La Gira, part I

In what could be a first in a series of historical pilgrimages, we were toured around Binondo and Sn. Nicolas Manila by the great Filipino artist-historian, future artista nacional, Señor Gomez Rivera. With his astonishing grasp and familiarity of the locale, he took this two (Pepito y yo) tyro chroniclers into the begrimed esquinitas of Binondo and the crumbly old Spanish era houses of Sn. Nicolas, telling tales and legends of what was once the beautiful arrabales of old Spanish Manila.

One street, concealed, dark and filthy, was where the house of Pepe Rizal's relatives once stood, no marker just some new shops selling stuff (the products you see labeled in Mandarin) and a horde of beggars asking for some change. Here was Don Francisco Mercado final stop before joining his popular hero son in the afterlife. He died in this place, he lived a silentious life, he was the typical Chinese Filipino, he was frugal, cautious always and was a devoted family man. It was (the Mercado residence), according to Señor Gomez, a small house compared to the other rich casa's "pero elegante", and so is the streets where this casas stood. Now, this gutterless, cramped street - this part of Calle Estraude is but a shadow of what was once an alluring little mestizaje neighbourhood with a living small estero for a view (now, I think if ever you fall in that estero you'll die, not from drowning but because of its  mephitic water!).

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="240" caption="Calle Estraude (Don Francisco's house once stood here)"][/caption]

This awful looking buildings are testament of what can be referred to as the districts progressive transformation, from the old Binondo town to the new town (literally ‘new' because the old houses are being phased out!). Economics often times dictate what would become of a locality, its future is always tied to its commerce. A rustic Macati then is a financial city now, with all its skyscrappers hoovering up above, a farm, a hill could become a residential villa. At this rate (accelerating phase as can be observe this past decades), we are losing more and more of this heritage sites. Once we lost them, we lost them forever - this we have to remember. Is this really progress?

Another building left to decay is the celebrated Hogar Filipino. This hotel was the loftiest structure in the 30's, arguably the finest concrete building created by its generation, in that legendary street called Anloague. The wedding gift (yes, it was for a Zobel daughter) hosted foreign dignitaries and notable personage. It was spacious, elegant and  yes, a very expensive place to spend the night in!  but like many structures after the war, it was neglected. Prestige drifted away from this part of the town (partly due to poor city management & planning) so in this once graceful belt, whose edge tips the river Pasig, whose fresh water joins the sea, died, not too long ago. It can be revived - how? this is the challenge for this new Manileño generation.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="240" caption="Hogar Filipino"][/caption]

And the list goes on.

As we were driving around Binondo, we came into a screeching halt, I thougth that we ended up in a jeep terminal, then my passengers reminded me that Luna St. usually are like this. So you'll just have to drive around the jam. Good thing was its Sunday, so taking direction from Señor Gomez, circling some esquinitas, with some twist and turn he brought us to Urbiztondo, the Antonio Luna birthplace.

Unlike the sad fate of that Estraude home of the Rizal's, The tagailog's place of birth was intact. Thank God. Its fronting the institution named after that prehispanic hero Rajah Solaiman. The abode's fascade at least is preserved with some marks of decay, it was decorated by some banners and small flags commemorating its famous son Antonio's birthday. Since no one can go in, one could only wonder what's inside. It was an elegant, noble house, one thing that you can say about this old casas of Binondo and San Nicolas is that, although their confined in space due to the population of the district (compared to the bahay na bato in the countryside), they never forgot about style, they were western in their sophistication and taste! architecture was detailed from the wide windows, classy iron grills, chic doors, genteel roof -  Ah, I think they heard William Morris, that British Socialist and Poet (1834-1896), when he said "have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be useful".

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="240" caption="Luna Residence"][/caption]

Exiting Urbiztondo heading straight towards San Nicolas all of the old casa are lined up. like pretty maids all in a row -- the Sunico house, built on Calle Barcelona corner Jabonero, is now deserted but a closer look would show how this propertied families built their houses. From its wide windows, one could see all the way to Intramuros. Down to the very last piece in this disintegrating houses is art. Right across the Sunico's, another old house went down. (Nalungkot talaga ako), it broke my heart seeing something so beautiful destroyed. Some excavation was taking place already, looks like a high rise project - century old adobe bricks and lumber being scrapped. We all look and felt funereal, standing there and seeing those people hammer away, are they even aware what their doing? In this town, its just another old house, but for Manila another piece of history ditched.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="240" caption="Sunico house"][/caption]

The Casa Vizantina (I already featured this here), arguably the grandest of all the San Nicolas houses, three storey high extended for almost a block. It currently it holds a sizeable squatting community inside. Now, considered a dangerous structure, it was once a hotel and an institute (Instituto Manila, now UM). This marvel of Filipino architecture is headed to the slaughterhouse, there are already plans to tear it down. Same story here.

The Pio Valenzuela house was next, thank God it has a marker, I hope no ones pissing on it becaue its placed in a corner and its just a feet from the ground. The NHI marker was Installed commemorating what was the house of a hero and the site where the revolutionary paper, "Kalayaan" was printed.  Pio figured popularly in the life of Rizal and the revolution for it was him who announced that the national hero denouced the revolution, much to the dismay of Boni, he did however, had another version after the war ended, this time he claims that the Calambeño was supporting the movement.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="240" caption="Pio Valenzuela's residence where the Kalayaan was printed"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="240" caption="Rogelio de la Rosa once was here!"][/caption]

Just before we head out we dropped by what was once Rogelio de la Rosa's house, the matinee idol live in San Nicolas with his wife Lolita Bayot. He raised his son, Rogelio II in that old house in Calle Lara. The Señor claims that Rogelio was not proficient in Castillian and that his lines are often dubbed. This Kababayan of the Macapagals would become a senador under the Partido Liberal. He could be considered the Father of Showbiz turned politicos, his bid for the presidency was not successful. He was assaigned ambassador to various countries.

Every inch of Binondo and San Nicolas has a story to tell, Some streets are no more (a Calle Nueva is now renamed Yuchengco), old houses are slowly diminishing (this year we witnessed several houses taken down) - their like those endangered animals, if not conserved, without planning and vision, they would become extinct. "There was once a house there..." - the Señor would tell us, this line would soon become ours, as we tell the sad fate of this houses.

Response to the post "Filipinos Are Not Hispanic"

I stumbled upon this post by FIl-American Jon Torres over the popular site Associated Content. I would like to share my response to all my reader to some of his well intentioned subjects regarding his reaction as a Filipino to 'being referred to as Hispanic', something that is a common experience for those Filipinos who lives close to big Latino communities in the US. (All the italics are mine)

Filipinos Are Not Hispanic

A Few FAQ's I Keep Having to Answer

By Jon Torres, published Mar 21, 2007

Yesterday I was making a remark to my friend about my Asian heritage and he replied, "Asian? But I thought you were Filipino!" I could only laugh (politely, of course) at his statement, not only because it sounded wrong, but also because I had heard it once too often. This cannot be dismissed away with some flippant remark I'm tempted to make, like "Don't you ever wonder why there's no Filipino food at Taco Bell? "

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*This is quite common in the States, Filipinos - are being recognized as Hispanics, mainly because of the last name, facial feature & religion but Filipinos historically are Hispanics. Our Hispano culture makes us Hispanics. Mistake is made when hispanization is equated with blood relation and geography.

