The Civic Center of the City of Manila- Ermita

We will tour you to the significant center of finance, education, culture and commerce, Ermita Manila. From the Students Of Universidad De Manila, Specifically UC-25 Ermita group. Hope you enjoy your tour.

History

Ermita was founded in the late 16th century. Its name was taken from La Hermita, the Spanish word for "hermitage", after the fact that on this site was built a hermitage housing an image of the Virgin Mary known as the Nuestra Señora de Guia (Our Lady of Guidance). The hermitage has since evolved into Ermita Church, which has been rebuilt several times since the early 17th century.

Ermita gained renewed prominence during the American colonial period. It became known as the university district, containing the campuses and dormitories of the University of the Philippines, the Ateneo de Manila, Adamson University, the Assumption Collegeand St. Paul College. The residential portion of Ermita was populated by American residents, who set up such establishments as the Army and Navy Club, and the University Club.

In February 1945, during the 1945 Battle of Manila, Ermita was the scene of some of the most horrific massacres that occurred during the Second World War. The wife and four children of future President Elpidio Quirino were murdered in Ermita, as wasSupreme Court Associate Justice Anacleto Diaz. Between 68% to 85% of Ermita was destroyed during the Battle of Manila, with an estimated total of 100,000 Filipino civilians killed in the city itself.

Ermita was rebuilt after the devastation of the war. University life remained vibrant therein. However, as decades passed, Ermita started earning a reputation as the red-light district of Manila. During the term of Mayor Alfredo Lim, an effort was made to "clean up" Ermita's image and reputation. However, a local city ordinance prohibiting the establishment of motels, lodging houses and other similar establishments, was later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.^[6] As a result of the clean-up efforts, nightlife in the area dwindled though it later picked up with the help of the emergence of the nearby Malate district and the Roxas Boulevard revitalization efforts along Manila Bay.

Solidaridad Bookshop

Solidaridad Bookshop, owned by literary great F. Sionil Jose, is home to Philippine literature classics like Jose Rizal's "Noli Me Tangere" and the collected reportage of Quijano de Manila (alias of Nick Joaquin), as well as more contemporary works like fiction writer Charlson Ong's "Blue Angel, White Shadow."

Robinsons Manila

Robinsons Manila was originally built in the 1980s, on the site of what was then the campus of the Ateneo de Manila Universitybefore it relocated to Loyola Heights and the Assumption Convent before it relocated to San Lorenzo Village, Makati. It was then redeveloped into a 7-level shopping complex housing over 330 local shops, dining outlets, entertainment facilities and service centers. The Padre Faura Wing was opened on June 2000 which contains additional shopping and dining facilities. It has opened another wing, The Midtown Wing or The Midtown in mid-2008 making it larger than Robinsons Galleria and therefore the largest Robinsons Mall.

Robinsons Place Manila is connected to a twin tower residential high-rise condominium – Robinsons Place Residences, and a triple tower residential high-rise condominium - Adriatico Place Residences.

UP Manila

The UP Manila started with the establishment of the Philippine Medical School in 1905. The Philippine Medical School was later integrated into the University of the Philippines and was renamed College of Medicine and Surgery.

In 1907, Philippine Commission Act 1688 dated August 17 created the Philippine General Hospital. PGH was eventually linked formally with the CM, with its dean becoming the PGH director.

The College of Public Health (CPH), College of Pharmacy (CP) and the College of Dentistry (CD) started as units of CM and eventually became full-fledged colleges in 1932, 1935 and 1948, respectively. During the World War II, the university continued to hold classes in makeshift rooms. After the war, the university transferred to the Diliman campus in 1948, leaving behind the colleges.

In 1948, the Board of Regents established the College of Nursing. At the 894th meeting of the Board of Regents on October 28, 1977 and through Presidential Executive Order No. 519 dated January 24, 1979, the Health Science Center was created and recognized as an autonomous campus of the UP System. The then existing units related to the health sciences constituted the Center, with the College of Arts and Sciences Manila transformed into a full-fledged unit and made part of the Center.

Through the years, additional colleges, institutes and units were established, such as the School of Allied Medical Professions now the College of Allied Medical Professions (1962), Institute of Ophthalmology (IO, 1965), Institute of Health Sciences (now the School of Health Sciences, 1975) and the National Teacher Training Center for the Health Professions (1975).

On October 22, 1982, the Center was renamed UP Manila by virtue of Presidential Executive Order No. 4. In 1988, the Institute for Socio-Biomedical Research (ISBMR) was created to serve as a common administrative and research facility for UP Manila's research units. In 1995, three more units were established to enhance UP Manila's excellence as a center for academic training, research and development - the School of Distance Education, the Graduate Office, now theNational Graduate Office for the Health Sciences, and the Institute of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology (IBMB).

