Journalists protest Plaridel’s transfer

SAMAHANG Plaridel, the group comprised of eminent veteran Filipino journalists and other communicators, has protested the transfer of the statue of Marcelo H. del Pilar, after whom the group was named, by the Manila city government without so much as a by your leave.

“Plaridel” was the pen name of Del Pilar, a leader of the Philippine Propaganda Movement whose writings inspired the Philippine Revolution of 1896 against Spain.

The seven-foot bronze statue was removed from its location at Remedios Circle in Malate—where it had stood since 2009—to the corner of M. H. del Pilar Street and Quirino Avenue without the knowledge or consent of the organization, the group said in a statement.

Samahang Plaridel president Rolando Estabillo said the officers and members of the organization were furious over the travesty committed against Del Pilar, who is considered the Father of Philippine journalism.

“This is disrespectful to our hero,” Estabillo said.

The Manila city government, through a council resolution, had caused the transfer of the statue in January 2016 without informing Samahang Plaridel.

A fountain took the place of the statue on Remedios Circle, which is a stone’s throw away from Del Pilar’s ancestral home.

The P1.3-million statue sculpted by the renowned Julie Lluch in 2005 was originally placed at the Paraiso ng Batang Maynila, the children’s park in front of the Manila Zoo that was renamed Plaza Plaridel.

Former Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, a staunch supporter of Samahang Plaridel, caused the transfer of the statue in 2009 to Remedios Circle, where it was placed on a six-foot pedestal.

Samahang Plaridel pays tribute to Del Pilar annually during the hero’s birth and death anniversaries.

The organization’s incorporators included late and living icons of Philippine journalism Max Soliven, Adrian Cristobal, Neal H. Cruz, Rolando Estabillo, Rod Reyes, Ben Rodriguez, Julius Fortuna, Diosdado Beltran, Alex Liu, Cris Maralit, Carmen Guerrero Nakpil, Lilia Andolong, Isagani Yambot, Jun Icban and Jullie Yap Daza.

Current officers are Rod Reyes, Jullie Yap Daza, Rolando Estabillo, Jimmy Gil, Twinkle Valdez, Carmen Guerrero Nakpil, Jake Makasaet, Marichu Villanueva, Jun Icban, Dick Pascual, Roy Acosta, Ernesto Tolentino, Lito Gagni, Ariel Ayala and Max Edralin.