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There seems to be an all-too prevalent belief among the many westerners I meet, which is the notion that Filipinos are Hispanic. While I can see (more or less) how this could be reasoned in a roundabout way, and make its own odd sense, it is nonetheless wrong. To someone who has grown up in the Philippines, it does sound plausible from a certain point of view, yet still very strange for a number of reasons. I will address some questions I frequently get asked on this apparently novel piece of information.

Where is the Philippines? According to Wikipedia ( as well as every single one of my social studies teachers) the Philippines is in Southeast Asia. At this point, I rather think this should end any further explanation. We are much, much closer to Taiwan, China, Japan, Indonesia and Singapore than any country in Europe or Latin America. The geographical neighborhood alone should clue you in to the probable ethnicity of the Filipinos. Perhaps it is simply this lack of awareness as to where the Philippines actually is, that causes many people to guess and consequently, make mistaken assumptions based on that.

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Our location makes us Asian, but this does not undue our Hispanic roots for the simple reason that hispanization refers to history, language and culture. So if I were to answer the question "if Equatorial Guinea (an African nation) is a Hispanic nation?" my answer would be yes, not only because they speak Castilian but also because hispanization has taken root in their culture and society. Their geography, being a small state in the middle of the African wouldn't nullify their identity. Same with ours and some of the pacific islands that were under Spain then.

If one is to travel to China, Japan or Thailand - a Filipino would almost immediately feel like in a different world, an alien, "Asia was never at home with us", Nick Joaquin said and this is true, Manila is a city with little similarity with cities like Bangkok, Beijing and Tokyo etc etc - theirs is an oriental culture, ours is of Hispano origin. On the other hand, if you were to visit Mexico and all the other Latino countries - you would be awed how strikingly similar our culture is with them. So don't be surprised if American's see them in you.

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How do you explain the 80% Catholicism, which is obviously from Spanish colonization of the Philippines? This is true. We were converted from mostly earth-based, ancestral worshipping spiritual beliefs, and baptized as Catholics in the 16th century. This was instrumental in Spain's control over the Philippines for over three centuries as colonial property, by using organized religion along with political manipulation (without separation of Church and State). This had the effect of having Filipinos subservient to Spanish rule, without enjoying the benefits of being citizens. In short, we were the property of Spain, but we were not Spanish citizens.

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Part of the reason why Americans looks at Filipinos as Hispanic is because of our religion. Most Asians are seen as Orientals in the US, Orientals for them practices Buddhism, Hindu or religions they see as unfamiliar and mystical. Since Filipinos are Asians in their mind, they would be surprised to see Filipinos practicing the religion of the immigrant Latinos.

Since hispanization is the process by which a place or a person absorbs characteristics of Hispanic society and culture. We are Hispanos more than asianos. Unfortunately, most are not aware of this fact.

"Property of Spain?" - I think this author never heard about the Cadiz constitution - anyway we were all subjects, under a monarchy that translates to citizenship. This is the reason why Filipinos with means then were able to study, live and travel abroad, they were Spanish by right. Could you imagine the Ilustrados, founding a liberal paper called La Solidaridad in the heart of Spain? If they were not protected by their right as Spanish citizens they could've been easily executed. In the days of the Yankees, anyone who stood up here and oppose them was blasted into oblivion, they only ceded leadership after they've been able to guarantee that they would still be in control, in terms of economic policies and the nations resources.

In the American years, it would be good to review that we never became citizens under their commonwealth, they never wanted us even with the noisy clamor of the federalistas. I'm sure all Filipino immigrants know that it is not an easy process to go there and work - this is how we were repaid. Our glorious stand with the Americans during WWII and all the service we render under their flag is all but forgotten now. While The Japanese and Germans, on the other hand, who fought against them, today, can freely travel in the US without being bothered by the process we usually face. Talk about history and how it is easily forgotten by this western power.

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But don't Filipinos speak Spanish? I get this question several times a year, almost on a monthly basis, and every time I want to say a resounding "No!", they point out my own particular situation, because I happen to speak it passably well. In my case, as I believe is the same with many Filipinos living in the United States, I learned it here: both from Mexican friends and the local community college. The truth is, most Filipinos do not speak Spanish at all. Almost none of us do. From the 19th century American occupation, English has long replaced Spanish as the western lingua franca of the country, and has been for a hundred years.

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We used to speak Castillan as a nation, but when the American's came it slowly eroded but it is, as it was pointed out the 'lingua franca' back in the days. The American system then recognized literacy based on the use of the English language. Regardless whether you speak or write in Tagala or Castilian you would still be tagged as illiterate if you would neglect the use and study of this foreign language and since there is no way for someone to progress in the new American standard of education if one would not take up English, everyone had no choice but to learn it.

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It certainly doesn't help that Filipinos are generally adaptable, and being from a country with over a thousand local dialects, will be averse (or too polite!) to saying they do not understand, or are unable to learn a certain language. We eventually pick up enough of the local language to get by. True, our main dialect, like many others, is in fact peppered with Spanish words, making it fairly easy for us to learn Spanish if we tried. But what few Spanish words that we use in our daily colloquial speech are mostly pidginized and remarkably different from their original meanings (Get this: "leche" is a mild curse word in Tagalog!). Also, we have much more of the neighboring language groups in our vernacular: mostly Malaysian, Chinese, Arabic, and more recently, plenty of English.

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It seems that the author of this failed to research on how many Spanish words there are in what most scholar's claims as 'pure' tagala. Aside from thousands of Castilian words in the recognized national language, a study of the Spanish language would also highlight that some of the common words we use that we thought were ours were from the Castilian language. Adapted to suit local pronunciation.

I don't even want to describe what "leche" means as a curse. :)

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Why do you have a Spanish last name? Doesn't that mean you have at least one Spanish bloodline? A Spanish surname is very common among Filipinos, and this understandably can lead to confusion. It's like meeting a Japanese person named Park, or more commonly, a Caucasian person named Lee. It however, does not reveal a person's ancestry automatically. In the case of most Filipinos, the mass-conversion also led to our being relabeled with 'Christian' surnames. Genuine intermarrying was probably quite rare back then. I can confidently say that I am no more Hispanic than your roll of "Scotch" tape has been anywhere near Glasgow.

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Your last name has nothing to do with your identity. You could be Chinese and possess a name like Juan de la Cruz but you would still be Chinese when you wake up in the morning not unless you got that name from the history and culture of your people - only then that it would mean something. Ancestry and places of origin does not define an identity. Again, there is confusion in the definition of nationality, location, ancestry and identity.

It was not just "relabeling" - it was in effect, creating identity for the natives the aside from of course the benefits it would provide the Government then.

They say, your name says a lot of things about you, this is true, a Hispanized name tells the history of adapting to the Spanish ideals of society then, as it was enforced by Claveria, the fact that it was accepted (voluntarily or involuntarily) means our ancestors assimilated into a Hispanic society.

