50. 18 PAMPANGA LANDMARKS AND MONUMENTS, 2nd of 2 parts

JOSE ABAD SANTOS MONUMENT

Location: Heritage District, Angeles City

Jose Abad Santos was the fifth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines and served as Acting President of the Philippines during World War II. Born in San Fernando (b. 19 Feb. 1886), he and his son Pepito were captured by the Japanese forces in Cebu, then taken to Malabang, Lanao where the jurist was ordered executed. He comforted his son with this noble thought: “"Do not cry, Pepito, show to these people that you are brave. It is an honor to die for one's country. Not everybody has that chance." The monument of Abad Santos stands in the heritage district of Angeles City, in front of the old municipio, now converted into a museum. It was inaugurated on 31 Oct. 1958, during the last term of Angeles Mayor, Manuel Abad Santos, a nephew of Pampanga’s most well-known hero. The plaque, courtesy the Pampanga Masonic Lodge , is inscribed with a re-stated version of his last words given to his son:  “He gave up life to consecrate an idea—that it is a rare opportunity not given to everyone to die for one’s country”.

BENEDICTO T. DAYRIT STATUE

Location: Town Plaza, Magalang

On 28 Dec. 1963, Mayor Benedicto Tapnio Dayrit (b. 21 Aug. 1932) was assassinated by the alleged men of Huk Cmdr. Sumulong during the Magalang centenary celebration at the town plaza. The well-loved mayor was gunned down as the “Mountain Side” evening ball was going on, the highlight of the 3-day festivities to mark the 100^th anniversary of the transfer of Magalang town proper.  It was speculated that the Mayor Dayrit was killed because he refused to tax the public school teachers.  In his honor, the Freedom Park and the emergency hospital were renamed after him. A statue in his likeness was also unveiled at the town square in memory of this devoted public servant—the first re-elected chief executive of Magalang,  and who was, as the plaque on the pedestal states, “a champion of the masses, defender of the poor, a devoted public servant beloved by his people.

GOV. PABLO ANGELES DAVID MONUMENT

Location: Bacolor, Pampanga

This monument was erected as a token of gratitude to the late Gov. Pablo Angeles David (1889-1965) who served the government in various official capacities. A distinguished son of Bacolor, Pablo Angeles David was born to Carlos de los Angeles  and Ceferina Mesina David on 17 August 1889. He passed the bar in 1910, became a juez de paz for Sta. Rita, Sasmuan and Bacolor  until he became Asst. Provincial Fiscal. Provincial Board Member (1916-1919). He would become the governor of the province from (1931-37), and after his term, served as Judge Court of First Instance (1939-1945). After the war, David was called on to become an acting Governor (1945-1947). He served as Senator of the Philippine Republic from 1948-1953. The monument, as the plaque inscriptions note, is a “symbol of love and affection of the people of Bacolor”, made possible by virtue of Resolution No. 44, Series of 1982 of the Municipal Council of Bacolor.

PRES. MANUEL ROXAS MONUMENT

Location: Clark Air Base

Manuel  Acuña Roxas (b. 1 Jan. 1892) was the fifth President of the Philippines who served from 1946 until his death in 1948. He briefly served as the third and last President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines . On the morning of 15 April 1948, at the Kelly Theater in Clark Air Base,  Roxas delivered a speech before the United States Thirteenth Air Force. He suddenly felt dizzy and was immediately brought to the residence of Major General E.L. Eubank. Shortly after, he suffered a fatal heart attack in the evening. Roxas' presidential term is thus the third shortest, lasting only one year, ten months, and 18 days. A plaque originally marked his place of death in Clark. On the occasion of the 56th death anniversary of the soldier-statesman, the Pres. Manuel A.Roxas Foundation (PMARF) and the National Historic Institute, in cooperation with the Clark Development Corp., inaugurated the Pres. Roxas memorial statue  on 15 April 2004.

KAMIKAZE MONUMENT

Location: Japanese War Memorial, Mabalacat

As World War II drew to a close with imminent American victory, Vice Admiral Takajiro Ohnisi arrived in Mabalacat on 19 Oct. 1944 and, meeting in the house of Marcos Santos,  planned organized suicide attack units composed of "Zero aircraft fighters" against the Americans.  Thus, the Kamikaze suicide mission was launched. In all, over 5,000 Japanese pilots died in these missions. In 1975, a Kamikaze Marker was erected in Barangay Cacutud through the initiative of local historian-writer-artist Daniel H. Dizon. Buried in lahar in 1991, it was replaced with a new peace memorial in October 2001. On October 24, 2004, a life-size fiberglass gold statue of an unnamed Kamikaze pilot was unveiled at the Japanese War Memorial, eliciting cries of outrage and disgust that saw print on national dailies. Local tourism official Guy Hilbero, the proponent of the controversial project, maintains that the statue “is not a memorial glorifying the Kamikaze pilots” but its aim is to promote peace “using the lessons of war”. Concerned individuals think otherwise. Dr. Benito Legarda Jr. of the National Historic Institute, calls it a “monument to servility” as “the purpose of the Kamikaze was precisely to prolong the war”.

