Orientation & Identity:

The Historical Perspective of Philippine

Community Planning
Session 6
What was happening in the Philippines
when rationalists or comprehensive
planners were in their heyday?
SETTLEMENT FORMATION IN PRE COLONIAL THE REST OF

PRE-COLONIAL PHILIPPINES PHILIPPINES THE WORLD

1400s
Barangay Spain, Portugal,
A basic socio-political unit, comprised of around 30-100 Britain as the
families; semi-permanent societies subsisting on shifting imminent “world
cultivation, hunting, fishing, and food gathering, also superpowers”;
local chiefdoms. Roman decline

A barangay is said to be lead by a Datu or Rajah, the Discovery of

latter seemingly more powerful sometimes serving as a America by
leader of a consolidation of barangays. Christopher
Columbus

Supra-Barangay China was under

A consolidation of barangays; one common example: the Ming
Manila in the pre-colonial era Dynasty, and
was a great and
powerful empire
The consolidation of barangays is said to be sealed connected to
through the ritual “sandugo”, or blood compact. Such the west by the
chiefdoms emerged most notably (but not limited to) silk road
in the following areas:
The Mamluks,
(1) Manila, Safavids, and
(2) Tondo, Timurids were at
(3) Cebu, and the height of
(4) Jolo. Painting by Fernando Amorsolo their caliphates
 Some
believe it to
Depiction of Discovered remains of “balangay” mother boat in Butuan in 2012
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/321334/scitech/science/massive-
be an origin
balangay-mother-boat-unearthed-in-butuan of the
barangay; a
functioning
government
unit
Found by a Evidence of trade with Ming
Manobo woman China; The porcelain dish was
in the Agusan recovered from the wreck site
Marsh, of a Chinese trading vessel in
Palawan
The Golden
Agusan image is
evidence of
Javanese
influence in the
South

The Gold Agusan image

is now preserved in the
Field Museum, Chicago,
USA.

PRE COLONIAL
PHILIPPINES The Elephant Dish of Lena Shoal. Photo
Credit: Virtual Collection of Asian
Masterpieces.
Some historians believe that tribal minorities in the Philippines that
refused to be under Sri Vijayan influence were forced to retreat to the
PRE COLONIAL PHILIPPINES
mountains upon the arrival of Moslem forces.

Accordingly, this explains the concentration of tribal minorities such as

the Manobos, T’Boli, Ifugao et al. in the highlands of the Philippines.

During the 16th

century, Sultan
Bulkeaiah of Brunei
conquered the
Kingdom of Tondo
and established
Kota Salurong
(Manila) as an
outpost.

Soon, the Muslims

became the ruling
class and fully
controlled old
Manila.
The Tagalogs, on
A lantaka (rentaka in Malay), a type of bronze cannon the other hand,
mounted on merchant vessels travelling the waterways of were considered
second-class
the Malay Archipelago. Its use was greatest in precolonial citizens until they
Southeast Asia, especially in the Southern Philippines [ learned to adopt
Moros], Malaysia, and Indonesia. Via Wikipedia. the culture .

http://www.filipiknow.net/manila-history-and-trivia/
 COLONIZATION Some historians believe that that colonizers took
advantage of the “regionalist mindset” of island-
governments in the Philippines and pitied one island-
government against the other.

Moros in the South were noted to be most-resistant

against colonizers and were able to defend
Zamboanga, with some communities retreating to lake
Lanao.
THE REST OF THE WORLD
1500s
Spain, Portugal, Britain as
superpowers, establishment of
colonies

University of Sto Tomas

http://www.filipiknow.net/surprising-trivia-from-philippine-history/ America as a British Colony
Peripheral Philippines Accepts Spain
China in the midst of
controversies with the west,
with ties in Joseon (old Korea),
competition with Tokugawa
era in Japan

Rise of the Ottoman Empire

 The chiefdoms were transformed into
colonized battle strongholds
(1) Manila,
(2) Tondo,
(3) Cebu, and
(4) Jolo (Zamboanga)

