Bago City in Negros Occidental is marking its 60th charter year this month, looking back at its rich history and paying tribute to the resilience of its people.
Its Charter Day on Feb. 19 is a special non-working day in Bago, based on the declaration of acting Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, by authority of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
“It is but fitting and proper that the people of the City of Bago be given full opportunity to participate in the occasion and enjoy the celebration,” Recto said.
During the flag ceremony on Monday, Mayor Marina Javellana-Yao said February is deeply special as Bago celebrates its 60th charter anniversary.
“With the simple but heartfelt theme of a ‘Better and Brighter Bago at 60’, a milestone that honors our history, our resilience, and our continuing journey toward inclusive progress,” she said.
The mayor said February is not just celebrated as a month of love “but as a reminder that public service itself is an act of love for our people, our city, and our shared future.”
She called on the city government employees to continue serving Bagonhons with kindness, lead with compassion, and work with love in their hearts.
“Let us remember that true love is shown not only in words, but in our daily acts of service for the people we are really destined to serve,” she added.
Bago, located just south of Bacolod, is home to its illustrious sons Juan Anacleto Torres Araneta, the hero of the Negros Revolution who led the liberation of the island from Spanish oppressors; and Ramon Araneta Torres, a former senator and the first secretary of labor and author of the eight-hour labor law.
Other distinguished Bagonhons include Rafael Montinola Salas, the first head of the United Nations Population Fund; and Arsenio Bonifacio Matti Yulo Jr., the first head of the Sugar Regulatory Administration.
During her visit last November, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos said her father Manuel “Manolet” Ledesma Araneta Jr. grew up in Bago and the city “will always have a special place in my heart”.
Showcasing resilience, Bago, one of the localities directly affected by the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano as well as the devastation of Typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi), continues with its recovery and rebuilding initiatives for displaced residents in several barangays.*PNA
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