Among the upcoming films to be released in 2013, I just can’t wait for this one. Having been read by Rizal, having been portrayed on stage, and after finishing reading a myriad of film reviews that unanimously praise the all-star cast, I’m excited for its Philippine release.

A timeless story of redemption amidst the outbreak of a revolution. Reminiscent of El Filibusterrismo. Every Pinoy should watch it.

Rizal was reading the “Imitation of Christ” by Thomas a’Kempis in his last hours. The book is one of the great classical Christian writings of the medieval period. Rizal would give this to Josephine Bracken. The book, among others, strengthened the national hero in his last moments. “The Voice of Christ: With God nothing that is suffered for His sake, no matter how small, can pass without reward. Be prepared for the fight, then, if you wish to gain victory, without struggle you cannot obtain the crown of patience, and if you refuse to suffer you are refusing the crown. But if you desire to be crowned, fight bravely and bear up patiently. Without labor there is no rest, and without fighting, no victory. The Disciple: O Lord, let that which seems naturally impossibe to me become possible through Your grace. You know that I can suffer very little, and that I am quickly discouraged when any small adversity arises. Let the torment of tribulation suffered fo Your name be pleasant and desirable to me…” - Thomas a Kempis, Imitation of Christ, Book 3, Ch. 19 This can only be read by a man who, when he went back to his country, has already resigned himself to die.
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Rizal was reading the “Imitation of Christ” by Thomas a’Kempis in his last hours. The book is one of the great classical Christian writings of the medieval period. Rizal would give this to Josephine Bracken.

The book, among others, strengthened the national hero in his last moments.

“The Voice of Christ: With God nothing that is suffered for His sake, no matter how small, can pass without reward. Be prepared for the fight, then, if you wish to gain victory, without struggle you cannot obtain the crown of patience, and if you refuse to suffer you are refusing the crown. But if you desire to be crowned, fight bravely and bear up patiently. Without labor there is no rest, and without fighting, no victory.

The Disciple: O Lord, let that which seems naturally impossibe to me become possible through Your grace. You know that I can suffer very little, and that I am quickly discouraged when any small adversity arises. Let the torment of tribulation suffered fo Your name be pleasant and desirable to me…”
- Thomas a Kempis, Imitation of Christ, Book 3, Ch. 19

This can only be read by a man who, when he went back to his country, has already resigned himself to die.
Today we commemorate thousands of Filipino heroes who gave their lives for freedom, not seeing the fruit of their labor. From various walks of life, poor or rich, educated or not, men, women and the youth, martyrs or not, they have appeared in our history books as inspirers of our journeys. God found it wise to create nations with histories where “perhaps we can grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” These heroes have proven that yes, we can set aside our needs and wants (and even self-glory for many of them remain unknown) for something intangible and larger than us. “I wish to show those who deny us patriotism that we know how to die for our duty and convictions.” - Rizal.  Happy National Heroes Day, Pilipinas! :) (Statue of Rizal and Bonifacio from my personal library) (Taken with Instagram)
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Today we commemorate thousands of Filipino heroes who gave their lives for freedom, not seeing the fruit of their labor. From various walks of life, poor or rich, educated or not, men, women and the youth, martyrs or not, they have appeared in our history books as inspirers of our journeys. God found it wise to create nations with histories where “perhaps we can grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.”

These heroes have proven that yes, we can set aside our needs and wants (and even self-glory for many of them remain unknown) for something intangible and larger than us.

“I wish to show those who deny us patriotism that we know how to die for our duty and convictions.” - Rizal. 

Happy National Heroes Day, Pilipinas! :)

(Statue of Rizal and Bonifacio from my personal library)

(Taken with Instagram)

