Jones Bridge lamp posts remind us  of city's history

The beautiful  ornately designed lamp posts now lining both sides of Jones Bridge have drawn admiration from all who have seen them these last few weeks. From a simple looking span connecting Binondo  and  Intramuros, Jones has suddenly gained new life with the black lamp posts, the latest changes in the city carried out by new Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso,  with a P20-million donation from Chinese businessmen as it is next to a heritage site on the Pasig  River. Jones Bridge has not been as busy as Quezon  Bridge in Quiapo or Nagtahan Bridge near Malacanang but it  has a rich history that is now being recalled with the installation of the lamp posts. The original span was built  in  1919, to replace the Puente Espana built  by Spain in 1876. It was named after American legislator William Atkinson Jones, author of the Jones Law that gave the Philippines legislative  autonomy  from the US in 1916. The construction of bridges early in the 20^th century was  part  of a master plan of Daniel Burnham, who was inspired by the river Seine in Paris and the canals of Venice and saw the Pasig with a  similar network of bridges. After the passage of the Jones Act, Filipino architect Juan M. Arellano took over and finished the design of  Jones Bridge. It had three arches and two piers similar to the Pont Alexandre III in Paris. Four statues portraying motherhood and nationhood were placed on pedestals  at each end of the bridge. At  the  Battle of Manila in World War II in 1945,  the Japanese bombed the bridge against advancing American troops from the north and one of the four statues was destroyed. Jones and Quezon bridges were quickly rebuilt  after the  war but the neo-classical designs were replaced with unadorned architecture. In 1998, Jones Bridge was partially restored by architect Conrad Onglao, commissioned by then First Lady Amelita Ramos. This year, Mayor “Isko”  announced plans for Jones Bridge, including the return of the three original sculptures of old, one  of  which is now at Rizal Park  and two at the Court of Appeals building in Ermita. The fourth sculpture which was destroyed during the war will be replicated, using  the archives of the National Library of the Philippines. The old lamp posts were somewhat simpler but the new ones, designed by architect Jerry Acuzar, are similar enough to the originals to inspire visions of what Manila must have  looked like in those early years before the war destroyed so much of the city. At the start of his administration, the mayor said he is determined to restore  Manila to its old preeminence as a city known around the world  for its history as well as for its natural beauty. So much  economic progress has moved to the other cities around Manila, but the city  has 500 years of history that distinguishes it  from all the others. The beautiful lamp posts now lining both sides of Jones Bridge are  a  reminder  of that distinction.