On the outskirts of the City of Manila, lies one of the most beautiful
scenic routes in the tropics--the expanse of country extending from
the city itself to what is known as the Montalban Water Works, in
Rizal Province, from which the city derives its water supply. At the
head of a picturesque gorge, the Mariquina River is impounded by a dam,
and the water is brought to the City of Manila, 39 kilometers distant,
through aqueducts of cast iron.
The ride to the gorge through the heart of the Mariquina valley, one
of the most fertile regions of the Island of Luzon, is a veritable
scenic fairyland. Lowland, mountain, hill, stream, field, bridge,
road, village, and town combine to form a landscape that invariably
fascinates the visitor. The scene is restful and pleasing to the eye
at almost every vista that presents itself.
Crossing the Ayala Bridge and passing through General Solano Street,
the visitor proceeds on his way to the famous valley. On both sides
of General Solano stand old Spanish residences practically as they
were in the days of the Spaniards. This was then the fashionable
residential section of the city and its glories as such have not as
yet entirely departed.
[The Malacañang Palace]
Soon, the Governor-General's palatial home known as the "Malacañang
Palace," is reached on the right, immediately after the only brewery in
the City of Manila. The palace is beyond doubt the finest residence in
the islands. The gardens are particularly well-kept, Governor-General
Harrison having improved the residence and the grounds making it a
sumptuous and fitting place for the first executive of the land.
Immediately next to the Governor's palace is the executive building
housing the offices of the Governor-General's staff and cabinet. It
is an elaborate structure decorated with hardwood carvings.
After a detour to drive thru the grounds of the palace, the visitor
proceeds on his way towards Santa Mesa. The next place of interest
is known as the "Rotonda"--a circular Plaza at which two important
thoroughfares and some of lesser importance intersect. In the center of
the Rotonda stands the Carriedo Fountain built in memory of Francisco
Carriedo, the Spanish engineer who installed the first gravity water
system in Manila sometime in the 19th century.
[Santa Mesa]
Soon the visitor arrives at another residential section known as
Santa Mesa. This section is on top of a hilly district overlooking the
city. Fine bungalows and villas surrounded by beautiful lawns adjoin
one another. Americans, Europeans, and Filipinos live here side by
side. Mingled with the sumptuous abodes found in this section are
several patches of nipa huts, furnishing a startling contrast--the
almost primitive native residence common throughout the archipelago,
especially in the barrios, as compared with the architecturally highly
developed occidental type of residence. In the midst of this ensemble
of residences are rice fields cultivated in typical native fashion
with terraces, ditches, carabaos, etc.
[San Juan Bridge and Heights]
The visitor now comes across a country that is more open, and
cultivated patches of land become a more frequent sight. In a few
minutes, he reaches the famous "San Juan Bridge," a historical
landmark. It was here, on February 4th, 1899, that the first shot
of the Filipino-American war was fired. Two days later, the treaty
of Paris ceding the Philippines to the United States was ratified,
and the Filipinos continued to revolt.
After crossing the bridge, the visitor reaches San Juan Heights,
a suburban development project in the municipality of San Juan del
Monte. Less than two years ago, an enterprising American formed a
company and divided this property up into lots and started selling
the parcels on the instalment plan. The project was a success and now
a good sized community has settled on this district. Other parcels
of land in the vicinity have been similarly divided into lots, and
Manila suburban property is now rapidly undergoing development in
the familiar American manner. Among these other parcels are the San
Juan Heights Addition, the Rosario Heights, and the Magdalena Estate,
the latter being an immense tract of land extending for several miles
into the country.
[The Reservoir]
Nearby is located the distributing reservoir of the Manila Water
Supply system, called "El Depósito." It was constructed in Spanish
days, but has now grown to be entirely too small for the ever-growing
needs of the city.
Along the side of the reservoir is the "Boys' Reformatory School,"
where wayward and recalcitrant youngsters are won back to good
behaviour and useful life at the expense of the city and the Insular
government.
Turning back to the main roadway, the visitor sees the palatial
residence of the Ex-Mayor of Manila, now Senator Hon. Ramon Fernandez.
[The Mariquina Valley]
From this point on, there is an entirely rural scenery, an immense
plain bounded by mountains in the north and east. This is the Mariquina
Valley. Somewhere on this valley just outside the municipality
of San Mateo, was the spot where General Lawton was shot by the
Filipino insurgents. This whole region was intensely fought over
by the contending forces, the Filipino insurgents retreating to the
mountains to the north and east.
[The Town of Mariquina]
Soon afterwards, the town of Mariquina is reached. It is a typical
Filipino community. Proximity to the Philippine metropolis does not
seem to have altered its appearance in the least. It has a rural air
and atmosphere and the people evidently belong to the hard-plodding
farmer-class.
An excellent road makes driving a pleasure through the Mariquina
Valley. The combination of colors and light, tropical vegetation
and houses, the undulating mountain divides, the brilliant green
of the palms and bamboo, contrasted with the intense verdure of the
rice fields, present a vista that can be expressed adequately only
by painting.
[The Payatas Estate]
After Mariquina comes the town of San Mateo, centrally situated in the
Mariquina Valley. It was here that tenants of the vast Payatas Estate
in the vicinity combined and bought the property from the Japanese
owners three years ago. The enterprise was the first cooperative
agricultural Filipino effort on a large scale and has proved to be
a success. The purchase price was $775,000, and all of this amount
but $100,000 has been paid up.
[At the Dam]
Then the dam is reached. It is in the town of Montalban, 35 kilometers
from Manila. The road winds in and out along the banks of the river,
the banks of the river themselves become steeper and steeper, and
soon the towering white limestone sides of the Mariquina gorge loom
up several hundred feet, and the reservoir inclosure is reached.
Those who desire to go as far as the dam must be sure to obtain
permits from the Metropolitan Water District before leaving Manila,
otherwise the trip will have to end at the head of the deep gorge at
the gate of the reservoir. With such a permit the visitor is allowed
to enter the reservoir gate and he proceeds up the shaded walk to
the dam and reservoir.
The walk to the reservoir is only a few minutes, up a well-kept path
lined with shrubs, trees, and flowers with the rushing water of the
river below to the left.
The reservoir, surrounded by the green mountain sides, makes a pretty
picture reminding the visitor of some of the descriptions of lakes
in the Scottish Islands, as depicted by Sir Walter Scott in some of
his works.
[Different Return Route]
The return to Manila may be made by way of Pasig, the capital of the
Province of Rizal, after leaving Mariquina where the roads branch. On
this way back, Fort Wm. McKinley is worth visiting. It is said to
be the largest army post under the American flag and one of the best
administered. It cannot fail to impress the visitor because of its fine
buildings, spacious parade grounds and attractive officers' quarters.