During the American colonial period in the Philippines, particularly during the 1920’s-1930’s, the country’s capital city Manila was experiencing unprecedented progress and commercial expansion. Along with it came the creeping problems brought about by such progress, though back then, they were as grave as they are today. For Manila’s upper and middle class families, these changes brought out much stress that they consider moving to Manila’s outskirts or suburbs instead. This was not left unnoticed by the property developers of the time as they scrambled to develop what was then a vast wilderness found a few kilometers outside the city limits.
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a new Magnolia rises
It feels like it was yesterday when I wrote about 2 years ago about the old Magnoila Ice Cream House at the corner of Aurora Boulevard and Doña Hemady Street that was being demolished at that time to make way for a residential-commercial development. Fast-forward to today as residential-commercial property developer Robinsons Land Corp. unveiled the first phase of its planned development for the old Magnolia property, a 4-level, 108,000 sq. meter shopping mall dubbed as Robinsons Magnolia.
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A shrine for the Revolution’s Grand Old Lady
If there is one real-life proof that can be shown to the adage that “one can never be too old for anything,” our history provides such in the life of Melchora Aquino, (1812-1919) the “Grand Old Lady of the Revolution” popularly known to many as “Tandang Sora.” In her 80’s, as the Philippine Revolution was beginning to unfold and would eventually break out, she helped provide a venue for secret meetings for the revolutionaries, giving them comfort, shelter, and even medical aid to those wounded in battle. While she never fought in battle, revolutionaries and the Spanish authorities recognize her invaluable contributions to the revolution. In fact, the Spaniards deemed…
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Pugad Lawin: where the revolution was born (or so they say)
In the annals of Philippine history, no event has been depicted with such color as the “Cry of Pugad Lawin,” an event in which the formerly secret Katipunan movement of Andres Bonifacio decided to wage a revolt against the Spanish colonial government to gain independence. It was a bold decision symbolized by that bold act by the Katipuneros led by the movement’s Supremo (leader) Andres Bonifacio of tearing up their cedulas or residence certificates which were seen as a symbol of their subservience to Spain in a place called Pugad Lawin (Hawk’s Nest) on August 3, 1896. The rest, they say, is history, the Philippine Revolution in this particular case.…