My Sidetrip: Mt. Sungay (Tagaytay's People's Park in the Sky)

Mt. Sungay (Highest Point in Tagaytay)
by lakwatserong tatay

This is one of my co-sidetrip when i visited Tagaytay last May, together with my co-tripper, Ichan, Roger, Aleli, Jheng, and Ritz. This place is known to be the highest hill in Tagaytay where you will have a good view of Manila Bay, Laguna Lake and Taal Lake. We all knew that Tagaytay is one of the famous getaway near Manila area. One of the closest option to Baguio City because of its awesome ambiance and cold temperature like.

People's Park in TH Sky signage....tsk..tsk..

This park was previously known as Palace in the Sky, built by the former President Marcos to house President Ronald Regan and his first lady for their visit in the Philippines. Unfortunately, the palace was unfinished because the Marcos regime ended and this palace is still under construction that time. Today the formless structure of the palace remained, and does story tell a part of Philippine history making it a landmark and one of the best tourist spots in Tagaytay City.

the entrance....^_^

Part of the Tagaytay Ridge, starting from west is Mt. Batulao and in the east is Mount Sungay, currently known now as People's Park in the Sky, the highest point in the province of Cavite at 709MASL. This area serves the best spot to see Taal Lake and Taal Volcano and some other picturesque spots like Manila Bay & Laguna Lake. If you and your group were lucky to get a good weather in your visit, the view here will surely give you a breathtaking experience. But most of the time, do expect thick fogs that blocking the spectacular scenery.

the walkway up to the palace....

The park entrance fee is Php15 per person. Here's a guideline post for the tourists/visitors but sad to say this was not really happening if you will happened to be here....tsk..tsk...

Guidelines in the park

The building to the front of main park area is the Shrine of Our Lady, Mother of Fair Love. The shrine was inaugurated in February 2003 in honor of Mama Mary. the top of the shrine is accesible to visitors and is good vantage point for taking photos of Taal lake and the whole Tagaytay city as the background.

The shrine of our lady mother of fair love

The Lady Mother of Fair Love

the inauguration marker

the big sculpture at top..

This one big sculpture of our Lord Jesus Christ is one of the perfect spot to view the whole town of Tagaytay, but sad to adjacent to this spot this sculpture was not been treated good enough and maintained by the government, as you can see below i could not really recognized the name of the sculpture due to vandalism/graffiti around it, even the base of statue has different vandals/graffiti around it, list of names, date and time that they visited this park and this is one of the saddest part when i used to travel seeing this kind of distraction in of one historical landmark for our country make me sometimes shamed of, aside from seeing some tourist also reacting negative why the visitors have to do this kind of activities....

Sculptured by Marcial G. Bimalo

As you arrive, do expect a palace that looks like an abandoned building. I can imagine it appearing amazing if this was only finished. You can see a mini amphi theather, a huge pond that has a bridge up on it but now currently looks like a garden. There's a shrine and a constructed satellite communication tower right beside the shrine. A dilapilated 3 storey building that only the ground area was used by souvenir shops, where at least tourist and visitors could get some souvenir items like shirts, native delicacies, house decors and furniture and wood crafts. But at least this building could be used as a roof deck viewing where the tourist could enjoy the 360 scenery of Tagaytay.

one of the umbrella shed....

this was supposed to be pond...tsk..tsk...

unfinished mini amphi theater (?)

the ground floor: souvenir stores....^_^

But even though this park really need some major maintainance, i'm still happy to see this majestic and awesome view when your in this park. Where some of the tourist, family groups and even students touring around, enjoying the cool and fresh air, and as you roamed around the park you will be impressed with the wonderful scenery of Taal Volcano from a far. In a sunny day, you will  have the chance to see the Manila Bay and Laguna Lake. This is also a good point to see the neighboring towns of Tagaytay, which offers an uplifting view of greenery of the whole place.

The subdivision view in the palace...(?)

The Taal Volcano view in the Palace in the Sky

The road up to this People's Park

Here's is one of our photo souvenir at People's Park Mini Amphi-Theater....thanks...roger...^_^.

group photo opps while were on chilax mode...^_^

How to go People's Park Tagaytay:

If you're going to Tagaytay via public transportation, ask the driver to drop you off at your destination at Tagaytay Rotonda or 7-11 Convenience Store where you can ride jeepney or tricycle to your target place/spot in Tagaytay. The cheapest way is to ride public buses that can be found in Lawton area in Manila of Pasay/ Rotonda Terminal.

People's Park in the Sky can be reached by riding jeepney from Tagaytay Market. Be warned that riding jeepney going to People's Park during weekends and holidays is not easy were you have to compete with other people, just like when you're riding a jeepney in Metro Manila...^_^....Or you may opted to choose tricycle but this may cost much bigger in your transportation cost. People's Park jeepney's also passes Picnic Grove, one of the most famous park of Tagaytay.

Lakwatserong Tatay x-plored People's Park of Tagaytay....

All in all our visit to People's Park is fine, because i really love nature, seeing those majestic landscape when your in a highest place of Tagaytay is one remarkable experience. I do hope that park administration or government of Tagaytay would renovate People's Park before i will have the chance to go back again and hopefully together with my wife and kidz....^_^.