I never expected to write about anywhere else aside from my inner world while being in the university. But while I'm here in Luzon, might as well talk about the other places I've visited, and that includes Intramuros.

To be honest, I didn't expect to end up here. I just thought it would be a good consolation since the National Museum wasn't open that day.

My original plan was: (1) Travel to Pasay using any of the buses to LRT Buendia, (2) ride a Mototaxi from Buendia to the National Museum and (3) spend two-six hours there googly eyeing on historical relics and reading about everything there is to read about my country's heritage and culture before my bus to Baguio scheduled late in the evening.

I couldn't believe that same day I tried with all faith to reach the museum, I experienced firsthand the problematic flooding in some of the areas, especially in Quiapo.

Some things don't work out the way we originally planned. When I arrived, the museum was understandably closed due to the heavy rainfall. But instead of letting the rest of my day go to waste, I realized that I was only a few meters away from one of the entrances into the walled city -- Intramuros.

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_{Ode To The Motherland By Darby Vincent Arcoseba}

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And what do you know? I still was able to visit an art exhibit hosted by one of the buildings. When I got there, I almost got a bit emotional because it was an exhibit featuring my home island, Bohol. Even miles away-- a language barrier away-- people still paint and sing of my home island's beauty. Things like these fill my weary Filipino heart with much pride in the midst of what my countrymen and I have been going through as a nation the past few months-- a flood control scandal, earthquakes (plural), typhoons (plural), and floodings (plural).

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_{Other featured paintings}

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Intramuros: Manila’s Walled Legacy

Intramuros, meaning “within the walls,” is a 0.67-square-kilometer historic district at the heart of Manila. Built in 1571 as the seat of Spanish colonial power, it was once the entire city of Manila, encircled by massive fortifications. Beyond its walls lay independent towns called "extramuros" — now Manila’s modern districts.

For over three centuries, Intramuros housed the governor-general, the Real Audiencia, and served as the religious, educational, and economic hub of the Spanish East Indies. It was the center of the famed Manila-Acapulco galleon trade, linking Asia to the Americas. Today, Intramuros stands as a living monument to the Philippines’ colonial past.

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_{Intramuros Streetscape}

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As a Filipino, I've only been hearing about this place from textbooks and biographies of my country's heroes like Jose Rizal, Apolinario Mabini and the like. I never imagined to set foot in its cobblestone streets and have a chat with one of the traffic enforcers in a Rayadillo uniform.

Intramuros holds not only historical, but also personal significance for me as I used to study Jose Rizal's life in depth-- from his novels, to the chronological order of his life's happenings, to his writings, to his women (Yes, plural), his TOTGA, his subversiveness, and values of his that I still do my best to hold onto today.

Intramuros was where he went to study medicine, specifically in University of Sto. Tomas and where he was held while awaiting trial at Fort Santiago. I'd like to think that somewhere along the cobblestone roads, he and generations of my colonized ancestors also lived a life-- sipping hot coffee or sikwate during afternoons and pairing it with freshly baked pan de sal. All while watching kalesas pass by.

People have done a great job preserving the key historical and architectural spots in the area. One of the churches, San Agustin, is actually considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Later, I also headed to Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Although I can't remember the last time I attended a Roman Catholic mass, there are days just like then, where I still gravitate towards cathedrals and what they spiritually and culturally signify.

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_{Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception}

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_{Church of San Agustin (left); a streetscape (upper right) and a monument in honor of Charles IV, King of Spain (1788-1808), errected in gratitude for decreeing the introduction of vaccine for smallpox in the Philippines (bottom right)}

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_{Cafes, bakeries and restaurants inside Intramuros flaunting its Old Manilenyo vibe}

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In the same area, I was able to take pictures of the World War II Memorare Manila 1945 that honors the more than 100,000 innocent civilians killed during the Battle of Manila in February 1945. Behind it by the way, is a time capsule that is to be opened in the 18th of February, 2045-- one hundred years from the date of the Battle of Manila.

This Unexpected Side-venture Got Me Thinking

In the middle of the heaviness brought upon by seeing my countrymen struggle, how much my ancestors struggled-- from colonialism, war, lost identity, and now, corruption-- would I give up my Filipino identity? Should I give up and become another number, another statistic on casualties of idealists giving up and jump ship because it certainly has become so difficult to stay afloat in a system that continually betrays its own people.

I never believed in death penalty, but just by seeing our neighboring countries put to death the corrupt while the ones in ours put on a humiliating circus, while the ordinary countrymen wade through the flood caused by the massive negligence of the institutions that are supposed to protect them, death penalty actually does start to sound enticing.

It's times like these where I relate to Simoun more than Crisostomo Ibarra. But as long as I'm breathing I guess, I'd like to work towards the hope that things are going to get better. People are waking up, and we need to treat hope as a scarce resource after all.

_{Roxanne Marie is a twenty-year-old something who calls herself the Protean Creator.}

_{She has a background in chemical engineering, worked as a public school teacher, and currently, retrying her luck as a blogger with passion and frustration, and lastly, a life enthusiast. She loves open discourse, witty musings, discussions about abstract and tangible ideas, and any opportunity where she can insert memes into the conversation. She is doing her best to walk the way of love.}

_{She is on a mission to rediscover her truth through the messy iterative process of learning, relearning and unlearning, and openly discusses the ideas and thoughts that are born from her experiences here on Hive.}

_{Currently, she is taking her Masters in UP Los Banos, Laguna, all the while documenting her misadventures, misfortunes, pagka-hugotera, reflections and shenanigans as a working-class millennial.}

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