Antique has long been remembered through the strength of its people and the richness of its land. In those years of change and awakening, one man from Pandan walked a path shaped by learning and service, Vicente “Tikong” Rendon Gella, lawyer, teacher, judge, and governor, whose 170th birth anniversary is being commemorated this year.
For Senator Loren Legarda, remembering Vicente is not only historical but deeply personal. He was the brother of her maternal great-grandfather, Ariston Rendon Gella, delegate to the Malolos Congress in 1899. The Gella family of Pandan had fifteen siblings, several of whom became pioneers in their fields: Vicente as Antique’s first lawyer, Pedro as the first surveyor, Ariston as the first pharmacist, and Bartolome as the first doctor. Together, their lives show how one family’s love for learning and service became part of Antique’s story and left a legacy that continues to inspire.
Legarda traces this legacy through the exhibit she personally supported. Held at the Antique Old Capitol, a space Legarda herself rehabilitated for adaptive reuse, it highlights Gella’s commitment to education, the roads and communities he built as governor, and his friendship with Dr. José Rizal during their student years in Manila. The exhibit was organized by Legarda’s cousin, Anna Cecilia Reyes Pefianco, a descendant of Vicente Rendon Gella, whose research and writings gave life to Gella’s story, together with the Antique Visual Artists Association.
“Kapag binabalikan ko ang kuwento ng buhay ni Vicente, bumabalik ang alaala ng aming pamilya. Hindi lang ito kasaysayan sa papel; ito ay kuwento ng tapang na piniling maglingkod at ng pagmamahal sa bayan. Kaya’t buong puso kong sinuportahan ang exhibit na ito upang makita ng ating kabataan na ang pamana ay hindi lamang nakasulat sa libro, kundi buhay na patuloy na gumagabay,” Legarda said.
Knowing the story of Vicente is to understand how Antique stood at the crossroads of history. Born in 1856, he studied at Colegio de San Juan de Letran and the University of Santo Tomas, lived with José Rizal at Casa Tomasina, and joined El Compañerismo, a secret society formed for a cause larger than themselves. In 1882, he was among the friends who walked Rizal to the pier before his secret voyage to Spain.
Despite opportunities in Manila, Vicente chose to return home. In 1886, he founded the Colegio de San Vicente Ferrer in San Jose so that learning, once reserved for a few, could be accessible to more children of the province. As governor, he built the roads linking Antique, Iloilo, and Capiz, and brought the first organized water system to San Jose. He stepped down in 1922 with dignity, showing that power is borrowed, not owned.
“Hindi niya pinili ang landas ng karangyaan kundi ang daan ng paglilingkod. Sa kanyang pagbabalik sa Antique, ipinakita niya na ang tunay na pamumuno ay nasusukat sa ginhawang nadarama ng tao dahil sa malasakit at katapatan,” Legarda said.
For Legarda, honoring Vicente is also affirming her own path: to carry Antique’s heritage into the future, protect its environment, and ensure its people are never forgotten.
“Sa bawat desisyon ko, lagi kong iniisip kung may dagdag na ginhawa at pag-asa para sa tao. Kapag oo ang sagot, alam kong iyon ang pamana ni Vicente, ni Ariston at ng aking mga ninuno na patuloy kong isinasabuhay. Ang kanilang halimbawa ay nagsisilbing gabay na ang pamumuno ay hindi nasusukat sa haba ng panahon sa kapangyarihan kundi sa kabutihang naidudulot sa araw-araw na buhay ng mamamayan,” she said.
The exhibit runs from June 24 to August 30, 2026, open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the Administration Room of the Antique Old Capitol in San Jose de Buenavista, giving the public a chance to learn more from the life and legacy of Vicente.
