Labor Secretary Sto. Tomas, whom we in the Cabinet all fondly call as Secretary Pat, leaves behind a wealth of good deeds and successful reforms in her long record of public service. Part of her legacy is a single-digit strike rate, from 60 strikes in the year 2000 to only 9 for the first half of this year. She is also a contributory to a single-digit unemployment rate and the continued rise of employment levels in the past five years. Because of her integrity and competence, she was able to strengthen the programs of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration to ensure that OFW contributions are managed well and with full transparency. It was only under her administration that the OWWA now enjoys a budget surplus. OWWA funds have reached its record level of R10 billion while the agency itself reduced its operating expenses by half, to ensure that more funds are earmarked for programs and services for its members.

We certainly wish her the best of luck on her new job as Chair of the Development Bank of the Philippines while we welcome aboard her worthy replacement, legal luminary and labor relations expert, Arturo Brion who is himself an old hand in the department.

Incidentally, both Sec Pat and Art Brion, (along with labor luminaries Nieves Confesor, Ruben Torres, Franklin Drilon, Benny Laguesma and Jose Brillantes), were mentored by the late Ka Blas Ople. Ka Blas would have been undoubtedly proud that his legacy of service to the common man continues through the hard work of his protégés, Secretaries Pat Sto. Tomas and Arturo Brion.

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During the Independence Day weekend, my family and I took a "journey of discovery" through historicallyrich Cavite. Our first stop was the Geronimo Berenguer de los Reyes (GBR) Museum in General Trias, Cavite. The museum is located within the Gateway Business Park and is accessible through Amadeo Road. Incidentally, Amadeo is known as the "Coffee Town" due to the different locally grown high-quality varieties of coffee beans.

GBR Museum is divided into several pavilions, several of which display rare photographs of 19th and 20th century Philippines taken Albert Honiss and Manuel Arias y Rodriguez, British and Spanish photographers, respectively. Other photos were acquired from the news agency Underwood & Underwood. Some memorable photographs were of Malacañang in the 1800s, the execution of Jose Rizal and portraits of revolutionary heroes.

The founder of the museum, Geronimo Berenguer de los Reyes Jr. is a descendant of Crisanto de los Reyes, one of the primary supporters of the Cavite Mutiny of 1872. The names of the Cavite Mutiny martyrs are etched in the granite memorial which stands in front of the museum.

In addition, there are two pavilions which display models of aircrafts and other aviation and aerospace memorabilia, including authenticated souvenirs of various US space missions.

We were awed by the time, effort and expense that went into the establishment and maintenance of this very impressive facility. It is definitely worth a trip, not just by students, but by anyone who would like to revisit and honor our country’s glorious history.

Our other stop was at the Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite. At the time of our visit, the shrine was being prepared for the Independence Day flag-raising ceremony the following day.

One very important fact we learned from the curator, Alvin Alcid, was that the actual declaration of independence did not take place on the balcony of Aguinaldo’s home, but from its window. He pointed out that the balcony was not added until 1924, when General Aguinaldo oversaw extensive renovations of the sprawling mansion. The old five peso bill, according to Mr. Alcid, correctly depicts the declaration of independence as having taken place from the window.

Our tour of the shrine’s covered the main living areas, the balcony, the steps leading to the structure’s tower, the bedrooms of General Aguinaldo’s daughters, the old silong, which now houses General Aguinaldo’s memorabilia and the grounds. It is noteworthy that the house is filled with many secret passages, including an underground tunnel leading to the St. Mary Magdalene Church nearby. "Magdalo," the general’s revolutionary name, was taken from the name of his hometown’s patron saint, Mary of Magdala.

Our first President was laid to rest behind his house in a simple tomb surrounded by Philippine flags. A few steps away is his 1920 Packard, which was restored and which is now encased in glass.

Prior to the 1998 Centennial Celebration, vehicular traffic was allowed directly in front of the shrine. However, as part of the Centennial Celebration and to preserve and protect the structure, traffic has since been diverted through a road loop. Some properties directly in front of the shrine have also been acquired by the government to make way for a park in the general’s honor.

We left the "House of Independence" with a greater appreciation of our history and the hope that other Filipinos will have the same opportunity to take a step back into our treasured past.