Have you looked at the seal of your hometown closely? And discovered the meaning of the figures and the symbolism in the seal?
According to an online dictionary, a seal is a "symbol or mark of office". If the seal only contains symbols representing the municipality, city, or province, it should not be that complicated. But when it includes a verifiable figure, like a year to signify an important event of the place, then it should be factual.
Since I already have an idea of the history of our hometown, Victorias City (in the Philippines) from Daan Banwa (Old Victorias) to the current city, everything I see around this place gets a new perspective. It's more like I now see things with fresh eyes, so to speak.
Like for example, read this seal of Victorias City, used in 2020, plastered on a barangay vehicle:
The '1998' is the year when Victorias became a city on March 21, 1998. That's correct.
But '1906'? Hmm. Why 1906?
The only historical events that happened in 1906, based on the Jalandoni Memoirs, were (1) the threat from Sr. Leon Montinola to kick out the people from his Hacienda Torreno sometime in 1905 and 1906 (see Chapter 7); (2) his lawsuit against the town (see Chapter 7); and (3) the donation of a parcel of land by Sr. Yap-Quiña (see Chapter 7).
None of the three constitutes the creation of any town.
But if the '1906' in the seal indicates the year the town was created, IT IS WRONG. 😡
The officials of Victorias probably based their wrong decision and conclusion on the dates of October 2, 1906, when Sr. Yap-Quiña attended the town council session to express his donation, or on October 15, 1906, when he formalized his donation at another town council session.
As the official website of Victorias City has no information about the seal, I looked it up on Wikipedia the significant dates:
Above, I was able to confirm that the city officials thought the city was founded in 1906 based on October 2, 1906. The date opposite the word "Founded" is "October 2, 1906."
Again, October 2, 1906, was only the date Sr. Yap-Quiña attended the session where he signified his intent to donate a parcel of land. That date was NOT the date Victorias was created as a town, and the old settlement of Daan Banwa was already a barrio even before the 1848.
And since according to Sr. Esteban Jalandoni the '1906' is wrong, what year should it be?
Well, let's ask him again.
Sr. Esteban Jalandoni, the primary source of my Victorias History blog (read here), arrived in Victorias on July 31, 1901, and became its secretary the next day. He shared with us the events he witnessed as the town secretary and also some details he knew about before he arrived. And based on his accounts, Victorias was already a town when he got here.
If you have read Chapter 6 (read here), Victorias would have definitely lost its status as a town in 1902 as it was too poor to be considered a town and would have been turned into a barrio whose land area was to be divided between Saravia and Manapla, the adjacent towns, using the Magnanud River as the boundary.
But because of the efforts of then alcálde, Sr. Eliodoro Tongoy and his then secretary, Sr. Esteban Jalandoni, Victorias was able to keep its status with the help of the former provincial governor, Sr. Melecio Severino, who traveled to Manila and interceded on behalf of the Victoriahanons by pleading to Brigadier General James Francis Smith to let Victorias keep its status as a town.
Other than that story of 1902, Sr. Esteban Jalandoni also narrated that the barrio officials of 1898 asked the new leaders of the Republica Cantonal de Negros that Daan Banwa be elevated into a town, and those leaders approved.
So, as early as November 1898, Victorias was already a town.
And even in 1902, during the Insular Government of the Americans, when Brigadier General James Francis Smith let Victorias keep its status as a town further solidified this fact. That's the year when the Victoriahanons rejoiced and the town officials breathed a sigh of relief!
So, why don't we correct the error on the seal of the city based on the real historical events of our city?😄
'1906' is wrong; '1898' on the other hand, is factually right!
From 1898 to 1998, a hundred years. It was our town's fate to wait for 100 years to become a city.
You're all welcome!😎
Complete history blog: "Ang Kasaysayan sang Victorias"
From 1898 to 1998, a hundred years. It was our town's fate to wait for 100 years to become a city.
You're all welcome!😎
Complete history blog: "Ang Kasaysayan sang Victorias"
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