My grandmother used to tell me stories of the past. Most of the time she lingered on the tragic incident of the Japanese invasion that scared the hell out of me as a child. When we do good she rewarded us with stories of how pleasant and serene everything was -- a period where nothing's too expensive, the air and rivers were not polluted and gadgets, like cellphones, mp3 players and iPads, were unheard of. Simple living was the height of her existence by then.
These stories trigger some blurry images within that I couldn't fully grasp with my limited resources of imagination. I always wanted to travel back through time to experience in flesh the things she were talking about. The contemporary times might be very acceptable, but it is in the past that I wanted to live. It's as if I am trapped in a time, where I can't really fit in...
Thankfully I unearthed this treasure trove of vintage photos of my homeland. My dreams are somehow fulfilled even if I could only experience the past in the four corners of these pictures. Let's travel back through time to explore the wonders of vintage Iloilo:
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| The Bell Tower of Jaro Cathedral, boasting a solid and unimpaired foundation |
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| Miag-ao Church still photo-worthy as ever |
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| The Old Spanish Tower in Arevalo |
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| Bishop's Palace in Jaro alone in what was now a crowded plaza |
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| Iloilo City's Custom House |
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| Even then the Eastern Seashore of Iloilo was teeming with residents |
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| Iloilo residense vintage style |
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| The humble beginnings of Iloilo Golf Club in Sta. Barbara, the first in Southeast Asia |
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| Iloilo High School |
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| Looks scary to me... |
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| The facade of Janiuay Cemetery |
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| The Kalesa |
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| Vintage residence of the Ledesmas |
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| Masonic Temple and Plaza |
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| Nelly's Garden in Jaro |
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| Palace and Eagles buildings with less traffic |
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| Philippine National Bank with vintage cars around the area. |
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| Plaza Gay and Calle Ledesma |
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| Iloilo Provincial Building |
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| The serene environemnt of the old Provincial Jail |
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| Salt plantation in Molo |
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| Santos Residence |
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| St. Paul's Hospital did not need high walls then |
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| The jeep, I say the jeep! |
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| The local kariton |
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| Sail away with this vintage sailboat at the port |
Did you enjoy the trip back through time? I'm actually glad that these scenes were captured on film, since it's most likely that we're not going to experience this anymore. As the city grows and progresses many of its historical aspects are also gone. Let's help preserve these heritage even through these pictures alone. Who knows, your children's children might also wonder how the past looked like and these pictures could be just you saving grace.
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