PHOTOGRAPHER: HANNAH ROZELLE | MODEL: SAM COLOSO | PRODUCER: CYAN LEIGH DACASIN OF GREAT SOCIAL CLUB PR AND PRODUCTIONS | STYLIST: JHONNY BRAVO | MAKE-UP: ZHEE GHIELMETTI | HAIR STYLIST: RAYMART ESPINA | PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: RALPH ANGOB | ASSISTANT STYLIST: KEANA CARBONILLAS | STUDIO: ESPACIO CREATIVO ESCOLTA | SHOT ON LOCATION AROUND THE FIRST UNITED BUILDING & ESCOLTA STREET, BINONDO, MANILA

After celebrating our one year anniversary, Eletom Magazine ventures abroad. This time exploring our shared cultural heritage. Our journey’s first stop takes us to the heart of our Managing Editor’s home—Metro Manila, Philippines.

Two months ago, members of the Filipino creative community converged from all corners to craft a love letter for Old Manila. Shot on location around the historic boulevard of Escolta Street, once known as the “Queen of Streets” during Manila’s Pearl of the Orient era, where bit by bit, local artists transformed historical facades into their canvas.

Nowadays, this historic boulevard is home to a vibrant art hyve that is flourishing like a blooming rose against the cracked concrete and the lines of cars and tricycles lined up on the road.

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of its war-torn past and weariness, Escolta is having its renaissance it not only represents Manila’s enduring spirit—where history doesn’t simply fade away but transforms.

The new generation is finding new ways of expression that is determined to preserve its soul while breathing fresh life into its forgotten spaces that are now studios, galleries, and gathering places that honor the past while boldly reimagining Manila’s cultural future.