Old Downtown Quiapo has eyes: On the culture of optics and its craftsmen

April 18, 2024 

An optical technician handles a lens through a polishing tool at Patrick’s Laboratory in Quiapo Manila on Saturday, April 6. (Photo by Christian Querol/The Manila Warden)

Most people have four eyes. They have one set that they replace every now and then.  

In the “Old Downtown” Quiapo, not only the church and religious pilgrims cause foot traffic in the area but also the people rush to purchase lower-priced goods. It holds an array of products — from Hidalgo cameras to Raon electronics, they have it all. Unbeknownst to many, Quiapo is also a sanctuary for optical needs.  

Roaming its inner alleyways, there are tons of optical stores on Pedro Paterno Street. Big and small signages write the word “optical” wherever the eyes wander, beneath them are display cabinets donning a wide selection of eyeglass frames.  

The optical culture in Quiapo does not hide behind showcase glasses. There is much more art and sophistication than what meets the eye.  

The 40-year-old Rustan explains the intricate work of manual eyeglasses-making. It starts with the frame and lens separated. Using the lensmeter, Rustan examines the grade of the lens. He will then proceed to cut the lens and manually grind the lens on a rotating wheel to fit the frame’s shape. One eyeglass takes about five minutes to finish, depending on the thickness of the lens.  

With 18 years of experience in the industry, Rustan, shows mastery of the craft, producing about 50 to 100 eyeglasses per day.  

Listening to Rustan, Don-don, an optical technician of 26 years, shares how eyeglasses-making needs an eye for detail. 

“Quality ‘yung paggawa mo [pag] walang awang, walang butas, at hindi nag-popop out [yung lens]. Tapos malinis yung pagkakalagay ng lens sa frame. ‘Yun ang quality,” explained Don-don, 45.  

Eye doctors and shop owners rush to optical technicians like Don-don and Rustan to have their clients' prescription or fashionable eyewear made. Considering the street full of other technicians like them, competition flies out of the window and lets their work attract clients.  

“Yung mga doktor kasi hindi rin maiiwasan na magpagawa sa iba. […] Ang mga doktor kasi tinitignan ‘yung gawa, hindi yung presyo [kundi] ‘yung quality ng gawa mo,” Don-don said, adding that it is the technician’s responsibility to change and reimburse failed works.  

They simply go beyond the mere technician title. They are also artists who fashion different colored lenses, ranging from smooth gray and brown to pink and blue. 

Angelito, 45, expounds on the making of sunglasses. By tinting clear lenses in a temperature-controlled dye bath, eyeglasses turn into sunglasses to protect eyes from direct sunlight. The drilling and grooving processes ensure that the sunglasses stay intact on one’s nose.  

“Hindi basta-basta napag-aaralan agad. Mahaba pa yung [proseso] para matutunan mo lahat yan, [mula] drilling, grooving, at sa mga coloring na yan,” said Angelito, who has been an optical technician for 25 years.  

“Kailangan bawat isa [ng proseso], mapag-aralan mo. Mahabang pag-aaral pa diyan para ma-perfect mo lahat. Kaya lang, kahit na ganito kaming edad, ‘di pa rin namin maiwasang masiraan.” 

A Moon-Eyed Pillar 

A stack of lens cases inside the Erlinda De Vera Montilla (EDVM) Optical Laboratory in Quiapo, Manila taken on Saturday, April 6. (Photo by Christian Querol/The Manila Warden)

Meanwhile, described as the center by local optical technicians, Erlinda De Vera Montilla (EDVM) Optical Laboratory, owned by Patrick Montilla, stands as a one of one when it comes to not just creating lenses, but also becoming a pillar for the optical culture that is engraved in the heart of Quiapo and its workers. 

“Mga tao, nagsisimba rito. Ito ang pinakasentro ng pagawaan ng salamin. At pinakamura kaya pinupuntahan,” said Joel Joson, a 59-year-old EDVM supervisor. 

