ANGELES CITY—Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario will lead the 115th Philippine Independence celebrations at the Pamintuan Mansion here and at the Barasoain Church in Bulacan on Wednesday.
According to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), the Pamintuan Mansion was where Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, president of the First Philippine Republic, led the first anniversary of his declaration of the country’s independence from Spain in 1899.
The mansion was never counted among the official sites of Independence Day celebrations and no top government official came for ceremonies until the latter years of the administration of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas stopped using the mansion as its Central Luzon office in 2010, passing it on to the NHCP.
The Barasoain Church in the City of Malolos was where the first Philippine Constitution was drafted.
Woodcarvers’ exhibit
Also on Wednesday, woodcarvers in Betis in Guagua, Pampanga, led by Willy Layug and Mandukit Anliagi Ning Sta. Ursula (Masu), will be celebrating Independence Day through an exhibit at the SM City Pampanga.
In Baguio City, the city government is sponsoring a jobs fair at the University of the Cordilleras as its Freedom Day project for the year.
In Nueva Ecija, residents and government soldiers planted trees in a military reservation in Barangay (village) Liwayway in Palayan City as an Independence Day activity on Tuesday.
Maj. Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang, commander of the Army’s 7th Infantry Division, said soldiers helped plant trees as their legacy for future generations of Filipinos.
“Growing trees is as patriotic as landscaping our country as the habitat of the future generations,” said Amado Cortez, grand knight of the Knights of Columbus Council 6000.
Cortez said members of the Knights of Columbus had been displaying the Philippine flag in their houses since May 28, National Flag Day.
Jobs fair in Manila
In Manila, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will lead Independence Day celebrations on Wednesday with the yearly Kalayaan Jobs Fair on South Drive, Luneta Park, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the fair would showcase the crucial role of technical and vocational education and training in the Philippines’ progress.
“Our technical and vocational education and training programs are skills-focused and work-related and have significantly helped in providing alternative employment to a great number of Filipinos,” Baldoz said.
With the theme “Kalayaan: Ambagan Tungo sa Malawak na Kaunlaran,” the jobs fair aims to depict Philippine society as working together to achieve inclusive growth.
Effects of growth
The Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) grew 7.8 percent in the first quarter of the year, but Senators Loren Legarda and Alan Peter Cayetano said on Tuesday that only by making most Filipinos feel the effects of that growth could the country’s leaders say the Philippines was truly independent.
“The Philippines’ growth has been surprising economists. But the greater challenge is translating the impressive numbers into more [jobs], stable employment, equitable access to quality education, health and other social services, and safe and disaster-resilient communities for Filipinos,” Legarda said.
Cayetano called for decentralization and “fair funding for small businesses,” which he said would “free more Filipinos from poverty.”
“Effective decentralized government units and small businesses are key to creating jobs,” Cayetano said.
Legarda and Cayetano said they supported micro, small and medium businesses as vehicles for lifting Filipinos from poverty.
Entrepreneurship
Senator-elect Cynthia Villar said financial independence could come by way of entrepreneurship.
“Nowadays, poverty is what keeps people from becoming really independent. [W]e have been promoting entrepreneurship as a way out of povery for young and old people alike because it creates jobs,” Villar said.
She said people, especially migrant workers, should not be afraid to start small businesses.—With reports from Tina G. Santos and Cathy C. Yamsuan in Manila and Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon