Manila, My Manila:

A History for the Young

Nick Joaquin

Briones, Shailah Leilene A.
2LM1
Philippine History
March 11, 2013






2
Book Summary:
Manila, My Manila is not your ordinary history book; it gives you not just dates, names and
places but more importantly, it gives you stories that brings life to these names, dates and places
that shaped our Manila. Some of these stories are not even heard by many of us but as equally
interesting as Rizals El Filibusterismo. The aim of this book is actually stated in the title; to tell the
story of how manila came to be for the enjoyment of the younger generations. It also aims to
preserve these stories through every word imprinted to the pages of this book. The style of writing
here of Nick Joaquin is quite interesting. He wrote the book not in the manner of how most of the
historians and textbook writers would do; he did it as if he was writing a novel about a whimsical
town called Manila. As a result, readers of this book will definitely not get bored but instead, will hold
on to every page and thus making them more informed of the story of the place they were born or if
not, at least hear of all the time because of the claims of many that this place will give them a better
life. Because of the outstanding style of writing of Nick Joaquin, readers would wish that they could
weave his sentences into a rug to roll around. Thats why I really think that through this, the younger
generations would have a better understanding and appreciation of not just only Manilas history but
the entire history of our country.
What I like most with Nick Joaquins books is that he narrated the history of Manila using a
very different approach. He stirred away from the objective type of telling history; he made it more
fun by telling stories. These stories are not the ones you commonly hear from other historians like
how the Japanese bombed the Pearl Harbor or how many Soldiers died in the Death March. These
stories brought us back to the past by intricately describing how the society looks like and how they
carry on with their lives. He shared stories that are almost never heard of.
Nick Joaquin started narrating the journeys of our Manila by first giving us a picture of what used to
be it and connecting it to the present appearance of Manila. He pointed out that the buildings now
that are erected around Manila were used to be cliffs, river, and seas before. From the Physical
characteristics, he went next to describing the first Filipinos. Malay is our breed. (Manila, My Manila,
5) From travelling by foot, they restlessly wandered to the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, and Marianas
and from the South Pacific, moved north to the Philippines and settled there. These tribes, along
with others, started the first settlement found in the Philippines. From the nomadic life of the stone
era through the more civilized life of the metal age. They established barangays and divided their
community to three social classes; the datus or royalty, Maharlika and the Alipin. Even before the
Spaniards came, they have already come into contact with other neighboring countries like China for
business. They trade products with one another.

3
It was in 1500s when the Manileos came into contact with white people. It was this time
when Soliman and Goiti sealed their treaty with a blood compact (which was not honored) and when
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi occupied manila on the name of the King of Spain. On June 3, 1571,
Legazpi formally gave Manila the title city and proclaimed it the capital of the New Kingdom of the
Castile. The King of Spain honored the new city with another title: insigne y Siempre Leal or Famous
and Ever Faithful. (Manila, my Manila, 21) A lot of changes and improvements happened during this
era. One of them is the immergence of the Galleon Trade. The Galleon trade between Manila and
Acapulco has been described as the first world economy of modern times. (Manila, My Manila, 33)
Aside from that, I could say that this is my personal favorite chapter in this book, the Intramuros. We
all know what and where Intramuros is but we never really had a true glimpse of what is Intramuros
like during the Spanish era. As Nick Joaquin described it in his book, Intramuros is like a whole new
world inside. The story goes that, on being told once again that money was needed to complete the
walls of Manila, King Philip II rose and peered out the window and said, Considering how much
theyre costing I should be able to see the top of those walls from here! Thats why Intramuros
became that beautiful. Inside the city are churches, hospitals, a market place and the seat of the
government. The way Nick Joaquin described the lost Manila is comparable to how J.K Rowling
described the wizarding world.
Aside from Filipinos and Spaniards, Chinese and Japanese people also inhabited Manila.
The Chinese became very important to Intramuros because their Parian became the market place of
the Manileos. But this importance did not stop the Spaniards from imposing taxes to them. To
escape these taxes for 10 years, they converted themselves to Christians and enjoyed the rights of
being able to be married to a Christian girl and hold public office.
Dilao, a village occupying the present location of City Hall and the San Marcelino area,
included a Japanese quarter on the banks of the Estero Tripa de Gallina. In 1592, the Jesuits
established a mission there for the Japanese. This became a trouble because in 1603, Archbishop
Benavides decreed that mission work among Japanese settlers should be administered only by the
Fransicans. To avoid discord, Jesuits decided to separate their mission from Dilao. Thus, the birth of
San Miguel Parish.

Another magnificent infrastructure that rose in Intramuros during the Spanish era is the
Palacio del Gobernador. Behind this magnificent building is a story of crime and passion, the story of
Fajardo and Venegas. Diego Fajardo was an austere man, a very mirror of honesty. The only trouble
with him is that he had a blind spot; Manuel Venegas. So anyone who came to the governor with a

4
complaint against the favorite was automatically expelled as a scandalmonger. No one ever dared to
cross Venegas. He became greedy and used his power to satisfy his greed. But one victim of
Venegas chose to fight back. A retired Spanish captain, with the help of the friars, showed evidences
to Fajardo how evil Venegas was. When he finally saw what he wasnt able to see, he ordered
Venegas to be executed. The dazzling mansion of Venegas was confiscated and became Palacio
Del Gobernador.
Just like other nations, when Holland knew of the Moluccas Island, they became interested
on it and wanted to conquer it. The objective of Holland was the Moluccas, but those islands could
not be won while Manila kept eye on them. To secure the Moluccas and control of the spice trade,
the Dutch would have to crush Manila, drive the Spanish away and occupy Philippines. The Great
War in our history was the combat with the Dutch. This was, for us, decisive battle, more crucial
even than the Revolution or the war with the Americans. In 1890s, we were not just fighting for
nationhood but instead, we are also fighting for our identity. If Holland had won that war, we would
have become a part of the Dutch East Indies and we might today be an Indonesian province. The
17
th
century was called the metaphysical century. Mystical movements among lay people
happened. The most notable of them are the Beaterio de Santa Catalina and Sor Dionisia de Santa
Maria and Sor Cecillia Rosa de Jesus. Beatterio de Santa Catalina was established by three beatas,
Hermana Sebastiana de Santa Maria, Antonia Ezguerra and Francisca Fuentes. All of them have
similar stories, their spouses died and they are said to be faith healers. Another thing that these
beatas can boast off is that they were the first Filipinas to use ballot. The Sor Dionisia and Sor
Cecilia were established by two sisters, Dionisia and Cecilia Talampas. Like the beatas of
Intramuros, the sisters also had to fight hard for the right to start a religious house. But finally, on
July 16, 1728, they were clothed with the mantle of a Recollect tertiary and permitted to live in
community according to the Rule of St. Agustine. If 17
th
century was metaphysical, the 18
th
century
was distinctly physical. A lot if infrastructures were developed and erected during this time. Streets
were being repaired, bridges were constructed, and a new Ayuntamiento was started.
We can never speak of our History without mentioning our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.
Rizal will never be the man that he was if he did not go to Manila. The universities that he attended
(Ateneo and Sano Tomas) are one of the tools that sharpened his mind and shaped him. He did not
only gain knowledge here, he also learned how to love. He fell in love with his landladys daughter,
the 13-year old Leonor Rivera. The affair lasted barely three years. She was 15; he was 20 when
they parted. Aside from that, Manila has also been the setting of the two novels that allegedly
caused his death, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

5
Another important persona in our Philippine History is Andres Bonifacio. Manila has been the
center of the revolutions that he planned. KKK was established here. For him, once they conquered
Manila, everything will already follow.
Revolution! Filipinos had enough. The death of Rizal ignited the fire inside their hearts. They
fought for what they think should belong to them. The Philippine Revolution began in August 1896,
upon the discovery of Katipunan by the Spanish authorities. In a mass gathering in Caloocan,
the Katipunan leaders organized themselves into a revolutionary government and openly declared a
nationwide armed revolution.

