Celvox the Explorer: November 2012

D' FAMILY PARK

One of the famous park in Cebu is the Family Park. It's perfect for recreational activities and mostly for families. It promotes beauty and protection for both plants and animals.

D’ Family Park was started in 1993, by former MCWD General Manager, Father Francisco G. Silva. The park’s construction started in 1996, with its initial funding coming from former Cebuano Congressman Raul del Mar. The park was inaugurated and opened to the public on May 8, 1999.

The park’s facilities and attractions include:

swimming pools, for children and for adults;
a picnic camp site;
a vast children’s playground;
a wildlife sanctuary and a mini-zoo;
a botanical research garden with a plant nursery;
a multi-function club house and pavilion; and
a large covered stage designed to host shows, concerts, and other social activities.

--everythingcebu

I was not so fascinated with their zoo. I expected too much. When we got their, I just saw some common animals, like monkeys, birds, rabbits, snakes, and a deer. I really wanted to see some wild that time. HAHA!

But still I enjoy the place. It was relaxing and free. Do you know what I did? I played the seesaw, I rode the swing and I even ran over the grass like a kid. It was like nostalgia, remembering the moments when I was still a kid.

Entrance Fee: Php 10.00 only!

FORT SAN PEDRO NATIONAL COLISEUM,

PIER Area, Cebu City

The smallest, oldest triangular bastion fort in the country was build in 1738 to repel Muslim raiders. In turns, it served as a stronghold for Filipino revolutionaries. This served as the nucleus of the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines. It has a total inside area of 2,2025 sq. Meters. The walls are 20 feet high, 8 feet thick and the towers are 30 feet high from the ground level. Work first started on May 8, 1565 with MIGUEL LOPEZ DE LEGASPI breaking the ground. After the battle of Manila Bay, Commodore George Dewey turned the fort to the local Cebuanos; then it became an American Warwick Barracks during the American Regime which was later converted into classrooms where the Cebuanos received formal education.

Statue: Miguel Lopez De Legaspi

During World War II, from 1941 to 1945, it served as fortification for Japanese soldiers, when the battle for liberation was fought, the fort served as an army camp. After 1950, Cebu Garden Club took over and fixed the inner court into a miniature garden. For a couple of years it also housed the Cebu City Zoo. In 1978 to August 15, 1993, it housed the offices of the Department of Tourism and Philippine Tourism Authority. At present, it is under the care and administration of the National Museum, a historical park.

The Entrance:

These are pictures that show Fort San Pedro in the Past.

The Museum:

Artifacts taken from the old Spanish Galleon known as SAN DIEGO within the deep sea of Fortune Island off the coast of Nasugbo, Batangas are on display in this centuries-old Fort. The museum used to house the offices of the Department of Tourism and the Philippine Tourism Authority.