How significant Antonio Luna's death is to Nueva Ecija
MANILA, Philippines — The plaza where Filipino hero General Antonio Luna died in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija is now under renovation to preserve the general’s legacy to modern Filipinos.
In an exclusive interview with Philstar.com, Nueva Ecija’s provincial tourism officer Jomar San Pedro said the Filipino war general’s death in their province is significant to them.
“Unfortunately dito po siya pinatay sa aming city. The importance it gives us, the new generation, a message na someone very patriotic, very passionate leader died in Nueva Ecija. Hopefully, us, in our own ways, maipagpatuloy natin 'yung pagpapakita ng pagmamahal sa bayan,” San Pedro said.
For San Pedro, the youth should be inspired by Luna’s patriotism.
“Siyempre, iba 'yung panahon niya, iba 'yung pinaglalaban niya noong panahon na 'yon, which is kalayaan ng bansa. Ngayon naman for us, kailangan nating ipagpatuloy 'yung patuloy na paghahanap ng kung ano ba ang konsepto ng Pilipino,” he said.
“Kasi because of globalization, minsan nakakalimutan natin na hindi 'yon tayo eh. Bilang Pilipino, nakakalimutan natin na may sarili tayong pagkakakilanlan. Sana do'n natin tignan kung paano papaunlarin ang bansa. We have our own strengths, good attributes,” he added.
“Ayon din 'yung magandang reminder ni Luna, dito siya namatay sa Cabanatuan, so sana 'wag mawala sa atin 'yong passion at pagmamahal sa bayan na ipinakita niya,” he added.
Luna was assassinated by Filipino soldiers in Cabanatuan on June 5, 1899. History books said that Luna received a telegram from then President Emilio Aguinaldo for a meeting so he went to the province.
Editor's note: The tour to Nueva Ecija was hosted by NLEX to promote tourism in the area. At no stage does the host organization have a say on the stories generated from the coverage, interviews conducted, publication date and story treatment. Content is produced solely by Philstar.com following editorial guidelines.
