Malacañan: The People's Palace

Malacañan Palace, is the official residence of the President of the Philippines. The palace is located along the north bank of the Pasig River in Manila. It is called Palasyo ng Malakanyang in Filipino, and Malacañan Palace when referred to as the official residence of the President of the Philippines, and simply Malacañang when referred to as the office of the president, as well as in everyday parlance and in the media. The term "Malacañang" is a metonym for the Philippine President's administration, or the Executive branch. Malacañang Palace is depicted on the verso (back) side of the present-day 20-peso bill.

Today the complex consists of Malacañang Palace itself, Bonifacio Hall (formerly the Premier Guest House used by Ferdinand E. Marcos successor Corazon C. Aquino as her office and by Joseph Ejercito Estrada as his residence), Kalayaan Hall (the former executive building built under the American administration), Mabini Hall (the Administration Building), and the New Executive Building (built by President Aquino) among other, smaller buildings. Across the river, is Malacañang Park, which contains a golf course, park, billets for the presidential guard, as well as a Commonwealth-era presidential resthouse (Bahay Pangarap) and recreation hall.

The state and historical rooms of the Palace aren't often seen by the public. While access is much more open than during the years before Marcos (especially during the time of Ramon Magsaysay), the Palace is closed and heavily guarded during times of political unrest. Rallyists often congregate along Mendiola Street, nearby to air their protests against the government.

History

The Spanish Captains-General (before the independence of New Spain, from which the Philippines was directly governed) and then the Governors-General of the Philippines originally resided in the walled city of Intramuros, Manila, until an earthquake leveled the Palacio del Gobernador (Governor's Palace) in 1869. At this point, Malacañang Palace, a summer home originally built in 1802 by Spanish aristocrat Don Luis Rocha, then subsequently purchased by an official and then purchased by the state, became the temporary residence of the Governors-General. Governor General Rafael de Echague y Berminghan, previously governor of Puerto Rico, was therefore the first Spanish governor to occupy Malacañang Palace.

When the Philippines came under American rule following the Spanish-American War, Malacañang Palace became the residence of the American Governor-General. In 1900, William Howard Taft became the first American Civil Governor resident. The palace was expanded, and an Executive building added by Governors-General Francis Burton Harrison and Dwight Davis. The complex reverted to the President of the Philippines upon the establishment of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, on November 15, 1935. President Manuel L. Quezon became the first Filipino resident of Malacañang Palace. It has been the official residence of the President of the Philippines since. After his inauguration on December 30, 1953, President Ramon Magsaysay issued an Executive Order formally changing the name from "Malacañang Palace" to "Malacañang: Residence of the President of the Philippines." The new nomenclature rapidly caught on and was maintained until informally abandoned during the Marcos administration. During the administration of President Corazon Aquino, for historical reasons, government policy has been to make the distinction between "Malacañan Palace", official residence of the president, and "Malacañang", office of the president.

The palace was made famous as the home of President Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, who were its longest residents, from 1965 to 1986. As first lady, Mrs. Marcos oversaw the reconstruction of the palace to her own extravagant tastes. Including the former San Miguel Brewery Buildings, which was demolished upon Expansion, paving away to a park near the San Miguel Church. Following a student uprising that nearly breached the palace gates in the early 1970s, martial law was declared, and the complex was closed to the public. When President Marcos was deposed in 1986, the palace complex was stormed by the local populace, and the international media subsequently exposed the excesses of the Marcos family, including Mrs. Marcos' infamous collection of thousands of shoes.

To watch part 2 to 4 of 'The Road to Malacañan' from Probe Profiles, click HERE!

Source: Wikipedia

In Focus: Isabel Preysler

Maria Isabel Preysler Arrastia, better known as Isabel Preysler, is a Filipinojornalist, model, socialite and a former TV host who lives and work in Spain. She is the mother of Enrique Iglesias, Julio Iglesias Jr., Tamara Falco and Ana Boyer.

The Early Years

Preysler was born in Manila, Philippines, the third of six children to a wealthy family. She attended the Assumption Convent, a private Catholic school. Her father, Carlos Preysler y Pérez de Tagle was the executive director of Philippine Airlines and on the Board of Directors for El Banco Español de Manila (Spanish Bank of Manila), while her mother Beatriz Arrastía Reinares, was the owner of a real estate company in Manila. She expressed in an interview with Hola! Magazine that her origin comes from the Philippines, the place of her birth and where she was raised with her siblings.

The Perez de Tagle family produced copra and abaca, which was the main ingridient in ropes and other product prior to the invention of nylon. The Arrastia family is from the province of Pampanga. Their old town was Lubao, site of the ancient San Nicolas Tolentino Cathedral. The Arrastias used to ownone of the largest haciendas there , most of which were utilized to plant rice and sugarcane.


Her nickname as a child was "Chabeli", which would later be the nickname of her first child. According to the book "Reina de Corazones" (Queen of Hearts) by Paloma Barrientos, she dated Gregorio Araneta, Charlie Lopezand Bobby Santos among others, as a teenager. She named her second son Enrique Miguel, in honor of her deceased father.

