From Berlin, with love: Why a piece of the Berlin Wall lies outside Manila City Hall

When the Berlin Wall fell to the ground on November 9, 1989, fragments of the wall were kept and given to various countries around the world as a reminder to continue the fight for freedom and democracy. 

One fragment of the wall landed in the Philippine capital in 2014, almost 10,000 kilometers away, after the German Government donated it to the Philippine Government to celebrate the “shared democratic values rooted in history and beyond.” 

A reminder 

For Ronald Flores, an assistant department head of the Manila City Tourism Office, the piece of the Berlin Wall stands as a symbol of appreciation between the Philippine and German government. 

“Sa aming maiksing pananaliksik, pagkakaalam namin, binigay ito talaga sa national government ng German government, somewhat as a symbol of the German government support and appreciation of the People Power Revolution, the first People Power Revolution in EDSA,” Flores told The Capital. 

Fragment 22, the 22nd of the 40 sections of the Berlin Wall, was first given to the National Museum in 2014 before being transferred to the Kartilya ng Katipunan just outside Manila City Hall in 2019. 

Flores said that the significance of Fragment 22 lies in the fact that the People Power Revolution of 1986 partly inspired the Fall of the Berlin Wall three years later in 1989. 

“They saw the EDSA revolution as their inspiration. Kasi yung peaceful revolution ng EDSA, yun nagsimula ng lahat ng appreciation ng People Power sa global scenario. So, I think they saw the People Power Revolution as maybe one of the many inspirations they had,” Flores said. 

He added that once Fragment 22 was transferred to the Manila City government, Mayor Maria Sheilah “Honey” Lacuna-Pangan found that it should best be placed beside the Martial Law markers in the Bonifacio Shrine to both serve as reminders of the past, especially to the youth who walk around the area frequently.

“Pwede naman ang ilagay yan sa isang lugar na mapoprotektahan at hindi siya ma-v-vandalize. Pero anong saysay kung hindi naman siya makikita ng tao? So ang ginawa ng pamahalaang lungsod, inilagay siya sa isang lugar kung saan makikita siya ng mga tao, lalo na mga kabataan,” the assistant department head said.

“Yung division between and among countries is also detrimental... So sa kabuuan, ano ang nirepresent nito? Conflicts wouldn't at any time produce positive results. Bakit siya doon nakalagay? Kasi daanan siya ng tao.”  

Apart from the piece of the Berlin Wall, Flores also notes that other landmarks present within the area of the wall are basically “dots” that help promote, define and protect the unique culture and heritage that Manila possesses. 

Flores said that the ideal way of starting a tour around the historical sites in Manila would start at the Manila City Hall’s “Clock Tower Museum” which will then be followed by the “Kartilya ng Katipunan” then the Bonifacio Shrine. 

After walking through the Bonifacio Shrine, the Berlin Wall and the Martial Law Marker would be a tourist’s next destination before stepping foot on the Metropolitan Theatre and finally, the Manila Post Office. 

“Manila [is] best enjoyed walking because of the traffic. If you would just stay in your vehicle and use [it] to enjoy the city, you might waste your time in traffic. So we really need to develop the walking tours that we're promoting,” he added. 

While the wall may just be one of the many historical landmarks present around Manila, Flores hopes that the public will see the value of freedom and peace every time they walk through it and will be reminded of the sacrifices these people made all for the sake of democracy. 

“Ano yan, isang symbolism, isang paalala, isang manifestation sa atin. Ito yung mga mahalagang aral ng kasaysayan na dapat hindi nakakalimutan lalo na ng mga tao, lalo na ng mga kabataan.” -- Johann Paulus Coronel and Erwin James Gianan