Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said Thursday the city government is giving the historic Plaza Miranda in Quiapo a makeover and that it is expected to sport a new look in time for Christmas.
Domagoso said the efforts stemmed from a request made by a netizen who took a picture of the said plaza and then appealed to the mayor to have it rehabilitated.
According to Domagoso, he has tasked the parks and recreation bureau under Pio Morabe to take charge and that the work has already begun, as he appealed to the vendors to make the task of the city personnel by getting out of the way of the city personnel’s job in the meantime.
So far, Domagoso said that a check made by Morabe and his team on the public square and the structures in it, through coordination with the office of city engineer Armand Andres, showed that its structural integrity remains okay and that it has suffered mere superficial damage due to wear and tear, noting that the Plaza Miranda was inaugurated as far back as in 1961.
It was learned that Morabe had mobilized the PRB personnel to undertake the repainting of the whole area including the posts, pillars, and columns, among others.
The office of Andres, he said, will place and repair panaflex roofing in the interior part of the Plaza and undertake the repair of the flooring.
Morabe said they also hope to revive the plants along the upper part of the beams and that the full rehabilitation efforts may take a month to finish. It began on Wednesday last week.
With an area of 5,358 square meters and a capacity of over 16,000 at any given time, Plaza Miranda has become a famous venue for many huge public activities.
In the said plaza, one can find historical markers, a towering marble obelisk and a statue of a woman with outstretched arms that hold a torch to represent freedom. Two columns sandwich the obelisk and on top of them are urns made from an alloy of cast iron and bronze. These urns also serve as gas-fired cauldrons which may be lit for special occasions.
Bounded by the Quiapo Church, Quezon Boulevard and Hidalgo and Evangelista Streets, the said plaza is paved with granite tiles and is surrounded by Neo-Gothic architectural details which are inspired by the architecture of the Minor Basilica or Quiapo Church.