Maramba descendants take pride of Pangasinan roots
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan, July 24 (PNA) -- The descendants of the late Governor Daniel Maramba, called the “Grand Old Man” of Pangasinan politics and founding guru of the provincial capitol building, made a sentimental journey to the province on Thursday.
The group, composed of more than 20 members, most of them from abroad, made the visit as part of the commemoration of the late governor’s 140th birthday.
The late Gov.Maramba, from whom the boulevard leading to the provincial capitol was named after, was born on July 21, 1870. His bronze statue now stands at the approach of the boulevard.
Maramba was the seventh Governor of Pangasinan, serving for two terms from 1916 to 1922.
During the Philippine Revolution, Maramba led in the liberation of his town Sta. Barbara, said Pangasinan historian Restituto Basa.
As a leader of the revolution in Pangasinan, he joined General Francisco Macabulos in laying a siege on the last remnants of the Spanish Army in Dagupan holed up inside the Dagupan Church that culminated in the so-called "Battle of Dagupan.
The delegation was headed by Dr. Tomas Maramba, grandson of the late former Pangasinan governor. They came from Sta. Barbara, some 20 kilometers east of Lingayen, the birthplace of their late grandfather.
Dr. Maramba and the other members of the clan turned nostalgic as they entered the capitol building, the edifice that was built by their grandfather which was eventually refurbished by the present administration of Governor Amado Espino Jr.
Astonished by the magnificent transformation of the provincial capitol, the Marambas felt proud that the legacies left by their late grandfather are still very much around.
At the capitol, they were warmly welcomed by the provincial government employees and heads of various offices headed by Provincial Administrator Rafael Baraan.
Recalling the achievements of his late grandfather as a public servant, Dr. Maramba said he feels proud that the capitol building, the seat of the provincial government of Pangasinan, has been preserved well and had undergone face-lifting.
Records show when the capitol building was constructed, its architectural design became a model of the other capitols constructed in other provinces.
As governor for two-terms, Maramba focused on agriculture and through hard work made the province as the “Rice Granary of the Philippines,” thus putting Pangasinan in the Philippine Map.
Records also showed it was Maramba who established the Provincial Nursery in Sta. Barbara town to showcase modern agriculture, and the mango trees that he planted along the highway from Sta. Barbara to Calasiao and then to Dagupan are still very much around though now almost a century old.
When the group stepped into the Capitol stairs on their way to the Office of Governor Espino, nostalgia filled the air as the Maramba descendants took a pause in the middle of the staircase and sang the Pangasinan song “Malinac Lay Labi” passionately.
Gina Quintans Staches, a granddaughter, explained this was one way of showing their love of their native tongue, saying that though many of them are already in distant lands, they still speak the Pangasinan dialect.
Staches said they wanted to teach every member of their clan, even the younger generation, to speak the dialect because, according to her, they were all taught by their parents who were members of the earlier generation, how to speak Pangasinan and love the language.
She said the love for the Pangasinan dialect was first inculcated by the late Governor Maramba to his children, who passed this on to their offsprings.
Seeing the interior of the refurbished provincial capitol, all they could say were praises for the beauty and grandeur of the structures.
They also too expressed admiration to the new Sison Auditorium, once the seat of Pangasinan's performing arts, the zarzuelas, which they believed to be renovated "with finesse and royal touch".
The group was treated to a merienda of native cakes and buko juice at the Capitol Resort Hotel, another new attraction at the provincial capitol.
There, the Maramba grandchildren and great grandchildren further expressed their admiration to the administration of Gov. Espino after observing that the hotel has a swimming pool and a driving range.
Alma Quintans Kern, also a granddaughter and president of the Filipino Community of Seattle and the Washington-Pangasinan Sister State mused, “We didn’t expect this kind of a resort in Lingayen. But now we’re all talking of coming back with our families and recommending it to everybody because it is really beautiful.”
