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Thursday, June 08, 2006
City to mark 108th year of Philippine Independence
By Dante M. Fabian
ANGELES CITY -- The city's role in the Philippines' struggle for freedom against Spanish colonizers will be remembered on Independence Day as officials prepare a reenactment of the declaration of Philippine Independence at its actual venue -- the Pamintuan Mansion along Miranda Street in Barangay Sto. Rosario here.
Preparations for the reenactment are now being finalized and coordinated by the Angeles City Tourism Office (Acto).
Acto head Ethel Galang said the event on June 12 will once again recreate the shining moment in Philippine history when Angeles was in the center of the struggle of the revolution.
Galang said that actors from the local theater group, The Academy's Theater Ensemble (Tate) of The Academy of Performing Arts, will compose the cast who will perform and once again recreate the first and only celebration of the declaration of Philippine Independence.
"The Pamintuan Mansion, where the Central Bank Clearing House is located, is the very place where the first and only celebration actually happened. The mansion became the general headquarters of Filipino Revolutionary Forces, and the seat of the first but short-lived Philippine Republic," Galang said.
"The historical mansion was recently given its due recognition by the National Historical Institute (NHI), when its temporary stone marker was placed," she added.
The characters include Crestly Tapnio as Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, Christian Lacson as Luciano San Miguel, John Carlo Santos as Manuel Quezon, Jeffrey Nunag as Jose Luna, Dennis Pineda as Joaquin Luna, Raco Paolo del Rosario as Tiburcio Hilario, Oliver Canapi as Gregorio del Pilar, Augiever Dizon as Padre Vicente Lapuz, Eustace MIclat as Gen. Tomas Mascardo, and Arian Tuazon as Gen. Manuel Tinio. The original script of the 30-minute presentation was written by Jose Paras based on the historical researches of Abraham Tayag.
In 1999, a year after the country's Centennial Celebrations, the City Government of Angeles led by Mayor Carmelo Lazatin, in cooperation with the Kuliat Foundation Inc., organized the reenactment of the first and only celebration of the 100th anniversary of the declaration of Philippine Independence, held at the historic Pamintuan Mansion.
From the streets below, spectators watched as Philippine heroes, Emilio Aguinaldo, Gregorio del Pilar, et al, were momentarily brought back to life by actors who were dressed in turn-of-the-century rayadillos, as they performed and relived the events by the wide windows of the mansion.
In 2004, in an effort to create public awareness and educate the community of the significance of the historical landmark, the City Government restaged the reenactment; it has since been adapted as the city's Independence Day Celebration every year.
At 7 p.m. of the same day, an original Angeleno play, "Ang Lihim" will be staged at The Academy of Performing Arts garden. "Ang Lihim" is about the fictional wealthy but highly dysfunctional dela Torre family of turn-of-the-century Angeles. Its plot revolves around real-life happenings around Angeles, set at the height of the revolutionary movement against the Spaniards. Actual historical facts were written into the script, which is an original of Isabelo "Bicong del Rosario".
For further details, contact the Angeles City Tourism Office at 322-0507, or the Museo ning Angeles at 322-8392, or the Academy of Performing Arts at 888-1508.
(June 8, 2006 issue)
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