A History Session

Today, we rode the bus all the way to Roxas City and explored some historical spots.  We left close to lunch time as we opted to take our time in the morning.  Not all tours begin at 08.00, thankfully.

First stop was the museum, a small one, half of which consisted of exhibits connected with famous native son, Manuel Roxas, the last Commonwealth president and first president of the new independent republic.  Roxas City used to be called Capiz City, but the name was changed to honour him.  I don't think anyone has ever posted his picture before in a photoblog, so this is a first.  In this shot, he was being sworn into office.

The other half of the museum displayed info connected to the Spanish occupation of The Phil, which lasted almost 500 years, followed by the American occupation, which covered some 50 years, including the Japanese occupation during WW2.  I should have known Roxas City was named after him.  I thought it was named after another Roxas related to him.  As it turns out, his family have been living in this city for centuries and all the Roxases in politics are related to him, including his son and grandson.  The first extra shows the crowds in Manila during his inauguration.

After the museum, we walked to the house where he was born.  You'll see a pano of it in the second extra.  When the Roxas family moved to Manila, it ended up under the ownership of a first cousin, and they converted it into the memorial it is today.

Then we viewed the cathedral in the city centre, and the old Spanish bridge.  Before returning to the bus depot for the ride back to Carles, we stopped at the local Jollibee (think McD but yummier) for a snack.  We agreed that it was a day well spent.