ABOUT TPHS
On June 15, 2000, The Pasuquin Historical Society was born. Led by Mr. Isabelo Aguinaldo Lagac with several other founding members, it marked the beginning of an era when the town became conscious that its growth is a record of the efforts of its citizens. The original founding members are shown in the picture on this page, plus several others. Most of the other founding members have passed on. Few surviving members are well in their 80s and 90s, and are no longer involved in TPHS.
The Society was born with no other resource but vision, courage and determination. The founders dreamed that years later, a building of its own will house its office staff; that eventually, little by little, it will blossom into a park, a library, a museum, and more. “Big things from small things”, it was often said.
The Society undertook civic projects such as fund raising through the Community Chest, town plaza beautification, interviewing old-timers, and publishing historical reading materials. It instilled patriotic awareness among the citizens by leading commemorations of national holidays and other civic events.
Sadly, Mr. Lagac became ill for several years, and passed on in 2010. Consequently, the Society ceased to exist. In May of 2020, Mr. Lagac’s nephew, Oscar Lagac Farinas, picked up where the Society left off and re-established it on social media. Later, Oscar asked Rene Guatlo to be his co-administrator and he obliged.
This website inspires a look into Pasuquin’s past – the people and the events that have made a difference. It embodies Mr. Lagac’s ideals. In fact, the last five paragraphs come from his writings.
Events of the last ten or so years have shown that technology have spurred changes heretofore considered beyond imagination. Information has become common, entertainment a household preoccupation and has made even the remotest village within everyone’s reach. The countryside, once associated with poverty, is becoming more opulent. In short, Pasuquin is no longer the sleepy town that it was once was.
But alas, Pasuquin as a community has not kept pace with individual initiative. Most of the changes are the result of efforts of individuals who take advantage of opportunities available to them. Not much, if any, is the result of community effort inspired by leadership.
The rebirth of The Pasuquin Historical Society in 2020 is an effort by private citizens to get involved in their government. It is hoped that the vast resources of non-government organizations could prod leadership to act for the welfare of the community. Gone are the days when local leaders have the monopoly of leading. Only time will tell if this challenge will make Pasuquin among the developed communities of the future.
The management of the Pasuquin Historical Society fervently hopes that when the time comes, others will pick up where they left off and pass on the torch to the generation after them so that each milestone (be it a decade, a century, a millennium) will be even more generous.
We hope to leave a message that Dedicated Leadership is an urgent necessity to the development of Pasuquin.