Session 7.1: Good Morning Manila

Written by Helen Sneha
Pictures by Jonathan Lim, Sarah Chong and Melissa Chia

2. The Big Binondo Food Wok >>

The architecture of the church is gorgeous

     We headed out into Manila on our first day feeling fresh and upbeat after a short, comfortable flight, a breakfast at Jollibee's, and a few hours of shut-eye. As we took a drive around the city, it gave us great pleasure to point out and compare jeepneys, various words, and buildings with the ones we had grown familiar with in Iloilo. We stopped by The Church of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, and spent some time inside marveling at the architecture and the grandeur. I, for one, had not been aware of what the Black Nazarene was, and learned about it for the first time in the church on that day. It is a statue of Jesus Christ that had apparently turned dark when it survived a fire on its way to the Philippines, and is believed by many to be miraculous. We also spent some time looking upward at the panels on the ceiling depicting the birth of Christ on one hand and his crucifixion on the other.

The inside (where Mass was being celebrated) is an unusually large, open space without any pillars to block the gaze of the faithful

     Street children from the square outside wandered in and began going around our group asking for spare change. Most of them were barefoot and many were in old clothes that could not cover them properly. They stood along the pews begging in stark contrast to the magnificence of the church. It was not long before they were captivated by the camera of one of our photography team and happily posed for a few photos with their faces in between the slats of the pews. 

Street children tug at tourists, something that came as a shock to us after Iloilo

     Outside the church, many stalls were set up. These sold a large variety of things. There were multi-coloured rosaries on display at many of the stalls, and a few of us stopped to buy some for our families at home. One seller was excited to learn that we were from Malaysia, and even spoke some Malay. He told us that he had worked in Malaysia for three years, but that he had been deported back to the Philippines by the government. We wished him well and carried on walking around the square. Some children in the center were playing with a kite made of thin rattan rods and a blue garbage bag. 

Quiapo reminded us of a pasar malam. Needless to say, we felt quite at home.

    Street children playing with a garbage bag kite

   Rattan goods were on sale at many stalls around the area. Products ranged from small pieces of furniture to hats, containers, balls, baskets, and fans. We spotted a few shops selling congkak boards – congkak is a traditional game involving counting and dropping marbles into little hollowed-out cups in a board, and one many of us are familiar with from childhood. Many little stalls also sold novelty items like Gangnam Style handkerchiefs and towels. However, we saw many items on sale which we had seen in similar stalls in Iloilo, such as little gold-adorned costumes, garlands, and wreaths. We saw many candle stalls around. These sold an assortment of colorful candles which you buy and light for a special person. Many had lists on the front explaining what each color signified, and there were stubs nearby where candles had already been lit and burned down. Quite a number of people came out of the church into the square and lit candles. 

    At the end of the morning, we were dropped off at the Binondo Church. Some of our number bought holy water at the church’s entrance while others lit a candle in the outer shrine. Finally, we met our guide for ‘The Big Binondo Food Wok’ and proceeded into an afternoon of exploring Chinatown in Old Manila.

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Helen is a third-year Bachelor of Arts student, double-majoring in Writing and International Studies. She is hopelessly interested in tennis, funky rings, dinosaurs, and the human hand.