A stroll to one of the most historical places here in Manila, Philippines,
The Paco Park (originally named as Cementerio General de Dilao) is a recreational garden and was once Manila's municipal cemetery built by the Dominicans during the Spanish colonial period. It is located on General Luna Street and at the east end of Padre Faura Street in Paco, Manila, Philippines. wikipedia
Located at the heart of Manila Paco Park has many visitors, a vast people come and go here in the park, people who wants to visit the historical place or the people who exercises daily and also people who wants to unwind and relax.
I visited every corner of paco park, there is actually a catholic church in the middle of the park and you can also walk on the walls that surrounds the park. There are still many gravestones in the very walls and mausoleums of the park. I have talked to one of the guards and told me about who is those gravestones, according to the guards "only rich and powerful person was buried here in the cemetery in the olden days" and also, the guards told me about the hauntings here in the park where other people saw ghost or apparitions roaming here in the park, especially in the pathways of the inner fort. I was intrigued about what the guard said and roam around the park, and I have not seen any apparitions or ghost around the park, I guess the guards just want to scare me off.
This is the monument of our national hero, DR. José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda. In the past I thought that Dr. Jose P. Rizal was buried in luneta park because that is the place where he was shot but after visiting paco park, I have known the truth that he was buried here in the first place and was transferred to his monument in luneta park in the latter days. As I have watch the tomb of rizal here in paco park, I wondered why is the abbreviation in the tombstone of Dr. Jose Rizal was RPJ and not JPR, so I asked a personnel here in the paco park and she said that it was rizal's sisters who told the guard to put Dr. Rizal's initals in reverse so that the Spaniards would not recognize that it was Dr. Rizal's tomb.
Gomburza or Fr. Mariano Gomes, Fr. Jose Burgos, And Fr. Jacinto Zamora was also buried here in paco park. Just a short history, they are the catholic priest who were executed due to false accusation by Spaniards,
and according to wikipedia
Their deaths were facilitated in a public execution at Bagumbayan (Luzon) using a garrote due to false accusations charged against them by Spanish authorities. Their alleged crimes included treason and sedition for being the supposed masterminds of the insurrection of Indios (native Filipinos) working in the Cavite arsenal. Furthermore, according to the Spanish military tribunal, they were believed to have been a part of a clandestine movement aimed to overthrow the Spanish government, making them a threat to the Spanish Clergy. The execution has since been labeled the Terror of 1872 and is recognized as a pivotal event contributing to the later Philippine Revolution from 1896 to 1898.
It was fun and knowledgeable experience for me visiting one of the famous places here in manila. I have learnt history in a short brief period of time. The park was a good place to walk around and unwind, its because of its clean surroundings and cool ambiance, you will not experience any heat here while walking around the park because the park is surrounded by trees.
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.”
— Marcus Garvey.
