April 15-19, 2009One of the oldest landmark in the Philippines, the fortress of the Spanish Colony in the era the Philippines is conquered by the Spaniards in search for the Spice Island, built in the 16th century locate along the Southern part of the Pasig River. Its name, in Spanish, Intramuros, literally "within the walls", meaning within the wall enclosure of the city/fortress, also describes its structure as it is surrounded by thick, high walls and moats. During the Spanish colonial period, Intramuros was considered Manila itself.
In the 1980s, under the direction of former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos, the Intramuros Administration restored the city and at present the walled city is the only district of Manila where old Spanish-era influences were retained. Much of the development of present-day Manila occurred outside the gates of Intramuros, leaving the surviving walls, streets and churches of Intramuros minimally touched by modernization, although outlets of Jollibee, McDonald's and Starbucks now sit alongside distinguished educational institutions within its walls. The old moats that surrounded Intramuros have been filled up and transformed into a golf course where locals and foreign nationals play the sport. The garrison that was Fort Santiago is now a tourist spot where visitors can enjoy the nostalgic romance of a bygone Spanish legacy within its gardens. In 2003, during Visit Philippines Year, Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon cleaned up Intramuros with the help of student and civilian volunteers as well as raised funds to light up the place and build a lights and sound museum.
Intramuros now houses some of the higher education institutions in the Philippines. These are the city-owned Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, the technical school Mapúa Institute of Technology, Lyceum of the Philippines University, Colegio de San Juan de Letran and high schools such as the Manila High School,and Colegio de Santa Rosa.
Following the design of medieval fortifications, along the massive walls of Intramuros are strategically located bulwarks: baluarte, ravellins: ravellin, redoubts: reducto. Entrance to the city are through gates: puerta, most of which have been restored or rebuilt. Most of these features have names such as Baluarte de San Diego, Baluarte de San Francisco de Dilao, Baluarte de San Gabriel, Baluarte de Sta. Barbara, Baluarte de San Andres; Puerta Real, Puerta Isabel II, Puerta del Parian, Puerta Almacenes, Postigo del Palacio, Puerta Sta. Lucia.
Last April 15- May 2, tourism promotion of the Department of Tourism Region 1, launched an event called "Best of Region 1" showcasing the beauty and wonders of the entire region with all the four province. Each province displayed artistic arts and artifacts, the wonders captured by a single shot of a camera, an adventure itinerary that is caged in the so-called Clamshell I located inside Intramuros. From the days mentioned above, everyday is exciting, a cultural show of each province are being promoted, making it "MORE THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE".
Here are some pictures taken during the event.
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