THE PLIGHT OF THE PLAZA

Precious little remains of what once was the Palåsyo, the Governor's Palace and its adjunct structures which border the Plaza de España.  Built by the Spaniards, it was used even by the American governors and then by the Japanese till most of it was destroyed by American bombardment in 1944.

The data all show that our tourists are interested in our history and culture and express disappointment how little they see of these things when they are here.  The Plaza is always on our maps, and tourists visit it, but what the tourist maps don't show is how embarrassingly and deplorably abandoned and dilapidated the site is.  What a shock it all must be to them!

But what a shame it should be to all of us, as the Palåsyo and Plaza are ours - no one else's.  Where's the pride?  And the sense of responsibility?  The Palåsyo and Plaza sit on public land and belong to the government, so our government has first responsibility for them.  But the solution is not just with the politicians, but also with businesses, especially those connected with tourism and who benefit from it, civic organizations and private citizens.  If our political leaders take the initiative and rally these separate groups of people, we can do something about this.