Burgos Circle, also known as Padre Burgos Circle, is a

traffic circle A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford Eng ...

within the Bonifacio Global City in

Taguig Taguig (), officially the City of Taguig ( fil, Lungsod ng Taguig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 886,722 people. Located in the northwestern shores of ...

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the seat of government and one of three defined metropolitan areas in ...

in the Philippines. Developed as part of the Forbes Town Center mixed-use development developed by the

Megaworld Corporation Megaworld Corporation () is a real-estate company in the Philippines. It is listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange Composite Index. The company develops large-scale, mixed-use, planned communities incorporating residential, commercial, educat ...

and named after martyred priest

José Burgos José Apolonio Burgos y García was a Filipino Catholic priest, accused of mutiny by the Spanish colonial authorities in the Philippines in the 19th century. He was tried and executed in Manila along with two other clergymen, Mariano Gomez a ...

Gomburza Gomburza, alternatively stylized as GOMBURZA or GomBurZa, refers to three Filipino Catholic priests, Mariano Gomez, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, who were executed by garrote on February 17, 1872, in Bagumbayan, Philippines by Spanish co ...

, it serves as the intersection between Forbestown Road, 1st Avenue, 2nd Avenue, and 29th Street.

History

Burgos Circle was planned as part of the Forbes Town Center, a mixed-use development by the

inspired by Bugis Village in Singapore. The circle first came to prominence in 2009, when it was identified as a new dining hotspot. With a number of new restaurants opening in the area at the time, Burgos Circle was likened to

Remedios Circle Remedios Circle, also known as the Plaza de la Virgen de los Remedios, Remedios Rotonda, and Rotary Circle, is a traffic circle in Malate, Manila in the Philippines, serving as the intersection between Remedios Street, Jorge Bocobo Street and Adri ...

, Greenbelt 2, and Serendra as a new, up-and-coming hangout area, mostly catering to

young professionals The term ''young professional'' generally refers to young people between 20 and 40 who are employed in a profession or white-collar occupation. The meaning may be ambiguous"I am not sure what "young professionals" means...''After the storm: Amer ...

. In 2013, columnist Stephanie Zubiri wrote in ''

The Philippine Star ''The Philippine Star'' (self-styled ''The Philippine STAR'') is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines and the flagship brand of the Philstar Media Group. First published on July 28, 1986, by veteran journalists Betty Go-Belmonte, ...

'' that Burgos Circle was "a window to the Parisian lifestyle in the heart of Manila", owing to the area's walkability, its wide selection of restaurants, cafes and bars, and the availability of

alfresco dining Outdoor dining, also known as al fresco dining or dining alfresco, is eating outside. In temperate climates, al fresco dining is especially popular in the summer months when temperatures and weather are most favorable. It is a style of dining th ...

which reminded her of her time in Paris.

Structure

The center island of Burgos Circle forms a small park, Burgos Park. At the center of the park is a sculpture by Reynato Paz Contreras called ''The Trees'', the first piece of

public art Public art is art in any media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and physically acce ...

to be installed in the Bonifacio Global City. The bronze-and-brass piece was commissioned by the Bonifacio Art Foundation, which is responsible for maintaining the district's public art installations. Measuring tall and surrounded by a grove, ''The Trees'' consists of three interlocking trees which form a dome. Representing the circle of life, the trees are a reminder of the progressive development and the preservation of Mother Earth, while the branches represent stability. More recently, the sculpture became a romantic place for couples to meet, and in 2016 it became a major landmark for those playing ''

Pokémon Go ''Pokémon Go'' (stylized as ''Pokémon GO'') is a 2016 augmented reality (AR) mobile game, part of the ''Pokémon'' franchise, developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for iOS and Android ...

'' in the area, with the game helping to boost foot traffic in the form of increased dining receipts days after it was first released in the Philippines. Underneath Burgos Park and the circle at large is a wide, six-storey deep retarding basin for retaining flood water. During heavy rain, the basin retains water until it is emptied when the weather clears into creeks that flow to

Manila Bay Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Phi ...

. Built during the initial development of the Bonifacio Global City at a cost of ₱60 million, and only one of two existing retarding basins in Metro Manila (the other located beneath the

Magallanes Interchange The Magallanes Interchange is a four-level partial turbine interchange in Makati, Metro Manila, the Philippines, serving as the junction between the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), Osmeña Highway, and Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA). It is a ...

), the basin has been credited for preventing flooding on both

Epifanio de los Santos Avenue Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, commonly referred to by its acronym EDSA, is a limited-access circumferential highway around Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. It passes through 6 of Metro Manila's 17 local government units or citie ...

and

Kalayaan Avenue Kalayaan Avenue is a major east–west route in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. For most of its length, it runs parallel to J.P. Rizal Avenue to the north from East Rembo near Fort Bonifacio to Barangay Singkamas by the border with San And ...

References

External links

* {{Road infrastructure in Manila Landmarks in the Philippines Roads in Metro Manila Roundabouts and traffic circles in the Philippines Buildings and structures in Taguig Restaurant districts and streets in the Philippines