Naturally, those against the Catholic Church would have their cause served had Rizal remained a freemason until his death. These people had a fanatical hatred of Catholicismdating from the Age of Enlightenment and the French Revolution. As in the propagation of anti-Spanish ideas in our history, the cause of freemasonry, anti-Catholicism, etc... is enhanced.
They claim that the retraction document is a forgery, but handwriting experts concluded a long time ago that it is genuine. Rafael Palma's opus on Rizal, titled "Biografia de Rizal" (translated into English as "Pride of the Malay Race" by Roman Ozaeta) is so anti-Catholic that the Church succesfully opposed its publication using government funds. Palma was a ranking freemason and his book is expectedly against the Church, so as the work of Camilo Osias. For those explaining the retraction in a more scholary and objective manner, the works to be consulted are those of Jesus Ma. Cavanna, C.M. (incidentally, one of the first Latin mass celebrants, along with Fr. Manuel Pinon, O.P., after its limited revival back in the early 1990s) titled "Rizal and the Philippines of his Days", Leon Maria Guerrero's "The First Filipino", and by the Dominican historian Fr. Fidel Villaroel, O.P. entitled "Jose Rizal and the University of Santo Tomas". Generally, the Dominican archbishop of Manila at the time of Rizal's execution, Most Rev. Bernardino Nozaleda, O.P. (who served as vice-rector of UST when Rizal was a student there), was so concerned about the salvation of his lost sheep that he sent Jesuit priests from the Ateneo de Manila (Rizal's high school alma mater) to minister to him in prison at Fort Santiago. He knew well that Rizal was still on relatively good terms with his former teachers at the Ateneo even if he condemned the friars in general. The first attempt, by Fr. Pablo Pastells, S.J. (then Jesuit Philippine Mission Superior and a former teacher of Rizal at the Ateneo) was made years before during Rizal's exile in Dapitan when the two men had a religious debate by correspondence lasting eight months, in which Pastells used all the weapons devised by Catholic apologetics to convice Rizal of his religious errors, which the latter countered with all the ideas devised by the anti-religious philosophies of the Age of Enlightenment. A book on this is the one written by Jesuit scholar Fr. Raul Bonoan, S.J. titled: "The Rizal-Pastells Correspondence" (often misquoted by anti-Catholics to prove Rizal's non-retraction) . After eight months, Rizal requested Pastells that the debate be stopped, for it is useless. Apparently, the close association of Catholicism with Spanish colonialism worked against Pastells, for since Legazpi, the Church's evangelical work had been closely tied with the might and majesty of Spain under the so-called "Patronato Real"
(Royal Patronage) in which by agreement with the Pope, the Church in the Spanish empire was partly taken from Rome's jurisdiction in exchange for monetary support from the Crown of Spain. This made the Church less "Catholic" and more "Spanish" for appointments of priests and bishops were controlled by the government. Definitely, the predominantly- Spanish missionaries also had the obligation to turn their charges into loyal Spanish subjects as well as good Catholics. By doing so (a fact often overlooked by rabid "nationalists" and anti-Catholics) , the Spanish missionaries laid the foundations for Filipino nationhood by putting the islands and its people under one government and religion for the first time, or "Bajo de la Campana" (under the bells).
But these would eventually work against Spanish political domination, when higher education was eventually extended to the Filipinos by the missionaries by the middle of the 19th century, through UST, Letran and Ateneo (something the other colonial powers did not do at that time). Their students (which included Rizal) became aware of the fundamental equality of men, despite racial, class, or other differences, as taight by Catholic doctrine. They began to resent the lingering domination by the Peninsular Spaniards in both Church and State and wanted more say in running their own affairs. This would result in the Propaganda Movement to clamor for reforms against Spain. With its eventual failure, reformist tendencies would led to separatism in Andres Bonifacio's Katipunan, paving the way for the Philippine Revolution of 1896. Unfortunately for the cause of Catholicism, the association of the Faith with Spanish domination would make Filipino intellectuals turn to the anti-religious philosophies of the Age of Enlighthenment and join masonic lodges, especially those who continued their studies in Spain, like Rizal.
Going back to Rizal's alleged retraction, men lacking in faith (such as masons) would surely deny its possibility for obvious reasons. But at the same time Archbishop Nozaleda (contrary to that distorted image shown in the very anti-Catholic "Rizal" movie by Marilou Diaz-Abaya) was very much concerned about Rizal's soul. If he cannot reverse Rizal's conviction by a Spanish military court for complicity against Spanish rule and death sentence, he at least, tried to convince the man to return to the Church before his execution. Besides sending the Jesuits to Rizal's cell, he issued a circular to all the religious communities in the city, that they PRAY FOR THE CONVERSION of the condemned man (similar to Cardinal Sin's order for prayers by the contemplative nuns just after news of Defense Minister Enrile and General Ramos's defection from the Marcos government broke out, paving the way for the EDSA 1 Revolution in 1986). This is one element the masons' and other anti-Catholics' faithless and biased minds cannot understand: "the power of prayer.'
In fact, in the early afternoon of December 29, 1896, just a day before Rizal's execution, the hero was still adamant as in his debate with Fr. Pastells, refusing to retract masonry. Shortly after Nozaleda's prayer request, another of his former Ateneo teachers, Fr. Vicente Balaguer visited him and frankly told him that unless he renouces masonry, he'll surely go to hell the next day. This made the hero reflect deeply. As Balaguer was about to leave, Rizal told him that "I'll pray for the gift of faith". In the evening, Rizal finally announced to the Jesuits his intention to retract masonry and return to Catholicism. Upon being informed, Archbishop Nozaleda ordered the preparation of a retraction formula, which the hero must agree and sign before he is readmitted to the Church and the sacraments (this would also be required of the Aglipayan Church's co-founder Isabelo de los Reyes, when he returned to Catholicism in the mid-1930s, dealing a blow to the Church he founded second only to its loss before the Supreme Court in 1907 when the high tribunal ordered it to return to the Catholic Church the church buildings it usurped due to either the defection of its curate to Aglipayanism or their lack of a resident pastor).
