The city of Manila offers many places to visit. From the Casa Manila to the intramuros and through various parks of the pearl of the East. A day will not be enough to go around this mega city. Towards the Pasay district, you will find the Mall of Asia, the largest shopping centre in the country and entire Asia. The beautiful A quick overview of this place that naturally amplifies the sunsets.
Manila Bay, a look back at history
Long before it was a must-see for lovers and tourists, the bay witnessed the first historical battle of the Spanish-American War in 1898. Wanting to retake this strategic point of the Pacific, the Americans advanced four cruisers and two gunboats against the five Spanish ships present in Manila Bay.
After a battle of almost 6 hours, American ships annihilated the enemy. The record of exceptional losses shows very well the domination of America over the Kingdom of Spain. In fact, 167 Spaniards lost their lives. However, only one American died not from enemy fire, but from heart attack. A battle that began the American conquest of the Philippines.
A major ecological turning point for the city
Far from this battle, which has become almost anonymous in the eyes of the public, Manila Bay has experienced less glorious times. Tourists were no longer paying attention to it and the locals had turned it into an open dump. The opening of the SM Mall of Asia, Asia’s largest shopping centre did not change the game of the bay situation either.
In 2017, far from the bay, President Rodrigo Duterte, more famous for his controversial war on drugs than for his good deeds, decided to take action against pollution on the island of Boracay. After more than a year of cleaning, the place regains its former beauty and becomes an earthly paradise again. In view of this success, the secretariat for the environment decided to take over the city of Manila. The plan was clear, we had to start at the bay. Using the same means as Boracay and receiving help from tourists a. Environmentally sensitive premises, 40 tons of waste are removed from the shore.
A few months after cleaning, walking on the bay took on a whole new dimension. The place is clean and nice. Restaurants opened all along the bay. Thus, we can finally enjoy once again the shade of the palm trees, the sunset and the unmissable atmosphere of this part of Manila. But how long will the Filipino craze for ecology last? Will the bay retain its beauty? How far will the Manila cleanup go? So many questions that will certainly be answered in the years to come.
