Bacolod eyes Yulo’s Park as tourist destination

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD CITY – The city government is collaborating with the owners to restore Yulo’s Park on Rosario Street, Barangay 14, with the aim of making it a new tourist destination in Bacolod.

In an interview yesterday, Councilor Em Ang, chairperson of the City Council Committee on History, Culture, and Arts, said that the local government is assisting the owners in preparing for the unveiling of a national heritage marker at Yulo’s Park on August 22.

Ang noted that Yulo’s Park was granted a National Heritage marker by the National Museum of the Philippines in 2017.

She added that personnel from various government offices, including the City Tourism Office, City Engineering Office, and the General Services Office, are being deployed to help with the repair and cleanup of the site, not just for the unveiling event but also for ongoing restoration efforts.

Ang also mentioned that the City Council has passed a resolution declaring Yulo’s Park an important cultural property and historical landmark in Bacolod.

According to the resolution authored by Ang, the house at Yulo’s Park was built by the late statesman Don Mariano Yulo on August 10, 1919, and will be 105 years old on August 10, 2024.

Don Mariano Yulo served as governor of Negros Occidental and later as a senator during the Commonwealth period. His son, Alfredo C. Yulo, was mayor of Bacolod City from May 27, 1940, to May 29, 1942, the resolution noted.

At one time, former President Manuel Quezon was honored with a dinner at Yulo’s Park, during which drinking glasses were specially painted with the Philippine flag as a gesture of nationalism, foreshadowing Philippine independence, the resolution said.

The City Council emphasized the importance of preserving cultural and historical heritage in line with the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, or Republic Act 10066.

Ang further disclosed that Yulo’s Park is also tentatively listed as a UNESCO site, pending the city’s compliance with several requirements.