When Rizal was shown the retraction formula, he rejected it but he asked if he could write his own (English text is found in the works of Cavanna, Guerrero, and Villaroel I cited above). After doing so, he was finally allowed to receive the sacraments, such as confession, communion, holy mass and the sacrament of matrimony with his foreign sweetheart. Josephine Bracken, giving her as a weddionmg gift. Thomas A' Kempis "Imitation of Christ." By daybreak, Rizal walked into eternity a Catholic once more.
One factor which made Rizal convert, according to my opinion, is he was never a true, blue anti-clerical. Although he learned about the French style of anti-clericalism (characterized not only by the separation of Church and State but of the persecution of the former by the latter as what happened in revolutionary France) he did not favor it, and probably was more inclined toward the American style of Church-State separation, which simply left the Church and State in its separate spheres of influence and no persecution of the Church by the government. In Mexico in the 1920s, a French-style persecution of the Church occurred under the presidency of Plutarco Ellas Calles. Earlier, a similar wave of persecution happened in Portugal after the overthrow of the monarchy during the 1910 Revolution (which explains the harrasment of the three seers of Fatima by the mayor of their town, even locking them up in jail with common criminals). Violent anti-clericalism seems to be the hallmark of Latin masonry, something lacking in its Anglo-Saxon version in the United States and Britain (although no one can deny that they also subscribe to anti-religious philosophies) . But by analyzing Rizal's ideas on the subject, Rizal may have become anti-clerical, but he did not favor of going into the extent of persecuting religious belief, for he subscribed so much into the idea of freedom of conscience. That is an indication that he never fully accepted the anti-clerical masonic beliefs, and probably abhorred the persecution of believers by masonic-dominated governments in Europe and Latin America. With this, I believe, would pave the way for Rizal's eventual return to the Faith when contronted with the fact of death.
With this , I greet you all "Happy Rizal Day".
Prof. Restie R. Ramos
Holy Spirit College and San Beda College, Manila
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Post 'grabbed' from Fr. Abe's website.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Spain in the 19th century
A great article coming from one of our top historian, Fr. Jose Arcilla. Here he summarized the unique political situation during the years of tumultuous Spain, the circumstances that led to the unusual arrangement - Friars overseeing the colony - according to a Governor being "as good as a military battalion". Often representing regimes that sought to demolish them in the Spanish mainland.
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Traditional history conveniently labels the years before the Philippine revolution as a period of corruption. There was corruption, from the start, but there were constant efforts to stop it. And yet, despite everything, the colony lasted.
As a royal visitor reported to the Madrid government, reforms in the Philippines would fail, because angels were needed to introduce them, while the Philippines had only greedy and ambitious men.
Ferdinand VII, the absolutist ruler of Spain died in 1833. Against tradition, he named his infant daughter Isabela, his heir. Carlos, his brother, challenged the succession. He received support from the conservatives and absolutists, the group known as the "Carlistas." To keep herself in power, Christina, the regent for Isabela, sided with the liberals. This led to the prolonged civil war, or the Carlist wars, which rocked Spain in the 19th century.
In 1839, the anti-Church liberals seized power. They burned churches and monasteries, confiscated church property, but left untouched the seminaries that trained missionaries for the overseas colonies because they were cheaper than military units to keep the colonies loyal to Spain.
The Philippines was spared through the missionaries. But they were anti-liberal, quite understandable since in the Peninsula, the liberals wanted to destroy them. But they had to play the political game of following the dictates of the liberal government that suffered them only to preserve the Spanish domains. More than one governor general assured Madrid that a friar in the Philippines was as good as a military battalion
The unjust vexations against the Church in Spain had a double effect on the friars in the Philippines. First, their continued stay to carry on their religious work depended on their "political" usefulness to a government they could not in conscience support. Consciously or not, they were forced to act more than ever as the representatives of a government that had tried to destroy them. Second, they naturally abhorred a movement that despoiled their brethren in the Peninsula, and they tried to block the liberal reforms in the colony. These two states of mind, inevitable in the circumstances, would bring the friar into direct conflict with the rising tide of Philippine nationalism.
There were several shades of liberalism, but there were sudden alternations between "Moderates" and "Progressives," mainly through military intervention or "pronunciamientos."
Isabela's scandalous private life, when she reached the majority age and ruled in her own right, weakened her liberal support, and she was finally overthrown in 1868, a revolution known as "La Gloriosa," for it ended monarchical rule and Spain approved a radical, secular constitution.
After two years of shopping around, liberal Spain persuaded Amadeo of Savoy to assume the Spanish Crown, incidentally provoking the Franco-Prussian War. Amadeo proved to be brilliantly inept and abdicated two years later. A "First Republic" was set up, but four presidents in one year failed to restore order. Meanwhile, regalism was rapidly dividing Spain and the Carlist War was tearing the nation apart. (This was the same epoch of the Cavite mutiny in the Philippines.)
The military finally prevailed and dissolved the legislature or the Cortes. In this state of affairs, one man stood out, Antonio Canovas del Castillo, who hoped to restore the royal line in the person of the young Alfonso XII. A military coup in favor of Amadeo blocked Del Castillo's efforts.
How did this affect our country? Depending on the government in Madrid, liberal or conservative officials came to Manila. In 1869, the Suez Canal halved travel time between Madrid and Manila, facilitating a flood of refugees from the mother country, and a rapid succession of short governments followed. One would begin a new administrative policy, only to abandon it unfulfilled when Madrid had another change of government.
In other words, Spain was too broken up to be able to rule the Philippines properly. That friars in the Philippines, as exaggerated by the nationalist propagandists, were conservative one can easily understand.
---
Traditional history conveniently labels the years before the Philippine revolution as a period of corruption. There was corruption, from the start, but there were constant efforts to stop it. And yet, despite everything, the colony lasted.
