Quirino Grandstand Flags. The location of the hostage drama
Indeed, Quirino Grandstand in Luneta, central Manila, capital of the Philippines, is one historical place. It was here where several presidents took their oaths, celebrate the independence of the country from the United States, concerts and a whole lot more. It is a landmark dedicated to the former President Elpidio Quirino. The Grandstand that I guess all Filipinos know and synonymous to Luneta and Rizal Park–just several meters away from the place. On August 01, 2010, the 15th President of the Republic of the Philippines, Benigno Aquino III, took oath here. On August 23, 2010–a massacre unfolds as a former policeman took hostage of Hong Kong nationals in a stand-off that left the hostage and several hostages dead, and a mark of trauma in the image of the Philippines in the international community. Luneta has seen another blood spilt over her domain.
Oct
10
2010
Plaza Mexico: A Little Forgotten Spot in Intramuros
by Berniemack Arellano
October 10, 2010
The 400 Years of Maritime Expedition Monument of Mexico and Philippines
While most of the people focused on the landing of Galeón Andalucia in Manila last week, my friend Gibb and I stumbled on this area that seemed to have been forgotten by time (and perhaps some maintenance too) itself. Called as Plaza Mexico, this place–the banks of Pasig River in Intramuros Manila–has been the original port of call of the fabled galleons of the past. Indeed, the 270 years of galleon trade that became one of the Spanish Empire’s economic machinery and an event that triggered globalization into a whole new level.
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Tags: Galleon, galleon trade, Intramuros, Legazpi, Maestranza, Manila, Mexico, monument, Pasig River, Philippines, Plaza Mexico, Urdaneta