Why ‘Pasilong sa Naga’ is Not Just an Ordinary Park Development Project

If you haven’t heard about it, Pasilong sa Naga is another attraction that is soon to open in the industrial city of Naga. While it may seem like the usual park development, it actually not just another development project spearheaded by the local government. Here’s why.

What’s with ‘Pasilong sa Naga’?

‘Pasilong sa Naga’ is a P10.5 million park development project that aims to address the need for more open spaces in the city. According to Mayor Kristine Vanessa Chiong, this was initially conceptualized after the city applied for financial support from the Department of Interior and Local Government for the creation of new parks and open spaces in the locale.

After the approval of Chiong’s request, she immediately communicated with the world-renowned Cebuano industrial designer, Kenneth Cobonpue, and sought help from the city officials to make the project come to reality.

How ‘Pasilong sa Naga’ was Designed

Conbonpue shared how he translated ‘Pasilong sa Naga’ – or “to find shade in Naga” in local dialect – into a design that features a series of interlocking rings that represent circles of life, like nature’s way of taking and giving back to earth. This further emphasizes the unity in the city’s political and cultural landscape.

The aforementioned rings would come in various scales, to turn into winding paths – elevated walkways, fountains, benches, and rest areas – looping around the whole vicinity of the park. Conbonpue also highlighted that there would be no existing trees that need to be sacrificed for the said development. In fact, they are planning to add more trees.

This is the Cebuano designer’s first park to design for a local government. He mentioned that he had been tapped by many institutions outside the country but it was only the City of Naga that agreed to design.

The city mayor hopes to inspire more towns and cities in the Philippines to also invest in design for public spaces – to engage and entice more people to support the local tourism industry.

The Department of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, who was also present during the city’s 11^th Charter Day, also shared that the project could be a model for sustainable tourism.