"The Liberation"

An authentic photograph of an American bomb falling to the city. This has got to be one of the most iconic and dramatic pictures of WW2 in Manila. 
TAKEN BY AN AMERICAN BOMBARDIER ON A B-29 BOMBER FOR RECORD/DOCUMENTARY PURPOSES

Today, February 3, 2013, marks the 68th anniversary of the month-long Battle of Manila between the Japanese and the Americans. It was one of the fiercest urban fighting scenes in the Pacific (and possibly, the whole world) during the Second World War, leading to the ultimate destruction of the city and the death of thousands of innocent civilians and American/Japanese/Filipino soldiers.

Manila was one of the most progressive cities in the Far East and the war completely wiped out almost 400 years of development. Spanish churches and convents, American government buildings, schools and houses, gone to oblivion.

Note that Manila was the second most destroyed city next to Warsaw, Poland during WW2. This event is considered to be one of the darkest in our history. If you think about it, have we fully recovered? After 68 years, can we call Manila and the whole Philippines as the "Pearl of the Orient" again? Hmmm.

Browse through my blog and have your heart broken.

Colorized version of the picture above.
ww2incolor

Retrato Filipinas #18

Happy Holidays from the Quezons!

Source

"The 1937 Christmas card of President and Mrs. Manuel L. Quezon. Though it’s not very visible, the coat of arms of the Commonwealth of the Philippines is stamped on the letterhead."

Retrato Filipinas #17

Christmas postcard from 1905
Pinoy Kollektor Collection 2011

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! 

Nostalgia Filipinas

Retrato Filipinas #16

The Anda Monument, late 19th or 20th century.
John T. Pilot's photostream

Read more about the Anda Monument here: http://nostalgiafilipinas.blogspot.com/2012/12/con-amor-reconstruido-anda-monument.html

Retrato Filipinas #15

Paulo Alcazaren's Facebook

An old postcard from the 1920s showing a very clean and blue Pasig River and the newly built Jones Bridge. Also on the right side, the old Colegio de San Juan de Letran can be seen within the walls of Intramuros.

Read more about the Jones Bridge here: http://nostalgiafilipinas.blogspot.com/2012/05/beautiful-and-forsaken-jones-bridge.html

Retrato Filipinas #14

 John T. Pilot's photostream

Flooding has always been a problem for Manileños. Here is a picture of flooding in Taft Avenue, outside the Philippine General Hospital in Ermita, circa 1910 - 1915.

Retrato Filipinas #13

Japanese war propaganda featuring the iconic Japanese fish kites (koinobori) flying over the skies of Manila, circa World War 2. The Legislative Building is seen on the left, the Manila City Hall on the center, and the Philippine Normal Hall on the right side.
source

The "Fish" of Japan.

"Clouds are covering the blinding sky, and the overgreens

of the tropics lies below. There lies the concrete bridges

and streets which were pressed by tyranny until yesterday.

But now the "Fish" which the symbol of the

strong spirit of the Japanese, is waving over the eastern skies.

The "Fish" with its shinny eyes and broad shoulders

and widespread tale, spreads the symbols throughout the country.

The men are here on God's mission. 

The enemy disappears, as the Japanese soldiers swing their mighty swords.

As the soldiers sing the battle songs, these gospels are

spread even into the brick buildings.

The spirit of the "Fish" is like that of the soldier,

for they spread the gospels into the Philippines.

Ph, "Fish", fly proudly over the Philippine sky, 

fly over the Asiatic skies, and sing loudly, the song of Japan."

Retrato Filipinas #12

La Iglesia Conventual de Santo Domingo de Manila
Source
Jorge B. Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research Collection
College of Arts and Letters, UP Diliman 

"Frontispicio de la Iglesia conventual de Santo Domingo de Manila, reedificada despues del terremoto del 3 de Junio de 1863, siendo Provincial el M. R. P. Fr. Domingo Tresserra."

This is the beautiful front facade of the neo-Gothic Santo Domingo Church in Intramuros. 

Read more about the Santo Domingo Church here.

Retrato Filipinas #11

The Magellan Monument, Manila, 1910.
John Tewell Photo Collection

Retrato Filipinas #10

Manila's destruction after the Liberation of Manila, late 1940s.
[Click on the photo for better viewing]
John Tewell Photo Collection  

This photo was taken in the Manila Hotel. You can see the Legazpi-Urdaneta Monument undamaged, but the buildings in the background and even the Manila Hotel weren't so lucky. The Manila City Hall (2), the Legislative Building (3), the Bureau of Finance Bldg (4), and the Jai Alai Building (upper right) were all severely damaged because of the war. 

Retrato Filipinas #9: Chocolat Pupier

The year was 1936, French chocolate brand Pupier produced this album of collect-them-all images of the different sights, scenes and sounds across the Asian region. They featured the Philippines and the end results looked awesome!

Philippine Islands

Ifugao House

Rice Cultivation

Eating Dogs

Costumes

They even included the Manila Cathedral!

Manila Cathedral

You can view the whole album featuring all the other countries here.

Retrato Filipinas #8

Pasig River, Jan. 15, 1925. The bridges that connect modern Manila and old Manila, the Jones Bridge, Sta. Cruz Bridge (later, the MacArthur Bridge) and the Puente de Colgante (later, the Quezon Bridge). 
John Tewell Photo Collection

In this picture, you can also see the Quiapo Church at the top, a glimpse of the Sta. Cruz Church on the right, the Insular Ice Plant in the middle of the Sta. Cruz Bridge and the Puente Colgante. The foundations of the Post Office Building were still being laid out and the Metropolitan Theater was still nonexistent. Another noteworthy bridge that crosses the Pasig is the Puente de Ayala, a few meters upriver from the Puente de Colgante.  

Retrato Filipinas #7

An old postage stamp featuring the Rizal Monument circa 1947.

Retrato Filipinas #6

The Burning of Santo Domingo by Fernando Amorsolo, 1946-1949.
Source
National Museum of the Philippines, Manila

"Amorsolo was able to capture on canvas the magnitude of the fire as well as the concerted effort of the firemen and the clergy to save the sanctuary. Noteworthy was his rendition of intensity of the fire through the application of hues, texture, and perspective, which were his trademarks. His early works such as this have a hyper-realistic style. One fine example of a historical painting, it depicts the destruction of the Sto. Domingo Church brought about by the tremendous fire (Japanese bombs) that occurred in the 1940s."

Read more about the Santo Domingo Church here.

Retrato Filipinas #5

Ruins of the Capuchins' Lourdes Church in Intramuros after the Liberation of Manila, 1945.
Source

Retrato Filipinas #4

Intramuros fire of August, 1932. The fire damaged the Augustinian Convent, Ateneo Municipal de Manila, and a portion of Santa Isabel College. The tower of San Agustin Church can be seen on the left and San Ignacio Church on the upper right of the picture.
Source

Retrato Filipinas #3

Ruins of the San Francisco Church complex
Source

Retrato Filipinas #2

Ruins of the Recoletos Church
Source

Retrato Filipinas #1

Intramuros, Jan. 15, 1925. Magellan Monument, Aduana Bldg, Sto. Domingo Church and the University of Santo Tomas
Source