NHCP eyes Queen Juana monument beside Rajah Humabon

CEBU, Philippines —  To accompany the monument of Rajah Humabon at Plaza Hamabar in Cebu City, a monument of his wife Queen Juana is being eyed to be established in the same area.

Dr. Rene Escalante, National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) chairman, asked the Cebu City government to make the necessary actions regarding the matter during the unveiling ceremony of the historical marker installed by the NHCP at Humabon’s monument on Monday, May 23, 2022.

Mayor Michael Rama, Vice Mayor Donaldo Hontiveros and other city officials were also present at the ceremony.

“I am now requesting again the good Mayor to appropriate the necessary funds for the monument of Doña Juana and also we will make a promise again that we will put up a marker once the monument is already available. So, if that is the case, then we will not end yet the commemoration of the quincentennial,” said Escalante.

“Hopefully, we can have it probably the latest on April 7 of next year so that it will be a very fitting occasion to unveil the marker of Doña Juana. I think this is the best site where the couple should be honored,” he added.

April 7 marks the arrival of the Magellan-Elcano fleet in the shores of Cebu where Humabon welcomed the Spanish conquistadores, including Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.

The story of the Santo Niño de Cebu started with the 1521 baptism of Datu Humabon, Queen Juana and 800 of their subjects by the chaplain of Magellan’s expedition, Pedro de Valderrama; and the gifting of the image to Queen Juana by Ferdinand Magellan’s chronicler, Antonio Pigafetta.

Before her baptism, when Queen Juana was presented with a small sculpture representation of the Child Jesus – the image of the Santo Niño, the queen asked for the Child Jesus to replace her idols.

Pigafetta wrote that the queen providentially recognized the presence of the True God in the icon.

Sugbu became a fertile ground for the seeds of Christianity through the devotion of Queen Juana as the first caretaker of the icon of the Holy Child.

Meanwhile, Escalante fulfilled the promise he made during last month’s celebration of Rajah Humabon Day, that a historical marker will be installed for the first Filipino chieftain to embrace Christianity.

“We have given him due honor and we will extend the same soon to his wife,” said Escalante.

Historical markers are installed by the NHCP in the Philippines and places abroad that signify important events, persons, structures, and institutions in Philippine national and local histories. — FPL (FREEMAN)