These are 'Christian' names as he pointed out goes back to the process of hispanization. The one thing that the author failed to study is the process of becoming a "Filipino" . The review of this would bring one closer to our real identity. The author already mentioned the Catholic religion earlier, that's Filipino identity along with the culture and heritage.

Some backward thinking folks would elect to go back to the old tribes for which I'd rather not, what we have, we should keep and respect.

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So I hope it no longer seems to you a bold statement to say that Filipinos are not Hispanic, not from Latin America, do not speak Spanish nor are even of mostly Spanish ancestry. I encourage you to look up even more information on sites such as Wikipedia, and if possible, find some Filipino friends and raise a discussion, which I have no doubt will be a lively one. And have share some Filipino food while you're talking. We like to think it's better than Taco Bell, anyway.

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I think everyone would be in agreement that our dish is the best in the world!

By the way, thanks to Jon for improving my calligraphy. I happen to take interest in this old art, his on line videos were awesome.

See it here

Rizal in polka dots

I was on my way to the archives in Kalaw when I noticed this statue, almost hidden, close to the Tourism building.

I can't help but smile when I saw this one, a man who look like Rizal riding a carabao wearing a polka dotted polo with red pants, carrying a plow, sleeves rolled up ready for days work in the rice fields!

I'm sure that even Rizal would laugh at this one, he has always projected himself well, he dress like that of a European man -a ‘vanedoso', very sophisticated and refined in his choices of clothing, and now this - a depiction of the fashionable Rizal on top of a carabao, in colorful polka dots!

Rizal monuments always catches my attention, for one, they are a common site in our country, they are everywhere. This one is not Rizal - but was molded in his likeness.

I read about a comment of one of Rizal relatives, even this man believes that we 'over do' monuments with Pepe as a theme, 'kulang na lang pati mga lugar na inihian ni Rizal tayuan ng monumento!' - I for one believe that we should, as a people try to pay homage to other significant contributors in our culture and history. Most monuments are either revolutionaries, propagandist or presidents, Its about time we look at our past, not confined by the revolutionaries and politicians.

This farmer statue reminds me of anatomical drawings I saw that dates back in the early 1900's, the male model had striking resemblance with the national hero; He was the perfect model of Filipino manhood during that time! so if one is to picture a Filipino, the Americans would want you to see Rizal.

The Americans was successful in their drive to make Pepe the national hero, he was the moderate one, the other revolutionaries were, well, a bit too radical.

So even though we are taught in our history books of the brave Bonifacio (contrary to popular belief, not a plebeian but an illustrado) and the Generalisimmo's campaign against mother Spain (Boni and his siblings killed in Maragondon by Aguinaldos men, it was a bloody revolution!) - we were given a propagandist for a national hero. When the other nation's national heroes were all fighters, we got for ourselves a writer.

As a young man I thought it was a simple case of the ‘Pen is mightier than the sword' situation, but as I later found out, his election to the stature of national hero has something to do with his reputation - a reformist and a pacifist. Even in this type of selection, political convenience plays a major role.

Paciano Rizal Monument

Still on Los Baños, the Paciano Rizal shrine although not as popular as the Rizal Shrine in Calamba deserves a visit.

I love what the descendants did to their Lolo Pacing's home, they turned it into a memorial site. I heard that the preservation and the creation of a monument all came from contributions of family members.

The house shares the personality and character of the owner. It is almost secluded, it sits silent, though located next to the town municipio - it's hardly noticeable. it only occupies a small area, it is clean and well kept.

it does not have the imposing features of the usual house of a prominent and famous. It does not possess any grand designs like that of the Agunaldo shrine. It was very simple. Even with his status, he was a very modest man.

At the back of his house, which was converted by the town government into a childrens playground - one could see Calamba by the lake .

I can imagine Paciano walking around in this place as an old man, enjoying the lake's refreshing breeze (then), thinking about his family's past, his brother, sisters, his mama & papa, his town and all the important memories he left, when he decided to call Los Baños his new home.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="252" caption="A marker dedicated by Paciano's descendant on hi 150th birthday anniversary. "][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="193" caption="Paciano in his revolutionary General uniform. I find it strange why this monument was built inside the house not in the Municipio, which is, Pacing's next door neighbour. visitors are only allowed inside, upon securing permission from the caretaker."][/caption]

" And Silent amidst them, nearly always silent:

the man whom Rizal himslef described as

"the noblest Filipino of them all"

without whom his own achievement would not

have been possible

the statue on the Luneta at Manila faces the sea

of Jose Rizal

But the shadow which falls from the statue is

the shadow of Paciano"

- Austin Coates

Los Baños' Poblacion

I was corresponding with Traveler on foot about the historic town of Los Baños, he told me to post it on the net so people would know, he is much better at this, hands down.

Here is my shot at photo slash travel blogging!

Agua Santas stone road that leads to the lake. During the WWII, the Americans made this a make shift hospital, later they recreated the old baths. It is now abandoned


Although this looks like a modern structure, its foundation and its walls(some of it) are said to be as old as the town. It is said that this is where the town was founded, for this is the site where the Friars built the first ever bath, their Los Baños."][/caption]

"The Oldest church in town, the Immaculate Concepcion church. It has been renovated many times; its façade (front part) is the only remnants of the original."


Paciano Rizal's Grave, he was buried in his garden.

The facade of Paciano's humble house.


View from the Municipio terrace.

Tinola in my mind

When I was a kid growing up, tinola was always served in the weekends. If its not it, some dish with a good, hearty ‘sabaw' - Our nanay believes this makes children grow stronger and wise (I'm not sure where she got this) whenever such treats is served, sabaw abounds.

This is the highlight of our weekends, mga luto ng Nanay. Nothing beats a good meal with your bully brothers! Being the youngest, my brother's would take advantage, they would always get the chunky parts while I, gets the small portions, worst, the neck part!

When I was in high school I read about tinola in the Noli, I became more fascinated about this very Filipino dish. Rizal was obviously drooling over it while he was writing the chapter about Tiago's famous diner party. Poor hero. Here's how the mighty tinola played its part in Rizal's masterpiece.

Capitan Tiago ordered tinola served. It was a dish which Ibarra had not eaten in a long time because of his extended stay in Europe. Tinola contains chicken, white squash and broth.

Table conversation covered where Ibarra went (Northern Europe, Germany and Russian Poland), as well as newsworthy items learned by Ibarra: "...the prosperity or the misery of a people is in direct proportion to its liberties or concerns, and consequently to the sacrifices or selfishness of its ancestors."

Padre Damaso belittled Ibarra's trips abroad saying that these were useless because what Ibarra learned could be also known without having to travel extensively.

Instead of arguing with the friar, Ibarra left after graciously excusing himself from the crowd. Capitan Tiago tried to stop him, saying that Maria Clara was coming soon, but Ibarra still left. Teniente Guevara followed him.

One of the guests (a red-haired writer named Laruja) present will later write an article about how tinola can ruin a feast and why indios should not be allowed to read or travel outside the Philippines.

Pepe can't help but mention that his character in the book, like him, has not tasted this dish because of his faraway travels in Europe. When your far, I guess your reminded how good Filipino cuisine is. Good thing nowadays, Filipino restaurants and groceries are everywhere.

