#Manila Central Post Office

[kikodora]

Historic Manila Central Post Office Reduced to Ashes in Devastating Fire

In a heart-wrenching incident, the iconic Manila Central Post Office has been completely consumed by a fierce fire that erupted late Sunday evening. Postmaster General Luis Carlos confirmed the tragic news on Monday, stating that the historic structure had been “totally burned,” leaving the nation in mourning. “The structure is totally burned. This is 100%. This is truly saddening because the…

[popcornbutterfly]

📸 eilyn

[awidevastdominion]

[caloymalonzo]

The iconic Manila Central Post Office is being ravaged by a destructive fire this Monday morning. The inferno, which broke out on Sunday evening, quickly consumed the historic landmark, leaving behind a charred shell of what was once a grand symbol of communication.

The post office held a special place in the hearts of countless individuals, symbolizing a bygone era of communication and connection. It was more than just a building; it was a testament to our history and heritage. The grand architecture and bustling activity within its walls were constant reminders of the importance it held in our lives.

I hope that this fire was not intentional. Often, fires like these are used to demolish historical buildings, allowing developers to construct apartments or malls without the need for lengthy court battles and avoid government bureaucracy.

[dlyarchitecture]

[mychoombatheroomba]

Fade Out

Between the Bones (Leon x GN! Reader) - Chapter 53

You and Leon are questioned following the events on base.

(Cross-posted from Ao3)

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Chapter Index

TW for angst and government manipulation but what else is new?

You didn’t really know where you were, only that the room was familiar. A one-way mirror. A simple table. A recording device. An empty chair across from you. A little TV on the corner of the table.

You’d been in a room like it once before, when you gave your report on what happened in Finland over a year ago. 

Now, here you were, history repeating itself; returning to you in new clothes but with the same violent intentions. You’d thought you had been cresting a hill in feeling your pain ease. Now you knew that you’d just been the unknowing fool strapped to a wheel, turning up to see the sun only to get crushed against the ground once more. 

So you let yourself be pressed down by the weight, wishing you could well and truly sink into the earth. It was easy to fall into that mindset by yourself, you found. 

In the days following this newest nightmare, you and the others had been isolated. A safety precaution to prevent the spread of the virus, and to keep anyone from taking action. Now, though, you’d been escorted from your quarantine and taken to this room, where you knew questions would be waiting for you. You didn’t want to talk about what had happened now any more than you had after Finland. You didn’t want to speak into reality what was already building a cage around your mind. 

Not that you had a choice. 

The door opened without you being ready for it to. A man walked in, carrying a manila folder. Tall. Brown hair. Pale, gaunt cheeks. Another fine-pressed suit, complete with one of those stupid ties that only cowboys should wear, but assholes from old money always seemed to love. 

“Good morning, Sergeant,” he greeted, already sounding like he knew everything in the world. 

Then there’s no need to talk to me. 

You didn’t speak back as the man settled into the chair opposite you, clicked the record button on the machine in front of him, holding the folder in his lap. He spoke your rank and name into the air, alongside the word “debriefing” as if that’s what this was. “Presiding officer: Derek C. Simmons.” He fixed his gaze on you, then, and it began. 

⧫⧫⧫

Leon knew the man across from him. 

He knew that aged face, the hair that was already beginning to gray, the rectangular glasses. Hard to forget a person who forced you into military service. Who had weighed your life against information you possessed and deemed you the lesser of the two. 

He half expected Adam Benford to find some new, horrible way to threaten him. As the agent took a seat and started the recording, Leon kept waiting for him to bring up Sherry, or even you and the others. He waited for some terrible new hammer to fall, because that seemed to be the way of things. 

Instead, it was just questions.

Familiar questions, all revolving around one central theme: tell me what happened that night.  

So he did. He relived on tape every agonizing detail. Each moment. 

- a shriek and a cracking of bone as it connected - 

- the laces of his boot colliding with a skull -

- no time for surprise to even register on his face -

⧫⧫⧫

“All of that, and you weren’t infected,” Simmons mused, stroking the goatee on his chin. “Nearly everyone on base turned, and you-”

“I didn’t eat the same food as everyone else,” you said dryly, because you’d had plenty of time over the last few days to put together that much. “That’s what it was, wasn’t it?” 

The man gave you a look that might have been approval, even if it was still filtered through a discerning veneer. “It was. And how convenient that you happened to avoid it. Just as you managed to avoid being infected during the incident at Dorne Base.” 

Anger. It lanced through you as soon as Simmons spoke. “If you’re looking to make accusations, don’t waste your time. Did you find Reed’s body with the others?” You didn’t even need Simmons to confirm it, you were so dead set in your belief. You were certain beyond any shadow of a doubt. 

⧫⧫⧫

Benford shook his head, and Leon knew you’d been right. He could feel it, even if your explanation had been rushed and delivered in near mania back on the base. How could it not have been? You’d watched another home fall in the same brutal way. You’d endured your nightmare a second time. 