MONUMENTO FERNANDINO

Location: Dolores, San Fernando

The grand and imposing thirty-foot bronze monument that welcomes everyone to the capital city is a masterpiece of the National Artist Abdulmari Imao, a Tausug who also was one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines in 1968.  “Monumento Fernandino” shows four allegorical figures  aspects of the city’s history—the penitent girl with a lantern, lady with a torch, lady making an offering and a boatman. When seen from a distance, the tableau seems like a plant growing on a barren landscape. San Fernando’s newest landmark was inaugurated in December 2004. 

CAPT. COLIN P. KELLY MEMORIAL SHRINE

Location: cor. Ninoy Aquino Ave. and Foxhound St., Clark Air Base

One of the historic buildings in Clark Air Base was the Kelly Theater, constructed in 1953, the only cinema house in Clark and the venue of many stage plays and cultural shows. There was an earlier Kelly Theater built earlier—in 1947—that was converted from an old gymnasium. Both theaters were names after B-17 pilot Capt. Colin Purdie Kelly Jr. (b. 11 July 1915/10 Dec. 1941)  who died in action against the Japanese forces in 1941. Kelly’s damaged plane, while returning from a bombing run, blew up near Clark Field after being engaged by enemy forces. Capt. Kelly was declared America’s first hero of WWII by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  The  memorial statue of the fallen captain was inaugurated on the theater grounds on 10 Dec. 2007—the 66^th year of his passing. It was made possible  though the auspices of the Mabalacat Tourism Office and the Air Force Wing of the Philippine Air Force. Lt. Clay Crawford, Chief of the U.S. Air Force Programs of JUSMAG, graced the significant event.

RUFINO CARDINAL SANTOS STATUE

Location: Guagua, Pampanga

Marking his 100th birth anniversary, the Center for Kapampangan Studies of Holy Angel University donated 6-foot statue of the late Rufino Cardinal Santos y Jiao at the Immaculate Parish in Guagua, Pampanga. The country’s first  Cardinal, born in brgy. Santo Niño in Guagua in 1908,  served as the Archbishop of Manila from 1953, before receiving the red hat from Pope John Paul XXIII on 31 March 1960. Cardinal Santos was known for founding Caritas Manila, the reconstruction of St. Paul Hospital (now the Cardinal Santos Medical Center) and in rebuilding the war-damaged Manila Cathedral in 1958.  He passed away on 3 Sep. 1973. The statue of the Cardinal Santos was made by Kapampangan artist,  Edillardo Paras. It rests  atop a seven-foot concrete pedestal outside the Rufino J. Cardinal Santos convention hall adjacent to the Parish Church. It was unveiled on 26 Aug. 2008 by Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

LUIS TARUC FREEDOM PARK MONUMENT

Location: Brgy. San Sebastian, San Luis

In July 2013, a public park in San Luis was named after the late Huk supremo,  Luis Taruc ((b. 21 Jun. 1913/4 May 2005), a noted leader of the Hukbalahap guerrilla group, a high-ranking official of the Socialist Party of the Philippines, military leader of the United Front, and an agrarian reform champion. The symbol of his advocacy finds full expression in the monument of a peasant family, celebrating their freedom from the bondage of the soil. The mother holds his baby aloft clutching a laurel crown of victory while the farmer-father holds the implement of his sweat and labors.

BONUS:

PHOTO COURTESY: Jason Paul Laxamana, The Prodigal
Mole Cricket blog

RIZAL "WATERWORLD" MONUMENT

Masantol, Pampanga

A solitary figure of the national hero appears to rise from the floodwaters that have covered the grounds of an elementary school where this solitary monument stands.

SOURCES & REFERENCES:

JOSE ABAD SANTOS. Photo: (old photo) Alex R. Castro, (new photo): Wikimedia commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:0434fjfJose_Abad_Santos_Monument_Pampangafvf_04.jpg

BENEDICTO T. DAYRIT STATUE. Photo: Magalang Heritage FB Group, c/o Doriz Manlapaz.

Special thanks to Louie Bartolo Lacson for additional info.

PABLO ANGELES DAVID. Photo: wikimapia: http://wikimapia.org/27899704/Senator-Pablo-Angeles-David-Monument

(old photo): Singsing Magazine, Center for Kapampangan Studies

MANUEL ROXAS MEMORIAL. Photo: http://www.clarksubicmarketing.com/clark_air_base_history.htm

KAMIKAZE MONUMENT.

Photo: Kamikaze Pilot Statue, www.pampangatalents.com

MONUMENTO FERNANDINO. Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Monumento_Fernandino#/media/File:9998Monumento_Fernandino_Pampangafvf_14.JPG

KELLY SHRINE

Photo: Clark Air Base History: http://www.clarksubicmarketing.com/clark_air_base_history.htm

CARDINAL SANTOS:

Photo: http://www.pampangatalents.com/04_Gallery/Pampanga/Villages/Guagua/slides/Guagua_Town_25.html

Source: Cardinal Santos Historical Marker Unveiled, http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/118778/cardinal-s-historical-marker-unveiled/story/

LUIS TARUC FREEDOM  PARK MONUMENT. Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Luis_M._Taruc_Freedom_Park_(San_Luis,_Pampanga)#/media/File:FvfSanLuisPampanga8891_20.JPG

Source: inquirer.net, http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/444233/guerrilla-leader-land-reform-champion-gets-place-of-honor