THERE are very few places in Metro Manila where tourists can be educated, entertained and enlightened, often at the same time, and one of these is Rizal Park. No other place in the city would you find, on a typical weekend, Filipinos of every kind—rich and poor, young and old, able-bodied and disabled, carefree and cautious—gather to enjoy life’s simple (and almost cost-free) pleasures. No other spot in the metropolis would you find opportunities to observe other people’s behavior. No other recreational area in the country is as distinguished.
Rizal Park owes much of its renown to its long history. First known as Bagumbayan or Nueva Barrio (“new town” in English) in the early years of Spanish colonial rule, the future Rizal Park once had structures—including a church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and a convent, both founded by Augustinian Recollect friars—that served as a defensive barrier against invaders, until British forces cleared them after they briefly took over the country in the early 1760s.
After the Spaniards wrested control of the Philippine islands from the British, the area became known as Bagumbayan Field. It was later renamed after a detached, crescent-shaped outwork, or minor military fortification, near Intramuros, called the lunette or luneta (from luna, Latin for moon).
In 1820 the Paseo de la Luneta was built on the west of the field, near the beach, and became the center of social activity for members of Manila’s high society. Some of its features were a wide driveway for horse-drawn carriages, called La Calzada (The Road); a bandstand; performances by the Governor General’s military band; lawns; and circular fountains.
For much of the 19th century, Luneta served as a venue for public executions. Many of those executed there were patriots. The most prominent of these are the three Filipino secular priests who were unfairly implicated in the unsuccessful Cavite Mutiny of 1872—Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora, collectively known in history as Gomburza; and the younger brother of one of Father Burgos’s followers, the physician and novelist Jose P. Rizal.
Today Rizal’s remains are entombed in the bronze-and-granite monument that bears his name. Designed by Swiss sculptor Richard Kissling, the monument was originally called “Motto Stella” (Guiding Star) and unveiled on December 30, 1913. Since then it has been regarded, deservedly, as the sacred heart of the park and as the country’s most iconic landmark. As the final resting place of the country’s national hero, members of the Philippine Marine Corps’s Marine Security and Escort Group guard the structure 24 hours a day without fail.
Contrary to popular belief, the Rizal Monument does not stand on the exact spot where Rizal was executed. An area to the north of the structure is where he actually died, and where visitors can learn more about his final moments by viewing The Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal: A Light and Sound Sculptural Tableau, which offers two half-hour presentations (one in Filipino, the other in English) and features towering statues of the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo author, the firing squad and others who were present at his execution.
Other sculptures dot the park. Several meters behind the Rizal Monument is a man-made lagoon whose sides are lined with the busts of Filipino patriots, collectively known as The Gallery of Heroes. Some are famous, like Apolinario Mabini, one of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo’s chief advisers and widely considered as the Brains of the Philippine Revolution; and Graciano Lopez Jaena, the propagandist who founded La Solidaridad, the newspaper of the Philippine reform movement in Spain.
Others are not so well-known. One is Datu Ache, a Tausug chieftain who, according to the plaque below his bust, “commanded Sultan Bongsu’s force of warriors in repelling an armada of 80 ships with 600 Spaniards and 3,000 Christian Filipino allies led by Gov. Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera on January 4, 1638.” Another is Mateo Carino, who, the plaque says, is “the Ibaloi chieftain of Benguet [province] who led a successful revolt against the Spanish garrison in La Trinidad in 1898.”
But towering over all of them is the statue of Lapu-Lapu, which stands on Teodoro F. Valencia Circle at the other end of the park. Said to be a gift of South Korea to the Philippines for the help it extended to the East Asian nation during the Korean War in the early 1950s, the statue portrays the chieftain of Mactan island, in what is now Cebu province, as stoic, strong and vigilant, his huge hands resting on the carved hilt of his kampilan that killed Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and some of his men when they attacked the island in late April 1521.
Of course, monuments and sculptures are not the only things tourists can see in Rizal Park. Just behind the Lapu-Lapu Monument is a giant raised-relief map of the Philippines on a man-made pond that is installed with a snaking walkway, from where people can view select parts of the map up close.
Those seeking wholesome entertainment, particularly on weekends, can drop by the Rizal Park Open-Air Auditorium to see what is being performed there. All kinds of shows—which are free, by the way—are mounted in that area: concerts (classical and otherwise), cultural presentations (folk dances from the country’s different regions, for example), movies (both local and foreign) and plays. Some of these performances are later shown on the long-running TV program Concert at the Park, which is aired on the government-run National Broadcasting Network.
Speaking of shows, the park’s lagoon offers nighttime visitors, especially young children, a treat for their ears and eyes: Starting at 6 p.m. the lagoon’s many fountains light up in different colors and begin to “dance” to prerecorded music. Called the “Musical Dancing Fountain,” the show has been one of Rizal Park’s major attractions and delighting crowds ever since it opened a few years ago.
There are days when activities at the park can get pretty hectic and noisy, and those who prefer peace and solitude—at least, for an hour or so—can pay a minimal fee to retreat to any of these places: the Chinese Garden, where visitors can chill while admiring a statue of the philosopher Confucius or the detailed carvings on the ceiling of the large gazebo that stands above a small, man-made lagoon; the Japanese Garden, where guests can quietly stroll around the area or observe the general stillness of the pond there; and the rain forest-like Orchidarium and Butterfly Pavillion, a former parking lot that now houses several species of orchids and butterflies. Needless to say, these places are quite popular with couples.
To be sure, couples lounging at some of Rizal Park’s more secluded spots aren’t the only people tourists will see there. In fact, part of what makes the park a must-see is the different types of people who spend time there: Young families having a picnic on the area surrounding the central lagoon; children squealing with delight as they ride the kalesa or in one of those tranvia-like cars that go around the park; old men playing chess for hours at their designated area, beside the auditorium; blind people offering massage at one corner; voluble men and women debating on the issues of the day in front of curious onlookers, as if performing in a play.
For some, the idea of a park—one that serves as the final resting place of a national hero and the recreation space for many who have benefited from his sacrifice—as one of Metro Manila’s top tourist destinations may seem somewhat odd. But consider: no other place in the National Capital Region would you find trees, gardens and pockets of green concentrated, more or less, in one large area; or see ordinary and simple Filipinos at their best and at their worst, at their highest and at their lowest; or notice how the past, present and even the future—in one form or another—often meet. Rizal Park offers such sights and, best of all, they’re free.
rizalpark.nationalparks.ph/main.htm
Image credits: Alvin I. Dacanay
1 comment
Its very informative post. thank you for sharing.!!