Wanted: More historical markers for Cebu

This 6:00 p.m., Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano and Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña will grace the “switch-on ceremony” of the Heritage of Cebu Monument Lights at the Parian Park in downtown Cebu’s City. However before this event happens, a “Pasiyo sa Kabilin Tour” will start at the Fort San Pedro at 4:00 p.m. and end in the Parian monument.

I have always said that there was something missing in the Heritage monument when it was inaugurated years ago … and it was Ms. Joy Uy (she lives in Parian on the street where I used to live) who told me that it had no lights to light up the monument at night. Hence, during one of the Taytayan group’s activities, Ms. Uy asked Sec. Durano if it was possible for the Department of Tourism (DOT) to set up a fund for the lighting and thus in coordination with the City of Cebu, specifically Vice-Mayor Michael Rama’s office, this project has now become a reality.

This particular project is a clear example that private persons can make government move in order to beautify their respective barangays. Parian is especially blessed because of the Heritage monument there … but it had begun to deteriorate. Being a member of Taytayan, I knew that this was supposed to be a spruce up job for the monument, but artist Ed Castrillo wanted to do it himself (so he could charge the government with more money) and demanded that no one touch his monument. Hence this project was reduced to beautifying and lighting it.

I have always been critical of Ed Castrillo as then Mayor Alvin Garcia commissioned him only because he did the EDSA monument. Why didn’t he get a homegrown sculptor? But lo and behold, this Manila-based artist failed to include the famous “Tres de Abril” uprising into this monument out of his ignorance of Cebu history. When I told him this … he merely shrug me off saying that this was not yet finished. In short it can be added on later. That of course meant additional work and cost to this multi-million monument.

Meanwhile, the City of Cebu has to keep and preserve this monument, as it should be a major tourism destination for Cebu City. Then there is also the Fort San Pedro that needs to be revitalized most especially the Plaza Independencia, the original construction of which was supervised by my grandfather Don Jose Avila. This is why we still have the parabolic black and white photos of the newly-completed Plaza Independencia in the early 1900s. 

What Cebu City needs today are more historical monuments. For instance, we can have a marker at the AsiaTown I.T. Park to mark the runway of the old Lahug airport where Japanese Zero Kamikaze airplanes flew to attack the American invasion force in Red Beach, Tacloban, Leyte on Oct. 19, 1944. We can also state that Pres. Ramon Magsaysay flew from the Lahug airport on his ill-fated flight on March 17, 1957 but crashed in Mt. Manunggal.

Today we still have to come up with a monument depicting the Tres de Abril uprising because Cebu City was the only major city that the Katipuneros captured from the Spaniards for four days. Then we direly need a monument for the Cebuano Guerrillas under Col. James Cushing who made World War II history for having captured the highest-ranking Japanese Naval officer in the Pacific War. The City of Cebu should commission this monument while a few of these guerrillas, like my uncle Col. Manuel F. Segura (ret), author of so many World War II books on Cebu, is still alive.

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While government has a lot of shortcomings, the private sector moves on quietly helping those who have less in life. I was quite touched to hear that the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation (RAFI) was supporting the Badjao pre-school education in Sitio Puntod, Alaska, Mambaling where the Badjao settlement is located. Badjaos are those sea people who meet many of our domestic shipping when they arrive in the port of Cebu. Many passengers have fun throwing coins down at their bancas, to help these poor kids.

But RAFI went the extra-mile by giving a five-year P2 million fund for the Nagle Child Care and Learning Center (NNCCLC) where some 19 children will now move to elementary school. This Early Child Development program is implemented by the Presentation Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary (PSBVM) who are making sure that the Badjaos that enroll will no longer drop out, like in the past when almost 100 percent dropped out in the first year of school.

I just hope that the Department of Education (DepEd) has seen what RAFI is doing so it can come up with a proper budget for the education of the Badjaos. If and when they are able to do that, passengers in our inter-island ships would no longer see Badjaos greeting them as they arrive in port, and a begging Badjao would become a thing of the past. Thanks to RAFI!