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.

What's Pinoy?

A classmate back in college, stated that the word Pinoy was derived from "PILIPINONG UNGGOY" , I remember everyone bursting into hysterical laughter. He would regret that they, my friend, for he was teased through out his college life.

Immediately my Professor corrected my classmate, according to this Professor (who already passed away in 05, rest in peace sir!) the word PINOY(This word came to being in the late 60's), is from the word Filipino the tagalogs then added -y, a dimunitive suffix. Its like Toto, when you want to make it sound small, it becomes Totoy.

Filipino as a subject way back in college, is not among my favorite subjects but origins of Filipino words always gets my attention.

This one, the Pinoy word, tells us how we look at ourselves. Though we are proud to adapt it as a word that defines our race it also mirrors our attitude.

Not that there is something wrong with it, we Filipinos love giving names (Kano, Sakang, Tsekwa, bombay etc etc...) ours is a fun loving culture. Making fun does not mean we are looking down at those people who receives it. Naturally, Mahilig tayo mangasar. But giving ourselves a word that would describe us as small, is something we all should think about.

Its just that it occured to me that we seem to make things smaller when it should be bigger, I remember Nick Joaquin's "Heritage of Smallness" -- he hits it on the spot. We tend to regress, desire only those of small value, we fear things that would grow big, we show lack of confidence when confronted by giant task. Go little when we should be prepping to go full blast, baka hindi kaya.

A good example is Makati's Congressional districts, A small town - now due its success, a giant city in terms of wealth and progress. Divided into two districts, why? because it got too big. Why can't it be just one guy? why is it that when population grows, when towns becomes cities, government and people would vote to divide it - now, instead of a lone representation, we get politicians who can't agree with each other. Philippines is the size of California they say, but they don't have this many politicians, our politicians could easily outnumber theirs. Of course some would argue that it is not a country, but there lies my point.

We always look forward at cutting to pieces things that increase in size. We wanted to play big time sports but shy away from spectacle games like football and baseball, instead we prefer basketball, because we can play it in small groups, play it half court, represent our small baranggay, be with our short team - we seem satisfied, even in sport, to play it small.

Its the mentality that has been embedded in our minds, that Filipino - is a Pinoy, that we are small, mga totoy, bunsoy at popoy. The term used to described our physical attribute has become the very word that displays our attitude towards progress.

Dreams of America

I was reading the opinion section of Philippine Star last Saturday. My day of reading would not be complete without Alejandro Roces' Roses and Thorns. One of my favorite commentary in print. His article was entitled, The great US experiment - the Philippines. Although I happen to disagree with what was written, I was even more surprised by the comments when I scrolled down.

Bunch of people were talking about the good years we had with the US, and how we could have benefit as a nation if we were an American state - that we needed them, one even went far as saying that we should lobby to be part of the states today. When I signed in, and shared my view of how far fetch their ideas were, they made jokes out of it, in fairness to them they were funny.


"The Forbidden Book"

It's unfortunate that some of our young people would even spend time dreaming about the this so called 'land of opportunity'. It's a clear sign of desperate times, aspiring that we could go back in Americas good graces, that they could retake their prodigal son and help it regain past glory.

I'm reminded of the "federalistas" during the turn of the century, when America cut short Aguinaldo's republic before it could even legitimize its existence. When US was already in power, this party was so eager to join the American states that they shamelessly threw themselves at the feet of the new rulers, untiringly lobbying for the poor Philippines to be assimilated to the great empire, to be with the great states in the mainland, only to find out that we were unwanted, that US does not need this country to be theirs, only its resources and its strategic location.

I love reading old notes, it reminds me of the reality - how we were treated as a people, like this one from Senator Albert Beveridge of Indiana in 1900, his take on Filipinos, ''not of a self-governing race . . .. Savage blood, Oriental blood, Malay blood, Spanish example -- are these the elements of self-government?''

It was said that imperialism is always, racist. I think with that kind of statement from an American leader. It is.

