Bulacan town fetes war hero Alejo Santos
PRIDE OF BUSTOS A museum honoring the late Bulacan Gov. Alejo Santos is inaugurated inside the Bulacan State University campus, with historian Xiao Chua (center) among the guests at the opening, where he also delivered a lecture on Santos’ life and legacy. —PHOTO BY EDGAR ALLAN M. SEMBRANO
MANILA, Philippines — A new museum celebrating the life and legacy of war hero and former Bulacan Gov. Alejo Santos was recently inaugurated inside the Bulacan State University (BulSu) campus in Bustos town.
The event is part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the school, first established by Santos and company as the Bustos Vocational and Technical School in 1974.
The museum, which also features a gallery on the “minasa” biscuit industry of Bustos, highlights Alejo’s illustrious career as a soldier, public servant, and administrator.
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Born in Bonga Menor, Bustos (formerly part of Baliuag), Santos was a key military leader during World War II who liberated the province of Bulacan and neighboring areas.
He served as governor of the province in 1945 and in 1951-1956; representative of its second district in 1946 and in 1949-1951; and defense secretary from 1959 to 1961.
50-year career
He passed away in 1984, leaving a legacy of true public service and an untainted career, although he was largely unknown among the roster of war heroes in the country.
The museum, which aims to fill that gap, exhibits objects that Alejo once owned, along with other memorabilia and paraphernalia related to his nearly 50-year career as an accomplished soldier and a man of the people.
These include his Nacionalista Party polo worn during the 1981 presidential election, where he ran against Ferdinand Marcos Sr.; his office desk nameplates; the United States Congressional Gold Medal posthumously awarded him in 2015; and a sword he owned.
Gracing the museum’s opening were public historian Xiao Chua, who delivered a lecture on Santos prior to the unveiling; May Arlene Torres of the Bulacan Provincial History, Arts, Culture, and Tourism Office; Santos’ kin Aleli Canoza; and BulSu Bustos official Albert Santos.
Chua said Bustos is lucky to have Santos, since he is one of the greatest personalities to hail from Bulacan, and was a true Filipino leader.
“Every BulSu-Bustos student brings to life the essence of Alejo [as] his spirit will not live on without you,” he said in Filipino.
“I hope that through all of you, history’s value and importance will thrive,” he added.
Bust unveiling
Torres said the museum will be part of a network of more than 20 museums in the province being promoted by her office.
A day earlier, a monument featuring a bust of Santos, a donation from the family of the late Bulacan Military Area Norzagaray Post Commander Mariano Leonardo, was unveiled at a park inside the campus.
The unveiling was attended by BulSu officials, as well as the town’s only female and longest-serving mayor, Thelma Santos, the guest of honor during the first day’s festivities.
The activities were organized by the BulSu-Bustos administrators through Maricel Sierto, Ricky Navarro, and Albert Santos, and the Pangkat Saliksik ng Kasaysayan ng Bayan, which Canoza leads as president. I
