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LOCAL A13
Wednesday 27 January 2016

Paseo Herencia Celebrates the National Holiday of Betico Day!

live entertainment in their PM. This past Monday, in
Plaza Padu nightly at 8:00 celebration of “Betico”
Day, they expanded their
usual cultural show with
additional patriotic folk-
loric dance by Youth in
Action and Kids in Action
dance groups. MC Alber-
to Groenveldt taught the
audience filling the Plaza
Padu some key phrases
in Papiamento, and ex-
plained the meaning of
this special day to island
visitors, who thoroughly
enjoyed a lively, authentic
insight into Aruban history
and culture enormously.q

PALM BEACH - Paseo Her- ebration of the birthday of Electoral di Pueblo, (MEP),
encia Shopping Mall goes statesman Gilberto Fran- He was a key figure in ne-
well beyond being just a cois “Betico” Croes, a piv- gotiating with Holland for
center for shopping, din- otal figure in Aruba attain- self rule for the island within
ing and entertainment by ing autonomy in 1986. the Dutch Kingdom. He
decorating its walls and Oranjestad’s main shop- passed away in 1986. A
halls with enlightening in- ping street is named for statue of him stands in the
formation about Aruba, G.F. “Betico” Croes, who Plaza Betico behind the
its history, and a number was also instrumental in the Cas di Cultura in Oranjes-
of prominent figures that introduction of the Aruban tad, and his birthday was
have contributed to the flag and national anthem, declared a national holi-
island’s development. The “Aruba Dushi Terra,” in day almost two decades
management particularly 1976. Founder of the major ago.
enjoys enriching and shar- political party Movimiento Paseo Herencia hosts free
ing our national holidays
with island visitors, such
as January 25th, the cel-