Liberating Manila
February 9, 2002 | 12:00am
This month, 57 years ago, the American Armed Forces swooped down on Manila to "liberate" the city from the Japanese. The battle was a bloody one ... and most of the blood spilled was Filipino. The battle for Manila was, according to military historians, the only major "urban" battle the Americans fought in the Asian theater of World War II. (Think Blackhawk Down, but a thousand times more brutal as the carnage lasted about one month and casualties ran into hundreds of thousands.)
Historical reports vary as to the number of Filipinos killed or maimed. It was somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000. Along with these were about 2,000 American casualties. Apart from the terrible "collateral damage" in lives, there was the destruction to the city. Hence, the often-quoted statement "Manila was the second most devastated city in war, next only to Warsaw."
Despite the destruction, portions of the city and a good number of historic buildings survived – only to be threatened today by politics, greed and the lack of proper metropolitan planning.
The second destruction of the city has been underway for years. This continuing loss is hidden underneath the increasing layers of city blight. It is also obscured by political haze that hangs like a permanent pall over our suffering city and its populace. We lose about one heritage building or site a day – ancestral homes, commercial buildings, landmarks like the Jai Alai, plazas and parks turned into parking lots, and institutional buildings like the YMCA turned into shopping malls.
Starting from the Mehan Gardens: The Heritage Conservation Society reports that they and other concerned NGOs have had little progress in negotiations with the mayor of Manila and the Secretary of the Department of Tourism to come to terms on an alternate site for the City Colleges of Manila (which the Mayor wants to construct in the gardens). The alternative site was supposed to be the old Ateneo grounds at Intramuros – which is under the DOT.
Apparently (from a report reaching the HCS), the site’s status is a contested one as it was leased out to a Spanish hotel chain for the building of a 200-room boutique hotel. The old Ateneo complex was to be faithfully restored. The adjacent old church was also to be restored and made into a museum or gallery. Now, it seems that even if this falls through (again according to reports reaching the HCS), the site is being considered by the DOT for a light and sound show featuring the life of Dr. Jose Rizal.
Where is the City Colleges of Manila to go? Education would seem to me more of a benefit to the public than another "tourist" attraction. (I’m sure Dr. Rizal would agree.) The Mayor has the money to build the school. The Ateneo itself has offered to help upgrade the standards of the City Colleges. So what gives? How much would this "show" cost? Wouldn’t the money the DOT is thinking of spending on this scheme be better used in upgrading the sewer, drainage and lighting systems of Intramuros – improvements that would benefit tourism in the long run?
The DOT is also pursuing the previously discredited "Boardwalk" project, which will compromise public access to the waterfront and views of Manila’s famed sunset. Again, would not the money be better spent on longer-term improvements to the run-down Luneta (Rizal Park)?
Next to the Luneta, the Mayor is planning improvements to Roxas Boulevard. Once again, would not the millions of pesos be more beneficially spent on cleaning and improving the city’s broken sidewalks, and dilapidated public pools and playgrounds?
The Mayor is also considering taking back the Arroceros Park and using it to build housing for teachers. Would it not be better for the city to keep this priceless park (with thousands of trees) and for the national government to develop public land (found all over the metropolis) into affordable housing estates for public servants?
Public officials all seem to be fixated on big, showy projects to improve their chances in the next elections. Grafters and corrupters hovering in the halls of government offices continue to influence and push projects for their own vested interests. The metropolitan government is a ghost that cannot direct or manage urban development in a rational comprehensive way. The national government is so tied up with the problem of terrorism that the heritage bill cannot get passed.
The destruction of Manila continues half a century after its liberation. We are still shell-shocked after all these years. The trauma of the destruction and loss of lives in old Manila are among the reasons why post-war development sprawled outward and left the inner core to rot. This is why we have defaulted the reformation of urban society to "market" forces. This is the reason for the anarchy of metropolitan devolution and the false illusion of infinite land for sub-urbanization (leading to the current and pervasive sub-standard quality of our urban lives).
Liberating Manila from self-destructing implosion caused by poverty, lack of planning and loss of heritage is the challenge we face as citizens. We must look at the reasons why politicians pursue priority-challenged projects. People power must continue beyond EDSA and rally around other sites that need to be freed from the tyranny of short-term political gains and long-term un-sustainability.
The battle for Manila was won over half a century ago. But today, we still have to fight from house to house, building to building, and from heritage site to heritage site. The war for an equitable, humane, and cultured urban life continues.
BrandSpace Articles
<
>
