RATIONALE Through the history of mankind recreation is fundamentally a large part of their existence as eventually proven by close examination of the lives of previous society. Man has always had a propensity or natural bent for physical activities. Such innate urge was visibly carried upon subsequent generations, though only deferred in temper and passion, depending on prevailing culture, location and daily pursuit necessary for survival. Primitive as it may, they engaged in routine war-like or religious practice kind of recreation and sports of which hunting and dancing were held favoritely where they used to placate the gods for divine intercession. Therefore, as early as the dawning of civilization, recreation was regarded basic to man. This was true to the Greeks when they laid the philosophy behind the initial Olympics that strengthened their city-state ideals. The Spanish lengthy colonial rule of this island didn͛t do much on the native recreational affairs, they even utilized it to prop-up and promote their implanted religion where ͞fiestas͟ were rooted. Such celebrations were impregnated with competitive ethnic sports as part of merriment for the elaborate observance, but only to accustom and weld the populace deeper into the Catholic faith. Towards the close of the days of empires in 1898, the Americans reached our shores as the next colonial master. Manila͛s cold reception over their scheming and victorious showing was reciprocated positively by the Yankees prodigious effort at motivating the city folks to a new way of lifestyle, much different from the antiquated acquiescence we grew with. The Americans introduced systematically democratic percepts through mode of education, health and hygiene, a brand of gospel and new recreational experiences. As such, supplanted a wholly alien culture that filtered in every phase of Filipino life, the purveyors Thomasites did not only taught the 3 r͛s but acculturated us with their sporty nature. These pioneers initiated the calisthenics to condition the minds and bodies of their brown pupils and made them understand how essential recreation to them. The move took the auspicious precedence in developing well-rounded and physically fit citizenry to populate their Asian possession. Unlike the Spandiars that left their Indo subjects with little access to literacy, frivolity and recreation, relegated them only to the feudal life, labor and pious sacrifices, ͞sungka͟ and ͞sabong͟ to engross with. Sports and amusement were considered commodities and properties of the wealthy few who bet on bullfights, horse races and matches in fencing and chess. The sportsminded Americans afforded the Filipinos the needed leisure time and recreational diversions, thus paved the groundwork and enthusiasm for sports. They opened opportunities to enjoy a fuller life while galvanizing co-existence and unity with the inhabitants. Manilas found themselves spellbound by the great white ways. The early American authorities picked bright ͞Columbus͟ among the native boys as Pensionados to the United States. Upon returning, the batch established the Philippine Columbian Association hand in hand with the YMCA helped nurtured local interests in recreation aside from patriotic aspirations, Supt. Frederick England workout for the massive sporting program tapping government personnel and students. For three decades of sporting under the American flag, homegrown sports great were produced, molded and brought to international fame, the likes of first Filipino Olympian weightlifter Regino Ylanan, world boxing champ Pancho Villa, basketball cager Jacinto Ciria Cruz to name a few and made basketball our national pastime. Characterized with the period of prosperity, the Americanzed Manila was blessed with City Mayors credited with catalogs of recreational achievements such as Justo Lucban who purchased the modern sports equipment for Manilans in 1918, Mayor Felix Roxas with a dozen of Parks and Playgrounds he constructed in 1922 and Miguel Romualdez in 1925 started the ball rolling for the realization of Rizal Memorial Stadium that added to Manila͛s stature as far as east first world-class city. Global events afterwards drove the Philippines into the Second World War being a U.S. Satellite. Japanese occupation struck fear among citizenry and recreation was banned for a year (1942) with only basketball and the compulsory Taiso calesthenics permissible. Manila became a war arena in 1944 with the rage of the Japanese rampage at the end of those godless years, ensuing atrocities and unprecedented devastation that left the once prosperous Manila in ruins. Government adifices including our service facilities were obliterated, rendering recreation impossible in such desperate situation and practically retarded the