The City Government of Malolos holds 9th “Fiesta Republica” with the theme “Mito at Alamat ng Bayan mga halaw sa Kasaysayan ng Sambayanan” in tribute to the 120th anniversary of the First Philippine Republic.
The First Philippine Republic was inaugurated in Malolos on January 23, 1899. The ‘Fiesta Republica ‘ is a week-long celebration.
The festive mood that transpired at the historic Barasoain Church 120 years ago has been relived as the city local officials of Malolos recalled the historical events by featuring the “Dulansangan-Barangay Level, Tiangge and Sining at Tsibog” at the Malolos Sports and Convention Center in the City of Malolos.
The opening was coincided with the official opening of the new consular office of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) located in the 3rd floor of the Malolos City Central Transport Terminal.
Executive Director Maria Theresa S.M. Lazaro of the Office of Consular Affairs , Mayor Christian D. Natividad, Vice Mayor Gilbert Gatchalian, Mr. Alexander Cruz, of Xentro Mall led the ribbon-cutting ceremony started at 8:00AM.
Lazaro, who served as the guest of honor, said the opening of the new consular office would help serve people in the province of Bulacan and in the nearby areas and was part of the the directives of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to bring consular offices closer to the public.
Lazaro also said the services provided by the new office in Malolos such as passport applications and renewals, OFWs and senior citizens special lane will be served for the people of Bulacan.
“Temporarily, there is no authentication of passport and putting red ribbon in this DFA Malolos office,” Lazaro added.
Meanwhile, Natividad is very thankful for the presence of the 700 square-meter consular office in the city of Malolos.
“Aside from this is very convenient to the Bulakenyos, there is no need to go to Manila or Pampanga to obtain a passport or renew.
The Malolos City consular office has started accepting passport applications since last week after the soft launching.
Natividad said that the City Government has been holding “Fiesta Republica” for nine years now as a fitting tribute to the importance and significance of the First Philippine Republic on January 23, 1899 which made the Filipino nation the “cradle of democracy” in Asia and Africa.
“Fiesta Republica” is also known as “Vamos a Malolos”–a tourism centerpiece program that aggressively promoted Malolos as a major historic-cultural tourism destination north of Manila.
Phrased in Spanish as a reminder that it was during the Filipino-Spanish war when Malolos led the charge towards the establishment of the First Philippine Republic, Vamos a Malolos! was divided into three smaller celebrations—“Parangal sa Kongreso”, “Pistang Pasko sa Malolos” and “Fiesta Republica.”
He said the “First Philippine Republic” , as well as the framing of the Malolos Constitution by the Malolos Congress, gave credence to the declaration of Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite on June 12, 1898.
“We wanted to create a bigger event to emphasize the importance of Malolos in Philippine history. Through Vamos a Malolos!, we celebrate not just the spirit of the Maloleño but the coming together of all Filipinos in 1899 to ratify the first Constitution in Asia and Africa that led to the creation of the first Philippine Republic. It is therefore not just our festival but a festival for all Filipinos,” Natividad said.
Natividad said that this year will be more colorful and vibrant as they now put more emphasis to revive the glory days of old Malolos.