Laughter and the cheers of children echoed through a playground in Danao City, keeping the place alive one late afternoon.
Aptly called “Children’s Paradise”, the stretch of concrete dotted with pine trees and ornamental plants has become a haven for many children in Danao, some 48 kms north of Cebu City.
“Pirmi mi diri kay malipay man sab ang akong bata nga akong dalhon diri (We’re always here because my child feels happy everytime I take her here),“ said Mylen Durano, a resident of Barangay Taboc.
Mylen regularly takes her 3-year-old granddaughter, Chel-Ann, to the park located in nearby Barangay Poblacion during the weekend.
She said Chel-Ann enjoys being with other kids at the park rather than staying home and playing by herself.
The park which dates back to the Spanish colonial times is located along the Central Nautical Highway of Danao City.
It underwent renovation more than 20 years ago and again, in 2016 when there was nothing much left of the park except for “broken benches, protruding nails and slides unhooked from the ground”, a netizen once remarked.
“Daplin siya sa national road pero safe siya kay enclosed man. Adunay risk kon molabay sa national highway (It is located just along the national road but it is safe because the place is enclosed. There is only a risk if people cross the national highway),” said Architect Rodel Ramas, officer-in-charge of Danao City’s Planning Office.
The children’s park is only a few meters away from the Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Parish Church and the Danao City Hall.
At the center of the playground is a statue of a soldier that is meant to honor the Filipino heroes of World War II.
New addition
During the park’s renovation in 2016, Children’s Paradise was added to the old fading landmark.
And so the 2,317 square meter space now sparkles with the colors yellow, red, blue and green.
The park bears a playful theme which can hardly be ignored by passersby in the area with kids seen frolicking in the grounds taking turns to try out the swings, slides, monkey bars and other recreational equipment.
Danao City Tourism Office Coordinator Joseph Alden Duterte said the playground was restored to encourage children to engage in outdoor activities rather than spend their time playing with computers.
“Now the kids are more into gadgets, we encourage the kids in Danao to play in the playground,” said Duterte, adding that children should be out playing with other kids and making new friends.
Children’s Paradise opens as early as 7 a.m. daily and closes at 10 p.m.
Food stalls are also situated outside the park for affordable meals and snacks.
Cresente Miasco, who works for the Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas (DA-7), said that he frequented the place to spend some quality time with his family.
While his grandchildren were off to play that afternoon, Miasco spent time alone with his wife sitting on a bench under the shade of an Agoho tree.
“Kon permi nimo huktan sa kaugalingon ang bata mohilak na siya. Ma-enjoy siya diri kay daghan man pud bata sama niya nga iyang makaduwa (If you always confine the child, she will cry; but if you bring her here, she will enjoy because she can play with many other children), “ said Miasco.
Safety
While parents and guardians take a close watch over their kids playing at the park, security officers also conduct foot patrols to ensure everyone’s safety.
“We have parks and playground officers that serve as guards, equipped with handheld radio. If naa silay mahibaw-an (If they notice something unusual), they can easily contact the police,” Duterte of the city’s tourism office said.
“Ang policy namo diri kay ang ginikanan gyod maoy magbantay sa ilang anak. Ilaha ng responsibilidad kay mo-roving man pud mi (Our policy is for parents to look after their children. It is their responsibility even if we rove around the place),” said Ricky Cuesta, deputy of the Danao Park Patrol Office (DPPO).
Cuesta added that although there are just a few of them, they are all trained to respond to cases of emergency.
On weekends, Cuesta considered the hours between 3 to 6 p.m. as “critical” since about a hundred children go to the park to play after going to Mass in the nearby church.
Undoubtedly, the Danao City park is now back to its days of glory when children and grown-ups build memories together of happy times in the northern city.