To commemorate Dr Jose Rizal’s birth month, the Lopez Memorial Museum, in cooperation with Anvil Publishing, will hold the talk of Nick Deocampo, director of the Center for New Cinema. Rizal, Cinema and the Filipino Nation touches on the beginnings of Philippine cinema signaled by the first feature film on Jose Rizal and how the history of local cinema has been further enriched by films about him and his works. It also asks viewers of these films (and other future films on Jose Rizal) to compare and contrast the sense of nation and identity sought to be established by Rizal’s works and the films, with that of today’s views on these. The film lecture will be on June 30, Saturday, 2-4 pm. Fee of Php300.00 includes the book SineGabay by Dr Deocampo.

Sinegabay Cover Anvil Version

Dr Deocampo is a prize-winning filmmaker, author, film teacher, film historian and director of the Center for New Cinema. Three of his groundbreaking books in cinema received the National Book Awards. As an international scholar and writer, his articles have been published in various important publications including: Encyclopedia of Early Cinema edited by Richard Abel (Routledge Press: London and New York); Vestiges of War (The Philippine-American War and the Aftermath of an Imperial Dream, 1899-1999) edited by Angel Shaw and Luis Francia (New York University Press, USA); Queer Looks edited by Martha Gever, John Greyson and Pratibha Parmar (Routledge Press, London and New York); and Documentary Box published by the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (Japan). With a teaching experience in various universities like the De La Salle University and the Ateneo de Manila University, Deocampo presently teaches at the University of the Philippines. Anvil Publishing, Inc. is a nine-time Publisher of the Year as cited by the Manila Critics Circle. To date, it is the biggest and most progressive tradebook publisher in the Philippines. Founded and operationalized in 1990, it publishes and occasionally imports a wide range of books, including Cine: Spanish Influences on Early Cinema in the Philippines and Film: American Influence on Philippine Cinema of Dr Deocampo.

Nick Deocampo

The Lopez Memorial Museum is at the ground floor of the Benpres Building, Exchange Road corner Meralco Avenue, Pasig City. The Lopez Memorial Museum is at the ground floor, Benpres Building, Exchange Road corner Meralco Avenue, Pasig City. Museum days and hours are Mondays to Saturdays, 8am-5pm, except holidays. For more information, call 6312417 or 6359545

A groundbreaking new documentary about the person, the legend, and the mystery that shrouds Jose Rizal. This documentary is a cinematic and utterly truthful presentation of the story of Rizal’s heroism, like you’ve never seen before. Created by a team of young filmmakers dedicated to excellence and backed up by the finest historians with a passion for the truth. Jose Rizal: The First Hero will be available for private screening this 2012.

Directed by: Paolo Abella
Produced by: Jourdan Sebastian
DOP: Arvin Viola / Odyssey Flores
Written By: Christian Vallez, Jonathan Guillermo
Research Consultant: Joem Antonio
Production Design by: Nina Torres
Wardrobe of Jose Rizal by John Ablaza
Offline Editor: Micah Fernandez
Online Editor: Rye Dela Cruz
Colorist: Karla Bugayong

Produced in cooperation with Fluidpost and Bigtop

a Maestro Film Foundation Presentation

The deadline for submission for the Rizal Awards nominations is on April 15,  2012.  Nominations should be submitted to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, T.M. Kalaw Street, Ermita, Manila or sent via e-mail (rizalawards@nhcp.gov.ph).

The Rizal Awards will be given to individuals,  Filipino or foreigner,  and to societies,  institutions,  or other organizations that have an unassailable track record of stimulating and encouraging works toward the Rizalian concept of love of country;  posthumous nominations are also accepted;  of meritorious achievement,  individual or institutional,  in a profession with a strong orientation toward service to the community and/or country at large in light of Rizal’s teaching and way of life;  or promoting and encouraging civic competence and integrity.

Nominations will be awarded in two categories:  three recipients for the Individual category and one for the Institutional category.

