Club Filipino (pronounced ''klub'') was the first exclusive social club in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, founded on November 6, 1898 by Filipino high society, including Spanish ''

mestizos (; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed European and Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturally European even though thei ...

'' and members of the native aristocracy. It is located between North Greenhills subdivision and the

Greenhills Shopping Center Greenhills, formerly and still commonly known as the Greenhills Shopping Center, is a mixed-use shopping, residential and leisure development located in Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila, the Philippines. Established by Ortigas and Company as ...

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

. The club's present amenities include a swimming pool, tennis, badminton and squash courts, bowling alleys, outdoor restaurant, salon, and "Kalayaan Hall," an indoor events/reception room.

History

Originally an elite Filipino country gentlemen's organisation, it was originally called Club Filipino Independiente, later changed to Club Internationale and finally, Club Filipino. The club has developed a reputation for being a meeting ground for Filipino political progressives throughout its history, and was the site of several political events immediately prior and during the country's Post-Martial Law Era. Prior to its current location in Greenhills,

, the club was located at the Bachrach Mansion along Manga Ave cor. Buenos Aires St., in Santa Mesa,

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

. At the said location, no other than President

Ramon Magsaysay Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay Sr. (August 31, 1907 – March 17, 1957) was a Filipino statesman who served as the seventh president of the Philippines, from December 30, 1953, until his death in an aircraft disaster on March 17, 1957. An automo ...

inaugurated it on September 21, 1956, after arriving directly from a very rough flight from

Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dabaw; ), is a first class highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of land ...

. The President himself joined the exclusive club the very same day. The said house was owned by Russian-

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Jew

Emil Bachrach Emanuel Maurice "Emil" Bachrach (4 July 1874 – 28 September 1937) was a Russian Jewish-born American entrepreneur and philanthropist in the Philippines. Career Emil arrived in the United States from Russia at the age of 18. Soon after, in 1901, ...

, who was a successful businessman in Manila during the

Philippine Commonwealth The Commonwealth of the Philippines ( es, Commonwealth de Filipinas or ; tl, Komonwelt ng Pilipinas) was the administrative body that governed the Philippines from 1935 to 1946, aside from a period of exile in the Second World War from 1942 ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the house was commandeered by Gen.

Tomoyuki Yamashita was a Japanese officer and convicted war criminal, who was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Yamashita led Japanese forces during the invasion of Malaya and Battle of Singapore, with his accomplishment of conquerin ...

upon his assignment in the Philippines, and later on was taken up as residence by Gen.

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was ...

and his family. The present location in Greenhills was inaugurated on October 18, 1970, and served as the venue for the inauguration of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Corazon Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People ...

on 25 February 1986 at the height of the

People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a sustained campaign of c ...

. This was also where Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson went public with an alleged illegal gambling ('' jueteng'') payroll scam involving then-President

Joseph Ejercito Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice presi ...

in 2000. On 9 September 2009, Corazon Aquino's son, then-Senator

Benigno Aquino III Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...

, announced his bid at the club to run as the presidential candidate for the Liberal Party in the 2010 general election. Six years later, on July 31, 2015, then-President Aquino III formally endorsed

Mar Roxas Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II (; born May 13, 1957) is a Filipino politician who served as a Senator of the Philippines. He is the grandson and namesake of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas. He served in the Cabinet of the Philippines ...

as the LP's presidential candidate for the

2016 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2016. Africa Benin Republic * 2016 Beninese presidential election 6 March 2016 Cape Verde * 2016 Cape Verdean presidential election 2 October 2016 Chad * 2016 Chadian presidential election 10 ...

in the "Gathering of Friends" held at the venue itself.

References

Organizations based in Metro Manila Organizations established in 1898 Buildings and structures in San Juan, Metro Manila Cultural Properties of the Philippines in Metro Manila Sports venues in Metro Manila {{Philippines-hist-stub