A tour through history in Tondo, Manila

May 12, 2023

The mainstream perspective of Tondo is rather negative. Filipinos and even tourists familiar with Manila perceive the district as a dilapidated and dangerous part of the city. But when I joined a history tour organized by Renacimiento Manila and the Heritage Collective, I was able to see a side of Tondo not many get to see.

“This is not a slum tour,” shared Stephen John Pamorada. Stephen or SJ was born and raised in Tondo, specifically in San Nicolas which includes a part of Divisoria and sits on the northern bank of the Pasig river. He is part of the Heritage Collective, which works with local governments and communities to spread awareness of local historical and heritage places. The collective joined Diego Torres’ Renacimiento Manila in leading the tour, which involved a number of plazas, a part of Divisoria, Tondo Church, among other areas.

Tondo is the largest district of Manila, and according to SJ’s research, is the oldest documented polity or kingdom mentioned in the Philippines. “Polity” and “kingdom” are western terms SJ shared, but Filipinos obviously use their own terminology.

Bayan ng Tondo

“Tondo was a bayan,” added SJ. He went to give examples, Bayan ng Antipolo, Bayan ng Laguna… bayan is a term Filipinos use in referring to a town or even one’s entire country. SJ went to describe how large Tondo was even back then. For that, I urge readers to one day join his tour.

An early recorded definition of bayan can be found in the Vocabulario de la lengua tagala or Vocabulary of the Tagalog language written in 1613. I found six definitions for the term, ranging from “Pueblo, espacio que hay de aqui al cielo,” or “town, a space encompassing land and sky,” to “dia” and “tiempo” or “day” and “time”.

Excerpt of definition for the word bayan in the Vocabulario de la lengua tagala by Pedro de San Buena Ventura.

Barangay is listed under “balangay” in the same dictionary, and defines it as a large ship of up to 16 people, or a neighborhood or complex of several neighborhoods, among a few other meanings.

Excerpt of definition for the word balangay in the Vocabulario de la lengua tagala by Pedro de San Buena Ventura.

Divisoria history

Tondo indeed was, and still is, an area of importance in Manila. Another well-known location straddles Tondo: Divisoria, infamous for being a central hub and location where various goods are sold and sourced. From electronics to school supplies, cooking and restaurant supplies to custom fabrics and wedding dresses, Divisoria has it available at competitive prices, and in bulk.

It turns out that the wide street that “divides” or marks the border between Tondo and the two districts of San Nicolas and Binondo, is large for a reason. Recto Ave is the wide throughway where the LRT2 train line ends, but the rest of Recto Ave was also once an old railway that linked today’s Divisoria area to the pier at Manila Bay.

Tour in Divisoria, Claro M Recto Ave, previously Paseo de Azcárraga — The tour continued down Claro M Recto Ave in Divisoria, in Tondo, Manila.

Could this be the reason why Divisoria is what it is today? Because of its link to the rest of the Philippines via shipping routes that ended and started in one of Luzon’s largest and oldest bayans? I’ll have to save that question for my next tour with the Heritage Collective. There is another reason why Recto Ave is so wide, but this too, I’ll save for your own experience of the tour one day.

Tondo Church aka Santo Nino de Tondo Parish

A tour in one of the most Catholic countries in Asia is not complete without mention of some sort of religious site. As with most districts and towns, there is a prominent church, and in Tondo we visited the Santo Nino de Tondo Parish.

It was established during the 1500s, and the structure that stands today was completed by the late 1800s. There is a Jollibee in front of the church, which SJ noted actually marked the original shore of Manila Bay before the area was eventually filled in and reclaimed. I was later able to find old photos of Tondo Church and had fun comparing them side to side with the photos I took from the tour.

1900s photo vs 2023 photo of Tondo Church — 1899-1901 photo vs 2023 photo. The old photo is from the US Library of Congress, University of Wisconsin, Madison via J Tewell Flickr.

Tondo Church 1945 vs 2023 photos — 1945 vs 2023 photos of Tondo Church’s facade. The old photo of Tondo church is from March 6, 1945, by Signal Corps Tec 4 Ira Rosenberg, US National Archives, via J Tewell Flickr.

Inside Tondo Church, 1945 vs 2023. — Inside Tondo Church 1945 vs today. Old photo of inside Tondo Church from Signal Corps, Tec 4 Ira Rosenberg US National Archives, via J Tewell Flickr.