Bonifacio called for a simultaneous coordinated attack on the
capital Manila. This attack failed, but the surrounding provinces also rose up in revolt. In particular,
rebels in Cavite led by Emilio Aguinaldo won early victories. A power struggle among the
revolutionaries led to Bonifacio's execution in 1897, with command shifting to Aguinaldo who led his
own revolutionary government. That year, a truce with the Spanish was reached called the Pact of
Biak-na-Bato and Aguinaldo was exiled to Hong Kong. Hostilities, though reduced, never actually
ceased. On April 21, 1898, the United States began a naval blockade of Cuba, the first military
action of the Spanish-American War. On May 1, the U.S. Navy's Asiatic Squadron under
Commodore George Dewey decisively defeated the Spanish navy in the Battle of Manila Bay, (which
was also called the mock battle) effectively seizing control of Manila. Spanish rule in the islands
officially ended with the Treaty of Paris of 1898 which ended the Spanish-American War. In it Spain
ceded the Philippines and other territories to the United States. There was an uneasy peace around
Manila with the American forces controlling the city and the weaker Philippines forces surrounding
them.
During the American regime, Manila has drastically changed. Manila has established the
Manila Fire Department. A lot of infrastructures got destroyed because first of all everything was
made of wood and second, they dont have a systematic way of putting out fire. Fire fighting has
always been a means of bayanihan to them. The health service was also strengthened. One notable
man who can never be forgotten in the field of medicine was Dr. Heiser. Because of him, a lot of
diseases have got rid of. The moat around the Intramuros was decontaminated, Filipinos were
taught of proper sanitation. The movie industry and cabaret also boomed. The way Nick Joaquin
describes Manila is comparable to New Orleans (at least for me).
War came unexpectedly to the Philippines. Japan opened a surprise attack on the
Philippines on December 8, 1941, when Japan attacked without warning, just ten hours after the
attack on Pearl Harbor. Japanese troops attacked the islands in many places and launched a pincer
drive on Manila. Millions of Filipino died, a lot of infrastructures were broken. Japans efforts to win
Filipino loyalty found expression in the establishment (Oct. 14, 1943) of a Philippine Republic, with

6
Jos P. Laurel, former Supreme Court justice, as president. But the people suffered greatly from
Japanese brutality, and the puppet government added little support. MacArthur's Allied forces
landed on Leyte on October 20, 1944. Landings in other parts of the country followed, and the
Associates pushed toward Manila. The landing was followed by the greatest naval engagement in
history, called variously the battle of Leyte Gulf and the second battle of the Philippine Sea. A great
U.S. victory, it effectively destroyed the Japanese navy and opened the way for the recovery of all
the islands. Luzon was invaded and Manila was taken in February. On July 5, 1945,
MacArthur announced All the Philippines are now liberated. The Japanese had suffered over
425,000 dead in the Philippines. Fighting continued until Japan's formal surrender on September 2,
1945. The Philippines suffered great loss of life and monstrous physical destruction by the time the
war was over. An estimated 1 million Filipinos had been killed, and Manila was extensively
damaged. But despite this. Alas, the Philippines is now truly free.
In September 21, 1972, the Philippine Independence was once again threatened
because Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law. The assassination attempt (which was later
revealed as staged by the government), along with the growing threat of the New People's
Army and citizen unrest, gave Marcos enough reason to declare martial law. But this injustice
did not last long because the Filipinos along with other national leaders like Ninoy Aquino and
his wife Cory Aquino and Juan Ponce Enrile, made sure that this will not end. They succeeded
through a peaceful people Power movement. Once again, the Manileos are free from the
oppressors.










7
Bibliography:
Joaquin , Nick. Manila, My Manila: A History for the Young. Manila City: Vera-Reyes, Inc.,
1990. Print.
Tolentino, J. (2012, 03 10). A pseudo book review. Retrieved from
http://theurbanhistorian.tumblr.com/post/4159824997/a-pseudo-book-review-note-if-you-
are-following