Place names in the Philippines have a nasty habit of changing names. Some of them have multiple names in different languages all used concurrently. For example, the Basilica Minore del San Lorenzo Ruiz is also known as the Church of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary also known as the Nuestra Señora del Santissimo Rosario Church and finally simply known as Binondo Church to the locals. The plaza fronting the old church has also gone through some name changes. It was known as Plaza Calderon de la Barca but it is now known as Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz in honor of the first Filipino saint, a tremendous source of pride for the Philippine faithful.
And just like it’s name, the plaza has also gone through multiple facelifts in an effort to make the plaza more than just a large roundabout. There is a large statue of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz with his hand outstretched to the church. The statue used to be much nearer the church but has been moved a little further away, perhaps to make way for the fountain in the Plaza. There are also other obelisks in the plaza with one in Chinese probably dedicated to the war dead.
The plaza is by no means a great place to relax, in fact it may probably be the worst place to do so. What with the mind boggling traffic that goes around the plaza. Pollution is already a given here, thankfully the plaza has some greenery to take in all the bad air, but I don’t think it is enough. What’s worse and perhaps sadly, this has also become the place for vagrants to stay since they have nowhere else to go. The lights are bright here at night and there is really little to fear here, but this is a problem facing most Philippine urban areas and it is probably not going to go away anytime soon.
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