Project Title & Location
SITE of the FIRST FLAG RAISING OUTSIDE the ISLAND of LUZON
Sta. Barbara, Iloilo

Client
The National Centennial Commission
Garnet Road cor Julia Vargas Avenue, Pasig

Municipal Government of Sta. Barbara, Iloilo

Project Completion
June 1998

Associated Firms
PROS A&E
Socorro B. Atega, Landscape Architect
Pedro Ortigas, Architect

Services Provided
- Architectural Programming
- Site Selection
- A & E Design Services
- Landscape Architecture

The plaza of Sta. Barbara is the Province of Iloilo exudes with history. It is not only the Ilonggos who are proud of what happened there, but all Filipinos who come to know about what transpired in 17 November 1898. The day is commemorated every year as the day when the Visayan revolutionary leaders raised the Filipino flag that echoed the revolution against Spanish rule. It is also the day when the Visayan Revolutionary Government was founded.

As part of the national trunk site of the Centennial Freedom Trail, the plaza and the structures in the complex are considered as legacies, which the town, through an ordinance so declared in 1996. The historic flag raising at the town plaza is a fundamental strategy in openly defying the Spanish authorities, just as the plaza represents the center of town activities. Equally significant is the use of the church by the revolutionaries as the military hospital and the general headquarters of the revolutionary forces.

The refurbishment initially included the restoration of the convent. Later, the decision is for a separate museum with funds coming from the government. Prudence dictates not to use government funds for projects in religious premises.

To further enhance the landscaping in the plaza complex, a taller flagpole and a larger that life-size Delgado monument completes the new features in the area. Today, the plaza complex is completely pedestrianized. A by-pass road diverts the traffic away from the plaza complex in order to preserve the ambience within the legacy zone.