Another horror for you to relive.

Another horror for Leon, because every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was a smoking rifle barrel and that look of emptiness on your face-

“How did this happen?” Leon asked, because when he wasn’t thinking of the blood and fires, he was thinking of that one question. “How did you let this happen again?” 

The wrinkles already present on Benford’s face deepened as he frowned. There was more guilt there than Leon would have expected. “We put our trust in the wrong person,” he answered, and Leon couldn’t have scoffed more at the understatement. 

The wrong person. A man who’d had his run of the base. The authority to do as he pleased. 

“Reed was in charge of handling all incoming and outgoing mail. It’s fair to say that’s how he got the virus samples. It would have gone through him first,” Benford admitted, and again Leon was floored by how easy it had been, in hindsight. All Reed had to do was wait until Krauser and Hellman were away . . . “What we don’t know for certain,” the agent went on, “is whether Reed acted alone.” 

Leon had been exhausted for days. Sleep evaded him, no matter what he tried. His mind was addled with the fresh poison of memory and nightmare. Even so, even with the stupor he was in, he felt his hackles raise as soon as Benford spoke the words. 

“You think someone on base helped him?” 

“It’s not out of the realm of possibility.” Some terrible feeling in his gut told Leon who they suspected even before your name was spoken into the air. “You’re quite close with the Sergeant, aren’t you?”

“You can’t be serious.” What other response was he supposed to have? “Are you just throwing accusations around for the hell of it? Or have you found any evidence?” 

⧫⧫⧫

“No, we haven’t,” Simmons surprised you by answering honestly, but his intake of breath told you that he wasn’t done. That much was proven further when he lifted the folder he held, and a jolt of adrenaline shot through you. “We did find these, though, hidden under the mattress of your bunk.” 

Fuck . . .

He flipped the folder open, and you immediately recognized the printed words on the first page. 

𝚁𝙰𝙲𝙲𝙾𝙾𝙽 𝙲𝙸𝚃𝚈 𝚁𝙴𝙿𝙾𝚁𝚃 - 𝚂𝙴𝙿𝚃𝙴𝙼𝙱𝙴𝚁 𝟸𝟽𝚝𝚑, 𝟷𝟿𝟿𝟾

⧫⧫⧫

Leon looked down at the pictures of the reports and felt a new pit open in his stomach. He recognized them. He’d spent a fair amount of time reading through them, under your supervision, after all. 

“These same reports were missing from Major Krauser’s office,” Benford began, and Leon didn’t know what to do. 

What to say. Telling the truth would implicate not only you, but-

“The Major was adamant that he gave the reports to the Sergeant,” Benford explained, and Leon felt his heart sink. “He asked that punishment be his alone to bear. Claimed that he was the only one responsible for this breach of intelligence.”

⧫⧫⧫

“He lied.” It wasn’t your best performance, but you had to try. Had to do something, or Krauser would take the fall for your curiosity. Another casualty that you could have prevented if you’d been smarter. If you’d just put the fucking reports back when you were done reading through them in the first place. Now, all you could do was pray that your bluff would work. “I took them from his office the night before the attack. Check the camera footage, I was in the officer’s barracks. He’s just trying to cover for me.”

Simmons, for his part, just seemed intrigued by your words. “Really?” he said, raising a brow. “And what reason would he have to do that?” 

⧫⧫⧫

Leon knew the reason. He had been ignoring it for long enough, but he knew now. The Major’s service was everything to him, his life in the military all that he had. Still, he’d risked it for you. It all became unavoidable, then; why Krauser had been so harsh with Leon after Fort Benning. Why he’d been taking such an interest in your training. Why he’d given you classified information. Him keeping your secret, his late nights with you, all of it. 

Krauser cared for you. More than he should have.

And Leon knew. 

If he said as much, if he spoke that truth, Jack Krauser’s career would be over. 

Krauser’s feelings for you were a breach of the balance of power. Leon knew that. He would be justified in reporting it . . . but Krauser had never acted on those feelings. At least as far as Leon knew. He cared for you, that much was obvious, but he’d never acted on it. And Leon knew he wouldn’t. For all the harsh training, for every bruising lesson, Krauser was a good man.

A man that Leon, despite himself, cared for.

A man who just wanted the best for those under his command.

Still, a choice had to be made.

Leon wasn’t a liar. He had never been good at it. He’d always spoken the truth, when he could help it. 

But more than that, he’d always defended those he cared for. 

“He’s loyal to his men,” Leon answered, his voice smaller than he would like. It was true, he supposed. Even if loyalty may not have been all the Major felt towards you. “He would lie to keep them protected in a heartbeat.” 

⧫⧫⧫

“And you are loyal to him, it seems.” 

You knew where this was going, because Reed had made the exact same implication the other night. It made you want to scream. This whole ordeal did, because it was what little remained of your world being torn apart once more. The dogs and carrion birds had come to tear at the remains of you. It left you on your back heels, trying desperately to defend yourself and your Major both. “I’m loyal to everyone I serve with.” 

