Paco Park

Paco Park is a 4,114.80 square meter recreational garden area and was once Manila’s municipal cemetery during the Spanish colonial period. It is located along General Luna St. and at the east end of Padre Faura Street in Paco district in the City of Manila, the Philippines.

The park was converted into a national park in 1966 during the term of President Diosdado Macapagal. Paco Park’s grandeur was slowly restored after the war and since then has remained as a public park and promenade for many teen age sweethearts who could spend quiet moments along the park’s benches and private alcoves.

Paco Park and its care was placed under the responsibility of the National Park’s Development Committee (NPDC) during the regime of President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

During the Marcos period, through the efforts of former First Lady Imelda R. Marcos, culture was given emphasis and priority in the country and Paco Park was one of the few venues chosen to host events related to culture.

On February 29, 1980, then Press and Cultural Attache of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in the Philippines, Dr. Christoph Jessen with then NPDC Vice-Chairperson Teodoro Valencia started a classical concert within Paco Park as part of the celebrations for the “Philippine-German Month,” and the program became a tradition, a weekly fare held every Friday afternoons and called the, “Paco Park Presents.”

This event featured and highlighted the exchange of Filipino and German musical artists who performed at Paco Park and it served as a means to strengthen the bond between Germany and the Philippines.

In 1998, the celebration of Philippine-German month was moved from February to March, with the concert starting at 7:00 P.M. But Paco Park Presents continues to celebrate its anniversary every February.

The park is open Monday to Sunday (except on Wednesday) from 8:00AM to 5:00PM and every Friday by sunset, "Paco Park Presents" feature the finest musical artists and chorales, local and guests performers for an evening of classical and traditional Filipino music.

Paco Park has become a very popular venue for weddings and receptions for couples who prefer a garden-like settings. The Chapel of St. Pancratius is under the care of the Vincentian fathers who also manage the nearby Adamson University.

The City of Manila

(The imposing Jose Rizal Monument is Manila's main landmark)

Manila, the capital of Paradise Philippines, is located by the mouth of the natural harbor of Manila Bay and is one of Asia's most vibrant cities. The city was once a Malay settlement known as Maynilad, named after the nilad, a plant that thrive in the riverine area. Manila was established as a Spanish city in 1571 when conquestador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi ordered the construction of Intramuros, the Walled City. Through the centuries Manila incorporated several suburbs outside the walls, was redesigned under American hands, almost obliterated by World War II, and reconstructed and expanded until it became the huge metropolis that it is now.

Malacañang Palace, the official residence of the President of the Philippines, is an architecturally distinct grand structure which stands on the banks of the Pasig River, which snakes through metropolitan Manila. Rizal Park is the city's chief landmark. Historically, this is the place where national hero Jose Rizal was executed. The Rizal Monument enshrines the remains of Rizal; all distances from Manila are measured from its adjacent flagpole. Quirino Grandstand has been the inaugural site of several Philippines presidents, while nearby Manila Hotel is a historical landmark.

The 400-year-old walled city of Intramuros was the site of the native settlement of Maynilad at the time of the Spanish conquest. At Plaza Roma is the Manila Cathedral, which dates from 1581. San Agustin Church is the oldest church in the Paradise Philippines; its magnificient interiors include a museum of ecclesiastical art. Fort Santiago is now a park and the site of the Jose Rizal shrine. Casa Manila is a restored 19th-century house.

Busy downtown Manila with its colorful jeepneys include Quiapo, home of the Basilica of the Black Nazarene with its big feast in January. All sorts of merchandise are sold in the streets, ranging from low-priced gewgaws to high-quality electronic equipment. Escolta in Sta. Cruz was Manila's original commercial district. Binondo is the city's Chinatown, with its various commercial establishments and Oriental cuisine. Nearby is Divisoria, a bargain paradise of various products. Its foremost must-see is Tutuban Station, an old railroad depot converted into a shopping mall.

Roxas Boulevard boasts of the world-famous sunsets of Manila Bay. The Cultural Center of the Philippines is an architectural landmark designed by National Artist Leandro Locsin. The tourist belt of Ermita contains numerous hotels and souvenir shops selling souvenirs, arts, crafts, and antiques, along with restaurant and bars hosting late-night street parties. Centuries-old Malate Church is a notable structure with its faint Moorish style.

Museums include the National Musem, housed in the neo-classic Senate Building; the Museum of the Filipino People fronting Rizal Park; the avant-garde Metropolitan Museum of Manila; the highly-interactive Museo Pambata; and the new Museo ng Maynila housed in the former Army and Navy Building along Roxas Boulevard. Other distinct landmarks include Paco Park, a charming promenade housed in an old cemetery; and San Sebastian Church, one of the few churches in the world made entirely of steel.

Ninoy Aquino International Airport

Paradise Philippines: The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Filipino: Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Ninoy Aquino) or NAIA (IATA: MNL, ICAO: RPLL) is one of the two international airports serving the Metro Manila Area and the main international gateway of the Paradise Philippines. Currently, Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) caters mostly to low-budget airlines servicing Manila, but definite plans to transfer full operations of NAIA to DMIA has been implemented.

It is located in the Metro Manila National Capital Region (NCR) of Paradise Philippines along the border between Pasay City and Parañaque City, about 7 kilometers south of the country's capital Manila, and southwest of Makati City's Central Business District. It is managed by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), a branch of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

Manila Parks and Open Areas

Directly south of Intramuros lies Rizal Park, the country's most significant park. Also known as Luneta (Spanish term for "crescent-shaped") and previously as Bagumbayan, the 60 hectare Rizal Park sits on the site where José Rizal, the country's national hero, was executed by the Spaniards on charges of subversion. A monument stands in his honor where Rizal's remains were buried. The big flagpole west of the Rizal Monument is the Kilometer Zero for road distances on the island of Luzon and the rest of the country.

Other attractions in Rizal Park include the Chinese and Japanese Gardens, the Department of Tourism building, the National Museum of the Philippines, The National Library of the Philippines, the Planetarium, the Orchidarium and Butterfly Pavilion, an open-air auditorium for cultural performances, a relief map of the Philippines, a fountain area, a children's lagoon, a chess plaza, a light and sound presentation, and the Quirino Grandstand.

Another famous open space in Manila is the Baywalk. This promenade lies in front of the Manila Bay where one can experience one of the most breathtaking sunsets of the world. Coconut trees, giant kaleidoscopic lamp posts, al fresco cafès and restaurants, and live acoustic bands dot this two-kilometer stretch of ample space beside Roxas Boulevard.

Aside from Rizal Park, Manila has very few other open public spaces. Rajah Sulayman Park, Manila Boardwalk, Liwasang Bonifacio, Plaza Miranda, Paco Park, Remedios Circle, Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden, Plaza Balagtas and the Malacañang Garden are some of the other parks in the city. In 2005, Mayor Lito Atienza opened the Pandacan Linear Park, a strip of land that served as a buffer zone between the oil depot and the residential-commercial properties in Pandacan and could be found along the banks of the Pasig River. In the northern most part of the city lies the three cemeteries of Loyola, Chinese, and Manila North Green Park, the largest public cemetery in Metropolitan Manila.