Quiapo, Manila
| Quiapo | |
|---|---|
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| Country | Philippines |
| Region | National Capital Region |
| City | Manila |
| Congressional districts | Part of the 3rd district of Manila |
| Barangays | 16 |
| Population (2007[1]) | |
| • Total | 23,138 |
Quiapo is a district and city square of Manila. It derives its name from the water cabbage (Pistia stratiotes), which is named Quiapo or Kiapo in the Tagalog language. Referred as the "Old Downtown", Quiapo is known as the home of the Quiapo Church, where the feast of the Black Nazarene is held with over millions of people attending annually. Quiapo has also made a name for itself as a place where cheap buys or goods are being sold at rock-bottom prices.
Plaza Miranda in the heart of Quiapo District, is named after Jose Sandino y Miranda, who served as secretary of the treasury of the Philippines for 10 years beginning in 1853.[2] It is a square in front of the Quiapo Church, which is also a popular site of political rallies. On August 21, 1971, while the Liberal Party held their Miting de Avance in the plaza, a bomb exploded, killing 9 and injuring almost 100 civilians.
The Quiapo district is also home to a sizable Muslim population in Manila. The Golden Mosque and Green Mosque are located there. A veritable army of fortune tellers and stores offering herbal products surround the Quiapo church. The biggest problem underlying the district is the sale of pirated goods and bandits. The largest area where you can buy pirated movies, software and pornographic videos can be found in Quiapo where the stores sprawl over four public streets.
Through the years, the glory of Quiapo steadily declined. During the American period until the late 1970s, Quiapo and its surrounding vicinities like Avenida, Binondo, Sta. Cruz, Escolta and the university belt, were the centers of trade, fashion, art, higher learning and the elites of Manila. However as the Light Rail Transit (LRT Line 1)was built over Rizal Avenue, dirt and vehicle emissions were trapped underneath, leaving the streets dark and gloomy. The results of this development were the exodus of many establishments and the arrival of ruffians and bandits. After the People Power Revolution in 1986, the vibrancy of Quiapo diminished, although some flea markets, handicraft stores begin to rise due to the presence of the widely visited Quiapo Church.
In recent years, the local government of Manila, spearheaded by then Mayor Lito Atienza, launched the Buhayin ang Maynila project which greatly rehabilitated Quiapo and its vicinities, most especially Plaza Miranda, the Lacson underpass and the University Belt. Parts of Rizal Avenue, starting from Carriedo St. to Claro M. Recto Avenue were converted into pedestrian shopping arcades.
Quiapo is geographically located at the very center of the city of Manila. It is bounded by Estero de San Miguel on the South, San Miguel on the East, Recto Avenue on the North and Quezon Boulevard on the West.
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[edit] Barangays
Quiapo contains 16 barangays, 306-309 and 383-394.
| Barangay | Population (2007)[1] |
|---|---|
| Barangay 306 | 936 |
| Barangay 307 | 576 |
| Barangay 308 | 988 |
| Barangay 309 | 727 |
| Barangay 383 | 816 |
| Barangay 384 | 2,833 |
| Barangay 385 | 3,484 |
| Barangay 386 | 1,332 |
| Barangay 387 | 2,526 |
| Barangay 388 | 758 |
| Barangay 389 | 1,279 |
| Barangay 390 | 1,335 |
| Barangay 391 | 1,523 |
| Barangay 392 | 575 |
| Barangay 393 | 2,283 |
| Barangay 394 | 1,167 |
[edit] Raon Shopping Center and G. Puyat Street
Raon Shopping Center, located along Quezon Boulevard, is considered the Mecca of Hardware Electronics. The west side of Gonzalo Puyat (still called by many as Raon, its former name) Street offers an endless supply of electronic needs. Among the more highlighted anchor tenants is Royal Antennacraft Industries Makers of HI-TOP TV Antenna.
[edit] Hidalgo Street in Quiapo
[edit] Photographers' Haven
Felix Resurreccion-Hidalgo (sometimes erroneously called Ramon Hidalgo) Street in Quiapo is a hodge podge of knick-knack vendors, covering legitimate business establishments mostly selling photography-related items. For Filipino photographers it has long been the Mecca for photography equipment at, more often than not, lower than market prices. An assortment of accessories from on-camera flashes, studio lights, bags, tripods, lenses, batteries, CDs, DVDs, actually anything photography-related can be found there. In 2006, John Chua, a well-known advertising photographer based in Makati City and Jason B. Lindo, an advertising consultant proposed the Hidalgo Project to the Manila City government. The proposal includes the rehabilitation and beautification of Hidalgo Street as a Photographers' Haven. It was very well received and the Mayor immediately appointed government personnel to execute the project, expected to finish before the end of 2006.
F. R.-Hidalgo St. is intersected by Quezon Boulevard and is connected by the Lacson pedestrian underpass from the new photography haven to the original street that is of historic significance to Quiapo. The street is crowded with jeepneys and pedestrians but leads farther to a showcase of heritage architecture - cluttered through the rest of its humble boundaries.
[edit] Heritage Street Project
Hidalgo Street was regarded in the late 19th century as the most beautiful street in Manila. Today, there are proposals to restore and protect the houses on F. R.-Hidalgo Street from the 19th and early 20th centuries since they create a streetscape that is dignified. However, plans of the Manuel L. Quezon University have not been moving recently and the City Government of Manila has yet to act on the said proposal.
Among the historic structures along Hidalgo Street and its environs are:
- Basilica Minore de San Sebastian
- Basilica Minore of the Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church)
- Ocampo Pagoda (Bilibid Viejo Street)
- Nakpil-Bautista House (Ariston Bautista Street), Masterpiece by Arcadio Arellano, Viennese Secession motifs, home of Julio Nakpil, musical composer of the Katipunan, and Gregoria de Jesus, organizer of the women's corps of the Katipunan.
- Boix House (beside Nakpil house), Beautiful 1890s house with Neo-Renaissance ornamentation.
- Paterno Mansion (F. R.-Hidalgo Street), Nobly proportioned mansion with Neoclassic details. Ancestral dwelling of the famous Paterno family.
- Enriquez Mansion (formerly on Hidalgo Street, transferred to Bagac, Bataan), 1890s house with Ionic columns. Praised by Maria Morilla Norton in the 1910s as "the most beautiful house in the islands." Became the site of the School of Fine Arts of the U.P.
- Ocampo Mansion (F. R.-Hidalgo Street), Home to Francisco Santiago, composer of the Ave Maria. Original site of the UP Conservatory of Music. Dignified example of early 1900s style.
- Zamora House (F. R.-Hidalgo Street), Residence of Manuel Zamora, inventor of 'tiki-tiki' for fighting beriberi. Superb sequence of inner courtyards.
- Padilla House (F. R.-Hidalgo Street)
- Don Jose Sulpicios Orpilla Mansion (F. R.-Hidalgo Street)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Final Results - 2007 Census of Population
- ^ Mortel, Paul R. (2007-06-23). "Inquirer Opinion / Letters to the Editor: Rename Plaza Miranda after Ramon Magsaysay Sr.". Inquirer.net. http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/letterstotheeditor/view_article.php?article_id=72852. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
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