American regards themselves for converting us to Christianity, when we already are Christians, thanks to Catholicism. We have stronger Christian values and beliefs than them when they came, that I am sure.

We are all happy to recall our deep relationship with the US, but we find it hard (almost impossible in most cases) to even visit relatives in the US mainland when we want to, while Japan, who once attacked them, killing thousands, not counting their soldiers who fought in the Pacific - enjoys the luxury of a pass, without restrictions. Its high time that we accept that America is a friend, when it can find good benefit, but if you're the third world nation, the sick ol' man of Asia, reminding them of history is fruitless.

I've come full circle in my political history studies; I have been an admirer as a young man of the American ideals for this nation of ours. Later on, when further study has shown that, the ideals that I once admired are but a façade of a more intricate plan, that of an ambition of an imperialistic super power, the "large policy" as it was called by its leaders.

And like Aguinaldo and his men, many people have been fooled by the cunning of the American leaders. For they have been after this lands long before the revolution has even begun, only using it to further their advance here and in the region, their real purpose can be understood by this letter of John Hay to his friend Theodore Roosevelt, referring to the war with Spain, "a splendid little war, begun with the highest motives, carried on with magnificent intelligence and spirit, favored by that Fortune which loves the brave."

Metmuseum in July

I love museums! It's cheap but they are gold mines of historical knowledge. Truly a bargain if you can call it that.

I visited Metropolitan Museum last week (Met Museum), located in the compound of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The last time I was here was in college, the place reminds me of an old bahay na bato's basement. I was excited to see that improvements and additions made.



There was an exhibit by portraitist Romulo Galicano. Life size paintings of rich and the famous, portraits of the countryside folks, which was very Amorsolo-que . The exhibition was called "postura" - the appreciation of this form of painting has diminished considerably, artist like Galicano has been reviving it for the public to appreciate again.

I then swiftly went straight to the permanent displays, to look at the creations of our great heroes, Hidalgo and Luna. I've seen these paintings before but it would feel different each time, it's like seeing it for the first time. My fascination with Filipino painters started way back in high school, when I would read about them and see them in display with the help of my Nanay funding this unusual hobby, I took up painting but unfortunately, my hands were not made for it.


Also in display were the works of the 1^st batch of UP's fine art department, which produced the likes of Amorsolo and de la Rosa. Much of this great group's work has been lost and destroyed during the war.

I also enjoy seeing the painting of lesser-known artist in the collection, this artist kept the craft alive even with the presence of war and the difficult decades that followed when appreciation for framed art declined.

I saw a dedication text on the wall commending Imelda Marcos for her contribution for injecting life to the Philippine art during her days. Nowadays, people just love to hate this woman, but her tenure in power had a very positive impact in Philippine art and cultural conservation. The former fist lady has been a staunch ally of the Filipino artist then. Let's give credit where it is due.

The addition in Met Museum was the great display of religious art, pre Spanish pots and jewelries. Amazing collection.

Truly worth a visit! Check their website here! for more information on their upcoming events and schedule.

Father Galende and his wonderful books

I caught up with Fr. Galende here, I told him that I wanted his autograph but I can't afford his books! promising once I saved enough money I'll get a copy and look for him.

He said with a big smile, "you can always pay me in installments!"

He then told me that he'll sign a copy of mine in a heartbeat, anytime!

---

The PHILIPPINE CHURCH FACADE, is such fine book, especially for those who are big fans of baroque churches and old architecture in the land. It contains invaluable background information of when and how this beautiful churches was founded.

One of the books photographer, a blogmate here in the site, is the creator of the blogsite, simbahan.net - great photo guy, Estan. You gotta see his works to admire it.

Fr. Galende has spoke about a second volume for the FACADE's, since there are still hundreds of old churches out there that was not covered in his book. He also hinted working on a feature book on "retablos", now that would be an interesting one.

For those who is not familiar with Fr. Pedro Galende, aside from being an author and an Augustinian priest (his other book "Angels of Stone"), he is currently the director of the San Augustin Museum, I believe he's been a Philippine resident for more than two decade now, I just read very recently that he has an MA in English and a PHd in Philo. He speaks perfect english!