On the 120th anniversary of the founding of Rizal’s La Liga Filipina (July 3, 1982 to July 3, 2012) and on the day that we were freed from American dominion (July 4, 1946), let us remember how the Liga was carefully thought out by Rizal when he saw that the Propaganda Movement in Spain was in vain. An ingenious plan of building a Filipino civic organization, the first of its kind in the country, Rizal saw Liga as creating a distinct ‘Filipino’ nation in the hearts and minds of his countrymen within the social milieu of the Spanish rule. A nation within a Spanish colony. It is thus a fulfillment of a statement Rizal made when he said: “If our countrymen are counting on us here in Europe, they are very much mistaken…The battlefield is the Philippines…there we will help one another, there together we will suffer or triumph perhaps. The majority of our compatriots in Europe are afraid…they are brave only so long as they are in a peaceful country! The Philippines should not count on them; she should depend on her own strength.” We wonder how Rizal thought of constructing what is to be the Filipino nation? How do we build a country from the ground up? We are fortunate to have the main objectives of the La Liga Filipina recorded in our history. This is, shall I say, a primer to — How2BuildaNation101: 1. To unite the whole archipelago into one vigorous and homogenous community; 2. Mutual protection in every want and necessity; 3. Defense against all violence and injustice; 4. Encouragement of instruction, agriculture, and commerce; and 5. Study the application of reforms As we can see, Rizal never saw nationalism as an end in itself. Leon Ma. Guerrero writes, “Rizal’s concept of a nation, as we should remind ourselves on occasion, was moral, unselfish, responsible, based uncompromisingly on a general recognition of mutual rights and duties… He never confused national independence with individual and social freedom.” (italics mine)
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On the 120th anniversary of the founding of Rizal’s La Liga Filipina (July 3, 1982 to July 3, 2012) and on the day that we were freed from American dominion (July 4, 1946), let us remember how the Liga was carefully thought out by Rizal when he saw that the Propaganda Movement in Spain was in vain. An ingenious plan of building a Filipino civic organization, the first of its kind in the country, Rizal saw Liga as creating a distinct ‘Filipino’ nation in the hearts and minds of his countrymen within the social milieu of the Spanish rule. A nation within a Spanish colony. It is thus a fulfillment of a statement Rizal made when he said:

“If our countrymen are counting on us here in Europe, they are very much mistaken…The battlefield is the Philippines…there we will help one another, there together we will suffer or triumph perhaps. The majority of our compatriots in Europe are afraid…they are brave only so long as they are in a peaceful country! The Philippines should not count on them; she should depend on her own strength.”

We wonder how Rizal thought of constructing what is to be the Filipino nation? How do we build a country from the ground up? We are fortunate to have the main objectives of the La Liga Filipina recorded in our history. This is, shall I say, a primer to — How2BuildaNation101:

1. To unite the whole archipelago into one vigorous and homogenous community;

2. Mutual protection in every want and necessity;

3. Defense against all violence and injustice;

4. Encouragement of instruction, agriculture, and commerce; and

5. Study the application of reforms

As we can see, Rizal never saw nationalism as an end in itself. Leon Ma. Guerrero writes, “Rizal’s concept of a nation, as we should remind ourselves on occasion, was moral, unselfish, responsible, based uncompromisingly on a general recognition of mutual rights and duties… He never confused national independence with individual and social freedom.” (italics mine)

We Filipinos are all familiar with how one night in Calamba, Laguna, Dona Teodora Alonzo taught the story of “The Foolish Moth” from a children’s book El Amigo de los Ninos to the young Rizal. The story goes that there was once a young moth who was attracted to the flame of an oil-lamp. The mother moth had warned him that to go near it was to endanger his own life. But the young moth would not listen. He got nearer and nearer the light, not heeding his mother’s advice, until the young moth was engulfed in flame… to his death. But an adult Rizal wrote later on how he took in that children’s poem: “My mother repeated her warning, but, how curious, the light seemed to me more beautiful, the flame more attractive. I envied the fate of the insects. They frolicked so joyously in the enchanting splendor that their falling into the oil-lamp didn’t cause me any dread. The flame now rolled its golden tongue and caught a moth that fluttered. and was still. That seemed to me a great event. It stirred my emotion. My mother’s voice sounded strange and uncanny. I did not notice it when the fable ended. My attention was fixed on the fate of the moth. I watched with my whole soul. It had died a martyr to its dream…How many years have elapsed since then; the child has become a man who has crossed the seas and all the oceans. From experience he has received bitter lessons—oh, infinitely more bitter than the sweet lesson his mother gave him! Nevertheless he preserves the heart of a child: he believes that light is the most beautiful thing there is in creation and worthy enough for a man to sacrifice his life for it!” (Italics mine) Our life is not our own. There is nothing like gazing at the beauty of the Light and to give it to our people, even if it costs us everything.  Happy 151st Birthday, Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda!!! *Photo of Rizal as a young painter at Casa Tomasina, dated 1879.
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We Filipinos are all familiar with how one night in Calamba, Laguna, Dona Teodora Alonzo taught the story of “The Foolish Moth” from a children’s book El Amigo de los Ninos to the young Rizal. The story goes that there was once a young moth who was attracted to the flame of an oil-lamp. The mother moth had warned him that to go near it was to endanger his own life. But the young moth would not listen. He got nearer and nearer the light, not heeding his mother’s advice, until the young moth was engulfed in flame… to his death.

