Manila Light Rail Transit System

The Manila Light Rail Transit System, popularly known as the LRT, is the main metropolitan rail system serving the Metro Manila area in the Philippines. There are two lines to the LRT: LRT-1, called the Yellow Line, and MRT-2, called the Purple Line. Although the system is referred to as a "light rail" system, arguably because the network is mostly elevated, the system is more akin to a rapid transit (metro) system in European-North American terms. The Manila LRT is the first metro system in Southeast Asia, built earlier than the Singapore MRT by three years. The system is not related to the Manila Metro Rail Transit System, or the Blue Line, which forms a completely different but linked system.

The LRT forms part of Metro Manila's rail transportation infrastructure, known as the Strong Republic Transit System (SRTS), and overall public transport system. Although one of the original purposes of the system was to reduce traffic congestion in the metropolis, many commuters who ride the LRT also take various forms of road-based public transport, such as buses, to reach the intended destination from an LRT station and vice-versa. While this forms a comprehensive transportation system serving many parts of Metro Manila, the system has only been partially successful in cutting traffic congestion and travel times, which is further aggravated by the rising number of motor vehicles in Metro Manila. The network's expansion, which has been touted by successive administrations since the LRT's inception, is set upon tackling this problem.

Ermita

Several government institutions are housed in Ermita, including the Philippine Supreme Court, the City Hall of Manila, the Philippine Postal Office building, and other offices found along the old government circle designed during the American era by architect and urban planner Daniel Burnham, such as the Department of Tourism and the National Museum of the Filipino People. Rizal Park, the widest open urban public park in the country and location of the monument to the national hero Jose Rizal, is a prominent feature of Ermita. Other sites of interest in Ermita include the United States Embassy, the Quirino Grandstand and the Philippine General Hospital, the country's largest hospital.

A number of educational institutions are also found in Ermita, including the University of the Philippines - Manila campus, Adamson University, Santa Isabel College, the Philippine Normal University, the Technological University of the Philippines, Universidad de Manila (formerly the City College of Manila) and Manila Science High School, which leads the city in offering specialized science and technology oriented curricula for secondary education. The students have turned Robinson's Mall into a bustling shopping center and rendezvous spot along with several other coffee shops and outdoor-type cafes.

Pandacan

Pandacan is a district of the City of Manila in the Philippines, located south of the banks of the Pasig River and belongs under the 6th congressional district of Manila, divided into forty three (43) barangays that includes Zone 90 to Zone 95 and barangays 829 to 872.

A portion of the Malacañan Palace, the official residence of the Philippine President is located in Pandacan. A well secured five (5) hectare property called Malacañan Park is located at the foot of the Nagtahan bridge and it serves as the barracks for the Presidential Security Guard.

The district is also home to a few well known historical figures including Apolinario Mabini, dubbed as the "sublime paralytic." Mabini served as one of the key figures of the Katipunan who revolted against the Spanish colonial masters. Mabini was the Philippines' first Foreign Affairs Secretary. The National Historical Institute has declared Mabini's former residence as a national historical shrine.

Former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos also claims Pandacan as her home in Manila where the Romualdez clan keeps their ancestral home. Ever since Mrs. Marcos became the wife of former President Ferdinand Marcos in the sixties, only caretakers are now looking after the old house. The house is Mrs. Marcos' traditional and common reference to her ties as a resident of Manila, aside from her family's roots in Leyte province.

The head office and training center of the Roman Catholic Church's Catholic Charities or CARITAS under the Archdiocese of Manila is also based in the district.

Quiapo

Quiapo is a district of Manila, Philippines, also referred to as the "old downtown". It is known for its cheap prices on items ranging from electronics, bicycles to native handicrafts.

Quiapo is also famous for the Black Nazarene. Thousands of people parade through the streets to touch the statue where it is supposed to produce miraculous effects. A number of faithful usually collapse in a faint during the ritual, and some have even died. The Feast Day of the Black Nazarene (also known as Quiapo Day) is celebrated every January 9th.

Plaza Miranda in the heart of Quiapo District, is named after Jose Sandino y Miranda, who served as secretary of the treasury of the Philippines for 10 years beginning in 1853. It is a square or a public plaza in front of the St. John the Baptist Church or Quiapo Church as it is widely known. It is also a popular site of political rallies. On August 21, 1971, while the Liberal Party held their Miting de Avance in the plaza, a bomb exploded, killing 9 and injuring almost 100 civilians.

The Quiapo district is also home to a sizable Muslim population in Manila, and The Golden Mosque is located there. A veritable army of fortune tellers and stores offering herbal products surround the Quiapo church. The biggest problem underlying the district is piracy and bandits. The largest area where you can buy pirated movies, software and pornographic videos can be found in Quiapo where the stores sprawl over four public streets.

Through the years, the glory of Quiapo steadily declined. During the American period until the late 70s, Quiapo and its surrounding vicinities like Avenida, Binondo, Sta. Cruz, Escolta and the university belt, were the centers of trade, fashion, art, higher learning and the elites of Manila, however as the Light Rail Transit (LRT Line 1) run over the Rizal Avenue, the main thoroughfare of Avenida, dirt and vehicle emissions were trapped underneath, leaving the streets dark and gloomy. The results of this development were the exodus of many establishments and the arrival of ruffians and bandits. After the first EDSA revolution in 1986, the vibrancy of Quiapo diminished, although some flea markets, handicraft stores begin to rise due to the presence of the widely visited Quiapo Church.