On our last blog, I shared about my mother's hometown. We're you able to experience the beauty of nature through my story? In a way, it made our minds relaxed despite the negativity that is happening around us. Most of the time, a personal experience is the best storyteller for us to be in the place we want to be. Especially in the time of this pandemic, usually, people would choose to stay at home for safety, plans were canceled, and even our desires to go to different places have to be delayed.
For today's blog, we will go back to the city and explore the place where my father grew up, MALATE, in the heart of Manila. Papa George being the eldest of his siblings used to work as a cook in different hotels here in the country and abroad, sadly papa passed away last October 2014 due to Liver Cirrhosis. I already mentioned in my previous blog that before we moved to another city, Manila was the first place where my family lived in. It is because my grandparents Lolo Beting and Lola Pining (who were both deceased) also live there, as well as with other relatives. I was able to live again in Malate for more than a decade. I returned to the city when I started high school (7th Grade), whereas my Lola Pining assisted me to enroll at Manila High School in Intramuros, Manila (I will have a separate blog about it, haha!), so my parents agreed that I should stay in Malate from Monday to Friday and then go home in Valenzuela every weekend to spend time with them. During that time, I was able to familiarize myself and discover some of the city's charm.
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My dearest Papa George
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 | | Papa in action |
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| Recreating picture of papa's siblings with my cousins |
Malate is in the 5th district of Manila which is the capital city of the Philippines. Malate commonly serves as Manila's center of commercialism and tourism. It is accessible to most landmarks in the city from transportation, parks and recreation, well-known schools, government offices, historical churches, and cultural abundance.
One of them is the Manila Zoo also known as Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden, the nearest tourist spot to our grandparent’s house and located along Adriatico Street and Quirino Avenue. This huge place is a go-to for school field trips because it allows the students to have a close encounter with the animals and provide knowledge about the wildlife living inside the park. When we were young, we were excited to go inside the zoo every holiday especially during Manila Day on the 24th of June because the entrance fee is free for all Manileños; we just have to present our school ID.
As
we move forward along Adriatico street going to Pablo Ocampo Street we can be
seen the Harrison
Plaza,
Manila's first modern, famous and first air-conditioned shopping mall in the
Philippines, built and later on opened in 1976. The retail center has a variety
of stores where you can buy your personal needs, home improvement, as well as
food chains to eat when you get tired of shopping, and the Synergy Arcade
(formerly known as Sega Arcade) where I play several arcade games and sing in a
videoke with my cousins. As I remember, I usually went there after class to buy
things for my school works and projects (of course with a bit of window
shopping! hehe). There were also a Rustan's supermarket and a small cinema in
the mall but those have been closed. Unfortunately, on December 31, 2019, the
mall bid for its final operation and was demolished eventually by the new
owner. According to a source, the complex was sold to one of the major
developers in the country and has planned to build a residential condominium
with a shopping mall.
Another walking distance from my Lola's house is the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (previously known as Rizal Memorial Field) located on Pablo Ocampo St. (formerly Vito Cruz St.) which was named to honor our national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal. It is a venue for different sports activities manages by Philippine Sports Commission and helps Filipino children who have the interest to enhance their capabilities and strength in their respective sports avenues. The complex is also used as a venue for big events like sports competitions, concerts, and other sorts of entertainment.
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Rizal Memorial Sports Complex
Photo by Patrick
Roque (Patrickroque01) |
Our last stop is the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex (CCP Complex). The complex is located along Roxas Boulevard in the boundary of Manila and Pasay City yet most of the jurisdiction of the place falls in Pasay. But regardless of the geographical location of this landmark, the memories we reminisced from that place made us closer to each other. Inside the complex, other buildings were built for the center of Art, Commercial, and Entertainment such as the Tanghalang Pambansa (Theater of Performing Arts), Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas (The Folk Arts Theater), Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Coconut Palace, MBC Building (Manila Broadcasting Company) and Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila. If you will notice, the complex has a wide range in its location of an 88-hectare (220-acre) reclaimed property. That means there are a lot of physical activities people may enjoy on that side of manila. The people can freely do their morning exercise on the greeny lawn, playing badminton, have an afternoon jog, and the most common scene in the place is Zumba exercises from different dance groups. The exciting part of this is that the complex is overlooking the vast sea of Manila Bay. In not so old-time, there was a part in Manila Bay that is used to be an open area for swimming usually in the morning of Easter Sunday, after the "Salubong", a Filipino tradition for the reenactment of Jesus' Resurrection; my Lola will bring us at Manila Bay as part of the celebration. We will bring some food to eat and rent a "Salbabida" (floater) for us to use while we swim. As of the moment, it is called "The Breakwater". The area is already restricted for swimming to maintain cleanliness and to avoid some misfortune.
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| The Breakwater in Manila Bay |
Aside from the above places I shared with you, there are still existing landmarks that can be found in Malate such as Malate Catholic Church, Plaza Rajah Sulayman, Remedios Circle, Philippine Navy, Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines), and schools like Malate Catholic School, Doña Aurora Quezon Elementary School, Jesus Reign's Christian Academy Philippine Women's University, Philippine Christian University, St. Scholastica's College Manila, St. Paul Manila De La Salle University and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.
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| Philippine Navy by the Bay |
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| A Yacht in Manila Bay |
I hope this blog will give you a piece of information about Malate and make you feel at ease when you visit the place in the heart of Manila. Let us all continue to pray that this pandemic will end soon and everyone is free to go wherever they want to be. Below are some of the happy moments we have with our family in Malate. Stay safe Sweeties!
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| Our beloved Lolo Beting and Lola Pining |
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| Valencia clan Reunion |
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| Family outing |
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| Lola Pining's 1st death anniversary |
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| My charming cousins |
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
To God be the Glory
Old Manila - Heritage Full Day Tour
📌Catch a glimpse of the rich Philippine history on a full day tour to Manila’s heritage sites.
📌Visit historical landmarks such as the Rizal Park, the National Museum, and Intramuros.
📌Experience dining in Filipino-Spanish colonial era-style at Bistro Remedios in Malate.
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