Dr. Jose P. Rizal Jr., on the Repositioning Controversy

Tweet Independence Day Celebration. Let me share with you the nuisance we encountered when we decided to reposition the statue of Dr. Jose P. Rizal. The present administration is currently undertaking Urban Redevelopment on its City Plaza as one of its major landmarks to be called Plaza Mayor de Balanga. The construction, however, will affect the monument of our great national hero, Dr Jose P. Rizal.  As we continue to renovate and do some major infrastructure project in the vicinity of our plaza, the committee-in-charge wrote a letter to the National Historical Institute for permission to reposition the statue. As our request was approved, we assured them due diligence to properly observe the preservation of its historical significance and importance. On our way to it, we found out that the current location of Dr. Jose P. Rizal’s statue wasn’t according to the specifications set by the National Historical Institute. See pictures inside:

 See pictures inside:

In this old photo taken in the 2009 Independence Day Celebration, the statue was opposite the Balanga City Hall. The statue was then facing a Central Commercial Building and in-between the city's main crossroads. Political critics and some patriotic leaders reacted negatively when we lifted his statue to give way for the construction. In order to appease them, we conducted an information drive explaining our action.