Graciano Lopez Jaena Park | |
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Jaro Plaza | |
![]() Jaro Plaza and the Jaro Belfry | |
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Type | Urban park, town square |
Location | Jaro, Iloilo City, Philippines |
Coordinates | 10°43′15″N122°33′44″E / 10.72083°N 122.56222°E |
Area | 2.1 hectares (5.2 acres) |
Established | 1927 |
Etymology | Graciano Lopez Jaena |
Operated by | Iloilo City Government |
Graciano Lopez Jaena Park, also known as Jaro Plaza or locally Plaza Jaro, is an urban park and town square located in the district of Jaro in Iloilo City, Panay Island, Philippines.
Jaro Plaza was designed by Father Juan Aguado, with construction overseen by Demetrio Ledesma, who later became Presidente Municipal. In the 1930s, the plaza earned the reputation of being one of the most beautiful plazas on Panay Island, featuring an arch, hedges, bandstand, and benches that added to its appeal. [1]
Conservation efforts, including those initiated by the government under the Heritage Law (Republic Act 10555), have been undertaken to restore the historical landmarks of Iloilo City, including Jaro Plaza. R.A. 10555, authored by Mayor Jerry Treñas during his tenure as a congressman, with support from former Senator Frank Drilon, declared Jaro Plaza as one of the Cultural Heritage Tourism Zones, alongside Jaro Cathedral, Molo Church, Fort San Pedro, Molo Plaza, Plaza Libertad, and the Iloilo City Old Central Business District.
In the 2020s, a comprehensive beautification and restoration project was launched for Jaro Plaza, with a budget of P20 million. The restoration efforts aimed to revive the park's former charm and historical significance. The National Historical Commission was involved in overseeing the restoration project. [2]
As part of the restoration, the 29-meter free-standing Jaro Belfry, a prominent feature of Jaro Plaza, underwent significant repairs. [3] On November 27, 2022, the National Historical Commission officially turned over the Jaro Belfry to the Archdiocese of Jaro and the city government, marking a significant milestone in the restoration process. [4]
The park now showcases the monument to Ilonggo veterans from World War II and the well-preserved bandstand, both of which contribute to its historical appeal.
Additionally, a new shrine of Patrocinio Gamboa was installed in the plaza. Known as the "Heroine of Jaro," Patrocinio Gamboa played a pivotal role in delivering the Philippine flag, the first outside of Luzon, to the Santa Barbara headquarters of General Martin Delgado, just in time for the revolutionary government's inauguration. [5]
The renaming of Jaro Plaza to "Graciano Lopez Jaena Park" is a tribute to the notable Jaro-born journalist, reformist, and founder of La Solidaridad, Graciano Lopez Jaena. It also commemorates the friendship between Lopez Jaena and General Martin Delgado, who were both students at the nearby San Vicente de Ferrer Seminary and were known to frequent the plaza during their youth.
Iloilo, officially the Province of Iloilo, is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital and largest city is Iloilo City, the regional center of Western Visayas. Iloilo occupies the southeast portion of the Visayan island of Panay and is bordered by the province of Antique to the west, Capiz to the north, the Jintotolo Channel to the northeast, the Guimaras Strait to the east, and the Iloilo Strait and Panay Gulf to the southwest.
Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, located on the southeastern coast of the island of Panay. It is the capital city of the province of Iloilo, where it is geographically situated and grouped under the Philippine Statistics Authority, but remains politically independent in terms of government and administration. In addition, it is the center of the Iloilo–Guimaras Metropolitan Area, as well as the regional center and primate city of the Western Visayas region. According to the 2020 census, Iloilo City has a population of 457,626 people. For the metropolitan area, the total population is 1,007,945 people.
Santa Barbara, officially the Municipality of Santa Barbara, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 67,630 people.
The Hiligaynon people, often referred to as Ilonggo people or Panayan people, are the second largest subgroup of the larger Visayan ethnic group, whose primary language is Hiligaynon, an Austronesian language of the Visayan branch native to Panay, Guimaras, and Negros. They originated in the province of Iloilo, on the island of Panay, in the region of Western Visayas. Over the years, inter-migrations and intra-migrations have contributed to the diaspora of the Hiligaynon to different parts of the Philippines. Today, the Hiligaynon, apart from the province of Iloilo, also form the majority in the provinces of Guimaras, Negros Occidental, Capiz, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and North Cotabato.
