Binary Silver

Series 49: Malate market vendors

Series 49: Malate market vendors

Series 49: Malate market vendors

One of the country’s foremost authority on colonial churches (Catholic), Regalado Trota Jose, Ricky for short, has crisscrossed the country documenting the Philippines’ rich religious colonial heritage. He has also written and published several books on the subject including the very informative Simbahan.

Ever since I have read that book, I have always looked upon the author as someone that I should meet personally and that wish finally materialized during a workshop on Paletada of the San Agustin Museum.

Last Sunday, upon the invitation of a friend, I joined his UST class on cultural heritage in a walk around historic Intramuros which he personally conducted. The amount of information was just overwhelming as we toured Fort Santiago, San Agustin, Manila Cathedral and visited the original sites of UST and the major churches as well as climbed the walls of this ancient enclave.

A softspoken (but can sometimes be direct and sharp to drive home a point) man, I find him easy to talk with and gels cooly with his students. Later this year or early next year, he will be releasing his book on church bells.

I was thankful to Joel Marquez, a heritage enthusiast that I befriended during the Paletada seminar a few months ago for inviting me to join him in Ricky Jose’s UST class for their Intramuros walk last Sunday.

And frankly, I was just too willing, obliging and happy that the one who will be conducting it is one of the country’s foremost authority on colonial simbahan (church, specifically Catholic).

I should confess that I’ve not been around much of Intramuros except for frequent visits at San Agustin while doing the museum’s book project, passes along Manila Cathedral and visiting the places where the formerly main churches of the religious orders were standing but were totally destroyed during WWII and never rebuilt.

I should also confess that despite having seen many photos of the entrance of Fort Santiago, I was hardpressed before of its real location as I didn’t know that this premier fort is only found at the far end of the walled city.

Well, with Ricky’s walk tour, Intramuros is now familiar to me including its many secrets.