Iloilo City to Commemorate 167th Birth Anniversary of National Hero Graciano Lopez Jaena

ILOILO: The city of Iloilo is set to observe the 167th birth anniversary of Graciano Lopez Jaena, an Ilonggo revolutionary and national hero, with a modest ceremony at his shrine in the Jaro district. Mathilde Treñas, Special Assistant to the Mayor, announced that the event on December 18 would include a flag-raising ceremony, wreath laying at Lopez Jaena’s shrine, and a volley fire and taps. The University of the Philippines professor, Dr. Randy Madrid, is invited as the guest speaker. The significance of the event, Treñas emphasized, lies in honoring Lopez Jaena’s contribution to Iloilo’s heritage. The celebration, led by city officials including Mayor Jerry P. Treñas and the Graciano Lopez Jaena Foundation, will take place at the Graciano Lopez Jaena Park, also known as Jaro Plaza. Lopez Jaena, born in Jaro to parents Placido Lopez and Maria Jacoba Jaena, is renowned as the founder and editor-in-chief of La Solidaridad. Proclamation 52, series of 1986, officially designates December 18 as “Graciano Lopez J
aena Day,” a special non-working public holiday in both the province and city of Iloilo.