THE Liberation of Naga happened in two instances in its history. The third is being waged today.
The first took place when on September 18, 1898 towards midnight, Filipino guardia civil Elias Angeles and Felix Plazo led an armed uprising against the Spanish government in Nueva Caceres, took by surprise and routed the Spanish forces in the city who sought refuge inside the San Francisco Convent. Before the following day was over, terms of capitulation were discussed. It was a glorious day for the people of Naga who saw the haughty Spaniards with bowed heads leave the city whose government affairs were ably administered by native leaders --- though not for long. The long arm of General Emilio Aguinaldo went as far as Bikol to claim for himself the victory and its spoils in which, to all indications, he did not have any part.
The second was on May 2, 1942 when the Bikolano guerillas led by Major Juan Q. Miranda, with the support of other guerilla units around Naga staged an attack on the provincial Capitol building in Naga which housed the Japanese Imperial command. But in less than 48 hours the Japanese forces came back and recaptured Naga.
The historical fact is that Independence Day for Naga did not happen on June 12, 1898. Aguinaldo merely proclaimed independence in Kawit, Cavite, but did not win it for the country, not for Naga. Naga did not have any part in Aguinaldo’s proclamation of independence. Naga proclaimed its own independence three months later, when the Spanish government became jittery about the entry of American forces in Philippine waters and disarmed Elias Angeles and the civil guards whom they had suspected of having connivance with Aguinaldo.
The third Liberation of Naga is being waged today ----- from the seeming unconcern of the city government in attending to the basic needs of its taxpayers. Instead, the City of Naga under the leadership of Mayor Jesse M. Robredo has been pushing for the completion of his pet project, the Metro Naga coliseum, with his tax “reform” programs by asking the Sanggunian Panlungsod to authorize him to contract a loan of P115.6 million in addition to the tens of millions we are still paying today.
We said it once and we say it again ---- we do not need a coliseum at this time as the more basic needs of the city’s residents must be attended to first, such as the relocation of squatters and of the solid waste dump site, a sustainable program for street kids, a vibrant concern for the preservation of the city’s cultural and historical structures, a truly free basic education for the children in Naga, a sustainable line of food supply and such other similar social concerns. A coliseum is not as important as these people’s basic needs. Dae nakakakan an coliseum.
We will hold responsible for this P115.6 million additional loan whoever have given Mayor Jesse M. Robredo the authority to contract it. What right have these members of the Sanggunian to commit our children to pay for something that will benefit only a few privileged people in the city? By committing our children to loans that are self-serving to the egos of politicians, these leaders have virtually shackled the hands of our children. They need to be liberated. They need to be freed.
Today we are engaged in a struggle to gain our independence not through the sword but through persuasion. Should we fail in this again, it is because we have refused to accept the fact that basic needs and historical values and symbols of independence have no place in the Robredo administration, no matter how many times they engage themselves in a pagsalingoy. They do not even have to look far back into the past. Just a few arms’ length away from the Plaza Quince Martires where they mark the June 12 independence rites is the old San Francisco Convent belfry covered and coated with balete vines, a classic example of Robredo’s concern for the city’s heritage.
Independence, what? Magsalignoy tabi liwat! And make good your pagssalingoy.