As a royal visitor reported to the Madrid government, reforms in the Philippines would fail, because angels were needed to introduce them, while the Philippines had only greedy and ambitious men.
Ferdinand VII, the absolutist ruler of Spain died in 1833. Against tradition, he named his infant daughter Isabela, his heir. Carlos, his brother, challenged the succession. He received support from the conservatives and absolutists, the group known as the "Carlistas." To keep herself in power, Christina, the regent for Isabela, sided with the liberals. This led to the prolonged civil war, or the Carlist wars, which rocked Spain in the 19th century.
In 1839, the anti-Church liberals seized power. They burned churches and monasteries, confiscated church property, but left untouched the seminaries that trained missionaries for the overseas colonies because they were cheaper than military units to keep the colonies loyal to Spain.
The Philippines was spared through the missionaries. But they were anti-liberal, quite understandable since in the Peninsula, the liberals wanted to destroy them. But they had to play the political game of following the dictates of the liberal government that suffered them only to preserve the Spanish domains. More than one governor general assured Madrid that a friar in the Philippines was as good as a military battalion
The unjust vexations against the Church in Spain had a double effect on the friars in the Philippines. First, their continued stay to carry on their religious work depended on their "political" usefulness to a government they could not in conscience support. Consciously or not, they were forced to act more than ever as the representatives of a government that had tried to destroy them. Second, they naturally abhorred a movement that despoiled their brethren in the Peninsula, and they tried to block the liberal reforms in the colony. These two states of mind, inevitable in the circumstances, would bring the friar into direct conflict with the rising tide of Philippine nationalism.
There were several shades of liberalism, but there were sudden alternations between "Moderates" and "Progressives," mainly through military intervention or "pronunciamientos."
Isabela's scandalous private life, when she reached the majority age and ruled in her own right, weakened her liberal support, and she was finally overthrown in 1868, a revolution known as "La Gloriosa," for it ended monarchical rule and Spain approved a radical, secular constitution.
After two years of shopping around, liberal Spain persuaded Amadeo of Savoy to assume the Spanish Crown, incidentally provoking the Franco-Prussian War. Amadeo proved to be brilliantly inept and abdicated two years later. A "First Republic" was set up, but four presidents in one year failed to restore order. Meanwhile, regalism was rapidly dividing Spain and the Carlist War was tearing the nation apart. (This was the same epoch of the Cavite mutiny in the Philippines.)
The military finally prevailed and dissolved the legislature or the Cortes. In this state of affairs, one man stood out, Antonio Canovas del Castillo, who hoped to restore the royal line in the person of the young Alfonso XII. A military coup in favor of Amadeo blocked Del Castillo's efforts.
How did this affect our country? Depending on the government in Madrid, liberal or conservative officials came to Manila. In 1869, the Suez Canal halved travel time between Madrid and Manila, facilitating a flood of refugees from the mother country, and a rapid succession of short governments followed. One would begin a new administrative policy, only to abandon it unfulfilled when Madrid had another change of government.
In other words, Spain was too broken up to be able to rule the Philippines properly. That friars in the Philippines, as exaggerated by the nationalist propagandists, were conservative one can easily understand.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The Challenge of Philippine Historical Studies
Someone asked me if I believe that the Spaniards really helped ["may nagawa ba sila"] us throughout their almost 400 year rule. The query was sarcastically solicited since I've been known to blog about the gifts of our Spanish past, it was a simple query that I regularly get even from family, teasingly posed, but certainly merits to be answered.
Never once did I assumed that the Spaniards were absolutely guiltless from acts of cruelty and pilferage against the natives. It is a historical fact that even the boldest Hispanist could not refute. But the focus of our studies must not end in exploring colonial errors but also the consequences of that contact, between an imperialist Christian power and a group of indigenous tribes, this I believe is a balanced approach that ultimately would make us better students of our history.
In our orthodox history education, its regrettable that the core appears to be lessons in history with a 'nationalist' attitude. That in order to glorify the homeland we must acknowledge that colonialism was entirely immoral and therefore never produced any meaningful transformation, that we have an obligation to focus on ways to remove its influence, and that we must to go back to our pristine origins - that the more aboriginal mind-set be, the more Filipino we become. Along the lines there are those who argue that to be a Filipino, the correct attitude must be above all that of an Asiano [Asianization], this essentially puristic approach is an attempt to undo the path of our evolution as a society. The trouble with this is that the Filipinos base can only be traced in its Mestizo genesis, even the formation of its name, Filipino & Filipinas, is the outcome of that merger.
Colonialism has its faults and we all could say now that it was unjust, this knowledge is the gift of history, we've already learned our lessons and has move on. In contemporary time, it should no longer be accepted there is no room for it, but even at present everyone appears to be tolerating some nation invading other independent nation. As Filipinos we must never permit being under any country again, but it appears that we are still silently under the American colonial influence, what we thought ended 50 years ago is enduring, proof is our government's consenting position with all of its policies, locally and globally.
Spaniards had long disappeared, leaving a country that proudly calls herself after one of its great monarch, with an impression that can not be simply removed from a people that embraced not only its religion but some of its character. For almost 400 years, its culture has pervaded with that of the native, forming a culture we now call Filipino, its way of life, ideals and concepts had influence our otherwise Asian mentality. Since they were the dominant culture they discriminatorily imposed on the natives what they perceived was good for themselves, for the people and the new colony.
The accounts of Spanish coercions of the natives are numerous, its well documented, even the first Spanish Bishop of the new colony had wrote about it in disgust and frustration. But if we would've ended our lessons with those dishonorable acts by the conquistadores and disregard the kind efforts made by that Spanish Bishop and the Friars established, when he initiated the first synod for the new colony [one of them, a wise Augustinian even raisgin the question, "what right do we have to conquer them?"], we would've subjected ourselves in a narrow and meaningless course in Filipino history.
