The plaza is in an advanced state of neglect. I walked around and in it to check its condition in detail. The two fountains that mark the original space are damaged and have no water in them at all. The two markers commemorating Tomas Pinpin and the Fil-Chinese guerillas of World War II look destitute and in dire need of a cleanup. Finally, Blessed Lorenzo Ruiz himself stands awkwardly at one end of the lozenge-shaped plaza guarding not the souls of the religious but the laundry of the homeless who have made the plaza their home.
The Chinese in Manila were first resettled just outside the gates on the northeastern side of Intramuros, where the Mehan Gardens and the Metropolitan are (at least the last time I looked). They were eventually sent across the Pasig River where the districts of Binondo and San Nicolas were established. The patterns of building there were not as controlled as the grid pattern within the walls of Intramuros. This and the shape of the numerous esteros that emptied into the river made for odd-shaped building blocks and plazas.
The biggest of these was the plaza fronting the Binondo Church. The church and parish was run by the Dominican order. The church itself, an important landmark, was completed in 1854. Trade increased shortly thereafter and many handsome buildings rose around the plaza. The most elegant of these commercial establishments was the La Insular Tobacco and Cigarette factory, a filigreed construction of stone and cast iron.
Most famous of his works is La Vida es Sueno (Life is a Dream), which deals with the themes of free will and predestination. His work influenced other writers like Goethe and Wagner. He may have been a favorite read of the Governor General at the time or of the Dominicans that the plaza was named after him. (A smaller plaza nearby was named after Cervantes of the Don Quixote fame).
Binondo thrived even more going into the American period as business boomed and the city grew. The city’s initial spurt was in fact northward. Increased train traffic and numerous suburban residential developments filled the corridor northward. Calles Rosario, Juan Luna and Avenida Rizal served as spines for daily movements of people and goods. Plaza Calderon de la Barca was a busy node as were most of the major plazas in old Manila. The pulse of the city and the nation could be felt in these urban nodes.
By the 1980s, the plaza was already on the decline. Though there was a period of recovery after the war, the 1960s saw an exodus of businesses to the newer districts of Makati and Cubao. Binondo was getting more crowded and traffic was unbearable. The old plazas like Plaza Cervantes and Goiti were cleared of almost all landscapes to make way for cars and jeepneys. Plazas became parking spaces and pedestrians lost any access to open space and greenery.
Since Plaza Calderon de la Barca was large, it became the repository of displaced monuments. The obelisk of Tomas Pinpin, originally erected in 1911 at Plaza Cervantes, was moved there in 1970. A circular deck structure was erected with offices underneath. Another marker was put up in 1995 to commemorate the Fil-Chinese guerillas killed in the war. By the 1990s, with the Lorenzo Ruiz statue, the plaza looked like a crowded parking lot for monuments and markers.
Much can be done with a cleanup and proper landscape architectural redesign. The lower branches of mature trees could be trimmed to expose the most important elements of the plaza. The original fountains should be revived and lit at night. Tomas Pinpin’s obelisk could be returned to its original site (Plaza Cervantes is not as busy anymore). The Fil-Chinese marker or San Lorenzo Ruiz could take a place of prominence in the middle of the plaza/park on top of the circular deck, which could serve as its base.
Open spaces are starting to make a comeback in cities. Examples of cooperation between city governments and NGOs have resulted in projects like Plaza Lawton. Lawton is a small step that could lead to more sustained recovery of heritage.
Elegant urban design and a rejuvenated civic pride can only be achieved if citizens take a stake in how their surroundings look and are maintained. We have more plazas and open spaces like Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz that need to be saved. It need not take a miracle from heaven – just enough will and common sense from earthbound mortals like us.
And oh yes, I did find that reported "Statue of Liberty" I was looking for. But I’ll leave that for next week’s article.
"The Society Auction," will take place at Le Souffle, Fort Bonifacio, this Saturday, April 27, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The country’s top artists, including Anita Magsaysay Ho, Napoleon Abueva, Solomon Saprid, Ramon Orlina, Bencab and Sanso, among others, have donated works to be auctioned. There will also be antique prints and photographs. Tessa Prieto Valdez and John Silva will emcee. Tickets are at P1000 each, which includes cocktails and one raffle ticket. Call 521-22-39 for reservations.