Ermita, Manila
Encyclopedia
- This page is about a place in the Philippines, for the novel, see Ermita (novel)Ermita (novel)Ermita: A Filipino Novel is a novel by the known Filipino author F. Sionil Jose written in the English language.-Scenes:F. Sionil José brings the reader to a story to a time in Philippine history before the declaration of Martial Law by Ferdinand Marcos during the 1950s. José also brings his...
.
Ermita is a district of Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Philippines located halfway between Intramuros
Intramuros
Intramuros is the oldest district in the present day city of Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines. Nicknamed the "Walled City", Intramuros is the historic fortified city of Manila, the seat ot the government during the Spanish Colonial Period. Its name in Latin, intramuros,...
(the old walled city) and Malate
Malate, Manila
Malate is an old district of the city of Manila in Metro Manila, the Philippines. The district is located at the southern end of the city of Manila, bordered by Pasay City to the south, by Manila Bay to the west, by the district of Ermita to the north and by the districts of Paco and San Andres to...
.
History
Ermita was founded in the late 16th century. The name was taken from La Hermita, the SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
word for "hermitage", after the fact that on this site was built a hermitage housing an image of the Virgin Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
known as the Nuestra Señora de Guia (Our Lady of Guidance). The hermitage has since evolved into Ermita Church, which has been rebuilt several times since the early 17th century.
Ermita gained renewed prominence during the American colonial period
History of the Philippines (1898-1946)
This article covers the history of the Philippines from 1898 to 1946. It spans the Spanish-American War which resulted in the United States acquiring sovereignty over the Philippines from Spain via the Treaty of Paris which ended that war, the Philippines as a U.S. territory and later as a U.S...
. It became known as the university district, containing the campuses of the University of the Philippines
University of the Philippines
The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...
, the Ateneo de Manila
Ateneo de Manila University
The Ateneo de Manila University is a private teaching and research university run by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. It began in 1859 when the City of Manila handed control of the Escuela Municipal de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, to the Jesuits...
, the Assumption College
Assumption College (Philippines)
The Assumption College is a private, Roman Catholic women's college in Makati City, Philippines established in 1959. It provides education from pre-school, elementary, secondary, tertiary, to graduate level...
and the St. Paul College for girls. Dormitories for students also flourished in the area. The residential portion of Ermita was populated by American residents, who set up such establishments as the Army and Navy Club, and the University Club.
During the 1945 Battle of Manila, Ermita was the scene of some of the most horrific massacres that occurred during the month of February, 1945. The wife and four children of future President
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Elpidio Quirino
Elpidio Quirino
Elpidio Rivera Quirino was a Filipino politician, and the sixth President of the Philippines.A lawyer by profession, Quirino entered politics when he became a representative of Ilocos Sur from 1919 to 1925. He was then elected as senator from 1925–1931...
were murdered in Ermita, as was Supreme Court Associate Justice
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...
Anacleto Diaz
Anacleto Diaz
Anacleto Díaz was a Filipino jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.-Profile:...
. Between 68% to 85% of Ermita was destroyed during the Battle of Manila, with an estimated total of 100,000 Filipino civilians killed in the city itself.
Ermita was rebuilt after the devastation of the war. University life remained vibrant therein. However, as decades passed, Ermita started earning a reputation as the red-light district
Red-light district
A red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...
of Manila. During the term of Mayor Alfredo Lim
Alfredo Lim
Alfredo Siojo Lim is the incumbent Mayor of the City of Manila and a former senator of the Philippines. A widower, he first served as mayor of Manila from 1992 to 1998 and returned to that post after winning in the 2007 mayoral election.-Early life and career:Born on December 21, 1929 in 1324 J...
, an effort was made to "clean up" Ermita, helping improve its reputation since then. However, a local city ordinance prohibiting the establishment, on grounds of public morality, of motels, lodging houses and other similar establishments, was later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...
. As a result of the clean-up efforts, nightlife in the area dwindled though it has picked up of late with the help of the emergence of the nearby Malate district and the Roxas Blvd. Baywalk area in the nightlife scene.
Ermiteño was a Spanish-creole that was spoken in Ermita, and lingua franca in the neighbourhood until the end of WWII. It is believed to be extinct today.
Sites of interest
- Supreme Court of the PhilippinesSupreme Court of the PhilippinesThe Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...
- Court of AppealsCourt of AppealsA court of appeals is an appellate court generally.Court of Appeals may refer to:*Military Court of Appeals *Corte d'Assise d'Appello *Philippine Court of Appeals*High Court of Appeals of Turkey*United States courts of appeals...
- Manila City HallManila City HallThe Manila City Hall is one of the distinct landmarks in the capital city of Manila, in the Philippines. The edifice, with its hexagonal tower with three red-faced clock on three of its facets, received unfavorable reviews in its initial years because of its austere architectural design, lack of...
- Manila Central Post OfficeManila Central Post OfficeThe Manila Central Post Office is the central post office of the city of Manila, Philippines. It is the head office of the Philippine Postal Corporation, and houses the country's main mail sorting-distribution operations....
and other offices found along the old government center designed during the American era by architect and urban planner Daniel Burnham
Daniel Burnham
Daniel Hudson Burnham, FAIA was an American architect and urban planner. He was the Director of Works for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He took a leading role in the creation of master plans for the development of a number of cities, including Chicago and downtown Washington DC...
