Valentine's Day, as commercialized as it is, can be enjoyable even for us single people—especially these days! The week leading up to Valentine's, I saw many events happening around Metro Manila that piqued my interest. The event that most piqued my interest was the Singles Sunset Walking Tour by Renaciemento. A Singles Sunset Walking Tour by Renaciemento Manila.
What's the Singles Sunset Walking Tour?
According to their post, "The Singles Sunset Walking Tour is a special event dedicated to meeting fellow singles. It's a walking tour where stories about how love became part of specific places in the city, particularly Manila, will be shared, such as a wedding gift, buildings named after wives, power couples, and more. The Singles Sunset Walking Tour is an interactive experience that ends at the Pasig River Esplanade. And according to their post, maybe, just maybe, there's a chance to meet someone special.
Who is this tour for?
For single people!
Discoveries Along Escolta
We met at Calle Escolta, once Manila’s bustling central business district. Boutiques selling imported goods from China, Europe, and Latin America lined the street in its heyday.
Our first stop was the First United Building, which once housed Berg’s Department Store. The business was later run by Chinese businessman Sy Lian Teng, who was also the sole distributor of Pilot pens in the Philippines. Fun fact: Berg’s is the Rustan's Department Store of today.
Across the street is the Regina Building, a neoclassical structure designed by Andres Luna de San Pedro, son of painter Juan Luna. It was named after Regina Gutierrez, the first wife of industrialist Don Leoncio de Leon. After she passed away, Don Leoncio married her sister Natividad, who also had a building named after her—the Natividad Building, once home to Philippine Education Co., now the Department of Education.
Nearby were the remains of Sylvel’s Department Store, a five-story building designed in the late 1960s by National Artist Leandro Locsin.
We also stopped at the Calvo Building, once home to Robert “Uncle Bob” Stewart’s Republic Broadcasting System. It was also where Radyo Bisig Bayan began—now known as DZBB-AM under GMA Network.
Another historic site we passed was the former Crystal Arcade, designed by Andres Luna and considered the Philippines' first shopping mall, which was destroyed during the Battle of Manila.
The tour also took us past the Capitol Theater, designed by National Artist Juan F. Nakpil, where Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered in the Philippines.
As we walked further, we crossed the iconic Jones Bridge, which once carried the tranvia, Manila’s early streetcar system.
Though not in Escolta, we also visited the El Hogar Building. This is located in Binondo. It's abandoned now, but its location was once Manila’s old financial district. The building was a wedding gift from Spanish businessman Don Antonio Melian Pavia to Margarita Zobel de Ayala, sister of Enrique Zobel de Ayala, whom he hoped to marry. Wow! Get you a man who'd give you a building as a wedding gift!
A Look Into Jose Rizal’s Love Life
The tour eventually led us to Intramuros, where we learned more about the personal life of our national hero, Jose Rizal, particularly his love life.
We saw the original site where the University of Santo Tomas once stood, founded by Bishop Miguel de Benavides. It was here that Rizal studied and experienced his first love at age sixteen with Segunda Katigbak, though their romance never blossomed because she was already promised to someone else.
 |
| At Plaza de Santo Tomas which served as the pocket plaza between Colegio de Santa Rosa and former site of UST |
His longest relationship was with Leonor Rivera, which lasted around ten years. They exchanged letters while Rizal studied abroad, but many never reached her because her mother intercepted them. Leonor eventually married a British man named Kipping. She is believed to have inspired Maria Clara in Noli Me Tangere.
 |
| The house where Jose Rizal once stayed while he was studying at University of Sto, Tomas |
Later in life, Rizal also fell in love with Josephine Bracken in Dapitan. They had a son named Francisco, but the child sadly lived for only three hours. Jose Rizal sure was a lover boy, wasn't he?
Rizal was eventually executed by firing squad in Luneta Park, now Rizal Park. What many people don’t know is that he was first buried in Paco Park Cemetery under the alias RPJ to conceal his burial site.
Historic Landmarks and a Sunset Ending
We also passed the Manila Cathedral, the mother of all churches in the Philippines. The cathedral today is its eighth version, rebuilt in 1954 after World War II. Filipino pop culture love team and real-life couple Sharon Cuneta and Gabby Concepcion were married here. Former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos was one of their godfathers.
Our tour ended at the Pasig River Esplanade, just as the rain stopped and the sun began to set. It was a peaceful way to end Valentine’s Day—walking through Manila, learning its stories, and discovering that love can take many forms.
 |
| A view of El Hogar building across Pasig River Espalanade |
 |
| Enjoying the sunset at Pasig River Esplanade |
Before we parted ways, our guide left us with this thought:
“Love isn’t just for two people. It has many aspects.”
And perhaps one of them is rediscovering the city and its history together.