Manila, FORT SANTIAGO THREE TYPES OF

CITIES IDENTIFIED IN
THE SPANISH ERA

•Pueblo –
Civic Centers
•Residio –
Military Centers
•Mission
(Cabeceras)
– Religious
Cebu, FORT SAN PEDRO

Cities with noted

colonial style
influence:
Bohol, Iloilo, Northern
Mindanao, Corregidor,
Palawan, Baguio, etc.
Where the strongholds
were, colonial cities
thrived
Zamboanga, FORT PILAR
Oslob Church + Plaza Dapitan Church + Plaza

There is a noted centrality on churches,

articulating the union of church and state and The effect: colonial cities in
the imposition of power through religion. Parks the Philippines.
served as community spaces or “taboans”,
Sunday marketplaces for commerce; But why was the layout so
Government structures located near the church
and parks; Houses of the rich along the periphery
physically specific?
of this nucleic zone
Laws of the Indies

A set of laws dictated by the Spanish King Philipp II, applicable

for colonies outside Spain.

The laws are said to be so detailed, that it includes prescriptions

of how the city-colonies must be laid out such as churches built
around a public square at the center of the city called the plaza
mayor (major public square).

The Planning of the Laws

of the Indies were
based/heavily
influenced by
Renaissance standards
of urban planning:
symmetry, plazzas
 Complete Access:
http://codesproject.asu.edu/sites/default/files/THE%20LAWS%20O
F%20THE%20INDIEStranslated.pdf

LAWS
OF THE
INDIES
The “Laws of the Indies” were decreed
by King Philip II in 1573. - The laws guided
Spanish colonists on how to create and
expand towns in Spanish territories in
America and in the Philippines. - There
were about 148 guidelines - It establishes
the church as urban landmark and plaza
public space.

LAWS
OF THE
INDIES
THE FOUR TIERS OF URBAN AREAS IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD
•Intramuros
The first planned city in the Philippines, influenced by
Roman City planning and the Piazza planning of
mercantilist or Italian Rennaissance; laid out according
to the Laws of the Indies by King Philip II 1573.

•Ciudades and Villas

Widely-Dispersed Regional urban centers with a
population from 2500 to 5000 in other Hispanized areas
of the archipelago.

•Cabeceras Old Pictures of Malacañang Palace, Manila

Spanish administrative hub built near Barangays, for the
intention of converting the natives into the Catholic
Faith. Such settlements always have a Church at its
nucleus. Eventually, consequential to urban growth,
these Cabeceras became known as the Poblacion.

•Barrios
Barrios and Visitas are small settlements often
surrounding the near-by Poblacion.

Montage of old photos of Malacañang Palace (also spelled:

Malacañan) circa late 1800s to early 1900s. The mansion was
the Spanish Governor General's residence during the Spanish
times. The buildings on the compound have undergone many
renovations and extensions. Malacanang has been the official
residence of the president of the Republic of the Philippines
since 1937. The first president to reside was Manuel L. Quezon.
Manila,
Intramuros was
proclaimed as
the seat of the
Spanish
government in
the Philippines;
“REGIONALISM and MANILA-
The first
“planned” city in C E N T R I C I S M ”
the country.
Before colonization, Manila An undated
Completely was noted as a “Supra- picture of
embodies the Barangay” with 2000-pax Sampaloc,
application of the population controlled by Manila (probably
laws of the indies Rajah Sulayman; It was noted late 1800s)[sic]
to have traded with both East SAMPALOC AS A
Asian neighbours and NEARBY BARRIO
Southeast Asian neighbours.
Plan for Intramuros Rajah Sulayman relinquished
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Intra
muros-1898.jpg control to the colonizers.
 Towards 1814, the population of Intramuros was over 8,000
people, while the population in the outlying areas was over
50,000. In 1840, the right bank areas of the Pasig had
become densely-populated neighbourhoods.

http://www.philippine-history.org/picture-old-manila30.htm

Gate to Intamuros, Manila, late 1800s -showing

carabao drawn carts going in and out of the walled
city of Intramuros.