People could go endlessly on the cruelties that took place and there are not far from the truth, a look at our written records would actually expose it more, but here is where I always challenge everyone to keep on researching, don't just simply focus on those already identified error, so far we have already established those. but also search for the true meaning of the Filipino - his being and his society, how he developed and reacted to the challenge posed by the Spanish colonialization, is his identity hispanic or oriental?, was he less a Filipino because of the Spanish influence or was he truly hispanized? or will he ever be Filipino without Hispanization?
Never once did I assumed that the Spaniards were absolutely guiltless from acts of cruelty and pilferage against the natives. It is a historical fact that even the boldest Hispanist could not refute. But the focus of our studies must not end in exploring colonial errors but also the consequences of that contact, between an imperialist Christian power and a group of indigenous tribes, this I believe is a balanced approach that ultimately would make us better students of our history.
In our orthodox history education, its regrettable that the core appears to be lessons in history with a 'nationalist' attitude. That in order to glorify the homeland we must acknowledge that colonialism was entirely immoral and therefore never produced any meaningful transformation, that we have an obligation to focus on ways to remove its influence, and that we must to go back to our pristine origins - that the more aboriginal mind-set be, the more Filipino we become. Along the lines there are those who argue that to be a Filipino, the correct attitude must be above all that of an Asiano [Asianization], this essentially puristic approach is an attempt to undo the path of our evolution as a society. The trouble with this is that the Filipinos base can only be traced in its Mestizo genesis, even the formation of its name, Filipino & Filipinas, is the outcome of that merger.
Colonialism has its faults and we all could say now that it was unjust, this knowledge is the gift of history, we've already learned our lessons and has move on. In contemporary time, it should no longer be accepted there is no room for it, but even at present everyone appears to be tolerating some nation invading other independent nation. As Filipinos we must never permit being under any country again, but it appears that we are still silently under the American colonial influence, what we thought ended 50 years ago is enduring, proof is our government's consenting position with all of its policies, locally and globally.
Spaniards had long disappeared, leaving a country that proudly calls herself after one of its great monarch, with an impression that can not be simply removed from a people that embraced not only its religion but some of its character. For almost 400 years, its culture has pervaded with that of the native, forming a culture we now call Filipino, its way of life, ideals and concepts had influence our otherwise Asian mentality. Since they were the dominant culture they discriminatorily imposed on the natives what they perceived was good for themselves, for the people and the new colony.
The accounts of Spanish coercions of the natives are numerous, its well documented, even the first Spanish Bishop of the new colony had wrote about it in disgust and frustration. But if we would've ended our lessons with those dishonorable acts by the conquistadores and disregard the kind efforts made by that Spanish Bishop and the Friars established, when he initiated the first synod for the new colony [one of them, a wise Augustinian even raisgin the question, "what right do we have to conquer them?"], we would've subjected ourselves in a narrow and meaningless course in Filipino history.
People could go endlessly on the cruelties that took place and there are not far from the truth, a look at our written records would actually expose it more, but here is where I always challenge everyone to keep on researching, don't just simply focus on those already identified error, so far we have already established those. but also search for the true meaning of the Filipino - his being and his society, how he developed and reacted to the challenge posed by the Spanish colonialization, is his identity hispanic or oriental?, was he less a Filipino because of the Spanish influence or was he truly hispanized? or will he ever be Filipino without Hispanization?
---
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Ka Gullas Gullas!
The foolish Gullas bill, which intends to make English the only language left standing in our educational system is not only brainless but dangerous!
Whatever is left of Tagalog, should be kept and used in schools - it justly belongs to us, we should continue to honor it and study in its untainted form [which is not being done since the Tagalog was replaced by Filipino as a subject], eliminating the little Tagalog in our schools would mean death to this already barely identifiable language.
Making English the compulsary language of instruction in all school level is unfair to the Filipino!
This would only further weaken, not only Tagalog, but the other major local languages we have.
Tagalog has been battered by a series of attempts to reestablish it as the state language - which not only proved to be disastrous, it end up breaking it into what we have now, they had successfully corrupted it beyond recognition. The Taglish and Filipino, both discredits the original Tagalog, its nowhere near the Tagalog of Balagtas.
The solution that our brilliant officials together with their gangs in the academia was the making of the modern "Filipino", which they assert to be rooted in the classic "Tagalog", this and that forgotten invention of Lope K. Santos' [in 1930's], the Balarila, were nothing more but attempts of introducing an made-up language to serve their biased political agendas.
The reforms later on, led to the institution of Filipino during a series of a mess we call Constitutional Assembly's, as the official language, it not only ruined the beautiful Tagala language but buried it for good. Now, as if it was not enough - the Gullas of this world wanted to make English THE offcial language in our school!
State laws have the power to change the future. The laws we created then, sentenced the Tagalog and Spanish languages to its termination, we might not notice it at first but once in effect, it would increasingly detach local languages from the hearts and minds of the Filipino, a people that should've been enhanced by its gifts but ended up being deprived by such irresponsible laws. This mind-boggling bill of Gulla would slay whatever it is that remains in our Tagalog language. When lost, we would not be able recover, what we know little of Tagalog would vanish and be gone forever.
Whatever is left of Tagalog, should be kept and used in schools - it justly belongs to us, we should continue to honor it and study in its untainted form [which is not being done since the Tagalog was replaced by Filipino as a subject], eliminating the little Tagalog in our schools would mean death to this already barely identifiable language.
Making English the compulsary language of instruction in all school level is unfair to the Filipino!
This would only further weaken, not only Tagalog, but the other major local languages we have.
Tagalog has been battered by a series of attempts to reestablish it as the state language - which not only proved to be disastrous, it end up breaking it into what we have now, they had successfully corrupted it beyond recognition. The Taglish and Filipino, both discredits the original Tagalog, its nowhere near the Tagalog of Balagtas.
The solution that our brilliant officials together with their gangs in the academia was the making of the modern "Filipino", which they assert to be rooted in the classic "Tagalog", this and that forgotten invention of Lope K. Santos' [in 1930's], the Balarila, were nothing more but attempts of introducing an made-up language to serve their biased political agendas.
