One of the highlights of the town of Argao’s celebration of its 400th founding anniversary was the launching of its history book on September 19, 2008, at the President Diosdado Macapagal Sports and Cultural Center.
Argao: 400 Years in Legend and History is another achievement for the town. Written in a popular rather than academic style, the book is a compilation of various vignettes of Argao’s history and culture penned by Argawanon historian Todd Lucero Sales and edited by Vince Villafuerte Escario and Eli Sarmago.
Solidly based on archival research and validated by personal interviews with Argawanons and other scholars who have done work on Argao, the book offers interesting glimpses on Argao’s rich and colorful past as well as amusing and amazing anecdotes on some curious personalities.
Mayor Edsel Galeos, who thought of this project some six months ago, shares his excitement over the publication of the book. “I can’t wait to get my hands on the first copies of Argao 400. Leafing through the draft already gave me goose-bumps. Aside from giving us the opportunity to travel to and remember Argao’s past, the book inspires the reader to have a sense of genuine respect, appreciation and awe for Argao and the Argawanons. By putting into writing the legacy of our forebears, we too leave that same legacy to the many who will come after us and will hopefully also dedicate their time, talents and resources to our beloved town.”
Dr. Joyce Gerra, Director of the Cultural Program of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation has this to say about the book: “A very informative book showing the different facets of Argao's history as well as aspects of its weltanschauung! Who says that local history is just a litany of its local officials and nothing more? This book certainly raises the barometer of how local history should be written-- candid with facts anchored on research.”
Professor Jojo R. Bersales, chair of the Socio-Anthropology Department of the University of San Carlos, adds: “Todd Lucero Sales masterfully weaves together all the important facets of Argao's history into a coherent set of essays in one slim volume that leaves no stone unturned, no fact unexplained, no mystery unraveled. Written in popular writing style, this is a must reading not only for the serious academic but also for the laid-back reader or just about anyone who wants to know the many fascinating truths of one of the oldest towns of Cebu.”
Six hundred copies of the 200-page book will be initially printed and will be available for purchase on September 15, 2008. To pre-order copies of the book, please call the Mayor’s office at (32) 485-8011.
(from Argao official website)
