| Photo courtesy of Tisa Daily Bulletin
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Labangon Barangay Captain Victor Buendia said he is set to meet with members of the Eagles Club on Tuesday, July 19, after they expressed willingness to sponsor the establishment of a new ‘Leon Kilat’ statue along Tres de Abril Street in Cebu City.
Buendia said the group offered their assistance to have to “Roster Of Veteran For The Marker 1991” that collapsed on Monday, July 18, replaced.
Read: Historical marker in Labangon collapses
The Cebu City Cultural and Historical Affairs Office (CHAO), for its part said, they are also prepared to provide technical assistance to Barangay Labangon for the replacement of the marker.
But the kind of assistance that they will extend will depend on what the barangay needs, said CHAO Head Bryner Diaz.
The historical marker, that is also referred to as the”Leon Kilat statue” and located along Tres de Abril Street in Cebu City, is owned and maintained by Barangay Labangon.
“Depende sa request sa barangay, di lang sa nato ipre-empt ang barangay. Restoration wise, it’s a long shot. But for now, we can help the barangay with the documentation ani,” Diaz told CDN Digital.
This early, Diaz said, it was still difficult to determine what actually caused the marker to fall to the ground. The entire process will require the conduct of scientific research.
Diaz said they could extend technical assistance during the conduct of the scientific research and work on its documentation should the barangay decide to tap their help.
The Tres de Abril monument is shown in this 2020 photo.
CHAO serves as the implementing arm of the Cebu City Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission (CHAC) that is currently headed by Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia.
CHAC oversees the upkeep and preservation of city-owned markers and monuments, including those that used to be owned by the national government but were already turned over to Cebu City.
Buendia said he was supposed to send back the broken pieces of the statue to its maker for repair but he decided to put it on hold for now after members of the Eagles Club called him on Monday to offer help.
The historical marker symbolizes the historic battle of Tres de Abril, wherein Filipino Katipunero like Alejo Miñoza, Rufo Abella, and Dionisio Abella, fought valiantly under the leadership of Leon Kilat and defeated the Spanish forces. It was constructed in Barangay Labangon, between Katipunan Street and Tres de Abril Street.
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