MisOr unveils monumental heritage sculptural tableau

MISAMIS Oriental provincial government unveiled last week (March 1) a magnificent and imposing sculptural tableau dubbed as the Heritage of Misamis Oriental Monument at the center of the Provincial Capitol ground in Cagayan de Oro City.
National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCAA) executive director Cecille Guidote Alvarez was the guest speaker in the unveiling program which started at 4 in the afternoon.

Executive director Alvarez was joined in, in the unveiling ceremony by Misamis Oriental Governor Oscar S. Moreno and internationally renowned sculptor Eduardo S. Castrillo who designed the 12.6-meter tall symbolic Heritage of Misamis Oriental Monument.

Vice Governor Norris C. Babierra and provincial board members, provincial, city and municipal officials, regional heads of government agencies, education and school officials, and media practitioners attended the historic event.
Sculptured with the typical Castrillo constructivism method, the monument depicts the historical, socio-cultural and economic transformation of Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro.

It is an attempt to capture the participation of Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro residents in the Philippine revolution during the Spanish and American regimes as personified by their leaders Don Apolinar Velez and Don Nicolas Capistrano.
The symbolic sculptural tableau includes a mosaic of respected well-known leaders and statesmen, a Higa-onon woman with a child, a Muslim maiden playing an indigenous musical instrument, professional migrants, and historical landmarks such as the Cagayan de Oro river, Saint Augustine Cathedral and Xavier University.

All the human figures are in double life-size intricately sculptured out of number 14 and 16 thick brass sheets while the 14x14-meter base was formed out of the original obelisk enhanced by fine tiles and mosaic glass.

The Heritage of Misamis Oriental Monument will form part of Castrillo’s now famous works which include, among others, the People Power at EDSA, The Winnower in Hongkong, The Execution of Rizal in Rizal Park, Manila, The Pillar of Growth at Metrobank Plaza, Makati, and The Redemption at the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina. [Misamis Oriental Provincial Press Office]