The San Juan City government will inaugurate today, 30 August, the El Polvorin Linear Park at the San Juan Elementary School, Mayor Francis Zamora said Monday.
The activity is in line with the celebration of the 126th anniversary of the Battle of San Juan del Monte, commonly known as the Araw ng Pinaglabanan.
The event will be marked by the lighting of an “eternal flame,”
wreath-laying at the Spirit of Pinaglabanan and a 21-gun salute by the police in honor of those who died fighting for Philippine independence.
El Polvorin, the Spaniards’ gunpowder depot, was one of the two locations that the Katipunan attacked in the Battle of San Juan del Monte in 1896.
Despite being outnumbered, the Katipuneros fought valiantly. The remnants of El Polvorin were left in disarray by past demolition and construction activities.
The local government of San Juan included it in the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s Adopt-A-Park Project.
“San Juan City is one of the historical cities in Metro Manila and we are glad that we were able to partner with MMDA to rehabilitate it,” Zamora said. “We hope that this will be visited by everyone and allow them to look back at our heroes’ bravery and serve as an inspiration for them and instill nationalism and patriotism.”