• CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
A resolution declaring the site of the old City Hall as an important historical landmark in the City of Bacolod, was approved by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod on Tuesday.
The resolution authored by Councilor Em Ang said the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod City recognizes the importance of preserving cultural and historical heritage, in accordance with the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 or Republic Act 10066.
The site of the old City Hall, located at the corner of Luzuriaga and Araneta streets, Bacolod City is also where the Fountain of Justice is located, which has great historical significance not only for Bacolod, but also for the Island of Negros, it said.
The L-shape 3-storey old Bacolod City Hall building was constructed in 1968 by the late Bacolod City Mayor Romeo G. Guanzon around the mansion of Don Jose Ruiz de Luzuriaga, presently the Fountain of Justice, the resolution said.
The Fountain of Justice, where the mansion of Luzuriaga used to be located, is where local Filipino forces in Bacolod City, led by Generals Aniceto Lacson and Juan Araneta, accepted the surrender of Spanish forces under the command of Isidro De Castro, the Politico-Military Governor of Negros Occidental, and other officials in Negros Occidental after signing the “Acta de Capitulacion” on November 6, 1898, it said.
The site of the old City Hall is a significant historical landmark that must be preserved and protected for future generations, as provided under the National Cultural Heritage Act (R.A. 10066), the resolution said. The site of the Old City Hall, being an important cultural property of Bacolod City, must be registered in the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property, it added.*