People’s Park turns two
(Source: www.mindanaotimes.com.ph/15 December 2009)

LOOKING at the sheer number of people strolling at the park, the children playing or  running around enjoying the wide space, or lovers just sitting in secluded corners holding hands on an ordinary afternoon, one would wonder where all these people went or spent their time before the People’s Park opened two years ago. The park,  with its fine collection of tropical rainforest trees, kids’ fantasy-themed park, mini-falls, dancing fountain and dreamy sunken garden has embraced Davaoeños in its green fold. It has become an educational landmark in the city, drawing students from other provinces, as well.

This park shows what Frederick Law Olmsted, a leading landscape architect of the post-Civil War generation, and acknowledged as the founder of American landscape architecture, meant when he said:

“The park should, as far as possible, complement the town. Openness is the one thing you cannot get in buildings. Picturesqueness you can get. Let your buildings be as picturesque as your artists can make them. This is the beauty of a town. Consequently, the beauty of a park should be the other.”1

Engr. Elisa Madrazo, Park Manager, has worked wonders in designing this four-hectare treasure in the middle of the city. Her knowledge of plants and the environment is reflected in each tree and shrub, stone and slab, that all meld to make the People’s Park a major attraction for tourists. And to top it all, these veritable oases is for free.

Two years since it opened, the park has not only become a venue, it has become an icon that we can be truly proud of. Today, the park celebrates its second anniversary with the children who have filled the park with the music of their happy voices.