Remarkably many artworks remain intact at the Manila Metropolitan Theatre, which was left decaying for decades. Here is the sculpture Adam by Francesco Riccardo Monti (on the opposite end is Eve which is not pictured).
Photo by I.R. Arenas
Remarkably many artworks remain intact at the Manila Metropolitan Theatre, which was left decaying for decades. Here is the sculpture Adam by Francesco Riccardo Monti (on the opposite end is Eve which is not pictured).
Photo by I.R. Arenas
This day woould have been the 160th anniversary of Jose Rizal’s birth. This prominent Philppine intellectual inspired a reloution against the Spanish colonial masters, although he was against it for being premature. This sculpture is by Juan Sajid Imao and stands inside Fort Santiago, the garrison where Rizal was confined before being executed.
Photo by I.R. Arenas
Namesake to the apostle Saint James, the patron saint of Spain, the citadel of Fort Santiago has been synonymous with military power in Spanish Philippines. Here, the figure of James tramples the Moors according to Catholic tradition. In a similar way, Spanish conquistadors defeated the Tagalog Muslim rulers of Manila in 1570. They must have thought it apt to honour James by naming the fort to him.
Photo by I.R. Arenas
Filipino revolutionary Macario Sakay was given his only monument in Tondo (now part of Manila), his birthplace, a century after his execution. Branded as a bandit, he fought Spanish and American forces at the turn of the 20th century. The is made by Benjamin Mendoza and is installed in Plaza Morga.
Photo by I.R. Arenas
The La Madre Filipina statue representing Gratitude has been a witness of the change of the times in Manila. It survives for nearly a century now, having gone through the devastation of the Pacific War. Now it is installed back to its original location atop a plinth on Jones Bridge with the other three Las Madres.
Photo by I.R. Arenas
This sun with a face is a symbol used by Andres Bonifacio, the forefather of Philippine independence. The one in the picture forms part of a memorial to the Bonifacio brothers, the other being Procopio, who were killed by fellow revolutionaries, at the order of a rival, in a mountain in Maragondon, Cavite.
Photo by I.R. Arenas
This sculpture of the nameless Filipino revolutionaries stands for more than a hundred years now, yet the struggle for a true revolution is probably far from completion. The sculpture is now titled Alaala ng Bayang Filipino sa mga Bayani ng (18)96 (literally “Homage of the Filipino People to the Heroes of 96”) and was made by Ramon Lazaro Martinez in 1911.
Photo by I.R. Arenas