Lapu-Lapu's statue must stay in Luneta

We stayed up in the wee hours of dawn to witness the final game for the World Cup at the famous Macarana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro between Germany and Argentina. I am not really a huge football fan but the finals in the World Cup Games are worth waking up for. And indeed what a game it was, when Germany's Mario Gotze kicked a goal in the Argentinean corner in the last 7-minutes of the extra time giving Germany its stunning victory not seen since 24-years ago.

What makes this victory even more meaningful is that, this is the first time a European Soccer Team has won a World Cup in South American soil and for Germany, it was their first World Cup victory under a unified Germany. Although I cheered for Argentina, no doubt that the game was led by Germany having more possessions than Argentina.

Yet, unlike the game between Germany vs. Brazil, the Argentineans kept Germany at bay until the last few minutes of the game. So now, Germany is the World Champion in the World of Soccer. On the lighter side, God must have listened to the prayers of Pope Emeritus Benedict VXI who spends his day always in prayer. Cheers to our all Germans living in Cebu.

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We have already written articles about the issue of keeping the statue of Lapu-Lapu at the Agrifina Circle inside the Luneta. At this point, I still have no idea who wrote Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza to accept this statue and more importantly why Mayor Radaza did not fight to keep that statue in Luneta. She instead was planning to put up that statue somewhere in Lapu-Lapu City. Someone ought to tell Mayor Radaza that we do not need two statues of Lapu-Lapu in Mactan. One is simply enough.

Anyway, my good friend, former Senator Richard "Dick" Gordon sent me via email his letter response to Rep. Raul del Mar asking him a bit of history on why the Lapu-Lapu statue was erected at the Luneta. Let me just give you an excerpt of that letter, which is quite self-explanatory.

"Dear Rep. Del Mar: As promised, the following are some historical facts that went into the building of Lapu-Lapu monument in the National Park: In 2004, The Lapu-Lapu monument was built in the National Park in Luneta as a gift by the Korean Freedom League to the Filipino people to honor the Filipino soldiers who served and fought for the freedom of the Korean people. During my visits to Korea as SBMA Chairman and later as Secretary of Tourism, I would always ask to be taken to visit the monument honoring our Filipino soldiers who fought and died for FREEDOM during the Korean War.

This gesture intrigued my Korean hosts who would always ask me if I had relatives who fought in Korea. My answer each time was yes. I told them all of them are my relatives because freedom flows in the blood of every Filipino. This, I said, is why neither of our countries must ever forget the noble sacrifices of our soldiers who fought and died for freedom in Korea."

From this letter, we can discern that the Lapu-Lapu statue erected at the Agrifina Circle was placed there not just to glorify the famous Chieftain from Mactan Island who killed the first tourist, Ferdinand Magellan, but in giving this statue, the intention of the Korean Freedom League was "To Honor the Filipino soldiers who served and fought for the Freedom of the Korean people."

At this point, let us rally all Filipinos and especially those Filipinos whose fathers fought and died during the Korean War not to dishonor those who fought for freedom in the Korean Peninsula. I gathered that Cebu Governor Hilario "Junjun" Davide III also wants to keep this statue standing in Luneta. So let us all fight to keep Lapu-Lapu's statue there. As for Mayor Paz Radaza, she better join our cause otherwise, she is finished politically!

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Pope Francis was supposed to grace the International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu in the Year 2016, but somehow something compelled him to come to the Philippines earlier and visit the places ravage by typhoon "Yolanda."  I can only second-guess that someone reported to the Pope about the snail's paced rehabilitation work in Tacloban and other areas hit by the world's greatest storm. Because the Pope is coming, the Aquino gov't is now feverishly working to finish the rehab projects there.

If at all, the private sector led by the Aboitiz Corporation's Aboitiz Foundation is right on target with their rehab work. Of the 29,000 elementary and high schools affected by the typhoon, by the end of June 66 percent of the 130 classrooms are nearly done, while 21 percent of the 70 new classrooms under construction are still underway in places like Bogo City and San Remigio. Kudos to Aboitiz Foundation for never letting up on those classroom repairs. AF on their own raised the money for all the repairing rebuilding.

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