Manila became the first primate city in Southeast

Asia. (Primate City: Defined by size and function;
derived from the term “urban primacy”; refers to the
tendency for countries to have one city that is at
least twice as large as the second largest city and
has dominance over the country’s political,
economic, and cultural life)
ARRABALES OR SUBURBS
Manila, specifically Intramuros, became so
prosperous and the barangays surrounding it
became the arrabales or suburbs where the friars
founded their missions.

Examples of these arrabales are the mission

settlements of Tondo, Binondo, Sta. Cruz, and
Quiapo ----- note that these are the same cities
with prominent Catholic Churches built during the
Spanish period.

Is a “cabecera” much more different

than an “arrabales?”

Not quite.
 The SPANISH
APPROACH:
Build a church
on it.

Binondo Church and

Convent, Manila in the
late 1890s.
An old Photo of Binondo, a district in Manila, circa early 1900s. Under the
backdrop of the Binondo church are horse and carabao drawn carriages.

The “Arrabales” or suburbs were notable to the Spanish for

several reasons:
1) Arrabales were often inhabited by Chinese or Moslem
Traders
2) There rose a need to convert these inhabitants to
increase power
Manila contained the most
concentrated influences from
the west, became a major port
for the Galleon trade and it
thrived as an urban area.

When the Treaty of Paris

was signed, the American
government took control
of Manila and continued
its governance from the
city.
Manila's old waterfront was busy with commerce. Photo shows Manila's port in 1899.
 RISE OF DEMOCRACY
Philippines was said to have been liberated by America
Towards the Philippines,
the Americans took with them their
An old photo of a tranvia or tramvia (electric street tram) that used to ply knowledge in urban planning, i.e.
the streets of Manila. The tranvia service started in 1905 during the Sanitation commissions influenced by
American era. It was operated by the Manila Electric Railroad and Light
Company (the same Meralco we know today.) The tranvia operated until Britain, Olmsted’s Parks, and Burnham’s
just before World War 2 (WWII) broke. City Beautiful movement, including
Beaux Arts and neoclassicism.

THE REST OF THE WORLD

1900s
The successive liberation of colonies all over the
world, beginning with America (the first liberated
country);

also the politics of treaties: world superpowers

trading colonies

China was controlled by the weakening Manchurian

dynasty and its demise as a result of the Opium wars;
a rising imperialist Japan ended the Tokugawa
shogunate (gone are the Samurais)

Imminent rise of gulf countries (post-british

colonization)
 http://beat-architect.blogspot.com/2011/03/urban-planning-in-
philippines.html
“In Burnham's plan, there were
sites allotted for national and
municipal buildings near
Intramuros, hospitals, and
colleges. Spaces were also set
for a world-class hotel, city and
country clubs, a casino, boat
clubs, public baths, and the
new residence for the Governor
General. Resorts were also to be
developed near Manila but the
ultimate escape during the
summer season would be the
city of Baguio…

However, another architect was

to implement Burnham’s plan.
William E. Parsons was
Daniel appointed Consulting Architect
to the Insular Government.”
Burnham’s
Plan for
Manila
Manila
remained the
capital of the
Philippines.

Manila City Hall

Some Neoclassical structures in Manila

Features of the Burnham Plan for Manila, 1920s

http://www.aisf.or.jp/sgra-in-english/seminar16/TomeldanPRES.pdf

National Museum
 WORLD WAR II
But the time was too brief for the
Philippines under brief Japanese to have any lasting
Japanese rule effects on urban planning.

The American style in urban

planning and architecture stuck
with the Philippines.

