In a rare occasion where we toured Quiapo looking for a printing press, not like my usual haunt searching for electronic stuff, music, eyeglasses or photo equipment. Quiapo still retain the same aura it has during my college days.
After scouring various shops for various finds, we decided to proceed to people "infested" and traffic-burdened street formely called Azcarraga. We passed by the pedestrianized part of Avenida Rizal to our left while the soon-to-be-demolished Galaxy Theater to our right.It's ironic that such building considered exquisite in its time and the work of National Artist Pablo Antonio will soon face the wrath of a demolition ball. Nearby is the now demolished Avenue Theater which is the work of another national artist Juan Nakpil. The two buildings are to be converted into parking lots.
My country honors National Artists but doesn't make an effort to preserve their work for posterity's sake!
We were caught in heavy traffic and when we realized the futility if squirming through it, we decided instead to make a 180 degree turn towards Morayta. There we passed by the newly-restored FEU building partly designed by Pablo Antonio that won the UNESCO 2005 Asia-Pacific Cultural Heritage Awards.
Previous winnersof this prestigious award were Gota de Leche in Sampaloc and Nielsen Tower in Makati.
Manila, mostly decaying, and most of it destroyed by Japanese demolition and American carpet bombing seem unmindful of the fast disappearing heritage.Notable of these are the Jai Alai building and San Lazaro Hippodrome,now an SM mall aggravated by a mayor that value modernityand not heritage conservation.
How can we as a nation move forward if we treat the past with apathy? We can't even remember our history written by Filipinos and not by our conquerors.
The media only reported mostly and sensationalized FPJ's family's refusal to attend the awards ceremony for national artists and not the more important news of the meritorius achievements of the other awardees.
With this attitude, does it look like the works of the new national awardees will also suffer the same fate as that of the earlier awardees?
I can't imagine BenCab's Tam-awan village in Baguio being converted to another parking lot or subdivision.
btw, did you notice I don't have pictures? My goodness, I didn't bring my EOS 300D while my Ixus 30 bled dry after a few clicks :-(
totoo nga po talaga, papaano na lang kaming mga kabataan na hindi na mabibigyan ng pagkakataon na makita ang makulay na nakaraan ng ating bayan. Tunay nga pong walang pagpapahalaga ang mga nasa itaas sa mga ating mayamang kultura. Tulad nga po ng sabi ni Manuel Martinez, "TORPE!!!" silang lahat.
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