October 17 marks the anniversary of the country’s most highly populated university, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) which was first established in 1904 by the American colonial government as the Manila Business School. While the university is a network itself of campuses located around Metro Manila and elsewhere in the country, PUP will always be associated more with its main campus located in Santa Mesa, Manila. (somewhat in the same manner as Diliman is to the University of the Philippines) Santa Mesa’s association with the university began in the 1960’s when , in particular the area along the north bank of the Pasig River near the intersection of…
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Beyond the Palace: the heritage of San Miguel
Located along the northern bank of the Pasig River, not far from the bustling and often “chaotic” atmosphere of downtown is the community characterized in contrast by a low-key and more “quiet” atmosphere. An unassuming personality of its own, one would not realize at first how important this part of the city is not only in the city’s but also in the country’s geopolitical landscape. This is the district of San Miguel, more known to many as the place where Malacañang is located, AKA the residence of the country’s president. While this community being the site of Malacañang has somehow helped in keeping its distinct overall character, it also serves…
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that brewery named after a saint and a suburb
It was September 29, 1890, which happened to be the feast of St. Michael and the rest of the Archangels, when a fellow named Enrique Barretto y Ycaza opened up a brewery in the Manila suburb named after the aforementioned saint. With a royal grant from Spain, Enrique decided to name the brewery after that suburb where he has lived and worked. So began the history of Fabrica Cerveza de San Miguel, the brewery which would become the San Miguel Corporation we would know today. The document which bore that royal grant had the old seal of Manila insigned with a crown above it. Seeing the significance of this seal,…
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The church and the community of the archangel-soldier
The late 16th-early 17th centuries which marked the beginnings of Spanish rule in the Philippines, in Manila in particular, also marked the influx of migrants to this newly-Christianized city. Most of these migrants are Japanese refugees fleeing from the persecution of Christians by Japan’s shogun government. (who eventually closed the country from foreign contact) They eventually settled in what is now the area of San Marcelino in northern Ermita. To meet the needs of this new community, the Spanish Jesuits decided to erect a parish for them. By 1611, the church was finished and the parish established, dedicated to the archangel-soldier St. Michael or San Miguel. It has been said…