By Rex Catubig

 

(I wrote this piece much earlier, but not much has changed since then. Except for a plan to relocate the monument–which very much depends on who is in the City Hall).

There are no road markers to lead visitors to the site. The site, in fact, is hardly known in the vicinity. The name Villa Milagrosa no longer rings a bell, nor does Seaside, which are precursors to the present Tondaligan.

Resolute, one finds the way through some remembered route much like a canine sniffing for clues. One makes a left turn after a waiting shed, through a narrow gravelly path that seems to hit a dead end. It’s the rusty gate of the Villa Milagrosa, the festive beach resort of our youth, and one right away imagines the laughter of people within, only to be met with the eerie solitude of empty buildings and forlorn landscape.

As one walks along the fenced perimeter towards the beach, the lonely figure of a man perched on a concrete pedestal stands tall from behind willowy cogon grass. It is what remains of the monument of Gen. Douglas MacArthur commemorating his famous landing in Lingayen Gulf. Oddly enough, the marker of this historic event, lies several meters away, walled in inside a private compound. One has to go past the security dispatch of the neighboring gated community to steal a glimpse of the memorial.

As dusk falls, one leaves the place in the company of kindred spirits, saddened and perplexed. It is yet another instance where the legacy of the proud past is swept under the rug of neglect and abandoned to the mercy of the elements.

Despite the vain claim of being a progressive people, we continually leave detritus of our cultural ignorance. I hope that the stink in its wake will not escape the notice of perfumed noses.

POSTLUDE: The scion of the valiant soldier – Maj. Moises Maramba- who was instrumental in erecting the Bonuan MacArthur Landing landmark speaks. In his own words, here is Nap Maramba:

“The Macarthur monument was a project of my dad together with the American legion. Unfortunately again, different publications have accused him of using his influence to have it erected in his property. In reality, it was erected through his hard work, in a government land. The landing site of Gen. MacArthur is still being disputed. Provincial officials claim that he landed in Lingayen but I’ve only seen pictures of him touring Torres Bugallon street and at his HQ which was the West Central school in Dagupan City  but no pics of him in Lingayen. If he landed in Lingayen, why would he establish his HQ in Dagupan? Go figure.

“My father wrote a very detailed article published by SUNDAY PUNCH, even naming several witnesses (who could corroborate) that he landed in Bonuan. I could provide you with clippings. Being a vet himself and survivor of the infamous Bataan death march himself, he dedicated the rest of his life serving the veteran”.

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