Traveling in the Philippines? Make a Stop at Rizal Park in Manila

Rizal Park which is also known as Luneta to others, is a national park in the Philippines that is located on Roxas Boulevard in Manila. Not only is Rizal Park a place where friends along with family can enjoy picnics and lounging around but it honors a national hero by the name of Jose Rizal who fought for the rights of Filipinos. Let us take a short look at his history.

The Philippines had been controlled by Spain for many years much to the dismay of many Filipinos who wanted rights for themselves. In the late 1800's Jose Rizal began to criticize the Spanish government. He did not do this with weapons but with the mighty pen with his articles and novels. Characters that he used in his books could be attributed to real life Spaniards at the time which enraged them. In 1896, a rebellion was formed which eventually turned to what became known as the Philippine Revolution and Rizal was implicated. He was then tried for conspiracy, rebellion along with sedition. Rizal was found guilty of all three and his punishment was a death sentence. On December 30, 1896, Jose Rizal was executed by a firing squad. The place where he was executed is now part of the Rizal Park which pays homage to what many have considered a national hero.

Rizal Park located in Manila consists of about 148 acres. The park is being continually guarded by soldiers of every hour of every day. It has many attractions for sightseers and the average tourists such as the Japanese and Chinese Gardens, Rizal Monument, Rizal Fountain, an open-air auditorium, planetarium, the site where Rizal was executed, cascade falls, orchidarium, a National Library, a National Historical Institute, a National Museum and the Department of Tourism. It also has a playground where children can play.

The Rizal Monument also currently acts as a mausoleum where the body of Jose Rizal lies.

An interesting side note that I wanted to include before I close this article was that in 1995, World Youth Day was held at the beautiful Rizal Park. World Youth Day is the coming together of young people from all over who honor the Catholic Church. In attendance was Pope John Paul the II. An astonishing number of 10,000,000 people showed up to World Youth Day which occupies the record for the largest number of people in attendance. My cousin was lucky enough to be there during this time.

To find out more information about Rizal Park, please go to the website below.

http://www.nationalparks.ph/rizalpark/main.htm