MacArthur Memorial’s official archivist to visit Dagupan
TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT
THE official archivist of the Douglas MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia USA — who earlier confirmed that the American general landed in Dagupan on January 9, 1945 when he began the liberation of Luzon during the Second World War — is set to come to Dagupan in February this year.
Mayor Belen Fernandez announced during a flag-raising ceremony program on January 13 at the city plaza that James Zobel, official archivist of the MacArthur Memorial, is expected to arrive next month to finally set the record as to where General MacArthur actually made his entry when he came ashore from his flagship “Boise”.
His research work settles a long-standing dispute among historians of Pangasinan on the landing site, with some pointing to Lingayen and others in San Fabian
Zobel attested that MacArthur came to shore through Dagupan Blue Beach at 2:00 p.m. on January 9, 1945, boarded a military jeep that drove him to Dagupan’s downtown area. He established his command post at the Home Economics building of the West Central Elementary School, his first command post on Luzon soil.
Fernandez said that Zobel, while in Dagupan, will join the groundbreaking for the construction of statues of General Mac Arthur and his soldiers as they waded ashore in Bonuan, a project which Senator Grace Poe agreed to fund at a cost of P60 million.
The landing memorial will be built right behind the Mac Arthur Memorial Park in Bonuan Tondaligan.
The mayor said the statues will be similar to the ones built in Palo, Leyte depicting a scene when MacArthur and his soldiers came ashore in that hallowed ground to begin the first phase of the liberation of the Philippines from the Japanese invaders, that is now a tourist attraction in that part of the country.
She added that part of the project is the refurbishment of the present MacArthur Park at Tondaligan to make it an ideal tourist attraction.
At the same time, she announced that the first phase of the construction of the One-Bonuan Pavillon in Bonuan Binloc is almost complete with the second phase of the project set to begin soon. A skateboard park will also be built beside it. (Leonardo Micua)
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