The newly-inaugurated “People’s Park” attracted people from various walks of life while the choice of the park’s name drew adverse reactions from Dabawenyos and people from other places as well. The park, used to be known as the PTA, stands on a lot (along Legaspi corner Palma Gil Streets—back of Apo View Hotel) donated by the Monteverde family.
A total of 900 entries were received by the organizers for the “name the park” contest. The winning name, “People’s Park”, was given by Romeo Sardon, a 75-year old retired seaman and electrician. He won P50 thousand for the park’s name.
The Dabawenyos were clearly enthralled by the park which boasts of a fountain especially designed for the park, waterfalls, Green House Museum and Gallery, children’s playground, an all-Filipino music, security cameras and a rainbow-colored oval track.
So why People’s Park? Some people complained about the chosen name since it clearly did not depict Davao and its culture. There were other entries depicting Davao as a land of the natives but the names were not chosen by the judges for reasons known only to them.
Of course, a public park is intrinsically a people’s park, so no need to name the park as such. The park’s swollen budget would have been justified had the judges chosen a name that would remind tourists and Dabawenyos about the culture and the natural resources of the city. Instead, the judges chose a very simple and plain name---People’s Park.