One of the people I truly admire, staunch defender of our Filipino heritage, very active in the promotion and of the preservation of cultural and heritage sites. He would always insist to call the style of this old churches as Filipino not Spanish or Mexican, like the other books would put it. For him this creation are uniquely Filipino.

His advocacy is truly inspiring, whenever he speaks about our culture & heritage, he would always do so by using "our", addressing it as one of us. He has embraced our nation as if it was his, we are lucky to have this guy around.

Godfather for the second time around

I would like to thank my friend, JJ and his charming wife, Maybelle for allowing me to be one of the godfather of their little princess, Zoë Isabel.

Obviously, a Catholic, I have a soft spot when it comes to this kind of events. Its a special one since it's a sacrament, a very traditional rite that I always cherish for it reminds me of the love and compassion of our Lord.

This marks the day that their child has entered the Catholic faith and I'm proud that I was part of it all. May it be a fruitful journey for this beautiful child of theirs.

It was unusually warm for an afternoon at this time of the year, the sun was up but it was cloudy. This is the first time I visited this beautiful church of St. James, so there was a lot of things new to me.



The baptismal rite was solemn and was very meaningful, in life and in spirit, as it was discussed during the seminar for the parents. Being a godfather is an experience since its an obligation as a follower of the church, I've been taught to held it seriously by my parents - my Nanay would always say prayers for her inaanaks during mass, I guess that compensates on her inability to give monetary gifts during Christmas time! - Zoë would always be in my prayers from now on, just like my Nanay - it would be my way of compensation!

There was a lovely diner at a posh restaurant in Alabang, Poquito I believe was the name - they serve traditional Spanish cuisine, very good serving. The meal was great! It was heavy - but I like it that way.

Welcome to the Catholic fold, Zoë!

---

I'm really poor at finding directions, and I did for awhile got lost trying to find the church of St. James in Ayala Alabang.

The Village has very good security, well if you have high profile people living inside you must have good people manning the watchtower. I heard Pres. Ramos lives there.

Entering Ayala Alabang can be an intimidating experience, I'm just not used to seeing huge houses with multiple cars on the garage. The only people you see walking around in Ayala Alabang are maids who walks those expensive dogs, if not that, residents who seems to struggle trying to get fit by jogging and biking with their ipod's on.

The rich people are always inside - their houses or their expensive cars, they could be seen outside, but one should go to the Ayala Town Center. My trip here displayed before my eyes a world of difference from the usual scenes of shoebox houses and squatter neighborhoods I pass by whenever I drive to the office.

Why not a salacot for a hat?

During the Urdaneta lectures at the Cervantes, there was this man who kept on interrupting one of the guest speaker, Professor Andrade. That man was introduced as a national artist. So he must be a well-respected man, an expert in the past, since the speaker (not Andrade) was delighted to acknowledge his presence, even after he made a scene out of his loud objections.

Not that I'm rushing to side with Andrade because him being an Arellano figure, which happens to be my Alma mater but because I just find his behaviour as being rude, unprofessional, it was out of line. I see this all the time in town meetings in the US but not here in our land, not with our culture.

It was a lecture - an "open forum" is the event where you can address your question, in his case, his objections- not during the lecture. People are trying to listen, trying to learn from the speaker. The Speaker has the mic, he commands the program. The national artist must have confused the event as a debating challenge, he probably felt privileged, that he can interrupt the program because of his status.

While the professor was citing some of the friar contributions to the country, the national artist shouted, "Are you calling me a liar?" - the notes Andrade gave could've struck a nerve. Then he kept on shouting, "Are you apologizing for them?" I was intrigue to know why this man would act in such a way, it seems that he was offended by what was being discussed obviously.

Andrade being old man, was patient with the angry man, he simply smiled and told the person, "I have it here..." pointing to his folders and continued his lecture. It was odd; there must be a history behind this two people. But if the national artist was simply protesting that this man is paying homage to friar contributions, that is undeniable, in Urdaneta's case successfully plotting the legendary sea's for Spain's ambitions for the Islands, he was in the wrong classroom. The event was for them,the friars, this catholic missionaries who gave so much only to be portrayed as demons in our history books!

