Remembering the Battle of Manila - BusinessWorld Online - BusinessWorld Online

AS the end of World War II loomed, the month-long Battle of Manila destroyed the city. From Feb. 3 to March 3, 1945, Japanese and American armed forces clashed, the city's districts burned and were reduced to rubble. By the end of the month, over 100,000 civilians had died.

"The fires intensified as the afternoon turned to dusk and then evening. Block by block the Japanese methodically destroyed much of the 160-acre Walled City, erasing four centuries of history in an afternoon. The Japanese had rigged explosives in the Manila Cathedral and surrounding buildings, detonating them early that evening," American author James M. Scott wrote in Rampage: MacArthur, Yamashita, and the Battle of Manila (2018).

To commemorate the Battle of Manila and what was lost, four heritage and tourism groups — WanderManila, Don't Skip Manila, The Heritage Collective, and Renacimiento Manila — have come together for 1945: In Memoriam, an online experiential tour on Feb. 26, 7 p.m. The virtual tour will detail how the Battle of Manila unfolded, how the city of Manila fell, and the lives that were lost during that period.

"We're aiming to make 1945: A Memorial more than a simple online presentation. While the bulk of the presentation will be done live, we will incorporate a lot of pre-recorded segments to help people visualize how the battle was waged. We will also be soliciting pictures and videos from our followers so that they can be part of this presentation as well," WanderManila Head Tour Guide Benjamin Canapi told BusinessWorld via Messenger.

The presentation, which is divided into four parts, will highlight the landmark sites of the Battle of Manila, such as the University of Santo Tomas which served as an internment camp for American prisoners, Intramuros which was almost completely destroyed, and the various sites of massacres around the city.

Joining Mr. Canapi in the virtual tour is Don't Skip Manila co-founder Andrei Julian, cultural entrepreneur and owner of The Heritage Collective Stephen Pamorada, and Renacimiento Manila president Diego Torres.

"Each of us have different perspectives and different ways of telling our narratives, which will make this online presentation a memorable one," Mr. Canapi said.

"All of us have one goal: to make the public more aware of the happenings of the Battle of Manila, and for us to help give the victims of the battle gain the closure they deserved," Mr. Canapi said.

The virtual tour will stream live at the Facebook pages of Don't Skip Manila, The Heritage Collective, Renacimiento Manila, and WanderManila. The presentation will be accessible at those pages after the livestream.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/WanderManila. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman