Here we are at our last stop for the featured Cultural and Heritage Site where the Philippine Flag is permanently raised, Santa Barbara Plaza, Iloilo.
Santa Barbara, Iloilo is the first place in Visayas where the Philippine Flag was first hoisted in 1898 and also served as the headquarters of the revolutionary forces in Iloilo. The Santa Barbara Parish Church adjacent to the plaza was declared a National Landmark in 1991 and a National Cultural Treasure in 2013.
Santa Barbara Plaza is as old as its town, formerly called Catmon and established in 1760. In November 1898, the Revolutionary Government of Visayas was organized in Santa Barbara and inaugurated at the town plaza. It was here where the Philippine flag was raised for the first time outside Luzon.
Santa Barbara served as headquarters for the revolutionaries, enabling them to seize the entire Iloilo from Spanish control within a month. This significant contribution to history allowed Santa Barbara the privilege to raise the national flag on a 120-foot pole day and night.
Adjacent to the plaza is the Santa Barbara Church, declared a National landmark in 1991 and a National Cultural Treasure in 2013.
Sources:
https://nolisoli.ph/63534/santa-barbara-iloilo-ph-flag-csanjose-20190612/
https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/modern-living/2016/10/08/1631277/why-santa-barbara-plaza-victorious
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