Overview
The Historical Landmark of Marcela Agoncillo, is located in Marcela N. Agoncillo Street, Taal, Batangas. The street is obviously derived from her name.
The site marks the birthplace of Marcela Agoncillo, one of the three makers of the first official Filipino Flag during the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish authorities. The different flags of the revolution are prominently displayed in this place, together with the family’s collection of photographs, furniture and memorabilia of the Agoncillo family. The same flag was raised at the balcony of the house of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo during the proclamation of Philippine Independence from Spain on June 12, 1898.
About Marcela N. Agoncillo
Marcela Mariño de Agoncillo (June 24, 1860 – May 30, 1946), simply known as Marcela Agoncillo, was a Filipina renowned in Philippine history as the principal seamstress of the first official flag of the Philippines, gaining her the title of Mother of the Philippine Flag.
Agoncillo was a daughter of a rich family in her hometown of Taal, Batangas. Finishing her studies at Sta. Catalina College, she acquired her learning in music and feminine crafts. At the age of 30, Agoncillo married Filipino lawyer and jurist Don Felipe Agoncillo and bore him six children. Her marriage led to her important role in Philippine history. When her husband was exiled to Hong Kong during the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution, Agoncillo and the rest of the family joined him and temporarily resided there to avoid the anti-Filipino hostility of some foreign countries. While in Hong Kong, General Emilio Aguinaldo requested her to sew a flag that would represent their country. Agoncillo, her eldest daughter and a friend manually sewed the flag in accordance with a General Aguinaldo's design which later became the official flag of the Philippines.
While the flag itself is the perpetual legacy of Agoncillo, she is also commemorated through museums and monuments like the marker in Hong Kong (where her family temporarily sojourned), at her ancestral home in Taal, Batangas which has been turned into a museum, in paintings by notable painters, and through other visual arts.
Accommodations
- Taal Imperial Hotel and Resort
Location: Brgy. Tulo, Diversion Road, Taal, Batangas, Batangas, Philippines
- Canyon Woods Resort Club
Location: Diokno Highway, Lauurel, Laurel, Batangas, Philippines
- Hotel La Corona de Lipa
Location: Kilometer 84 President J.P. Laurel Hi-way, Pilahan, Lipa City, Batangas, Philippines
- San Roque Paradise Hotel
Location: (21.76 km from Batangas City Hall of Justice)
- The Alpa Hotel and Restaurant
Location: Brgy. Kumintang Ibaba, , Batangas, Batangas, Philippine
How to get there
You can reach Taal, Batangas by means of STAR Tollway or Southern Tagalog Arterial Road. Drive along STAR Tollway and exit to Tambo (Lipa City). Turn right from the exit and follow the signs to Cuenca. Continue on driving to the national highway until you pass through the towns of Alitagtag and Sta. Teresita.
When you reach the Sta. Teresita junction, turn right and drive straight until you reach the Taal-Lemery Bypass Junction. Turn left at the junction and follow the road and you’ll find the Taal Town easily.