Nominations should be in English or Filipino and must include:

1.      Name of person or organization nominated

2.      Title and address of person or organization nominated

3.      A Proposed Citation for person or organization nominated (50-word limit)

4.      Accomplishment of person or organization nominated (500-word limit) including:

• When were accomplishments made?
• Why, specifically, do you believe the nominee merits the Rizal Award?

5.      At least 4 reference letters which will be considered confidential.

•   Names and addresses of references should be suggested by the nominator.

6.       Nominator information

•    Name, mailing address, phone number, fax number and e-mail address.

Anonymous nominations will not be considered. There also should be sufficient documentation to support further investigation. The attachments should not exceed 25 pages.

Nominations which will not be considered are: elected and appointed officials of the government; heads and members of the Board of Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations and Government Financial Institutions; members of the Rizal@150 Executive Committee and descendants of the Rizal family; and officials and employees of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

Inang-Bayan / A mi Patria is a 50-min omnibus film featuring five of Dr. Jose Rizal’s most popular and enduring poems in Filipino Sign Language (FSL). With the theme centering on nationalism, A FILIPINAS, A LA JUVENTUD FILIPINA, CANTO DE MARIA CLARA, A LAS FLORES DE HEIDELBERG and MI ULTIMO ADIOS were translated in Deaf signs by talented Deaf performers, an endeavour never before attempted or seriously thought of, for over a century after said poems were written.

In celebration of Dr. Jose P. Rizal’s 150th birth anniversary, it was not only timely but quite a necessity, that his poems were interpreted to benefit the members of the marginalized sector. Consider the Deaf sector for example: the fact is, sign language is now considered to be at par with spoken languages in the world of linguistics—it has its own morphology, syntax, etc. (Source: Dr. Ricardo Nolasco of Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino in “Silent Odyssey” (2008), the first full-length documentary on Deaf Filipinos I produced)

Living as we are in a society where Deaf Filipinos demand among others: 1) the recognition of FSL; 2) signed news or at most putting of captions on TV news and programs, and 3) the provision of sign language interpreters, this project will serve as a concrete example of meeting their demands for rights to information and communication accessibility. This will surely aid them in advancing their knowledge. Above all, the project is in line with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities (UNCRPD) wherein the Philippines is a signatory (2008). It stated that: International Convention on Rights of People with Disabilities promotes and protects the fundamental rights and freedom of people with disabilities (PWD) to enjoy equal footing in the society. (Source: http://www.barrierbreak.com/unconv_pwd.php)

By providing the Deaf the means and accessibility to learn and understand Rizal’s thoughts and ideas in their own language, knowing and appreciation of Rizal as a person would be deeper. Sign language is the bridge between the hearing and the Deaf, as such interpreting important information in their “own language” would without question be the quickest and most effective way of helping them get closer to the ideas, ideals and sentiments of Rizal.

But the film is not limited to the Deaf, I also thought of the Blind sector. As such, I have options in spoken languages such as English, Filipino and even in Spanish. The film will unquestionably benefit all others—and that includes all regular hearing students whether in the majority or minority groups, Rizal scholars and just anybody interested in Rizal as a poet. The film which was originally thought of to serve only the interests of the Deaf eventually ended up serving a global audience.

What are my Film’s Objectives?

1. Primarily, to translate for the Deaf Filipino community, considered a cultural-linguistic minority group in the country, Dr. Jose Rizal’s enduring and most popular poems in Filipino Sign Language, an act never before done for over a century.

2. The basic learning tools of the Deaf community, is so much wanting. Used as a teaching tool, the teachers would be able to explain better Rizal’s thoughts, feelings, ideas, and ideals, as actions and expressions of the readers and Deaf interpreters would help in making the poems easily more comprehensible for the viewers. In fact, the beneficial effect on any type of students is also assured.

