Yahoo! Philippines Answers blog

I recently discovered this video from a friend of mine.  It’s an old footage of Metro Manila way back in 1938 that has been digitized and uploaded online.  The title of the footage is “Manila, Queen of the Pacific” and upon seeing this, it’s really like traveling back in time and seeing a familiar place from a very different point of view.

It’s almost tempting to wish for the return of the glory days of Manila.  However, Manila has indeed come a long way, and regardless of the many challenges it is facing in the present, the lyrics of that famous song will continue to ring in the hearts of Pinoys – “Manila, Manila, I keep coming back to Manila…”If there is one guy who truly believes that, it’s probably Mr. Carlos Celdran.  He’s an artist and a tour guide whose walking tours have appeared in Time Magazine Asia, Wallpaper and Discovery Channel’s Lonely Planet.  He is a man who is trying to change the way people look at Manila through his blog (http://www.carlosceldran.com) and he’s been featured as an expert in Yahoo! Answers before.

Carlos asked the community once what they think best symbolizes Manila and Charles gave the best answer for this – the Watch Tower at Manila City Hall and the colorful Calesa (horse-drawn carriages).  True enough, both have been around long enough to symbolize the uniqueness and enduring qualities of Manila.  In another question, he asked if you had a foreign friend visiting Manila, where would you take this person?  Bopols shared an in-depth itinerary, beginning with historical and cultural landmarks in the city (Luneta, CCP, malls, etc.) and then a drive to towns nearby Manila with tourist spots (Tagaytay, Laguna, Rizal, etc.).  Carlos also had this question – what does Manila need to make it more tourist friendly?  Papabol’s reply is both realistic and creative: more clean washrooms, sidewalks, free up-to-date maps and transportation guides, trustworthy money changers, clean restaurants, clean and safe hotels, especially for those tourists on a tight budget, and free tourists assistance centers.  Finally, Carlos asked the community “What makes Manila a great city? And how can we improve it further?” and Mac M shared the best answer – the history and the trees, respectively.  The first because of our rich and diverse background and the second because we definitely need more greenery in our beloved city.

Manila is indeed a unique and special place and it’s will always be one of the various places that best represents the Philippines and Pinoys as well.  After all, as the song goes, there’s “simply no place like Manila, Manila I’m coming home.”  And we all know that there’s no place like home.

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