But an adult Rizal wrote later on how he took in that children’s poem:

“My mother repeated her warning, but, how curious, the light seemed to me more beautiful, the flame more attractive. I envied the fate of the insects. They frolicked so joyously in the enchanting splendor that their falling into the oil-lamp didn’t cause me any dread. The flame now rolled its golden tongue and caught a moth that fluttered. and was still.

That seemed to me a great event. It stirred my emotion.

My mother’s voice sounded strange and uncanny. I did not notice it when the fable ended. My attention was fixed on the fate of the moth. I watched with my whole soul. It had died a martyr to its dream…How many years have elapsed since then; the child has become a man who has crossed the seas and all the oceans. From experience he has received bitter lessons—oh, infinitely more bitter than the sweet lesson his mother gave him! Nevertheless he preserves the heart of a child: he believes that light is the most beautiful thing there is in creation and worthy enough for a man to sacrifice his life for it!” (Italics mine)

Our life is not our own. There is nothing like gazing at the beauty of the Light and to give it to our people, even if it costs us everything. 

Happy 151st Birthday, Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda!!!

*Photo of Rizal as a young painter at Casa Tomasina, dated 1879.

Isang Komplikadong Kaarawan para sa isang Bansa

Habang ang buong bansa ay nagdiriwang ngayon ng ating ika 114th na Araw ng Kalayaan, makakatulong na ipagdiwang natin ito ng may malinaw na pang-unawa sa ating kasaysayan. Di tayo tulad ng Tsina o Japan na binibida lagi ang sarili sa sariling kasaysayan dahil sa kanilang bulag na nasyonalismong nakapikit sa katotohanan—ng massacre ng Tiananmen Square o ng karahasan ng sundalong Hapon, rape at torture noong WWII. Kapag alam natin ang mga nangyari noon, makikilala natin ang ating sarili… ang ating lakas, at oo, maging ang ating kahinaan. Sa gayung paraan lamang natin mapagbibigay pugay ng tama ang mga nauna sa atin, na nagbuwis ng kanilang buhay para lamang sa kalayaang tinatamasa natin ngayon… Kalayaang nagpapahintulot sa ating magkamali… Pero buti nalang at maaangkin din natin ito.

Dalawang katotohanan ang nagpipigil sa akin na ipagdiwang ito ng walang pag aalinlangan. Una ay noong idineklara ito ni Aguinaldo noong ika-12 ng Hunyo 1898, marami itong bahid ng karumihang hanggang ngayon ay wala pang sagot. Ang walang hustisyang pagpaslang sa magkakapatid na Andres, Ciriaco at Procopio Bonifacio. O ang pagpaslang kay Hen. Antonio Luna, mga isang taon pagkatapos ng deklarasyon. Kung hindi pinaslang ang heneral ay marahil nanalo ang Pilipinas sa Digmaang Pilipino-Amerikano. At lahat ng aking nabanggit ay pinaslang ng kapwa nila Pilipino. Papaano ang presensya ng mga Amerikano sa deklarasyon? Umasa masyado si Aguinaldo sa tulong ng Estados Unidos upang matamo ang kalayaan. Nakakagulat isipin na ang mga katagang ito ay nasa sarili nating Declaration of Independence:

“And having as witness to the rectitude of our intentions the Supreme Judge of the Universe, and under the protection of the Powerful and Humanitarian Nation, the United States of America, we do hereby proclaim and declare solemnly in the name and by authority of the people of these Philippine Islands”

Oo dinaya tayo, pero may mga senyales na noon na may mangyayaring hindi maganda. Ang mga Amerikano noon ay malihim, at pawang si Apolinario Mabini lamang ang nagduda na baka balak sakupin ng Estados Unidos ang Pilipinas. Hindi sya nagkamali.

