Pagsanjan’s Puerto Real now a national landmark

PAGSANJAN, Laguna – Local officials, headed by Mayor Girlie Ejercito, welcomed the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) conferment, declaring the town’s main gateway, known as Puerto Real, as a national landmark.

The declaration was made by NHCP Deputy Executive Director Veronica Dado, with Department of Tourism (DOT) 4-A (Calabarzon) Acting Director Marissa Castro, during the marker unveiling rites of the marker that coincided with the 350th town’s founding anniversary celebration.

In her speech, Ejercito said that, based on history, Puerto Real was built in 1878 until 1880 by the people of the town under the leadership of friars Cipriano Bac and Miguel dela Fuente.

It was to express their gratitude to a beautiful luminous lady holding aloft a shining sword that appeared to stop a group of bandits led by a certain Tankad from looting and plundering the town on December 8, 1877.

That lady turned out to be the Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the town, and the gate was built right at the line drawn by her sword, and this has now became a part of local folklore.

Ejercito expressed her gratitude to NHCP for declaring the gate a national landmark as it also depicts the history and culture of the town.

Laguna former governor George ER Ejercito, a former town mayor, felt joy and pride along with the town folk as the iconic gate was finally recognized by the national agency as a historical landmark.

“For more than 130 years, the gate had withstood through typhoons and earthquakes and I am glad that finally it is recognized as a national landmark,“the former governor said.

Pagsanjan was the provincial capital for 170 years (1688-1858), and was considered as the “Athens of Laguna” as it was the leading commercial, cultural and learning center of the province in those times, Ejercito recalled.