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| (Image Source: Facebook/Batangas PIO) |
Typhoon
Tisoy may have unleashed its wrath while barrelling towards Southern Luzon, but
its wrath never stopped the province of Batangas to celebrate its history,
culture, tradition and people on its very special day. The weekend after Tisoy
wrecked havoc across the southern parts of the Philippines' largest island, the
province celebrated its 438th year anniversary in two of its cities - Batangas
City, the People's Capitol, and the newly-created City of Sto. Tomas.
The
anniversary celebration kicked off last December 7, 2019 at the city of Sto.
Tomas where it opened with a thanksgiving mass at the National Shrine of Saint
Padre Pio in Barangay San Pedro where it was recognized by the provincial
government headed by Governor Hermilando I. Mandanas for its contributions to tourism
in Batangas which is the third most visited province in the Philippines based
on data from the Department of Tourism. The recognition was accepted by the
shrine's priest-in-charge Rev. Fr. Pedro M. Andal.
The
celebration eventually continued the following day at the provincial capitol's DREAM
Zone where the City of Sto. Tomas, the province's fourth and newest component
city, was hailed and recognized for its support towards the celebration with
the theme "Fun. Food. Faith. In The New City". The festivities that
happened during the second day of the celebration feature a thanksgiving mass led
by Lipa Archbishop Gilbert Garcera, a ceremonial turnover of provincial history
books, special cultural performances from select government employees, Batangas
Drum Beaters and students from various schools in the province and recognizing outstanding
Batangueños in the field of culture and the arts including National Artist for
Literature Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera.
For
Governor Dodo Mandanas, the celebration of the birth of Batangas province
reflects on the value of a Batangueño's character as witnessed by the province's
culture, tradition and history. "That's why we always work on maintaining our
dignity, our integrity and our nobility," shared Mandanas in his speech
which defined the age-old term "Ang mga
Batangueño, taas noo kahit kanino". In the end, with the help and
support of the people, expect a richer and more enjoyable Batangas in the
foreseeable future. It will be without question or doubt in any case that the
province of Batangas will continue to shine forward towards the future while
embracing its long and storied culture and past.
(Parts of this article were
originally written in Filipino by Emil Arellano and Mark Jonathan S. Macaraig
of the Provincial Public Information Office and were shared on Batangas PIO's
official Facebook page.)
