Gat Andres statue rises in Lucena

A NEW monument of Andres Bonifacio rises in Masantol town, Pampanga province, as folks claiming to be his kin assert that the revolutionary hero, always identified as a Tagalog, was a Kapampangan either on the father’s or mother’s side. TONETTE T. OREJAS/INQUIRER Central Luzon

LUCENA CITY—The local government here honored Andres Bonifacio on his 150th birth anniversary on Saturday with a life-size statue, the hero’s  first ever monument in the city.

Local officials also renamed a subdivision road and a bridge in the city to honor the great plebeian.

Mayor Roderick Alcala led city officials in unveiling the hero’s concrete statue at the rotunda along Pleasantville Subdivision road.

City Councilor Benito Brizuela, chair of the committee on tourism and cultural affairs, donated the statue made of resin and cement.

The subdivision road, donated to the city government, has also been renamed by the council as Gat Andres Bonifacio Drive, while the name of Pleasantville Bridge along Gomez Street would henceforth be known as Gat Andres Bonifacio Bridge.

Earlier, despite the rain, local government officials and multisectoral representatives held a parade along city streets to honor the father of the Philippine revolution against Spain. Delfin T. Mallari Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon