People’s Park opens in Davao
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By Marilou M. Aguirre
Davao Today
Old PTA grounds, which used to host athletic meets and sports events in the city, has just been turned into a People’s Park, where one can find a collection of tropical rainforest trees or enjoy a fantasy-themed park with the children, free of charge.
Engr. Elisa Madrazo, head of the Park’s project management office, said these are just one of the features of Davao city’s four-hectare People’s Park, which opened here over the weekend to add to the city’s major attractions.
She said the park’s five interconnected avenues are planted with an estimated 1,101 species of plants and trees from the rainforests of the Philippines, Southeast Asia , Australia, New Guinea, South and Central America, and Africa and Madagascar.
Of the park’s over four-hectare land area, almost 10, 000 square meters are allotted to plants, Madrazo said. Horticulturist groups, like the Orchid Society of Davao and the Mindanao Federation of Cutflowers, are also invited to display their plants whole-year round, she said.
The 71-million peso development of the PTA Park, which started in July last year, is one of the flagship projects of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. “The park will become a landmark of Davao city in the future,” said Madrazo.
The park also showcases a 425-square meter visitors’ center built with a durian dome design, which houses a Bambusetum (a collection of the different species of bamboo); a Shady Plaza where African tulips are planted within the 3, 750 sq. meter-area; and an Open Plaza with a walk-through rainbow drive featuring some collections of potted palms.
A pond with a diameter of 16 meters will be built with an interactive falls, so called because its water effects move or dance with the music; and a dancing fountain, the first in Mindanao.
Performances and outdoor entertainment will be hosted in The Great Lawn or Green Theater, which features a collection of pine trees already grown in the city.
Joggers and health buffs will continue to enjoy the PTA’s old oval, which is renamed “The Promenade;” while the old swimming pool will be turned into a Sunken Garden. The Greenhouse Museum will also feature exhibits, showcasing orchids, tropical flowers and ornamentals coming from the mountainous regions in the Philippines.
People will also enjoy the piped-in music at the park, or the 10-meter high waterfalls with a pond made of volcanic rocks. Since parks are mostly visited by families, a fantasy-themed park is designed especially for children.
As part of security measures, the park also has its built-in surveillance system. Madrazo said eight monitoring cameras will be installed in strategic places and security personnel will be deployed.
Park goers can enjoy all these park amenities, free of charge, according to Madrazo. “This is part of the local government’s intentions to make it the People’s Park,” she said.
Madrazo said the project is already 90 percent complete. Its full operation is set in January next year or anytime within the first quarter. The Park made a soft opening during the Kadayawan festival in August.
Madrazo said everybody is welcome to look around and visit the park. A number of excursionists, members of the academe, government employees and officials coming from the different regions and provinces in Mindanao have already visited the place as part of the Lakbay-Aral program. Local television networks have also been using the park as the venue for various entertainment programs on air.
But Madrazo is worried that some people might vandalize the park. She said some park properties were damaged during its soft opening in August.
“Plants were destroyed and trees were climbed upon by the park-goers,” she said. She urged park goers to be more responsible. “Otherwise, this park will turn into just like another park, where comfort rooms and other properties are destroyed,” she said. “I hope that residents of Davao will regard this park as their own property.”
Of the 918 entries for the “Name Davao’s New Park Contest,” Mayor Duterte finally chose the entry naming it the People’s Park. (Marilou M. Aguirre/davaotoday.com)
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December 20th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
wow! PEOPLE’S PARK…
December 20th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
It’s good to see that my home town now is more developed..at least kaming mga malalayo sa family na nasa abroad we can spend more time to them in PEOLPLE’s PARK pag uwi namin.
December 25th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
i am very very proud that even though we have this ever pestering oil increases, mayor duterte gave us, the people of davao and also the mindanawons in general, the peoples park which is very timely.
i am sure will be going there when my vacation is up on may 2008 as i am here in saudi arabia working. I will be taking my family there and see the park how it became to be.
for mayor duterte and those who were behind the development of the peoples park, may you have a lot more ideas to make and put into fruition for us dabawenyos.
January 28th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
I’ve been working at the Regional Trial Court Branch 15 (contractual), under Judge Jesus V. Quitain before (regards 2 ol!)..heheheh..And now, I’m currently working at the HSBC-Saudi British Bank, Saudi Arabia (ader syd of the globe!huhuhu).
It is very fascinating & amusing knowing that Davao’s PTA had been developed and known as the “People’s Park” (nindot!), (although that time when I left Davao, they are still constructing it).hehe..Soon when I’m back, I will really visit “People’s Park!”..hehe..inshalla!
As of now, I’m trying to convince my colleagues from SABB (Arabs, Indians, and also Filipinos) to go and visit “Davao City” (Tourism!)hehehe…
Philippinie Moo Duk Kwan practitioners! regards! Hope you can present an exhibition or practice (every month) at the “People’s Park”..hehehe..Shokran!
To all who have planned and developed this park (Mayor Duterte, Engr. Madrazo, etc.), many thanks for producing Davao City another great “Landmark” and surely I can say, “I’m proud to be a Dabawenyo”!
February 20th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
It’s really a great place and it’s a privilege to visit here… So beautiful..
March 5th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
wlaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
It’s so very nice and clean, please maintain the cleanliness @ sana doon sa playgroud pwede sana mga 13 yrs. old and above para maging hapi ang davao, i really apreciate it very very very much thank you and nice meeting u i hope it will last forever and ever until the destroy, i hope the top floor is now open and the is now 24/7 24 hours and 7 days so that nite guys that buisy @ days and they can enjoy @the pp @ thank you dahil libre ang entrance @ libre ang lugaw keep it up God bless your park and gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood
byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
March 5th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
. heya . ! im cenisse .. ;)ummm . .the park is very nice huuh ..im amazed in the cleanliness of the park and as i have observed the people are really having fun .. yah i guess thats why it is called peoples park . .waahaha . .directly speaking i really hope that the cleanliness can be maintain until our generation will fade . .hahaha . .joke only .. umm .seriously , i hope the city government will really focus in the sorroundings . =)tnx . .hope youll read this .
April 25th, 2008 at 11:48 am
The People’s Park in Davao is worldclass. Maliit lang pero ka-level na niya ang mga parks sa San Francisco, L.A., New York,Singapore and Hongkong.
Thank you Mayor Duterte for giving us Dabawenyos a park that we can truly be proud of.
May 12th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
the park, indeed, is wonderful… it’s a masterpiece of (if i am not mistaken)Kublai…
Mayor Duterte has done a great job in propagating davao city to become world-class… the park is an added attraction for davao’s repuation of being a clean, drug-free, peaceful city of the south… no wonder foreigners invest in the city…
hope the park-goers do not neglect their responsibilities of maintaining the beauty and wonder of the place.
July 9th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
..i’ve been there in peoples park..hehehehe nindot gud xa!. pwde xang pangpalipas oras sa mga taong pagod sa kapapasyal sa buong siodad ng davao!..kaya adto mo ha.
July 20th, 2008 at 12:09 am
wow davao the best! c u there soon
July 20th, 2008 at 12:09 am
wow davao the best! c u there soon