3. Interpretation of the National hero’s poems by our talented Deaf performers would prove that Filipino Sign Language exists. The fact that their natural sign language is not recognized by the Department of Education— which according to studies conducted by the Philippine Federation of the Deaf and the Philippine Deaf Resource Center actually employ Signing Exact English (SEE) in their teaching— counteracts to the very rule they themselves formulated as can be read in their published “Policies and Guidelines for Special Education” (Revised Edition 1997) under Article V, Section 1.41 which states that: Filipino Sign Language shall be used in the education of the hearing impaired. Without recognition of FSL, Deaf literacy suffers. It is my film’s hope that education authorities sees the beauty, relevance, and importance to the Deaf of their own language, and that the Mother-Tongued Based Multilingual Education is implemented..

4. It must be noted that the teaching of Spanish as a requirement in tertiary education has already ceased and is now limited to language schools or centers, and a few universities with courses that offer the study of European languages. Providing the option in Spanish will help preserve the language. They can be used as models or samples since Spanish-speaking authorities in Spanish language have read the poems as originally written by Rizal. On one hand, it is also probably interesting for hearing students to see how talking hands, visual and facial expressions of the Deaf interpret them while simultaneously being read in Spanish leading to their exposure in FSL.

5. As the present generation is living in the cyberworld of Facebooks, Tweeters and Friendster, presentation of Rizal in digital format would be an “in” thing. The hope is high therefore, that the present crop of Filipino students would appreciate Rizal’s thoughts better when presented in visual and aural form. The study of Rizal’s poems will not be as boring and appreciation may rise as learning becomes enjoyable. Dissemination would also be faster.

6. Hearing people’s exposure to sign language will help them in appreciating Deaf signs, and eventually, Deaf’s language and culture. Such familiarization hopefully aids them in welcoming the Deaf as an integral part of our society.

7. This project most importantly serves as a tribute to Dr. Jose Rizal, in celebration of his 150th Birth Anniversary. It shall definitely help in the perpetuation of his great thoughts, moods and feelings through his poetry which are here to outlive us all. The films are meant to inspire, and awaken the lethargic feeling of students towards love for Motherland.

The film was produced by Miryad Visyon in collaboration with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and DLS-CSB School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies.
Mirana Medina
Independent Advocacy Filmmaker
Editor – Rizal sa Dapitan
Producer and Director – Silent Odyssey
Producer and Director – Alyana-A Study of Autism in the Philippines (The first feature-length documentaries on Deaf Filipino history, language and culture, and autism in the Philippines)

DESCENDANTS of Rizal at historic reunion and book launch

It was with an exciting sense of discovery that we accepted Gemma Cruz Araneta’s invitation to attend one rainy evening the launch of José Rizal’s “Haec Est Sibylla Cumana” book.

Calling it a launch is hardly appropriate. It was a gathering of exceedingly lucky individuals, blessed to share lineage with the country’s most revered hero.

Most are familiar with the Rizal of “Noli” and “Fili” which have been done to death on local television and cinema. Ditto with his love affair with Josephine Bracken; his anti-Catholic beliefs and supposed retraction; and his politics through peaceful means.

Few, however, have dealt with the noncelebrity aspect of his persona, except for “Lolo José: An Intimate and Illustrated Portrait of José Rizal,” written by his grand-niece Asuncion Lopez Bantug, with a preface by Nick Joaquin, also the book’s editor.

Even more special  is the publication of “Sibylla Cumana,” handwritten and drawn by Rizal during his exile in Dapitan in 1892-1896.

GEORGE Aseñero shares stories of Rizal's pupil Morris.

This jewel of a book, from Cruz Publishing, unveils “a panorama of Filipino thought, customs, interests and practices at the end of 19th-century Filipinas. They are also mostly irreverent, risqué and downright funny, a revelation of Rizal’s unfailing sense of humor,” writes Chitang Nakpil, representing the publishers.

Apparently, the book of oracles had been with Paciano Rizal’s family for 114 years, waiting for that appropriate moment for it to be shared with the public. This came on Dec. 8, 2011 on the occasion of Rizal’s 150th birth anniversary.

