What to See in Parañaque - Top Sights and Attractions

Catholic church in Parañaque, Philippines. The National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, also known as the Redemptorist Church and colloquially as Baclaran Church, is a prominent national shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help along Roxas Boulevard in Baclaran, Parañaque, a city in the southern part of Metro Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

The church enshrines the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, and is one of the largest Marian churches in the Philippines. Devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help is popular amongst Filipino Catholics, and gave rise to the throngs of devotees who flood the church every Wednesday to attend Mass and pray the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help. In Manila, Wednesdays are popularly called "Baclaran Day" due to congested roads brought on by pilgrims to the shrine.

The original icon enshrined above the main altar came from Germany, and passed through Ireland and Australia before priests of the Redemptorist Order brought it to what was then the United States territory of the Philippine Islands in 1906. It bears the Papal arms in the back paneling.

Since the Feast of the Immaculate Conception 1958, the shrine has been authorised by the Holy See to remain open 24 hours a day throughout the entire year. The shrine itself was blessed by Pope John Paul II during his first Apostolic Visit to Metro Manila in 1981. The shrine complex serves as the headquarters of the Manila Vice Province of Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, while the Cebu Province of the Redemptorists is headquartered in Cebu. The shrine's current rector is the Rev. Fr. Victorino Cueto, C.Ss.R. The shrine celebrates its annual feast day on 27 June, the liturgical feast day of the icon.^[2]

Road in the Philippines. Macapagal Boulevard, also known as President Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard and Macapagal Avenue, is an eight-lane road in Metro Manila, Philippines, running parallel to Roxas Boulevard from the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Pasay to Asia World City in Parañaque. It was named after former President of the Philippines Diosdado Macapagal. This road has three major bridges, crossing the 'channels', of which the largest is the Libertad Channel, where the Libertad Water Pumping Station is situated. Thanks to intersection reconfiguring around EDSA to relieve traffic, Macapagal Boulevard is now often used to access the SM Mall of Asia to the north and Cavite to the south. It is also the main major road in Metro Manila's reclamation area called Bay City.^[7]

Route in Parañaque, Philippines. Doña Soledad Avenue is an east-west route in the southern Metro Manila city of Parañaque, Philippines. It traverses barangays Don Bosco and Moonwalk, both located in northeastern Parañaque. It runs from its intersection with E. Rodriguez Avenue in the eastern edge of Moonwalk. The road continues to the east, entering Better Living Subdivision. It then curves north for a few blocks, then turns east and heads for its terminus at Bicutan Exit of South Luzon Expressway and Skyway. East of SLEX, the avenue continues as East Service Road into San Martin de Porres and Lower Bicutan in Taguig, where it then continues as General Santos Avenue.

It was intended to be a private road meant for Better Living Subdivision residents, but was opened to outsiders because of the heavy traffic when Dr. A. Santos Avenue (Sucat Road) was expanded. This caused poor road conditions on the private road and it is also plagued with heavy traffic due to non-residents passing by. Better Living residents are hoping to have Doña Soledad Avenue be a private road again in the upcoming years with limited (through subdivision sticker) or tolled access to finance extensive rehabilitation.^[9]