“Not to your country?” 

“To the government that signed off on a deal with Birkin?” you hissed, shaking your head. “That let an Umbrella agent slip under its nose? How can I trust that country when anyone could be working for the enemy? How the fuck can I even know that you’re not with Umbrella? Another asshole on its payroll?” You were seething, now. Swinging blindly at an enemy you couldn’t see, hoping to land any blow. 

Simmons regarded you, then, his eyes calculating. 

Up until now, everything felt scripted. Like he had been given a loose list of questions to ask you.

In that moment, you felt him break from it. 

⧫⧫⧫

“I understand what the Sergeant has gone through,” Benford said, his tone more sympathetic than Leon had ever heard it. “I know that what you both endured might have brought you . . . closer. I know that you likely trust the Sergeant. I’m trying to determine if we can.” 

Leon’s jaw clenched. “You’re crazy if you think that anyone who watched their entire base be destroyed, who lost the people most important in their life, who nearly died because of Umbrella, would ever work for those bastards.” Because you wouldn’t. You would never have done this. He didn’t understand why they would even think-

“You were close with Lieutenant Logan Alenko, were you not?” 

Benford’s question eviscerated Leon. Dug in before the younger man could even prepare himself. 

“Yes,” he answered, numb. “I was.” 

“And the Sergeant was too, am I correct?” 

Leon winced, the memory of your smiles and wry humor clashing brutally with that newest memory of you. The one that Leon could never and would never forget. 

“Yes.”

“But you reported that the Sergeant killed him anyway.”

“He . . . was infected.” 

“Infected but not turned, correct?” 

“. . . Yes.” 

Benford nodded, thinking for a moment. “You may speak freely, Leon,” he said, the eyes framed by glasses piercing but sincere. “Do you think you can trust an individual like that? One who is comfortable committing treason and executing allies?” 

Leon knew what answer was expected of him.

⧫⧫⧫

“I suppose you can’t,” Simmons admitted, seeming to mull something over. In the end, he looked towards the one-way glass, towards where other agents and officers were no doubt watching the debriefing, then back to you. “So allow me to be transparent with you.” He leaned forward, his hands clasping together and his elbows resting on the table. “Many of these reports that you’ve read crossed my desk. I was aware of the dealings being made with William Birkin. I was aware that Agent Reed was facilitating that communication.” You didn’t get any satisfaction from that confirmation. Not as Simmons continued. “I oversaw the operation to obtain virus samples when Birkin went silent, and when the situation in Raccoon City became uncontainable, I counseled its destruction.” 

You didn’t even have time to process the information. One hundred thousand deaths, deaths that bore down on Leon’s conscious, on your own, in a way . . . lives snuffed out in an instant, all because of this man. Some asshole in a suit. What truly made you feel empty, though, was what Simmons said next. 

“And I think you understand why I did it,” he said, and you wanted to look anywhere but his eyes. It felt impossible, though, as he peered at you from over his clasped hands. “You killed Lieutenant Alenko for the same reason.” 

You nearly flew across the table at him. Nearly tore his throat out. “It is not the same-”

⧫⧫⧫

You’d done it because you had to. Because Alenko would have turned if you hadn’t. You’d done it, Leon knew, to spare him. It wasn’t heartless of you . . .

⧫⧫⧫

“Oh, but it was,” Simmons shook his head. “It was ugly, but necessary. You kill a friend to keep him from turning into a monster. I destroy a city to keep a nation sleeping peacefully at night. I think you would have done the same thing, in my place. And I think you and I share a similar resentment for the organization that forced our hands.” 

The only thing that stayed your rage was hearing it mirrored in Simmons’ voice. 

⧫⧫⧫

You did what you had to do.

⧫⧫⧫

“Umbrella has upset the balance of our entire world. We did the same thing once before, developing the atomic bomb. We changed war forever. Now, it will be changed again. As much as we have tried - as I have tried - to keep the knowledge of what Umbrella has developed from the rest of the world, I know that news is already spreading. Our enemies are clamoring for their share of a weapon that can destroy a military base, a city. We will need individuals who can do what must be done,” he said, and you felt the chains clicking into place as he looked at you. “We need individuals like you.”

“I thought I might be responsible for all this?” Bitterness flavored your words because hadn’t he just suggested that you were the plant? That you were working for Umbrella?  

Simmons nodded, pensive as he lowered his hands. “I was asked to interrogate you on your potential involvement in this most recent attack, that is true. But you’re right. I think it’s a waste of time. You’re loyal to the men and women you serve with, I believe you when you say that. Unfortunately-” he drummed his fingers against the reports- “you have put me in a difficult situation.” 

Because even if you hadn’t been involved in the attack, you had absolutely done something wrong besides. You knew too much. Just as Leon knew too much, when he’d been tracked down after Raccoon City. 

They’d threatened a child to force his loyalty. Told him not so subtly that he and Sherry would die if he didn’t agree to give his life in service. 

