Central Post Office

US National Archives

On the banks of Pasig in the Ermita district, a vast neoclassical edifice of reinforced concrete served as the heart of the Philippine postal service. Designed by Juan M. Arellano and constructed in 1926, the structure is sometimes referred to as the greatest achievement of the architect who was responsible for many of Manila’s government buildings and public works.

Located on the Pasig just outside of the Intramuros, it faced Plaza Lawton, a major streetcar interchange, and was near both the Metropolitan Theater and City Hall, at the northern end of the cluster of government buildings in Ermita. The huge structure also had a dock on the river for the easy unloading of post from barges coming to and from the port. It’s location, also between the Jones and Quezon Bridges over the river made it one of the most centrally located and accessible buildings of the city.

When the Japanese occupied the city in 1942 postal services were temporarily suspended, but were reopened by March of that year, albeit subject to censorship by Japanese military authorities. Old US stamps were reissued with the “UNITED STATES” and “COMMONWEALTH OF” blacked out to leave just “PHILIPPINE ISLANDS”. Japanese postmarks were stamped on these as well.

An envelope from the Central Post Office in 1943, bearing defaced US stamps and a certification from a Japanese Army censor - Author’s collection

As US forces advanced on the city in early 1945 and Admiral Iwabuchi began to fortify the city, many of the massive, reinforced government buildings, such as the Central Post Office, were selected to become bastions of the defenders, promising to be veritable fortresses. The Post Office, with its commanding views over the Pasig and two critical bridges on the river, promised to be either the first line of defense of the city center, if the attack came from the American beachheads at Lingayen Gulf to the north, or the last, if the attack came from the newer landings to the south at Nasugbu.