Maynila: A city that is 444 years old 

Four hundred and forty-four years ago, Spanish East Indies Governor-General Miguel López de Legazpi formally founded Ciudad de Manila or the City of Manila. 

 

The area he claimed was once the settlement of the young Rajah Sulayman until June 24, 1571. Not long after, King Philip II of Spain granted Manila the title “Insigne y siempre leal” or “Noble and Ever Loyal City” in 1574. Manila then earned its coat of arms in 1596, which became the basis of today's presidential seal. 

The Spanish settlement was a bay area vulnerable to foreign attacks. After an attack from Chinese pirates and fire destroyed the area, Captain-General Santiago de Vera ordered in 1587 that all structures in Manila should be made of stone. Nipa and bamboo were also replaced with roof tile and brick. 

 

More than a century after, Manila was completely enclosed in stone walls, earning its other name “Intramuros” or “within the walls” in Latin. 

 

By the 18th century, Intramuros became the seat of political, ecclesiastical, and economic power of the Spanish East Indies which then included Philippines, Guam, Palau, and the Marianas. 

 

Not long after, the Spaniards expanded their colonization beyond the Walled City. Intramuros then became part of the larger Provincia de Manila. It included extramuros or the suburbs outside the walls and other towns, which are now part of Metro Manila. 

 

Swampy and coastal 

 

According to the Presidential Museum and Library, scholars have agreed that there existed a settlement called "Manila" even before the Spaniards arrived in 1570. 

 

The general geographic condition of Manila then was believed to be swampy and coastal where mangrove shrubs or trees bearing white flowers called nilad can be found; thus, may nilad. 

Present-day Manila 

 

The City of Manila remains the capital of the Philippines. But the administrative and political centers of the national government are spread throughout Metro Manila. 

 

Malacañan Palace and the Supreme Court are both in Manila while the legislative branch is located in two separate locations, the House of Representatives is in Quezon City and the Senate is in Pasay City. 

 

444th Foundation Day 

 

Work and classes in both public and private schools are suspended on Wednesday for Araw ng Maynila.

 

The celebration of Manila's founding anniversary started on June 15 with a week-long medical mission in several districts of the city. 

 

The city government has also held the 2015 Barangay Awards, a concert at the Rajah Sulayman park dubbed Manila Youth Rocks, and Manila's Got Talent as part of its annual celebration. 

 

A thanksgiving mass at the San Agustin Church followed by wreath-laying ceremonies at the tomb of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in Intramuros and the statue of Rajah Sulayman in Malate was also scheduled today. 

 

The first Mayor Erap Interzone Ten Ball tournament also kicked off at the Senator Arturo Tolentino Sports Complex earlier. 

 

Meanwhile, the new Miss Manila will be crowned at 7 p.m. at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). 

 

According to its website, the proceeds of Miss Manila 2015 will go to the Ospital ng Maynila, and the dialysis center of MARE Foundation, a non-profit institution headed by Dra. Luisa Loi Ejercito-Estrada, wife of former President and incumbent Manila Mayor Joseph "Erap" Estrada. —KG/JJGMA News