War statue in Talisay defiled by vandals; LGU mulls repair

DOES Talisay City not know how to protect a national historical shrine?

One of the life-sized gun-toting monuments of an American soldier at the Liberation Park has been disfigured as it no longer carries the replica of a vintage rifle.

The rifle, which has been detached by vandals, is being kept at the nearby Talisay City gymnasium for safekeeping.

The steel railings that protect and separate the pedestal where these statues stand have deteriorated and become rusty due to lack of maintenance.

The City Government, which made more than 900 job orders, has not assigned guards or tanods to prevent vandals and bystanders from “desecrating” the monuments and maintain the park.

The Liberation Park has been declared a national historical shrine as it marks the spot where American forces made the historic beachhead landing on March 26, 1945.

The life-sized human figures, which cost taxpayers about P150,000 each, were installed in honor of Filipino and American soldiers who shed blood to liberate Cebu from the invading Japanese Army.

The fiber glass-made monuments are part of the P5-million expansion project of the Liberation Park in Talisay City.

Fix

With barely two months away before the annual observance of the American Landing on March 26, City Hall spokesman Arturo Bas said they City will have to allocate funds again to fix the monuments and rehabilitate the park.

“We will take this matter up during our regular meeting with the mayor and department heads on Monday,” Bas said.

It is not the first time the larger-than-life statues got disfigured.

In December 2009, vandals dismembered the statues’ hands and detached the figures’ firearms.

The City Government has already spent a big sum on the project as the first set of statues had to be removed as these were of sub-standard quality. The private contractor had to replace the original monuments because they became the butt of jokes among local residents because of their unusually slender bodies, long necks and large eyes.

The replacement came after the City celebrated the 2009 American Landing.

No less than Rep. Eduardo R. Gullas, former Talisay City mayor, described the first set of statues as inappropriate and below par.