‘Governor of peace’ proud to host an exhibit on war

Gov. Edgar Chatto, a staunch believer of peace to beget progress, is proud of Bohol being the host of a national exhibit on war dedicated to the Filipino veterans.

The governor, together with Vice Gov. Concepcion Lim, graced the opening of the exhibit aptly entitled the “War of Our Fathers…A Tribute to the Filipino Freedom Fighters,” which now runs at the Island City Mall Activity Center here.

The exhibit which features World War II photos, artifacts and documents has been displayed in 33 major cities in the country. It is displayed to coincide with the commemoration of significant war events in an area.

On one rare occasion, the exhibit was showed in Nanjing, China in 2009.
A week before the commemorative war exhibit, Boholanos marked the 156th Founding Day of the province with a parade that also featured two lasting epitomes of the Boholano courage against foreign oppression, Francisco Dagohoy and Tamblot.

The legendary Dagohoy led the country’s longest rebellion exceeding over 80 years against the Spanish tyranny.

The opening guest of honor, Chatto beamed in pride that the Veterans Federation of the Philippines (VFP) chose Bohol its exhibit venue.

The governor narrated, as recounted to him by her mother, former Balilihan Mayor Victoria Migriño-Chatto, how she had to hide in the attic of their house from the invading armies of the Japanese Empire.

The exhibit motivated Chatto to call on the present generation and those yet to come to value the sacrifice of the Filipino freedom fighters. “It is, after all, for our veterans’ patriotism that we are enjoying our freedom as a people.”

The governor paid deepest tribute to those whose precious blood wrote the supreme reason for the Filipinos’ national independence and survival today.

The running exhibit has been timed with the opening here of the Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB). The governor, also the occasion’s honored guest, congratulated the bank.

The commemorative exhibit can be viewed at the Upper Ground Level of the Island City Mall.

Chatto said wars are mother miseries, but even in peacetime such us today one war is still waged----the war against poverty.

Like positioned freedom fighters, today’s leaders ought to move to attack poverty because doing nothing alone is already a failure of public duty, Chatto said. (LEAH/JONA/EDCom)