THE MANILA CITY

THE CONTEMPORARY PERIOD

The Golden Age and the Marcos Era (1952 to 1986)
With Arsenio Lacson becoming the first elected Mayor in 1952 (all mayors
were appointed prior to this), the City of Manila underwent The Golden Age, was
revitalized, and once again became the “Pearl of the Orient”, a moniker it earned
before the outbreak of the war. After Mayor Lacson’s successful term in the fifties,
the city was led by Mayor Antonio Villegas during the most of the 60’s, and Mayor
Ramon Bagatsing for nearly the entire decade of the 70’s until the 1986 Edsa
Revolution, making him the longest serving Mayor of Manila. Mayors Lacson,
Villegas, and Bagatsing are most often collectively referred to as “The Big Three
of Manila” for their rather long tenures as chief executive of City Hall (continuously
for over three decades, from 1952-1986), but more importantly, for their
impeccable contribution to the development and progress of the City and their
lasting legacy in uplifting the quality of life and welfare of the people of Manila.
During the Marcos Era, the region of the Manila Metropolitan area was
enacted as an independent entity in 1975 encompassing several cities and towns
being a separate local-regional unit and the seat of government of the
Philippines.
FIFTH REPUBLIC (1986 – PRESENT)
After the People Power Revolution, Aquino’s widow, Corazon, was installed
as president in 1986. During the Aquino presidency, Manila witnessed six
unsuccessful coup attempts, the most serious occurring in December 1989. In
1992, Alfredo Lim became the mayor, and was known for his anti-crime crusades.
When Lim ran for the presidency during the 1998 presidential election, his vice
mayor Lito Atienza was elected as city mayor. Atienza was known for renovating
most of the city’s plaza and projects that would benefit the populace. He was the
Mayor of Manila for 3 terms (9 years), barred for seeking a fourth consecutive
term. Lim defeated Atienza’s son Ali Atienza in the 2007 city election and
immediately reversed all of Atienza’s projects claiming the projects made little
contribution to the improvements of the city.
Among Lim’s contributions were the building of one local hospital in each
of the six districts of Manila and the establishment of another local university, the
City College of Manila, addressing the educational needs of local residents.
 During the 2013 elections, former President Joseph Estrada defeated Lim in
the mayoral race. Estrada, despite not being a Manila resident as his family has
always resides in San Juan where his sons have been mayors, won by popularity.
THE MANILA CITY HALL
The Manila City Hall is located in the historic center of Ermita, Manila. It is
where the Mayor of Manila holds office and the chambers of the Manila City
Council. It was originally intended to be a part of a national government center
envisioned by Daniel Burnham in the 1930s.
Manila City Hall, minus the clock tower. According to the
book “Landmarks of Manila, 1571-1930” by Visitacion R. De la Torre, the three-story
City Hall–which was made of Oregon pine–“stood then on filled ground, taking
up one-third of the area occupied by the present building.” It was constructed
under the administration of Arsenio Cruz Herrera, the first Filipino mayor of Manila.

The original Manila City Hall, circa 1910. Source: Landmarks of Manila, 1571-1930 by Visitacion R.
De la Torre, page 19.

After several decades, the wooden structure had fallen into decay. In 1932,
for instance, then City Engineer Santiago Artiaga had the floor reinforced and
prevented people from overcrowding the hall and corridors because “the
structure supporting the hall where the sessions of the municipal board are held
was on the verge of collapse.”
 To save it from imminent deterioration, the old building had to be
demolished and replaced by a new one. Designed by architect Antonio Toledo,
the brand new edifice–now adorned with a hexagonal clock tower–was finished
and inaugurated just before the outbreak of WWII.
CLOCK TOWER
The clock tower, also designed by Antonio Toledo which was completed
during the 1930s is the largest clock tower in the Philippines, reaching close to 100
feet in elevation. It stands out during nighttime when the whole of the tower lights
up. It has now become the icon for the city of Manila. The clock tower is
synchronize with the Philippine Standard Time.
The tower, as most of us already know, is the crowning glory of the City Hall–
a historic building that saw Manila’s golden age and how it went downhill from
there. Strategically placed at a junction which leads to three bridges (namely,
Quiapo, Santa Cruz, and Binondo), the Manila City Hall houses the mayor’s office
and other essential departments of the city government. It’s a common
knowledge that the present-day City Hall was just a reconstruction of the 1930s
building destroyed during WWII. However, the original Manila City Hall is quite
older than most people think.

War-torn Manila City Hall, Manila, Philippines 1945. Photo Credit: John Tewell via Flickr.
 It became one of the casualties during the Liberation in February 1945.
Through the collaboration of the United States Army and the city government,
however, the Manila City Hall was able to rise from the ashes. The reconstruction
project brought a new building with a “total floor area of 8,422 square meters,
some 200 rooms, and uniform windows all over.”
Moreover, the addition of the east wing enabled the City Hall to
accommodate other offices. The Big Ben-inspired clock tower, on the other hand,
had earned the moniker “international clock” from frustrated Manileños because
it often displayed four different time zones.
Thankfully, it went through rehabilitation in 2000 when then-Mayor Lito
Atienza found the dysfunctional clock “embarrassing” for it was also “a reflection
of the performance of the city government.”
Indeed, the Manila City Hall is a symbol as well as a reflection of the local
leadership. But while this famous edifice has successfully transformed into a
concrete structure, the same amount of change cannot be said for the city
government.

The Manila City Hall today. Via Wikimedia Commons.

References
Aning, J. (2000). City Hall clock tells right time. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A17. Retrieved from
https://goo.gl/H0KJ2l
De la Torre, V. (1981). Landmarks of Manila, 1571-1930 (pp. 19-20). Filipinas Foundation.

ACTIVITY # 4
Answer the following Questions:
1. Name at least three (3) personalities as mentioned in the text that made
the City of Manila a historical site and an insightful landmark. Explain your
answer.
2. Can you remember any historical events/traditions that occurred in
Manila (other than mentioned here)? Give example and cite/narrate its
relevance
3. What is the icon of the City of Manila? Narrate its history.

Kindly post your answer in our corresponding FB Page with your

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