The historic Jones Bridge in Binondo, Manila will once again shine brightly as Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso inaugurates the P20-million lighting and restoration project today, Sunday, Nov. 24.
Aside from restoring the bridge to its almost original design and rewiring Paris-inspired ornate street lampposts, the La Madre Filipina statue which was relocated to the nearby Rizal Park for decades will return to the newly refurbished bridge which was its original home.
The city of Manila and the National Parks Development Committee the other day signed a Memorandum of Agreement for the transfer of the La Madre Filipina, the symbol of Filipina motherhood stationed at the pillars of Puenta de Piedra which was later named as Jones Bridge during the American period.
During World War 2, one of the four statues was damaged while the other statue was relocated to Rizal Park and the other two are now displayed at the Court of Appeals in Ermita, Manila.
Fulfilling a campaign promise, the restoration project is part of Domagoso’s bid to preserve Manila’s heritage and open more tourist destinations in the nation’s capital. These include the installation of 80 new lamp posts and ornamental plants on the bridge.
Solar road studs, or road lights used to delineate road edges and center lines, have also been placed to make the bridge safe for drivers. The lower walls on both sides of the bridge were painted gold to add to the effects of the lights.
Opposite to the original La Madre Filipina statue, a replica of another La Madre sculpture which was lost in World War 2 was placed in the bridge.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said that when she first saw the pictures of the bridge, she could not believe that it was already the Jones Bridge.
“When I actually first saw the pictures of the bridge, hindi ako makapaniwala, para siyang postcard, alam mo yung unang sinabi ko, Photoshop ba yan?” Puyat said. (Erma Edera)
