What is there to say about Tondo? On second thought, maybe it’s a question that should not be asked in the first place. The thing about Tondo is that, to say the least, it is a place that evokes strong perceptions and sentiments. For one, there is the image of urban squalor and decay that has afflicted Manila and the metropolis in general. Then there is the atmosphere of “toughness” that has been the source of negative perceptions (thanks in part to its history as a den of crime and gangsters especially during the 1950s-60s), as well as positive ones (the “Tondo pride” as some may consider it). Being someone…
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Destileria Limtuaco Museum: Intramuros’ Liquor Hideaway
Many people usually associate Intramuros with being the center of government and the Catholic faith during the Spanish colonial period and, in modern times, a center of education and where seafarers stay. But recently, a new and “different” facet of Intramuros was unveiled to the public early this year: that of a “liquor hideaway.” No it is not a liquor distillery that opened in the area. Rather it is a museum dedicated to a liquor distillery. Not just any wine distillery mind you but one of the country’s top distilleries: the Destileria Limtuaco.
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The Understated Elegance of San Beda’s Abbey Church
Not many people know that the San Beda University Manila campus grounds in Mendiola Street houses not only the academic institution that is San Beda University. It is also the site of a monastery. To be specific, it is a monastery of the Benedictine monks who happen to be the ones administering the university. Nevertheless, both the monastery and the school share a common spiritual center: the church known as the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, more popularly known as the Abbey Church in San Beda.
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San Beda, the University
Last February 6, 2018, the institution known before as San Beda College finally was granted by the Commission on Higher Education the status of being a university. For the San Beda community, it is a culmination of years of hard work to attain such a status. Thus, it is fitting that the Urban Roamer pays tribute to the newly-christened university the focus in this particular entry as we learn the story of how it rose to become a premier institution in the metropolis and the country in general.
