Monuments of An Ancient City

Rizal Monument. Photo Credit: John Joseph Martin

The National Capital Region (NCR) is the smallest region in the Philippines. NCR has other names like the Metropolitan Manila or Metro Manila for short. Though it may be the smallest region in the county. One must not understate its importance. The region is the country’s political, economic, and educational center. And steep within these lands lay countless stories from a bygone era. Stories of remarkable individuals that echoes to this day. They fuel the fire of nationhood. Serving as the power to enact the sovereignty of the Filipino people.

As such, the people forge marvelous monuments across Metro Manila. They are to remind everyone of those stories. To keep the fire alive in the hearts of the people. There are a great number of monuments in Metro Manila. Featuring every single one will be a fool’s errand. Yet, here are three monuments that might spark some interest in you.

The Monuments Within

Sultan Kudarat Monument. Paseo de Roxas, Makati, Metro Manila — Sultan Kudarat Monument. Photo Credit: John Joseph Martin

Sultan Kudarat by Jose M. Mendoza in 1973. The monument is located in Makati City. It depicts one of the greatest Muslim leaders in the Philippines. Sultan Kudarat united the muslim people of Lanao, Cotabato, Davao, Sulu, Zamboanga and North Borneo against the Spanish. They bitterly resisted Spanish colonization. In the end, they halted the Spanish conquest of Muslim Mindanao.

BANTAYOG NG GOMBURZA. Burgos Street, Ermita, Manila — BANTAYOG NG GOMBURZA. Photo Credit: John Joseph Martin

BANTAYOG NG GOMBURZA is one of the newest monuments in Manila. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) unveiled the monument on 17th February 2021. The monument is located in front of the National Museum of Fine Arts. It is a reminder to the martyrdom of Mariano Gomez, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora. Their deaths became the catalyst that started the revolutionary movement in the country. Their ultimate sacrifice led to ending Spanish rule in the Philippines.

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Memorare Manila 1945. General Luna St, Intramuros, 658 Zone 70, Manila, 1002 Metro Manila — Memorare Manila 1945. Photo Credit: John Joseph Martin

Memorare Manila 1945. The monument is a dedication to the 300,000 defenseless civilians killed during the Battle of Manila. It presents clocked woman holding her dead infant while scattered around her are the murdered citizens of Manila. It also serves to remind us of the maddening horrors of the war. And that we should do our best to prevent anything like that from happening again.

Call to Action

I hope these monuments have inspired you. And that it pushed you to visit the other fantastic monuments in NCR. We must not forget the stories within those monuments. And just visiting them, you are rekindling the fire of their lessons.