Reconstruction of Ermita: The Memorialization Case Through Its Historical Data Paper (1950-1953)

Abstract

The Second World War brought damages to the human population, assets, and infrastructure in the Philippines. Considering the extent of the perceived damages, government officials and those considered themselves as caretakers of history transcended its estimation of damages to the extent of influence beyond time. This requires the reconstruction of history, as the documents and artifacts became victims of destruction. Realizing the significance of history in the quest for the identity of the towns, cities, and provinces in the country, the government launched a campaign through the preparation of Historical Data Papers (HDP) supervised by the public-school system. Included among these were the HDP of Ermita, a district in the City of Manila that evolved to be one of the centers of governance and social life in the country. As one of the victims of the Battle of Manila in 1945, the public-school teachers of Manuel A. Roxas High School collected information about the district through employing surveys on the remaining structures, mementos, books, documents, and other artifacts that would tell the public of the past. Founded on the recognition that local people host vital information on history, this paper examines the efforts on the reconstruction of the history of Ermita as part of its significant role as witness to the history of the Philippines. Influenced by the prevailing perceptions of its members and remnants of the colonial past on the district, the information and data collected have shown the perspective of the district being a product of communal efforts in the development and memorialization of history.