Spanish 101 -- What’s wrong with this sentence: “El Pueblo De Camarines Sur A Sus Quince Martires Dec ’96”?

        We all are familiar with this dedication inscribed on the monument of the martyrs, now newly painted and looking grand, what with the choice of colors which is really quite an improvement -- aside from making the statues look “bronzy,” they have finally done away with the pastel colors. The above inscription is what now appears after the repainting job, which I was truly admiring (the repainting, I mean) some few nights back until when I was about to go that I noticed the faux pas. It’s not the Spanish, it’s the date, “Dec ’96.” In fact, there should be no date, or fixing it in the month of December 1896. It should read, “Del ’96.” “Of ’96” (thus, “(From) The People of Camarines Sur, To Their Fifteen Martrys of ‘96”). The painter, or whoever ordered him, probably thought he was some Joe Perez who could edit. He curved the letter “l” to make it “c” and an entirely different meaning came out. Or probably he thought he was some Danny Gerona who could write history. Some boner instead he made.

        December of 1896 holds a bit of significance only because the sentence of death on the 11 of the 15 was made known on December 29, a day before Rizal’s execution. Other than that, all other material events related to the martyrs happened after or before that month: most were arrested in September after the Katipunan was discovered when the Spaniards and the friars virtually ran amok; the confiscation of the properties of some of the rich martyrs was done in November (the confiscation even came ahead of the sentence); and the execution was on January 4 of the following year, including the sending into exile of the rest soon after. The year ’96 refers to the year when the revolution (the first phase) broke out. The 15 were the martyrs that Camarines Sur offered to the Revolution of ’96. That is why they are also called the “Bicol Martyrs of ’96.” To put the date “Dec 96” is to completely distort the contextual and historical basis of that dedication.

        January 4 this year, many attended the ceremony. Nobody was looking; perhaps because the statue’s new colors overwhelmed everyone. It’s time to finish the repainting job, correctly.