Jones Bridge

The original design of Jones Bridge.

Aerial view of the Jones Bridge in 1930s and the Manila Post Office Building.

The Jones Bridge was originally commissioned under the auspices of the City Government of Manila in 1919 before the Insular Government, through the Philippine Bureau of Public Works, later took over in finishing the bridge's construction in 1920.[4] The bridge is intended to replace the Puente de España (Bridge of Spain), the first bridge built to cross the Pasig River constructed during the Spanish colonial era and the last incarnation of bridges that span the same location since 1630. It collapsed during the heavy rains of September 1914 that weakened the central pier collapsing the middle span of the bridge. The Puente, which was located at one block upriver at Calle Nueva (now E.T. Yuchengco Street), was temporarily kept open using a temporary truss bridge while the new bridge is being constructed at Quintin Paredes Street.[4]

The construction of new bridges were part of a master plan of Manila Daniel Burnham, who wanted to give emphasis on the rivers of city and likened them to the Seine River in Paris and the canals of Venice.[4] This plan was heavily implemented and supervised by William E. Parsons, but upon the passage of the Jones Act, Filipino architect Juan M. Arellano took over and finished the bridge's final design. Jones died in 1918 while the bridge is still being planned, and the Filipinos named the passageway to the lawmaker for authoring the law that will give the country an autonomy from the United States.[4]

Arellano designed the bridge in the style of the passageways constructed during Haussmann's renovation of Paris.[4] He embellished the piers with a statues of boys on dolphins, similar to the those on the Pont Alexandre III at the river Seine (which he had previously visited).[4] Similar to the Parisian Pont, he marked both ends of the bridge with four plinths and commissioned a sculptor named Martinez to build four statues, called La Madre Filipina (The Philippine Motherland), which would be placed on the pedestals.[4]

During the Second World War, the Japanese Army bombed the bridge against the incoming American troops during the Battle of Manila.[5][4] One of the four statues was permanently lost during the destruction.[4] After the war, a bailey bridge was set up as a temporary passageway for vehicles while the main bridge itself is being rebuilt.[4]

Aerial view of the Jones Bridge in 2015 (with Intramuros and Manila Bay in the background).

Following the passage of the Philippine Rehabilitation Act of 1945, the Philippine Bureau of Public Works and the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads reconstructed the Jones and Quezon bridges using large and deep steel girders.[4][6] Upon its completion, none of its original ornamentation on either piers and balustrades were restored, and its neoclassical aesthetic were replaced with an unadorned architecture in an urgent haste to finish its reconstruction.[4] The three remaining La Madre Filipina statues were also removed and its plinths were demolished. One was relocated within Rizal Park while the two others are relocated at the entrance of the Court of Appeals Main Building.

In 1998, in celebration of the Philippine Centennial Independence, the bridge was partially restored by architect Conrad Onglao, who was commissioned by then-First Lady Amelita Ramos. Stone balustrades replaced the post-modern steel design.[4] During the time of Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, the steel girders were lighted and thematic lamp post were added onto the bridge, which drew mixed reactions. Two fu dogs were also added at the base of the bridge's south side, which gave it a Chinese character as opposed to its original neoclassical design.

The gold-painted steel girders of the bridge are lighted by LEDs.

In 2019, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno announced plans to "restore" the Jones Bridge to its near-original architecture, including the return of the three surviving sculptures that had previously guarded the bridge, using the ₱20 million that were donated towards the project.[7][8] The fourth sculpture destroyed by the war was replicated using the archives of the pre-war Jones Bridge in the National Library of the Philippines.[8] Moreno commissioned Jose Acuzar, owner of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar to design and build Beaux-Arts-styled lamp posts similar to those on Pont Alexandre III. The four plinths for the La Madre Filipina statues were reconstructed that would act as the pedestal for the returning sculptures.[8][9] Retrofit and repair works were also done at the steel girders of the bridge.

The statues of Gratitude and Democracy were reinstated at the bridge on November 22. Jones Bridge was inaugurated on November 24, 2019 and was formally opened to the public. The two remaining statues of La Madre Filipina located at the Court of Appeals have yet to be returned.

Gratitude which has been on display at Rizal Park, is now reinstated back at the bridge after 74 years.

Four statues that guarded the bridge are collectively called La Madre Filipina (The Philippine Motherland). Three of them were spared from the war but was relocated. The fourth one was destroyed and it was replicated in the 2019 redevelopment. Each statue symbolizes the different aspect of nationhood since the Philippines at the time was transitioning from being a colony of the United States to gaining its independence.

• Gratitude: located at the southeast portion of the bridge, this sculpture was transferred to Rizal Park after World War II and was reinstated back to its original location after 74 years. It was prominently called as La Madre Filipina while on display at the park.
• Democracy: destroyed during the Battle of Manila in 1945. It was replicated in 2019 using archives provided by the National Library of the Philippines and was installed at the southwest corner of the bridge where the former statue once stood.