The reforms later on, led to the institution of Filipino during a series of a mess we call Constitutional Assembly's, as the official language, it not only ruined the beautiful Tagala language but buried it for good. Now, as if it was not enough - the Gullas of this world wanted to make English THE offcial language in our school!
State laws have the power to change the future. The laws we created then, sentenced the Tagalog and Spanish languages to its termination, we might not notice it at first but once in effect, it would increasingly detach local languages from the hearts and minds of the Filipino, a people that should've been enhanced by its gifts but ended up being deprived by such irresponsible laws. This mind-boggling bill of Gulla would slay whatever it is that remains in our Tagalog language. When lost, we would not be able recover, what we know little of Tagalog would vanish and be gone forever.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
The Old Town of Santa Rosa
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="248" caption="The old pueblo of Sta. Rosa today"]
[/caption]
Another old town with its historic remnants slowly vanishing is Sta. Rosa, a once agricultural settlement named by its Dominican originators after the blessed lady saint from Lima. The fairly new city is now known for its classy villages and big malls. From Binan, one could hardly notice the old houses that rest scattered in its major roads leading to the town center.
The church has been frequently repaired and renovated due to damage cause by both nature and man, but the core structure remains, the interior retained its aged personality. The spacious top space, its remarkable center dome, the magnificent retablo and the ornamented walls painted with holy imagery is comparable to that of San Agustin in Intramuros. A new bellfry, the old one, a pointed structure that had been in steady repair for decades, was finally replaced by a concrete construction using modern day materials. The bells were still the originals, the latest belfry is towering and impressive, it came out well. There were several markers commemorating the visits of the Peruvian Ambassadors, who had been offered monetary support to the town. The Peruvian government has donated a life-size image of Sta. Rosa de Lima.
Inside the church, there were still quite a few headstones that adorned the side walls, belonging to the important citizens of the old town. Most of these pioneering men and women had been given the honor of being buried within their beloved Iglesia, as proof of their significant contributions to their community. Within the environs of the church, which has always been the core of a Spanish town's blueprint, are the propertied and cultured families with their splendid residences.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="257" caption="Sta Rosa de Lima"]
Casa de Tantionco
[/caption]Another old town with its historic remnants slowly vanishing is Sta. Rosa, a once agricultural settlement named by its Dominican originators after the blessed lady saint from Lima. The fairly new city is now known for its classy villages and big malls. From Binan, one could hardly notice the old houses that rest scattered in its major roads leading to the town center.
The church has been frequently repaired and renovated due to damage cause by both nature and man, but the core structure remains, the interior retained its aged personality. The spacious top space, its remarkable center dome, the magnificent retablo and the ornamented walls painted with holy imagery is comparable to that of San Agustin in Intramuros. A new bellfry, the old one, a pointed structure that had been in steady repair for decades, was finally replaced by a concrete construction using modern day materials. The bells were still the originals, the latest belfry is towering and impressive, it came out well. There were several markers commemorating the visits of the Peruvian Ambassadors, who had been offered monetary support to the town. The Peruvian government has donated a life-size image of Sta. Rosa de Lima.
Inside the church, there were still quite a few headstones that adorned the side walls, belonging to the important citizens of the old town. Most of these pioneering men and women had been given the honor of being buried within their beloved Iglesia, as proof of their significant contributions to their community. Within the environs of the church, which has always been the core of a Spanish town's blueprint, are the propertied and cultured families with their splendid residences.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="257" caption="Sta Rosa de Lima"]
Casa de Tantionco I was fortunate to meet a descendant of one of a well-known family, owner of one of the oldest casa in town, Sr. Philip Perla. He graciously accepted me to inspect and take pictures of his old home, the foundations, according to him is as old as the town of Sta. Rosa but the house were reconstructed several times [last time being in late 1800's]. He said that his ancestors actually help construct the original church. The first Perla of Sta. Rosa, a talented Ilocano married to a gorgeous Portuguese lady, came with the Dominicans from Ilocos. This man was said to have painted the ceiling of the church during its creation, an estimable feat for a man whose known was that of a farmer. He's remains and that of his immediate family is interned within the church's compound.
[/caption]Inside the Perla residence I was immediately greeted by a weathered statuette of a little girl holding a basket, said to be that of an aborigine, gathering fruits in the forest. These beautiful statuettes once adorned the attractive gardens of each home, they were elegant pieces and was said to have been a symbol of wealth and influence.
The adobe walls of Sr. Philip's ancestral house were broad, at first I thought that they were fortifications built for military function. The lumber used were resilient, they were thick and solid. As can be seen from the exterior, the house is almost in perfect form because the materials had stood the test of time. The roof was replaced with galvanized iron during the American years, it took away some of the charm of a time-honored 'bahay na bato', in a way it was unnatural but it was cheaper and it was a practical alternative during the its repair after the war. The basement was used as a stock room, it had these superb adobe foundations, there was nothing there but junk today, but it once was a shelter for their horses and equipments, they owned several calesas used to transport their merchandise.
Inside the house was a collection of Santos, life size icons that they still parade during the fiestas. My host told me that this tradition extends back to the first Perlas, where such icons were adored for desires of abundant harvest. The Sala was typical of an old traditional houses, it was well-ventilated and had a relaxed feel to it, even if your seated, you could see the church and the locality, it was built I believe with that purpose in mind. The veranda was spacious, fronting it was the garden. The roads were ample and the houses were far from each other.
They had an old piano that Sr.Philip claims to be more than a century old. Their past time then, according to him, was reading books, conversing in Castilian, tending their garden, grooming the horses and playing this wonderful instrument, specially during the times when there would be visitors - they were Filipino farmers, but I find it astounding that their customary way of living is so distant from what we have these days. During the 1950's when he was still a young boy, he remembers, "playing in the streets while being supervised by their Abuelo's resting on their rocking chair in the elevated veranda". He adds, "iba na ang panahon ngayon, marami ng nagbago, kung ako tatanungin mo mas maganda ang mabuhay [mamuhay] noon".
