DFA Joins 122nd Anniversary of the Historic Siege of Baler, 19th Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day Commemorations
From left to right: NCHP Chair Rene R. Escalante; Congressman Rommel Rico T. Angara; Spanish Ambassador Jorge Moragas Sanchez; Baler Vice Mayor Pedro M. Ong, Jr.; and DFA Deputy Assistant Secretary Pabito A. Mendoza. (DFA-OEA photo)
PASAY CITY 02 July 2021 – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), represented by Deputy Assistant Secretary Pablito A. Mendoza of the Office of European Affairs, took part in the commemoration of the 122nd Anniversary of the Historic Siege of Baler and the 19th Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day which was held in Baler, Aurora on 30 June 2021.
The event was made possible by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), in cooperation with the local government and the people of Baler, Aurora.
Present during the occasion were Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Jorge Moragas Sanchez, Congressman Rommel Rico T. Angara, Baler Vice Mayor Pedro M. Ong, Jr., and representatives from the local government of Baler.
The celebration started with a wreath-laying ceremony led by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and was succeeded by remarks from Vice Mayor Ong, NHCP Chair Rene Escalante, Deputy Assistant Secretary Mendoza, Ambassador Moragas, and Congressman Angara.
The historic siege of Baler looks back on the benevolent act of President Emilio Aguinaldo when he decreed that the 35 Spanish soldiers who survived the siege and took refuge in the Baler Church be treated as friends, not as prisoners.
The occasion highlighted the strong ties between the Philippines and Spain, which continue to be sustained by cooperation in the field of defense, economic and development cooperation, and culture. Both countries celebrate the 19th Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day on the 30th of June under the Republic Act No. 9187. END