Maramba Council President Lourdes Maramba Fajardo, another granddaughter of Don Daniel Maramba, thanked the provincial government for the warm welcome and accommodation. (PNA)
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=0&nid=12&rid=289849
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan, July 24 (PNA) -- The descendants of the late Governor Daniel Maramba, called the “Grand Old Man” of Pangasinan politics and founding guru of the provincial capitol building, made a sentimental journey to the province on Thursday.
The group, composed of more than 20 members, most of them from abroad, made the visit as part of the commemoration of the late governor’s 140th birthday.
The late Gov.Maramba, from whom the boulevard leading to the provincial capitol was named after, was born on July 21, 1870. His bronze statue now stands at the approach of the boulevard.
Maramba was the seventh Governor of Pangasinan, serving for two terms from 1916 to 1922.
During the Philippine Revolution, Maramba led in the liberation of his town Sta. Barbara, said Pangasinan historian Restituto Basa.
As a leader of the revolution in Pangasinan, he joined General Francisco Macabulos in laying a siege on the last remnants of the Spanish Army in Dagupan holed up inside the Dagupan Church that culminated in the so-called "Battle of Dagupan.
The delegation was headed by Dr. Tomas Maramba, grandson of the late former Pangasinan governor. They came from Sta. Barbara, some 20 kilometers east of Lingayen, the birthplace of their late grandfather.
Dr. Maramba and the other members of the clan turned nostalgic as they entered the capitol building, the edifice that was built by their grandfather which was eventually refurbished by the present administration of Governor Amado Espino Jr.
Astonished by the magnificent transformation of the provincial capitol, the Marambas felt proud that the legacies left by their late grandfather are still very much around.
At the capitol, they were warmly welcomed by the provincial government employees and heads of various offices headed by Provincial Administrator Rafael Baraan.
Recalling the achievements of his late grandfather as a public servant, Dr. Maramba said he feels proud that the capitol building, the seat of the provincial government of Pangasinan, has been preserved well and had undergone face-lifting.
Records show when the capitol building was constructed, its architectural design became a model of the other capitols constructed in other provinces.
As governor for two-terms, Maramba focused on agriculture and through hard work made the province as the “Rice Granary of the Philippines,” thus putting Pangasinan in the Philippine Map.
Records also showed it was Maramba who established the Provincial Nursery in Sta. Barbara town to showcase modern agriculture, and the mango trees that he planted along the highway from Sta. Barbara to Calasiao and then to Dagupan are still very much around though now almost a century old.
When the group stepped into the Capitol stairs on their way to the Office of Governor Espino, nostalgia filled the air as the Maramba descendants took a pause in the middle of the staircase and sang the Pangasinan song “Malinac Lay Labi” passionately.
Gina Quintans Staches, a granddaughter, explained this was one way of showing their love of their native tongue, saying that though many of them are already in distant lands, they still speak the Pangasinan dialect.
Staches said they wanted to teach every member of their clan, even the younger generation, to speak the dialect because, according to her, they were all taught by their parents who were members of the earlier generation, how to speak Pangasinan and love the language.
She said the love for the Pangasinan dialect was first inculcated by the late Governor Maramba to his children, who passed this on to their offsprings.
Seeing the interior of the refurbished provincial capitol, all they could say were praises for the beauty and grandeur of the structures.
They also too expressed admiration to the new Sison Auditorium, once the seat of Pangasinan's performing arts, the zarzuelas, which they believed to be renovated "with finesse and royal touch".
The group was treated to a merienda of native cakes and buko juice at the Capitol Resort Hotel, another new attraction at the provincial capitol.
There, the Maramba grandchildren and great grandchildren further expressed their admiration to the administration of Gov. Espino after observing that the hotel has a swimming pool and a driving range.
Alma Quintans Kern, also a granddaughter and president of the Filipino Community of Seattle and the Washington-Pangasinan Sister State mused, “We didn’t expect this kind of a resort in Lingayen. But now we’re all talking of coming back with our families and recommending it to everybody because it is really beautiful.”
Maramba Council President Lourdes Maramba Fajardo, another granddaughter of Don Daniel Maramba, thanked the provincial government for the warm welcome and accommodation. (PNA)
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=0&nid=12&rid=289849
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