EIGHTY YEARS AGO in February, 100,000 people died as the city of Manila burned.

For 30 days, the Philippine capital was caught up in a clash between the Japanese and American armed forces in a bloody, destructive battle at the tail end of World War II.

It is an event that many of the nearly 15 million current inhabitants of the gigantic metropolis that is Metro Manila have only a vague awareness of. It was, after all, 80 years ago, and the survivors who can tell the tale are fading fast. To combat this forgetfulness and to save the stories, every February is filled with events to memorialize the people and places who were caught up in the Battle of Manila.

This year, the Nilad Community, an organization composed of heritage and touring groups operating in Manila, is offering for the first time a series of Battle of Manila tours. The participating groups are Manila Girls, Don’t Skip Manila, The Heritage Collective, Renacimiento Manila, and WanderManila.

The series is set to take place on the following dates and locations: Feb. 8 in Sampaloc, Feb. 9 in Binondo, Feb. 15 in Malate, Feb. 22 in Intramuros, and March 1 in Ermita.

Across the five tours, the Nilad Community and its member groups aim to provide not just history lessons, but “an invitation to confront the reality of loss and, more importantly, the responsibility of preserving what remains.”

“We’ve each done our own iterations of this before, but this is the first time that it’s consolidated into one program, with one set of promotions for the entire series,” Renacimiento Manila founder Diego Torres told BusinessWorld in a short conversation in Manila.

Each of the five chosen neighborhoods in Manila will be showcased through their sites of catastrophe during the war.

For WanderManila head tour guide Benjamin Canapi, tours are one way to help “deepen people’s understanding of Manila beyond being a chaotic and confounding city.” Recently, he led the Luneta Art Fair that made Rizal Park a center of art for the second year in a row.

“The work we do is our way of presenting Manila in a new light,” he told BusinessWorld in an online interview in January.

Registration for the first two tours this weekend — those in Sampaloc, which focuses on the University of Santo Tomas which served as a Japanese internment camp for enemy civilians, and in Binondo, the oldest Chinatown in the world which turned into a battleground — close on Feb. 6. 

Next up on Feb. 15 and 22 are Malate and Ermita, neighborhoods that endured unimaginable devastation and were the sites of some of the worst massacres of the war.

The series concludes on the first day of March, in the historic walled city of Intramuros, which was reduced to ruins in the battle’s final harrowing days. Only San Agustin Church was left standing.

Some of the trails have been adjusted, said Stephen John Pamorada of The Heritage Collective, which means those who have gone through any of the five participating heritage groups’ Battle of Manila-centered tours before can expect something new.

“This is more than a tour. It is a tribute to the courage, chaos, and sacrifices that shaped Manila’s history,” the members of the Nilad Community wrote in a post online.

“Together, let us honor the past and safeguard the stories that remain.”

All tours are P800 each, inclusive of commemorative merchandise. The full schedule and details regarding the Battle of Manila tour series can be found on the Nilad Community’s social media pages. Register via https://forms.gle/MT6imQqZUKtn7B4S8. — Brontë H. Lacsamana

MODERNIST PAINTER Nena Saguil was a Filipino pioneer of abstract art. But aside from the impact of her cosmic paintings and ink drawings, there is a side of her not many know — that she was a woman of the Filipino diaspora. From the age of 40, she had lived in Paris, France, to pursue a career in painting.

Menial work sustained Ms. Saguil’s artistic practice throughout the 1950s and 1960s, her dedication to her art shining through despite being away from the Philippines. This thread of the diasporic experience has since continued across generations of Filipino artists.

With the goal to “bring something refreshing yet resonant to the local art scene,” boutique multi-platform creative brand The Art House has mounted a tribute show for Ms. Saguil, featuring a collection of works by nine artists from the Filipino diaspora.

Titled LAKBAY: Voyages into the Absolute with Nena Saguil, the exhibit will be on view at the mezzanine of Discovery Primea from Feb. 8 to 12. “Having my aunt as the point artist showcasing expatriate work really would have been a dream come true for her, if she was still around,” said Ms. Saguil’s nephew, Benjamin Saguil, at the media launch of the exhibit on Jan. 27.

“The Philippine art community is really progressing, even in the other side of the world in Europe and the United States, where they are showcasing that unique experience of being in a different culture and yet maintaining their character as a Filipino,” he added.

A COMMON LINK TRACED
The exhibit features work by Jana Benitez, Rose Cameron, Kim Cruz, John Wayne Forte, and Jaclyn Reyes in the US, Lizza May David in Germany, Marissa Gonzalez in Switzerland, Racso Jugarap in Belgium, and Kulay Labitigan in the UK. The exhibit was curated by Marika Constantino in partnership with the Nena Saguil Foundation.

“We’re very lucky that the foundation loaned to us several pieces to be displayed. The nine artists we tapped, who are intergenerational and from different parts of the world, all responded and reacted to Ms. Saguil’s works,” explained Ms. Constantino.

“The diasporic experience, which may be consciously or unconsciously manifested in their artworks, is a common linkage with the artists in this exhibition,” she added.

The works can be very different. For example, Marissa Gonzalez, a figurative painter based in Switzerland, currently works in the tromp l’oeil illusory style of realism using grisaille painting on stained glass. Meanwhile, Kulay Labitigan works with colorful yarn assemblage to make an installation reflecting the “digital island” that overseas Filipino workers reside in. He draws from the contrasting experiences of his sunny childhood in rural Quezon province and his current life as a gay Filipino migrant in London.

As a curator, Ms. Constantino said that the exhibit aims to be both “a visual conversation and art experience that honors the stories of the Philippine diaspora,” with Ms. Saguil’s life and work as an anchor point.

In a quote highlighted by The Art House, Ms. Saguil once said, “Your ‘roots’ will always be expressed in anything you do.

“I think we are too conscious of being ‘Filipino.’ The important thing is sincerity… Therefore, one must free oneself — within one’s self.”

A VENUE FOR THE GLOBAL FILIPINO
The Art House is a platform for Philippine artists, community engagement, and cultural exchange. Founded in 2019 by Juan Carlo Pineda, Maritess Pineda, and Maiqui Pineda — all from the Pineda family of art collectors — the platform endeavors to create a common ground for both the audience and artists.

“For National Art Month, we wanted to present a different proposition, something new and fresh. We were keen on bringing audiences stories and experiences not usually found in the local art market,” said Mr. Pineda, chief executive officer of The Art House, at the launch.

“We’d like to think that our work as a platform helps to revitalize the patron-artist relationship,” he added.

The artists participating in Lakbay were handpicked by the boutique platform from recommendations by industry insiders and extensive research. The Tourism Promotions Board and the British Council are also exhibit partners, helping in bringing the nine artists back to the motherland for a series of talks.

From Feb. 9 to 12, one or two of the artists will be sharing their insights at 4 p.m. at the exhibition space, for visitors to understand the various processes and practices on display.

“We are an artist’s platform, focused on talent and highlighting what they have to say,” said Mr. Pineda. “Unlike the traditional gallery, we have a clear vision for engaging with local communities.”

For more information about The Art House, visit www.arthouseph.com or follow them on Instagram via @thearthouse_. — Brontë H. Lacsamana