It an old Spanish recipe (some say its Malay but I doubt it), adopted by us. This chicken stew have different versions. Depending on where you are, taste and ingredients used varies. I prefer ‘malunggay' over the ‘dahong sili', the ‘chayote' than ‘papaya'. Some versions includes chicken livers, but that I don't like.

Its not easy to define how it taste, gingery? Maybe.

Last week, marks a breakthrough. Mhaan cooked, tinola! In my standards, I gave it an A rating. It was almost perfect! At least for me. But being a big fan of this dish, I have good credentials to critique it! I wonder how Rizal prefers his tinola.

Ambeth's lecture on Rizal photos

Ambeth Ocampo held a short but very informative talk about Rizal at PowerBooks Makati last Wednesday. The subject was Rizal in pictures. The most photographed Philippine hero of all time, what was on display was various stages of his life in photos, from his youthful Ateneo days to his death in the fields of Bagumbayan.

There were other interesting photos that were on display that day, but of course an Ambeth Ocampo lecture would not be complete without his mastery of telling Rizal’s story. His greatest contribution so far is humanizing this great Filipino icon, making him reachable to everyone in a way (but Rizal still remains, alien most of the time to me! His achievements are just unbelievable).

There were many viewpoints that he shared that I found to be revealing, especially the “retraction” a question I raised at the end of the lecture. Since I’ve always doubted the authenticity of the letter, he did share his thoughts on its validity (he believes that Rizal wrote it), whether it was his signature or not that appeared on it would be another subject all together.

The retraction according to his very words, “irrelevant” he did explain some Atenian Jesuit school training that I never understood (since I’m not from that school) about people writing or saying something but at the back of ones mind, not being sincere about the thought (isn’t this what we call lying?). Anyways, I happen to agree that the letter has little importance, I happen to believe that even if Rizal died without writing that disputed document, he would’ve died a Catholic, he has always been one in my view.

Of course there were plenty of his written works that manifested his negative view on the church but in my opinion he never left the faith, he had questioned some of clergical practices but that did not mean he abandoned the faith all together, he is too smart to do so. Rizal like us was not perfect and has made errors in the past; sometimes we're over zealous on some of his missteps and thus make quick judgments. Quezon and del Pilar, now these guys did retract, why are we not talking about them? In their written will lay words of repentance! Well, this only goes to show Rizal’s weight in our historical consciousness.

The letter in Dapitan (later on becoming the ‘retraction letter’ appearing here in Manila all of a sudden, according to the author, he found in Monte de Piedad’s vault) was a proof that Rizal maintained his belief in the holy sacraments, for he was told to write it down for the church to allow his marriage with his ‘beautiful stranger’, if he was not a Catholic, why would he bother to write something down to marry a girl he was already been living with for years? As the story goes Rizal refused to signed it, according to Ambeth, he wants to be married first before signing it, he did not trust the good padres enough, the friars did not agree of course.

The rest of the lecture was fun, I’ve met up with some fellow history enthusiast and had a light merienda hosted by Ambeth’s publisher, Anvil. I did approach the author and personally expressed my appreciation of what he has done for our history, he is to date the most widely read historian in the land. He did reply with a smile, “Arnold, I hope that all people feels the same way”, known to many are the criticism thrown to him by some scholarly individuals that looks down at his work as “fiction pass on as historical facts”, I happen to disagree. I would, given a chance replace the professors I had in college who held a PhD’s from our state university with someone like Ambeth. The idea of challenging the existing belief is what made his books and lectures interesting. Our history books are swarming with lies and legends that we must verify everything. The way history has been taught in our classrooms is to blame why this generation is estranged from learning the real past.

The event ended with a meet and greet affair with everyone in the room getting their chances to do a lil’ chit chat with the author, I had my books signed (the old one & recently bought). Though I’ve been following his articles in the inquirer, I still bought his books, which is a compilation of his past columns, the last two (Bone’s of Contention & Rizal: Meaning and history) his lectures here and abroad, books that are loaded with his invaluable research and insights.

I spoke with a lady (I believe she was Ambeth’s publisher, forgot the name) and asked if the books that we no longer see available in bookstores (Mabini’s Ghost, Makamisa etc etc…) would be publish in the future and she said yes it would be but no time has been allocated yet for its completion since the author has been busy with his current post as NHI head. I hope this guy gets back to writing again!

The beauty and reality of San Nicolas

This day being the anniversary of Manila, the ever-loyal city, I would like to celebrate it with a simple feature on one of its smallest district, a place known as San Nicolas. I was going through a series of emotions when I first landed my sights on its streets, literally - a block lined up with old houses, knowing that some of the houses would be gone in the years to come. Some actually were already demolished when I got there with my friends.

I did have great time taking pictures especially this one house that use to be an educational institution (known as ‘Casa Vizantina’ then it became Instituto Manila, later on the Manila University). Just imagine a structure this great made of wood, three floor high! It towered the neighborhood for sure during its days. It was so beautiful! With its delicate designs, wooden staircase, walls and floors, I can’t find words that would even begin to describe how spectacular this place is.Of course I was using my imagination again, for the place now is occupied by some of our poor kababayans, they never hid the truth when asked if they own the place or if some relatives gave them rights to occupy casa vizantina, they said it straight that they were illegal tenants. Don’t get me wrong, the casa is still beautiful, one could still appreciate the skillful designs and the durability of its form, its just that if you look close you could see its deterioration, sadly it could go down any moment.There’s still so much left of the old San Nicolas. I never thought that I would find a concentration of old houses here in Manila! This are really old houses (unlike the recreated ones we know of, bagong luma?) this structures was established during the heyday of San Nicolas, when the Manila was booming economically. The area being close to the river and Manila's port area added prestige to its reputation as an upscale neighborhood during the Spanish era.

You could find historical markers there, the Valenzuela residence (where the Kalayaan was being published also at that time) and the house where some of Rizal’s relative including where his mother stayed are on the vicinity. I was reading before a story about Oryang and Andres Bonifacio. The parents of Gregoria opposed her love for the Supremo that they decided to take her to San Nicolas and hide here in a house of a relative, Andres on the other hand was preoccupied with his secret meetings at that time which was hosted and supported by some well known residents of a place called San Nicolas. Little did they know that they were on the same area, Andres never found out that Oryang was in San Nicolas. Oryang was later on released; she has sent letters to the town leader complaining that she’s confined against her will. She was sent back to Caloocan.

There could be a reason why this town was spared during the wars, especially the so-called “liberation”. Unfortunately, Manila and the district’s residents never took advantage of that luck; there were ZERO conservation efforts here. It is as if they have made the decision to let the old houses die and in its place make concrete condominiums or whatever you call those ugly concrete structures that were built where the old houses once stood

There are still houses that are intact, like the house beside the Madrid Bakery. Where it was kept according to the people I spoke with for sentimental reasons. Calle Lavazares and Calle Madrid have some of the better preserved houses, I’m thankful that they decided to keep their houses that way, I just hope that one day, a Mañileno leader with foresight and imagination could put up an initiative to help this folks preserve this houses. This town could rival Taal and Vigan! (I could be exaggerating) but it can if they decide to make this a tourist walk! There so much left! I know that some of the houses have been brought down and some are soon to follow but there’s still hope, there are still few that remains standing proud. God bless those who kept theirs as it is.

