IMMORTALIZED A monument in honor of slain former Antique Gov. Evelio Javier stands at the public plaza named after him in the capital town of San Jose. Javier, who fought the Marcos dictatorship, was murdered in the same spot at the town center on Feb. 11, 1986. —NESTOR P. BURGOS JR.
ILOILO CITY — An aborted plan to hold a campaign rally for the son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos on the spot where former Gov. Evelio Javier of Antique province was shot has spurred calls to put up a museum for the latter’s memorabilia.
In a manifesto issued on Wednesday, several Antiqueños in the country and abroad also condemned “in the strongest terms the willful neglect” of Javier’s memorabilia and personal items.
“We are aghast, disgusted, and enraged upon learning such a careless display of negligence and complete disregard for the remaining personal items, publications, and memorabilia of our beloved and revered hero,” the 32 signatories of the manifesto said.
The signatories included Javier’s son, Francis Gideon, and political ally Bernie Salcedo, who was among those in huddle with Javier near the old capitol building in the capital town of San Jose on Feb. 11, 1986, when the former governor was shot by heavily armed men.
His death contributed to the massive anti-dictatorship protest leading to the people power uprising on Feb. 22-25, 1986, that ousted the dictator from power.
Javier is considered a hero in the anti-dictatorship struggle and his death anniversary is a special non-working holiday in Panay Island.
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No neglect
A scheduled rally of presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte in San Jose on Feb. 24 was abruptly postponed amid an outcry from Antiqueños over the holding of the rally at the Evelio B. Javier Freedom Park where the former governor was shot.
Antique Gov. Rhodora Cadiao and Rep. Loren Legarda have declared support for Marcos and Duterte. Legarda is one of the senatorial candidates of the tandem.
Cadiao denied the memorabilia was being neglected and challenged Gideon to personally inspect the collection.
“If the family is not satisfied with how we are taking care of it, they can have it,” she said.
She said they were eyeing an area in the newly restored old provincial capitol as a museum for Javier’s memorabilia but they have to secure permission first from the National Museum.
“If we do not get permission, we will find a place for [the memorabilia] at the tourism office in the new provincial capitol,” Cadiao told the Inquirer in a telephone interview on Wednesday.
She also pointed out that Javier’s younger brother, former Gov. and ex-congressman Exequiel Javier, had ruled the province for decades but failed to put up a museum for the slain governor’s memorabilia.
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