With the creation of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on January 26, 1996 to promote the conduct of health research and lead in the utilization of its research findings, the IO, ISBMR and IBMB were made its initial components. A few years after, several other component institutes were created, such as the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Child Health and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, Institute of Health Policy and Development Studies, and Ear Institute.

Philippine General Hospital

The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) is a tertiary state-owned hospital administered and operated by the University of the Philippines Manila, the University of the Philippines System's Health Sciences Center. It is the largest government hospital administered by the university, and is designated as the National University Hospital.

In 1907, The Philippine Commission passed Act No. 1688 which appropriated the sum of P780,000.00 for the construction of the Philippine General Hospital. The cornerstone of the hospital was laid on February 28, 1908. The bids for the construction of the buildings were opened on July 27 and the contract was awarded to the lowest bidder, H. Thurber of the Manila Construction Company. The structural works for the central administration building, a surgical pavilion with two operating rooms, a building for dispensary and out-clinic, five ward pavilions of sixty beds each, a nurses’ home, a kitchen, an ambulance stable and morgue were completed on November 30, 1909. In 1910, the Philippine General Hospital opened its door to the public on September 1 with three hundred thirty beds and was eventually linked to the  University of the Philippines College of Medicine, then the Philippine Medical School. In 1981, First Lady Imelda R. Marcos commissioned Arch. J. Ramos to undertake the master planning of the PGH renovation project.

Manila Science High School

Manila Science High School is the Pilot Science High School in the Philippines. It is located on Taft Avenue at the corner of Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila, and was established on October 1, 1963.

Former President of the Philippines Ramon Magsaysay was the first to envision a Science High School in the Philippines in his 1956 State of the Nation Address where he underscored "the great need of stepping up the development of fundamental and applied research in science and technology which has long been neglected."

Taking action, the Philippine Congress passed Republic Act 1606 creating the National Science Development Board to work with the Science Foundation of the Philippines in advancing scientific and technological research. This was closely followed by Republic Act 2067, known as the Science Act of 1958 which proposed to integrate, coordinate, and intensify scientific and technological research and development to foster invention.

In conjunction, the Department of Education implemented RA 1606 by issuing Department Orders 1 and 5, series of 1958, for the launching of Science Talent Research.

November 25, 1959 marked the evolution of the pilot science high school in the Philippines. With 36 students screened through a competitive examination, this nucleus of a science high school had its beginnings in a single-storey building in Intramuros. On its second year, this nucleus was called the Special Science Class. March 28, 1963, witnessed each of the 32 graduates of the Special Science Class receive a gold medal. It is the first time in the history of Philippine education wherein each member of the graduating class is a gold medalist.

On October 1, 1963, the Manila Science High School was born by virtue of Municipal Resolution 426 signed by Mayor Antonio J. Villegas. Credit for the school's early success goes to then Manila High School Principal Augusto Alzona – the "Father of Manila Science High School". Modeled after the Bronx High School of Science, the special science curriculum is designed to meet the needs of scholars gifted in science and mathematics. However, opportunities, training, and experiences in varied fields are also available.

After five years in Intramuros, the Manila Science High School moved to its present site in 1966 with its first principal, Mr. Honesto Valdez (1963–1977). By 1977, Phase I of the Main Building was completed while the construction of Phase II was ongoing.

In September 1977, Mrs. Evelina P. Barotilla (1977–1988), the second principal, saw the completion of the Manila Science High School Complex and the renovation of the H.A. Bordner Building. The Home Economics Building was built in 1980. The whole construction project was financed by the Special Education Fund under the chairmanship of Dr. Josefina Navarro, Superintendent of City Schools, Manila.

The construction of the Php 7.5 million Technology Creativity Laboratory began in 1998 during the administration of Mrs. Daisy H. Banta, (1988–2000), third principal. The project was made possible by the Special Education Fund through the joint efforts of Mayors Gemiliano Lopez and Alfredo Lim, together with DECS-Manila Superintendent, Dr. Erlinda G. Lolarga.

The new millennium ushered in the arrival of Mrs. Susan A. Yano, fourth principal, the completion of the Antonio Maceda Building and the revival of the Manila Science High School Alumni Association. Mrs. Susan A. Yano opted for an early retirement. Ms. Edna P. Parcon, Math Department Head III, was then assigned Officer-in-Charge from July 18, 2002 to January 13, 2003, together with Ms. Betty de la Cruz, Science Supervisor, assigned Supervisor-in-Charge from October 13, 2002 to January 13, 2003.^[3] Mrs. Rosita C. Herson became the principal in 2003 until 2006. After that, the Manila Science High School was under the leadership of Mrs. Salud S. Sabado from 2006 until November 15, 2008.