A prominent Mañileno Congressman grew up in its streets, even he forgot. I guess this symptom is what most of our leaders have resigned themselves too, I could imagine that making project that would restore this relics of our great city is difficult, it will never be easy especially with the society we have now (inflicted with 'national amnesia'), with all the problems that were undergoing why bother? I feel sometimes that this is a losing fight but then again we can't stop remembering, this is 'our' heritage. We must save what's left!

Happy 437th anniversary! Manila!

One sunny saturday @ Pezseum

I dropped by the Lopez Museum recently where I saw a wide collection of paintings from the likes of Filipino greats, Hidalgo and Luna, and the other well known Filipino artist like Joya, Ayala and Amorsolo. Lopez Sr. according to what I read was an ardent collector, who would travel to Europe in search of invaluable Filipino paintings (he also collected books & old maps).

The museum also have an amazing library, with their oldest book dating back 1512 if my memory serves me right. Unbelievable, Filipiniana section. While I was there they had already begun digitizing their collection. They have old magazines and newspapers that are great aides if one is to study the events of the past. I’m planning to go back and research there soon. Theres currently an on going display of pictures and maps of places that once stood but now are gone, like the churches of Intramuros and some other landmarks from the past(the Jai Alai bldg for example) that already gave way to the modern structure we see now, they call the exhibit Efface.

The Lopezes’ are giants in different areas of business here in our nation, I would say it straight that I was not happy with them with the recent Meralco issue, news that has been dominating the media as of late, but let me say that I was really delighted to see the efforts taken by the Lopezes’ starting with Lopez Sr and now the great grandson who oversees the Museum operation in preserving the classic works of our home grown heroes. I appreciate their work on preserving our heritage. I was really moved. Lopez Sr has been very civic minded, his contributions were actually recognized by a marker outside the museum. ( I believe this one was originally placed on the old museum grounds in Nakpil)

I very much enjoyed my short visit here where I found some of the paintings I’ve been longing to see. I even saw a drawing by Rizal, a pencil sketch of Michaelangelo, it was a portrait of the artist head with his name written below. The hero probably idolized the creator of the Sistine Chapel, a true renaissance man. For me this drawing is to date, the best, the most detailed drawing of his that I have seen. If Rizal was not preoccupied by his other works I’m certain that he could rival if not surpass the best of our painters during his time, he was a painter when he was a young man. Painting, one of his first love. Of course this admiration was coming from me, a Rizalist by heart.I ‘ve been looking forward for this visit, for I have been longing for years to see one of Luna’s greatest creation, España y Filipinas. I was awed by its beauty and of course its message to the observer, to some its hidden symbolism. This was definitely Luna, so grand, so real. I really got excited when I first had a glimpse of this particular Luna for it seems that, light emanates from its canvas. It is as if your peeking out of your window, seeing sunshine and real people walking by. You get the feeling that its alive.

The tour guide told me that there are few academe's who have visited the museum and chatted with him about its meaning. Some has expressed that the commisioned Luna work, was un-nationalistic, that it was a depiction of submission and oppression by Spain, my question is how can it be, am I missing something here?

I plainly see it as two women walking up the ladder with the Spanish lady pointing to the source of the light while a Filipina willingly walking beside her. A scene of frienship were the one that knows the way, guides the one, unfamiliar with the path they were threading. Even on the same steps are the ladies, both wearing their traditional attires, they look awesome with their semi naked back! Luna really knows how to paint women. Anyway, this interpretations would depend on who’s observing. Beauty as they say is in the eye of the beholder.

This are creations representing its time. Hidalgo’s work in the collection, includes some of his study before finalizing his “Assasination of Govenor Bustamante”. it was awesome, I suggest viewing his collection of drafts before visiting his final masterpiece at the Museo Nacional, for one would appreciate it more. He separately drew the characters before composing them together. The "Un Guerrero" was of course beautiful too, it was dark and strong.

Hidalgo was very detailed and technical. I’m not much of art connoisseur but looking at his work I begun imagining how he conceptualize the his creations. Viewing his paintings made me proud that at that time, when so many people looked down on us, they made their homeland proud. They were among the best in their profession.The best Filipinos!

One other thing that really impressed me was that , the Lopez Museum had been investing a lot on preservation work. They have actually preserved some of the oldest painting in their collection. With the help of a team composed of chemist and artist, they had been meticulously working on a number of paintings. Such venture would surely benefit art pieces nationwide. I sure hope that they would share the technology and spread it. Preservation work is very important if we intend to make this masterpieces, our heritage, our pride, safe, for the future generation.

with Lopez Museum guide Tavy(?), very knowledgeable guy, he knows his turf!Visit Lopez Museum @ Benpres Building, Exchange Road corner Meralco Avenue, Pasig. Museum days and hours are Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., except Sundays and holidays. Entrance fee is P60 for elementary students, P80 for high school and college students, and P100 for adults. For more information call 631-241

Rizal and Judo

It is possible that Rizal could be the very first Filipino practitioner of Judo. The kodokan style-Judo was introduced to him by the father of his Japanese female friend, the fabled Japanese lady in his brief Japanese visit.

Being a practitioner of an offshoot of jiu jitsu (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) I was very much impressed with Rizal showing interest, for this is a very physical sport. His well known for his small stature and weak physical constitution. Though I’m quite sure that he did not progress as he might’ve wanted to in the sport because of the constraints present at that time, I give him all the credit in the world for giving it a try.

Here Rizal displayed yet again how his mind works. Everyone who understands Judo & Jiu Jitsu knows that it utilizes leverage not strength which Rizal lacks. He probably learned about this and embraced the concept, the beauty and art in its motion. For the very tenet of the discipline is to submit, not to kill. This however, is not his first martial art discipline – for he fell in love with fencing first, the made shooting a hobby later on.

Judo was a modification of Kano’s, his creation based on the concept of the deadly art of Japanese Jiu Jitsu. His deep study started in 1882 after researching the different styles of Jiu Jitsu. The father of Osei San was a well known Judoka, a samurai descendant, proponent of the Kadoka style. It is unknown how much exposure Rizal had with this man. Jaylo, the former Judo head, attested that Rizal learned the rudiments of the sport from this man.

Being passionate about teaching, he imparted the concepts of Judo to his students in Dapitan. Taking advantage of the soft sand by the beach, his student probably had a grand time wrestling with each other – the first ever sparring of in a no-gi form. How interesting it was to see, unfortunately due the lack of written accounts of how he taught the subject, the practitioner in me can only imagine.

In Dapitan, the hero provided the country with its first unofficial Judoka’s, grappler’s in our modern times – there was no continuation however, since he was not a sensei of the discipline, he does not possess the technical knowledge, not a belter but definitely a true admirer. He only provided key concepts to his students. No one is even sure if he educated his student what it was, that it was Judo - he probably referred to it as lucha libre, a free form of wrestling now popular in Latin nations.

In the history of the sport of Judo in our country, John Baylon is considered the greatest of all time, the winningest of all competitors. He was an Olympian three times, and currently one of our instructors – he share’s technique and humility. A great guy, who probably would be grateful for the hero’s effort.

