What is your first thought when you hear of ‘Marikina’? The Shoe Capital of the Philippines, Shoe Museum and the shoes of the former First Lady of the Philippines,
Mrs Imelda Marcos. Not until this tour conducted on March 21 2002, did the MVP group of more than 50 ladies realize that Marikina had more to offer…
We met at the usual meeting point, Starbucks Makati and by 8.15am we were in the coach and on our way to Marikina, a valley bounded by Sierra Madre Mountains on the east and by the hills of Quezon City on the west.
After about an hour and half, with relatively smooth traffic, we arrived at the City Hall. We were welcomed by the tourism officer,
Mario Villanueva who briefed us on the city’s background, its pride in the transformation of Marikina into a place for home, work and business, history, arts, and tourism. Mario mentioned that the city had a long tradition of
shoe-making that started as a cottage industry and hence, it would be fitting that a Shoe Museum be located in Marikina. The group was
privileged to meet their dynamic lady mayor, Marides C.
Fernando (see photo right with Mario Villanueva) , who very graciously answered our questions about the city and its programs. We then took a bus tour of the Riverbank Park and the City proper and we complimented the city’s clean surroundings, hassle-free roadways, impressive sports and recreational facilities
First Stop Shoe
Museum. The building was built by the Tuason family in the 1880’s and used as a rice mill during the post war years. It was renovated and converted into a Shoe Museum in the year 2000. Officially opened in February 2001, it houses at least 804 pairs of shoes owned by Mrs
Marcos and also those of other dignitaries: Marcos,
Ramos and Arroyo. The museum itself is not large, and they are still acquiring exhibits locally and globally. So, if you have any unique, antique shoe pieces and have nowhere to house them, do contact the musem!
Second Stop Old Catholic Church.
Our Lady of the Abandoned Church still stands on its original site and was built by the Augustinians in the 1770’s. The church was destroyed twice in 1816 and 1880 by earthquakes and by fire in 1891. It has undergone years of renovation since 1963.
Third Stop Small Shoe
Factory. We had lunch at Café Kapitan, which was housed in a two-century old building that has been declared a historical shrine by the National Historical Commission.
The large shoe factory, which we were scheduled to visit was having a stock taking exercise and the mayor suggested that we visit a smaller shoe factory instead. The group was shown the
process of shoe-making step by step. We learned that if we really wanted a perfect fit, we should have shoe-lasts (exact wooden mould of one’s foot) made. By this time, the afternoon heat was penetrating through the metal roof of the shoe factory, and since there were not many shoes for sale, we gladly proceeded to the bus for our next stop.
Fourth Stop Meet the Residents. As we were proceeding towards lunch, the bus was too long to make a right turn at the end of a narrow street. Local residents came out of their houses and were watching the scene anxiously, some were directing the driver and the traffic was being held up at all corners. While the bus driver was
maneuvering the bus out of this tight spot – you could hear the ladies, “oohs, aahs, noo, it’s going to hit the pole, oh I’m not looking,….” The skillful driver
maneuvered the bus successfully (took about half an hour), much to the relief of everyone and we applauded appreciatively.
Fifth Stop Noritake
Porcelana. We finally made it to the porcelain china factory outlet and some of us made good buys while others took comfort in the air-con bus. Take this advice - if you wish to go to the factory outlet, go in the mornings, bring lots rags [to wipe dust from the merchandise] and drinking water!
Sixth Stop Lucban Hats &
Handicrafts. Hats galore, and the ladies were trying on the hats for their field day at the races, The Ascot!! The overruns (if they fit) were purchased at a fraction of the costs and were definitely a bargain. When you visit, Marikina, don’t miss this place.
Final Stop Back in Makati. We finally made it back by 5.30pm and we had an enjoyable historical cum shopping trip, and it was not just all on shoes. From all of us, ‘thank you
Sony, for introducing and exposing many of us to another Philippines city.’