A Gateway Restored: Our Rotary Journey at Centro de Turismo Intramuros

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A Gateway Restored: Our Rotary Journey at Centro de Turismo Intramuros

More than a week ago, our Rotary Club of Intramuros President Joey Lat made a courtesy call to Intramuros Administration (IA) Administrator Atty. Joan Padilla to kick off his term. Accompanied by Dindo and Earl, they sounded out our proposed service initiatives for the year: enhanced tourism signage, illuminating the GAP gates, cervical cancer screenings and Pap smears for women, a Christmas gift-giving drive for local orphaned children, and minor structural repairs of the Intramuros Visitors Center cum RCI Center.  Most ambitious of all was our flagship vision—a dedicated Rotary Garden near Anda Circle, featuring a bust of Rotary founder Paul Harris, landscaped walkways, benches, and the Four-Way Test. 

To finalize these plans, IA scheduled a joint meeting for August 12 at Centro de Turismo Intramuros. I still remember Centro from years ago as an unfinished site that seemed to have stalled. So when I arrived early yesterday, I was completely taken aback. What I saw was beautiful — an extraordinary, modern, and majestic building.

What makes this place so special is that it brings together three historic landmarks along Calle Arzobispo:

  • Centro de Turismo Intramuros, built on the reconstructed site of the 19th-century San Ignacio Church and now a free, state-of-the-art visitor gateway;

  • Museo de Intramuros, housed in the former Jesuit Mission House and Convent, preserving thousands of priceless ecclesiastical and colonial artifacts;

  • Fora de Intramuros, standing on the historic grounds of the original Ateneo Municipal de Manila, now a grand venue for cultural gatherings of up to 800 guests.

Inside Centro, the experience was unforgettable. A giant curved LED display—spanning roughly 180 degrees—dominated the space, complemented by a grand copper-colored spiral staircase, terraced gallery seating, and Leeroy New’s floating galleon sculpture, Galleon of the Psychopomp, which added to the space's striking atmosphere.



                              Leeroy New's 'Galleon of the Psychopomp' suspended in the atrium

When Atty. Joan and her team arrived. She began with an inspiring update on what is happening in the Walled City. One of the most moving developments she shared was IA’s humane relocation initiative, which has voluntarily moved nearly 200 informal settler families to a modern, gated community in Morong, Rizal, complete with full amenities.

Our president then showed our project portfolio through a video presentation, including the proposed Rotary Garden. Atty. Joan and her technical team were equally prepared, walking us through the regulatory steps and heritage guidelines needed to build a monument inside Intramuros. We listened closely to every requirement, and our determination remains strong: we will do everything needed to make the Rotary Garden a reality.

Before we left, Atty. Joan graciously encouraged us to spend some time touring the adjacent Museo de Intramuros — a place filled with Filipino artistry and heritage that deserves a story of its own.

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