FEATURES: 77 Philippine towns named after heroes

[Balita News]

LUCENA CITY, March 29 (PNA) - At least 77 municipalities and two
regular provinces in the Philippines were named after Dr. Jose P. Rizal,
President Manuel Luis Quezon and other national heroes and freedom
fighters.

One big province (Rizal) and six towns in Laguna, Nueva Ecija,
Kalinga Apayao, Zamboanga del Norte, Palawan, and Mindoro Occidental
were named after Dr. Jose Rizal.

The capital city of the Philippines (Quezon City) and seven
towns in Quezon, Isabela, Nueva Viscaya, Nueva Ecija, Bukidnon, and
Palawan were named after President Quezon.

Quezon, the biggest province in Southern Tagalog in terms of
land area and voting population was named after the lated Commnwealth
Pres. Manuel Luis Quezon, who started his brilliant political career as
municipal councilor of Lucena City and provincial governor of Tayabas
(now Quezon).

Six towns in the country named after the late Pres. Manuel A.
Roxas. These towns were located in Isabela, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan,
North Cotabato, Zamboanga del Norte and Capiz, where there is a Pres.
Roxas town.

The late Pres. Ramon Magsaysay is very much alive - in Palawan,
Isabela, Occidental Mindoro, Davao del Sur, and Lanao del Sur, where
there are municipalities named after him.

Pangasinan, Bohol, Davao del Norte and Batangas provinces have
towns named after Apolinario Mabini the Great Paralytic and the
country's first foreign minister.

Batangas has five towns named after BatangueŃo heroes - Mabini,
Jose P. Laurel, Teodora Agoncillo and Miguel Malvar.

Another national hero and martyr, Fr. Jose Burgos, is honored in
Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Isabela, Southern Leyte and Quezon
Province.

Isabela has four towns named after President's Manuel Roxas,
Elpidio Quirino, Quezon and Magsaysay.

The city of Lapu-Lapu in Cebu was named after the first Filipino
national hero and freedon fighter.

Incidentally, April 27 the historic battle of Mactan where
Lapu-Lapu killed Magellan has remained unnoticed and unsung.

Bohol province has named two famous sons - Dagohoy and the late
Pres. Carlos P. Garcia.

The gold producing province of Camarines Norte in the Bicol
Region has named two towns after its two illustrious sons - Jose Ma.
Panganiban and Wenceslao Q. Vinzons.

Panganiban, who equalled Rizal's brilliance and scholastic
record, was a fearless writer and propagandists who fought the Spaniards
right in their own country through his brilliant writings and
editorials in La Solidaridad.

Vinzons was a former provincial governor and congressman of
Camarines Norte and 1935 Constitutional delegate who was killed by the
Japanese soldiers for refusing allegiance to them.

Leyte and Eastern Samar have named two towns after the late
General Douglas MacArthur who liberated the Philippines from the
Japanese forces in 1944.

Situated between Javier, Mayorga and La Paz town, MacArthur is a
small, peaceful community in Leyte.

Eastern Samar has a place named after US President Taft. One of
downtown Manila's busiest streets was named after Taft too.

The Philippines womens University, Santa Isabel College and
other leading institutions of learning are located along Taft Avenue.

The provinces of Sultan Kudarat in Mindanao has a town named
after the late journalist and Sen. Benigno (Ninoy) Aquino Jr., whose
assasination on August 1983 paved the way for the ouster of the late
Pres. Marcos and election to the Presidency of Corazon Aquino.(PNA)
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