Little Manila Park turns idle lot into a community garden

Under sunny skies, community leaders, residents, performers, and supporters gathered on June 13 to celebrate the grand opening of Little Manila Park, a volunteer-built greenspace that transformed an idle forested block beside the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway into a welcoming public oasis for the neighborhood.

The opening marked the culmination of years of planning, fundraising, and volunteerism driven by the Filipino tradition of Bayanihan, or communal unity and cooperation. Located at the corner of 70th Street and 41st Avenue in the heart of Woodside’s Little Manila district, the park is envisioned as a gathering place that honors Filipino American heritage while serving the broader multicultural community of Queens.

The celebration began with the national anthems of the Philippines and the United States, followed by an invocation led by Pastor Joseph Montevani of the Woodside Neighborhood Association. It continued with cultural performances by the Cordillera Cultural Ensemble, Che Che Torres, Kinding Sindaw, and other artists, showcasing the rich diversity of Philippine traditions.

Following the performances, guests reflected on the significance of the new park before joining in a ceremonial ribbon-cutting. They shared a communal lunch featuring food from local Little Manila businesses, reinforcing the event’s “neighborhood spirit and support for small enterprises,” according to the organizers. The festivities continued throughout the afternoon with a special film screening provided by the ABS-CBN Foundation.

“Little Manila Park stands as a testament to grassroots organizing,” said founder and president of Little Manila Park Noel Gamboa, an architect who saw the park’s possibilities as a neighborhood gathering place.

Built and maintained entirely by volunteers and funded through community donations, the project gained momentum after organizers secured a permit from the New York State Department of Transportation in December 2024. The unveiling of the Little Manila signage on June 14, 2025, further established the district’s identity and paved the way for the park’s opening a year later.

The park carries a deeper meaning beyond recreation. Organizers dedicated the space to COVID-19 heroes, many of whom were Filipino American healthcare workers who served on the front lines during the pandemic. The site sits within an area that was among New York City’s hardest-hit communities during the global health crisis.

“It’s a group effort, the Bayanihan spirit that really made this place happen,” said  Gamboa.

New York State Assemblymember Steven Raga praised the project as a milestone not only for Filipino Americans but for the entire neighborhood.

“Thank you for your leadership Noel and all of our community leaders like Loida Nicolas Lewis and everyone who has helped us along the way,” Raga said. “This is a historic day not just for the Filipino community but for this very diverse immigrant community here in Woodside. We have a place to call our own, we have a place to relax, we have a place to gather, and that is what our community is about.”

Representing Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Laura Shepard emphasized the environmental and public health benefits of the project.

“This green space was badly needed,” Shepard said. “This community suffers from the impact of living next to the BQE — poor air quality, noise, congestion, and higher rates of traffic violations on local adjacent streets. The next local green spaces are more than a 10-minute walk away.”

She noted that the park helps address longstanding inequities by bringing a pocket park to a neighborhood often described as “park-starved.”

“Little Manila Park will help improve quality of life by adding a pocket park and creating a space for cultural programming to proudly showcase the identity of Little Manila,” she said. “The Filipino community is an integral part of the tapestry here in Queens.”

Philippine Consul General Senen Mangalile described the opening as the realization of a shared dream and encouraged community members to help preserve the space for future generations.

“I’m very excited that this little dream is now Little Manila Park,” Mangalile said. “We are in the borough of Spider-Man. With big gifts like this come great responsibility. We have to work together to sustain this, not just for this generation, but for future generations to have a place to call their own.”

For many attendees, the park represents both cultural pride and a sense of belonging.

“When the gongs echo through Little Manila Park, the mountains of the Cordillera find a home in Queens,” said Jane Gertrude, a registered nurse, indigenous dancer, and singer with the Cordillera Cultural Ensemble.

The park is scheduled to open to the public on Saturdays from June through October, free of charge.

To expand operating hours and programming opportunities, organizers are actively recruiting volunteer “park guardians” to help maintain and supervise the site.

Photos courtesy of Rocco Cetera, Michael Magsombol, and Felix Manuel/Marivir Montebon