walled

my first real walking tour of this historic city (within a city) was during a field trip for my kasaysayan 110 (colonial philippines). that was by far the most complete tour i had coz we ventured in almost all significant sites such as fort santiago, manila cathedral, ayuntamiento, san agustin church (and its amazing museum and bamboo organ), all the baluartes, puerta del parian and casa manila, for its classic bahay na bato architecture and colonial feel.

then in 2004, i went back again to intramuros to tour maggie and mike, with kr and farrah. when pao-shen was here, we went to fort santiago and had a calesa ride to see the place again. and then this june, it was another intramuros trip... but now with mujin, mylene, cathy, zel, michael and kr. i can say that the last 3 tours were products of us wanting to showcase filipino hospitality by bringing colleagues from other countries to see our heritage sites. although the last one was just an alternative to the initially planned tagaytay trip, intramuros still provided the necessary while-away activity for mujin. its proximity to makati and its historical significance make intramuros a good stop for any of our colleagues who were able to extend their stay up to saturday or for those who got an earlier sunday flight.

intramuros allows visitors to have a romantic roam but historical fête whether you're a local or a foreigner. sadly, i must admit that it's not well-preserved. a bigger part of it was not spared from the urban decay that has gobbled the rest of manila. the walls within its baluartes are littered with garbage, while its insides are fettered by drug pushers (shown on national tv) who operate within shanty towns on intramuros' historical lots. it's only in the philippines that you can see such urban scoundrels doing their transactions within a supposedly law protected site. well because these people bring in the votes for local corrupt officials, so they become "untouchables". recently, even denr is condoning intramuros administration's decision to cut centuries-old trees in manila cathedral's plaza roma.

how i wish we had the same flair as the romans or turkish gift of preserving heritage sites. these countries take extra effort in ensuring that whatever historical monuments or any locale with cultural significance are well-preserved. that's why, they get a lot of revenues from a continuously increasing number of tourists each year, while also achieving a more collective pride of their heritage. i think pinoys have this low regard on the past (and all of its traces), saying that "uunahin pa ba natin ang mga ganyang bagay kung kumakalam ang sikmura natin". when in fact, the reason behind "kalam ng sikmura" is deliberate indolence, apathy, inclination towards quick money and corrupt mindset. with our pristine beaches and rugged but exciting terrains and mountains, the philippines could outdo any rival countries if we also have well-preserved historical tourist spots.

the walls provided a good defense against marauding invaders in the past. but it didn't prevent the locals from eating their way up and causing decay from within.