He hails from Zamboanga, the province where Rizal first taught the celebrated sport!

Thanks to Ms. Gemma Cruz Araneta

Ms. Araneta has recently posted an email of mine early this year in her popular blog site (here). I've reported on this last April - what happened to the former wooden school house of Maestro Cruz was terrible but not surprising.

The municipal government of Biñan should take the initiative and restore the old school, they could highlight the importance of education in their municipio by doing this. The great Rizal once studied in their backyard, what a shame that nothing has been done to preserve the school where it stand.

It should be restored, even a replica would inspire Filipino students who would want to see the place where Rizal was first formally educated. Even now, history student would visit the place and be disappointed by its current state (its also inside a compound, if you want to see it you would have to be content perching at a wall to take a peek).

The former tourism secretary is a relative of Rizal, she told me that she has already requested someone to look into this. Although admittedly there is not much that can be done to salvage whats left but it would be interesting if the towns stakeholders can recreate the small house like the one in Dapitan - it would be a fitting tribute to the importance of early education which what the rich town of Biñan was known for during those days.

Many thanks to Ms. Gemma.

Noontime Luneta

I was waiting for NHI to go back from their lunch when I decided to pass time strolling around Luneta. I found a good spot where there was a perfect shade. I gaped at the monument and started to remember memories of my childhood, when my father would bring the family to picnic in its grounds. I would always look for the honor guards then, watching them guard the monument - moving at a certain count, they were like machines but they were nowhere to be found today. It was noontime, they must be resting somewhere - I can't blame them for the sun was scorching the fields of Bagumbayan, it was a summer day!

I stayed longer that I should, it was pass 1pm when a group of Korean's arrived at the monument site and started to take pictures. They were accompanied by a younger fellow who briefed them with some information about Rizal - that's what it looked like but I could be wrong. They were cheery, happy seniors, some even smiled at me when they passed the spot where I sat. All that changed when a platoon of beggars came from nowhere and started asking for money. It was embarrasing but this scenes are all too common, we see this everyday, they reminds us of our social reality. These people has made Luneta their home.

I also visited the spot where NHI created a beautiful stone monument for the GOMBURZA. It was a good looking creation in honor of the Filipino priest. It was just a piece of metal and stone raised above a few inches from the ground I remember then, it was the exact location where the garrote was erected. I use to touced it and people would just walk over it then. Kudos should go to NHI for formally making the grounds a monument for all people to notice.

Lots of great memories here. The monument of Rizal was facing the direction of the bay, when he was executed, that was the horizon he was looking at. The waves and the blue sky probably gave him inner peace. It was a good spot to die, although he wanted to face his executioners - he settled to face the Manila bay. 'Oh what a beautiful day...', exclaim the soon to be dead hero when he saw Manila bay and the skies, even on the day when his headed to his execution he never failed to appreciate the beauty of his country . Currently, Quirino stadium blocks the view of thebay from were Rizal stood, i wonder what he' say about it.

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One surprised was that while I was walkng from Salamanca Plaza I noticed that the streets were flooded. I began asking a baranggay official if the street have a drainage problem, he kinda looked at me and smiled. Later I found out that this is a normal occurence when there's a high tide. i did not know that. I thought there was a tsunami or something.

San Juan Bautista Church in Calamba

A brief history of this historic Iglesia we recently had the chance to visit last month.

Considered by our local church official as one of the 'jubilee churches'(old pre Spanish churches in Laguna) alongside with the shrine of Sto. Sepulcro in Landayan, SanPedro and the other old century old churches in Laguna (Nagcarlan, Pila, San Pablo, Mabitac, Paete, Pangil, Pakil, Pagsanjan, Majayjay...)

In 1759 the Jesuit Missionaries purchased a big portion of land called Hacienda de San Juan, but the parish was established only in 1779 by the Franciscan Friars.

In this church, Fray Rufino Collantes baptized our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, on June 22, 1861. the original altar was burned in 1862 but immediately rebuilt by Fray Leoncio Lopez. the first Filipino priest, Fr. Angel Villaruz, served this church for 43 years since 1901. the incumbent Parish Priest is Fr. Menorca.

This church was literally just a stone throw away from the Rizal residence, I was told by a friend that its original location was in the front of the Rizal shrine before -I was not able to verify this but there was what looks like old pre-Spanish foundations where the current vidokes, sari sari stores and carinderia is located, all this establishments fronting the shrine, what an eyesore.

I'm quite intrigue by the piece of a scanned document that hangs in the wall inside the Rizal shrine which declares Father Lopez as the signatoree of Rizal's birth certificate when it was in fact a different friar who conducted the baptism, Fray Collantes. I also heard that Rizalista's makes a connection of Rizal being baptized here in the church of San Juan Bautista, comparing it to Jesus undergoing the same rites under his cousin San Juan Bautista, they took it for its divine meaning -as if Rizal was baptize by St. John himself. I really can't blame this people, Rizal is a fascinating man, aside from his intellectual feats it seems that this renaissance of a man is a clairvoyant - based on what I've read about him this man is a believer in the supernatural, very pinoy - very superstitious.

This church has been the center of the activity of the town - like fiestas and other town functions. This is the genius of the Spanish city planning, every town built around an Iglesia or convento, it seems that all roads will lead you back to the church, a poblacion is never without a great Iglesia. Calamba's town and this church has been conceived the same way - bringing the people closer to God and the town's government.

Rizal in Muntinlupa

I'm not sure if Rizal stayed in Muntinlupa, chances are good that he did not, did he ever visited this sleepy hilly town? that also has no historical reference so clearly during his days the young hero did not have anything to do with the once Augustinian domain which at that time partly belongs to San Pedro, Laguna.

Muntinlupeños should be proud that the city government paid homage to our hero, dedicating a monument in the city hall that was made its centerpiece. The old city hall caught fire last year and was completely destroyed. Rumor has it that it was intentional - now, I don't want to speculate which party did the people of Muntinlupa harm - that's how bad local politics is here. The new Mayor found himself without office. He has to build one.

The new city hall was inaugurated this year. Styled with the traditional Filipino house architecture in mind with touches of modern western structures. The Rizal monument was its accent, its the first object you'll see before you enter the lofty hall. Rizal has many monument we all know that and I'm sure he won't mind sharing space with his contemporaries but this great guy with the undercoat on in the tropics is the man!

The monument is an old one, I found out that they spray painted it recently to make it look like pure bronze. I did try to ask the cultural dept who created the monument, I'm still waiting for the answer - but let me say this, this piece could be one of the best monuments. It's not as grand as the one in Luneta or Fort Santiago as matter fact the statue seems to be a real life version of Rizal, the height and the physique could match the man of many monuments and shrines, on top of this is its location. For the first time in all the years of my residence in Muntinlupa I see people noticing the monument, some even snapping shots at it.

Mayor San Pedro deserves to be commended. I feel that this guy is a Rizalist, I wrote him an email last March about my willingness to volunteer myself to heritage work for the city and also sought his help in some of the issues we are currently facing here but the Mayor has been busy. His been improving the busy city - I also like his active participation in my local parish.

