NHCP: Juan Luna born on October 25,1857

MANILA, Philippines — The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) on Monday said that the date of birth of Juan Luna is Oct. 25, 1857.

In a resolution approved on October 3, the NHCP rectified the artist’s and sculptor’s date of birth which was previously commemorated on Oct. 24.

“Whereas, Luna declared in his signed marriage certificate dated 7 December 1886 found in Deed No. 942 of the 1886 Mariage Register in Les Archives de Paris that he was born on 24 October 1857,” the resolution said.

The NHCP’s historical markers installed in his birthplace and a monument in Ilocos Norte, in his monument in Intramuros, Manila, then used October 24 for Luna’s birth date, while his crypt in San Agustin Church marks October 23 as his date of birth.

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Meanwhile, Luna’s baptismal certificate states that he was three days old when he was baptized on October 27, 1857.

As children back then had their date of birth counted as their first day, the NHCP established Oct. 25 as his birth date.

“Whereas, considering the custom back then of counting the day the child was born as day 1, Luna was born on 25 October 1857 per his baptismal record,” the resolution added.

The NHCP then said that Luna’s marriage certificate was affected by the “fallibility of memory,” and has acknowledged his baptismal certificate to be correct.

“Now, therefore, as a matter of historical methodology, the NHCP acknowledges the baptismal record as a tool for ascertaining one’s date of birth before the introduction of the birth certificate in the 20th century, along with the nuance of reading it, thus, hereby acknowledges the date 25 October 1857 as the date of birth of Luna, rather than the hero’s claim about his date of birth in his marriage certificate on 7 December 1886, considering the fallibility of memory,” the resolution concluded.

The commission likewise ordered that all its historical markers, commemorations, publications, galleries, and other publicly issued items be adjusted accordingly to reflect the change.

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