joan manuel serrat named honorary figure in orihuela
joan manuel serrat, a renowned singer-songwriter, has earned the status of orihuela’s adopted son. the plenary session of the orihuela city council approved the proposal in a united vote, following a citizen initiative backed by every political group represented in the council.
Seven months after the proposal was first introduced and supporters signed on, the city council’s general assembly put the motion to a vote during its december regular session. the measure, brought forward by antonio sánchez, drew heartfelt applause upon approval. it received backing from the ps oe, pp, ciudadanos, cambiemos, and vox.
miguel hernandez
Earlier, in june, a group tied to the cultural sector and other fields filed a formal request. the letter to the metropolitan municipality requested the appointment, and at least 140 signatures were gathered. under the municipal rules on honors and titles, the city council can initiate an appointment either by petition from organizations or by collecting no fewer than 100 signatures from residents of orihuela.
appointment support
ana gomez pardo, a veterinarian with a long record of promoting cultural events in orihuela, drove the proposal. notable signatories include jesús millán and antonio escudero, orihuela professors at the universities of valencia and alicante respectively; antonia moreno, the state consell delegate; lawyer federico ros; juan jose sanchez balaguer, co-director of the ibero-american chair of cultural and creative industries at miguel hernandez university; and several writers and cultural figures such as miguel ángel morcillo.
in 2007, serrat was named an honorary member of a local cultural association, an event marked by the singer-songwriter with a commemorative plaque and a bust of miguel hernandez. the mayor also thanked orihuela’s official historian for his cooperation in processing the file.
the initiative also aligns with the 80th anniversary of miguel hernandez’s death in alicante’s prison and with serrat’s international tours and his collaborations with partner countries throughout his artistic career.
goodbye serrat!
verses
the singer-songwriter was among the first to set miguel hernandez’s lines to music, helping to spread the poet’s works. the mayor noted that this moment gives orihuela a chance to thank serrat for his effort to share the poet’s legacy across continents and to extend hernandez’s poetry to audiences worldwide, elevating the name orihuela in the process.
it was recalled that serrat released an album titled miguel hernandez in 1972 and later issued another work in 2010, continuing to feature the poet’s verses from orihuela.
gracia announced the initiative alongside the vice mayor and other council members, with many residents supporting the effort.
honor
sánchez explained that the city would oversee the appointment process. he described it as a privilege to support this popular initiative and stated that the file would move to the information commission the following monday, a step before the general assembly meeting on thursday. he urged broad support from all political groups to honor a person who valued the poet’s personality. once approved, the council would begin drafting the necessary law.
one promoter, javier sanchez portas, stated that serrat would accept the appointment and emphasized that the movement was not tied to any single political color, with people from diverse backgrounds joining the effort.
sánchez portas also invited others to participate, noting that the group is fortunate to celebrate miguel hernandez through serrat, a key figure in spreading orihuela’s poetry.
orbit
born in barcelona in 1943, serrat has made steady and meaningful contributions to the appreciation of poetry, cultural values, and the democratic spirit that characterizes the poet’s life. the initiative underscores how orihuela has long viewed serrat as a bridge to the wider world, highlighting that an album released in 1972 marked an important moment in the country’s transition and the evolution of its democracy.
the text adds that serrat’s exceptional artistic reach and global presence have helped bring the poet’s verses to readers around the world for more than five decades. it argues that the universal resonance of hernandez’s work would not be the same without serrat’s dedication and creativity, which have continually supported the dissemination of the poet’s legacy.
citations: municipal records and cultural commission reports, gathered from local archives and council proceedings [Citación: Ayuntamiento de Orihuela].