What would they do to you?

“If you’re not with Umbrella,” you began, “then you don’t have anything to worry about from me.” 

⧫⧫⧫

You would never hurt anyone unless you had a good reason. Leon knew that truth in his heart. 

⧫⧫⧫

“I believe you,” Simmons said again, “but unfortunately, my superiors feel otherwise.”

“I’m offering you my cooperation-”

“And you’re being forgiven for committing treason,” Simmons pointed out. “You’ll forgive them for being cautious.” 

“Oh I will?” 

“You will,” Simmons nodded. “Because your Major admitted to committing that same treason on record. A record that I can strike or can act on. Just as I can ignore your fraternization, or act on it.” 

“I’m not fraternizing with the Major-”

“I wasn’t referring to him. Well, perhaps not only to him.”

You’d been through this enough times by now that it was no longer a shock; that realization that you hadn’t, in fact, been careful. That despite your best efforts, there were precious few ways to hide from eyes that were everywhere. 

So, as Simmons reached towards the little TV on the corner of the table and turned it on, it wasn’t shock that overtook you, this time. It was a dark acceptance. 

You looked at the screen, seeing the image come to life, low-quality, but unmistakable. Leon’s hair - that fucking ridiculous hair that he refused to cut - made it impossible to think it was anyone else. The shape of you was just as clear as you watched a familiar scene. You knew exactly what day it was. In your gut, you knew. The day you and Leon had faced Krauser together in sparring, right before the final test. The day you’d lamented that you wished to be going into service with Leon. You schooled your expression as best you could as you watched the recording, seeing you both walking back to the barracks, stopping, and then Leon folding his arms around you in a comforting embrace. 

⧫⧫⧫

He loved you. However much horror you’d endured, he loved you. 

⧫⧫⧫

You watched as, after a moment, your own arms came up to hold him in return. 

When you were with him like that, it was easy to forget the passage of time. Comfort had that effect, you supposed. Now, though, each second that embrace lasted on screen seemed to be a lifetime long. 

It was always going to turn out like this. You’d known that going in, hadn’t you? 

“Is this supposed to be a threat?” you asked, your voice becoming hollow once more. 

Simmons shook his head. “It’s an observation. You and Kennedy care for each other. The Major claimed to have no knowledge of anything between the two of you, but Hellman and Reed’s reports both surmise that you two are close.” He tilted his head, opening his hands in a questioning motion. “Just how close are you?”

“He asked me to teach him how to fight,” you said, holding Simmons’ gaze. “We’ve trained together. We’re friends. Nothing more.” 

“Really? No deeper feelings at all?”

⧫⧫⧫

He loved you.

⧫⧫⧫

“There’s nothing.” 

Simmons didn’t believe you. You could see that much written plainly across his face. Still, he nodded. “Good. I’m sure you’re aware of the importance of Leon’s continued service. I wouldn’t want anything to jeopardize that.” The threat was plain. Barely disguised. 

“Nothing will.” 

Because if Leon wasn’t in STRATCOM, if he wasn’t an agent for the government, he would be a liability. A man who knew too much.

That much was spelled out for you now, clear as day. If he was thrown from service, his life was forfeit. 

Krauser’s career, Leon’s life . . . all riding on you not misbehaving. 

The shackles were in place, your path forward clear. They were your weaknesses – the gaps in your armor. Simmons had found them without trouble. He would use them against you, if you gave him cause to.

So long as you were all entangled together, they would be in danger.

In the recording, you and Leon finally stepped away from each other. You watched out of the corner of your eye, numb. 

⧫⧫⧫

He hated what you’d done, but he loved you. 

⧫⧫⧫

“You want someone who will do whatever it takes? Who will bury Umbrella in the ground? You’ve got them.” If that was what you were put on this Earth to do, then so be it. 

You could be their weapon. That was what you’d been training for.

⧫⧫⧫

“Leon,” Benford spoke again, and Leon just wanted the nightmare to stop. He wanted it all to stop, even if just for a moment. “Do you honestly think we can trust a person like that?” 

The question wouldn’t have fazed him a week ago. It would have been ridiculous. Insane. 

Even now, it wasn’t that he didn’t trust you. He did. He always would. 

That didn’t change the fact that he had hesitated in his answer. Something had held his tongue, even if only for a moment. Something he never, ever wanted to associate with you, but he found it there all the same. He found it in the memory of your hollow expression, your blank stare as you lowered the rifle. 

Fear. 

He’d been afraid of you, in that moment. 

Or, perhaps, he’d been afraid for you. 

“It had to be done.” Leon was trying to convince the man across from him as much as himself. 

So yes. He trusted you. 

Even if he would never forget what you’d done.

⧫⧫⧫

Hearing those words, Simmons smiled. “I’m glad we understand each other.” With that, it was done. The agent stood and left, and a few seconds later, soldiers came in to lead you out of the room.

You passed him in the hallway as you were escorted back to your room. 

