Transfer of monuments

The City Government of San Juan would like to clarify the baseless and misleading claims regarding the transfer of monuments in Pinaglabanan Shrine (“Relocation of three historical monuments in San Juan slammed,” The STAR, May 9).

Firstly, a national shrine is a place or monument that is recognized and designated by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) as having historical significance and cultural value to the country. There are eight national shrines in Metro Manila, including Pinaglabanan Shrine.

The Pinaglabanan Shrine is a national shrine that commemorates the Battle of Pinaglabanan, which was fought on Aug. 30, 1896. The battle marked the start of the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonial rule. The shrine also serves as a memorial to the bravery and sacrifice of the Filipino soldiers who fought for their freedom, led by Gat. Andres Bonifacio and Gen. Emilio Jacinto. The names of our fallen heroes are engraved on the hollowed walls of the shrine.

Regarding the transfer of monuments in Pinaglabanan Shrine, it should be noted that the San Juan City Council initiated the transfer of the monuments from their original locations, the Plaza ng Masa for Jose Rizal and along the streets of Pinaglabanan Shrine for Bonifacio and Jacinto, to the Pinaglabanan Shrine itself. This was done through two city ordinances: CO 52, Series of 2021, which relocates the Dr. Jose Rizal monument situated at the Plaza ng Masa to the Pinaglabanan Shrine, and CO 55, Series of 2021, which relocates the monuments of Gat. Andres Bonifacio situated at the corner of Pinaglabanan and Valenzuela Streets and Gen. Emilio Jacinto at the corner of Pinaglabanan and P. Narciso Streets to the Pinaglabanan Shrine.

Both ordinances were approved unanimously by the City Council, including the minority councilors, and were approved on Sept. 20, 2021, and Oct. 4, 2021, respectively.

The decision to transfer the monuments was intended to pay proper respect and reverence to the heroes who fought in the Battle of Pinaglabanan. With the relocation of the monuments of Rizal, Bonifacio and Jacinto to the Pinaglabanan Shrine, visitors can now witness and better appreciate a trio of Eduardo Castrillo’s masterpieces which, when combined with the Castrillo “Spirit of Pinaglabanan” sculpture at the inner portion of the Pinaglabanan Shrine, creates a remarkable ensemble of four Castrillo sculptures that welcomes visitors to the shrine.

Other safety reasons that prompted the transfer of the monuments was the occurrence of several vehicular accidents in the intersections where the monuments of Bonifacio and Jacinto were located.

It is also important to note that the transfer of the monuments was approved by the NHCP, with the locations of the monuments carefully studied by the combined groups of the Local Government Unit and the NHCP and proposed by the group to the NHCP for approval. The NHCP gave approval of the proposed locations on Sept. 21, 2021, signed by then officer-in-charge of the Office of Executive Director Carminda R. Arevalo, upon earlier coordination with the NHCP.

Furthermore, the LGU and the NHCP executed an agreement on the transfer of the monuments to Pinaglabanan Shrine. Under the agreement, the monuments will be maintained by the restoration experts of the NHCP for their better care.

We would like to emphasize that all three monuments are in strategic locations for visitors of Pinaglabanan Shrine to properly appreciate the artistic representations of our national heroes. With the pandemic restrictions lifted, more visitors have been recorded in Pinaglabanan Shrine, with an average of 3,000 visitors per day. Additionally, since opening the El Deposito Underground Reservoir, more tours have been accepted in the shrine, with over 100 buses full of students visiting during peak days.

The City Government of San Juan remains committed to give proper reverence and recognition to our heroes and as such, shall ensure that the Pinaglabanan Shrine will be among the Philippines’ top historical destinations. – Francis Zamora, Mayor, City of San Juan