Here they are – photos of Old Manila courtesy of our friends. I believe the original photos are preserved somewhere in museums in the Philippines or elsewhere. Just received word from ea who said that the originals are part of an American archive. After WW2, nothing much left in the Philippines.

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“Kundiman Magandang Diwata” Jocelyn ng Baliwag, Magandang Diwata”, a kundiman circa 1800.

Full text from YouTube post:

“From 1896 to 1898 the most famous Kundiman, which fired the patriotic sentiments of the Tagalog revolutionaries in the struggle for liberation from Spanish colonial rule, was Jocelyn ng Baliuag. Officially known as Musica del Legitimo Kundiman Procedente del Campo Insurecto (Music of the Legitimate Kundiman that Proceeds from the Insurgents), Jocelynang Baliwag was the favorite Kundiman among the revolutionaries of Bulacan during the Philippine Revolution of 1896 – earning it the title “Kundiman of the Revolution.”In the guise of a love and courtship song, it features lyrics dedicated to a young and beautiful Filipina idolized in the Bulacan town of Baliuag named Josefa ‘Pepita’ Tiongson y Lara who symbolizes the image of the beloved Motherland, the Inang Bayan ng Katagalugan or Filipinas.

JOCELYNANG BALIWAG P- Pinopoong sinta, niring calolowa Nacacawangis mo’y mabangong sampaga Dalisay sa linis, dakila sa ganda Matimyas na bucal ng madlang ligaya. E- Edeng maligayang kinaloclocan Ng galak at tuwang catamis-tamisan Hada cang maningning na ang matunghaya’y Masamyong bulaclac agad sumisical. P- Pinananaligan niring aking dibdib Na sa paglalayag sa dagat ng sakit ‘Di mo babayaang malunod sa hapis Sa pagcabagabag co’y icaw ang sasagip. I- Icaw na nga ang lunas sa aking dalita Tanging magliligtas sa niluha-luha Bunying binibining sinucuang cusa Niring catawohang nangayupapa. T- Tanggapin ang aking wagas na pag-ibig Marubdob na ningas na taglay sa dibdib Sa buhay na ito’y walang nilalangit Cung hindi ikaw lamang, ilaw niring isip. A- At sa cawacasa’y ang kapamanhikan Tumbasan mo yaring pagsintang dalisay Alalahanin mong cung ‘di cahabagan Iyong lalasunin ang aba cong buhay.

The kundiman is a love song and/or a patriotic song that generally expresses lamentation, a longing, a plea, or sorrow. Influenced by the culture of the times and the temper of the Filipino, the kundiman’s purpose was never trivial and ordinary. During the Spanish colonial regime, the kundiman, “Jocelyn ng Baliwag” was disguised as an expression of love for a lady from Bulacan; it was actually an expression of love for the motherland and the hope of setting her free from the Spanish conquistadores. The kundiman’s beat is triple time, in minor key, and its lyrics are poetic, swaying smoothly with either a silent note or a mezzo forte. It is usually sung by a highly trained and skilled vocalist, accompanied by an equally trained and skilled string orchestra, or a pianist, a violinist, and/or a guitarist. No; ordinary vocalists and musicians cannot perform the kundiman. It requires more than just a singing voice and the ability to pluck some strings. If other nations have their opera, the Philippines has its kundiman, uniquely its own.”

Did you know that the Tarlac High School, formerly the Tarlac Provincial High School was the first public high school that was ever established in the Philippines?

In October 1900, Mr Frank R. White was named deputy division superintendent for Tarlac Province and during his incumbency the Tarlac Provincial High School was opened on September 1, 1902, with Mr White as principal of the high school.

A “screen travel” of Manila in the 1930s from what could be a rare film footage.  Could this really be Manila? The city streets look clean, Pasig River was a primary means of moving people and business… One wonders what sort of culture is needed to transform a city to what it is now.  Could this city transformation happen only in the Philippines?