Landmark Urdaneta Monument Park

Mayor Jose Miguel Santamaria Ezieza of Ordizia in the Basque region of Spain is coming to the Philippines as overall chairman of four National Commissions that are linked together in observing the Fifth Centennial Anniversary of Fray Andres Urdaneta, the explorer-scientist who discovered the tornoviaje. The culminating contribution to this global commemoration is the unveiling of the marker and inaugural of the Urdaneta Park Landmark Monument in Pangasinan.

During President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s state visit to Spain in December 2007, she proclaimed the Fifth Centennial Celebration of Urdaneta creating a committee mandated to organize varied programs from conferences to exhibitions, films showing and stamp-giving including the dramatization of his life on DZRH Radyo Balintataw. The President inaugurated the museum of Urdaneta at Ordizia.

After the twining of cities ceremony between Ordizia and Urdaneta in Pangasinan, NCCA Executive Director Cecile Guidote-Alvarez in an official meeting in Ordizia conceived synergizing the creativity of four National Artists to contribute a lasting triangulated testament in three continents involving Spain in Europe, Mexico and Peru in Latin America and the Philippines in Asia.

When the President did a project site inspection last December, she applauded the brilliant work of the National Artists as well as the efforts of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) under the leadership of Dr. Vilma Labrador and in collaboration with the City Government of Urdaneta led by Mayor Amadeo Perez Jr. National Artist for Sculpture Abdul Mari Imao created a symbolic representation of the galleon as the base for the Statue carved in bronze by Napoleon Abueva. The womb of water and garden landscape was designed by Ildefonso P. Santos while NCCA Executive Director Cecille Alvarez transformed Fray Urdaneta’s life into a narrative inscribed in marble, which was translated in four languages. The Filipino version is done by Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF) Chairman Jose Laderas Santos, the Ilocano version was by Jose Bragado, while the Spanish and Basques translations were executed respectively by Fr. Pedro Galende, OSA and Mayor Santamaria.

I share to our readers the Ode to Fray Andres Urdaneta that will be showcased in the Landmark Urdaneta Monument Park to be unveiled at Urdaneta, Pangasinan on the 25th of April during Earth Day week. We hope his legacy to our nation will be better known and appreciated.

Ode to Fray Urdaneta (excerpts)

How marvelous to behold

His life shining like gold!

Five centuries may have passed.

But he has not been surpassed

The book of his life appears

Still new after five hundred years.

Born in 1508

Died in 1568

Only sixty years on earth

But already a myth.

By the air, stars, sun, moon

His imagination was hewn.

Fray Urdaneta, a Spanish Basque.

From his time and age was clearly cast.

Since birth orphaned and alone,

Sage of Ordizia and navigator well known

Heroic soldier and scholar,

He set his sights on islands far.