A Walk in the Park
by Toni de Villa
One wouldn’t dare walk or
take their dogs out in the only park Lucena City has ever had. Lights are scarce and one
wouldn’t want to get himself in trouble. But this was years ago, when Perez Park doesn’t leave a good mark to most of
Lucenahins.
Tracing the history of this park, we
owe it to a brilliant man named Don Filemon Perez. He was sent by his father Don Simeon
Perez, an influential leader in Lucena, to study in the United States. And there he finished a degree in
engineering until such time that he had to go back to the Philippines after a terrible accident that left Don
Filemon a widower to his first wife. But later on, he was remarried to a Filipina who a is
a local of Lucban and in Lucena, they built a sunken garden that was then donated to the
city of Lucena by the Perez family along with tracts of
land.
Years passed and the glow that was once
there, had been temporarily put to rest. In 2000, a committee was appointed to launch a
project that will restore and beautify Perez Park. This is an initiative of the provincial
government under Governor Wilfrido Enverga. After making this effort, people started to
come back and held activities. In fact, there was a time when people from all ages will
come together for a tae-bo session every morning. Each participant will only have to pay
P10 just to sweat out. In the afternoon, strollers and photographers are visible. Safety
during night time is no longer a problem because of an array of lights that are in place
and roving policemen are also present.
Year 2003 is set to make another mark
in making this place a better one both for the locals and visitors as they formally
launched a project that will make Perez Park a top-of-the-line site. Last December 11,
2003, the opening of phase 1 of was presented to the public. Giant “parols,”
Christmas tree and Christmas lights are everywhere. The expected completion of this site
is set by 2004. Some highlights that we can look forward to are the skating rink and an
ambiance that is much like Libis in Quezon City but catering not only to youngsters but
everyone in the family.
Continue checking this site for more
information on the upcoming events in Lucena City!
Lucena City is believed to have gotten its
name to pay tribute to a Spanish friar Mariano Ganja who used to live in Lucena Andalucia,
Spain.
In the olden times, Lucena’s first names were Buenavista, Oroquieta and Cotta. But on
November 5, 1879
under the authority of “Orden Real Super Civil,” the name Lucena was proclaimed.
And due to its continuous growth and development, it has become a city on August
6, 1961 through the assistance of then, Senator
Lorenzo Taņada and the presentation of proposed law by Representative Manuel S. Enverga.
Under Republic Act. No. 3271, it was approved
by President Carlos P. Garcia |
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