Paskuhan Village facts for kids
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| Location | San Fernando, Philippines |
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| Coordinates | 15°03′01.4″N 120°41′33.6″E / 15.050389°N 120.692667°E |
| Opened | 11 December 1990 |
| Owner | Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority |
| Theme | Christmas handicraft Northern Luzon culture (formerly) |
| Operating season | Year-round |
The Paskuhan Village, also known as the Philippine Christmas Village or Hilaga, is a special park in San Fernando, Pampanga, Philippines. It's all about Christmas and is open all year long! A government agency called the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) takes care of it.
Contents
History of Paskuhan Village
How Paskuhan Village Started
Paskuhan Village was built on land that used to belong to Jesus Lazatin. In 1989, he sold the land to the Philippine Tourism Authority. This agency is now known as the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA). The idea was to create a place to show off local crafts. This included the famous lantern-making tradition of San Fernando, Pampanga.
The idea for the park came from Pampanga Governor Bren Guiao and Tourism Secretary Jose Antonio Gonzalez. The park officially opened on December 11, 1990. The president at that time, Corazon Aquino, was there for the opening. The main goal was to show off small and giant lanterns and other Christmas items. This helped local artists and businesses.
From 1990 to 1998, Paskuhan Village was also the home of the Ligligan Parul. This is a famous competition for giant lanterns.
Why the Park Faced Challenges
Over time, Paskuhan Village started to face problems. A big reason was the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo. This natural disaster affected the area. Also, new shopping malls opened in Pampanga. These malls offered more places for people to shop and hang out.
Because of these changes, the Ligligan Parul festival moved. It went to SM City Pampanga in 2000 and later to Robinsons Starmills. For a while, the Department of Foreign Affairs even had an office in Paskuhan Village to issue passports until 2002.
In 2003, Paskuhan was changed into the North Philippines Cultural and Historical Village. It aimed to show the culture of different regions like Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and Cordillera.
By 2012, the Village was having money problems. Many shops and restaurants were closed. It had a small budget and only a few workers left. The park also stopped focusing on the Northern Luzon theme. A government audit group, the Commission on Audit, suggested that TIEZA should fix up the park, sell it, or give it to the local government. There was also a plan to open a casino there, but many people were against it.
The Sale of Paskuhan Village
In December 2014, several big companies wanted to buy Paskuhan Village. These included companies from the SM Group and Robinsons Land Corp. The local government of Pampanga also wanted to buy the park or at least manage it.
In May 2015, a company called Premier Central Inc. won the bid. They bought two parts of Paskuhan Village with plans to make it new again. However, the park became even more neglected because of arguments over the sale.
A representative from Pampanga, Aurelio Gonzales Jr., asked for an investigation into the sale. In October 2017, the sale to Premier Central was declared invalid. This was because it went against a law called the Tourism Act of 2009. This law says that state-owned cultural treasures and heritage sites cannot be sold. The investigation also found that the local governments of Pampanga and San Fernando were not given their right to buy the property first.
What's Next for Paskuhan Village?
After the sale was canceled, San Fernando Mayor Edwin Santiago hoped to bring Paskuhan Village back to life. He wanted it to be a Christmas-themed park again. He also hoped the Giant Lantern Festival could return to its original home.
As of July 2020, most of the Paskuhan Village property was given back to the local government of San Fernando. In February 2021, a special ceremony took place at the site. This was for the start of building a new tourism and information center. This center will be themed around the Giant Lantern Festival.
