditioned shopping mall in the country that formerly houses the Manila Stock Exchange, and the upscale boutiques, offices and stores that the elites would go to. It is a magnificent Art Deco structure designed by Architect Andres Luna de San Pedro in 1932, the son of the famous painter Juan Luna. It was considered very modern and fancy at that time period. The building was destroyed during the World War 2 and was never rebuilt again. The site was occupied by the Philippine National Bank Building in 1962.

Photo from Vintage Philippine Islands: 1920-1959

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THROWBACK THURSDAY

Vintage postcards of Escolta Street, facing the direction of Sta. Cruz Church (1910), and Escolta view from Plaza Moraga. Both photos show one of our most well-known transport system besides trains, cars, and carriages, the tranvia.

Photos shared by Dalisay to Discovering The Old Philippines page

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PLAZA MORAGA, CIRCA 1935 "Busy Traffic with Cars, Carriages and Street Car in Manila." Photographer: C.W. Sorensen Image Source: University of Wisconsin Colorized by: Ian-James R. Andres [Sept. 2014]

Plaza Moraga is located in the old town of Binondo, the traditional location for Manila's Chinese population. The plaza lies at the end of Escolta at the foot of Jones Bridge. It was named after the Franciscan friar Father Fernando de Moraga.

In 1619, the court of Philip III was contemplating seriously the abandonment of the Philippines owing to the heavy cost of maintaining the government there, the aged friar journeyed from the islands all the way back to Spain.

With his eloquent supplication and diligent accounts of the colony, its charms as well as fiscal advantages, Fr. Moraga was able to convince the King to keep the Philippines.

The Nihon or Nippon Bazaar [Bazar Japones] became the first Japanese retail shop to open in Manila. It was located in Plaza Moraga. In May 1896, the Japanese cruiser Imperial Diamond [Kongo] visited the port of Manila. Having learned its arrival, the Supreme Council of the Katipunan went to salute its Commander at the Bazar Japones.

The Commander of the ship received Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, Pio Valenzuela, Jose Dizon and others that gathered at the second floor of the Bazar Japones.

A petition letter signed by Andres Bonifacio as president of the Supreme Council of the Katipunan was handed to the Japanese Commander setting forth their desire for the aid and assistance of Japan towards the gaining of independence of the Filipinos and for the annexation of the Philippines to form a part of the Japanese Empire. With the letter were presented 12 watermelons from Cavite sent by Emilio Aguinaldo, capitan municipal of Cavite Viejo.

The Japanese imperial government never backed the revolutionary movement in a decisive way. Philippine rebels, between 1896 and 1898, continued to do their utmost to secure official support from Tokyo.

In August 1898, the Philippine revolutionary government under President Emilio Aguinaldo requested to buy 600,000 yen worth of weapons from Tokyo. Gen. Jose Alejandrino, Faustino Lichauco, and Mariano Ponce negotiated in Tokyo. A Tokyo military department offered secret training to Filipino revolutionaries.

-- Ian-James R. Andres --

References:

Alphonso J. Aluit, The Galleon Guide to Manila & the Philippines Galleon Publications, 1970. p. 104

Visitacion R. De la Torre, Landmarks of Manila, 1571-1930 Filipinas Foundation, 1981. p. 204

St. Clair, Francis, The Katipunan or The Rise and Fall of the Filipino Commune, Manila: Tip. "Amigos del Pais", 1902. p.214-215

Friedrich E. Schuler, Secret Wars and Secret Policies in the Americas, 1842-1929 University of New Mexico Press, 2010. p.19

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Here's an old photo of Manila's Jones Bridge in 1942. The celebrated bridge connects Binondo on Quintin Paredes Street with Ermita. Check it out on Google Cultural Institute. https://goo.gl/6Wlgim #LovePhilippines

Source: Google Philippines

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Vintage billboard of Bear Brand Milk, 1910s Escolta Street, Binondo, Manila Real Photo Postcard Bear Brand, as we know today as the instant powdered milk we see on groceries and stores, first appeared on 1906 as a European brand Bear Brand Swiss Milk or Marca Oso in Spanish.

In early 1900′s, American businesspersons N.S. Schober and M. Teague constructed the first milk processing plant in the Philippines. By 1925, a well-known multinational company, San Miguel Corporation, bought the said milk plant and it still operates until today as the Magnolia Dairy Plant. During the 1930's -1940's, three milk processing and bottling plants were established. As demand for milk increased, they started to import milk and reconstitute them. Reconstituted milk products such as European Brand, Marca Oso (now Bear Brand) and Senorita (now Milkmaid) became instant household necessities.

Source / References: Cherry Diolazo, Discover the Old Philippines group page History (15th century  - 1978), National Dairy Authority, Department of Agriculture

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THE BIRTH OF BROADWAY OF MANILA, ESCOLTA.

In nearly every town the Chinese were the chief suppliers of basic goods and supplies. In large towns, such as Manila, Vigan, Malolos, and Cebu, there was a special district for them called the parian, to which the townspeople flocked for their household needs. In 1758 a large commercial building was inaugurated in the populous Chinese village of Binondo, just across the river from Intramuros. Known as the Alcaiceria de San Fernando, the edifice was octagonal and contained several shops run by Chinese merchants. Destroyed by fire in 1810, it was not rebuilt perhaps because by then many other stores and shops had already opened. The largest, fanciest, and most prestigious companies were eventually established along a nearby street called the Escolta; by the second half of the 19th century this was the most important commercial district in the country. The opening of Manila as a free port encouraged British, German, French, and other foreigners to set up businesses on the Escolta and adjacent streets.

Photo and text by Ang Bagamundo

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VINTAGE SUNDAY

Portrait of Antonio Melian, El Conde de Perecamps, and wife, Margarita Zobel, sister of Don Enrique Zobel de Ayala. Margarita's marriage to the Spaniard, Antonio Melian, kept alive the Ayala tradition of recruiting capable sons-in-law to take part in the business. Antonio Melian, who ran a successful insurance and trading business in Peru, brought the Ayalas to the insurance and financing business with the establishment of El Hogar Filipino, Filipinas Compañia de Seguros, and Insular Life Assurance Company.

The building, which housed these businesses, is called the El Hogar Filipino Building and is still standing today at 103 years old, along Juan Luna Street and Muelle dela Industria, in Binondo, Manila.

Source: Ayala, The Philippines' Oldest Business House

(from Isidra Reyes’s Manila Nostalgia post)