walls of this content - an intramuros walk
i remember the first time i ever wanted to walk inside the walls of intramuros. i was seven years old then, reading a story in our filipino workbook. the story was about a field trip in the different historic sites in manila particularly intramuros and rizal park. and i remember reading it and being fascinated about the history of my city. i literally begged my mom to take me on a tour of these places and we did, amidst the rain and all. (the first time i laid eyes on dr. jose rizal’s monument was under an umbrella with my mom and sister. i was that desperate!)
and now nearly two decades later, i was here yet again, in Manila’s original walled city. i have to admit, i was hesitant to tour intramuros for the nth time. my friend carla has been bugging me to go on these mini tours around manila but limited resources and time have always been a big factor on my end. i finally gave in when i learned that they were offering a free tour. at least i won’t have any regrets if i did not enjoy this tour. at least that’s what i thought.
we started in the new bahay na tsinoy in anda street. the tour began in this section because it will trace the arrival of the different influences of our country: chinese, spanish, american and japanese. i loved the part with the piedra chinas or the heavy stones the chinese used to balance their ships as they make their way here from nearby china. they were reused as tombstones when they arrive here in the philippines.
after this, we headed to one edifice that survived the bombings of world war II, the san agustin church. there were two bell towers in the church but only one remained standing to this day. the other one welcomed the visitors as they entered the church. i never grew up in the catholic faith so i am quite unfamiliar with the rituals and traditions that comes with it. i am fascinated with old churches though. i loved the design of the church sanctuary itself. it was painted yet had the illustion that it was three dimensional. the tour around the church also showed how visual we are as a nation, even in the early days. the spanish came here to "market" their religion. we bought hook, line and sinker because we were fascinated with the ostentatious display of gold, their intricate carvings in the altar and of course, the ubiquitous santo. however, i believe that these are all part of God’s plan for our nation. we were the only spanish colony and christian nation in asia. i believe we were immersed in the christain faith, to the point of fanaticism, because we are called to spread it.
we finally reached the end of our tour with a ten-minute walk to the walls of intramuros itself. it was a beautiful site, seeing the original manila built by the americans after the war. there was a slight drizzle but it was perfect nonetheless 
i have been a manileno for the past 25 years and yet it still never fails to take my breath away. yes, it is polluted, bursting in the seams with the population it currently it has and not to mention traffic jams in every corner. but if you look closely, it is still a city with a rich cultural heritage and, i believe with all my heart, a bright future. walking around the walls of intramuros and learning about my history once all over made me proud that i live in this city maynila…