There are still academes and students who believe that we would've made it out of the caves without Spain. I have encountered fellow students of history who believes that true Filipinos are the ones untouched by western influence and culture (meaning even he, is not Filipino), some insist that Spain retarded our progress as a true nation. Nationalism in the expense of our true past, as I see it. We can't follow such flawed reviews of our past!

I encourage people to challenge what is being taught in the text books. We can't annul what this friars gave and still use their contributions as if they would've existed even without them being introduced to us.

Culture is not static, is this not the truth?

We should all be objective and see the past as it was, there will always be good and bad, but seeing it that way gives us a balanced view of things. Making it appear all bad so we can feel good about ourselves and hope this would solidify our true identity, well, is not cool.

---

Who is this national artist?

He proudly walks amongst the crowd with his ala Indiana Jones leather hat, which is by the way also a Friar contribution, Sir. I'm referring to the hat and the leather, if one hated Friar contribution so much - why not wear a salacot?

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.

WORDCAMP set for September @ CSB La Salle

Wordcamp Philippines 2008

Understanding Urdaneta

I was in Instituto Cervantes for the 5^th centennial of Fray Andres Urdaneta's birth. There was a series of lectures by prominent academes that focused on the significance of Urdaneta's discovery of a secured route between Asia and the New Spain.

The lecture room was packed with scholars and researchers, being late I stayed outside. Thanks to some good sounding speakers I was able to listen in, even if I was outside, looking in.



Although I failed to complete the whole program (which started in the morning), catching only last 2 hours or so of the event, I learned a great deal about Urdaneta. I know little of his accomplishments to be honest, since Rizal and the 17th century Philippines is where I concentrated much of my studies. I've read about his breakthrough discovery, his route that enabled Spain to establish settlements and commerce here in those critical days when the other European powers are in a race to find the new world. There was more about the man than I've thought; his life actually, is so colroful that it could be made a Hollywood movie.

Often people I know (including my father) would talk about the bad things that Spain did to us, portrayed as villains and corrupt. I always get ridiculed and made fun of whenever I try to explain the significance of their contributions. Fray Urdaneta contributions is certainly the greatest, for not only that he gave us our name but the route that he created placed our country in the world map, he was, in our modern terms, the pioneer of Filipino globalization.

A navigator and a soldier, the young Urdaneta became part of the Elcano & Loaysa expedition, commissioned to claim the Moluccas for Spain. It failed to achieve its goals, on 1521 almost all but one ship managed to stay up float, Elcano & Loaysa died in the seas, while the only ship that survived the unfortunate ordeal, the one ship that remained, landed in Mindanao. The group was headed by Carquizado, the men was stuck for nine long years in the islands before they managed to head back to Mexico. By this time, the Spice Islands were already under the Portuguese flag.

Urdaneta tried to arrange another campaign to set sail but failed. In 1553 he became a priest under the Augustinian order. His vocation was to focus on catholicizing the native people. When King Phillip ordered de Velasco to attempt to sail back to the islands, they sought the help of the veteran navigator Urdaneta, by now a priest. He declined because of his status, but was later on convinced to take part in the expedition, his majesty granting his conditions.

He wanted not to be in command, that's his condition! Choosing a relative to do so, Legazpi. He hand picked majority of the officers and priest that would embody the mission, most were Basque. The rest is history, when he made contact with the native in the islands; his ability to understand and speak the local dialect came in handy, he convinced the natives to accept their party. The mission to establish a foothold that would be the launching point for the islands evangelization was established. In the years that followed permanent Spanish settlements were realized (including Maynila).



What is not known by many, is that Urdaneta ordered all missionaries to evangelize the natives using their own language. This is one the reason why we kept our regional dialect even with the intense impression of the Spanish colonization. Urdaneta's depth of understanding of the native life led him to make this decision. He presumably understood the importance of communication with the locals using their own language, the impact would be lasting. This could also be the reason why Spanish as a language was not extensively desseminated in the islands during the critical founding years of government, as it was in other Latin countries.

