I’m so grateful that our family got to have another field trip this month of June just like in the past! This is another answered prayer. I really prayed that the alert level in Metro Manila and nearby provinces would remain at Level 1 or would be gone totally so that our family can freely go around again and visit different places. Thus, when we were able to push through with our planned field trip this month, I was so elated.

We had a few target places for our field trip yesterday. We were not able to go to all of them due to time constraints and traffic. But, we were still happy that we got to visit some of them.

Before leaving our house, we had kakanin for breakfast and I cooked pinakbet as our viand for lunch. We left after eating lunch.

Our first stop was at the Rizal Park also known as Luneta Park or Bagumbayan in the past. We already had a field trip here when my two older children were much younger. We also had a picnic at that time.

Since the kids are much older now and we have a third child who has not visited the park, I thought that it is a good time to visit Rizal Park again. Moreover, June is National Flag Month and the birth month of our National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal.

It started to drizzle when we got out of our vehicle at Rizal Park. I kept praying that the rain would stop and we could get nice photos. God heard my prayer again. Thank you, Lord!

Having a picnic yesterday was not part of our plan because we plan to visit other historical sites, too. But, we will be back again next time to have a picnic and to walk and run around the park.

I remember vividly from my childhood that my parents would often bring me and my younger brother here to have a picnic and to have family bonding usually on Sundays. My mother would cook adobo and rice for our picnic. My brother and I would play in the playground and run around the park as well. I had beautiful memories here. I was a bit teary-eyed looking at some of the picnic tables and chairs as I reminisced those times. My father passed away early this year and deep in my heart, I missed those moments. I’m just grateful that we had those memories.

The other places that we visited during the month of June in the past include Fort Santiago, Dr. Rizal’s ancestral house in Laguna, Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite, and Intramuros. You may read the details of these field trips when you click the names in the previous sentence. It would take you to my previous blog posts.

Our next stop was at the Battle of Imus Monument in Cavite. Imus or Cavite is considered the Flag Capital of the Philippines. It was in this province that the Philippine flag was first raised and used.

Initially, I wanted us to go to Alapan Elementary School, which was where the Battle of Alapan really took place. There is a small monument there also. But, the Cavite government decided to move the monument to the Imus Heritage Park eventually because the space is bigger, so as not to disturb and cause traffic near the school.

However, the Battle of Imus Monument is closer to Manila. So, in the interest of time and because traffic was heavy going to Cavite, we went to see the Battle of Imus Monument first.

We had our photos taken at the Bridge of Isabel II first where the actual fighting took place between the Katipuneros and the Spaniards happened. The bridge is a relatively short bridge over the Imus River.

The Bridge of Isabel II was the first permanent bridge that was constructed over the Imus River. The bridge connects the last barangay of Imus before Bacoor to the town proper of Imus.

On the bridge are markers to commemorate the Battle that happened on the bridge and one of the leaders in the Battle of Imus, Jose Tagle. He was also one of the former Mayors of Imus. The walls where the markers can be found in the middle of the bridge are shaped like the facade of the Imus Cathedral.

The northern part of the bridge was destroyed by the revolutionaries during the battle as their strategy in fighting against the Spaniards. You may read more details about this historical bridge here.

It’s quite challenging to get decent photos here because there are vehicles passing by. My husband was on the other side of the bridge when he took our photos. He had to wait until there are no vehicles to get good photos.

The same is true with the Battle of Imus Monument.

At the southern end of the bridge is the Battle of Imus Monument. It is on General E. Topacio street and near the gate of PNP (Philippine National Police) Headquarters or Camp General Pantaleon Garcia. This camp used to be the Estate House of the Recollects during the Spanish occupation. The Recollects used to own the Imus Estate or Hacienda de Imus which includes Imus, Dasmarinas, and some parts of Bacoor and Kawit. Only the wall of the estate remained.

The Battle of Imus happened from September 1-3 in 1896. It was considered the first major battle against the Spaniards during the Philippine Revolution in the province of Cavite. Emilio Aguinaldo and his men won this battle against the Spaniards. From a Flag Lieutenant, he became a General after winning the Battle of Imus. You can see Aguinaldo leading other Katipuneros in this monument. It was because of this battle that he eventually became known as General Miong and was recognized as a hero and leader in the province of Cavite.

Furthermore, this victory in Imus, Cavite inspired the other Filipinos in Bulacan to fight the Spaniards also.

You may read more about the details of how the battle took place here.

Our next stop was the Imus Heritage Park. Sadly, because of the heavy traffic we experienced in Zapote, we arrived there when it was already dark and it was already raining. Many of the lights in the park are not working so the park is really dark. We still took some photos.

I’m planning to go back there in the future during the day for better pictures. Next time, we will visit the monument at Alapan Elementary School also where the Philippine flag was first used.

There are still a number of historical places that we have yet to visit in Cavite. I’m excited to go to each one of them and learn about our country’s history together with my family.

By the way, all these places that we visited do not have any registration fees since they are open to the public. Isn’t that great?

How about you? Have you been to any of these places before? What places have you visited during the month of June? I would love to hear from you.