Guam village residents protest Mabini statue

HAGATNA, Guam — Officials in a Guam village postponed the unveiling of a statue of a Filipino revolution hero after residents protested.

A life-size statue of Apolinario Mabini was scheduled to be unveiled Monday in Asan at a new concrete monument near the Asan-Maina mayor's office.

Asan-Maina Mayor Margaret Blas said she would proceed as planned to sign an "Agreement on Friendship and Cooperation" with the Philippine city of Tanauan, Mabini's hometown.

Guam's Philippine Consulate General Marciano de Borja said the statue was picked for Asan to honor the village that hosted Mabini and the other Filipino exiles from 1901 to 1903.

"We stand by our intention for this project, which is for the Mabini statue to be the symbol of the friendship and cooperation that we seek to establish between the village of Asan and the city of Tanauan," said de Borja in a statement.

Protesters have said they were not informed of the project. They also questioned whether Mabini had a strong connection to their village.

The consulate general said he respected the opinion of residents and the unveiling would be postponed until the issue was settled.

A plaque commemorating Mabini's stay in Guam has been in place at the War in the Pacific National Historical Park in Asan for years. The life-size statue at the federal park was not possible to install because of the federal government's lengthy and tedious application process, according to Blas.

Students at a school in Mabini's hometown donated the statue. The cost of its monument was covered by contributions from residents and businesses on Guam with Philippine ties, according to the consulate.