La Mesa Ecopark
La Mesa Resort Zone
Logo of La Mesa Ecopark
The ecopark pond in November 2011
The ecopark pond in November 2011
Approximate boundaries of La Mesa Ecopark are shown in light green.
LocationEast Fairview, Greater Lagro, Quezon City, Metro Manila, the Philippines
Coordinates14°42′43″N 121°04′27.5″E / 14.71194°N 121.074306°E / 14.71194; 121.074306
Area33 hectares (82 acres)
Opened1950s
FounderMetropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System
EtymologyLa Mesa Watershed Reservation
Owned byQuezon City Parks Development and Administration Department
Operated byLa Mesa Ecopark Administration
ABS-CBN Foundation (former operator)
Visitors280,000 (in 2011)[1]
Websiteformer Facebook page

The La Mesa Ecopark is a public park located in Greater Lagro, Quezon City, Metro Manila, the Philippines. It is in the La Mesa Watershed Reservation and near the La Mesa Dam.

The park closed "temporarily" on February 12, 2024 after the ABS-CBN Foundation returned management of the park to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System with no date announced for a re-opening.[2]

History

Covering an area of 33 hectares (82 acres) the public park is located along the natural boundary of the La Mesa Watershed Reservation and its elevation is about 40 metres (130 ft) below than the reservoir.[3]

After years of neglect,[4] the park underwent a renovation starting in 1999 under the "Save La Mesa Watershed Project", a collaboration between Bantay Kalikasan, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and the local government of Quezon City.[3] A fund amounting to ₱247 million was raised for the rehabilitation of the park.[5] It was reopened in September 2004 and was renamed as "La Mesa Ecopark".[3]

In 2019, it was proposed that the park be renamed as Gina Lopez Ecopark to commemorate Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation chairperson Gina Lopez who in 1999 established Bantay Kalikasan which had a role in the ecopark's rehabilitation.[6]

In 2024, the ABS-CBN Foundation announced that it was returning management of the park to the MWSS on February 15.[2] Employees will be laid off and the park along with the Nature Reserve with be closed.[2] Joal Ascalon, head of ABS-CBN Foundation's Bantay Kalikasan, said that the closure will be temporary and is normal for such a transition.[2] The turnover occurred nearly four years after the Philippine government's refusal to renew ABS-CBN's license and the closure of ABS-CBN TV network.

Facilities

Among the activities in the park are hiking, mountain-biking, horseback riding, rappelling, zip-lining, fishing, and paddle-boating in the lagoon. The park also has an "Ecotrail" and an vivarium specifically an orchidarium.[4]

The park also hosts a swimming complex which opened in 2011. The previous one was destroyed by Typhoon Ondoy in September 2009. According to a 2011 report, the park had 280,000 visitors in a year.[1]

Gallery

References

  1. ^ a b Villanueva, Rhodina Villanueva (6 March 2011). "Ecopark opens new swimming complex". Philippine Star. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "La Mesa Ecopark 'temporarily closing' as ABS-CBN Foundation ends stewardship". ABS-CBN. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "PPP Days 2010 - La Mesa Watershed Ecopark" (PDF). Asian Development Bank. 24 March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Gardens and Parks". Quezon City Government. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  5. ^ "Of Saving the La Mesa Watershed: An alliance built on Trust and Love for the Environment". ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya. 25 April 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  6. ^ "Belmonte backs renaming La Mesa Ecopark after Gina Lopez". Rappler. 4 September 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2019.

External links

Parks and plazas in Metro Manila
Categories