Revisiting The Queen: Exploring The Heritage and Revival of Calle Escolta in Manila

Abstract

Calle Escolta is a historic street located in the downtown district of Binondo in the City of Manila. Historically speaking, Calle Escolta was the central business district back then, most especially during the Spanish and American colonial periods. However, Calle Escolta became one of the biggest casualties of the Battle of Manila 1945. Even though the district was able to get back up postwar, the premier of the district was already lost and eventually declined as new central business districts were established in different parts of Metro Manila. In recent times, revival efforts were being done in Escolta to reintroduce the historic street in modern Manila. Despite the historical significance of Escolta, there is a lack of historical records that compiles and narrates its history. With that, the main objectives of this study is to create a comprehensive historical overview of Escolta and explain how Escolta and its revival can be part of the urban landscape of Manila. To fulfill these goals, the study utilized archival records, field observations, and key informant interviews to gather the data. Findings show that there is a gap in the archival records and there were no sources that comprehensively compiled the history of Escolta. However, the key informant interviews were able to enrich the information about Escolta’s history and shed light on the present-day situation of Escolta. Also, findings show that the revival efforts in Escolta are currently led and organized by the private sector. Another finding that is important to note is the lack of government intervention that hinders the revival efforts in Escolta to prosper and achieve its full potential. The government support is crucial in achieving the revival and preservation of Escolta and its claim in becoming an official heritage zone in Manila. Thus, one of the recommendations of the study is to elevate the awareness and knowledge of the local government regarding heritage areas and the strategies to its preservation. Moreover, the study also recommends creating an Escolta-centered organization that would advocate for its revival efforts. Furthermore, for future studies, they can look into the evaluation of the current revival efforts in Escolta to examine its efficiency.