The universe loved its shitty timing, didn’t it? 

Leon’s eyes widened just a touch as he saw you. Blue framed in bruising. Still beautiful, just as he had been when you’d seen him across the mess hall. Just as when that bruising had been dealt by your hand and not just a lack of sleep. Maybe that lack of sleep was your fault, too. 

You hoped it was.

You hoped he hated you for what you’d done. You certainly did. 

It wasn’t hatred that you saw in that gaze, though. 

No. Instead, you glimpsed uncertainty. Concern. 

Fear. 

And what did you give back? What did you spare the man you loved? The man who had saved you the night of the attack and long before then? 

Absolutely nothing. 

You kept walking, your eyes focused forward as you passed him. 

You didn’t even blink. Not until you were back in your appointed cell, finding your belongings there. Fatigues, rucksack . . . and a radio that you shouldn’t have had. One stolen in an act of petty retribution. One that had been your companion as you watched others training for a war that was yours. 

Only yours. 

It should have only been yours. 

You took the radio in your hands. Flipped it on. 

A guitar. Drums. A voice that seemed to strain against the very words it sang. 

Cracked eggs, dead birds,

Scream as they fight for life

You’d known. You’d known from the start it couldn’t end any other way. 

I can feel death, can see its beady eyes

If things could be different . . . if you were anyone, anywhere else . . . but you weren’t. Wishing didn’t matter, not when you were faced with the reality before you. Leon could have your love, or he could have his life. You knew which one he would choose. So you wouldn’t give him the choice.

All these things into position,

All these things we’ll one day swallow whole

Your hands tightened around the radio, your eyes stinging.

And fade out again . . .

Your teeth clenched so hard you thought they might break, just as the plastic on the radio began to groan under your constricting fingers. 

And fade out-

Plastic and wiring splintered against the wall. The radio kept playing, even as you dashed it against the concrete. So, you brought your heel up. You knew how to silence something that wouldn’t die. You knew better than anyone. 

You brought your boot down and there was a crunch, a warping of voice.

Then, finally, silence. 

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Tag List: @greywardensaywhat

[milkboydotnet]

After the collapse of the Marcos regime in 1986, the Philippine military’s rediscovery of more conventional pacification methods coincided with codification of a special warfare doctrine by its main ally. In July 1986 the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College published its Field Circular: Low Intensity Conflict with a detailed explanation of the new tactics that the Philippine military embraced with apparent enthusiasm. While conventional military science applies maximum firepower against an enemy, LIC “is often characterized by constraints on the weaponry… and the level of violence” since counterinsurgency is above all “the art and science of developing. . . political, economic, psychological and military powers of a government." At the core of the formal LIC doctrine was a combination of social reform and unconventional military procedures, fusing appropriate force with “psychological operations.” Without “unduly disrupting the cultural system,’ the host government should “broaden the bases of political power through education and health programs.” Beyond such psywar and civic action, the Field Circular also advocated “eliminating or neutralizing the insurgent leadership” — words that repressive third world militaries could readily construe as a recommendation for selective assassination. Only months after the doctrine’s release, President Reagan reportedly signed a “finding” that authorized a two-year, $10 million CIA counterinsurgency effort in the Philippines. Reflecting the administration’s reliance on privatized covert operations, the Philippines, like El Salvador and Nicaragua, suddenly experienced a proliferation of Christian anticommunist propaganda and paramilitary death squads. Throughout 1987, Filipino anticommunist activists received a remarkable array of foreign visitors: Gen. John Singlaub (ret.), a former CIA officer who now headed the U.S. chapter of the World Anti-Communist League (WACL); Dr. John Whitehall, a representative of the Christian Anti-Communist Crusade; and agents of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon’s anticommunist CAUSA. During his visit to Manila, General Singlaub, earlier identified with death squad activity in South Vietnam and Central America, met CIA station chief Norbert Garrett, AFP chief of staff Fidel Ramos, and Gen. Luis Villareal, head of both the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and WACL’s Philippine chapter. Their recommendations found a receptive audience in Aquino’s government, particularly from Interior Secretary Jaime Ferrer, who had used CIA funds to organize election monitors in the 1950s and was now promoting armed vigilantes. The Reagan administration also showed strong “animosity toward the liberal approach” to land reform, allying with conservatives in the Aquino cabinet to block any serious land redistribution. In this same volatile period, Col. James N. Rowe, commander of the green beret training program at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, arrived in Manila to head the army detachment within the Joint U.S. Military Advisory Group. As a veteran of U.S. Army Special Forces operations in Vietnam, where he was famed for escaping after five years in a Vietcong prison camp, Rowe was uniquely qualified to revitalize the country’s counterinsurgency after a decade of decline under Marcos. Indeed, the posting of this top special warfare expert—who was intense, disciplined, and militantly anticommunist—was a strong sign of Washington’s renewed interest in the Philippines. During his year in Manila in 1988 -89, Rowe, according to the Manila Times, “worked closely with the CIA and was involved in a program to penetrate the NPA and the Communist Party of the Philippines which were both undergoing massive ideological upheavals that resulted in bloody purges.’ A Filipino security specialist described him as “clandestinely involved in the organization of anti-communist death squads like Alsa Masa and vigilante groups patterned after “Operation Phoenix’ in Vietnam which had the objective of eliminating legal and semi-legal mass activists.”

Alfred W. McCoy, Policing America's Empire: The United States, the Philippines, and the Rise of the Surveillance State

[isagrimorie]

In 2018, the Manila Central Post Office building was declared as an Important Cultural Property by the National Museum.

Designed by Filipino architects Juan Arellano and Tomas Mapua, the neo-classical building had been destroyed during World War II and was restored in 1946.

[art-chap-enjoin]

79-2518 - Exhibition

This is the second sketch I did at the #UskManila sketch-walk at the Mall of Asia (MOA), a couple of days ago, as part of the commemoration of the 256th founding anniversary of the Philippine Postal Service. The exhibit included what appears to be some items that survived the fire that destroyed the Manila Central Post Office last May – hence the typewriter and old post box that I…

[onenettvchannel]

DEVELOPING STORY: Manila Central Post Office explosion halts new ID Applications for both UMID and Postal IDs

MANILA, NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION -- A car battery explosion at the Manila Central Post Office (MCPO) was led to a temporary or indefinite suspension of new ID applications for two widely used identification cards in the Philippines - the Unified Multi-Purpose ID (UMID) and the Philippine Postal ID. The late incident occurred on Sunday (May 21st, 2023 -- Manila local time) causing significant damage to the post office building and disrupting its operations. Several reports by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) indicate that a faulty battery caused the explosion.

In a text message obtained to OneNETnews, the officials of Social Security System (SSS) and Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) releases a disclosed statement: "We would like to inform the public that the new ID applications for both UMID and Postal IDs are temporarily unavailable at the Manila Central Post Office (MCPO) following the car battery explosion incident", the said statement read.

SSS and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) manage the UMID card, which provides beneficiaries with access to various government services. The program was introduced in 2010, a decade before the CoViD-19 pandemic years to streamline services. National media reports say that the government agencies like the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth-IC) accepts UMID cards.

The Postal ID however, is a convenient alternative to a primary ID that is both convenient and affordable. It is accepted by the Philippine government and private institutions for various purposes such as proof of identity as E-Wallets and banking, transaction verification and eligibility for discounts on certain products and services. Applicants who were planning to obtain neither the UMID, Postal ID or both are advised to temporarily seek alternative options while repairs and investigations are ongoing at the affected national post office. Residents can explore other government-issued identification cards such as the Driver's License, Passport or the Voter's ID to fulfill their identification requirements.

Officials from PHLPost have yet to announce an estimated date for when new ID applications for UMID and Postal IDs will resume sooner at the MCPO. It is recommended that individuals to stay updated through official announcements from the aforesaid government mailing company regarding the availability of the services affected by the incident. Post office facilities should prioritize safety measures to prevent such incidents from occurring again. BFP investigators are currently investigating the cause of the explosion and addressing any potential negligence or lapses in safety protocols.

(via Rhayniel Saldasal Calimpong / Freelance Photojournalist of OneNETnews)

Here in Dumaguete alone, new ID applications of UMID confirms that the contract was expired indefinitely with no potential date of resumption on SSS. While the PHLPost branch office in Santa Catalina Street completely goes out of order, leaving no applicants were applied and to pay a one-time fee either the Regular or Rush applicants.

As authorities work towards restoring normal operations in 2024 or later and ensuring the safety of postal facilities, the public is urged to remain patient and cooperative with the necessary adjustments implemented during this temporary or indefinite suspension of ID application services for both UMID and Postal IDs.

FILE PHOTO COURTESY: DZKB-TV 9's CNN Philippines: Manila BACKGROUND PROVIDED BY: Tegna

SOURCE: *https://www.rappler.com/nation/car-battery-explosion-caused-manila-central-post-office-fire-bfp/ [Referenced News Article via Rappler] *https://www.facebook.com/100070122185864/posts/556609080019827 [Referenced FB Captioned Post via PHLPost] *https://techpilipinas.com/umid-card/ *https://techpilipinas.com/postal-id-requirements-application-process/ *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Multi-Purpose_ID and *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhilPost_Postal_ID

-- OneNETnews Team

*UPDATED with Photo Representation for a government service disruption (as of July 29th, 2023).

[nomadshotph]

BTS from the movie Hintayan Ng Langit set.

Year: 2018

Location: Manila Central Post Office

Nakakalungkot makita sa balita ang sinapit ng makasasayang gusali ng Manila Central Post Office.

