There are walls built to divide,
but Intramuros unites...
One
scorching hot, bright and sunny but partly cloudy day, seven brave girls
invaded the Intramuros, or The Walled
City, Manila’s original fortress. Searching for the perfect photos to
illustrate Intramuros, the Mocha Girls posed almost everywhere.
Walking
the pavements, I realized Intramuros still stands for a reason: it remains a
symbol of the fortress that encloses the many secrets of Philippine History. It
is also a portrait of the Philippines today. Law serves as the fortress which
the major criminals get past into untouched by the fangs legislation ought to
have. What’s more dangerous is you don’t know the real criminals. Entering the
Philippine law, breaking it again and
again and discreetly crossing the line safely and soundly. The place has
changed a lot since it was first built. The Philippine politics hadn’t.
Despite
this, there are also many lessons these photos of Intramuros could teach the
Mocha Girls and many other people. One is that the longer the friendship is,
the more beautiful it becomes just like the hundreds of years the ruins of Intramuros
endured. Friendship shelters. It opens doors. It is a fountain of joy,
blessings and love.
No matter
how a place might be unremarkable for you, it wouldn’t matter if you have got
friends who can turn it into a circus. With a parade of pictures and poses and
laughter and smiles despite the aching pain of the feet from walking around
Intramuros like a machine, the journey will still be worth your while.
After all, it’s not always the destination that counts. It’s the faces you meet
and the people you’re with.
