Plaza Moriones is a major

public 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 geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

in Tondo,

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. Unlike other squares in Manila, the plaza is in the shape of a

linear park A linear park is a type of park that is significantly longer than it is wide. These linear parks are strips of public land running along canals, rivers, streams, defensive walls, electrical lines, or highways and shorelines. Examples of linear p ...

occupying the central median of Moriones Street, starting at the intersection of Moriones and Juan Luna Streets, and ending at the intersection with Santa Maria Street, bisected by Nicolas Zamora Street in the center. It is named after Governor-General Domingo Moriones y Muralla, responsible for the construction of Manila's sewerage system during his tenure from 1877 to 1881. Originally an open green field lined with benches in colonial times, today the plaza is paved, with a size of and a capacity of 6,681 persons. Trees and benches line its entire length, and three fountains have been placed throughout the plaza. Flanked by paved roads, the central portion of the plaza resembles 19th century garden design with its plants such as ''bandera española'' ( canna) flowers and palm trees. At the end of the plaza stands the ''Sigaw ng Tondo'', a monument sculpted in 1978 by

Eduardo Castrillo Eduardo de los Santos Castrillo (October 31, 1942 – May 18, 2016) was a renowned Filipino sculptor. Early life Eduardo (commonly known as 'Ed') Castrillo was born in Santa Ana, Manila, Philippines, on October 31, 1942, the youngest of five ch ...

in memory of local victims fleeing Japanese forces during the Battle of Manila in 1945. In 2010, another monument was erected at the plaza in memory of Honorio Lopez, a Tondo-born playwright who fought in the Philippine Revolution. This monument was designed by

Toym Imao Abdulmari de Leon Imao, Jr. (born 1968), better known by either Toym Leon Imao or Toym Imao, is a Filipino multi-media visual artist whose art is known for its commentary on Filipino social conditions, as well as for its pop culture sensibilities ...

. Owing to its location in Tondo, a working-class area of Manila, Plaza Moriones serves as a center for Philippine political discourse, second only to

Plaza Miranda Plaza Miranda is a public square bounded by Quezon Boulevard, Hidalgo Street and Evangelista Street in Quiapo, Manila. It is the plaza which fronts the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church), one of the main churches of the City ...

in Quiapo in terms of importance. On May 1, 1903, thousands of members of the

Unión Obrera Democrática Filipina The ''Unión Obrera Democrática Filipina'' (''UOD'' or ''UODF'', English: Democratic Labor Union of the Philippines) was a trade union center in the Philippines. The organization was the first modern trade union federation in the country; earlier ...

, led by

Isabelo de los Reyes Isabelo de los Reyes Sr. y Florentino, also known as Don Belong (July 7, 1864 – October 10, 1938), was a prominent Filipino politician, writer, journalist, and labor activist in the 19th and 20th centuries. He was the original founder of the ...

, organized the Philippines' first Labor Day celebrations, with laborers such as

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning an ...

barber A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave men's and boys' hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a "barbershop" or a "barber's". Barbershops are also places of social interaction and publi ...

s and

lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

s marching from the plaza to

Malacañang Palace Malacañang Palace ( fil, Palasyo ng Malakanyang, ; es, Palacio de Malacañán), officially known as Malacañan Palace, is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the Philippines. It is located in the Manila distric ...

. Several years later, the

Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas The Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas-1930 (PKP-1930), also known as the Philippine Communist Party, is a communist party in the Philippines that was established on November 7, 1930. It uses the aforementioned appellation in order to distinguish i ...

(PKP) was established on November 7, 1930 at a public rally held at the plaza, attended by six thousand people. Currently, Plaza Moriones is designated as one of five

freedom park In the Philippines, a freedom park is a centrally located public space where political gatherings, rallies and demonstrations may be held without the need of prior permission from government authorities. Similar to free speech zones in the United S ...

s in the City of Manila, where protests and rallies may be held without requiring permission from local authorities. Beyond politics, Plaza Moriones is also significant for its location close to the

Port of Manila The Port of Manila ( fil, Pantalan ng Maynila) refers to the collective facilities and terminals that process maritime trade function in harbors in Metro Manila. Located in the Port Area and Tondo districts of Manila, Philippines facing the M ...

: in 1906, the first nuns of the

Order of Saint Benedict , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

assigned to the Philippines arrived from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, landing at the plaza.

References

{{Parks and plazas in Manila Moriones, Tondo Buildings and structures in Tondo, Manila