Carcar obelisk honors patriot Jose Abad Santos

CEBU, Philippines —  A brotherhood organization unveiled Wednesday an obelisk marker in Sitio Tan-awan, Barangay Guadalupe, Carcar City in honor of the late Supreme Court Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos, who was reportedly captured in the area before being executed by the Japanese forces during the Second World War.

The marker, which took three months to complete, is the brainchild of the Leon Kilat Masonic Lodge No. 437 (LKML).

LKML worshipful master David Alexander Patriana and Carcar City administrator Roger Montesclaros, on behalf of Mayor Mercedita Apura, led the dedication ceremony.

“This obelisk serves as education for the next generation,” said Montesclaros, adding that the initiative will help boost the local economy and allow nearby residents to earn extra income as it will serve as a tourist spot.

The obelisk stands in an area overlooking the city’s mountain ranges. It lies within the boundary of the 56-hectare national park managed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Abad Santos was the fifth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines.

Historical accounts say that he briefly served as the acting president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines and acting commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, on behalf of President Quezon, after the government went in exile to the United States.

About two months after, Abad Santos was executed by the Japanese forces for reportedly refusing to cooperate during their occupation of the Philippines.

Abas Santos is memorialized in the 1,000-peso banknote, together with Josefa Llanes-Escoda and Vicente Lim, all of whom fought and died resisting the Japanese occupation.

Patriana thanked Department of Public Works and Highways undersecretary Rafael Yabut, a member of the Jose Abad Santos Memorial Lodge, for the guidance in putting up the obelisk in honor of their “Most Worshipful” brother.

“We were given an opportunity to build an edifice rooted in history of the Philippines to pose masonry building its foundation in the annals of making a strong republic and people. This obelisk will surely make a state for us all,” said Patriana.

Patriana said the project cost around P1.5 million and was funded through the donations from their members. He said no government fund was spent for its erection.

The site of the obelisk is just a few steps away from where one of the Chiong sisters was found dead in 1997.

Not known to many, the site is also where Abad Santos was reportedly captured by the Japanese on April 11, 1942 before he was sentenced to die by firing squad on May 7, 1942 during World War II.

During the unveiling, Patriana said the obelisk would change impressions of the site from being a “murderous” area, after the Chiong sisters incident, to a historical one that remembers the man called “The Hero of World War II.” — JMD (FREEMAN)