40 feet landmark unveiled in Baler in its 402nd township occasion

The 40 feet tall skyline monument at Baler, Aurora.

BALER, Aurora, August 19, 2011-A 40-feet-tall monument that towers over this capital town’s skyline will be unveiled today symbolic of its emergence from a once-sleepy municipality into a bustling and flourishing model for rural development.

The unveiling of the landmark at the municipal plaza near the historic Baler Church was the main highlight on the occasion of this town’s 402^nd anniversary coinciding with the 133^rd birth anniversary of the late Commonwealth President Manuel Luis Quezon.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, along with Representative Juan Edgardo J. Angara, Governor Bellaflor Angara-Castillo and Baler Mayor Arthur J. Angara will lead the inauguration of the elegant, upward-facing structure called “Baler 400” marking the celebration of the town’s quadricentennial two (2) years ago.

Constructed last year and which was finished last June, the monument was designed by internationally acclaimed artist Luis Lee Jr., more popularly known as Junyee.

Lee also designed the seven-meter high monument, known as  “Open Doors,” at the 65-hectare Holocaust Memorial Park in Rishon, LeZion, the fourth largest city of Israel south of Tel Aviv. It is one of only two monuments in Israel, the other was designed by an Israeli sculptor.

The “Open Doors” monument was inaugurated on June 21, 1999,  70 years after Quezon allotted in 1939 some 10,000 visas and safe haven to Jews fleeing Nazi Europe. Some 1,200 Jews made it to Manila for which Quezon and the Filipino nation were honored for their “open door policy.”

International artist Luis "Junyee" Lee Jr. posing at
Cafe de Rosa, Baler, Aurora.

Lee explained that the Baler structure consists of four symbolic pillars, each representing 100 years of the town, which – from the base to the tip – are interconnected by 100 stainless horizontal bars. The four pillars represent the continuous rise of the town from its humble beginnings into one rich in history and culture and an emerging model for rural development.

Lee said that the bars, which glow and glitter during daytime, are like candles to the town’s quadricentennial cake. The platform of the monument is made of Vigan tiles symbolizing the town’s kayumanggi race enriched by its Spanish heritage.

Angara-Castillo said that in its entirety, the monument is a symbol of the town’s inner strength and bright future.   

Retired police general Francisco Zubia Jr., chairman of the Baler Festejos 2011, said this year’s anniversary rites, which carry the theme : “Bukang Liwayway ng Kaunlaran at Pag-asa dahil sa Mamamayang Nagkakaisa (Sunrise of Progress and Hope because of a United Citizenry),”  kicked off last August 14 with a series of activities such as skateboarding, streetdancing and soccer competitions; tourism and trade fair, bikathon, cultural presentation, variety show, farmers’ day, historical and painting contests, fireworks display, the “Komedya de Baler” and “Baler got Talent.”


Located 232 kilometers north of Manila on the shore of a horseshoe-shaped coastal valley overlooking the Pacific Ocean, this town is a treasure trove of cultural heritage not only as Quezon’s birthplace but also for being the last bastion of Spanish forces during the Spanish Revolution. It is  the center of festivities for the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day which is celebrated every 30^th of June.

The old Kinagunasan (township) was wiped out when a “tsunami” struck on December 27, 1735, killing 500 families.

Several stories accounted for the origin of the name Baler, the most popular of which was believed to have come from the word “Balod,” a large Paloma Montes (mountain dove) that abounded in the place.

Baler, to historians, was a place where pigeons came home to roost or a place to come home to. And that no matter where Balerianos go in their search for glory and fortune, they would always hope of coming back.

Baler has emerged into a progressive municipality housing a public market, a fish port, sports complex, people’s center, a P130-million integrated rice processing complex, a polytechnic college, and other institutions of higher learning from a depressed town. (Jason de Asis)