Water is the most benevolent of the elements. It washes, cleanses and purifies. It quenches our thirst. Even the latest James Bond movie agrees: it's to die for. Bodies of water have provided sources of food and transportation. Simply put: water is life. I dare say, water can also give you a second life. It heals. It tickles your fancy. It makes you laugh. There is something about water and Balara that makes you a child again.
Most of Metro Manilans know that water at the La Mesa watershed goes through filtration at Balara before it is distributed to each home. What is unknown to many Metro Manilans is that the Manila Water Supply System has been around when Manila was still under Spanish rule. A system where water comes out of the tap was constructed with funding coming from Spanish philanthropist Francisco Carriedo y Peredo in 1878. The MWSS claims to being the first in Asia to provide the task of serving tap water for drinking and sanitary purposes.
Recreation is another important aspect of water that the MWSS offered the Filipino. In the '50s and '60s, Balara was the summer place of 60 hectares within the city. Its pools, gardens, playgrounds and fountains lured the heat-exasperated. It was a time without the giant malls.It even had an amphitheater where people from all walks of life went to watch a concert. It was there with Taal Vista Lodge, Hinulugang Taktak and Matabungkay. Of course at that time, a trip to Balara might have well been a trip to the countryside.
The water goddesses, the art deco buildings, and the cherubs send you back to an era of civic graciousness. The ancient trees and creeping ivy renew the feeling that we are connected. The fountains are coming back to life. The pools may be just as inviting as they were in the olden days. Why don't you swim in the heritage of Balara?