Renacimiento Manila

Donate

Trivia no. 21: Anda Monument

, , , ,

—

5–8 minutes

Arch. Carlos Cucueco III
27 Sept 2020

Anda Monument

In 1957, during the turn-over ceremony for the newly relocated Anda monument, President Carlos P. Garcia opened his speech with these following questions:

“Why must the memory of Simon de Anda y Salazar, a Spanish governor-general, be immortalized in Philippine history? Why should a monument be erected to perpetuate his name?”

This year, the monument was in the news again because it had just finished its reconstruction by the Manila City Government. For us to understand why this monument should still be valued in this changing times not just by history enthusiasts but by all, we need to answer first the questions raised by President Garcia.

Simon de Anda’s service to the Spanish government in the Philippines started while he was an oidor (judge) of the Real Audiencia de Manila. He was also appointed as a Lieutenant Governor by the Governor-General during the British occupation. In 1762, he transferred important documents and funds to set-up a provisional government in Bacolor, Pampanga. During this time, Manila and Cavite were already held by British forces. After less than two years of managing the provisional government, the British forces gave Manila to Simon de Anda at Plaza Sta. Cruz, Manila in 1764. In commemoration of this event, a marker was placed at the side of Sta. Cruz Church (The marker is currently a reconstruction after its destruction during World War 2). After the end of the British occupation, Simon de Anda returned to Spain as a hero.

In 1768, he presented to King Carlos III a memorial describing the deplorable conditions of the Philippines and his desire to improve these situations. This was the reason why despite a future career in the Spanish court, Simon de Anda accepted the appointment as the 41st Governor-General of the Philippines. In his six-year stint as Governor-General, he tried to improve the situation of the Philippines but there were times that he even opposed the King’s orders because they conflicted with his ideologies. One of these issues was the question of the secularization of the Philippine clergy. Unknown to many, before the GomBurZa, Rizal, del Pilar and other patriots who fought for the secularization of the Philippine clergy, Simon de Anda already started to resolve this issue. Unfortunately, Anda’s efforts to help the Filipino clergy ended in vain, but it does not mean that these efforts went to vain. According to President Garcia’s speech regarding how Simon de Anda managed the Philippines as the Governor-General:

“He did his best and his utmost to restore the good name and prestige of the Spanish sovereign to the love of the people of the Philippines who learned to hate Spain and its King because of the transgressions of the rulers sent here. Unfortunately, however, Anda came too early for his time. He was misunderstood, maligned, and mistrusted by his fellow countrymen in the Philippines until death ended his incumbency in 1776.”

In 1871, Governor-General Carlos Maria de la Torre efforted to create a marble monument as a tribute to Simon de Anda, almost a century since Anda started governing the Philippines as Governor-General. The location of the monument was originally located at the mouth of Pasig River near Fort Santiago. This monument however is not the first one dedicated to Simon de Anda because in 1853, a monument was already built in Bacolor, Pampanga. Unfortunately, during the Philippine Revolution, the revolutionaries destroyed Anda’s monument in Pampanga.

The monument has a white pedestal on top of a tall pedestal. The sides of the pedestal contain Spanish inscriptions in honor of Simon de Anda. The monument was intended as a centerpiece of a fountain as shown in old photographs. The monument has four finials on the corners of the pedestal. A sphere surrounded by spikes is placed on top of the obelisk, but this ornament came in later on.

Manila’s Anda monument survived the Philippine Revolution and World War 2. The construction of the Del Pan Bridge (known today as Roxas bridge) was the reason why the Anda Monument has been relocated at the Port Area which is still near Intramuros. The turn-over of the reconstructed monument was attended by President Garcia. Due to the modernization of Manila in the following decades, the monument became neglected to the point that graffiti was made on the monument. In 2014, the Department of Public Works and Highways planned to remove the monument once again due to traffic volume of the area. The recommendation of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines to relocate the monument to the Maestranza Plaza inside Intramuros. This recommendation was made because they argued that a vehicle that goes off course can destroy the monument. In the end, the staunch opposition of heritage advocates and the National Commission of the Culture and the Arts made the DPWH scrap its plans for the Anda Monument.

This year, we witness a new period for the Anda monument due to its recently concluded restoration and beautification. This restoration however has left some heritage experts doubts if it is done correctly. Some of these doubts includes the choices of color for the monument. In older photographs, we can see that the monument does not have the vibrant colors that we see on the restored monument. Some people also noticed that the finials at the corners of the pedestal were not included on recent images of the restored monument. At the same time, medallions containing a lion’s head which were located on the lower part of the monument were not included in older photographs. Time will tell if these doubts are valid or not.

As we welcome the conclusion of Anda monument’s reconstruction, we should reflect on President Garcia’s final statements for Simon de Anda in his turn-over speech:

“Thus, Simon de Anda deserves the undying gratitude of our country. Spaniard as he was, yet he fought for justice to Filipinos and for doing so he paid a high price which only great souls are willing to do. He fought against abuses, oppression, and corruption, whether perpetrated by a white, brown, or black man. He lost the love of his own fellow countrymen because he did not want to lose the love of his God, who is the source of eternal justice, of truth, and of the right.”

Text by Arch. Carlos Cucueco III
Illustration by Diego Gabriel Torres, Renacimiento Manila
All Rights Reserved.

References

official gazette . gov . ph/1957 /06/08 /speec h-of-pr esiden t-garcia -at-turn -over-rites -of-simon-d e-anda-mo nument -at-the -port-ar ea-sund ay-mor ning-ju ne-8-under- auspices -of-th e-manil a-lions/

mb. co m. ph/2020 /09/ 02/new ly-rehab ilitate d-anda -circle-soo n-to-be-un veiled/

nosta lgiafil ipinas . blogspot . com/201 2/12/con -amor-rec onstru ido-anda -monum ent . html

kaplist orian. blogspot. com/2 017/0 6/49- 18-pampa nga-landm arks-and- monuments. html

rappler. com/na tion/dpw h-scrap -plan -move-a nda-monu ment

rappler. com/n ewsbr eak/ iq/f ast- facts -anda-m onument

RENACIMIENTO MANILA is a group of artists, creators and history enthusiasts committed to heritage advocacy, with particular interest on Manila’s built heritage. As such, the purpose of Renacimiento Manila is to produce art to promote and realize Manila’s cultural rebirth and for it to materialize its core philosophy, the Renacimiento Movement. The Renacimiento Movement. What, then, is the Renacimiento Movement? The movement is the core philosophy of the organization. It is founded on the reality that heritage is a cornerstone of holistic development and that it is indispensable in ensuring quality of life. As such, cultural revival is necessary for the promotion of heritage in the national agenda. Heritage should be driven by the people, regardless of race, gender, creed, or religion. This cultural revival can be achieved through the following ways: government support, the advancement of private initiatives, and the engagement of the people.

Leave a comment