As the other old houses already gave way to contemporary development, its good to know that there are people like Sr. Philip that appreciates the past and understands its importance and why there is a need to conserve such monuments, asked if his children and grandchildren would keep the house the way it is, he said, "Sila na ang bahala doon, wala na naman ako magagawa kung wala na ako at gusto nilang magtayo ng magarang bahay". I told him, nothing could be more beautiful than what they already have.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="375" caption="The house of the Perla's with one of Sr. Philip's granddaughter acting as Guardia Civil!"][/caption]
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="411" caption="Ruins along Zavalla"][/caption]
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="417" caption="Colonel Basilio Gonzales' house"][/caption]
Monday, January 5, 2009
Paco Cemetery
My Paco Park Day
I was curious to find out what Paco Cemetery looks like these days, so I went for short break and visited the serene parque in the heart of Paco. This old burial ground has been transformed into a park for the quiet strolls and is now a preferred location for romantic weddings. This cemetery perhaps is one of the greatest marvels of Spanish engineering and design that still endures today, together with Intramuros, the plazas and the forgotten houses of Spanish colonial Manila.
San Fernando De Dilao's old cemetery
The charge for the entrance is five pesos, yes, that's a steal, everyone can afford it even with our so called economic troubles. The first thing that would greet you are armed security guards [they have these rusty revolvers tucked inside their black leather holsters, they told me that they guard the place against vandals], this I said is a good sign, at least someone's watching over the place.
Memories of Paco
The first time I went to Paco Park was when I was in secondary school, around '95, and back then there were many headstones left, the lawn were well tended, the floras were blossoming, it was healthier then, the trees shelters hi guests from the heat of the sun, the park was breathing, it was still appealing.
[
The Burial Walls
Today, almost all the lapidas are gone, leaving some graves exposed, while some had been enclosed by cement. The families had already transferred the remains some place, I never really found out why, were they ordered to do so by the Imelda during its transformation?
I heard that some of untaken remains were buried in a common grave, I hope its not true. The headstones should've been brought back to the walls [just like what the Singaporean did in Canning], a custodian there said that they had been lost when the graves were opened. Some of these works of art can still be found in pieces resting on the ground, they were made of the finest marble, the craftsmanship on the embedded letters is exceptional.
Short history of the cemetery that was Paco
Burial place dedicated to infant
"in 1807 an administrative order was issued for the construction of a cemetery in Bagumbayan in the town of San fernando De Dilao, commonly known as Paco, near the town of Ermita. Maestro de Obras, Don Nicolas Ruiz prepared the plan, the order was an off shoot of a Cholera epidemic which ravaged Manila in the late 18th century.
the original cemetery was finished on April 22, 1822 although at that time it had already been used for two years. Construction was supervised by a certain Don Jose Coll.
In 1859 then Gov. Fernando de Norzagaray proposed enlarging the cemetery to 4540 varas cuadradas, approximately 4500 square yard, to be enclosed by a circular wall. A Chino Mestizo builder won the contract to build the outer portion of this cemetery for 19,700 pesos. the cemetery used to have a Chaplains and eight caretakers, The Chaplains use to reside across the cemetery on site presently occupied by the Paco Fire Station.
The niches cost 20 pesos for 3 years subject to renewals. No one was allowed to won the niches in perpetuity."
*Governor General Ramon Solano Y Lladeral is interned inside the chapel.
Lapidas, Faith & Espanol!
An emotional epitaph from the parents of the dead child, "NANING! porque nos has abandonado, cuan triste es la vida sin tu", the parents asking their child why he left them and how sad their lives had become without him."
Back in the older days, what I notice was that all the lapidas were not only arty but had its dedication in pure Spanish, I found it unusual, weren't we "deprived" of learning this language, is it not what we have been taught in school? I did ask my history teacher then [Mrs. Arevalo?], I remember she said something about Catholicism, that there was a connection. Of course there is!
The lapidas in Paco is a demonstration of not only our abiding commitment in the religion that was brought to our shores by the Spaniards, but it also points to the old Filipinos preference for the Spanish as their lengua oficial. Up until the upheaval of 1896, it would be accurate to state that it was the language of the revolution. When you examine the old administrative papers in the archives, you'll instantly noticed that there were no translations to Tagalog or any local language, its either you comprehend what it says, or have someone interpret the words for you, that is how it works - under those conditions even the Filipino Chinese learned Spanish, it was never formally introduced in lower schools [but it has always been part of our higher curricula] until the introduction of the Spanish public school system, yes, but the Filipino's adapted, they had no choice. Spanish was widespread than what is admitted in our English history books which puts the inhabitants communicating in Spanish at a measly 1%[Palanca and Ford had already made a conclusive reports that Spanish is prevalent even among the provincials], but since English was made obligatory by the era of the Yankees, they made it appear that very few, hardly any speaks Castillian, and that it is only right to commence teaching English, this dim justification motivated them to tutor their lil' brown brothers in English. It was here that we slowly drifted away from our Hispanic past.
Now that the lapidas are gradually diminishing, we'll never see how the Filipino of the Spanish period dedicate memorials for their dearly loved friends and relatives. This folks could've been familiar with the lines attributed to Charlemagne, "Spanish is the language with which to speak to God", because otherwise they would've used something else.
The current (mis)administration of Paco
The Paco cemetery of today has been neglected, thanks to the sub agency of the department of tourism for allowing dumb administrators to run the place. When I visited the park, there were shanties inside, yes, tent like dwelling. I requested to speak to whoever was in charge, since I had my bulky camera with me I pretended to be a reporter - he must've bought right into it and even offered me a tour! he said, "Sir, mga tao ko yan, sila ang naglilinis dito saka tumutulong sa pagbabantay sa gabi!", at this point I was contemplating of smashing my camera on his head! what is going on man! what will be your next project, build a mercado inside? or expand your shelter project?
