ILOILO CITY -- The city government of Iloilo has formally taken over the construction of the museum and library for Graciano Lopez Jaena, the Ilonggo hero who played a pivotal role in the Reform Movement against colonial Spain.
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas and the Dr. Graciano Lopez Jaena Foundation Inc. (DGLJFI) led a ceremony ahead of the December 18 commemoration of the hero’s 164th birth anniversary.
“A shrine is important to our heroes. As Ilonggos, let us all be proud of Graciano Lopez Jaena and what he did for our country,” said Treñas.
“It has been a long-standing dream and aspiration of the foundation to have a structure built at the birthplace of our beloved hero,” added DGLJFI President Mia Lopez-Cruz.
For over 30 years, the DGLJFI wanted to build a hero’s shrine at the 419-square-meter lot in Jaro district to preserve the legacy of the only hero coming from Iloilo who had national significance.
The foundation tried everything including selling Lopez Jaena’s biography written by DGLJFI Chairperson Demy Sonza, a historian and a former vice governor of Iloilo province.
When DGLJFI thought it had enough money, it ventured into the construction of the museum and library in 2016. However, the fund fell short and only the façade and skeletal structure materialized.
By 2018, the DGLJFI signed a 50-year usufruct agreement with the Iloilo City government to finish the construction and further development of the museum and library.
As the hero’s great grand niece, Lopez-Cruz said Ilonggos and Filipinos of the younger generation must familiarize themselves with who Lopez Jaeana was and his legacy.
Lopez Jaena was the first editor of La Solidaridad , the newspaper that also had Jose Rizal and Marcelo del Pilar as part of the Reform Movement while they were all in exile in Spain. The movement would later inspire the revolution and eventual Philippine independence.
Lopez-Cruz said that not only can they take inspiration in Lopez Jaena’s prowess as a journalist, writer and orator, but also as a man who championed individual liberties.
Lopez-Cruz also noted that in the age of social media, Lopez Jaena should serve as a reminder on how to spot fake news and seek the truth.
The Iloilo City government is allocating an initial P4-million to complete the museum and library.
“We can add more if it is necessary,” Treñas assured.