As we were walking, I noticed an artist sketching the church with a ball point pen. It was impressive to see him depict the church as the tour moved forward. Despite the many distractions and constant movement, he was able to get a lot of the church’s details on his notepad. Do check out his work on Instagram at @atelier.migz, as well as other Philippine-based urban sketchers at Urban Sketchers PH.

Tondo church sketch by @atelier.migz of urbanaketchersmanila — Tondo church sketch by @atelier.migz of Urban Sketchers PH.

Accidental tree tour

As someone who is an enthusiast for Philippine native tree species, I couldn’t help but notice the blooming Narra trees (Pterocarpus indicus). They’re most evident by the small yellow flowers and pedals that fall whenever a breeze or strong wind blows by. Even the statues, busts, and plazas dedicated to the historical figures we studied were covered in narra pedals.

PHOTO: Bust of Domingo Franco at Plaza Moriones, Tondo, Manila — Bust of Domingo Franco at Plaza Moriones, Tondo, Manila.

After Tondo Church we learned about a school behind it named after Isabelo de los Reyes or Don Belong, an Ilokano who was a prominent writer, co-founder of the Philippine Independent Church, as well as a vocal critic of Spanish rule during the 1800s. On the campus near the school’s entrance were two beautiful indigenous Philippine trees: the narra (Pterocarpus indicus), and the banaba (Lagerstroemia speciosa).

Narra and banaba tree inside Isabelo Delos Reyes school.

Merienda at Liberty Bakery

As the tour progressed, I was thankful that a portion of the tour route was protected by trees. But as noon approached, the summer sun rose higher, and I found myself slowly confronted with the heat, as well as hunger. Fortunately one of the final stops of the tour involved a 100-year-old bakeshop.

Liberty bakery in Tondo, Manila — The 100-year-old Liberty Bakery in Tondo, Manila.

At Liberty Bakery, SJ introduced us to Dr. Mary Ann Venturina Bulanadi, a cultural heritage restorer and interior design professor from the University of Santo Tomas. She is also known for her work as curator at Bahay Nakpil-Bautista, an ancestral home built in 1914 that later underwent adaptive reuse becoming a heritage museum and event space.

Dr. Mary Ann Venturina Bulanadi, cultural heritage restorer and interior design professor UST.

Dr. Mary Ann spoke to us about adaptive reuse, and how it is used to take an old building and make it something new while preserving much of the original structure and design. This is what she is now doing in collaboration with the Ah family, the Liberty Bakery owners since 1954. The original bakery started in 1922 and was eventually made into the art deco building that stands today.

One of their many offerings is pan de suelo, one of the original baked goods provided by the bakery and many other panaderias in the country. Suelo means floor in Spanish, refering to how it was traditionally baked: on the floor of a wood-burning oven called pugon.

Pan de suelo at Liberty bakery, now baked in a modern oven

Tutuban railway station

The tour would end at Tutuban mall not too far from the Bonifacio monument where we started. There we would be introduced to another structure that is about 130 years old, and was a crucial hub for economic activity in Luzon: the Tutuban railway station.

Columns and beams of the original Tutuban train station are still used and intact for Tutuban mall.

The station was the start and end of the Manila-Dagupan line, which brought goods and people back and forth between Manila and the northern coastal port of Pangasinan in Dagupan. The station was completed in 1892, and marked the beginning of an economic boost in towns all along the railway. Today, the station is one of Manila’s earlier buildings that underwent adaptive reuse: from a busy and bustling train station to a mall, which at times may seem just as busy.

One of the mall entrances of Tutuban mall holds the name main station — One of the mall entrances of Tutuban mall is referred to as Main Station.

Learn more by joining the Tondo tour yourself!

I left out so many details, mainly because so much knowledge, trivia, and historical insight was shared within the 3 hours of the tour.

How do we know Tondo is the oldest documented bayan in the Philippines? What do the small details and designs on the facade of the Liberty bakery represent? What was Recto Ave once called, and what was its significance to historic Tondo and the surrounding districts? Get answers to these questions by joining the tour yourself.

Get updates on tours and events from the following groups

SJ of the Heritage Collective and Diego of Renacimiento Manila are part of a grander umbrella group of Manila heritage conservationists called the Nilad Community. Follow all their pages below and immerse yourself in a Manila many don’t get to see: