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Carlos Celdran

Walk the Talk With Nostalgia


carlos_celdran2.jpg On his way to the many labyrinths of historic Manila, Carlos Celdran and his continuous unraveling of the mystery behind the once Muslim settlement immortalizes the beauty of the city that has seen it all.

Donned with a black top hat and a headset while holding a collection of photographs of colorful personalities who have imprinted contribution to Manila’s lasting legacy and a CD player that croons feel-good music in the background, Celdran is all suited up for his performance of the day. Leading several tourists in a huddle, he starts his “class” by welcoming foreign day-trippers at the parking lot of the San Agustin Church. Despite the scorching heat of the sun, his flamboyant personality, wit and humor immediately spawned a sense of comfort and excitement for those who will be fully Manila-ized for the first time.

“First and foremost, I am a performance artist,” Celdran said when asked about what he exactly does for a living. That explains the in-character costumes and his entertaining quirks on his tours which have earned him a great following over the years. Having gone through prestigious schools like the Rhode Island School of Design and with internship from the Blue Man Group, a well-known theatrical act in New York City, arts and theater have become signatures of both his chosen field and his very existence. He also worked for the Philippine Heritage Conversation Society which has influenced his regard of putting history and culture on top of his tour agenda.

Today, he’s a one-man ensemble for his “Walking Manila Tours” business, bringing his own personality and his love for “everything Manila” to the core.

“Without much capital investment, really, only charisma and ‘people skills’ can help make a difference in this line of work,” Celdran noted. “Eventually, you can also make great change in the society even if you’re just one person.” A control freak, as he admits, he has progressed for so long without having to shell out big bucks and without having to depend on anyone but himself.

In his online journal, Celdran defines Manila as “a city of extreme contrasts that it’s easy to see how it can become an intense personal experience.” He deemed that Manila can be “chaotic and spiritual, dirty and divine, gritty and gorgeous all at once.” And if nobody can recognize the city’s splendor and poetry, “you will never find it anywhere.”

“The more I talk about Manila, the more I talk about myself,” he said. “Manila has become my passion, my art. I wanted to create something that would really define it and I’m lucky to be given that chance to do so.”

Celdran’s approach to his tours leans on the cultural and the historical. His most celebrated tour, and admittedly his most favorite, is walking on the remarkably nostalgic grounds of Intramuros. Screaming with stories and memoirs of significant events in the past along the many architectural ruins and preserved infrastructures, Intramuros best embodies Celdran’s meaningful mission of highlighting forgotten tales and mysterious beauty laid underneath mounds of rubble, bringing about the richness of our country’s culture. The Spanish influences that have become a prevailing atmosphere to the Walled City underlined the city’s uniqueness that was once, and forever will be, Ciudad Insigne y Siempre Leal ("Distinguished and ever loyal city").

Other itineraries and destinations of Celdran Tours are taking trips around Escolta and Quiapo and the North Side of the Pasig River, and the Do-It-Yourself Tour: Evangelista Que Linda, an afternoon tea and window shopping in the flea markets of Evangelista Street in Bangkal, Makati.

Celdran also noted that since the Philippines is always portrayed to be poverty-stricken, pathetic and ugly in most films, theater productions and other art forms, that make a huge mark in the eyes of the world, Celdran strives hard to strip away the negative representations by unveiling the country’s beauty and strengths.

“We have a beautiful culture that we can be proud of,” he said. “The problem is they think of the Philippines as a product that needs to be sold. No amor. They don't think of it as an overall structure that people can enjoy without having to pay a package deal,” he said.

Treading the historical path, then, was his way to go. For just P300, one can experience a worthwhile historical trip far from the humdrum classroom environment. There are no strict or boring professors, only a jolly and funny tour guide who is proficient to the legacies of the Spanish conquistadors Miguel López de Legazpi, Juan de Salcedo and Martín de Goiti in San Agustin Church, the 27-year old Spanish relic reconstructed in Casa de Manila and the other coolest places to be.

In the end, like how most of his foreign tourists, we’ll join in unison as we realize “how rich the Philippines really is.”

For his unique and “exploratory” contribution to Manila’s strong entrepreneurial force, Carlos Celdran will be awarded as one of Manila’s Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs, to be given by the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE) at the Go Negosyo sa Manila slated on Sept. 7, 2007 at the Philam Center for the Arts, UN Avenue, Manila. The Go Negosyo sa Manila is part of the ongoing Go Negosyp Caravan spearheaded by Presidential Consultant for Entrepreneurship Jose Concepcion III.

Go Negosyo sa Manila is presented by Globe, PAGCOR, Hyundai, PLDT, Smart, Chinese Filipino Business Club, Philamlife and RFM Corporation. Other partners of the event include The Philippine Star, GMA Network Inc., RPN9, NBN4, Aspac-Law, Creativoices Production, Ideal Minds Corporation, and Full Circle Communications.