Papaano ang lubos nating kinahahangaang lider na si Hen. Emilio Aguinaldo? Isang katotohanan na hindi niya minsan binasa ang Noli at Fili. At nang mahuli siya ng mga Amerikano, ikinulong siya sa Malacanang at naging loyal na tagasunod ng bagong mananakop. Nang dumating ang mga Hapon, kumampi rin siya sa Hapon. Nakakabagabag ang mga akusasyon sa kanya ng Dakilang Lumpo, na naisulat sa La Republica Filipina.

Ikalawa, katotohanan ding tunay natin itong kalayaan kung ihahambing natin sa Ika-4 ng Hulyo, 1946. Masasabi nating tayo talaga ang nagsariling nagdeklara ng kalayaan noong ika12 ng Hunyo. Totoo din na ito ang unang deklarasyon ng kalayaang ng isang republika sa Asya. Ngunit ito ay, tulad ng sinabi ni George Farwell, isang ‘stillbirth independence’. Inagaw ito mula sa atin. Masakit na salita pero, isang talunan na deklarasyon ang nangyari. Naloko ito, nasira, nabuwag.

Ngunit bago manlumo, mainis, o magalit (sa akin, o sa mga taong nabanggit ko) ano ba ang kalayaan?

May ibang mga bansa na ipinagbabawal ang maraming bagay—kalayaang sumamba, kalayaang ipahayag ang gusto mong sabihin, etc. Naalala ko noong nasa Tsina ako, blocked ang Google, bawal magdala ng Bibliya. Kulang nalang bawal huminga. Pero nakakagulat ang Beijing ngayon. Puno ng naglalakihang mall na may LCD screen ang mga kisame, at mga kababaihang naka Louis Vuitton. Ito ba ang kalayaan? Kalayaang yumaman? Kalayaang guminhawa? May mas malalim pa ba doon?

Siguro magandang balikan ang sinabi ni Rizal patungkol sa tunay na konsepto ng kalayaan:

“I do say that we must win our freedom by deserving it, by improving the mind and enhancing the dignity of the individual, loving what is just, what is good, what is great, to the point of dying for it. When a people reach these heights, God provides the weapon, and the idols and the tyrants fall like a house of cards and freedom shines in the first dawn. Our misfortunes are our own fault, let us blame nobody else for them. If Spain were to see us less tolerant of tyranny and readier to fight and suffer for our rights, Spain would be the first to give us freedom because, when the fruit of conception reaches the time of birth, woe to the mother that tries to strangle it! But as long as the Filipino people do not have sufficient vigour to proclaim, head held high and chest bared, their right to a life of their own in society, and to guarantee it with their sacrifices, with their very blood; as long as we see our countrymen feel privately ashamed, hearing the growl of their rebelling and protesting conscience, while in public they keep silent and even join the oppressor in mocking the oppressed; as long as we see them wrapping themselves up in their selfishness and praising with forced smiles the most despicable acts, begging with their eyes for a share of the booty, why give them independence? With or without Spain they would be the same or worse. What is the use of independence if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow? And no doubt they will, because whoever submits to tyranny, loves it! Mr. Simoun, as long as our people are not prepared, and enter the struggle deceived and compelled, without a clear idea of what they are to do, the best planned movements will fail and it is better that they should fail, for why give the bride to the groom if he does not love her enough and is not ready to die for her?” - El Filibusterismo

