Tag Archives: Rizal Park

Historical Parks Are Now Open to the Public

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People who have missed places like the Rizal Park and Intramuros can now visit them only if they qualify under the Inter-Agency Task Force guidelines.

The Rizal Park and other sites in Intramuros welcomed tourists last Sept. 16, as authorities started testing a new quarantine classification system in Metro Manila.

This photo was taken from our last visit to Intramuros in 2013.

The Inter-Agency Task Force guidelines said only visitors from 18 to 65 years old are allowed to enter.

The Department of Tourism said Rizal Park is open from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. with a maximum capacity of 500 visitors. Visitors will be required to accomplish contact tracing forms before entering the park.

“One of the oldest Hispanic stone fortresses in the country. In pre-colonial times, this was the site of Rajah Soliman’s “kuta” or fort. The Spaniards under the term of Governor Gomez Perez Dasmarinaz fortified what was originally stone structures.”(Taken from a flyer handed out at ticket booth.)

Meantime, the Fort Santiago in Intramuros is open from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. every Monday to Friday and from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The site will have a maximum capacity of 150 people.

The Baluarte de San Diego will be operating daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a maximum capacity of 80 people.

The memorial cross represents the demise of a total of 600 Filipinos inside Forth Santiago during the Second World War. The dungeon served as an execution chamber of political prisoners from the Spanish to Japanese period.

Tourism authorities said an express lane in both Intramuros sites caters to fully vaccinated visitors as perks. It means that they can accomplish the contact tracing form after entering and present it to security personnel before they exit.

Also, Plaza San Luis is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

To ensure safety, the DOT said mandatory temperature checks and minimum health protocols will be implemented in the tourist sites.

The Rizal Shrine. This is where Dr. Jose Rizal spent his last few days after he was convicted for sedition. At present, “Rizal Shrine serves as a museum where mementos of the hero can be viewed.”

It added that 99% of Intramuros administration workers and 96% of all stationed personnel at the Rizal Park have been fully vaccinated as of Sept. 14.

The historic walled city of Intramuros was cited last year as Asia’s leading tourist attraction by the World Travel Awards.

Credit to cnnphilippines.com for the news story.

Rizal Park

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Rizal-Monument

The historic Rizal Park today is a lot different from the Rizal Park I used to know when I was a kid.  One improvement, for example, is the development of dancing fountains located at the Luneta lagoon. Hundreds or even millions of people have already visited the spectacle.

People who flock to the park to welcome the New Year were amazed at the dancing fountains that change colors to the music beat.

Apart from the light display, there are areas in the park that I would like my kids to be familiar with particularly the very place where National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal was executed by firing squad in 1896. A Diorama of Rizal’s Martyrdom sits on the same spot where the execution took place.

Another attraction of the Rizal Park is the Quirino Grandstand where a lot of political, cultural and religious events took place including the declaration of independence from the US government in 1946 and the Philippine Centennial Celebration in 1998.

For the health buff, Quirino Grandstand meant a lot like fast weight loss pills. Here they hold group exercises, jogging, dancing and walking to keep fit. The park as a whole can be a source of relaxation for everyone.

Going to the park is a nice treat for the young ones so I told my kids about the light display and promised to visit the park one of these days.

Information from Wikipedia