With decades of experience that started in the 80s, Joel and Patrick started out as friends and now as business partners. 

“40 years combined ang experience ko, and noong supervisor palang ako sa Plastilens, doon na ako nagsimula at magkakasama kami nina Patrick. Si Patrick may experience rin sa Plastilens at mula sa Saudi [Arabia],” Joel said. 

The 47-year-old Harry explained that Patrick’s business stretched to handing out opportunities for those with no experience, also to friends and families. This catalyzes not just a job opportunity, but also a lifestyle and an art form. 

“Noong una, may optical shop siya. Dahil naging maganda ang kita, nagtayo siya ng lab noong 2015. Hindi pangsarili, kung hindi pang-tulong na rin sa mga tao,” Patrick’s brother Harry shared. 

Despite the difference between the automatic and manual creation of a lens, optical technicians around the area know each other and do not think of them as competition, but as business partners. 

“Iyong mga manual na gumagawa, sila kumukuha sa amin. Bukod sa mga kamag-anak, kami humahawak ng mga supply kaya isa na sa makakatulong ‘yon. Lalo na kung umunlad ang kumpanya, tumutulong tayo sa kapwa nating mga katrabaho,” Joel said. 

The reputation of Quiapo’s optical culture stretches outside of its bounds, 38-year-old Christopher Ramos said, as he has worked under EDVM Optical Lab for five years. 

“Kahit mismo sa ibang lugar dito nagpapagawa sa Quiapo. Kumbaga, meron lang silang laboratory, pero meron silang bagay na hindi nila nagagawa at sa Quiapo lang nagagawa,” he said. 

He started as a delivery rider, but EDVM Optical Lab provided an on-the-spot job and training that eventually became his lifestyle. 

“Dati, sa ibang company ako at nagresign ako. Nag-Angkas ako at biker. Naisip kong pumasok kasama kapatid ko, at natutunan ko naman dahil magagaling magturo. Pioneer sila sa ganito,” Christopher said. 

Now composed of roughly 50 employees, either by recruiting people from an agency or from referrals, EDVM Optical Lab, which originated with six people, is still open to helping the people by giving them an opportunity to enrich even further the culture of optics in Quiapo. 

The Future of Optics 

 38-year-old optical technician Christopher Ramos polishes a lens at the EDVM Optical Laboratory in Quiapo, Manila on Saturday, April 6. (Photo by Christian Querol/The Manila Warden) 

Luckily, as the industry evolves, laboratories like EDVM Optical Lab helped revolutionize the process of lens making. Machines inside the lab became an easier place for people like Christopher to learn and produce. 

“Sa isang araw pumapatak kami ng 200 to 300 pieces. Kumbaga, sa skills namin, ginagamitan namin ng computation kung paano makuha ‘yung grado, ‘yung gaano kakapal o kanipis yung gusto ng kliyente. Mukha lang siyang mahirap, kasi makina lang naman gumagana, pero sa totoo, hirap at tiyaga ang kailangan,” Christopher said. 

As an all-around worker, different designated machineries are required for an optical technician to adapt from creating general to specialized lenses. 

“Lens price P300 to P600. Pag ordinary, P40 o P90. Mga special order tumataas hanggang P7000. Bihira lang pero meron pa rin,” Joel said. 

Compared to manuals, automatic can handle bulk orders that require specific instructions.  

“‘Pag medyo mahal ang lens [at] talagang kailangan sa automatic, [...] hindi kami gumagawa kasi pagnasira namin, abono kami. Kung saan namin binili ‘yung lens na mahal, ‘dun namin pinapagawa sa automatic,” Angelito said, adding that such lenses may cost about P20,000. 

Along the streets of Pedro Paterno and Padre Gomez in Quiapo, is an optical culture that old and new converge that one can say “spectacular” and “eye-catching.”

- Jewyz Ann Bunyi & Christian Querol