u/Sonnybass96

So I have a faint memory of this store but when I was a kid.....this used to be a well known store that caters to Book lovers and also Premium Book Lovers and Collectors.

Like what Fully Booked is nowadays.

What are your thoughts on this?

Would love to know your experiences and insights

This Skyway in the Philippines was built to ease the traffic below but the traffic also spread there as well.

So the Intramuros of today is very different from what it was before World War II.

The Battle of Manila in 1945 practically destroyed the old Walled City. Most of the churches, schools, houses, commercial buildings, government offices, and other establishments that made up pre-war Intramuros were either completely destroyed or left as ruins.

And when we think about the old Intramuros, we usually focus on the buildings that were lost.

But I noticed something interesting recently.

The "Pre-war" Intramuros is actually still alive in another form......its institutions.

Not only the institutions that were founded in Intramuros. But also includes the institutions that existed before the war and are also outside of the walled city.

Some of them are....(In any order)

- Colegio de San Juan de Letran — founded in 1620

- Colegio de Santa Rosa — founded in 1750

- Manila High School / Escuela Municipal de Manila — founded in 1892

- San Agustin Church and the Augustinian institution — Spanish-period origins dating back to the 16th century

- Manila Cathedral / Archdiocese of Manila — the Archdiocese was established in 1579

- Destileria Limtuaco — founded in 1852, now represented by its museum in Intramuros

- Bank of the Philippine Islands — founded in 1851, with roots in Spanish colonial Manila

- National Press Club of the Philippines — founded in 1938, with its present Intramuros building

- Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines — a 19th-century institution represented in Intramuros

- Mapúa University — founded in 1925, later establishing its major Intramuros campus

I might have missed more here but.... in a strange way, the Battle of Manila destroyed much of the physical Intramuros, but it didn't completely destroy the institutional side of Intramuros.

You can walk around the Walled City today and see modern or reconstructed buildings, but some of the names and institutions associated with the old city are still there.

That's why I've thought that....

In that sense, the pre-war Intramuros is still alive.... not necessarily in its buildings, but in the institutions....still operating in the walled city.

And honestly, I find that just as fascinating as the surviving architecture.

What do you think of this though?

Curious to know your thoughts and insights on this.

The Bahay na Bato was one of the defining architectural styles of the Philippines from the Spanish colonial period up to the early 20th century. Even before World War II, many new homes were still being built with traditional features such as capiz shell windows, ventanillas, wooden grills, and spacious verandas.

However, the war......especially the destruction of many Philippine cities and towns.......destroyed countless heritage houses.

During the post-war reconstruction, architectural styles gradually shifted toward simpler and more modern designs, and the Bahay na Bato tradition slowly faded.

This made me wonder......

If World War II had never happened, or if many historic towns had been spared from destruction, do you think the Bahay na Bato tradition would have remained strong for much longer?

Would people have continued building homes in that style into the 1950s or even later?

Or do you think modernization and changing lifestyles would have eventually replaced it anyway, even without the war?

I'd love to hear your thoughts and perspectives on this.

So the guy is one of the most controversial presidents of his era and one famous event was that led to the signing of the death warrants of Andres Bonifacio and his brother Procopio.

Originally, he wanted an Exile order for them but he was pressured by some of his political allies for his political survival....

Of course, many today viewed Aguinaldo as a traitor because he still signed the warrants instead of just Exiling Bonifacio to somewhere far.

Without Bonifacio, there were would be no Philippine Revolution.

And by that point, Bonifacio is just a nobody and no power, and that the death warrants were unnecessary or inhumane.

If you were in his position, and you were placed in that kind of situation...... would you sign the death warrants or refuse to be pressured by those people and instead just exile the brothers?

Knowing what you know now....

Curious to know your insights and perspectives on this.

​

A common old narrative is that if the Spanish had never arrived and Christianity had not been introduced, Islam would have eventually become the dominant religion throughout most of the Philippine archipelago.

This idea is often based on that, by the 16th century, Islam had already spread to several influential States and polities including Tondo, Kingdom of Maynila, Muslim states in Central Luzon, Sulu islands, big parts of the Mindanao islands and many more..

while many other communities still practiced their own indigenous beliefs.

I've also seen comparisons with Indonesia, where Islam eventually became the majority religion despite Dutch colonial rule, which generally did not focus on widespread religious conversion.

And the Indonesian islands did have a large diverse cultures and religions like the Philippine archipelago.

This made me wonder.......

How likely was it that Islam would have become the dominant religion across most of the Philippine Islands if the Spanish had never colonized them?

Was that outcome already becoming inevitable because of existing trade networks and political influence or something else?

Or would the archipelago have remained religiously diverse for much longer, with Islam, indigenous beliefs, and perhaps other religions coexisting in different regions?

Would love to know your thoughts and insights on this.

So the guy is one of the most controversial presidents of his era and one famous event was that led to the signing of the death warrants of Andres Bonifacio and his brother Procopio.

Originally, he wanted an Exile order for them but he was pressured by some of his political allies for his political survival....

If you were in his position, and you were placed in that kind of situation...... would you sign the death warrants or refuse to be pressured by those people and instead just exile the brothers?

Knowing what you know now....

Curious to know your insights on this.

This is just a fun, out-of-the-box "what if" scenario.

There's a long-running internet joke that the "Eye and See" HQ looks more like a giant spaceship or rocket than a church.

So let's imagine the conspiracy is actually true.

What if the building really was a disguised spaceship or rocket, secretly waiting for the right time to launch?

How do you think the story would unfold?

Where do you think it would go?

Who would be on board?

And what do you think the rest of everyone's reaction would be if the "church" suddenly lifted off into space?

Curious to know your thoughts on this.

