Paco Park and Cemetery
Manila
The front gate of Paco Park and Cemetery
The Paco Park and Cemetery is a beautiful and quiet spot in the suburb of Paco in Manila.
It is designed in a circular form -- in a structure of two concentric stone walls with a promenade on top -- with a rotunda church (St Pancratius) and old-fashioned gardens in the center.
Built in 1820, the niches in the walls of Paco Cemetery received the bodies of the victims of the cholera epidemic of that year.
A former Spanish Governor General of the Philippines, Ramon Solano y Lladeral, and a number of bishops are buried in the cemetery.
Three priests, Fathers José A. Burgos, Mariano C. Gomez and Jacinto R. Zamora, who were executed in 1872 for their suspected role in the Cavite mutiny (a 19th century insurrection against Spanish rule), are buried in this Park. The priests (often referred to collectively as Gomburza) were an inspiration for later Filipino independence advocates such as José Rizal and are regarded as martyrs by the Philippine nation.
Burial site of Fathers Jose A. Burgos, Mariano C. Gomes and Jacinto R. Zamora
Fathers Jose A. Burgos, Mariano C. Gomes and Jacinto R. Zamora
The plaque in front of their burial site reads as follows:
MEMORARE
The mortal remains of the three martyred priests, Fathers Jose A. Burgos, Mariano C. Gomes and Jacinto R Zamora, were buried in this hallowed ground after their execution on 17 February 1872 for complicity in the Cavite mutiny.
This marker unveiled by His Excellency Fidel A. Ramos, President, Republic of the Philippines, February 17, 1998, on the occasion of the martyrdom of the three priests.
Shrine to Jose Rizal in Paco Park
In another corner of Paco Park is a shrine dedicated to the Philippines national hero, Dr José Rizal. The shrine consists of a wooden cross with the date of Rizal's death (30 deciembre 1896) and, at its base, three letters -- R P J -- which are the initials of Rizal's name, José P Rizal, written in reverse order.
The plaque at this site tells the story of what happened at this place:
JOSE RIZAL
Executed 30 December 1896. Interred secretly in this spot by the authorities on the same day. Guarded for fifteen days by the Guardia Civil Veterana. Remains exhumed 17 August 1898. Placed in an urn made by Teodoro Romualdo de Jesus. Placed in the house of his mother in Estralde Street, Binondo and on 30 December 1912 laid beneath his monument at the Luneta.