impetus of progress. But like the legendary Phoenix the city raises and fleshes out from its ashes. By 1950, post war recovery accelerated with foreign aid that helped transform the squalled Manila into a throbbing metropolis again, the focal point renewed and recovery effort was once more a scene of all cosmopolitan trapping, modern amenities, lively citizenry, reverberating amusement centers and sporting fervor, all resurrected. However, the city government was confronted with enormous problems of juvenile delinquency and gangsterism that were commonly associated with the hate and repressiveness of the war. Such phenomena aggravated other inherent predicaments like slums, poverty and psychological trauma requiring urgent addressing. On reinstated Mayor Nolasco͛s shoulder, the burden of infrastructural and human rehabilitation fell. Recognizing the logic of reconstructing recreational facilities, Dr. Nolasco acted with dispatch to curb the war-rooted malefactors. He, thus, redirected wayward energies of youngsters, revived their appetite for sports and contained excessive time to wholesome leisure. Sustaining the move of his predecessor Mayor Fugoso went on further into tending the war displaced youth. He instituted a Boys Home to reform youth offenders. The prevalent problems continued to bug the exemplar Mayor Dela Fuente who was a believer in sports. As a solution, he refurbished antiquated play apparatuses and pursued more aggressively by putting up the Manila Boystown and worked out for the construction of more playgrounds. Being a former athlete and police chief, the mayor was quite obsessed with the task, he ordered the use of end roads and encouraged a vacant lots be converted to basketball courts. When visionary Arsenio Lacson took over the rein, he initiated merger of City Engineering͛s Public Recreation Division with the Public Welfare͛s Youth Service Division into Youth and Public Recreations Bureau. On his instance, the Manila Zoo and Botanical Garden was realized in 1956 (the first public zoo in Asia) to the delight of the country. Hewing from the blueprint of Lacson, innovative Antonio Villegas came up with a novelty project called ͞Paraiso ng Batang Maynila͟ aimed at following up the good result of consecutive efforts of Hizzoners before him. The initial ten paraisos featured and ultra modern playgrounds with complete amenities colored and designed to attract appeal among children, sparking their imagination, creativity and health progress. The ͞Paraiso͟ eventually became additional landmark and gave vibrance the visual image of Manila. Manifesting sincere concern, Mayor Yeba (as Villegas fondly called) envigorated the Public Recreations Bureau into full swing to competently manage his pet projects and to implement to the fullest the mandate stipulated in Republic Act 5264 that officially created the Bureau. Subsequent administrations contributed their piece in the demand of building better constituency. The stewardship of Mayor Bagatsing maintained and reconditioned the decade depreciated ͞paraisos͟ to suffice the beautification agenda of then First Lady Imelda R. Marcos. His athletic programs resulted records of excellence of Manila in the ͞Palarong Pambansa͟. The Marcos years prove a benison to traditional and native games with Manila as rebirth place of ͞sipa͟, ͞patintero͟, ͞arnis͟ etc. Mayor Mel Lopez for his part built significant infrastructures like the Tondo and San Andres Sports Complexes while Mayor Alfredo S. Lim embarked intensively on grassroots with the barangays and NGOs͛ involvement in his recreational programs during his term. Mayor Lito Atienza made a rundown of remodeling the facilities, glossed over and refurbished additional structures as exemplified by the ͞Sentro ng Malikhaing Manileño͟. Today, the advocacy continues with five (5) sports complexes, 36 covered courts, 36 open courts, 4 swimming pools, 6 tennis courts, 1 softball field, 4 handball courts, 2 gateball courts, 9 ͞paraisos͟/playgrounds, two (2) coliseums and a stadium (operated presently by the national government were rosters of celebrated athletes trained and attained glories like Elorde, De Vega, Buhain, and latest sports hero Pacquiao who shared the country with international limelight). The bureau dispenses peculiar services of putting the city residence in top shape, sound body and helps cultivate well-rounded personalities, disciple, sociable and productive stock of Manilaños. Ultimately the Public Recreations Bureau fulfills its avowed objectives and establishes its primordial role as an important institution in our midst, today and beyond͙͙ 10 PARAISOS BUILT BY MAYOR ANTONIO J. VILLEGAS The following 10 ͞Paraisos͟ were built by Mayor Antonio J. Villegas thru City Ordinances appropriating certain amounts