The Philippines - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 598

he Silahis Center on General Luna (daily
10am-7pm; free) is an exhibition space
and craft emporium that's worth a wander.
hrough a pretty courtyard at the rear is
the elegant Ilustrado restaurant and its
more affordable café, Kuatro Kantos .
For more information on the sights or
to arrange a walking tour, call into the
Intramuros Visitor Center ( T 02 527
2961), which has a small o ce in the
grounds of Fort Santiago, or take one of
Carlos Celdran's Intramuros walking
tours (see p.606).

where Manuel Roxas, first President of the
third Republic, was sworn in on July 4,
1946. Rizal's execution site is also near
here, close to a memorial commemorating
three priests garrotted by the Spanish for
alleged complicity in the Cavite uprising
of 1872.

The National Museum
At the eastern end of the park lie two
branches of the National Museum of the
Philippines , both housed in buildings
designed by the American architect
Daniel Burnham and well worth a visit.
he National Art Gallery , in what used
to be the Congress Building, houses
a comprehensive range of Filipino
paintings. Directly opposite is the
National Museum of the Filipino People
(both Tues-Sun 10am-5pm; P150,
free on Sun), housed in the former
Government Finance Building with
displays covering geology, zoology,
botany, crafts and weapons.

Fort Santiago
he ruins of Fort Santiago (daily
8am-6pm; P75) stand at the
northernmost end of Intramuros, a
five-minute walk from the cathedral.
Formerly the seat of the colonial powers
of both Spain and the US, it was also a
dreaded prison under the Spanish regime
and the scene of countless military police
atrocities during the Japanese occupation.
Inside is the Rizal Shrine , which houses
the room where José Rizal spent the
hours before his infamous execution and
the original copy of one of the country's
most significant historical documents
- Rizal's valedictory poem, Mi Ultimo
Adios , which was secreted in an oil
lamp and smuggled to his family hours
before his death.

8

Manila Bay
When the capital was in its heyday, Manila
Bay must have been a sight to behold, with
its sweeping panorama across the South
China Sea and its dreamy sunsets. he
sunsets are perhaps more vivid than ever,
thanks to the ever-present blanket of
smog, and Manileños still watch them
from the harbour wall, but much of the
bay feels as if it's trading on its romantic
past. A trip north along the boulevard
from its southern end in Pasay takes you
past the Cultural Center of the Philippines
(CCP) and some of Imelda Marcos's other
follies from the same era, including the
Coconut Palace , an insane structure made
entirely from coconut products (free tours
Tues-hurs at 9am, 10.30am & 2pm;
reserve in advance at T 02 832 6791 or
E

Rizal Park
Rizal Park (popularly known as the
Luneta) was where the colonial-era
glitterati used to promenade after church
every Sunday. hese days, in a city
notoriously short of greenery, the park is
a refuge for couples and families trying to
escape the burning haze of pollution that
hangs over much of Manila. People take
picnics and lounge under trees, though
the park's sundry attractions also include
a recently refurbished planetarium
(Tues-Sat 8am-4.30pm; P50; shows must
be booked in advance by calling T 02 527
7889), an amphitheatre where open-air
concerts are held every Sunday at 5pm,
a giant relief map of the Philippines, and
Chinese and Japanese gardens. At the bay
end of the park, close to the Manila Hotel ,
is the Rizal Memorial and the flagpole

[e-mail]. No sandals or
shorts). She had it built for the pope's visit
in 1981 but he refused to stay there,
denouncing her for wasting such vast sums
of money while people were starving.
Nearby is the Manila Film Center , which
she hoped would turn the city into the
Cannes of the East. Construction was
rushed to beat tight deadlines and as a
result the building collapsed, allegedly