News  &  Lifestyle 

Summer is almost near.  I know all of you are excited and anxious to run towards the summer heat; and some of you will be at home trying to relax; releasing the negative energy you feel at school, work or someone else. This summer the most common thing a person does is having a picnic; eating outdoors with your family or friends, taking place in a scenic landscape such as park, beside the lake or with the interesting view.

 

Here in Calamba there are two places that you can spend your summer picnic:

 

• The Plaza

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The Plaza, a 6.7-hectare (17-acre) park in front of the Calamba City Hall Complex along Bacnotan Road in the barangay of Real. We’re you can see the tallest statue of Rizal; built to commemorate the sesquicentennial (150th) birth anniversary of Dr. José Rizal, the Philippines' national hero and the greatest son of Calamba. It is a 22 meters (72 ft) statue sculpted by Jonas Roces.

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“The statue depicts Rizal holding a book in his right hand and is made of bronze. It stands 22 feet (6.7 meters) which symbolizes the 22 languages and dialects Rizal mastered during his time such as Spanish, English, German, Japanese, Chinese and others. It is placed on top of a 2.8 meter podium consisting of 15-step stairway which symbolizes one decade since Rizal was born in 1861. It also has a granite pedestal of 7.87 feet and a 13.12 feet circular stairway base. The monument's total height is 43 feet (equivalent to a four-storey building) and its weight is 2 tons.” - Wikipedia

The plaza is also a great place for jogging, biking and also for outdoor sports. The wide field itself can be use as a football or soccer arena for those sports enthusiast who are into this kind of hobby.

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• CALAMBANGA

 

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CALAMBANGA located at the City Plaza near Calamba Church and Rizal Shrine. CALAMBANGA, also known as the Calamba Jar or Calamba Claypot, is a famous landmark here in Calamba, Laguna, Philippines it said to be the largest claypot in the world; Built in 1937, it is constructed to illustrate and immortalize the folk tale on how the city got its name; with the names of the city's barangays inscribed on its surface. The giant claypot can also be found in the city's official seal.

 

 

Trivia:

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“The large claypot in the city plaza named CALAMBANGA is derived from the two words kalan and banga from which the city obtained its name. According to legend of early settlers, two guardia civil or Spanish soldiers approached a young woman who was carrying a jar of water and a stove. One of the Spanish soldier asked the woman for the name of the town. Since the woman cannot understand Spanish, she thought that the soldiers were asking her what she was carrying. She utterly answered, "kalan-banga" which means clay stove and clay pot. The Spaniards who was unable to pronounce Tagalog correctly, assumed that the place is namedKalambanga. Later on, Kalambanga was shortened to Calamba.” - Wikipedia