Soon You Can Rent a Costume & Do Instagram Shots at Rizal Park!

Hiding in plain sight is one of Manila's most meaningful green spaces, and one of the largest urban parks in Asia.

- VICKY VELOSO-BARRERA

How often do we drive past this vast expanse of lawns, gardens, fountains, walking areas, monuments and sculptures, taking for granted this 58-hectare landmark where so much of our history has unfolded? And yes, I'm talking about Rizal Park, or Luneta, as it has been called for decades.

Luneta was part of the design of noted American urban planner Daniel Burnham who designed Washington, DC. Located along Roxas Boulevard, bounded by Taft Avenue, TM Kalaw and Padre Burgos Avenue, it is among the jewels of living history alongside Intramuros and the stately buildings of the National Museum.

I am guilty of passing by the park, briefly soaking in an expanse of green, yet forgetting about the sacrifices of heroes and other momentous events that have shaped our nation. The park is steeped in significance, from the 19th-century executions of Jose Rizal and the GomBurZa martyrs, to the declaration of Philippine independence from the United States on July 4, 1946; to the 1980s political rallies of Ferdinand Marcos and Cory Aquino which led to the People Power Revolution of 1986.

While we Filipinos eagerly explore the parks abroad, such as Central Park in New York, the Tuileries Gardens in Paris and the Imperial Palace Gardens of Tokyo, it's been a long time since we've actually considered having a picnic at Luneta. When I was growing up in the sixties, you spotted families on the lawns and had field trips to the planetarium. But as the decades passed, we've shifted our attention away from Luneta to air-conditioned malls.