Graciano Lopez Jaena shrine, 24-hour e-library up soon

Just in time for the commemoration of his 164^th birth anniversary today, Dec 18, 2020, the long overdue shrine of Ilonggo national hero Dr. Graciano Lopez Jaena finally broke ground on Dec. 16, after years of attempts to keep his legacy alive. 

Lopez Jaena was recognized as the first Filipino propagandist who rallied and sought Philippine independence from Spain alongside national heroes Jose Rizal and Marcelo H. Del Pilar.

December 18 has been declared a special public holiday in Iloilo City and the entire province of Iloilo to commemorate the birth anniversary of the Ilonggo hero by virtue of Republic Act No. 6155.

This year, the city government has committed to help provide the needed funding to complete the development of the hero’s ancestral home in Jaro district into another cultural heritage destination.

Demy P. Sonza, chairman of the Dr. Graciano Lopez Jaena Foundation and a former member of the Iloilo provincial board, said the completion of the shrine has been pending since 2017.

For years, the development of the hero’s ancestral home in Jaro district has been pushed but was never realized.

The Dr. Graciano Lopez Jaena Foundation said that it has been struggling financially, hence, the project has been stalled in the previous years.

In previous interviews, Sonza said the completion of the shrine has been pending since 2017.

In 2018, around 40% of the project was finished. The previous administration promised to help finish the project, but it never pushed through.

Last Wednesday, the Iloilo City government has finally started the groundbreaking for the Graciano Lopez Jaena shrine located in his birthplace in Fajardo Street in Jaro District.

Mayor Jerry Treñas said that the shrine will also be the site for a learning resource center which will also serve as a public library and will be open 24 hours.

“Masyado ka importante ang shrine para sa isa ka national hero kag let us all be proud that diri sa syudad we have a national hero. We should be proud of Dr. Graciano Lopez Jaena and of what he did for the country and the city,” he said.

Through the project, Treñas said he is hopeful that children will be inspired by the Ilonggo national hero and other Ilonggo ancestors who sacrificed their lives for the country.

The mayor added that the e-library in the shrine will be the first of the many public libraries that he plans to establish in other parts of the city.

Meanwhile, Mia Fe Lopez-Cruz, a descendant of Lopez Jaena, said they are grateful for the materialization of the project that has been long overdue.

“It is high-time to pay homage sa iya for so long a time damo nag-attempt but it didn’t materialize. It is only this time,” she said in an interview in the Uswag Patrol program of the Iloilo City government.

Cruz said that the project is timely to inculcate among the youth the history and the works of the Ilonggo national hero especially now that fake news has been prevalent.

“At least, now ang iya talent, skills in journalism and speech pwede na ma-inculcate sa kabataan diri kon ari na di ang library. They can do workshops, seminars. Everything about the life and works of Graciano especially subong galapta na ang fake news. Somewhere, somehow we have to start, we want kids to learn in today’s time” she said. (ERS)