Thursday 23 January 2014

Naga honors Panganiban’s 150th birthday



 


Town hero … The Mambulao local government has marked the 150th birth anniversary of Dr Jose Maria Panganiban with a dedication ceremony at his monument in Naga City. The hero’s monument is located at the Naga Central School II in Naga City. Panganiban is known in history as “The Avenger of the Filipino Honor”. The town of Mambulao where he was born, was renamed after him on Dec 1, 1934 under Act 4155. On Thursday, Mayor Ricarte ‘Dong’ Padilla led a big group of delegation from the LGU composed of baranggay chairmen, municipal government staff and other officials. Picture shows the town hero’s monument in the background.  – Photo courtesy of MA LEDA P ALER/Facebook



By ALLAN CAMATA

NAGA CITY: While there is still time, the city government here made great efforts to commemorate the 150th year of  Filipino  propagandist  and Bicolano hero, Jose Maria Panganiban, whose birth anniversary falls on Feb 1, which by that time this year would have marked his 151st birthday.

Yesterday, Jan 23, the city honored the great man, with a parade that will start at 7am, wreath-laying, lecture and exhibit, and other activities, that will highlight his role as an “Avenger of Filipino Honor” who suffered and died for his country.

Accordingly, Naga City Mayor John G Bongat has issued Proclamation No. 2014-001 designating Jan 23 of each year as “Jose Maria Panganiban Commemoration Day in the City of Naga”.

The City Events, Protocol, and Public Information Office said honored guests from CamNorte where Panganiban was born, led by Gov Edgardo Tallado, Daet Mayor Tito Sarion, and Mayor Ricarte Padilla of Jose Panganiban town have been invited to join in the celebration.

CamNorte and CamSur were once a single province known then as Ambos Camarines with Nueva Caceres (now Naga City) as the provincial capital.

Mayor Bongat, Vice Mayor Nelson Legacion, DepEd Supt. Emma Cornejo, City Councilor Nathan Sergio, and other city officials will lead in the celebration and other related activities that will be attended by various civic organizations, schools and colleges, barangay officials, and the members of the Nueva Caceres Heritage Society and the Order of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines where Panganiban during the Spanish times was a member of this erstwhile secret organization.

The exhibit at the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary Recreational Hall opened at 10am with Rev Fr William Parde, rector of the seminary, welcoming the guests.

A lecture was held at 1.30pm yesterda at the seminary with local historian Danilo Gerona and officers from the National Historical Commission who gave talks about the honoree, his life and times.

This year’s anniversary showcased the Panganiban monument at the Naga Central School, where the program proper was held after the grand parade.

Erected by the school’s Parent Teachers Association in 1930, the monument is probably the first such monument ever built to honor the Bicol hero, Sergio said.

The monument at Jose Panganiban municipal hall, in the hero’s hometown, on the other hand, was erected by the National Historical Institute in 1985, or 55 years later when Naga City already had its monument dedicated to the Bicol hero. – Bicol Mail








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