Touring San Juan : A City of Life Renewed

San Juan, officially the City of San Juan, (Filipino: Lungsod ng San Juan), or simply known as San Juan City, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 122,180 people. It is geographically located at its approximate center and is also the country's smallest city in terms of land area.

The city is known historically for the site of the first battle of the Katipunan, the organization which led the 1896 Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire. Notable landmarks today such as Pinaglabanan Shrine and heritage homes are located in the city. Other locations include Greenhills Shopping Center and Santolan Town Plaza, making the city a major shopping hub with a range of upscale, boutique and bargain retail.

As soon as I've read this, it has got me into thinking that this tour would really enrich my knowledge on our history... most especially of San Juan City. It could be sort of a refresher for all of us and at the same time very informative, interactive, memorable and engaging as well. I can't wait to be there and share all of you about what we are going to experience. 

Pinaglabanan Shrine is a Filipino national shrine and park along Pinaglabanan Street in the city of San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines. Prominent within the shrine is a statue of elongated figures known as "Spirit of Pinaglabanan" created by Eduardo Castrillo. This was built to commemorate the heroism of the Katipuneros who started the nationwide revolution in San Juan del Monte. The local freedom fighters known as katipuneros lay siege to an arms storage facility, called the 'Polvorin de Almacen', belonging to the Spanish Colonial Government.

The El Deposito was an old underground water reservoir in San Juan del Monte, now the city of San Juan in Metro Manila, Philippines. It was built by the Spanish authorities in 1880, with a capacity of 15 million gallons to provide the residents of Manila and its surrounding areas with an adequate water supply.. The reservoir was historically known as the site where the onset of the Philippine Revolution through the Battle of San Juan del Monte took place in 1896.

On 27 August 2013, at 10:00 a.m., the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) inaugurated its Museo ng Katipunan in Pinaglabanan Shrine, celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of the Filipino nationalist Andres Bonifacio.

This museum is entirely devoted to Bonifacio and the Katipunan, with interactive displays and original Katipunan artifacts. The museum will present an initial list of members of the Katipunan and others who supported its cause, numbering more than 2,500. The names were obtained from archival sources.

The museum has an e-learning room where students from grades 5-7 will take online interactive lessons about Bonifacio and the Katipunan—the first in the country—produced by the NHCP. The activity is undertaken in partnership with the Department of Education.

The opening of the museum was the occasion for launching the book El Comercio, an afternoon daily (in Spanish) that narrated events of the revolution from its outbreak in August 1896 to the exile of Aguinaldo to Hong Kong in December 1897. The accounts were selected and translated into English by the late Umberto Lammoglia.

The Santuario del Santo Cristo, also known as the Church of San Juan del Monte is a church and convento in San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines. The shrine was built in 1602-1604 by the Dominicans on land that was donated to the order. Both the church and convento were burnt and destroyed during the Chinese insurrection of 1639, and later rebuilt in 1641. It was again destroyed in July 1763 as Britain briefly occupied Manila during the Seven Years' War. The current church and convento were built in 1774, and used as a shelter by Katipuneros during the 1898 Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire. It has since been renovated many times until the 1990s.

The shrine is the seat of the Cofradia del Santísimo Cristo de San Juan del Monte ("Confraternity of the Holy Christ of Saint John of the Mountain"), which received papal approval on March 4, 1648.