P-Noy to lead simple Independence Day rites at Barasoain church

MALOLOS CITY, Philippines  – A simple and solemn celebration of the 114th Independence Day at the historic Barasoain church here on Tuesday will be led by President Aquino.

He will be accompanied by members of the Cabinet, the diplomatic corps and candidates of the 2012 Miss World Philippines.

The celebration will also be marked with social services from national and local government.

“It will be very simple, solemn but dignified,” said Maris Diokno, chair of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

In a press conference held here on Friday, Diokno said that right after the arrival honors for the President at 8 a.m., an ecumenical prayer will be led by leaders from the Jesus Is Lord Church, Iglesia ni Cristo, United Methodist Church, the Muslim community, and the Catholic Church.

She said that Aquino is expected to a deliver a message focusing on the theme “Kalayaan: Pananagutan ng Bayan para sa Tuwid na Daan.”

But some officials said that the President might also include gains of his recent visits to the United Kingdom and the United States.

After his message, Dikono said the President will rush back to Malacanang for the traditional vin d’ honneur, a cocktail reception for the members of the diplomatic corps.

Traditionally, Diokno said the President leads the celebration of Independence Day at the Luneta, while the Vice President goes to Kawit, Cavite and the Senate President or the Speaker of the House in Barasoian.

However, this has changed since former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo led the same celebration in Cebu years ago, while President Aquino went to Cavite last year.

Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado said the Independence Day celebration at Barasoain is like a homecoming for the President.

“It’s about time, and it’s a homecoming for the President,” Alvarado said, noting that Aquino’s ancestors started in Malolos City before moving to Tarlac in the late 1800s.

He also said that the President’s family still maintains an ancestral house just a few meters away from the Barasoain Church.

According to Alvarado, the celebration on Tuesday would be a big boost to the province’s tourism, an opportunity to showcase the province’s colorful history.

Alvarado noted that without the Malolos Congress that convened at Barasoain Church on Sept. 15, 1898, General Emilio Aguinaldo’s Independence Day celebration at Kawit, Cavite would be meaningless.

“The Malolos Congress also gave birth to our first Constitution and the first democratic republic in Asia and Africa,” he said.

Aside from the morning ceremonies, the provincial and national governments have also prepared a medical, dental mission and a job fair at the churchyard of Barasoain.

Jocelyn Gomez, head of the Provincial Public Health Office, said over 200 medical staff from different hospitals in Bulacan and nearby provinces will facilitate the medical and dental mission for over 1,000 patients.

Leilanie Reynoso, the provincial director of the Department of Labor and Employment, said 25 local companies have confirmed to offer more than 2,000 employment opportunities at the job fair.

Companies offering overseas employment will also join the job fair, Reynoso said.

Meanwhile, the Bulacan police will be on full alert status starting Monday in preparation for the 114th Independence Day celebration on Tuesday.

Bulacan Provincial Police Office deputy provincial director for operations Supt. Adriano Enong said about 1,000 police officers and soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will be deployed in the city, while 450 police officers will be deployed for traffic and crowd control.

“We will deploy police in every corner for security and traffic directions,” Enong said in Filipino.

At least 150 members of the AFP Headquarters Batallion will secure President Aquino’s arrival along with 200 members of the Presidential Security Group.

Enong said 100 soldiers from the Army’s 56th Infantry Battalion would be deployed in key areas to secure the church’s outer perimeter.

He also said that fire trucks and ambulances will be on standby near Barasoain Church and other strategic areas and it will be managed by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office.

Enong also announced that on Tuesday, starting at 6 a.m., the stretch of MacArthur Highway from Tabang in Guiguinto town to Calumpit town would be closed to heavy vehicles except for buses.

Paseo del Congreso, the main road that leads to Barasoain Church from the MacArthur Highway, will also be closed for all vehicles from 6 a.m. to about 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

Enong advised drivers of heavy vehicles like cargo trucks to make a detour on the North Luzon Expressway to avoid the MacArthur Highway on Tuesday morning.

He explained that prohibition of cargo trucks was meant to decongest traffic at the Malolos intersection because the Malolos flyover is still under repair and closed to large vehicles.

The flyover was closed to all vehicles last May 19 but was opened to light vehicles last week.