Parian's treasure

CEBU, Philippines - The Parian Park Plaza, proudly holding court right in the very center of one of the oldest districts of Cebu, has recently undergone intensive preservation and extensive restoration achieving a widely acclaimed new look.

With a two million financial assistance from the Department of Tourism, the upgrading included the landscaping and lighting, flooring and molding and even the grill fencing of the Heritage of Cebu Monument sculptural tableau by national artist Eduardo Castrillo. The monument’s peripheries featuring the island’s historical highlights through the centuries, from the days of LapuLapu, Rajah Humabon and Ferdinand Magellan, to the inaugural of the President of the Republic of the Philippines Sergio Osmeña, to the heartwarming beatification of the Christian martyr Pedro Calungsod and several other cultural and ecclesiastical sites, ancestral homes and government seats of power of past generations, were also included in the restoration.

Tourism Secretary Ace Durano and Cebu City Mayor-elect Michael Rama led the simple yet memorable ceremonial unveiling together with Undersecretary Edu Jarque Jr. and Parian Barangay Chairman Mark Balaga.

“As one of the city’s deeply-rooted historical quarters, the Parian district is teeming with structures, monuments, collections and stories that encompass several periods in Cebu’s rich past, dating back from the 15th century. Our history lives within this site,” said Durano.

The renowned area was likewise once a bustling community where the locals, the Chinese and the Spanish mestizos harmoniously engaged in commerce and trade through several centuries.

Some of Cebu’s prominent names such as the Osmeñas and the Cuencos, the Avilas and the Alvarezes, the Uy-Herreras, among many many others, trace their roots to this section of the town, which was an enclave of wealthy families.

“The Parian Heritage Park is the faithful story teller of the glorious past of the Queen City of the South. It allows tourists and visitors to relive Cebu’s old grandeur,” said DOT Undersecretary Edu Jarque Jr.

“The newly refurbished Parian Park,” Jarque continued, “will serve to enhance Cebu’s popular Heritage Tour and further boost tourists into the region.”

In addition to the newly-renovated and restored Heritage Monument of Cebu, other historical landmarks that can be found in the Parian district include the “Balay na Bato” ancestral house of the Yap-Sandiego, a well-preserved stone house structure that was constructed in the 1700s; the Jesuit House, once residence of the Jesuit superior in Cebu and believed to have been built in 1730; and the Casa Gorordo Museum which was built in the 1860s as a home to the first Cebuano Bishop Juan Gorodo. 

Cebu has a new grand dame well worth a visit by day or by night. Be informed, be enthralled, be enchanted.