Binondo , the oldest and one of the largest Chinatown in the world , was the center of commerce and business activities in the city . Numerous residential and office skyscrapers are found within its medieval streets . Plans to make the Chinatown area into a business process outsourcing ( BPO ) hub progresses and is aggressively pursued by the city government of Manila . 30 buildings are already identified to be converted into BPO offices . These buildings are mostly located along the Escolta Street of Binondo , which are all unoccupied and can be converted into offices .