The Children's Playground in Luneta Has Been Demolished For the Burnham Plan of 1905
A popular playground in Luneta was reduced to rubble after it was demolished to give way to a new facility. Only the cemented sculpture of a farmer and a carabao remained.
The popular playground used to be maintained by the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC). Now the area is under the jurisdiction of the National Museum by virtue of the Republic Act 11333 or National Museum Act.
Esquire's photojournalist Jerome Ascaño captured the scenes at the Children's Playground today, January 28.
Resurrecting the Burnham Plan of 1905
According to Republic Act 11333, “The National Museum shall develop the National Museum Complex within and adjacent to Rizal Park and other identified areas with reference to the Burnham Plan for Manila of 1905.”
The Burnham Plan of 1905 was a grand urban plan by architect and urban planner Daniel Burnham that sought to transform Manila into an upgraded version of Paris, Naples, and Venice combined. In 1905, Burnham presented his plan for Manila, which was patterned after the three cities.
“Possessing the bay of Naples, the winding river of Paris, and the canals of Venice, Manila has before it an opportunity unique in the history of modern times, the opportunity to create a unified city equal to the greatest of the Western world with the unparalleled and priceless addition of a tropical setting,” Burnham wrote.
Burnham's plan features wide radial avenues, plenty of greenery, and a government center.
Unfortunately, the plan was interrupted by the Second World War, which left Manila as the second-most destroyed Allied city after Warsaw.
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