Escolta, Manila

Last December 29, 2025 (Monday) was declared a holiday for government employees to allow them to travel for the New Year holidays.  So off we went to stroll, explore and experience Escolta, Sta. Cruz area and Chinatown in Binondo, Manila. It has been a while since we were there, together.

Original plan was to take the Pasig Ferry from Guadalupe all the way to Escolta, the station nearest to Binondo. But unfortunately, the ferry schedule is quite erratic. So we drove and parked at one of the paid parking slots on Quentin Paredes street and walked. 

First, we made our way all the way towards Jones Bridge in Escolta which used to be the main business district of Manila until the late 1960s when it slowly lost its prime spot. My late parents worked in Escolta area for many years and told us of its beautiful buildings and their historical significance.

It was a nostalgic walk down memory lane to see these now old buildings of business establishments (some of them still thriving). They continue to serve as architectural wonders because they were designed by famous Filipino architecture masters of the 20th century.

Calvo Building was erected in 1938 by Fernando Ocampo & Thomas Arguelles.
It was owned by real estate businesswoman Dona Emiliana Calvo

Regina Building was designed by architect Andres Luna de San Pedro, 
the son of Juan Luna, the painter of the Spoliarium, anong others.

Syvel's department store is where I used to buy shoes during the 1980s. 
Their main branch is now abandoned and condemned.

The Land Management Bureau is where my late father in law worked for many years.
The building has been condemned and abandoned.

The original Savory Restaurant is now closed permanently after it caught fire.

Perez Samanillo building was designed by Andres Luna de San Pedro in 1928

At the end of the road, you will reach the Sta. Cruz area where the Our Lady of the Pillar Church (Sta. Cruz Church) holds fort. We were told that when we were toddlers, we used to hear Mass in this Spanish baroque style place of worship that was erected in 1619 by the Jesuits to minister to the growing Chinese population in Binondo. It was reconstructed in 1957 and is now run by the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament. In 2018, Cardinal Tagle declared it as an Archdiocesan Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament.

Carriedo Fountain (1882) is the oldest fountain in the Philippines