Jose Camus Street
infront of Casa Leticia
Davao City, Philippines
A visit to
Davao City is incomplete if People’s Park is
not on your bucket list. Well actually, it’s not supposed to be in our
itinerary as it getting late already and we need to travel back that day
to
Marbel for an agonizing 6 hours trip by bus. I meant to pay my dues in
POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Agency) but it just so happen that I forgot my passport at home, thus they deny issuing the
Employment Overseas Certificate known as (EOC).
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| The spiky doom roof of Durain Dome was artistically designed after the spiky shell of the durian, a tropical fruit which is profound in
Davao City that is why it is popularly recognized as the Durian City of the south. The walls of the park are decorated with “waling-waling” replicas which is lighted during night time. |
In order not to feel disappointed, we instead roam around and visited
known tourist spot just to fill Balong’s excitement as it’s his first
time in
Davao City. We have only one day to spare and we need to maximize the time because in two days, we have a flight to catch back to
Manila. I don’t know when will we be able to come back
again, but I promise however, to visit all the attractions that we
haven’t been to, soon (hehehe!).
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| The People's Park of Davao City mirrors the rich culture of the city, and the lifestyles of the Davaoeños that is why the park is worthy of being dubbed as “the best park in the Philippines“. |
Before we visit
People’s Park, we went to Deca Wakeboard Park first in
Brgy. Tacunan in Mintal. We spent almost 5 hours in there just to master the
kneeboarding and wakeboarding that they are known for. I nailed
kneeboarding perfectly; yet, when I tried wakeboarding then the story change drastically as I can’t get over with the huge splash I caused as I failed to do it (ahahaha!). Balong and Jimboy did ok but for me I don’t want to
put myself in an awkward position again, noh? (hehehe).
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| Locals go here for its magnificent scenic beauty and relaxing ambiance of its forest concept. |
The
People’s Park is considered as one of the famous landmark of the city. If we talk about
Davao City pretty sure there are so many popular connotations that run through your head ayt? (hehehe!) Just the majestic view of
Mt. Apo alone, the highest mountain of the country is more than enough to visit the city. The
Philippine’s National Bird known as Philippine Eagle (monkey-eating eagle) find its haven in here too and
Waling Waling known as ‘Queen of all Philippine Flowers’ which is highly regarded by the
Bagobo tribe as ‘diwata’ because of its exquisite beauty that guards the mountain free from harm found its origin in here as well (fascinating, ayt? ~ hehehe!).
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| If you’re looking for a clean public place to stay on your idle time go to People’s Park which is just a few walks away from the city center. |
People’s Park is like the ‘luneta’ of the south. It is located
at the heart of the downtown area just a few walks away from Apo View Hotel and
Royal Mandaya. If you get lost while locating the place, there is no problem as this landmark is the prime attractions here, thus
Davaoeños know exactly where the precise spot is. The
much easier mode of course is by taxi because it will direct you
straight to the gate, but if you’re on a budget there is a local public
jeepney that passes along Jose Camus and J. Palma Street.
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| Diaphanous sights inside the park are the conspicuous sculptures of the famous Davao artist named Kublai Millan. |
There is no entrance fee getting in. The vicinity is enclosed with steel bars with intricate design of
Waling Waling that glows at night. As part of security
measures and to help maintain the peacefulness of the place, friendly
and accommodating uniformed security personnel greeted us right away who
examine those coming in making sure sharp objects
are confiscated before entering the park. They even help us with our
belongings as we brought boxes of orchids that we bought in
Brgy. Tacunan.
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| It’s like an open gallery with more than fifty sculptures that you can touch direct and even get close with depicting the richness of the Mindanaoan’s traditions, life, and cultures. |
The 4 hectare forest concept park is popularly recognized as one of the ‘best park in the Philippines’. No question about the accolade they received as conspicuous
sculptures engulfs the area that reflects the Filipino cultures and traditions that only
Davao is known for so far.
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There are many sculptures inside the park addressing the culture, abundance and life of Davao City.
|
The pristine and maintained
vicinity is perfect for family gathering, friends get away, or just
roaming around to simply enjoy the whole place. We are fortunate as it
was week days when we visit the place, thus only
few visitors where in there but during weekends, expects swarm of
people visiting the square.
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When
in Davao, be sure not to miss this awe-inspiring park. This is surely
one of the best park’s you will see in the very heart of the City.
|
Kublai Millan, a proud
Davaoeño
artist, is responsible for all the diaphanous humanlike
figures surrounding the park which are truly remarkable!!! It’s like an
open gallery with more than fifty sculptures that you can touch direct
and even get close with depicting the richness of the
Mindanaoan’s traditions, life, and cultures. His concept
of indigenous folks in all its carving is quite unique and distinct as
most are dwarf in size and has a round face with very petite nose.
Personally, the most notable among the larger than
life sculptures is the Philippine Eagle replica at the center of the park that signifies truly the word 'Davao'.
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| The most notable among the large sculptures is the Philippine Eagle replica. It is a massive structure where several people can seat at the leaves underneath it. |
If
Singapore is known for the prominent design of Esplanade ~ Theaters By the Bay then
People’s Park has its own smaller version which is called the ‘Durian Dome’. The spiky doom roof was artistically designed after the spiky shell of the durian, a tropical fruit which is profound in
Davao City that is why it is popularly recognized as the Durian City
of the south.
 |
| Since parks are mostly
visited by families, a cultural-themed
park is designed especially for children. |
The structure is good enough to accommodate a hundred
people and serves as the office with mini museum that explains
about the city history and the
Bagobo tribe that inhabits the remote part of the region. There is a staircase on the side that will direct you to the see-through roof to have the bird’s
eye view of the park.
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| The
park exhibits different varieties of rainforest trees and flowers. A
man-made falls is built along with an artificial pond that allows koi, tilapias, and carp fishes to swim freely. |
To add that tropical and relaxing ambiance,
the park exhibits different varieties of rainforest trees and flowers in the southern part. It surrounds the
35
feet manmade waterfalls in a huge volcanic rock and there is a mock
lake complete with tropical fishes such as kois, carps, and tilapias. To
enjoy such beauty there
are canopy covered benches scattered around for you to rest on while
listening to the
Filipino songs which are played in the park’s piped-in music.
There is a ‘kid's playground’
in the leftmost part which is a dreamland for toddlers as this area is
fully enclosed for them to enjoy. Caregivers and wheelchair are
available
too for the disabled and a clinic has been put up with a nurse on duty
daily.
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| Benches are around so you could suddenly stop from walking and sit for a while. |
Bringing
of food and drinks are advised as there are no available stores within.
However, if your tummy carves for food, there are many restaurants and
fast foods nearby to choose
from and are all ready to set up to satisfy your palate. BBQ Boss,
Banoks, Taps are just few of the restaurants to indulge in.
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| People's Park is like Luneta in the south, so please don't get confused with People's Park in Tagaytay City. |
People’s Park is definitely a MUST-VISIT park once in
Davao City. It’s like you’re entering an exhibits that
depicts the beauty of the south that mirrors the rich culture and the
lifestyles of the
Davaoeños. The park is really an oasis in the very heart of the city.
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| Balong took this shot on our way out of the park. |
So there you go, hope you enjoyed what I wrote. Have a great day and night everyone.
Cheerrrrrrriooosss!!!!
SMILE