My reflections on the sacrifices and brilliance of Urdaneta was quite an experience. I was right about what I believe and read, history will looks back at this men fairly, they can not be denied of their role in the creation of this country. Although it is a fact that abuses were indeed committed in the years that followed ( they were here for more than 300 years! our President's can't even keep their hands clean with their 6 year term), one could not deny the significance of Spanish governance and the religious work to our land, culture and faith. These were extraordinary men that sought to develop the islands and its people. Much of this contribution has been taken for granted, sometimes I can't help but wonder if our history book intentionally decreased the value of such noble contributions, did it robbed us of the real story or were just a forgetful race.

---

Some local government has initiated some efforts to recognize Urdaneta's legacy. Urdaneta city would be building a monument of friar, commissioned is national artist Abueva and other artist that would be involved in putting up a piece that would represent the achievements of Urdaneta. The commemoration text would be in English, Spanish, Basque, Ilocano and Panggalatok. This would all be in line with the 500th year celebration of the friars birthday.



Arellano resident scholar Prof. Andrade ended with this reminder, " we should be careful of the past, so we can view the future with hope."

What does a street name look like?

I was then in grade school when my parents decided to move to Makati from Manila. I was old enough to remember, the hardships made it even more unforgettable. We live in a baranggay called San Antonio, a street named Bagtican. The town was made popular because Mayor Binay was one of its citizens. Almost all of the streets in the area are named after indigenous trees, with the exception of Estrella (the former Mayor) and St. Paul, one of Makati's patron saints.

Bagtican, was an old street, our place was within the vicinity of the Paulinian lands, where there was a four-storey library & bookstore, a simple but lovely chapel and a seminary, where my brothers once attended.

We lived across the Magcale's, a well-known family in the area, rich and generous, they have befriended even the poorest tenants of the calle, almost all of the Magcales' children at some point became tv actors, like their dad. Their household left a lasting mark on me because it has an enormous book collection that was made available to me by Señora Amparo, the matriarch of the family; the whole neighborhood affectionately calls her Mommy.

We had an alatiris tree in front of our house, a fruit tree that was brought to our shores by the friars, renowned for its sweet marble sized fruit, magnate for flies and bats who enjoys consuming its ripe figs. I love eating those cherry like fruit until my stomach hurts, you see even as a child, I already took interest in eating. There was a time that trees do grow in Makati, now everything are concrete pavements, no one bothers to plant trees anymore. Makati has changed especially those small barrios, near the Ayala area.

When I was a kid, I was told that Bagtican (latin Shorea & Parashorea) is a tree. But when I ask people if they have seen one, they would tell me that it can only be found in the high mountains. Since then, I have this strong urge to see and touch one.



Last Saturday, I did some hiking at the foot of Maquiling entering it through the Botanical garden area of UP. It would not be long that I would be acquainted with a Bagtican tree; it was so high that touches the clouds up above. What a majestic looking tree! They are known for their resistance against strong winds and a lumber that is often used for joinery.

It is also known as White Lauan, with its natural color of pale to light red it is widespread in our country. The name Bagtican could have originated from Teak, another tree of a large deciduous family. It is know locally as Teka or Tekka, its Malayan name, far superior I was told than Bagtican as wood.

When we moved to Bagtican the house was the typical post American design and creation, we later on lost the land against its eventual owner Vic Chua. It is now an ‘imprenta', printing stuff I don't know what, the area is ugly. With its high iron gates, noisy printing machines, greased pavements, I could hardly recognize that this was the place where I spent most of my childhood years.

There's always history behind everything, every name and every place. I love digging the one's that I have come across with personally - its an addiction, I've got to find the meaning behind things I don't know.

This strange desire has made me knowledgeable of my environment, people should start researching and getting to know the story behind their local places - the more local the better, it is a fascinating interest, who knows you might stumble upon something better than what a tree looks like.