OUR column today commemorates events particularly for this month of August.
As featured in some media, we had the iconic August 15, last Monday, a special feast day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated by the Christian world. This was followed by the historic secular event of August 19 as the birthday anniversary of one of the most notable Presidents of the Philippines, Manuel L. Quezon, which bridged the historic Philippine Commonwealth starting November 15, 1935 and interrupted by the tragic WWII in 1942, followed by the death of President Quezon in the U.S. in 1944, and the succession of President Sergio Osmeña, and the raising of the Philippine flag of Independence granted by the United States of America on July 4, 1946. The then elected President, Manuel Roxas, assumed office in 1947.
Significantly, August 21 is now also remembered as Ninoy Aquino Day, when the former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. set aside the fears expressed by his people and courageously decided to come home from his exile in the U.S. and historically earned his heroic place in history with his assassination upon arrival at the Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983. The logical following event for our country is August 28 as the National Heroes Day.
For Negros Occidental in particular, a notable historic event is recalled on August 30, 1945 with the surrender of the Japanese forces to the allied command in Barrio Sta. Rosa, Murcia thus ending WWII in our province.
Today, we also take the opportunity with the Negros Occidental Historical Council Inc. (NOHCI) Board of Directors who generously facilitated three educational institutions presentation of the “Overview of the History of Negros Occidental” on August 18 and 19, 2017. More specifically, the first presentation was the symposium organized by the Carlos Hilado Memorial State College (CHMSC), now a university, at its main campus in Talisay City on August 18. The next scheduled convocation of the NOHCI team was at the University of St. La Salle (USLS) Integrated School with the faculty as the main participants on the morning of August 19, 2017. The third schedule was on the whole afternoon on August 19, with the teachers of the Department of Education - Division of Bacolod.
The NOHCI sincerely acknowledged with thanks the generous facilitations of CHMSC Director for External Affairs, Mr. Rhoderic Samonte, the USLS Principal Ms. Doris Dumaran, and the DepEd Social Science Supervisor, Ms. Pinky Guanzon. This series of historical symposia will be continuing for other schools in the coming months.