, such as the
- Department of TourismDepartment of Tourism (Philippines)The Department of Tourism is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the regulation of the Philippine tourism industry and the promotion of the Philippines as a tourist destination....
and the - National Museum of the PhilippinesNational Museum of the PhilippinesThe Museum of the Filipino People is a department of the National Museum of the Philippines that houses the Anthropology and Archaeology Divisions of the National Museum. It is located in the Agrifina Circle, Rizal Park, Manila adjacent to the main National Museum building...
(including the Museum of the Filipino People) - Rizal ParkRizal ParkRizal Park, also known as Luneta Park or colloquially Luneta, is a historical urban park located in the heart of the city of Manila, Philippines, adjacent to the old walled city of Manila, now Intramuros. Since the Spanish Colonial Era, the park has been a favorite spot for unwinding, socializing,...
, the widest open urban public park in the country and location of the monument to the national hero José RizalJosé RizalJosé Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda , was a Filipino polymath, patriot and the most prominent advocate for reform in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. He is regarded as the foremost Filipino patriot and is listed as one of the national heroes of the Philippines by...
, is a prominent feature of Ermita. This was the original site for Burnham's planned government center and capitol building.
Other sites of interest in Ermita include:
- United States Embassy
- National Library of the PhilippinesNational Library of the PhilippinesThe National Library of the Philippines is the official national library of the Philippines. The complex is located in Ermita on a portion of Rizal Park facing T.M. Kalaw Avenue, neighboring culturally significant buildings such as the Museum of Philippine Political History and the National...
- Quirino Grandstand
- Manila Ocean ParkManila Ocean ParkThe Manila Ocean Park is an oceanarium in Manila, Philippines. It is owned by China Oceanis Philippines Inc., a subsidiary of China Oceanis Inc., a Singaporean-registered firm that has operated four oceanariums in China. It is located behind the Quirino Grandstand at Rizal Park. It opened on March...
- Bonifacio's Wall
- Metropolitan Theater
- Manila HotelManila HotelThe Manila Hotel is a 570-room, five star hotel in Manila, Philippines, located in the heart of the Manila Bay area. The Manila Hotel is the oldest premiere hotel in the Philippines, built in 1909 to rival Malacañang Palace, the official residence of the President of the Philippines, and opened in...
- Masonic Temple
- National Cathedral of the Philippine Independent ChurchPhilippine Independent ChurchThe Philippine Independent Church, The Philippine Independent Church, The Philippine Independent Church, (officially the or the IFI, also known as the Philippine Independent Catholic Church or in Ilocano: Siwawayawaya nga Simbaan ti Filipinas (in in Kinaray-a/Hiligaynon: Simbahan Hilway nga...
- San Vicente de Paul Church
- Philippine General HospitalPhilippine General HospitalThe Philippine General Hospital is a tertiary state-owned hospital administered and operated by the University of the Philippines Manila, the University of the Philippines System's Health Sciences Center. It is the largest government hospital administered by the university, and is designated as...
, the country's largest hospital. - China AirlinesChina AirlinesChina Airlines is both the flag carrier and the largest airline of Republic of China . Although not directly state-owned, the airline is owned by China Airlines Group, which is owned by the China Aviation Development Foundation...
Philippines Branch Office
A number of educational institutions are also found in Ermita, including:
- University of the Philippines Manila
- Adamson UniversityAdamson UniversityAdamson University is a private university Catholic university in Manila, Philippines, founded on June 30, 1932 by Greek immigrant George Lucas Adamson as the Adamson School of Industrial Chemistry...
- Emilio Aguinaldo CollegeEmilio Aguinaldo CollegeThe Emilio Aguinaldo College is a private school in Manila, Philippines. It runs under the management of the Marian Clinics Incorporated.-Faculties and Schools:The college offers undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in the following disciplines:...
- Santa Isabel College
- Philippine Normal University
- Technological University of the PhilippinesTechnological University of the PhilippinesThe Technological University of the Philippines -History:The Technological University of the Philippines was established upon the enactment of Organic Act No. 74 by the Philippine Commission in 1901. TUP was known then as the Manila Trade School with the primary intention of developing the dignity...
- Universidad de ManilaUniversidad de ManilaThe Universidad de Manila is a public university in Manila, Philippines...
(formerly the City College of Manila) - Manila Science High SchoolManila Science High SchoolManila Science High School is the Pilot Science High School in the Philippines. It is located on Taft Avenue at the corner of Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila, and was established on October 1, 1963.- History :...
, which leads the city in offering specialized science and technology oriented curricula for secondary education
Ermita also hosts a number of coin shops and antique shops.
Barangays
Zone 71: 659, 659-A, 660, 660-A, 661, 663, 663-A, 664Zone 72: 666, 667, 668, 669, 670
| Name | Population |
|---|---|
| Barangay 659 | 499 |
| Barangay 659-A | 369 |
| Barangay 660 | 682 |
| Barangay 660-A | 691 |
| Barangay 661 | 220 |
| Barangay 663 | 477 |
| Barangay 663-A | 377 |
| Barangay 664 | 292 |
| Barangay 666 | 191 |
| Barangay 667 | 1,160 |
| Barangay 668 | 702 |
| Barangay 669 | 290 |
| Barangay 670 | 255 |