Manuel “Mar” Roxas will join Bulakenyos in the commemoration of the165th birth anniversary of Marcelo H. Del Pilar

The Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas will join thousands of Bulakenyos in the commemoration of the 165th birth anniversary of the country’s great propagandist, Marcelo H. Del Pilar on August 30, 2015 at exactly 8:00 in the morning at the Dambanang Marcelo H. del Pilar in Barangay San Nicolas, Bulakan.

With the theme “Gat. Marcelo H. Del Pilar: Bayaning Bulakenyo, Huwaran ng Lahing Pilipino,” Gov. Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado said that the commemorative celebration will highlight the life and contribution of the great propagandist and rekindle it in the hearts and minds of the younger generation.

“Hindi matatawaran ang katalinuhan at kabayanihan ni Plaridel na namuno laban sa Espanya. Ang kanyang kontribusyon sa pambansang literatura na nagbigay daan upang makamit ng Pilipinas ang kalayaan ay hindi dapat ibaon sa baul ng nakaraan. Sama-sama nating buhayin ang damdaming makabayan ng bawat Bulakenyo na sinimulan ng dakilang propagandista na si Del Pilar,” the governor said.

The event will kick off with a civic parade at 5:30 a.m. to be followed with a program and wreath-laying ceremony to be led by Roxas and Alvarado together with Bulakan Municipal Mayor Patrick Neil Meneses and National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) Executive Director Ludovico Badoy.

Meanwhile, house representatives and board members of the province as well as the other elected officials, chiefs and staff of the provincial and municipal government are also expected to grace the said celebration.

Moreover, The National Press Club in partnership with NHCP will launch the petition for the declaration of the birth of Del Pilar as National Media and Press Freedom Day during the Plaridel’s Journalism and Media Camp Workshop, Seminar and Exhibit on August 29 at the Marcelo H. del Pilar Elementary School.

Del Pilar also known as Plaridel founded the first bilingual newspaper in the Philippines known as Diariong Tagalog in 1882 and also advocated reforms during the Spanish Era by publishing newspapers that sought civil liberties for Filipinos including the La Solidaridad.

He died of tuberculosis on July 4, 1896 in Barcelona, Spain, a month before the Cry of Pugad Lawin, which signaled the start of the Philippine Revolution.