Kuliat Foundation, Inc. as in the past 9 years, led this year’s 111th Independence Day celebration with the staging of a re-enactment of the momentous event right at the Pamintuan mansion last June 12, 2009 at 7:30 a.m.

 

The mansion served as the seat of government and presidential palace of the first republic in Asia.  There was a grand celebration complete with an open-air mass, civic and military parade of some 2,000 troops.  The grand military parade led by the “boy” generals Gregorio del Pilar (age 25) of Bulacan and Manuel Tinio (the youngest general at the age of 23) of Nueva Ecija was followed by the civic parade participated by the townspeople and their pretty muses on top of borrowed religious carros.  A luncheon attended by high government and military officials was also part of the festivities.  This was the first and the last public celebration of the fledging republic-on-the-run, relentlessly pursued by the American imperialists.  The pursuit led to Aguinaldo’s eventual capture in Palanan, Isabela on March 23, 1901.

 

In this year’s celebration, students from different private & public schools witnessed the event waving their flaglets while members of the Holy Angel University Performing Arts did the re-enactment. The Holy Angel University and Republic Central College marching bands also participated to make the event even more festive and meaningful.