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MANILA |
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The capital of the Philippines is technically known as Metro Manila
- a grouping of ten smaller urban areas - but is usually referred to
simply as MANILA . Today's accepted wisdom is that Manila will never be
a serious tourist destination until the authorities deal with the twin
evils of traffic and pollution. Most tourists are in the capital because
they have a day or two to kill either at the beginning or the end of a
trip to the rest of the country. But all is not lost. In its favour,
Manila has friendly people, some excellent nightlife, a few sights that
are worth the effort, plus some of the biggest and ritziest shopping
malls in Asia. At first sight, Manila may seem clamorous, unkempt and a
bit rough around the edges, but what it lacks in architectural
sophistication it makes up for with an accessible chaotic charm. The way
to enjoy it is to step into the fray and go with the flow, which is
exactly what Manilenos have learned to do.
Manila started life as a tiny settlement around the banks of the Pasig
River. The name comes from the words may ("there is") and nilad (a type
of plant that grew near the Pasig). With Spanish colonization, Manila
grew into an important port. King Philip II of Spain called it Insigne y
Siempre Leal Ciudad (Distinguished and Ever Loyal City). Images of the
city in the eighteenth century show grand merchants' houses and
schooners moored in the Pasig. The area around Bindondo, later to become
Chinatown, was alive with mercantile activity. Before World War II,
Manila was one of the most elegant and cosmopolitan cities in the
Orient. But when the smoke cleared at the end of Japanese occupation in
March 1945, it was in ruins, having undergone relentless shelling from
American howitzers and been set alight by remaining Japanese troops. The
Battle of Manila lasted 29 days and claimed 100,000 civilian lives.
Rebuilding was slow and plagued by corruption and government inertia. As
a consequence, the city that greets visitors today is one of emotional
counterpoints, with areas of extreme poverty and degradation lying cheek
by jowl with tower blocks and designer boutiques.
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