The Capitol Park and Lagoon is a provincial park located in Bacolod,

Negros Occidental Negros Occidental ( hil, Nakatungdang Negros; tl, Kanlurang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Occidental, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region. ...

, in the

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 ...

. One of the features of the park are matching

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

s depicting a woman standing alongside a

water buffalo The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Europe, Australia, North America, So ...

and that of a man pulling another water buffalo. These sculptures are located at the northern and southern ends of the lagoon. These figures were executed by

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

sculpture Francesco Riccardo Monti who also did the sculptures of the Metropolitan Manila Theater and the University of the Philippines - Visayas

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 ...

campus. Guillermo Tolentino also contributed as a sculptor of the figures.

Attractions and landmarks

Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol park and lagoon at night

Popular activities at the park include

jogging Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase physical fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running but more than walking, or to maintain a steady speed for longer periods ...

aerobics Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness ( flexibility, muscular strength, and cardio-vascular fitness). ...

, school dance rehearsals, promenading,

Arnis Arnis, also known as Kali or Eskrima/Escrima, is the national martial art of the Philippines. The three are roughly interchangeable umbrella terms for the traditional martial arts of the Philippines (" Filipino Martial Arts", or FMA), which ...

and martial arts practice and feeding the

tilapia Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically most ...

s of the lagoon. The main landmark in the park is the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol building. It is the official seat of the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the province. Different government offices of the province serving its thirteen cities and municipalities are also located in the vicinity of the park. The first Panaad sa Negros Festival, also known as the ''Panaad Festival'', was held here in a three-day affair in 1993 that began April 30. The festival was held at the Capitol Park and Lagoon fronting the Provincial Capitol for the first four years. As the festival grew each year, it became necessary to look for a more spacious venue. In 1997, the festival was held at the reclaimed area near the Bredco Port.''Panaad Festival,
Sunstar
, April 04, 2007 edition The construction of the

Panaad Stadium The Panaad Stadium (), also sometimes spelled as Pana-ad, named after the park where the stadium is situated in, is a multi-purpose stadium in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod, Philippines. Panaad hosted various international sporting events part ...

and sports complex paved the way for the establishment of the Panaad Park as the permanent home of the festival. The park today has become a popular spot for local families to hold picnics on Sundays and holidays and a major

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

attraction of Negros. A man-made lake or lagoon in the middle of the park contains live tilapia fish. The park has recreational value as well, as bands, orchestras and other forms of entertainment are provided for free in its open-air auditorium in events aptly called "Concert at the Park".

References

{{reflist

External links

Official Website of the Provincial Government of Negros OccidentalOfficial Website of the City Government of BacolodPhilippine Standard Geographic Code
Parks in the Philippines Buildings and structures in Bacolod Landmarks in the Philippines Tourist attractions in Bacolod

Attractions and landmarks

See also

References

External links