"We come across the same story repeatedly in Asia, that historic neighbourhoods are at risks, but there are locals who care. We are glad to be part of the Quiapo project working with young and committed groups, and we hope that this will be an important step to the path of revitalizing and rejuvenating this overlooked neighbourhoods," -Stephanie Cheung, iDiscover
10 REASON WHY YOU SHOULD NOT VISIT QUIAPO MANILA
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| Bahay ng Katipunero |
I'm always in the area once in a while since I was young, until now I never encountered nor experienced any petty crime every time that I walk around the area. There might be stories or incidents of petty crimes all the place, but it's a matter of being aware and cautious about your surroundings, like in any places in the world.
2.There's nothing special or exciting about the place, it's just a place surrounded by shanty, abandoned buildings and pile of garbage.
The truth is, Quiapo has a lot of hidden gems all over the place. Landmarks that signifies the heritage of culture, arts and tradition. My personal experience joining the iDiscoverQuiapo Tour was actually full of surprises, I've been there for almost half of my life visiting different spots and I was still surprised on how rich is the community when it comes to its hidden beauty. Even the people that I've been with during the tour were surprised that there are a lot of beautiful spots in the area, places that they cannot imagine that exist.
3.Joining the local tour in the community of Quiapo is just a waste of time.
If you are a person who's interested with discovering the hidden gems and the way of life of the people of old Manila, you should join the local tours in Manila as it opens your mind with the rich history of Manila and possibly our country as it has the advanced way of living during those times. It will broaden your knowledge on the techniques that the Filipino or Manileño of the past used on transportation, architecture and lifestyle. Plus if your curios enough to know more about the surprising facts of the past you should definitely join the upcoming tours.
4.Manila has a very discriminating culture that it excludes the people from other parts of the country.
The truth of the matter is Quiapo in Manila is a melting pot of different cultures from different places in the country. In fact the Muslims and the Christians and other religions are living peacefully in the community. The community has two of the thirteen Basilicas in the country. It has the Golden Mosque for our Muslim brothers and sisters and the community is very accommodating to the people as long as you have the values of respect towards other culture.
5.Quiapo is a dangerous community specially that there are Muslims around it.
This is the biggest mistake and a very wrong stereotype that has been circulating in our culture. Muslims are just like the Christians and the Catholics that wanted to live in peace and focusing their lives in honor of God. Yes we might have differences in our practices, beliefs and religion, but we have this common values that we must share. Human, Filipinos we are just one. We all have this primal constant and primal need of love, respect and belongingness. Equality in the society is very essential for everyone to live in peace and harmony. Our encounter with the Muslim community and the Muslim leader was so peaceful and accommodating. They're open in accepting guest from different cultures and walks of life to observe inside the Golden Mosque provided that you follow the proper dress code. For the male guest they must be wearing a smart casual attire, no shorts and sando allowed. For the female guest they must wear the Hijab and must not show skin inside the mosque. Remember that mosque is a sacred place for the Muslim people and we must respect their culture for us to be welcomed to their place of worship.
The garments are also available and for sale outside the Mosque, you can choose from the design that you want. They don't discourage outsiders to wear the garments in fact they would want their guest to wear the traditional garments in visiting the place.
6.Culinary adventure is boring and nothing exciting to eat or discover in the place.
If you think that Quiapo is just a place for your street food and commercial food, you are actually mistaken. Since it is a melting pot of different culture it also has a wide variety of authentic cuisines from the Chinese, Filipino, Halal and many more. To discover more about the secrets of Quiapo you may download the iDiscoverManila app on your mobile device and the map will lead you to the best and affordable places to eat around the community that would require you to travel to different place just to try the culinary secrets of different cultures. If you are also a coffee lover there's an 85 year old coffee place along Gonzalo Puyat Street that offers the tradition style of brewed coffee that allows the guest customized their drink according to your taste. The Coffee place doesn't have a name but we decided to call it Lumang Kapihan sa Quiapo, just to put a mark on it. Plus, if you are into trying Maranao dishes you are very welcomed to visit the Muslim community near the Golden Mosque to try their delicacies.
7.The place is too congested plus the traffic is too terrible.
If you are adventurous enough walking within the the community with your friends or group of tourist is a good idea. Surprisingly, it has a lot of alley leading you to the shortest way and the most accessible way going to your destinations. Walking around the area was quite enjoyable and educational as it showcase different historical sites and significant places all over the community. Aside from that Quiapo is accessible via LRT1 and LRT2 so if you want to have this old Manila experience on a weekend it is gonna be the most accessible destination for you special if you just leave near by the area.
8.It is a community full of criminals and syndicates, where people are troublesome.
The place is actually surrounded by 3 main places of worship, the Golden Mosque, Quiapo Church, San Sebastián Basilica and other chapels around the place. Plus if you are to walk to the community the image of the Black Nazareno is everywhere. Just like in any other places Quiapo is a mixture of good and bad people, the concerned and careless members of the community. As I walk along the alleys and the streets of the community I noticed that there were elder ladies who's keeping the peace and order in the place telling the young people to act accordingly and do not disturb the flow of the tour, and with that I can see hope that there is still a room for improvement a room for progress and to bring back the glory of the community.
If the people in the community will have this collaborative effort of improving the present condition of the place with the help of the local government, surely Quiapo could be a beautiful tourist destination in Manila.
9.The place is hopeless and soon shall be just another big junkyard.
With the efforts of the people in the community and the concern of the people to rejuvenate and restore its beauty, it has a great potential to be a dynamic and competitive tourist destination in Southeat Asia, who knows, could be the whole world. The united effort and vision of the people towards the beautification of the community is very important.
Quiapo, as a community tells a lot of stories and great values from the people of the past. It has this great mixture of past and present harmoniously existing in one place. It has this richness that most of the people just set aside. We must be aware of what we have. We must be proud of what we have in order to be confident in facing the bigger challenges of the world. We are globally competitive, at the same time some of us doesn't know our roots because of lack of information, lack of pride and prestige that made us abandon the beauty of the past.
10.It's more exciting to travel in other countries or cities abroad as it has more beautiful spots to take photos.
It takes a lot of effort to promote a specific tourist spot and make it progressive. Yes, it's true but we as your Filipino are actually eager to let the people know how beautiful our country is by participating this kind of tours. If you love the historical places in Korea, surely you'll love the historical places in Manila. There are a lot of plans to restore and bring back the glory of the heritage sites in Manila. You just have to be aware of what we have and how big are those things that we have. To bad that the local government of Manila focuses on the financial growth of the cities allowing the sky line of the city to be covered by tall buildings. They should look at the possible return of investments in restoring the classic and the heritage sites in Manila. We must protect the treasures that witnessed the past like the San Sebastián Basilca and other heritage sites. With our consolidated effort we will be able to save the national treasures and monuments of our history.
Brand X Ph Originals
Written and Photos : JC Salud
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