BIRDS OF “OLD” MANILA

A snapshot of history…

Before the Spaniards invaded Manila, active trade was already taking place along the Pasig River such that rulers of Muslim communities who settled there already imposed custom duties on all commerce passing up the river.  In 1571, the fortress city of Intramuros was founded under the leadership of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, a spanish conquistador and the first governor-general of the Philippines.  During that time, Manila became the capital of the newly established colony.

As the nation’s capital, Manila has been seriously threatened and even occupied by other foreign powers (i.e. the Chinese in 1574, the Dutch in mid 17th century, and the British in 1762 but was restored back to Spain after the Treaty of Paris in 1763).  Furthermore, Manila was opened to foreign trade in 1832 which was fueled more by the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.  It is also during the late 19th century that the height of the Filipino revolution against the spaniards was witnessed especially after the execution of Dr. Jose Rizal in December 1896 – the same year that, the other part of the world is celebrating the discovery of the Philippine eagle.

In 1898, the Americans win the war against the spaniards.  And for at least 4 decades, the Philippines was under U.S. colonial rule.  It was during this period that the US promote social and economic improvement for the city and encourage gradual Filipino political autonomy.  It is also during this period that the famous Bureau of Science was founded (October 26, 1905).  The Bureau houses some 25,000 bird skins collected in more than three decades under the leadership of Richard C. McGregor – who also became the first Chief of the Natural History Division during the American period.  Sadly, all of the collections were destroyed during the Battle of Manila in February 1945.

Shortly after the war, Filipino collectors under the leadership of Dr. Canuto G. Manuel, Curator of the Zoological Collection, Philippine National Museum started to rebuild the Philippine Zoological Collections.  Interestingly, at least 62 birds were first collected in the vicinities of Manila right after the termination of hostilities.

Text by RC Urriza

Layout & graphics by AM Domingo

Photos by AM Domingo and RC Urriza

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