Mr. Peter, I must admit is mild mannered guy, he even divulged to me that they'll be securing around 5 million pesos for rehabilitation, I told him, "I hope you wouldn't tear down the originals", he had this puzzled look on his face, probably asking himself, what would be the use of the 5 million if I can't used it cementing the crumbling adobe walls or maybe painting over it?
Obviously, he haven't encountered the word "restoration" just yet. But I know that any changes would have to get an endorsement from NHI, of which Ambeth Ocampo is chair, so there's hope.
Save our Paco cemetery oh youthful St. Pancratius!
I was curious to find out what Paco Cemetery looks like these days, so I went for short break and visited the serene parque in the heart of Paco. This old burial ground has been transformed into a park for the quiet strolls and is now a preferred location for romantic weddings. This cemetery perhaps is one of the greatest marvels of Spanish engineering and design that still endures today, together with Intramuros, the plazas and the forgotten houses of Spanish colonial Manila.
San Fernando De Dilao's old cemetery
The charge for the entrance is five pesos, yes, that's a steal, everyone can afford it even with our so called economic troubles. The first thing that would greet you are armed security guards [they have these rusty revolvers tucked inside their black leather holsters, they told me that they guard the place against vandals], this I said is a good sign, at least someone's watching over the place.
Memories of Paco
The first time I went to Paco Park was when I was in secondary school, around '95, and back then there were many headstones left, the lawn were well tended, the floras were blossoming, it was healthier then, the trees shelters hi guests from the heat of the sun, the park was breathing, it was still appealing.
[
The Burial Walls
Today, almost all the lapidas are gone, leaving some graves exposed, while some had been enclosed by cement. The families had already transferred the remains some place, I never really found out why, were they ordered to do so by the Imelda during its transformation?
I heard that some of untaken remains were buried in a common grave, I hope its not true. The headstones should've been brought back to the walls [just like what the Singaporean did in Canning], a custodian there said that they had been lost when the graves were opened. Some of these works of art can still be found in pieces resting on the ground, they were made of the finest marble, the craftsmanship on the embedded letters is exceptional.
Short history of the cemetery that was Paco
Burial place dedicated to infant
"in 1807 an administrative order was issued for the construction of a cemetery in Bagumbayan in the town of San fernando De Dilao, commonly known as Paco, near the town of Ermita. Maestro de Obras, Don Nicolas Ruiz prepared the plan, the order was an off shoot of a Cholera epidemic which ravaged Manila in the late 18th century.
the original cemetery was finished on April 22, 1822 although at that time it had already been used for two years. Construction was supervised by a certain Don Jose Coll.
In 1859 then Gov. Fernando de Norzagaray proposed enlarging the cemetery to 4540 varas cuadradas, approximately 4500 square yard, to be enclosed by a circular wall. A Chino Mestizo builder won the contract to build the outer portion of this cemetery for 19,700 pesos. the cemetery used to have a Chaplains and eight caretakers, The Chaplains use to reside across the cemetery on site presently occupied by the Paco Fire Station.
The niches cost 20 pesos for 3 years subject to renewals. No one was allowed to won the niches in perpetuity."
*Governor General Ramon Solano Y Lladeral is interned inside the chapel.
Lapidas, Faith & Espanol!
An emotional epitaph from the parents of the dead child, "NANING! porque nos has abandonado, cuan triste es la vida sin tu", the parents asking their child why he left them and how sad their lives had become without him."
Back in the older days, what I notice was that all the lapidas were not only arty but had its dedication in pure Spanish, I found it unusual, weren't we "deprived" of learning this language, is it not what we have been taught in school? I did ask my history teacher then [Mrs. Arevalo?], I remember she said something about Catholicism, that there was a connection. Of course there is!
The lapidas in Paco is a demonstration of not only our abiding commitment in the religion that was brought to our shores by the Spaniards, but it also points to the old Filipinos preference for the Spanish as their lengua oficial. Up until the upheaval of 1896, it would be accurate to state that it was the language of the revolution. When you examine the old administrative papers in the archives, you'll instantly noticed that there were no translations to Tagalog or any local language, its either you comprehend what it says, or have someone interpret the words for you, that is how it works - under those conditions even the Filipino Chinese learned Spanish, it was never formally introduced in lower schools [but it has always been part of our higher curricula] until the introduction of the Spanish public school system, yes, but the Filipino's adapted, they had no choice. Spanish was widespread than what is admitted in our English history books which puts the inhabitants communicating in Spanish at a measly 1%[Palanca and Ford had already made a conclusive reports that Spanish is prevalent even among the provincials], but since English was made obligatory by the era of the Yankees, they made it appear that very few, hardly any speaks Castillian, and that it is only right to commence teaching English, this dim justification motivated them to tutor their lil' brown brothers in English. It was here that we slowly drifted away from our Hispanic past.
Now that the lapidas are gradually diminishing, we'll never see how the Filipino of the Spanish period dedicate memorials for their dearly loved friends and relatives. This folks could've been familiar with the lines attributed to Charlemagne, "Spanish is the language with which to speak to God", because otherwise they would've used something else.
The current (mis)administration of Paco
The Paco cemetery of today has been neglected, thanks to the sub agency of the department of tourism for allowing dumb administrators to run the place. When I visited the park, there were shanties inside, yes, tent like dwelling. I requested to speak to whoever was in charge, since I had my bulky camera with me I pretended to be a reporter - he must've bought right into it and even offered me a tour! he said, "Sir, mga tao ko yan, sila ang naglilinis dito saka tumutulong sa pagbabantay sa gabi!", at this point I was contemplating of smashing my camera on his head! what is going on man! what will be your next project, build a mercado inside? or expand your shelter project?
Mr. Peter, I must admit is mild mannered guy, he even divulged to me that they'll be securing around 5 million pesos for rehabilitation, I told him, "I hope you wouldn't tear down the originals", he had this puzzled look on his face, probably asking himself, what would be the use of the 5 million if I can't used it cementing the crumbling adobe walls or maybe painting over it?