​

This is a random "what if" scenario, but I'm curious.

What if growing a beard became a major part of Filipino culture, from the pre-colonial period up to the present day?

Like it is treated as a very serious Tradition?

Imagine if most adult Filipino men proudly grew beards, and they became a symbol of maturity, masculinity, or even social status.

How do you think this would have changed Filipino culture?

Would it have influenced fashion, grooming, workplaces, the military, or even how famous figures and celebrities are remembered?

Curious to know your thoughts on this.

So I didn't actually get to see this version of Ortigas Intersection....but looking at the old photos, the place seems bright and spacious.

My dad told me that this area looked Aesthetically good at the time before the Flyovers were built (during relaxed days of course)

Curious to know your thoughts on this version as well.

So this is an out of the box question but what if the Prosecution Team is actually One-sided, literally in a sense.

Hi everyone!

I've been curious about this for awhile.

This question actually came from a story my grandfather shared with me. He witnessed the rise of basketball in the Philippines during the 1950s and remembered how Carlos Loyzaga and the national team's international success (Including the World Cup) inspired so many Filipinos.

According to him, basketball gradually became more than just a sport......it became part of everyday life. People started putting up makeshift hoops in neighborhoods and vacant lots, children played on the streets whenever they could, and over time the game spread throughout the country.

That made me wonder about Philippine football's own golden era.

From what I've read, the Philippines was one of the stronger football nations in East Asia during the 1910s to the 1930s. The country had notable international successes, and Paulino Alcántara became one of the greatest footballers of his generation while earning legendary status at FC Barcelona and also a celebrity in the country.

With that in mind, I was wondering....

Did football have a similar cultural influence on everyday Filipinos during that period?

For example.....

Were children and local communities regularly playing football in the streets and open fields?

Did neighborhoods have makeshift goalposts or informal football grounds the way later generations had makeshift basketball courts?

Or was football's popularity mainly concentrated in schools, clubs, and organized competitions rather than becoming part of daily community life?

Another question I've been thinking about is this.....

If the Philippines had continued producing internationally successful players like Paulino Alcántara and remained competitive in football, do you think football could have sustained its popularity and possibly rivaled basketball as the country's most popular sport?

I understand that World War II had a profound impact on the country and undoubtedly changed the sporting landscape and also led to Basketball's rise.

Though, At the same time, I've also read that several other Southeast Asian countries experienced similar hardships yet still developed strong football cultures after the war.

Curious to know your thoughts on this as well.

So this is a recent post by a Football Community, showing that most of the countries that Spain had colonized are now a football loving nation with dedicated and passionate fans and are always watching the world cup.

Even ASEAN neighbors like Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia have solid Football culture.

(And even when football fields are harder to build, they find a way by building Futsal style courts in vacant lots and also drawing lines or building makeshift goal posts.)

(And I've heard that is the counter argument for the argument of Basketball Courts is easier to build)

(Like what the Latin American Nations did by just building Futsal style Street courts in vacant lots)

While generally, they often view the Philippines as the "Different" one and can't even relate to any of these and are always left behind.

What can you say about this?

Interested to know your insights and perspectives on this.

So my earliest memory of SM Megamall is somewhere around the 2000s, and I was really stunned at how wide and spacious the parking lot is and I've heard that this is one of the things that made SM Megamall iconic because of the view along EDSA and parking lot

And the second time I've been there is around 2015-16 when the Mall already had the Mega Fashion Trade and the view slowly faded away as more buildings were built on the last vacant spots of the parking lot.

What can you say about this version?

Curious to know your thoughts and experiences on this.

So Sharnie205 is one of the rising local comic artists in recent times.

His content is more on your average daily filipino life skits, Political satire related skits and some Christian related posts from time to time.

I do wonder, from your own perspective...What can you say about him and his content?

​

One of the quotes associated with the man is the claim that Luna was the only real “General” the Philippine Revolutionary Government possessed.

The quote is often used to highlight Luna's military ability and to support the idea that he was the revolution's most capable commander and the only hope they had to defeat the Americans.

Some people also argue that after Luna's death, the Philippine Army gradually became less organized because there was no longer a strong figure who could keep the different factions and commanders in line and also the passion and unity of the revolutionary government continued to worsen without any clear goal of what to do in the long run.

This made me curious.....

Did Bell actually mean it as genuine praise for Luna's military leadership and potential?

Was it a serious assessment, a sarcastic remark, a joke, or perhaps a quote that has been exaggerated over time?

Would love to know your insights and perspectives on this.

​

The KKK is often credited with igniting the Philippine Revolution against Spain.

However, I've often read that while the Katipunan was founded largely by people from the middle and lower classes, the revolution also benefited from the support of members of the Filipino elite, especially as it grew.

This made me wonder.....

Did the majority of the Filipino elite support or join the Katipunan during the early stages of the revolution?

Or did many of them only begin supporting the revolutionary movement later, when Spain's position had become much weaker?

More broadly...... how divided was the Filipino elite during the revolution?

And did Spain begin to lose momentum once a larger portion of the principalia and influential families started backing the revolutionary cause?

Would love to know your insights and perspectives on this.

In the Philippines, it's San Agustin Church in Manila, which was established in 1607 by the Augustinian Friars and missionaries.

The initial structure was built with bamboo and nipa in 1571, and the current stone structure was finished in 1607.

It has survived natural disasters, wars, and modernization.

It is considered a UNESCO World heritage site today.

What about yours in your country?

What's the oldest church and what is its history?

Curious to know your thoughts on this.

If SWOH finally gets Convicted after the trial, what will happen to her from now on?

Will the CCP still support her or will they abandon her and search for a new prospect instead?

What do you think will happen to the DDS followers in this scenario? Will they still remain loyal?