When light meets legacy: First Lady and philanthropists illuminate historic Binondo’s renaissance
MANILA, Philippines — On the night of February 13—four days before the Chinese Lunar New Year, the energetic Year of the Fire Horse—Manila’s Binondo Chinatown glowed with more than festive lantern light.
For the first time in decades, the First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos spearheaded a major private-sector cultural and tourism initiative of historic scale—one that bridges centuries of heritage with a forward-looking vision of global relevance.
Under the patronage of the first lady, supported by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and championed by the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) and other community groups, the project seeks to beautify and illuminate key heritage nodes of Manila’s Chinatown—not merely as a tourism attraction, but as a cultural reclamation.
Binondo is the world’s oldest Chinatown, founded in 1594 across the Pasig River from Intramuros.
It is not simply a district on a map. It is the spiritual and commercial cradle of generations of rugged entrepreneurs.
While many ethnic Chinese traders and industrialists have long since expanded and relocated elsewhere, most of our immigrant ancestors began here—amid narrow streets, ancestral shopfronts and humble market stalls that, for centuries, made Binondo the beating heart of Manila’s bustling commerce.
Even today, the eight-story FFCCCII headquarters still overlooks the Pasig River, a quiet yet poignant reminder of that enduring bond.
Revitalizing Manila’s Chinatown
The Manila Chinatown Revitalization Project formally began with Phase 1—the lighting of Jones Bridge in June 2025, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Philippine-China diplomatic relations.
Former president Ferdinand Marcos and first lady Imelda Marcos pioneered this in Beijing with Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai.
The Jones Bridge lighting project was officially donated and turned over to Manila City Hall under Mayor Isko Moreno on Dec. 12, 2025, underscoring the partnership between civic leadership and private philanthropy.
Phase 2, which was officially launched on February 13, dramatically expands the vision. It includes architectural lighting for Quezon Bridge and MacArthur Bridge, projection mapping on the historic Binondo Church. The 16th-century basilica was where Chinese Christians worshipped and many historic rites were performed, including the baptism of San Lorenzo Ruiz, the Philippines’ first saint.
Spectacular holographic and lighting features on dragon posts will also animate Quintin Paredes Street (formerly Calle Rosario), Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz (formerly Plaza Calderón de la Barca, earlier Plaza de Binondo and Plaza Carlos IV, officially renamed in 1981), Padilla Street (formerly Calle Gandara), and Ongpin Street (formerly Calle Sacristia).
Yet this year’s beautification effort goes far beyond exciting aesthetics. It is both symbolic and strategic.
Unwavering support
Just a few days before Christmas, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos graciously hosted a thanksgiving luncheon for the project’s top donors and FFCCCII officers at the Presidential Guest House of Laperal Mansion on Arlegui Street near Malacañang Palace.
The intimate gathering also served as a welcome luncheon for newly arrived Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan—formerly China’s deputy envoy to the US and a fellow at Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.
This highlights the importance of people-to-people ties alongside economic cooperation with the Philippines’ largest trading partner.
During the event, donors behind the historic P200-million private-sector contributions were acknowledged. The philanthropic fund-raising dinner was hosted by the first lady and the Filipino at Tsino Magkaibigan Foundation, a coalition of 30 major Filipino-Chinese civic, cultural and business organizations, together with the FFCCCII under president Victor Lim of Veco Paper Corp. and honorary president Dr. Cecilio Pedro of Lamoiyan Corp.
The roster of major donors reads like a who’s who of Philippine business and philanthropy, many with deep ancestral or sentimental ties to Binondo: Teresita Sy-Coson of BDO Unibank and SM Group; Andrew Tan of Alliance Global Group, Megaworld, and Emperador; Josephine Gotianun-Yap of Filinvest Group and East West Bank; Lucio Tan III of LT Group; Arthur Ty of Metrobank Group and Philippine Savings Bank; Edgar Sia II of DoubleDragon Properties; Dennis Anthony Uy of Converge ICT Solutions Inc.; Benjamin Yao of SteelAsia; Gabriel Ang of First Atkins Group; David Chua of Cathay Pacific Steel; Henry Chusuey of Hennan Resort Group; Jeffrey Ng of Cathay Land and Astoria Resorts; Edgard Cabangon Chua of ALC Group; Antonio Co of Carrascal Nickel; Frank Lao of Choi Garden and Gloria Maris restaurant group; Edgar Saavedra of Megawide; Jefferson Cheng of PAGSS; Wilfredo Keng of Century Peak Holdings; and Larry Tan Villareal of Philippine Soong Ching Ling Foundation, among many others.
Each donor represents not just capital, but culture and collective memory—a tribute to the neighborhood that nurtured dreams long before modern high-rises reshaped Metro Manila’s skyline.
An opportune moment
Binondo’s revival also comes at a strategically opportune moment. As the Philippines prepares to assume the ASEAN chairmanship in 2026, it seeks to reinvigorate tourism.
FFCCCII is also committed to hosting the 2026 ASEAN Chinese Business Leaders Summit to promote investments and tourism for the Philippines.
Additionally, China’s recovering outbound travel market has transformed Chinatowns, from Singapore and Bangkok’s Yaowarat to San Francisco, New York, Vancouver, London, and Melbourne into thriving cultural hubs. Their success highlights Binondo’s immense, long-overdue potential.
A witness to history
Binondo’s past is unparalleled. Katipunan revolutionary founder Andrés Bonifacio married Gregoria de Jesus at Binondo Church. Other residents in this Chinatown included brave anti-colonial revolutionary heroes Roman Ongpin and General José Ignacio Paua (who learned to become a blacksmith in this area). Pioneer banks such as China Bank, PNB, BPI and HSBC flourished here since the colonial era.
Heroes such as General Antonio Luna (born in this neighborhood), St. Lorenzo Ruiz, Mother Ignacia del Espíritu Santo Iuco (a candidate for sainthood and daughter of a Chinese immigrant), and even Rizal’s mother, Teodora Alonzo, once lived along its historic streets.
The late PhilSTAR founder Betty Go-Belmonte’s father, James Go Puan Seng, edited the pre-war Fookien Times here, while the Yuyitung family edited pre-war Chinese Commercial News, both founded by pre-war Lumber King, Philippine Chinese Chamber president and China Bank founder Dee Chuan.
Jose Yao Campos (married to FFCCCII vice president Dee Hong Lue’s daughter Beatrice Dee) co-founded Unilab as a humble drugstore on Santo Cristo Street, Binondo, in 1945.
Mariano Que, founder of Mercury Drug, began as a sales clerk at the Philippine Chinese Chamber co-founder Dr. Jose Teehankee's pre-war Farmacia Central near Binondo Church.
Binondo honors Tomas Pinpin, the first Filipino printer, with a street bearing his name. Lesser-known landmarks include the now-closed Panciteria Macanista de Buen Gusto, which Jose Rizal cited in his work El Filibusterismo. It was located near Binondo Church.
These are not mere memories, but epic stories of enterprise, innovation, heroism and identity.
This Manila Chinatown beautification initiative is not cosmetic. It is a restoration of memory, commerce and culture—and of Manila’s rightful place in the global heritage economy.
It is a bold step toward making Binondo once again a cultural and commercial hub—not only for the Filipino Chinese community, not only for all Filipinos, but for the world.
—MARY ROSE SERVIDAD, GRACE CASTILLO & CLARISSA MEDIAVILLO
Editor's Note: This press release for FFCCCII is not covered by Philstar.com's editorial guidelines.
- Latest
