Day 17: Malacanang and Chinatown - Trip Through History

The day turned out quite interesting. We went to the Malacanang Museum and then to Chinatown.

We arrived early at the Tita Moning's restaurant and had some time to kill. We we decided to go to the National Shrine to St. Jude which was a few blocks away. I must confess that for 12 years, I went to a school that was literally blocks from St. Jude and this is the first time I've been to the place. I did not know it is run by the SVD priests.

St Jude Relic

Anyway, the church was packed, being a Thursday which is a day dedicated to St. Jude. There was a room that had a relic of St. Jude. It is a pity that there is no material to describe what it is.

After a short visit, we went back to Tita Moning's restaurant. The restaurant is not a walk-in restaurant. You need to make a reservation to dine in. Anyway, our host arrived and we went to Malacanang.

We had to give our names and copies of our photo ids 10 days ago before we were allowed to join the tour. Only 1 camera was allowed per group. The tour was conducted by the Old Manila Walk. The guide was excellent. He was very knowledgeable. He gave a short history of Manila (Intramuros and Extramuros). The San Miguel district was actually a suburb of Old Manila which was situated in Intramuros.

The Marcos Chair where
he sat when he declared Martial Law

The guide said Malacanang refers to the complex while Malacanan - without the 'g' refers to the palace itself. Gloria Arroyo opened the museum to the public. She refurbished the rooms to restore them. That's something I can give to her.

The guide took us through the rooms of Malacanang. It is interesting to know that the Spanish Governor General moved to Malacanang only in the 1800's. The tour took us through the last years of the Spanish period through the American period and to the present day president.

General Ver's Briefing Black Board
during the EDSA revolution

One trivia is that the renovations of the Palace during the American period was executed by Tomas Mapua - the founder of the college where I finished my Engineering degree.

We saw the table used by several presidents when they signed documents. We also saw Marcos' chair when he declared Martial Law. The handwriting of General Ver on a blackboard during the EDSA revolution was preserved. And the balcony from where Marcos made his last hurrah during the EDSA revolution. We also got a glimpse of the presidential bachelor's 'pad'.

After the tour, we had merienda at Tita Moning's. The merienda included sotanghon and chicken relleno. Dessert was guinataan. Drink served was lemongrass tea. The recipe for the food was taken from Tita Moning who owned the house with her husband since the American period.

We had a tour of the house and it showed a couple who were well to do. They had a painting from R. Hidalgo and Juan Luna - noted Filipino painters and heroes during the struggle against Spain. Imagine, being able to see an original Juan Luna!

After this, we went to Chinatown for lunch. We went to Chuan Kee. We ordered maki, Machang and of course, ube siopao.

We walked through Ongpin and went to Masuki (formerly Ma Kong Mami). The guy who served us had been serving there since I was in elementary school. We went to Eng Bee Tin to buy some stuff home.

On our way back to the car, we dropped by the Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz. This was the church where I was baptized. The ceiling had the mysteries of the rosary.

After a short prayer, we came home - tired and full!!!

The Malacanang tour was excellent. It revealed the beauty of the country's history. It showed how the nation was born, how it fought through several wars until it finally gained independence. I think every student should have a tour of the museum because it beats years of history lesson. One is able to see the things that touched the nation's life.

God bless the Philippines. May it be a righteous nation with leaders according to his own heart.