Ang tunay na kalayaan ay wala sa mga deklarasyon, o di kaya sa mga lider na pawang tao lamang at madalas tayong idismaya. Dahil bago pa man ang mga deklarasyon, ang tunay munang lumalaya ay ang ating puso’t isipan. Marahil marumi at pulitikal nga at pyudal ang mga naunang liderato natin noon. Ngunit totoong maraming Pilipino din noon, bata at matanda, babae at lalaki, mayaman at mahirap, ang pumiling ilagay ang kanilang buhay sa piligro para lamang sa kalayaang ito na ating nararanasan ngayon. Wala silang alam sa mga laro ng mga pulitiko. Ang mahalaga sa kanila ay mamuhay ng tuwid, makamtan ang kapayapaan, para sa mga susunod nilang mga anak at apo. Salamat sa Diyos na kahit sa kadiliman ng ating kasaysayan, liwanag pa rin Niya ang nagpupumilit sumingit sa dilim na ito. Marami sa kanila na yumao na ay hindi mababanggit ang pangalan sa araw na ito. Baka ang iba sa kanila ay mga lolo at lola nating namundok noong panahon ng mga Hapon upang makipaglaban kahit na hindi ito praktikal. Nakipaglaban sila para sa mga prinsipyong higit na mas mataas sa kanila, higit sa ginhawa o pagkain.

“…Where are they who will generously give their blood to wash away so much shame, so much crime and abomination? Pure and spotless must the victim be for their sacrifice to be acceptable.” -Rizal

Para sa kanila ko ilalagak ang pagpupugay sa araw na ito.

You have known that the commandments of God are different from those of the Priest, that holiness is not how long you have knelt, how long you have prayed, wearing large rosaries, grimy scapulars; it is with good conduct, pure intentions, and righteous thoughts. You also have known that goodness is not obeying any whim and wishes of an idol, but obedience by righteousness, because blind obedience is the source of crooked commandments, and in that we commit sin.

Jose Rizal (1861-1896), from his letter published in La Solidaridad entitled Sa Kababayang Dalaga sa Malolos (or To the Young Women of Malolos). A translation of mine from the original text.

Here’s the original text in old Tagalog:

Napagkilala din ninyo na ang utos ñg Dios ay iba sa utos ñg Parí, na ang kabanalan ay hindi ang matagal na luhod, mahabang dasal, malalaking kuintas, libaging kalmen, kundí ang mabuting asal, malinis na loob at matuid na isip. Napagkilala din ninyo na dí kabaitan ang pagka masunurin sa anomang pita at hiling ñg nagdidiosdiosan, kundi ang pagsunod sa katampata’t matuid, sa pagka’t ang bulag na pagsunod ay siyang pinagmumul’an ñg likong paguutos, at sa bagay na ito’y pawang nagkakasala.


I bought this item last December as a Christmas gift for myself. I was privileged to attend the launching of this rare Philippine historical artifact/replica. As soon as I heard of it, and attended the launching, I bought it and up to now I’m still playing it as a pastime. I consider this the unboxing of the coolest historical document put on the hands of common Filipinos. Who wouldn’t palpitate with excitement? 

The “Haec est Sibylla Cumana” (‘This is Sibylla Cumana’ in Latin) is a mysterious board game created by none other than Jose Rizal himself when he was exiled in Dapitan by the Spanish authorities from 1892 to 1896. Sybil was, according to Greek mythology, the oracle of Delphi, famous for giving somewhat vague prophecies concerning the future (like when a king asked her if his kingdom would win in the battle, the oracle told him one kingdom will win and one kingdom will suffer a defeat. Vague right?) Rizal’s sketch of Sibyl’s face is printed on the box, giving us an idea how Rizal mastered Western mythology. Sibyl asked the gods to grant her immortality and they did, but she forgot to ask them not to age her.

Perhaps the board game was created by Rizal not only to have fun with his students (He was a teacher who would always put his students to the test, like say, commanding one of his pupils to get his cane in the woods in the middle of the night) but also to test their emotional quotient—if Rizal knew the concept. In playing the boardgane, ask a question among the list, roll the top and whatever number comes out of it, you turn the page with that number and look for the answer. All the answers are arranged in an unpredictable manner, giving the players the impression that one cannot jump in and manipulate the answer. It’s unpredictable, and it’s full of dry humor. It will keep you laughing as you proceed with the game. 

Who knew that Rizal could be this funny? :)

The board game includes the reproduced replica of the original manuscript (and yes the sketches are all there), with Filipino translation by National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario, English translation by Gemma Cruz-Araneta (a Rizal descendant), and the top crafted by Konrad Woelhaf. 

I heard our President tried to ask a question to the boardgame if he could get married. The boardgame said, “You’d do better without marrying.” Haha.

I thank my sister for helping me take a video of this artifact unboxing. You’ll go oooh, ahhh.. and whoooaah on this one.