THE REST OF THE WORLD

Mid 1900s
America as world superpower assisting Britain which
was in a rife against Germany;

Japan Invades its nearby neighbors, including China

which was simultaneously in a tug of war between
communist and nationalist parties

The gulf countries were beginning to gain

sovereignty, albeit continous efforts by the USA to
Old American Colonial Style Structure in Davao City “liberate” its people
 INTO A TIME OF PEACE
Philippines enters the
modern Era with dictator;
But in the 1970s, subsequent
to the establishment of the
United Nations, President
Marcos was gearing
towards the
“decentralization” or
“regionalization” of the
country.
The Philippines remained conceptually
central around Metro Manila.
THE PHILIPPINE PLANNING SYSTEM
After the World War II, the Philippine government seated
in Metro Manila became the central control of the
country.
In the attempt to revive its destroyed cities, President
Sergio Osmena created the National Urban Planning
Commission (NUPC) through E.O. 98 in 1946, to draw
plans and authorize regulations in rebuilding the cities
destroyed during the war.
In 1962, President Macapagal ordered the drafting of
physical development plans, zoning and building
regulations, and such to harmonize all public
improvements in towns and cities.
KEYWORD: CENTRALIZED
THE REST OF THE WORLD
Late1900s
“world peace”
 In 1975, in the attempt to address
administrative problems brought about
by metropolitanization, the government
URBAN GROWTH OF METRO MANILA
integrated Manila, which eventually
Noted as the primate city that became
became the National Capital Region
the most powerful urban center across
(NCR), encompassing the following
the Philippine archipelago, Manila
towns and/or cities:
experienced a tremendous growth
considered to be the most significant
1) City of Manila
urban phenomenon to happen in the
2) Caloocan City
country.
3) Pasay City
4) Quezon City
5) Las Pinas City
In the 1960s, Manila and its suburbs
6) City of Makati
consisted of:
7) Malabon
(1) City of Manila
8) Mandaluyong City
(2) Caloocon City
9) Marikina City
(3) Pasay City
10) Muntinlupa City
(4) Quezon City
11) Navotas
(5) Makati, Rizal
12) Paranaque City
(6) Mandaluyong, Rizal
13) Pasig City
(7) San Juan, Rizal
14) Pateros
(8) Paranaque, Rizal
15) San Juan
16) Taguig
17) Valenzuela
Nationwide, local problems started
emerging, i.e.
•squatters living in public parks SIGNIFICANT
•subdivision owners selling lots
without providing roads and utilities IMPACTS ON
•land prices soaring
•towns and communities sprawled U R B A N
along highways
•and roads clogged with calesas PLANNING
•buses and jeepneys

REVIEW:
Philippine
Presidents in
Hindsight

(post-world war II) (pre-world war II)

NUPC eventually
turned inefficient, In the attempt to revive its destroyed cities,
and took a President Sergio Osmena created the
consultative National Urban Planning Commission (NUPC)
function rather than through E.O. 98 in 1946, to draw plans and
an implementing authorize regulations in rebuilding the cities
function. destroyed during the war.
 1970s – President
Marcos orders the 1958,
decentralization of seeking
planning approaches assistance
in the Philippines from UN

REVIEW:
Philippine
Presidents in
Hindsight

Historical Context:
UN missions to the Philippines
All over the world, the United
Charles Abrams and Otto Koenigsberger reported
Nations was gaining ground, In 1962, President
projected urbanization constrtaints in the Philippines, i.e.
ensuring the implementation of Macapagal ordered
•planning should be based on an assessment of
programs that promote human the drafting of physical
housing needs
development development plans,
•rational allocation of land for various uses
•provision of dispersed employment zoning and building
The United Nations exerted
•improvement of transport facilities (study on regulations, and such to
significant focus on National
railroad lines); and harmonize all public
Development, which the Marcos
•Emphasis on the importance of regional planning improvements in towns
administration used as a basis for
and development laws. and cities, closely
development frameworks in the
http://surp.ph/about-surp/history coordinating with UP
Philippines
With this in mind, President
Ferdinand Marcos established
the Task Force of Human
Settlements to look into three 1972| Presidential Decree 1
major aspects of National Integrated Reorganization
development: Plan| REORGANIZING THE
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
OF THE NATIONAL
(1) National Economic Development
Plan, GOVERNMENT LEADING TO THE
(2) National Housing Policy and EXISTING POLITICAL REGIONS
Implementation Program, WE NOW HAVE TODAY
(3) Planning and Management of
the Metro Manila Area, in terms of
solid-waste management, traffic
and transportation, flood control, “REGIONAL”
“REGIONAL”
health and sanitation, and land
use planning and zoning. Before
Before the
the 1970s,
1970s, a
a “Region”
“Region”
was
was limited
limited to
to geographic
geographic
contiguity,
contiguity, ethnolinguistic
ethnolinguistic
similarity,
similarity, and
and administrative
administrative
control.
control.
Decentralization of planning
approaches in the Philippines
REGIONAL PLANNING
IN THE PHILIPPINES
From 1970-1975, the Philippines officially
adopted the full institutionalization of
regional planning as a formal tool for
REGIONALIZATION country development. Regional
capitals outside Manila were identified
IN PLANNING as poles from which growth for the
region will emanate i.e. regional
capitals including Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod,
Davao, Cagayan de Oro, etc.
Key Issues that need to be identified are:

