Restoring Our Heritage: Taking the Cue from Gion

8/5/2008

Whenever I visit another country, I look for areas that show the heritage of that particular place.  My search is most fulfilling if it brings me to an area where a country’s past is encapsulated in its architecture. I do not want to see something reconstructed or replicated; I prefer to see the real structures as they are used in everyday life.

In Japan, for example, I made sure I saw Gion, an old district in Kyoto, wherein one can still find the rustic wooden buildings and quaint tea houses of the country’s middle ages.  Walking along the cobblestone streets of this traditional pleasure district is like being in a time warp. Occasionally, you will see ladies in beautiful kimonos stepping gingerly on their tall wooden clogs, reinforcing the feeling that you have traveled back in time. The design of the wooden structures was preserved from the original state, thus enhancing the historic charm of Gion. Traditional Japanese architecture, outside of its temples and palaces, is at its best here. There is a discreet, comfortable ambience, mellowed by the quiet streets and dim lighting that encourages relaxation and quiet conversation, or suggests mystery and secret trysting.

I've always thought of Japan as the arena of high-tech gadgetry. But in Gion, the look is rustic and familiar, unassuming and understated. However, technology is wisely used in very subtle ways. Wood may have been treated with a non flammable chemical so as to conform to local building codes. Lighting is efficient, using energy saving fixtures.  Exhaust systems are filtered to minimize unpleasant odors.  I was so surprised to see the canals spewing crystal clear, flowing water, undoubtedly due to the fine sewerage treatment system set in place. The community undertook all these measures just to maintain the natural, old world charm in a living, working tableaux of a slice of their past. The effort is both noble and ennobling.

Although not the whole of Japan is as charming as Gion, this particular district was preserved to show to the world how life once was and the effort definitely attracts the tourists. So, from being a merely conservationist act, dividends from a business standpoint have been felt as well.

On the other hand, it saddens me to compare Gion with some areas in Manila.  We can boast of many excellent colonial and commonwealth style buildings. They are magnificent and may serve as an icon to our heritage.  However, aside from the grime and soot lining their façade, you would have to contend with bundles of unsightly cables from unstrategically positioned electric posts, as well as gaudy signs and old election bills. To add insult and injury from groups who should know better, business and traffic signs also abound, plus a roster of councilors and barangay officials, or billboards of politicians greeting everyone a happy new year.  On the streets, you will see potholes, open drains, uneven walkways and the ubiquitous bits of litter. Long gone is the glory and style of the true old Manila. What we have is a parody of a city that has lost its past due to ignorance and negligence.

There was a time when Manila was the prime destination in Asia. Manila streets were lit by charming gas lamps. Trees flourished on sidewalks.  Roads were of piedra china cobblestones. Trash was where it should be, in well-maintained receptacles. I saw an old photo of the Escolta wherein pedestrians even strolled about in formal clothing and hats.

Just imagine the effect if the electric cables are concealed, the walkways are re-cobbled, greenery is re-planted, and the lighting is improved. We may be able to restore Manila and regain its original charm. This is our heritage. This is something in which we can take pride.

It could be our complacency which prevents us making things better, for not aspiring for perfection. It is a sad attitude of a lot of Filipinos that as long as something works, even if it does not look good, then it is deemed all right: that as long as we have electricity, it does not matter how the cables are strung; that as long as the water pipes are laid, never mind the unsightly mess we leave on the streets. This is the attitude of engineering consultants I am loath to work with. I am certain the average Filipino feels the same frustration with some public workers.

I believe there is still hope.  We are at par with other countries in our ability and skill to create a first class development.  What we sorely need is the determination to maintain our sites in the way they were envisioned. Changing the face of our heritage sites and maintaining their cleanliness are an ongoing challenge, but one that will be well worth it, both for tourism and for our collective pride as a people. I sincerely hope that we can restore the Old Manila area to its original glamour and, like Gion, convert it to a prime tourist destination. J



Erratum: The owner of the ancestral home, featured in the June 14, 2008 article entitled "Conversion Story", is the Laus Family and not the Carpio Family. The featured home was built by Professor Emiliano Laus of Pampanga and Mrs. Remigia Carpio Laus of Paoay, Ilocos Norte. In their passing, it was given to their youngest son, Cesar Carpio Laus, where he resides with his wife, Edna. One of their children is Nino Laus, the Chef de Cuisine and owner of In-yo Fusion Cuisine. We apologize for the error.