Obviously, he haven't encountered the word "restoration" just yet. But I know that any changes would have to get an endorsement from NHI, of which Ambeth Ocampo is chair, so there's hope.
Save our Paco cemetery oh youthful St. Pancratius!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
The ASEAN Rizal (Part 1)
The Peninsula Hotel, Old site of the Hotel de la Paix
When I arrived here in Singapore, one of the first thing on my "to do list" was to retrace Jose Rizal's footsteps by utilizing his journal entries on May 9 and 10, 1882, his first, and his most significant visit to the islands. I thought that it would be easy, I had in mind an undersized island that I could effortlessly trek within a day, But I was mistaken, it was easier said than done. The City state is a colossal metropolitan, it could be small in land mass but what it lacks in space, it very well compensates in constructing enormous infrastructures, they have roads wider than our expressways, parks that would dwarf our Luneta, a library that's built like a corporate tower, a Ferris wheel that ranks as the world's highest, they even allocated a nature reserve that has more species of trees than that of the entire North American continent. In business school, there is a stratagem that is taught to undergraduates: make small appear Big, this best illustrates the character of the second wealthiest state in Asia.
In the end, I did [I hope] found the places I was looking for, but it took me nearly three weeks! the two raisons why it became time-consuming was, First, Rizal wrote his journal entries without supplying names and exact settings, giving indistinct descriptions, like viewing a "Portuguese church" or entering a "French church", he gave brief commentaries on its appearance but he never revealed any specifics, he was cleanly sketching what he saw, recounting places that he found to be interesting. Second, the colossal land development that has taken place in the last two decades has totally altered the landscape, they did, however, preserved some of the well-known heritage sites and edifices, and they did a splendid job, but the Singapore of 1882, now only exist in B&W photos and old records that can be found in their impressive National Library, the outstanding monuments are but a reminder of what was once a active city harbor of colonial Britain.
Rizal visited Singapore in five occasions, but the first was something special to the brown superman [this was his first ever foreign country visit], for it was here that he begun his pursuit of what he refers to as his "enlightenment", a quest that would take him all over the world and make him the greatest Filipino, in the words of Guerrero, The First Filipino!
We begin our journey with Rizal's rented room at the "Hotel de la Paix", located at Coleman Street, named after Singapore's pioneering city planner, George Coleman. The hotel was in fact the residence of Architect Coleman, constructed in 1829, converted into a lodge after his death. Hotel de la Paix was later renamed Burlington before it was totally demolished in 1965, the contemporary and chic Peninsular hotel, built in 1971, now stand on its place.
According to Marsita Omar, a Singaporean researcher from NLB, "the principal hotels in Singapore in the late 19th century, were Raffles Hotel, Hotel de L'Europe and Hotel de La Paix ". The hotel were Rizal was staying had a fine location, it was pricey but had good quality quarters, but it had terrible service, and the chow according to Rizal, "There was neither order nor coordination in the service...I ate rice which was inferior to ours". Hotel de la Paix sits in the hub of what was recognized then as the island's civic center, amongst its neighbors is the City Hall, Treasury and the Parliament.
In his journal he wrote, "I'm in my room which overlooks a patio adjoining the Hotel Europa, I hear English spoken everywhere...", The Hotel Europa, another classic structure was brought down in 1937, the site was use for the creation of the Supreme Court building, which was finished in 1939.
The old Masonic lodge could also be found in the same street, less than a block away, it's a possibility that he got in touch with his Mason brothers during his short stopover and that they were the ones that prearranged for his boarding in Singapore. Rizal, it seems to me, was already admitted into Masonry long before he came to Spain [this connection however could not be verified, since this ancient fraternity disallows unrestricted disclosures and Rizal never wrote anything about it, older historians believes that he became a Mason in Spain]. It should also be noted that in November 1896, during his last stop in Singapore on board a ship bound to Manila, were he was already in custody as a prisoner, his brothers had lodged a petition for a writ of habeas corpus to save him from being hurled back to Manila, the authorities of Singapore has denied the appeal, the following month he was executed.
He repeated his discontent with the hotel staff as he wrote, "When I returned to the hotel, I waited a long time for supper. At last it came after I had leafed through an illustrated German magazine with beautiful drawings", if he was hotel critic writer, reporting for a travel magazine, he would've failed this hotel, regarded then to be a premier destination.
Rizal was noticeably astonished by what he had been witnessing he wrote, "I'll remember everything I have seen since this afternoon", There were a "thousand enigmatic things" he added, he took pleasure being on the road, but what's worth mentioning is that he never felt at ease with all the oriental culture that surrounded him, he sought for Christian churches and preferred to speak with Spanish speakers. It could very well be the strangeness of the place, far away from the customary sceneries of picturesque Calamba, but then again we should evaluate the established culture of a Filipino, during those years, someone like Rizal, for example, and compare it with other advanced Asian society and we would notice that we had already been hispanized and it would be quite unattainable to alter its effects. Here is Rizal, plainly detached from the preponderance of the Asian way of life. Calling Rizal, a Malay would be improper because aside from his lineage [Chinese and Castillian], he never saw himself as a Malay, on no account did once he declared that he was, but there are many who find it irresistible to associate him with being Malay, chiefly those who sponsors Asianization, believing that culturally, Filipinos belongs to Asia, when it is a historical fact that Asia was never with us.
There were a lot of first for the youthful Pepe, and this is what makes his Singapore experience essential, not only to him but to us, for it was the launching point of his mission to help rid his Filipinas of what he calls its "social cancer". The Rizal that spent that short holiday in Singapore had some dilemma with the language used, his English was awful, could be worst than his Tagalog, and he had trouble conversing with it, although he had already mastered French and his German at this point, English was the foremost language of the island nation [even today] The language barrier could very well be the reason why he never attempted to elaborate and know more about the places he visited, he was merely avoiding the nuisance of inquiring from inhabitants with a "language that they alone can understand".
End of Part 1
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