Una kong nasilayan ang ganda at tikas ng gusaling ito nung ako ay college sa Adamson University. Sa labas ng MCPO ang hintayan ng mga pasaherong byaheng Sucat. Dito ang terminal ng mga Tamaraw FX (wala na atang umaandar na Tamaraw FX ngayon 😅). Minsan sa MCPO din nagaganap ang mga meeting kasama ang mga org mates mula sa mga kalapit na universities. Marami akong masasayang alaala sa MCPO. 😊

Year 2018. Nagkaroon ako ng pagkakataon na maging parte ng production ng pelikulang Hintayan Ng Langit sa direksyon ni direk Dan Villegas kasama si direk Antoinette Jadaone at pinagbibidahan ng mga batikang aktor na sina Gina Pareño at Eddie Garcia. Ilan sa mga eksena ay kinunan sa loob ng MCPO. Nakasama ko din sa proyektong ito ang aking mga fellow film campers na sina Geo Lomuntad, Dayann Joie at si Winstone Arradaza. 😂

Nuong linggo (May 21, 2023), bumisita ako sa katapat nitong gusali na The Metropolitan Theater (isa ring makasasayang gusali). Dun ko na lang ulit na sulyapan ang MCPO. Hindi ko akalain na yun na pala ang huling pagkakataon na makikita ko ang ganda nito. 😢

Nostalgic. 🥹 Ngunit sa kabila ng mga pangyayari, naniniwala ako na muling magbabalik ang MCPO gaya ng matagumpay na pagbuhay sa The Metropolitan Theatre. Sana! #taposnakwento #ayunlang

#manilacentralpostoffice #hintayannglangit

[etes-secrecy-post]

Hi, before I explain my post, I want to say something important.

• What you see my blog has become a major overhaul. And despite the changes, I decided that my 2nd account will be now my artwork blog with a secret twist.

⚠️NEW RULE! (W/ BIGGER TEXT!)⚠️

⚠️ SO PLEASE DO NOT SHARE MY 2nd ACCOUNT TO EVERYONE! THIS SECRECY BLOG OF MINE IS FOR CLOSES FRIENDS ONLY!⚠️

• AND FOR MY CLOSES FRIENDS, DON’T REBLOG IT. INSTEAD, JUST COPY MY LINK AND PASTE IT ON YOUR TUMBLR POST! JUST BE SURE THE IMAGE WILL BE REMOVED AND THE ONLY LEFT WAS THE TEXT.

⚠️ SHARING LINKS, LIKE POSTS, REBLOG POSTS, STEALING MY SNAPSHOT PHOTOS/RECORDED VIDEOS/ARTWORKS (a.k.a. ART THIEVES) OR PLAGIARIZING FROM UNKNOWN TUMBLR STRANGERS WILL IMMEDIATELY BE BLOCKED, RIGHT AWAY!⚠️

😡 WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT EVER LIKED & REBLOG MY SECRET POST! THIS IS FOR MY SECRET FRIENDS ONLY, NOT YOU! 😡

Okay? Capiche? Make sense? Good, now back to the post…↓

Journey to Manila w/ my Paper Dolls [Recorded Jan 8th, 2023]

Hello, my secret friends! Here's what I'm promised. A journey to Manila, featuring my family & my paper dolls. 🙂🌃🇵🇭

If you haven't seen my 1st episode of "Take a Taste" 2023, then please [CLICK ME!].😉

So, without further ado, let's get started:

1st to 5th Image(s): ↑

• This is before we go to "1919 Grand Cafe" for some delicious sweet treats, and also after we ate at the "Delicious Restaurant".

• Before we proceed to another eating established, let's take a look at the "New Binondo Chinatown Arch". ⛩️🇨🇳🏙️ Isn't it pretty, you two? Love the changing colors! 😊💡

Fun fact #1: Did you know, that "Binondo's Chinatown" in Manila was considered the most oldest Chinatown in the world? That's right! It was established in 1594; 182 years before the United States of America declares their independence (July 4th, 1776) 🇺🇸📖🪶, and 304 years before the Philippines (my country) declares our independence (June 12th, 1898) 🇵🇭📖🪶. That's old! 😁 Know about more "Binondo's Chinatown"? Then please [CLICK ME!].

6th to 8th Image(s): ↑

• And this is after we're leaving the "1919 Grand Cafe".

• Here are my last three photos, as we stroll along at the new improved "Jones Bridge" 🌉. Yes, I said it "new improved" because of Mayor of Manila (Isko Moreno) order the officials to renovate the bridge into a nostalgic looking reminiscent of the past, and it amazed us. Don't ya think, you two? 😊 Love the scenery w/ the Philippine iconic structure; the "Manila Central Post Office". ✉️🏛️🇵🇭

Fun Fact #2: The original name of this bridge was "William A. Jones Memorial Bridge", It is named after the United States legislator William Atkinson Jones [CLICK ME! #1], although, Mr. Jones didn't architect the bridge, but rather a Filipino designer named Juan M. Arellano [CLICK ME! #2]. The original style of the "Jones Bridge" was the "Neoclassical arch bridge", from 1919 to 1945, where the latter was bombed by Japanese Army forces during WWII. A year later, they revived the Jones Bridge w/ several alterations until 2019. Which, I've already mentioned before.

