Will the Filipino Nation Meekly Surrender Its Honor and Dignity at Monumento? Will Our Presidentiables Ignore the Issue of Cultural Preservation?

10 June 2009

While everybody is preoccupied with the Hayden Kho sex video scandal and now the nationwide effort to oppose Con-Ass, I appeal to all fellow Filipinos, wherever you may be to rise as one and defend the honor and dignity  of our nation at the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan City, also known simply as the Monumento.  

What is happening at the Monumento is a legacy worse than Con-Ass because while Con-Ass threatens to destroy the political fabric of our nation, the desecration at Monumento will forever tarnish our dignity and honor as a nation. 

This is how the Monumento looked in the 1980s

This is how the Monumento looks today ... 

and like this and much worse is coming ...

unless we wake up and fight for our country's honor

The desecration that is happening  at the Monumento is unprecedented in our history.  Not even the Japanese who occupied the Philippines from 1941 to 1945 dared to  do what is happening now at the Monumento — the imprisoning and desecration of the greatest monument to valor and to love of freedom on earth! 

To make the task of explaining easier, I'll attach at the end of this post an earlier article I posted entitled, May 10, 2009 is the 112th Death Anniversary of Gat Andres Bonifacio, National Hero of the Philippines — Does the National Historical Institute Care?

The short video clip below which I took yesterday, June 9, will give you an idea of what I'm talking about. It shows the Monumento Circle and the area where the northern edge of the LRT will reportedly connect physically with MRT3.  The video clip shows a huge crane and a heavy digging equipment preparing the hole which will serve as one of the foundations of the physical interconnection.  This is what is known as "closing the LRT-MRT3 loop" project.   

I have posted the much longer video clip below at youtube wherein I made an appeal for national unity in defense of the Monumento (I would like to beg your kind indulgence if there are pauses in this video; this is probably due to the annotations I made earlier, then deleted, but still appears to affect the playing of the video):  

What can each of us do?

For a start, I'll send a copy of this post to the Office of Senator Loren Legarda and Senator Mar Roxas.  Senator Loren Legarda gave emphasis to cultural preservation during her appearance at the 2nd ANC Leadership Forum on June 5 at the UP School of Economics Auditorium.  I'd like to see how Senator Legarda matches her public stand with her firm public pronouncements.

Senator Mar Roxas is the Chairman of the Senate Committtee on Education, Arts and Culture. Much earlier, his office, in response to my appeal, wrote letters to the offices of Mayor Enrico "Recom" Echiverri of Caloocan City, the LRTA and the MMDA.  I am reproducing here a copy of my post dated March 6, 2009 on that issue:

Friday, March 6, 2009

The Office of Sen. Mar Roxas Shows Concern For the Monumento

5 March 2009

This morning, I was pleasantly surprised to notice an email in my inbox whose subject reads: "re: Feedback from Sen. MAR."  The short message reads:

"Hi. Please see attached files.  We would appreciate confirmation of receipt."  

The attached files consist of three (3) letters sent in PDF format.  Clicking on any of the images below produces an enlarged copy:

Letter to LRTA Administrator, Melquiades A. Robles:

Letter to Caloocan City Mayor Enrico "RECOM" Echiverri

Letter to MMDA Gen. Mgr. Roberto Nacianceno

For expressing interest and concern in the ongoing desecration of the Bonifacio Monument, and for sending referral letters to responsible officials of our government encouraging them to promptly respond directly to me, copy furnished his office, thanks to Sen. Mar Roxas!  Thanks as well to Atty. Blas James G. Viterbo, Sen. Roxas' Chief of Staff, who actually signed the three referral letters in behalf of the Senator.

I'd say a good job, so far, from the office of Mr. Palengke.    

This is my start of earlier post dated May 10, 2009:

Sunday, May 10, 2009

May 10, 2009 is the 112th Death Anniversary of Gat Andres Bonifacio, National Hero of the Philippines — Does the National Historical Institute Care?

10 May 2009

Today, May 10, 2009 is the 112th death anniversary of Andres Bonifacio.  

The National Historical Institute (NHI) is the government agency tasked with protecting our cultural heritage and that includes national monuments such as the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan City, also fondly known simply as the Monumento.

This is the link to the full NHI Guidelines on Monuments Honoring National Heroes:

I will quote here excerpts from the NHI's guidelines and show pictures of the Monumento for us to find out whether the NHI follows its own guidelines:

GUIDELINE

Monuments and memorials must, therefore, be treated as sacred3 or hallowed grounds andaccorded with the same full reverence as we have for the Philippine Flag. Any form of desecration against the monument, such as squatting, graffiti andimproper advertising commercialism shall not be allowed. (NHI Guidelines, Section 1, Definitions. Paragraph 4)

REALITY

GUIDELINE

Maintain a simple and unobstructed landscape development. Commercial billboards should not proliferate in a town center where a dominant monument is situated. (NHI Guidelines, Section 2, Definitions. Paragraph 4.2)

REALITY

This is what the National Historical Institute (NHI) website has to say about May 10:

If we zoom in on the relevant portion, this is what the NHI is saying:

That's right!  "10 May ... No Today in History events were found."

After coming out in force against performing artist Martin Nievera for alleged improper rendition of the national anthem before the Manny Pacquiao - Ricky Hatton boxing championship bout in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, what should officials of  the National Historical Institute (NHI) do regarding the Monumento? What is in their hearts and minds right now?  In fairness to Martin Nievera, I don't think anyone can say that he did not give his heart out in singing Lupang Hinirang in the Pacquiao-Hatton bout.

I believe NHI Chairman Ambeth Ocampo and the other Commissioners of the NHI owe all Filipinos an explanation as to why they are allowing the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan City to be treated in this manner.

Perhaps the question equally important is: What are we, who call ourselves Filipinos, going to do about this?  Close our eyes and do nothing and be proud about it?!  

This is the end of my earlier post dated May 10, 2009: