URDANETA CITY – President Arroyo joined her fellow Pangasinenses yesterday for a post-Christmas celebration when she inspected the ongoing construction of the Urdaneta Monument here as part of the 500th birth anniversary celebration of Fray Andres Urdaneta after whom the city was named.
The President, accompanied by First Gentleman Miguel Arroyo, was welcomed by Gov. Amado Espino Jr. and Urdaneta City Mayor Amadeo Perez Jr.
In her brief address, she said she was happy to visit the city to have a yearend celebration of the 500th birth anniversary of Fray Urdaneta whom she said established a route when he came to the country from Mexico that has become the international route to cross the Pacific Ocean since then.
She vowed to return with the mayor of Ordizia, Spain, hometown of Fray Urdaneta, for the inauguration of the monument in March next year.
She congratulated Perez who was with her in her state visit to Spain because Urdaneta is a sister city of Ordizia.
She was impressed that the monument is a collaborative work of National Artists Napoleon Abueva, Abdulmari Adia Imao, Ildefonso Santos and Dr. Alejandro Roces.
The President earlier had issued Proclamation 1423 forming a 15-man committee to further deepen research and studies on Fray Urdaneta. – Eva Visperas