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I also sent sample pics to KOR - I believe they collect photos of Rizal monuments. Hope they could add this on their site.

mi gran amigo's

Me, MIke & Pepe at the Rizal Shrine in Calamba, originally uploaded by Arnaldos' shutter.

I'm not certain if I said it right in Spanish but this two guys are just awesome!

They are my first ever recruits - Pepe Alas and Mike Adzuara!

It is my grand aspiration to enlist more people to team up with this group of trasnochadores'(night shifter's) - as we attempt to encourage the preservation and awareness of our country's great past in our work community.

Viva Señor Miguel! Viva Señor Pepe!

Pearl of the Curacy

Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buenviaje, originally uploaded by Arnaldos' shutter.

My recent visit to the Antipolo church has brought back one of my fondness memory of mahal na araw rituals - the lenghty hike from our residence in Makati to its hilly footway. A spiritual cleansing through physical distress. I've only done it once but who could've forget such an exhausting tread at very a young age.

Its one of the most critical iglesia's during the Spanish era, friars and secular's contested to secure its ground. Nick Joaquin cited on one of his book how it was bitterly fought for, the Recollects protesting the appointment of a creole clergy in the 1860's, this only goes to show how strategic and rich the church was then.

During the WWII it was heavily bombed by the Americans forces. It was levelled to the ground, the resilient Antipoleños and the committed friars would have to raise it from the ground on the following years.

The church now have a hall at the back of the altar that acts as a semi museum. In display are colognes, dresses, crowns and other memorabilia's in its collection. It also have a fascinating life-size panoramic pictures and informative information that labels it.

Rizal was taught by his mother to patronize the Lady. He has written beautiful works dedicated to the patron of peace and good voyage. A known devotee in his early years and through out his adult life, he is known to call upon our Lady for unharmed and sound tours. He has even etched the image in one of his leather cases.

Anitpolo now has become an overly urbanized province, it has been city for years but I still consider it a countryside. It has been trying to cope with the rapid urbanization -- commerce, vehicles and beggars abound but one just need to go around and observe to notice the town's history.

Though the M commercial logo tower of Mcdonalds tries to compete with the M symbol of the church's tower (A Marian emblem) Anitpoleños lives has still cycled around the famed iglesia of Marian devotion - from commerce to devotion. All leads to the prominent symbol of the faith's 'pearl curate'.

Tayo na sa Antipolo!

The APAC History Club

Arnaiz & Alas, originally uploaded by Arnaldos' shutter.

So far I have only two other members since I started this group a month ago. I hope I could increase the numbers once I get the club published in our company's weekly journal. I've also requested for a regular article the would primarily focus on interesting history facts.

My first ever recruit is another history buff named Pepe, he runs a Spanish blog that covers everything from history, politics and some other interesting stuff he usually write about. I consider him more of a co-founder. Now, I don't have to worry about understanding poems when its in Español!

Small as it is, it has not prevented the club from conducting its activities. For the month of March we have visited Biñan and this month the Calamba.

The club has made interesting discoveries in both places. I try to make it interesting and fun, learning never stops as they say and what better way to learn than to travel back in time.

Such efforts, although small have made the activities worthwhile. Other than this, I plan to make a walking tour of Biñan available to all upon request.

It is all about looking back at our rich heritage and this group of mine intends to promote national awareness through our heritage sites.

Historic Pagsanjan

The Historic Pagsanjan Church, originally uploaded by Arnaldos' shutter.

I went to this place under the cover of wanting to take the boat ride to the falls but the history nerd that I am-of course was more interested in finding sites that would be of interest and it was not hard to find one for Pagsanjan is such a historic place. This was last year and I was reminded of this place today while driving and seeing one of the buses with its ad showing Pagsanjan (and its current Mayor) as a tourist destination.

It was Despujol who said that to ‘decatholicize’ is to ‘denationalize’ us - a remark he made to defend his action of sending Rizal to Dapitan. He must’ve been referring to towns like Pagsanjan and the other great domains founded or was made into a community by the religious orders. The main road leads to the town’s great church and true to its name (Pinagsangahan) the ways that would lead you to the other neighbouring town is through this small town’s crossroads.

Though the barrio was believed to have been established by Chinese traders and some enterprising folks who made a living from betelnuts and other agricultural activities, the then barrio was elevated to township on the mid 17th century by Governador General Bonifaz and due to its strategic location was made La Laguna’s capital. The capitolship lasted for more than a century.

The church was no longer the original one founded by Fray Magdalena with the help of the piuos locals, like in many other places it was destroyed by American bomb attacks(like the many other historic sites during the WWII). The then image of our Lady of Guadalupe was destroyed, it would be years later that the Mexican people would be once again be generous enough to give the old town its new life size image as a gift, making the same gesture that their catholic nation as brothers to us, has made when they brought to shore together with the missionaries the first image through the galleon trades.

Reading Dr. Zaide’s PAGSANJAN: In History and Legend I was moved by its historic contibutions not only to the province of Laguna then but on a wider scope, for a diminutive size in comaprison to other towns it was a giant. It has provided the nation wih great sons and places of significance to the revolution. You wouldn’t really know unless you travel to this far flung places and whenever I do I often imagine how long it must’ve took then to travel from what we know now as metro Manila to this places. Rizal in his diary told us that Calamba to Manila is a 10 hour journey. We don’t have an excuse not to tour around for we have faster means.

Aside form the rich historical role it is also blessed with natural wonders, I had great time shooting the rapids - make no mistake about it. I was strolling at dawn the next morning we arrived and was surprised that people attends dawn masses, they have this all year round unlike us here in the metropolitan. The town is still very traditional although one can see imposing traces of urbanization.

I’m always discouraged when I see commercialization stand together with the old, somehow our track record as a nation shows that this has been disastrous for eventually the new would destroy the old. I have never condemned urbanization for it benifits society economically but I’ve seen how such venture would have the old lose. In Makati for example, we had pre American structures who were sold by the next generation of owners since the market was just irresistable - the old houses never stood a chance. In its place now stands building.

After leaving the town, passing the historic Pagsanjan arch, I was in deep thought if the people I’ve met in the town have in them the desire to keep the gifts that time had given them, almost three centuries in the making. How would they preserve the old tradition alive to pass on to the next generation. People seem content with time slowly passing, life’s still simple there and I have dreams of building a house in the banks of its river where i can throw my fishing line and hope to catch ayungins, hito and tilapias. One day I will.

The Alberto house in Biñan

Alberto - Alonzo House, originally uploaded by Arnaldos' shutter.

In a recent visit to the Alberto house in Biñan. I was awed by its beauty but at the same time regret its present condition. This classic stone house displayed the prominence and style of the family that once lived here. You could feel by observing the house that the occupants are no ordinary Filipinos add to this is the location of the house which is right at the heart of the Biñan, on its left is the municipio and in front is the rotonda.

