SANTA ROSA, Laguna—Uniting as one with other local government units in the country, the City of Santa Rosa held the ceremonial lighting of its landmark to commemorate the 50th year anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
At exactly 7 p.m. last August 8, city officials led by Vice Mayor Arnold B. Arcillas presided over the lighting of the Santa Rosa Arch, accompanied by singing of the ASEAN Theme Song entitled “ASEAN Spirit,” written by National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario and composed by Josefino Toledo.
The Santa Rosa Arch is its premiere landmark and serves as the gateway to the city. The arch features four lions that serve as the guardians of the city. It is from these lions where the city got its tag as the Lion City of South Luzon.
In his speech, Vice Mayor Arcillas said the city’s participation in the celebration of the ASEAN anniversary shows “our commitment to the mission and tasks of the ASEAN.”
He added that the lighting of the Santa Rosa Arch highlights the city’s readiness in leading to give the country and the entire region.
The Vice Mayor also stressed that he is looking forward to a more thriving future, pledging that, as a premier city, the City of Santa Rosa will always be supportive of the country’s functions in the association.
The City of Santa Rosa is among the 74 local government units in the country that participated in the simultaneous landmark lighting ceremonies. This is in consonance with the celebration’s theme, “Under One Light, we are One ASEAN.”
The celebration also coincided with thePhilippines’ Chairmanship of the ASEAN in 2017. Last April, the Philippines hosted the 30th ASEAN Summit, which was attended by all the leaders of the member countries.
The ASEAN was established on August 8, 1967 in Bangkok by the five original member countries — Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
It was formed by the founding members in an effort to build a community that assists and supports each other in terms of economic growth, socio-cultural development, and political security. It intends to strengthen great partnership with each other for a more prosperous and stable future.
Since its founding, the ASEAN has, without a doubt, gone a long way in promoting peace, unity, and growth among member countries. There are 10 member states of the ASEAN.
The ASEAN is the seventh-largest market as well as the third-largest labor force in the world. It also projected to become the fourth-largest economic union by the year 2030.