Carlos Celdran has become a famous household Filipino name, after he pulled his famous Damaso stunt in the Manila Cathedral. More than an activist, he is also a live performer who heads the famous Intramuros tour, which is the first of its kind. After much insistence on my part for Thirdy to take me there, we were finally able to make the trip a few weeks ago. Our scheduled tour was headed by Gabe Mercado, instead of Carlos Celdran. A fact I first found disheartening, since I really wanted to see Carlos Celdran in his forte. Nevertheless, I gave Gabe the benefit of the doubt, and listened intently for 3 whole hours about Philippine history.
I honestly thought that back in gradeschool, we were taught everything we needed to know about Philippine history. I was ready to wow the crowd with my skills, and raise my hand like an eager beaver in class. Unfortunately, due to my rusty memory, I was unable to unearth any last bit of information I learned back in school. What's more is that, there was so much information Gabe Mercado threw at us, which was completely alien to me. Thirdy and I found ourselves bombarded with many, new interesting information that we never learned back in school. 3 hours is a long time to babble about Philippine history, that's why you need a performer like Gabe Mercado to capture your interest from the very beginning. He was interesting, and more importantly, he was funny. The way he talked about Philippine history made it seem like such an exciting subject. It just so happened that the tour we were booked in, was along with lots of foreigners, which made it even more exciting to see how they would respond to the facts about our history.
The tour starts in Fort Santiago, transfers to San Agustin church via a kalesa and ends in Plaza San Luis. It is an eye opening experience of the struggles, challenges, and triumphs that our forefathers went through to gain the freedom we enjoy today. It also speaks of our Philippine identity, and explains just how multi-cultural our country is. Sure, a leisure stroll around Intramuros would do, but I suggest you take part in this tour to heighten your experience and understanding. It is a must for every Filipino to take this crash course on Philippine history! It's so fun that Thirdy and I spent the long drive back home quizzing each other about the facts presented during the tour! After taking part of this tour, we gained a deeper sense of appreciation of our nationality, and the colorful history behind it.
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