Over the years, the Foundation Week of Emilio Aguinaldo College has been celebrated in the month of February to coincide with the birthday of its president, Dr. Jose Paulo E. Campos, this year however it was held this March 17 – 23 in concurrence with the 150th birth anniversary of its namesake, General Emilio Aguinaldo.
In commemoration of this grand event, Emilio Aguinaldo College invited Dr. Emmanuel Calairo to conduct a lecture on the life and legacy of Emilio Aguinaldo, the first president of the Philippines. Dr. Calairo is currently the president of the Philippine Historical Association and also president of the Local Community Network of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. He is also the president emeritus of the Association Studies Center in the Philippines. Currently, Dr. Calairo is a full time faculty of De LaSalle University in Dasmarinas, Cavite.
Dr. Calairo deserves huge credit for shedding light to the murky recesses of Aguinaldo’s life and for finding answers to some perceived allusions. His clear and judicious account enlightened the audience and answered some of the baffling questions in their minds. Presumably, there were still some naysayers about the negative issues hounding Aguinaldo but Dr. Calairo asserted that these were” interpretations” not facts. In his lecture he pointed out that Aguinaldo must be remembered for his “significant legacies” such as the June 12 Independence Day or Philippine National Day, the national anthem and the national flag.
The lecture given by Dr. Calairo was hugely important; it is a genuine contribution to our understanding of one of the Philippines’ least understood heroes. He narrated that Aguinaldo pursued Philippine Independence with absolute vigor and determination and the fact that he succeeded in becoming the first president of Asia’s first republic marked him distinctly.