The popular bookstore in Manila which is the National Bookstore used to offer slippers aside from books.
American University of the Philippines was the first name of the University of the Philippines.
As a personification for the Filipinos, the name Juan dela Cruz came from R. McCulloch-Dick, a Scottish journalist working at the Manila Times newspaper. He said that Juan dela Cruz is the most common name in blotters during those times.
The famous Rizal Monument in Luneta is facing the Manila Bay.
Based on the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest legal tender note in terms of size is found in the Philippines. The 100,000 peso bill measures 8.5”x14”. It was issued by the Central Bank in the year 1998 in commemoration of the centennial year of the Philippine Independence. There are only 1,000 copies of the said bill.
To honor the group of Filipino Boy Scouts who died on a tragic plane crash en route to joining the 11th World Scout Jamboree. The streets surrounding the area along Tomas Morato and Timog Avenue in Quezon City were named after them. A Monument was even built at the center of a rotunda at the intersection of the two major streets.
Casa Roxas was the first company established in the Philippines which is now known as the Ayala Corporation.
Quezon City was the original capital of the Philippines and not Manila.
There are a total of 23 figures in the famous Bonifacio Monument along Monumento circle in Caloocan City. Including are the figures of the three martyrs (Gomez, Burgos and Zamora) and Gen. Emilio Jacinto.
Based on the study of the National Statistics Coordination Board, there is a greater population of man than woman in the Philippines however, the lifespan of the females are longer than the males.
The Cardinal Santos Medical Center was named after the first Filipino cardinal Rufino Jiao Santos.
The Philippine Bank of Communication or the PBCom tower reigns as the tallest building in Metro Manila. The 259m tower is along V.A. Rufino St. and Ayala Avenue in the city of Makati.
- "Marangal na Dalit ng Katagalugan" composed by Julio Nakpil is said to be our original national anthem. But the president Emilio Aguinaldo asks Julian Felipe to create another one which is the "Lupang Hinirang".
As the shoe capital of the Philippines, Marikina City set a new world record last 2002 for crafting the world’s largest pair of shoes. Breaking the previous record of 3.12meter shoe from Turkey, The people of Marikina design a 5.5 meter long shoe that even 30 people can fit in inside.
San Agustin claims the title of being the oldest church not only in Manila but in the entire Philippines.
In 1578, the oldest hospital which is the San Lazaro Hospital was built.
The first non-Catholic marriage in Manila under the Spanish control took place in the early 19th Century when American Henry Sturgis, who arrived in the country in 1827, married Josephina Borras of Manila. They were wed aboard a British warship at the Manila harbor.
It was believed that the Hotel del Oriente in Binondo, Manila was the first hotel built in the Philippines in 1850s. The two-storey building has 83 rooms and happens to be a first class hotel. It was even reported that the Philippine’ national hero had stayed there at room 22.
The Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila which is popularly known as the Plaza Lawton was named after Major General Henry W. Lawton.
The height of the three vertical pylons on Manuel L. Quezon’s catafalque along the Elliptical Road is based on his age when he died. According to Architect Fedirico Ilustre it was 66 meters in height.
EDSA and Commonwealth Avenue are the most accident prone area in Metro Manila based on the MMDA’s tally.
- "Mall King" Henry Sy is the richest man in the Philippines.
The 14th president of the Philippines which is Gloria Macapagal Arroyo only stands 4’9”.
MBC or Maysan Barangay Comlex in Valenzuela City is the largest barangay hall in the Philippines. Standing on a 936 square meter lot, the three storey hall is worth 27 million pesos. The construction started in 1997 under the leadership of the barangay chairman Pablo Lucas. It was open to the public only this year. Aside from the office, it also offers day care and action center, livelihood training rooms, senior citizens’ office and multi-purpose hall-cum-gymnasium.
The Ali Mall in Cubao, Quezon City was named after the great boxer Mohammed Ali. The previous world heavy weight champion went to the Philippines in 1975, for the fight against Joe Frazier that was held in Araneta Coliseum. The “Thrilla in Manila” was one of the greatest boxing events ever.
- Onel de Guzman, a student of AMA Computer College in Quezon City, spread the “love bug” computer virus that had infected millions of computer files world wide. The said virus wrought damages amounting US$10 billion.
With a diameter of 108 meters, land area of almost 40,000 meters and floor area of 2,300 square meters. The “Big Dome” located in Quezon, City is the largest indoor facility in Southeast Asia.
Images courtesy of Flickr.com
Sources: http://www.gmanews.tv/index.html, http://www.txtmania.com/trivia/index.php
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