Plaza Libertad, formerly known as Plaza Alfonso XII, is a historic ''plaza'' or

town square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...

Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo ( hil, Siyudad/Dakbanwa sang Iloilo; fil, Lungsod ng Iloilo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines on the island of Panay. It is the capital city of t ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It is considered the site where the flag of the first Philippine Republic was raised in triumph after

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

surrendered

Iloilo Iloilo (), officially the Province of Iloilo ( hil, Kapuoran sang Iloilo; krj, Kapuoran kang Iloilo; tl, Lalawigan ng Iloilo), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the City of Iloilo, the ...

, the last Spanish capital in the Philippines, to the revolutionary forces led by Gen. Martin Delgado on December 25, 1898. Plaza Libertad is located in front of

Iloilo City Hall The Iloilo City Hall is the official seat of government of the City of Iloilo, Philippines, located in Plaza Libertad, Iloilo City Proper. It is where the Mayor of Iloilo City holds office and the chambers of the Iloilo City Council. It also hos ...

Iloilo City Proper Iloilo City Proper (''City Proper'') (also locally known as Downtown, Ciudad, Iloilo Poblacion, or simply Iloílo) is one of the seven districts of Iloilo City in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. It is the second-most densely popula ...

and is one of the six district plazas in Iloilo City.

History

Plaza

Alfonso XII Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as El Pacificador or the Peacemaker, was King of Spain from 29 December 1874 to his death in 188 ...

, named after a king of Spain, was constructed in the 1800s and is one of the oldest plazas in the Philippines. It was surrounded by most of the government offices in Iloilo. On Christmas Day of 1898, Governor-General Diego de los Ríos of Spain surrendered to the Filipino revolutionary troops led by

General Martin Delgado A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

in the Plaza, thus ending the 333-year-old Spanish colonization of the Philippines. After which, the triumphant revolutionaries for the first time raised the flag of the First Philippine Republic in Iloilo City, the last bastion of Spanish power in the country. It was later renamed to Plaza Libertad to reflect the event that happened on the plaza. On November 17, 2003, the

National Historical Institute The National Historical Commission of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas, abbreviated NHCP) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural heritag ...

declared Plaza Libertad as a national historical landmark.

Rehabilitation

On February 4, 2021, the rehabilitation of the plaza started with a cost of

₱ The Philippine peso sign (₱) is the currency symbol used for the Philippine peso, the official currency of the Philippines. The symbol resembles a Roman letter P with two horizontal strokes. It differs from the currency symbol used for the pe ...

19 million, funded by the national government through the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) of the Department of Tourism. The rehab includes trimming of trees, landscaping, improvement of facilities, and lighting, among others.

References

{{Iloilo City Plazas in Iloilo City Landmarks in the Philippines Tourist attractions in Iloilo City History of Iloilo City