ICONIC statue created by sculptor-painter Ramon Lazaro Martinez.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the recent restoration of the statue La Madre Filipina at the foot of Jones Bridge, Binondo, Manila signifies the government’s fervent determination to bring back Manila’s old glory.

Secretary Puyat and Manila Mayor Fransico “Isko” Moreno Domagoso signed a memorandum of agreement for the turnover of the iconic statue from Rizal Park and its reinstallation at its original location. The iconic La Madre Filipina (The Filipina Mother), one of the four-piece work of sculptor-painter Ramon Lazaro Martinez, was unveiled in 1921 to adorn the pillars of the historic bridge.

“This is not just a restoration of a monument. It is the placement of a silent witness to the history of Manila, from the American Occupation till the end of the Second World War. We entrust back to the City Government this priceless piece of art and history for Filipinos to preserve and appreciate,” the Department of Tourism (DoT) chief stressed.

Only three of the four statues survived World War II and were relocated elsewhere, including the one Bagumbayan, Rizal Park under the care of the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC), an attached agency of the DoT. The other two statues are installed at the Court of Appeals compound in Ermita, Manila.

LOCALS flock to Manila to see the newly renovated Jones Bridge.

“I can understand the feeling of nostalgia but I trust that the Court of Appeals and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines will also agree to have the last two original La Madre Filipinas back at the Jones Bridge soon,” she .

A replica of the destroyed piece now stands opposite the La Madre Filipina at the foot of Jones Bridge that leads Binondo, otherwise known as Manila “Chinatown,” and the historic Escolta Street.

Puyat lauded the City of Manila for the renovation of Jones Bridge with its neoclassic lamp posts, which has become an instant sensation as a local tourist spot with a breathtaking 360-degree view of the Pasig River and downtown Manila.

OTHER surviving La Madre Filipina statues were relocated elsewhere within the city.

“We, at DoT, share Mayor Isko’s passion in urban regeneration to rekindle the capital city’s old glory. It is incredible with what can be achieved when the national and local agencies work together under a common goal. We look forward to replicating this partnership with other LGU in the country in order to boost tourism and preserve our heritage,” Puyat stated.

Just recently, romantic pre-nuptial photographs of a couple taken at the Jones Bridge went viral on the Internet.

Constructed to replace Puente de España (Bridge of Spain) in 1920, Jones Bridge is named after United States legislator William Atkinson Jones, author of the 1916 Jones Law that granted the Philippines legislative autonomy, creating the first elected Philippine legislature prior to the country’s independence.