Final Overall:

• My entire family are satisfied our stroll & eating delicious food from two establishments, at the same time. We're haven't done this since the pandemic, and we're missing out some great places in Manila (and other parts in my country). Here's hoping, that we planning another bonding, someday. 😊 And don't worry, we're always wearing face mask & arming some sanitation sprays. 😷😉

Well, that’s all for now. More journey moments, coming soon. 😊

And If you haven’t seen my previous episodes of "Take a Taste", then I’ll provide some links down below.↓😉

Take a Taste 2022:

• Popeyes U.S. Spicy Chicken Sandwich [Dec 6, 2021]

• Jollibee Chick'nwich & Crisscut Fries [Dec 21, 2021]: Part 1 [CLICK ME! #1], Part 2 [CLICK ME! #2]

• Mini Stop Chicken Fillet XL Sandwich [Feb 7, 2022]

• Minute Burger Cheese Burger(s) [Mar 1, 2022]

• Pepper Lunch Teriyaki Beef Pepper Rice w/ Egg (& Honey Brown Sauce) [Mar 5, 2022]

• Bacsilog’s Sulit Combo Bacon-Tocino & Samgyup Day’s Pork Herbs [Mar 12, 2022]

• Burger King Whopper w/ Sides & Drink [May 6, 2022]

• Marshmello’s Limited Edition Coca-Cola Zero [Aug 26, 2022]

• Cheesy Burger McDo with Lettuce & Tomatoes Meal [Recorded: Sept 16, 2022]

• Mcdonald’s PH McSpicy & Apple Pie (featuring their World Famous Fries) [Nov 14, 2022]

• Mcdonald’s McCrispy Hamonado Sandwich [Dec 31st, 2022]

Take a Taste 2023:

• Foods from Delicious Restaurant & 1919 Grand Cafe [Jan 8th, 2023]

Tagged: @bryan360, @carmenramcat, @leapant

[aphroditesknife]

Workers protest at the US embassy on labor day (May 02, 2024)

[Post originally from Philippine Revolution Web Central]

Workers and other sectors, led by Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), marched to the US embassy on Roxas Boulevard in Ermita, Manila on May 1 to condemn the launching of the Balikatan Exercises 2024 in the country and the Marcos regime’s push for the anti-national and anti-worker charter change (chacha). Workers clamor: wages and sovereignty, not war and chacha! The protest at the US embassy follows the action of a broad coalition of workers in Morayta, Manila.

“[The US] is not an ally, but an enemy,” the KMU declared. It insisted, the Balikatan Exercises 2024 being launched with the aim of starting a war against China will endanger the country and the Filipino people. It says the US is doing this to portray itself as “the defender of small nations and to profit from selling weapons.”

They also condemned the Marcos regime for railroading chacha. It said the imperialist US will use it to continue “interfering in the Philippines.” Chacha will allow 100% foreign ownership in some key sectors of the country’s economy. “This will be used for interference especially by foreign capitalists to amass huge profits while pillaging our labor force, natural resources, and sovereignty,” KMU said.

They say these are proof that “the Marcos Jr. regime is further strengthening US imperialist domination over the Philippines.” Release Mayo Uno 6

Six youth activists, dubbed Mayo Uno 6, were dragged and arrested by police at the protest at the US embassy. Before this, groups managed to get past the first police barricade. An estimated 12,000 were mobilized by the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) against the rallyists.

“The use of excessive force by the Manila Police District reveals their true nature: servants of the rich and powerful, and protectors of the greedy,” KMU said.

They further insisted that brutality is a usual practice of the police and there is no room for their media projections of “maximum tolerance” or restraint, especially in actions and protests near the US embassy.

On the same day, youth and human rights groups immediately held a rally at the headquarters of the Manila Police District to call for the release of the six arrested. It is not yet clear what charges the police will file against them.

“We call for the immediate release of [Mayo Uno 6], and for a swift and impartial investigation into police violence,” the group said.

[awidevastdominion]

[forou00huncho]

A typical attraction somewhere in Binondo Manila, Pasig river esplanade, this area behind the central manila post office right next to jones bridge, breath a new life into the cityscape. When we visited this gem it gives some european vibe; the people took stroll along hallways, there's a boat passing through, a water fountain shimmering with sparkling lights. This esplanade fits with the stars in the night sky. But it's not just about aesthetics the pasig river esplanade is a testament to sustainability and community engagement.

[southeastasianarchaeology]

Manila's Historic Post Office Set for P15M Restoration

DOT and TIEZA allocate P15M for Manila Central Post Office's restoration, emphasizing the importance of preserving cultural heritage and tourism assets.

via various sources, 28 January 2024: The Department of Tourism, along with the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, has committed P15 million towards the restoration of the Manila Central Post Office (MCPO), which suffered significant damage due to a fire last year. This funding will support Detailed Architectural and Engineering Studies (DAES) for the conservation assessment…