We need to bring back the lost glory

Last week, I had an opportunity to write about Arroceros, which I call the last lung of Manila. From its near destruction when a huge Park and Ride Building and a City Department of Education Building was constructed there, the historic place has been turned into a forest park. With 60 different types of Philippine tree species planted there, and ten different kinds of birds nesting there, Arroceros has become an oasis in the midst of the city’s concrete jungle.

Another historic landmark is the National Press Club (NPC). Recently, the removal and sale of a mural by Manansala that has highlighted the building interior for half a century has met violent protests by many of its lifetime members. A report stated that the unannounced P10-million sale depicts, to some members, the sellout of the very soul of Philippine journalism — the same transactional evil portrayed in the Manansala mural. It had always served as a reminder that true journalism is not for sale. But the heirloom was sold to pay for some bills. The GSIS, which owns the property, has since filed a case against the NPC.

The Philippine National Railways (PNR) has almost been privatized because of the huge losses it had been incurring. Like other government-owned corporations, it has its ups and downs. It is heavily indebted and is mulling the sale of some of its properties in order to pay its huge debt to GSIS. The PNR has lost many properties during its long period of financial distraught, including the Manila Hotel and the Pines Hotel in Baguio City, which it had to sell to maintain its operations. It also lost its own bus line servicing its employees and workers. Thirty years ago, the government owned corporation also used to hire the best and the brightest and used to give the most attractive salaries to professionals. The railway sidetracks was also inhabited by the urban poor through the years, making it a veritable stretch of slum area. But thanks to the work of the HUDCC under the leadership of Vice-President Noli de Castro, the future of the railways looks promising. The urban poor have since been relocated to more comfortable housing facilities to pave the way for the implementation of the North and South Rail Projects.

Manila Hotel is another national heritage that has lost its glory. It owes the GSIS in unpaid loans amounting to P8.7 billion including interests and surcharges. Aside from this, it has unpaid rentals that has now reached the amount of P286 million. Many commentators and foreign correspondents, who had been hotel guests in the past are of the opinion that Manila Hotel has lost its grandeur and magnificence. Its glorious past is still evident in the interiors, with walls and balusters made only of the finest indigenous materials with the best Filipino craftsmanship, decorated with archaic furniture only of the best quality. The overall ambiance, though, reeks of commercialism rather than history; of cheap skate rather than pride. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, known for the saying “I shall return”, literally returned to what he considers his home in the Philippines, the Manila Hotel. The carpets then were not stained nor smelled of mold, the walls and ceilings were not in bad shape and the painting unchipped. Former Justice Puno could not have been wrong when he stated in the dissenting opinion over the sale of Manila Hotel way back in 1997 that it may not have been declared a national cultural treasure pursuant to Republic Act No. 4846, but that does not exclude it from our national patrimony. Sadly now, Manila Hotel has not only lost its pride and glory, but its honor as well, when it refuses to follow conditions under legitimate lease and loan contracts approved under GSIS Board Resolutions. Using tactics to justify its actions instead of paying its obligations does not speak well of any institution, especially that of a historic institution that used to be known as the “aristocrat of the orient”.

The glory of the world passes away, but what should remain are the stories from the past. When we tell beautiful stories to our children, the glory is re-lived. The past becomes more valuable in present times. When we take care of history, we take care of our soul.