Manila, the capital of the Philippines, is rich in history and cultural diversity. It became a bastion of Spanish might as evidenced by the walls of Intramuros when the Philippines was under the rule of Spain for more than 300 years. When Spain ceded the control of the Philippines to the United States in 1898, Manila had undergone major transformation under the American occupation. More schools, roads, bridges and other infrastructure were erected and changes in lifestyle were patterned in the American way. The efficiency and organizational skills of the Americans had completely modernized Manila. It has been said that the streets of Manila were so clean and pristine that one can even sleep in their houses with the windows wide open and not even using a mosquito net! Oh Manila! How I wish things were still this way! Folks who had lived in Manila during this period can attest that Manila had reached its golden age and had become one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Tourists and visitors in Manila had no doubt in their minds why Manila had been dubbed as "The Pearl of the Orient". Spectacular view of the Manila Bay sunset or just a romantic stroll at the Luneta Park can leave one breathless at the majestic beauty of Manila. The tide of history had reached its low ebb on Manila during World War II when Japan invaded the Philippines in 1942. American generals indeed had looked at Manila as a precious gem worthy to be treasured that military personnel and combatants were pulled out of Manila and declared it as an open city to spare Manila from destruction in the ravages of war. It's very unfortunate that it was ignored by the Japanese who had made Manila as a major battleground especially during the closing moments of the war. Historians often agree as compared to the war devastation of major cities around the world, Manila ranked second only to Warsaw. Manila had been in a total state of devastation when World War II ended. The post-war Manila was never the same again and the city had a difficult time regaining its former glory. Despite of this, life was still good in the 50's and 60's when the peso rate to the dollar is just 2 to 1. The common mindset of the Filipinos during this period is that Manila is viewed as a paradise and a haven of opportunities. Very few even had the yearning of going abroad to work and most Filipinos especially in the provinces had that dream of living and being part of the liveliness of Manila. This situation slowly began to have its drawbacks as the population of Manila grew. A very critical moment in the history of the Philippines was when Martial Law was declared in 1972 under President Marcos. Manila was burdened economically and cannot sustain its growing population which has the resulting consequence of having informal settlers or squatters. Corruption was rampant during this dictatorship and many Filipinos during this time began entertaining thoughts of migrating abroad just to escape the clutches of the bad effects of Martial Law. It is indeed very rare and unusual in a dictatorial regime that one is still free to go abroad and this was taken advantage of by professionals, intellectuals and highly-skilled workers. Thus the exodus of Filipinos going abroad had actually began in the 70's when the economy showed signs of deterioration. It is usually with a heavy heart and reluctance that Filipinos feel when leaving their beloved country. The close family ties and the strong bond with friends and loved ones makes it very hard to part ways to work in an alien territory. It was during this period that the song "Manila" was composed and was sung by the band Hotdogs. The song echoes the sentiments of the Pinoys living abroad. It was a monster hit when it was released in the 70's and Filipinos abroad became very nostalgic about this classic song. Just listening to the lyrics accompanied by the lively beat of this song had somehow put a smile in the hearts of the Pinoys abroad amidst the feeling of homesickness and the longing to be back and see Manila once again in all its splendor and glory...

• published: 20 Dec 2012
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