Career

During her youth, Preysler was a model who participated in beauty pageants and charity events for the Sheraton Hotels and resort in Manila and went on to win titles in several events. At the age of 16, she migrated to Spainto live with her uncle and aunt. She stududied at Mary Wars College, an Irish Catholic University in Spain, she studied accounting. Preysler began working as a journalist for Spanish magazine ¡Hola! in 1970, and her first interviewee was her future husband Julio Iglesias. In 1984, she hosted a Spanish lifestyle television programme, "Hoy en Casa", and has hosted and appeared in various programs since. In May 2001, she was Prince Charles' guest of honour for the opening of his Spanish Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show in England. She was his guest of honor again in 2005 at a garden party during a holiday to Spain by the Royal Crown.

In 2004, Preysler became Spain's welcoming host for David and Victoria Beckham when she hosted a welcoming party at her house for the celebrity couple. She became close friends with Victoria and was often photographed shopping with her during their stay in Madrid. Preysler continues to be the national spokesmodel for Ferrero Rocher, Suárez jewelry, Manolo Blahnik shoes, Chrysler cars and Porcelanosa tiles, for which American hollywood actor George Clooney recently worked with her in 2006 to represent the brand in a advertising campaign. Readers at Hola magazine have voted Preysler as the most elegant and best-dressed woman in Spain for 1991, 2002 and 2006. 


In 2006, Preysler was also honored along with Hillary Clinton, Shakira and Yoko Ono among others with the Women Together Award, which honors women for their philanthropical contributions to the United Nations in New York, making her the first Filipino woman in history to win the award. In 2007, she and her daughters were invited by Prince Charles of England to be guests of honor at the Clarence house at their estate in the United Kingdom and was voted out of a total of more than 40,000 Hola magazine readers as the most elegant woman in Spain.

Personal Life

In 1970, Preysler was introduced to a football player named Julio Iglesias, who just signed a recording contract to become a singer. Iglesias invited her to watch a Juan Pardo concert.The couple was married seven months later on January 29, 1971. They were married for seven years and had three children, Chabeli Iglesias, Julio Iglesias Jr. and Enrique Iglesias. Their marriage was annulled in 1979.

Preysler married the Marques de Griñón, Carlos Falcó, on March 23, 1980, a short lived marriage resulted in the birth of a second daughter, Tamara Falcó. She later married former Spanish finance minister, Miguel Boyer, with whom she has another daughter, Ana Boyer. In 1987, her two sisters have migrated to Spain with their families to be closer to Isabel. She holds dual citizenship in both the Philippines and Spain. Her father, Carlos Preysler is deceased and her mother, Beatriz Preysler, lives in Miami with son Enrique Iglesias.

Source: Wikipedia & You Tube

Colegio de San Juan de Letran [Intramuros,Manila]

The Colegio de San Juan de Letran (CSJL) (also as San Juan de Letran College (SJLC), Letran College (LC) or simply Letran), was founded in 1620. Letran is a private Roman Catholic institution of higher learning located in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. The Colegio was given Level 2 accreditation by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities in the Elementary department, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), the College of Business Administration (CBA), and the High School Department.

The name San Juan de Letran is derived from the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, considered as the Mother Church of Christendom. This name, in turn, was taken from that of the palace known as Palazzo Laterano, beside which it stands at the Piazza San Giovanni or Saint John Square in that SE of Rome location, a former Imperial Palace given by Emperor Constantine to the Pope in the early 4th century, which later served as official papal residence for over a thousand years.

The Colegio is owned and administered by priests of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) of the Philippine Dominican Province. The school has a rich and proud history and holds the distinction of having produced Philippine presidents, revolutionary heroes, poets, legislators, members of the clergy, jurists, and is the only Philippine school that has produced a Catholic Saint that actually lived and studied inside its original campus. The campus contains two statues, representing the two foremost alumni in the fields of secular and religious service: former Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon and Vietnamese Saint Vicente Liem de la Paz.

Originally founded by Don Juan Geromino Guerrero in 1620, a retired Spanish officer, in Intramuros as Colegio de Niños Huerfanos de San Juan de Letran. The school was designed to educate and mold orphans to be good Christian citizens. Around the same time, Diego de Santa Maria, O.P. established Colegio de Huerfanos de San Pedro y San Pablo. As Don Guerrero grew old, the two schools were fused together, taking the name of Colegio de San Juan de Letran. In 1623, King Philip IV of Spain placed Letran under Royal protection.

After 60 years, Letran was declared an ecclesiastical college. A royal decree on May 1865 pronounced Letran as a "College of the First Class". Around this time, Letran was still a school exclusively for boys. During World War II, Letran suspended classes, and the school was changed into a Japanese garrison. After the war, Letran resumed operations. Several new construction projects were inaugurated to replace the old structures wrecked by the war.

The school began accepting female students in its college department in the 1970s while the grade school and high school departments started accepting female enrollees in June 2005.

