Wednesday, June 27, 2007 The park under the bridge By Jigs Arquiza
IN this day and age, when prices of commodities rise ever so often, expenses go nowhere but up, and people struggle every day to make ends meet, a simple thing such as going out with your family to have some quality time together seems quite a luxury already.
Lucky for those who have money to spend, but for the common tao, spending even just five hundred hard-earned pesos at a fast-food restaurant becomes quite an indulgence.
God bless whoever it was who invented the concept of parks and promenades, where all one needs is the company of a loved one, and perhaps a bite or two to eat and something to drink. Parks aren’t just for lovers though. It’s a very suitable venue for people of all ages: children and their parents, the young, and the young at heart.
One good example is the park under the Marcelo H. Fernan Bridge, more commonly known to Cebuanos as the “new bridge”.
The park is open to all, and more importantly, people don’t really need to spend anything while staying there. Wholesome is the key word at the park under the bridge. It’s a good spot to do fun things like have a picnic, play a game of tag, or simply relax and watch the ships and boats go by and enjoy the view of the Mactan Channel and the imposing, impressive structure that is the bridge.
While other people prefer to hang out at popular nightspots, to unwind, meet friends and have a good time, others prefer a more serene, relaxing atmosphere. In this the park excels, providing the people who go there with a quiet environment, with only the sound of happy children playing to their hearts’ content, the cawing of the gulls in the air, the gentle lapping of water against the banks of the channel, and the occasional tooting of a ship’s horn.
It is also in this that the park under the Marcelo H. Fernan Bridge serves as a reminder to us, that yes, simple things are best, and that some of the best things in life are free.
