Let's Nail This Paco Park Thingie

Sometime this year, I got it in my head that I want to go to Paco Park. Chalk it up to part curiosity, part-kilig by the JL-Bea scenes shot here in "Miss You Like Crazy," nyaha! Plus, I really want to do a lot of promdi-goes-to-the-city trips just for fun. So I put it in my little list (number 8!), and promised I'd get around to doing it. A friend and I passed by the park few months back on our way from church, but were too tired to visit that time, and then we never got around to going back.

Last week, since I had some errands in the city, I decided to go for it. I took half the day off from work, and from Alabang Petron station, took a Lawton bus; fare was for PHP 40. I whiled the time away laughing at Pinoy Henyo on the bus TV. Traffic was a little heavy once we passed Dela Rosa up until we took a left on Quirino Avenue. I got off at United Nations Ave and took a tryc for PHP 10. There's a queue near McDo UN. Actually, if you feel like walking, it's only about a block away, but I didn't know it was that near so I rode one. There' s also a pedicab that takes forever to fill up.

There's an entrance fee of PHP 5, and mood music was playing through a loud speaker placed near the entrance. I was a bit surprised because I was expecting it to be bigger (it looked like that in pictures and in the movies) but it was not that grand. I noticed though how clean and well-maintained the grounds were, and how quiet. There were only a handful of people: a few young couples in school uniforms (huli, nagde-deyt!), a gaggle of office girls noisily taking their pictures in front of the church, and a couple of guys with fancy DSLRs scoping and taking test shots of the area. I would later find out they were professional photographers waiting for their pre-nup shoot clients. The rest rooms were also surprisingly clean for a city public park.

I walked around looking at the old, mostly empty graves, covered in moss. Some looked refurbished, but nonetheless blended in the aged look of the whole place. There was a flock of pigeons flying around the area, and the occasional flapping sounds of their wings gave the lazy afternoon a more soothing feel. It was a cloudy afternoon, the ominous clouds boding a possible rain shower. I uttered a quick prayer for a downpour not to ruin my little field trip.

Paco Park used to be Manila's municipal cemetery for the aristocratic families during the Spanish colonial era, up until 1912, when interment ceased in the park. It was built in the 18th century in what was once the district of Dilao, now known as Paco. Jose Rizal was also buried here after being executed in Bagumbayan, until his remains were moved to Rizal Monument. There is also the shrine dedicated to the three Filipino priests, Gomburza.

The park is circular in shape, with a Roman Catholic chapel, St. Pancratius Church in the middle. There's an inner circle where the niches are, and a second outer layer was later built to accommodate more. It was fun to walk around the pathway built around the park, admiring the thick adobe walls and imagining all the history that took place within these walls. I'm not really a history buff, but I get a bit nostalgic when I'm in old places like these. 

Paco Park is open Mondays through Fridays except Wednesdays (good thing I went there n a Tuesday) 8-5 PM and celebrates its anniversary every February. I vaguely remember a musical show of sorts featuring the park, "Paco Park Presents" when I was a kid, though I never actually watched it. I looked it up and found out it was to foster strong cultural bonds between Filipinos and German artists. It's also a very popular venue for prenuptial photoshoots and garden weddings.

I sat there for about half an hour, before the two photographer guys sat beside me and chatted me up. They were waiting for their clients from Paranaque to arrive, and I was kinda sorry I had to go; I would've loved to watch an actual prenup shoot in a garden take place. I did manage to get their contact info, since they asked me why I was there alone and taking lots of pictures. At first I was wary, they might be some crooks or crazy guys who like to pick up crazy chicks in local parks, but their site looks legit. 

Future brides, you can check it out: http://www.studio1photography.org/#Home%20Page. They specialize in weddings debuts and other special occasions for more reasonable rates. (plug plug!)

After my errands, I walked back to UN, had a root beer float to go from Jollibee, and caught the LRT to Gil Puyat, where buses (Greenstar and BLTB) ply the Manila-Santa Cruz route.