Manila Science has been under the leadership of Mrs. Flora A. Valdez for less than a year until her retirement on January 21, 2010. Before the retirement, a government project has started: the construction of the Amadome by Manila 5th District Congressman Amado Bagatsing, which is now completed in time for the new school year and has been formally inaugurated and turned over by Cong. Bagatsing on September 8, 2010.

Due to implementing laws for the May 2010 polls, Manila Science will not have a principal yet until such time that the elected Mayor of Manila appoints new school administrators. The school, at the last half of SY 2009-2010 and on the first quarter of SY 2010-2011, was under the leadership of Ms. Edna P. Parcon, the school's Mathematics Department Head until August 26, 2010 which welcomed the arrival of the seventh and second male principal, Mr. Fernando B. Orines.

In 2014 Manila Science High School welcomed its eighth principal Mrs. Ma. Pura S. Talattad. She promised to sustain the tradition of excellence. Mr. Fernando B. Orines was sent to Manuel Roxas High School. She bade farewell to MaSci last July 11, 2015.

In July 12, 2015, the school welcomed Ms. Maria Eva S. Nacion, the ninth principal of Manila Science High School. She is also the former Science Department Head in MaSci.

Rizal Park

Rizal Park also known as Luneta National Park or simply Luneta, is a historical urban park in the Philippines. Located along Roxas Boulevard, Manila, adjacent to the old walled city ofIntramuros, it is one of the largest urban parks in Asia. It has been a favorite leisure spot, and is frequented on Sundays and national holidays. Rizal Park is one of the major tourist attractions of Manila.

Situated by the Manila Bay, it is an important site in Philippine history. The execution of national hero José Rizal on December 30, 1896 fanned the flames of the 1896 Philippine Revolution against the Kingdom of Spain. The area was officially renamed Rizal Park in his honor, and the monument enshrining his remains serves as the park's symbolic focal point. The Declaration of Philippine Independence from the United Stateswas held here on July 4, 1946 as were later political rallies including those of Ferdinand Marcos and Corazon Aquino in 1986 that culminated in theEDSA Revolution.

Santa Isabel College Manila

Santa Isabel College is a Catholic school and university in Ermita in the city of Manila, Philippines, formerly for girls only, offering courses at the primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels. The school is currently operated by the Daughters of Charity.

Pambansang Museo ng Pilipinas

(National Museum)

National Museum of the Philippines is a government institution in the Philippines and serves as an educational, scientific and cultural institution in preserving the various permanent national collections featuring the ethnographic, anthropological, archaeological and visual artistry of the Philippines. Since 1998, the National Museum has deemed as regulatory and enforcement agency of the National Government in the restoring and safeguarding of important cultural properties, sites and reservations throughout the Philippines.

The National Museum operates the National Museum of Fine Arts, National Museum of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, and National Planetarium, all located in the vicinity of Rizal Park.

The National Museum began as the Insular Museum of Ethnology, Natural History, and Commerce in 1901 under the Department of Public Instruction through Philippine Commission Act No. 284. It was subsequently transferred under the Department of Interior as the Bureau of Ethnological Survey after the passage of the Philippine Commission Act No. 841 in 1903. This new bureau was responsible for the Philippine participation in the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. After the exposition, it was abolished as a separate bureau and was renamed the Philippine Museum.

The National Museum went through the division and distribution of its functions to other government agencies. The Philippine Legislature passed Act No. 4007 in 1933 abolishing the museum and appropriated its divisions to the following agencies: the Division of Fine Arts and History to the National Library, the Division of Ethnology went to the Bureau of Science, and the Division of Anthropology which included archaeology, ethnography and physical anthropology and the other sections of natural history of the Bureau of Science were organized into a National History Museum Division. The latter was transformed into an independent unit under the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce through Commonwealth Act No. 453 in 1939.

The Japanese Occupation brought back the divisions under the National Museum of the Philippines as provided by Philippine Republic Executive Order No. 94. But the museum will lost a large part of its collection during the liberation of Manila when the Legislative Building was destroyed by American artillery. Fortunately, the Legislative Building was immediately restored through the American reparation funds bringing the museum back to its operations.

The museum’s role in cultural growth was recognized as contributory to government’s desire for national development.^[2] It was revitalized in 1966 when President Ferdinand Marcos signed Republic Act No. 4846 or the Cultural Properties and Protection Act. The law designated the museum as the lead agency in the protection and preservation of the nation’s cultural properties through the conduct of census, study, and declaration of such properties and the monitoring and regulation of archaeological exploration, excavation, or diggings in historical or archaeological sites. With its new powers, it was able to strengthen its cultural mandate by declaring properties, structures, and sites of historical and cultural value to the nation. The educational mandate was strengthened because it was able to inform the public of the researches it conducted and through the acquisition and exhibition of archaeological finds.