At the launch were the various descendants of Rizal, including Chitang’s daughter Gemma.

There was Ismael Guerrero Cruz of Cruz Publishing; José Rizal Lopez and Marlene Lopez Jacinto, who designed the book.

Araneta said that for the first time since the Indios Bravos was formed in Paris, the trio of Rizal, Juan Luna and Felix Resurrection Hidalgo were together again on the Ateneo Rockwell stage, with a Rizal portrait by Juan Luna on an easel owned by Hidalgo, and the original copy of the book.

Indeed, this clan knows how to dramatize a historic occasion.

JOSE Rizal Lopez, descendant of Paciano Rizal

Araneta called onstage George Aseñero, whose grandfather was one of the pupils of Rizal at the school he set up in Dapitan. Grandfather Mauricio was a bright young boy who, upon seeing an American soldier trampling on the map made by Rizal, called his attention, saying: “Sir, that is a topographical map of Mindanao.” Perhaps, because of this incident, conjectured Araneta, it became much easier for the Americans to conquer Mindanao.

Aseñero affirmed Rizal found Mauricio or Morris an exceedingly bright but naughty and playful boy, forever overturning the bottles in the house. Perhaps he and his friends were bored with the serenity of Dapitan described in Rizal’s “Retiro.”

To keep the kids entertained, Rizal invented the game “Sibylla Cumana.”

The book’s graphic designer, Marlene Lopez Jacinto, has distinct memories of the book and the game. Rizal gave the original copy to his sister Narcisa (Marlene’s paternal great-grandmother), who later gave it her eldest son, Antonio Rizal Lopez, whose wife Emiliana Rizal, only daughter of Paciano   (Marlene’s grandmother), took special care of it even during the war.

LEON Araneta, Franco Lopez Jacinto, Elena Cruz and Rio Alma play the game

It was then entrusted to her eldest son Francisco Rizal Lopez (Marlene’s father) as a legacy to the Paciano Rizal heirs.

As a young girl, she would play the game with the family.

Questions and answers

What stuck to her mind as a kid were the questions: Will I get married? Which of the two wears the pants? She found the questions odd and the answers even more puzzling.

As a young adult, the questions and answers became amusing, interesting, and certainly more relevant. After a span of years, the questions and answers would come alive in a different light.

“They are downright funny, witty, with a lot of depth and wisdom. This oracle, indeed, appeals to many different ages.”

Araneta herself marvels at Rizal’s talent in recycling. “The cover of ‘Sibylla’ was made by Rizal himself from a Manila envelope, twice recycled. One can still read the return address, a motor company in the United States of America, Washington, I think. He must have inquired about machines he needed in Dapitan, a pump perhaps for the water system he was setting up. At first, he drew the family tree on the envelope but abandoned the idea and used it instead for the cover of his oracle game. Traces of the family tree are still visible on the inner back cover.”

GRAPHIC designer Marlene Lopez Jacinto

Had Araneta not pointed it out, we wouldn’t have noticed that the corners of each page had been carefully rounded by Rizal with incredible precision. He bound the book himself and on the cover drew a scary picture of the Sibyl of Cumae with piercing eyes, outstretched arms, and windblown hair.

From Inquirer columnist Randy David: “Ironically, both his detractors and admirers thought that he was busy doing secret political work while on exile. It is not farfetched to think that if the manuscript ‘This  Is Sibylla Cumana had fallen into Spanish hands, his enemies would have tried to decipher it for hidden messages.”

Serafin Quiason, former chair of the National Historical Commission, writes in the foreword: “The ‘Sibylla Cumana’ reveals the multifaceted aspects of Dr. Rizal’s persona—insightful wit; fine sense of humor; open-mindedness; unusual psychic sensitivity; astonishing command of Tagalog, Latin, Greek, German, English, French and Spanish, to mention just a few; and, above all, his profound and wide knowledge of the literary masterpieces of the Greco-Roman world.”

