ILOILO CITY, Dec. 18 -- A university professor from this city enjoined Ilonggos to honor reformist and national hero Graciano Lopez Jaena by "seeking truth in an age of misinformation."

Prof. Joyce Christine Colon of the West Visayas State University walked through the life and works of the Ilonggo hero in her speech during the commemoration of the 169th birth anniversary of the Ilonggo hero on Thursday at the Graciano Lopez Jaena Park in the Jaro district.

"Beyond the names, accolades and the yearly tradition of wreath laying in his monuments around the country every Dec. 18, may we find the time to reread, rediscover, and continuously discover Graciano Lopez Jaena. His life and times are a reflection of the idea that literacy empowers...