Philippine Normal University

The Philippine Normal University (PNU) is a public research university in Manila, Philippines established during the early days of American colonial rule. Pursuant to Republic Act No. 9647, it is now funded and operated as a National Center for Teacher Education in the country.

The Philippine Normal University (PNU) was originally established as the Philippine Normal School (PNS) by virtue Act No. 74 of thePhilippine Commission. Enacted on 21 January 1901, Act No. 74 mandated for the establishment of a normal and trade school. The Philippine Normal School formally opened on 1 September 1901, as an institution for the training of teachers.

Manila City Hall 

Manila City Hall is located in the historic center of Ermita, Manila. It is where the Mayor of Manila holds office and the chambers of the Manila City Council.It was originally intended to be a part of a national government center envisioned by Daniel Burnham in the 1930s. Although the dream plan was not fully implemented, some buildings for the proposed government center was constructed, including the Old Legislative Building (now the National Art Gallery), and the Agriculture and Finance Buildings (presently as the Museum of the Filipino People and Museum of National History).

The Manila City Hall during 1901 was made up of Oregon-pine which covered one third of the area used by the current building. After 31 years of occupancy, City Engineer Santiago Artiaga suggested to reinforce the floor of the weakened structure supporting the session hall used by the municipal board and avoid the accommodation of too many people along the corridors and in the hallway.

In 1941, right before the destruction of Manila, a City Hall of a national capital was constructed. This was designed by Antonio Toledo, the same architect who built the Finance Building and Old Legislative Building which are both adjacent to the new City Hall. It was immediately destroyed by the war in February 1945. With the aid of the United States Army and the city government, the new 8,422 square meter-City Hall was built which included around 200 rooms and uniform windows on all of the facade. It added an east wing which accommodated other offices.

The building sits on a trapezoidal shape of the lot in between the Legislative and Post Office buildings. Due to the monotony of the building envelope, one cannot distinguish the principal facade from the main entrance properly. The south entrance has a balcony emphasized by three arches resting on Corinthian columns while the north entrance has the same design treatment but has pediments and a tall, hexagonal clock tower capped by a dome.

All the trees inside and around the vicinity of the City Hall were planted by Manila MayorRamon Bagatsing during the early seventies.

Universidad De Manila (UDM)

The Universidad de Manila (UdM) (formerly known as City College of Manila and also known as Gat Andrés Bonifacio University) is a public university inManila, Philippines. It is one of the two city-funded universities of Manila,

The main campus of Universidad de Manila, which houses the Administration Building of the Division of City Schools-Manila, is at the heart of the Mehan Garden adjacent to the Liwasang Bonifacio, Manila City Library and the Light Rail Transit Central Terminal.

Apart from its main campus, the university maintains satellite centers in many parts of the City of Manila such as Escolta, Recto, Del Pan, San Andres, Dapitan and Tayuman.

The university's original name is City College of Manila (CCM). In 2007, when Alfredo Lim was re-elected as mayor, he reverted UDM to its original name; a few months into office, he renamed it Universidad de Manila

The founder of the university, Mayor Alfredo Lim, said that the "egalitarian UDM complements the elite PLM. For its part, the City College delivers practical education to average student."

Manila Central Post Office

The Manila Central Post Office is the central post office of the city of Manila,Philippines. It is the head office of the Philippine Postal Corporation, and houses the country's main mail sorting-distribution operations.

Designed by Juan M. Arellano and Tomás Mapúa, the post office building was built in neoclassical architecture in 1926.It was severely damaged in World War II, and rebuilt in 1946 preserving most of its original design.

The location of the Post Office building in the Ermita district of the city east ofIntramuros, was part of the plan of Daniel Burnham for the city of Manila, which placed the building on the frontage of the Pasig River for easy water transportation of mails. Its central location with converging avenues made the building readily accessible from all sides. The building's main entrance faces the Liwasang Bonifacio.

The construction of this building started in 1936 and was finished before the outbreak of war in 1941.

This official transmitter of mail, money and goods traces its beginnings to Act No. 462 of the Philippine Commission on September 15, 1902, creating the Bureau of Posts. Postal service in the country, albeit crude and slow, began during the Spanish period with horse-riding couriers till it reached the marked improvements which the Americans initiated. The present building which houses the bureau hums daily with brisk postal service.

Now under the Ministry of Public Works, Transportation and Communication, the Bureau of Posts, now houses a modern and efficient look with its mechanized automatic letter-sorting machine, new Postal Code, Metropolitan Airmail Network, motorized letter carriers and all other new facilities.

End.