We took our AIESEC visitors to a tour of Intramuros, the Walled City of Manila, over the weekend. As usual, the tour focused on the Manila Cathedral and Fort Santiago, which were outstanding places of interest. Walking around the area with these eager young adults made me smile--after so many years of working in Manila, I must admit that I have rarely visited the place from the point of view of a tourist, or even as an student of history. To me, Intramuros was either a workplace (Vicky worked there for a while and continues to visit her clients that hold office in the area) or a stop-over for the Maundy Thursday Visita Iglesia that my in-laws regularly hold. The tour with my Chinese visitors last May was probably an eye-opener, but yesterday's visit got me in a more somber mood last night--little was actually budgeted to keep the Filipino heritage alive. The old Central Bank building has been left as ruins, the marker commemorating the 400 years of the Mexico-Philippines Galleon Trade (1564-1964) was dirty, statues of Spanish kings were in various states of disarray, and the famous Intramuros wall itself was rented out to various computer shops, cafes and karaoke joints. The only positive note was that I saw a huge signboard that mentioned something about a Japanese grant that would recreate the Pasig River boardwalk. Such a rich heritage that was not fully appreciated...and I was also guilty of exactly that!
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