Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Valencia, Negros Oriental - Public Plaza

My home town of Valencia in Negros Oriental is about 8 kilometers inland from Dumaguete City. With its higher elevation at the base of a mountain there's a noticeable drop in temperature.

The town has a nice public plaza for a small town. A really nice public plaza. The people living around here don't appreciate it as much as they should. It has a healthy balance of open space and developed areas, the landscaping is simple and nicely done without going overboard, everything is clean and well-maintained and green.

Here's a couple of pictures I took recently.

That's a statue of Jose Rizal on a tall pedestal, among landscaped walkways leading from the playground to the open field. Tennis courts are in the background.

This fountain dates back to Spanish times. Back then it was a primary source of water for the people, with water channeled from mountain springs. Now it's just for decoration.

The plaza makes use of the town's inclined terrain with this amphitheater. A stage is set up in the grass whenever the place is used for concerts or political rallies.

The south side of the plaza is reserved for open grassy space, against a backdrop of giant acacia trees.

The town church, built in 1961, is no architectural marvel, but looks quite majestic sitting at the top of this grand wide staircase.

13 comments:

  1. Mike,

    Good post -- text and pictures. You're right. The plaza is very nice. It's better than many Philippine town plazas I've seen. Am impressed with the landscaping, the balance, and the general cleanliness of the place. There's actually an amphitheatre. And the fountain actually works! If I lived in Valencia, I would find myself in the plaza a lot. :)

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  2. vic: Yeah, I didn't think about how much nicer our plaza is compared to others until someone remarked a couple of weeks ago that it's the nicest small-town plaza he's seen. The amphitheater a brilliant touch, constructed just a few years ago. I didn't even get a chance to show of the promenade in front of the church.

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  3. hi, nice pictures of the town plaza; i like the take of the old fountain.
    i come from manila but have been living in valencia for four years now. i love the place, the climate, and the people.

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  4. Hi there, Mike. I was actually looking for images of Valencia, and then, i saw pictures that are nicely taken... I grabbed one for my vox blog, and i owe u a lot for that. From the pictures, it is really obvious that there is no other cool place like ours - Valencia. I didn't know you are also from there; i have never seen you there. Ciao!

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  5. hi! SHALOM!!! i take this good opportunity to express also my appreciation just like those who posted their comments ahead of me..it's almost my ten years living in Valencia which all believed to be the "home of the best"!!which I do also believed..one proof of being the home of the best is the best plaza that we have..the pictures that are shown above are the manifestation of how beautiful our plaza is.As I first saw the plaza past years ago, it was really different from what it look likes presently.Valencia have many God given gifts, the people, and the place itself.And all of these must be take care of.Every residents or non-residents of this place can be a great help by simply throwing their garbages carefully.REst assured that by doing this we can also gain the "best attitudes" ever...Thank you!!Godspeed..

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  6. Nice place Valencia, many trees and much rain makes it cooler than the coastal area.
    I visited Valencia about 3 years ago. I live in the Netherlands and plan to go back there once.
    NewKidInTown

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  7. i really miss this place. i miss the smell of this plaza. i remember my grade school days here walking,running,laughing and googling around in this big plaza. mingaw jud ko ning plazaha!

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  8. mingaw uy! we used to play in the plaza a lot, hang out with friends...i studied in valencia elementary school, practically grew up there. actually, my parents and siblings are still there, they live in west balabag/apolong.i would love to go back and visit those places in the pictures, and feel young again...

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  9. Salamat for posting these beautiful pictures of the Valencia town plaza. Our plaza provides the place for the cultural and social life of the Valencianons, young and old. We see a glimpse of our house on one of the pictures. Thanks for sharing these scenic views with all of us.

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  10. i l0ve my place kh8 san ako magpunta hndi ko ipagpapalit ang plce ko i l0ve valencia

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  11. hello pod. hope you;ll read this comment. pwede po bah magamit yung pix sa ampitheater? :-) you can check it on my blog. please feel free to say NO on a comment. ;-)


    Just me,
    www.phioxee.com

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  12. Replies
    1. nagamit ko po photo ninyu, pero kumuha talaga ako kanina ng own photo ko, eh pumayag kana so diko nalang remove yun. ;-)

      http://www.phioxee.com/2012/10/octobers-nostalgic-chills.html

      Delete