1. Threats and challenges to the

framework
2. In the urban planning context, what
will contribute to its sustainability

CASE STUDY IN VIDEO (FINAL PLATE)
GROUP WORK
Geospatial analysis of specific urban zones
in Cagayan de Oro City
Goals:
1. To analyze the physical characteristics
of specific urban zones in Cagayan de
Oro in the context of urban issues
(technical, physical, social, political, and
economic) that affect its sustainability
2. Video shall be no longer than 15
minutes.
3. For this PIT, two groups can volt-into
one (eight members max)
Expected Output:
(All aesthetic aspects will be up to you)
1. Video containing self-made infographics such as the following
1. GIS-based maps showing factors that are affecting its sustainability such as
: population density, vehicular traffic, activities, etc
IMAGES EXPECTED (but will not be limited to) the following:
1. Approximated Figure-ground map of the Existing designated zone (Scaled)
before and after design
2. Land Use Map before and after proposed design
3. Street Sections: Longitudinal and Cross Sections
4. Proposed design solutions (Before and After Photos)
5. Existing topographic/ terrain map
6. Existing flood map (http://noah.dost.gov.ph/#/facility/all)
7. Existing Storm Surge Map (http://noah.dost.gov.ph/#/facility/all)
8. Existing landslide map (http://noah.dost.gov.ph/#/facility/all)
9. Location of critical Facilities (http://noah.dost.gov.ph/#/facility/all)
10. Average Traffic maps taken at three points of time in a day taken for five
random days. (use: https://www.waze.com/livemap or maps.google.com or
equivalent websites)
EXPECTED OUTPUT IS SIMILAR TO: https://divisare.com/projects/297249-
alessia-rita-palermiti-strategies-and-actions-for-sustainable-urban-design-along-
the-canal-in-eindhoven-nl
REFERENCES

Dobbins, Michael “Urban Design and People” John Wiley and Sons. © 2009

Amsterdam Insitute for Metropolitan Solutions. “Flows and Layers in the Built Environment”. © 2016
Hebbert, M. (2016). Figure-ground: history and practice of a planning technique. TPR, 87 (6) 2016 doi:10.3828/tpr.2016.44

PALERMITI, R. STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE URBAN DESIGN ALONG THE CANAL IN EINDHOVEN (NL) Retrieved from:
https://divisare.com/projects/297249-alessia-rita-palermiti-strategies-and-actions-for-sustainable-urban-design-along-the-canal-in-
eindhoven-nl Accessed 2017

Johnston, R. (July 27, 2016) “Geography”. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Retreieved from
URL:https://www.britannica.com/science/geography/Human-geography-as-locational-analysis
Access Date August 21, 2017

Brown, et. Al (2017. “Applying The Science of Where”. Esri Press. Retrieved From: http://downloads.esri.com/learnarcgis/pdf/the-
arcgis-book-second-edition.pdf

http://beat-architect.blogspot.com/2011/03/urban-planning-in-philippines.html
http://surp.ph/about-surp/history
http://www.philippine-history.org
http://codesproject.asu.edu/sites/default/files/THE%20LAWS%20OF%20THE%20INDIEStranslated.pdf

FIGURE CREDITS EMBDEDDED

OTHER WEBLINKS EMBEDDED IN SLIDE