The Bataan Technology Park, a 365 hectare of land along the rolling hills of the Morong Special Economic Zone in Bataan overlooking the South China Sea , is the former site of the United Nations Philippine Refugee Processing Center. It is now conceived to become the growth nucleus for knowledge-based industries that will propel the Philippines towards being the next hub for high technology innovation and applications development, especially in information technology (IT) and its related industries, in the Asia-Pacific Rim.

Aside from the proposed Economic Zone to be developed on this area, there are existing Dormitories and accommodation facilities which are also ideal for conferences and team buildings. The shrines and monuments left here served as witness of man’s courage to endure the triumph even in very vile conditions.

HISTORICAL LEGACY AND PLACES OF INTEREST AT BTPI

FREEDOM PLAZA

The landscaped park at the heart of what used to be the administration complex of the Philippine Refugee Processing Center, Freedom Plaza was one of the first sights that greeted the thousands of refugees from Indochina who were fortunate enough to arrive in Bataan. For those Indochinese refugees and asylum-seekers, this airy and open plaza became a symbol of safety, freedom and a new beginning. Freedom Plaza now adorns the administration center of the Bataan Technology Park.

INDOCHINESE MAP

Showing the map of Indochina, this stone marker was put by the refugees who stayed at the Philippine Refuge Processing Center to remind them of their home countries. From 1980 to 1994, the PRPC hosted more than 350,000 refugees from the Indochinese peninsula- Vietnamese, Laotians and Khmers from Cambodia. Over its 14-year existence, the Center was home to some 18,000 refugees and asylum seekers at any one time.

BUDDHIST TEMPLE I

This huge image of the Buddha is located in one of two Buddhist temples built in the Philippine Refugee Processing Center. It was hand-made by the refugees who lived in the Center. Those refugees came from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, countries where Buddhism was – and still is – the main religion. In Vietnam today, for instance, over 70% of the population are either Buddhist or strongly influenced by Buddhist practices.

BUDDHIST TEMPLE II

These two icons mark another Buddhist temple, an open-air haven which the Vietnamese refugees who stayed at the Philippine Refugee Processing Center built on a quiet spot overlooking a river. Guarded over by these imposing Buddhist images – a meditating Buddha and a female Bodhisattva or saint – this temple must have been a favorite “meditation corner” for many of the Vietnamese, Lao and Khmer refuges who used to call this area of Bataan home.

THAT LUANG

Refugees who came from Laos, now known as the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, built this monument, one of the most ornate landmarks in the Philippine Refugee Processing Center. It was built in honor of Luang Prabang, the ancient capital city of the Lan Xan kingdom. According to Laotian legend, Luang Prabang was first named Muang Swa after King Khun Xua who ruled Laos in the eight century. It was later renamed Xieng Dong and Xieng Thong. During the reign of King Pa Ngum, from 1354 to 1372, the two cities of Xieng Dong and Xieng Thong were united and given the new name Luang Prabang after thr gold image of Buddha, the Phrabang.

REFUGEE BOAT

Many of the refugees who came to the Philippine Refugee Processing Center arrived in the Philippine aboard rickety, wooden boats. Desperate to escape political, social and economic persecution in their home countries, these refugees dared to cross dangerous seas aboard these flimsy vessels – often with nothing more than the shirts on their backs – in search for a better life and a brighter future for themselves and their children.

BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

An image of the Blessed Mother is one of the surprises that await visitors to what was once the Philippine Refugee Processing Center. Although the PRPC, over its 14 – year existence, hosted over 350,000 Indochinese refugees, most of whom were Buddhist, it was also home to a few Roman Catholic Vietnamese refugees. These Vietnamese Catholics, who represented the minority, both at the Center and in their home country, built this monument to thank the Blessed Mother for their safe arrival in the country.

KHMER MONUMENT

Built by the Khmer refugees from Cambodia, this monument is reminiscent of the ancient temples that dot the Cambodian landscape, particularly in Angkor. Thse temples, built from 879 to 1191 AD, when the Khmer civilization was at the height of its development, represent some of mankind’s most astonishing and enduring architectural achievements.

BAYON MONUMENT

Built by Khmer refugees, this monument is a replica of the Bayon, the state temple built by King Jayavarman VII at the Angkor Thom. Copying the temples at the Bayon, this monument shows four faces in the four cardinal points of the compass.

VIETNAMESE MONUMENT

Built by the Vietnamese refugees who came to the Philippine Refugee Processing Center, this monument salutes the best of Vietnam’s culture. It showcases the influence of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism, the three great religions that helped shape Vietnames culture. At the same time, it symbolizes the strong sense of community that has allowed the Vietnamese to resist being assimilated by foreign cultures.

ANGKOR WAT

rected by the Khmer refugees who came to the Philippine Refugee Processing Center, this monument was inspired by the magnificent temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. It is a humble representation of the more than 100 temples that still stand at this ancient Cambodian city, the surviving remains of a grand metropolis from where god-like kings once ruled Southeast Asia.