Perez Park in Lucena City

Perez Park

Perez Park

Have you ever been to Perez Park?

If not, maybe it’s time you pack your things up and pay it a visit. If you’re at the city proper, just hail a jeep and tell the driver to drop you off at “the park.” Don’t worry, with its conspicuous location in front of the Quezon Provincial Capitol Building and the noticeable Manuel L. Quezon Monument, you’ll find it difficult to get lost.

History

Perez Park was named after the late Governor, Don Filemon E. Perez. Don Filemon Perez is the son of Don Simeon Perez, who was then an influential leader in Lucena. He finished his degrees in engineering studies in United States. When he returned to the Philippines, he later built a sunken garden way back in the early 1920’s that was then donated to the city of Lucena by the Perez family along with seven hectares of land, making it one of the biggest and most beautiful parks in the Philippines next to Luneta and Rizal Park (based on a book published in 1987) and the second largest park in the country after Luneta Park (based on 1994 documents).

Structure

First Block Perez Park

First Block

The park is divided into four (4) blocks/sections. The first block is where the playground, cave-like bandstand, and food stalls are found. This block lost its original sunken design when the ground was flattened in 2000 when it has undergone the renovation and rehabilitation under the administration of the then Gov. Wilfrido Enverga.

On the 2nd block are the rock monument with fishpond or known as Stone Map of Quezon made up of boulders, each representing a municipality. Each stone also bears the total land area and population of the municipality it is representing at the time it was constructed.

On the 3rd block of the park you can see a shrine made with concrete images of teacher, policemen, road workers, and white-collar state employees in the middle of the fish pond, a stone fish can also be found alongside the rocks and can only be seen if you look closely.

On the 4th and last block, you’ll see there the multicolored jet fountain and the monument of the late Manuel L. Quezon also known as our “Ama ng Wikang Pilipino”. The jet fountain was put up in 1967 under the administration of the late Gov. Anacleto Alcala to add beauty to the park.

Activities

Seesaw Fun at Perez Park

Seesaw Fun at Perez Park
Photo by: Jeff Baylosis

Perez Park is a favorite venue for special events such Pasayahan, Lucena Day, and Quezon Day festivities. Political meetings as well as contests like Battle of the Bands are also occasionally held here. Since it’s a public place, everyone can use its facilities provided that coordinate with the GSO (Government Service Office).

On regular days, it’s a favorite hang-out of families who let their kids play in the swings, seesaws, and slides installed in the park as well as teenagers who make use of the park’s spacious grounds to pratice for school-related activities such as group dances and choral recitations.

Because of the appearance of malls and other places where people can meet the number of visitors who come to the park has decreased in recent years so park administrators have been working on introducing new facilities, features, and activities that park-goers can enjoy so they can restore the park to its former glory. After all, Perez Park made it to the list of best parks in the country before, with our combined efforts, we could probably do it once more.

As a Lucenahin, what can you suggest to make this happen?

About the author

Carm Abella is a hobbyist photographer who loves capturing random moments of different subjects. Her favorite characters are Tok, Kat and Tee ^_^.

Author: Lucenahin

is an online magazine dedicated to everything Lucenahin. Browse our collection of articles and learn more about people, places, events, and interests in Lucena City.

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