ROTA
— Delightfully situated on a prime spot along the coastal road just
before you enter Songsong is one paradise that you should not miss when
you’re here — Pinatang Park.
The gate leads straight to a long arch
bridge connecting to a smaller island, a small park complete with a pool
and spiraling water slides, picnic tables and benches and other
amenities that makes up what perfect picnics areas should be.
I stopped by Pinatang Park one cloudy
afternoon a couple of months back, drawn to the sense of peacefully
quiet but scenic park overlooking the ocean and bordered by islets that
serve as natural fences against the giant waves.
I
had the whole place to myself and I couldn’t help but conclude that if
there is one spot on the beautiful island of Rota that can make you sigh
with deep regret, it is this place. Something is missing in this
beautiful park —people and sounds of laughter and everything that parks
are supposed to be.
The long boulevard stretched endlessly,
each slab of cement, posts with missing lights, crumbling or missing
balustrades, rusty benches with pieces of steel sticking out, and
everything else telling its own sad story.
At
the far end of the park, a beautiful cottage/bar or what’s left of it,
with round cement stools around it tells its own sad story of glory days
gone by, a testimony that this beautiful park has been exposed to fend
off for itself against the harsh elements of nature.
A Rota resident said the park requires
too much money to maintain and the municipality has no funds for it,
hence its present state.
Only the profusion of colorful flowers
and the chirping birds refuse to acknowledge the fact that the park is
left with no one to maintain it, and that visitors can come and go as
they please, at their own risk.
I got scared to cross the bridge and
explore the other side of Pinatang Park. I regretted that decision and
wouldn’t miss going there if I get another chance to come back to Rota.
Soon, a school bus dropped off some
students on the roadside and the silence was broken. One little boy
ventured down the stairs to hide from his companions and I couldn’t
resist taking a photo of him.
It’s funny but despite the dilapidation
and sense of abandonment surrounding the park, I find it appealing and
would have stayed longer if not for the huge, fat raindrops that started
to pelt on the deserted park. I ran for the car hugging my gear, and
with heart still heavy with regret, drove away to Songsong for a late
lunch.
