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[av_heading heading=’ MY SPIN | The month of May in the Philippines (Continued from May 19, 2017 issue)’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY JUN ESCALONA
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Sunday, May 21, 2017
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ON MAY 1, 1954, Ferdinand Marcos and Imelda Romualdez were married at the Pro Cathedral of San Miguel in Manila, after being married in a civil ceremony in Baguio City. Though they seemed an unlikely match, Marcos being a Liberal and an Ilocano and Imelda being a Nacionalista by family tradition and a Waray-waray, he pursued her.
President Ramon Magsaysay, the principal sponsor, held the breakfast reception in Malacañang Palace, where about 3,000 of Manila’s officials and social elite were invited.
They were celebrated by the media, their wedding publicized as the “Wedding of the Year.” The groom was among the most outstanding young politicians in the country, whose public image as a reputable trial lawyer and legislative figure was magnified by his dashing, charismatic personality. The bride carried a name which was respected in both political circles and social register, and whose beauty and fine voice could charm gatherings.
After the marriage, Marcos had his house in San Juan renovated and added a wing for his law office so that he could spend as much time as he could with his family.
The month of May of every year is National Heritage Month.
Since its inception, the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) has been working to preserve the historical heritage of the Philippine presidency, and promote it online. Since it took over the www.gov.ph domain four years ago, the PCDSPO has taken great strides to make the Official Gazette a repository of and platform for materials — both written and visual — that have defined the presidency throughout history.
As the manager of the Presidential Museum and Library online, the PCDSPO has advanced institutional memory further by making executive issuances and messages, as well as photos, audio recordings, and videos of past presidents accessible to the public via social media.
The PCDSPO has launched other initiatives that enable Filipinos to have a greater connection with their history. It has published special multimedia pages for national commemorations; the most recent of which are Araw ng Kagitingan, the Rizal Monument Centenary, and the Bonifacio Sesquicentennial. The PCDSPO has also embarked on a groundbreaking heritage project to digitally colorize archival photos of Philippine history.
The Month of the Ocean is also celebrated annually in the Philippines during the month of May by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 57 issued in 1999. This year’s celebration will highlight the significance as well as the conservation and protection of coral reefs hence the theme “Ang Bahura ay Kagubatan sa Karagatan, Ating Pangalagaan! (The Coral Reefs are the Forests in the Seas, Let’s Protect Them!).
This year, the Department of Environment Natural Resources (DENR) through its Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau – Coastal and Marine Management Office is set to conduct month-long activities to promote ocean conservation and marine resource sustainability as well as increase the appreciation and understanding of the public about DENR’s programs and projects especially on the coastal and marine environment.
On the national level, one of the highlights of this year’s Month of the Ocean is the launching of the Sustainable Coral Reef Ecosystem Management Program on May 20. The launching will be a whole-day campaign activity to publicly introduce the national program for the sustainable management of the coastal and marine environment particularly the coral reef ecosystem.
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p class=”NewStyle18″>Other activities such as collection of Crown of Thorns, Exhibits on Integrated Coastal Resource Management Project Ecotourism Areas and Bike Tour to name a few will also be conducted.
In Region XI, an Ocean Conservation Forum with the different barangays of the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS) is slated on May 8, 2013 to discuss concerns about the conservation and protection of the coastal and marine resources in IGACOS. This said forum will be held at Talicud Island.
To further strengthen the partnership of DENR with other agencies in safeguarding and promoting sustainable use and management of the coral reefs, a Coral Reef Rehabilitation Project Meeting is set on May 10, 2013 together with the Local Government Units and local communities of Samal, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Department of Tourism and the Philippine Coast Guard./PN
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