Letran has programs in business education, humanities, information technology, communication arts and basic education, and has successful athletic programs, particularly in basketball, football, volleyball, taekwondo, and tennis. Through the centuries Letran has produced numerous athletes that have donned the national colors (especially in basketball) in international events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Southeast Asian Games, Jones Cup, and FIBA World Championship.

In October 2007, two former Letran administrators were among the 498 Spanish martyrs beatified by Pope Benedict XVI. They are Fr. Jesus Villaverde Andres, OP, a former rector; and Fr. Antonio Varona Ortega, OP, a former professor and moderator of the NCAA Philippines.

Creed

"Soy una Letranista, y viviré para el Señor Dios, Patria y Letran" - "I am a Letranite and I will continue to live my days as one - for God, the Fatherland, and for my beloved Alma Mater."

Website: Colegio de San Juan de Letran de Manila

Source: Wikipedia

San Miguel Corporation (Philippines)

San Miguel Corporation (PSE: SMC and SMCB) is the largest publicly listed food, beverage and packaging company in the Philippines. As of 2001, its business generated 3.6 percent of the Philippines' gross domestic product and 4.5 percent of the government's tax revenue. Founded in 1890 as a brewery, San Miguel now makes nine out of every 10 bottles of beer, 87 percent of the soft drinks, 60 percent of the processed meat and 40 percent of the poultry sold in the Philippines. The trade-name San Miguel, originates San Miguel, St Michael the archangel. The company has over 100 facilities in the Philippines, Southeast Asia, China, and Australia. Its major operating facilities include five breweries, four glass plants, two metal closure and lithography plants, two plastic case plants, and a coconut oil mill. San Miguel is one of the Philippines' biggest private employers, with over 25,900 employees. The company reported a net income of $171 million in 2005. As of the first half of 2006, the company's net income had grown 15 percent from a year earlier to P4.36 billion ($83.4 million) following the consolidation of its Australian subsidiary, National Foods Ltd.

Under a royal grant from Spain, Enrique Barretto y de Ycaza opened La Fábrica de Cerveza de San Miguel, Southeast Asia's first brewery, on September 29, 1890 at 6 Calzada de Malacañang in Manila, near the Palace of the Governor-General of the Philippines. The trade-name San Miguel, originates from the local brewery of San Miguel, Barcelona, Spain. He named the company after the section of Manila in which he lived and worked. Barretto was soon joined by Pedro Pablo Roxas, who brought with him a German brewmaster, Ludwig Kiene, as technical director. San Miguel's brew won its first major award at 1895's Philippines Regional Exposition. After six years of operation, the fledgling brewery was outselling imported brands five to one. At the outbreak of World War I, San Miguel was exporting its beer to Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Guam. The company was incorporated in 1913 following the death of Roxas.

In 1918, Andres Soriano y Roxas joined San Miguel as a clerk in the accounting department, beginning a multigeneration (albeit interrupted) reign of the Sorianos. An ad that appeared in the January 17, 1924 edition of the Manila-based Spanish-language satirical magazine Aray. Soriano initiated the company's diversification, which proceeded rather logically via vertical integration. The experience cultivating barley, for instance, naturally evolved into other agricultural businesses. The brewery diversified into soft drinks in 1922 with the construction of the Royal soft drinks plant. It then expanded into ice cream and dairy products in 1925 with the Magnolia ice cream plant.

In 1927, San Miguel secured the first non-US national Coca-Cola bottling and distribution franchise. The company owned 70 percent of the joint venture, which grew to become Coke's sixth largest operation. By the early 1990s, San Miguel had captured over two-thirds of the domestic soft drink market. Expanding and modernizing the company, however, meant diluting family control. San Miguel was the first Filipino company to be owned by thousands of shareholders. To retain control, the Sorianos relied on their alliances with relatives and associates. Before World War II broke out, San Miguel had built a glass factory in Paco and the Cebu Royal plant, its first installation outside Luzon. When the war reached the Philippines, Soriano was commissioned as a colonel and served as an aide to General Douglas MacArthur. One of the first Filipino brewmasters was Dominador Santos, a chemist from Obando, Bulacan.

After the war, San Miguel rebuilt and mounted a large-scale expansion program. The company acquired and modernized a second brewery in Polo, Bulacan in 1947. Two years later, five other plants were opened: the Manila glass plant in Farola, a carbon dioxide plant in Otis, a carton plant, the Iloilo Coca-Cola plant and the Farola power plant. Exports of San Miguel Pale Pilsen resumed. New soft-drink plants followed in Davao and Naga.

In 1953 Soriano signed the so-called "Manila Agreement" which allowed the Spanish beer brewing subsidiary La Segarra (now San Miguel, Fábricas de Cerveza y Malta, S.A.) to become independent of its parent company. La Segarra continued producing its own line of beers under the San Miguel brand.

Continue reading, San Miguel Corporation.

Links: San Miguel Corporation's Site, Company's History, San Miguel Internaciónal, San Miguel Beer.

Source: Wikipedia