The postcard shows the famous Bamboo Organ in the Parish Church of St. Joseph in Las Piñas City. The Las Piñas Bamboo Organ is a 19th century church organ made almost entirely from bamboo: only the trumpet stops are made from metal. The builder of both the church and its organ was Fr. Diego Cera de la Virgen del Carmen, a priest under the Augustinian Recollects. Fr. Cera began his work on the organ in 1816 and it was completed in 1824.
M1067: Las Piñas Bamboo Organ Postcard
In 1973, the organ was shipped to Bonn, Germany for a total restoration by Johannes Klais Orgelbau KG. The restored organ returned home in March 1975. On November 24, 2003, the National Museum of the Philippines officially declared the Las Piñas Bamboo Organ a "National Cultural Treasure" for its uniqueness and significance.
RELATED ENTRY:
Parish Church of St. Joseph Postcards
SOURCE:
Las Piñas Bamboo Organ Wikipedia Entry
The postcard shows the Bulusan Lake in Sorgoson (dubbed as the "Switzerland of the Orient"). Lake Bulusan lies at the heart of Bulusan Volcano National Park. This lake has a circumference of 2,006 meters and has a maximum capacity of water content of 3,472 cubic meters. Its geological age is estimated at 374 years old.
The lake is oftenly mistaken as the Bulusan Volcano’s main crater. It is in fact a body of emerald green water surrounded by a densed gathering of trees and lush tropical plants. There are no streams or rivers that visibly flow into the lake. The major source of water is considered to be seepage from underground water surrounding the lake.
M1064: Bulusan Lake Postcard
The back of the postcard reads:
Bulusan Lake, Sorsogon - Fine scenery with its mild temperature climate, abounding in tropical trees and plants that makes it primeval virgin forest surrounding the cool lake. Altitude, 1800 ft above sea level, no inlet and no outlet.
Bulusan Lake has an interesting legend. It is said that a village once stood where Bulusan Lake is currently located. The legend suggests that a pagan chieftain once managed the land, and one day when he did not honor a promise he made to set his slaves free, waters came from the skies and flooded everything creating the lake. His slaves that were working in the fields survived the floods and are believed to have been the founders of the city of Bulusan.
SOURCES:
Bulusan Lake WikiPilipinas Entry
Lake Bulusan Wikipedia Entry
Bulusan Lake Profile
The postcard shows the monument Arch of the Centuries in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) at Manila. The Arch stands 15 meters away from the University's main entrance along España Boulevard. The side of the arch facing the campus was the main doorway to the university building before it was destroyed by World War II. The stones of that doorway were transferred and reassembled piece by piece in its present site. The side with its Grecian design facing España Street is a reconstruction of the doorway as it originally looked.
M1062: University of Santo Tomas Postcard
The Arch contains Doric columns, but is Baroque in its details. The inscription on the arch says "Gateway to the history of the finest breed of Filipinos." On the left pillar of the facade facing España Boulevard is commemorative plaque honoring national hero José Rizal, and on the right pillar is another plaque honoring President Manuel L. Quezon. Both Rizal and Quezon were UST graduates. On the sides at the top of the Arch are panels depicting the life of Saint Thomas Aquinas, the patron saint of the University and of all Catholic schools.
All incoming students (freshmen and transferees), as parts of their initiation rites into the University, are required to pass through under the Arch. This is known as the Thomasian Welcome Walk.
RELATED ENTRY:
University of Santo Tomas Postcards
SOURCES:
Arch of the Centuries Wikipedia Entry
UST Homepage: Arch of the Centuries
The postcard shows the famous tree house in Pasonanca Park in Zamboanga City. This tree house has all the amenities of a small hotel room and can be rented.
M1059: Tree House Postcard
Construction of the Pasonanca Park began in 1912 by General John J. "Blackjack" Pershing, and completed during the administration of the Honorable Frank W. Carpenter.
Pasonanca Park, a popular site for youth citizenship training and Boy Scout and Girl Scout jamborees, has three swimming pools, one for children, a second for professional swimmers, and a third looks like a natural swimming hole. The third pool is the oldest of the three, having been constructed during the time of Gov. Carpenter and Parksman Hanley in 1916-1917.
SOURCE:
Pasonanca Park Wikipedia Entry
The postcard shows the World Health Organization (WHO) building in Ermita, Manila. No online information found about the building (construction, etc.). It might have been built in the 50s since WHO was established in the Philippines in 1951.
M1056: World Health Organization Building Postcard
M1067: Las Piñas Bamboo Organ Postcard