Graciano López y Jaena, commonly known as Graciano López Jaena, was a Filipino journalist, orator, reformist, and national hero who is well known for his newspaper, La Solidaridad (December 13,1888.
Jaro is a district in Iloilo City, Philippines, located on Panay Island in the Western Visayas region. It is the largest district in terms of both area and population, with 130,700 people according to the 2020 census. Jaro merged with Iloilo City in the 1940s during the American administration in the Philippines. It is also the largest among the seven districts of Iloilo City. La Paz district and the present municipalities of Leganes and Pavia were historically part of Jaro before becoming independent.
Diego de los Ríos y Nicolau was a Spanish Lieutenant General who was known as the last Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. He also served in the Glorious Revolution, the Third Carlist War and the Ten Years' War.
Iloilo City Proper is a district in Iloilo City, in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. It holds great historical significance as the birthplace of modern-day Iloilo City and serves as a civic center, hosting the city and provincial government offices, as well as various local, provincial, and regional government establishments. The district also serves as the primary hub for financial institutions, with banks and other firms dispersed throughout its streets.
Martín Teófilo Delgado y Bermejo was a Filipino military leader during the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine–American War, and was the first civilian governor of Iloilo Province during the American Occupation of the Philippines, first appointed by the Americans and then winning election in his own right.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, also known as the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Candles and colloquially as Jaro Cathedral, is a cathedral located in the district of Jaro in Iloilo City, on the island of Panay in the Philippines. The seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro, it was placed under the patronage of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. It was established in 1575 as a visita (chapel-of-ease) of Oton by the Augustinians and as a separate parish in 1587. The present-day structure of Jaro Cathedral was built in 1874.
La Paz is a district in Iloilo City, in the Philippine province of Iloilo, on the island of Panay, in the region of Western Visayas. It is the third-largest district by land area, after Jaro and Mandurriao. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 54,720 people. In the past, it was known as Ilawod, which means "sea/wet land," along with Jaro, which was referred to as Ilaya, meaning "mountain/dry land."
Antonio Ledesma Jayme was a Filipino lawyer, revolutionary hero, Governor of Negros Occidental, and assemblyman, as well as a lawmaker and a revolutionary nation's founding father and a signatory to a nation-state's constitution.
Ancestral houses of the Philippines or Heritage Houses are homes owned and preserved by the same family for several generations as part of the Filipino family culture. It corresponds to long tradition by Filipino people of giving reverence for ancestors and elders. Houses could be a simple house to a mansion. The most common ones are the "Bahay na Bato". Some houses of prominent families had become points of interest or museums in their community because of its cultural, architectural or historical significance. These houses that are deemed of significant importance to the Filipino culture are declared Heritage House by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), previously known as the National Historical Institute (NHI) of the Philippines. Preservation is of utmost importance as some ancestral houses have come into danger due to business people who buy old houses in the provinces, dismantle them then sell the parts as ancestral building materials for homeowners wishing to have the ancestral ambiance on their houses. These ancestral houses provide the current generation a look back of the country's colonial past through these old houses.
Lopez Jaena Day is a public holiday to celebrate the birth of Philippine national hero Graciano López Jaena. It was declared a holiday by the Philippine National Government only for Iloilo Province and Iloilo City.
Patrocinio Gamboa y Villareal was a Filipino revolutionary notable for her participation in the Philippine Revolution. Gamboa is best known for making the Philippine flag hoisted during the inauguration of the revolutionary government of the Visayas in Santa Barbara, Iloilo.
The Federal State of the Visayas was a revolutionary state in the Philippine archipelago during the revolutionary period. It was a proposed administrative unit of a Philippines under a federal form of government.
Jaro Belfry, also known as Campanario de Jaro, is a historic free-standing bell tower located in front of the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral in Jaro, Iloilo City, Philippines. It is one of the few belfries in the country that stood apart from the church where it belonged.
Iloilo City is a conglomeration of former cities and towns in the Philippines, which are now the geographical or administrative districts (boroughs) composed of seven: Arevalo, City Proper, Jaro, La Paz, Lapuz, Mandurriao, and Molo. All administrative districts are divisions of the lone congressional district of Iloilo City, and each is composed of barangays (barrios), with a total of 180 city barangays.
Molo Plaza is an urban park and town square located in the district of Molo in Iloilo City, Philippines. It is one of the six district plazas in Iloilo City.