Then & Now - Tomas Pinpin
December 4, 2008On the afternoon of March 17, 1957, the President Ramon Magsaysay’s plane was found to have crashed on Mount Manunggal, Asturias, Cebu. All the people on board including the president were killed.
A few days later on March 22, 1957, Magsaysay was given a funeral with over 2 million people attending, being one of the largest funeral procession in our history.
The two pictures above were both taken at the corner of Escolta and Tomas Pinpin Streets. The new picture was fifty one years after the historic funeral march.
Then & Now - Natividad Bldg
The building shown in the old picture was the Natividad Building, after being burned in 1945.
Other buildings shown in the old picture were demolished after the war. Fortunately, the Natividad Building survived. Currently, it is being renovated.
Then & Now - Pasig & Escolta
This old picture was a view from the Pasig River taken probably after the war in 1945.
I wonder what’s the color and smell of the water in Pasig River at that time. The only objects that’re still visible in the river today are those floating water-plants.
Then & Now - Escolta
This was Escolta after the liberation of Manila in 1945. These buildings were burned during the war.
Sixty three years later, the Perez-Samanillo and the Burke Buildings are still standing proud in the entrance of this historic street.
Escolta - World War II
December 3, 2008During the liberation of Manila in the second world war, the city was carpet-bombed. Several buildings in Escolta were also destoyed.
Fortunately, some of those buildings were reconstructed after the war, including classic buildings that we can still see at present.
Pasig River became the entry point of American and Filipino soldiers from the Manila Bay.
From the photo above, the building at left is the Regina Building, and at the right is the Perez-Samanillo Building.
The old Natividad Building is also a witness to the desolation of the area during the war. This building was burned during the war.
Imagine Escolta without the war, the area would have been even more progressive.
Today, that glory and glitter are all gone again. The banks and insurance companies have moved out. Escolta has to be again rehabilitated because certainly, it is a big part of our history…
In reality, the city of Manila was never rebuilt nor recovered after the second world war, due to neglect and, of course, corruption.

















