MALOLOS CITY – The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has unveiled the new bronze-molded monument of President Emilio Aguinaldo at the patio of Barasoain Church.
It replaced the monument made of stone that was installed during the previous rehabilitation of Barasoain Church and its patio, in time for the centennial celebration of the Philippine independence in 1998.
Museo ng Republika Filipina 1899 senior curator Ruel Paguiligan said the NHCP has decided to replace the previous monument due to structural stress.
The new monument was molded from the previous one by the Caedo Sculptural Works.
The old monument of Aguinaldo was relocated to the first floor of the Museo ng Republika Filipina 1899 as a new attraction.
It now stands beside the horse carriage on display, used by then President elect-Joseph Ejercito Estrada and outgoing President Fidel Ramos, during the parade along Paseo del Congreso in Malolos as part of the Presidential inauguration held on June 30, 1998.
Aguinaldo’s monument faces the Barasoain Church as a symbol of the Philippines’ quest for nationhood.
He was inaugurated inside Barasoain Church on January 23, 1899, the day when the Philippines formally became a republic in a ceremony held in the same place.
NHCP historical accounts attributed the structural establishment of the First Philippine Republic to Aguinaldo, who introduced to the Filipino people the principle of having three branches of government namely the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary.
He made Malolos as the capital of the Philippines under the First Republic, wherein the Executive branch was based at the Malolos Cathedral, Legislative branch at Barasoain Church, and the Judicial branch at the convent of Barasoain. (CLJD/SFV, PIA Region 3-Bulacan)