With its solid built utilizing the most durable construction materials that I'm certain only a rich builder can afford during those days, its no wonder that this house has stood the test of time. Its unfortunate that no matter how strong a house is built it would eventually, if not well preserve succumb to deterioration. This house has seen its better days. Below is a brief history of the owner of this wonderful 'bahay na bato'

Jose Alberto an uncle of Rizal, had been educated in British India, spending eleven years in a Calcutta missionary school. This was the result of an acquaintance which his father had made with an English naval officer who visited the Philippines about 1820, the author of "An Englishman's Visit to the Philippines." Lorenzo Alberto, the grandfather, himself spoke English and had English associations.

The great Binan bridge had been built under Lorenzo Alberto's supervision, and for services to the Spanish nation during the expedition to Cochin-China-probably liberal contributions of money-he had been granted the title of Knight of the Order of Isabel the Catholic, but by the time this recognition reached him he had died, and the patent was made out to his son.

An episode well known in the village-its chief event, if one might judge from the conversation of the inhabitants-was a visit which a governor of Hongkong had made there when he was a guest in the home of Alberto. Many were the tales told of this distinguished Englishman, who was Sir John Bowring, the notable polyglot and translator into English of poetry in practically every one of the dialects of Europe. His achievements along this line had put him second or third among the linguists of the century. He was also interested in history, and mentioned in his Binan visit that the Hakluyt Society, of which he was a Director, was then preparing to publish an exceedingly interesting account of the early Philippines that did more justice to its inhabitants than the regular Spanish historians. Here Rizal first heard of Morga, the historian, whose book he in after years made accessible to his countrymen. A desire to know other languages than his own also possessed him and he was eager to rival the achievements of Sir John Bowring.

In his book entitled "A Visit to the Philippine Islands," which was translated into Spanish by Mr. Jose del Pan, a liberal editor of Manila, Sir John Bowring gives the following account of his visit to Rizal's uncle:

"We reached Binan before sunset .... First we passed between files of youths, then of maidens; and through a triumphal arch we reached the handsome dwelling of a rich mestizo, whom we found decorated with a Spanish order, which had been granted to his father before him. He spoke English, having been educated at Calcutta, and his house-a very large one-gave abundant evidence that he had not studied in vain the arts of domestic civilization. The furniture, the beds, the table, the cookery, were all in good taste, and the obvious sincerity of the kind reception added to its agreeableness. Great crowds were gathered together in the square which fronts the house of Don Jose Alberto."

Being a Rizalist (not the religion but one who studies the man!) I consider this - a pilgrimage of sorts, my mind was focused on how Rizal lived his youth in this busy town, so close to us here in the south metro yet unknown to many, how in some way or the other it shaped his character and strengthen his resolve. In almost all areas of the town I found reminders of its inspiring past. Such lovely old houses, I don't mind spending the whole afternoon feasting my eyes on this gems of the past.



I consider myself fortunate that in my time I've visited this historic place I've noticed that not too many people are aware of its role in our political evolution - I've actually spoked withs several Biñanero's and found out that either they were not told about the significance of the house or they were just disinterested. Such is an example that I hope with all my faith would change amongst us, we need to value such monuments of time for it physically links us to our past.

Discovering Rizal's Chapel of Our Lady of Peace

Recently I discovered the kapilya where Rizal at an early age made his prayers to the Holy Virgin. The Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buenviaje located in La Paz Biñan (namesake of popular old church in Antipolo) its a 15 minute walk from the town proper. It was once a modest chapel built with stone and mortar, solid wooden doors, small windows and a modest church bell with the Virgin as its centerpiece inside, it can seat less than a hundred churchgoers.

Rizal admired both of his parents but he was closer to his Mother, his first teacher. He adored his mother's ways and loved her the most. His mother has made a panata to visit the church in Antipolo ('thanksgiving' for successfully giving birth to Pepe himself), later on it was the young boy and his father who fulfilled that promise on her behalf. This was the reason why the young boy had made the same devotion to the patron saint at the time he was in Biñan. It impressed me that he would walk early at dawn to attend the 4am mass in Our Lady of Peace when at that time the proximity of the town church and another kapilya (San Jose) is more practical.

It was one hot day when me and my friend (Pepe!) arrived at the place via tricycle (a ride that lasted 3 minutes) from Biñan's rotonda. It was said that Rizal stayed (at an Aunt's house) close to where he studied when he was in Biñan. A prominent house in front of the town's rotonda was owned by his relatives (its standing in front of the plaza, the Alberto-Alonzo stone house). The young Rizal would wake up early to make the walk to La Paz and back to attend Maestro Cruz' class. The kapilya is now a parish that could accommodate up to 300 or more parokyanos far from what it was before.

We met Fr. Adi and his secretary who were gracious enough to tour us around (even offered us a meal for which we respectfully decline). The parish is now equipped with modern sound system, lights and comfortable seats --with smooth stylish floor tiles and a relatively new altar one could hardly trace any old relics, it felt like a new church.They were very proud of their history. They handed me this piece of paper where it outlined the parish story.

THE HISTORY OF NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LA PAZ PARISH

What now a parochial church in Brgy. De La Paz used to be a chapel built on a 1,172 sq. mtr lot donated by then the Bishop of Lipa, Msgr. Olalia, DD in the year 1868. A priest from the town proper of Biñan used to say mass during the highlight seasons of the barrio fiestas and Christmas. It was only on January 1967 when a parish priest was assigned in the person of Fr. Benito Pagsuyuin under the Diocese of San Pablo's Bishop Pedro Bantigue. The current parish Priest Fr. Ricky Yapana is the 17th in line. Th eold stone and mortar chapel and wooden rectory down in 1988 and a new church building was slowly put up. Construction was completed in 2003. The nearby house and852 sq. mtr. lot owned by the Cardena family had been bought by the parish through the proceeds of various fund campaigns and has now become the parish rectory. It was only on 1993 under Fr. Zaldy Fortuno finish the payment and transferred to the Roman Catholic Bishop of San Pablo.

Being the history guy that I am - I was disappointed that they have approved to bring the old kapilya down and replaced it (also expanding the floor area) perhaps the religious leaders and the faithful had little choice since the population has grown tremendously. I felt despondent but it is what is - this structures were built to last but not if men decide to tear them down. The priest later on gave me contact information of Mr. Eric Alonde - their church historian and once head of their lay community. I was excited to talk to him and discussed Rizal's brief preferrence for their kapilya over the other churches in the area at his time. We traded notes and oral history, he was knowledgeable of La Paz' past and was very proactive on their parish activity.



the renovated chapel, now a very modern looking structure

Turns out that Mr. Alonde was also not aware that our hero made his devotion to their chapel. I told him about the devotion of the young Rizal and some other things about how the hero while he was in Biñan, i also explained why Rizal chose their kapilya. He later on acknowledge that they have no prior knowledge of this, they've probably thought that Rizal won't even bother going the distance but he did!. It was a great feeling to have actually shared something that would add pride to their small barrio, theirs is place often flooded and with a noticeable impoverish shanties around.

Viva Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buenviaje

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I've already emailed Fr. Adi and Eric some reference text from Palma's & Guerrero's biography of Rizal. They requested to be provided with this materials (how I wish I could provide them more). According to Fr. Adi he would bring this up to their council since they are planning to create another material where they'll once again write their Parish history (even a footnote about this discovery would be a great addition!)


Kudos to my good friend Pepe, ever ready to help out with some difficult Spanish translations!