Estero de Provisor: Revitalization of a City Through Water. A Thermal Bathhouse on the Pasig River of Manila, Philippines

Abstract

"Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan." One of innumerable Filipino proverbs meaning bluntly, if you don't know how to look back to where you came from, you will not reach your destination. While the city of Manila, Philippines cannot be summed into one simple phrase; its creation of history can be traced back to the city's lifeline, the Pasig River.

Under Spaniard rule during the sixteenth century, Manila was known as the, "Pearl of the Orient," being the jewel of Spain's empire in the Pacific. Before the mass urbanization of Manila, the Pasig River was the main connection to the rest of Asia and further into the rest of the world. The Pasig River was the city's center of economic activity; it was Manila's lifeline.