A CULTURAL TOUR
IT TOOK around 10 minutes for the tram to get from the Manila Hotel to Intramuros via Bonifacio Drive. It was a warm morning on the country’s 121st Independence Day celebration and media guests were on a cultural tour from the hotel to the Walled City. First stop (among six locations): Fort Santiago.
The 64-hectare capital of the Spanish Empire in the East was protected by walls and fortifications stretching for 4.5 kilometers, hence the name “Intramuros” meaning “within the walls.”
The city was home to important offices of the state, a trade center between Europe and the East, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines, and the home of the oldest universities and colleges in Asia.
In 1979, Presidential Decree No. 1616 recognized Intramuros as a “Monument to the Hispanic period of Philippine history” and established the Intramuros Administration (IA) which is focused on efforts for the city’s restoration and development.
On Independence Day, The Manila Hotel, in partnership with the Intramuros Administration, launched Visita Intramuros, a tour program focusing on the history of the 107-year-old hotel and the Walled City.
“A native has a tendency to take for granted the places which are important and are near to [you],” The Manila Hotel president Joey Lina said at the press launch at the hotel’s Roma Salon.
“It’s fun to know your history and expand your knowledge of places and events. For better world understanding and for people’s understanding of themselves, they have to go back to the past,” he added.
The project has been in the works for two years as a way “to re-establish the Filipino identity in Intramuros,” according to IA administrator Guiller B. Asido. A VIEW of Intramuros (left) and the Manila Golf Course (right) from The Manila Hotel.
“A native has a tendency to take for granted the places which are important and are near to [you].” — The Manila Hotel’s President Joey Lina
Visita Intramuros offers a half day tour that includes a view of The Manila Hotel’s premium rooms and followed by a trip to the Walled City. After all, the hotel did have a role to play in Philippine history.