Marlene recalled meeting as often as weekly with the project committee on the book. Her father had asked her to lend her graphic-design expertise to the project and, like every relative, felt honored to do so without profit.

Even nonrelations like Konrad Woelhaf, a German resident who reproduced the octagonal wooden top, donated his services; as did National Artist Virgilio Almario (Rio Alma) who did the Filipino translation.

RIO Alma by a Rizal Portrait by Juan Luna

This was a unique book-design project, both a historical treasure and an interactive game book, so the creative parameters had to be more open, Marlene explained.

“Foremost was to reproduce Rizal’s book as close to the original as possible… Rizal set the highest standards and it was certainly a challenging path to follow. With the committee’s approval, it was decided to reproduce his book without any alterations or additions,” she said. “The most difficult part was to match his handwriting, then package the book and the top in a way similar to how Rizal had encased his.”

Each individual has his favorite stories of the genius of Rizal. Those of Aseñero’s include one saying that, of the many Sybillas in history, Rizal chose Cumana who, in one of her oracles, stated that the Redeemer would come to save mankind. Aseñero thinks no one knows if Rizal felt that he, too, could have been a redeemer to liberate his people.

But in a letter to his mother, Rizal wrote that “Christ to him was the one man who most exemplified what man should be,” a rather uncommon focus on the humanity of Christ, instead of His divinity.

THE Author with Gemma Cruz Araneta

Another story is of why Rizal drew Sibylla like an old woman in his book. The gods, said Aseñero, granted Sibylla immortality, but she forgot to ask them not to age her. She was allowed to live forever but she grew old.

Hilarious game

Finally came the part all were waiting for, the game which turned out to be the most hilarious part of the evening.

Araneta asked son Leon  to read the Spanish question, Franco Lopez Jacinto the English, and Almario the Filipino, while Elena Cruz spun the top.

First question was addressed to President Aquino:  Would I get married? The answer: You will do well marrying, but do better not marrying. It took some seconds before the audience burst into laughter.

Emboldened by the results of the first game, Butch Aquino, with Larry Henares seated beside us, started asking for whom the second game would be directed. Johnny Ponce Enrile was the popular choice.

Will I live long? The answer: It is up to you to lengthen it, by being methodical in the way you live. Otherwise, it will be very brief and death will surprise you when you still have done nothing.

Naturally, the hall reverberated with laughter.

THE ORIGINAL 'Haec Est Sibylla Cumana' after 114 years

Araneta joined in saying that Rizal did say of his game that after his death he would be slandered.

For the third game, there couldn’t have been any other choice but GMA.

What do they say about me? And the answer: They say you will do better, showing more sense.

Almario interrupted, adding that the audience might wish to hear his Filipino translation which goes: “Sinasabi nilang may higit na mabuti kang magagawa sa pamamagitan ng pagpapakita ng higit na katinuan.”

With that, the evening ended with a bang. The humorist in Rizal showed he could, indeed, be a great entertainer.

E-mail the author at bibsy_2011@yahoo.com

Pick a question. Spin the top. Know your future.

REPLICA of Rizal's home

This year is the 115th anniversary of Rizal’s martyrdom at the hands of the Spanish colonizers. This also effectively marks the anniversary of the end of a four-year hiatus which was one of the happier periods of the hero’s tragic life.

Rizal had just returned to the Philippines when, in July of 1892, he was deported to Dapitan, a tiny town on the north coast of Mindanao. He would stay there until August of 1896.

One cannot begin to describe the kind of displacement that such an exile actually meant. Remember that Rizal was a global denizen, a man who had traveled to the great capitals of Europe to imbibe the rich intellectual life of the continent.

This was a man who flourished in the midst of vigorous discussions, who articulated the fate of his people in pioneering novels and vibrant essays. This was a man whose name was on everyone’s lips, who was the center of a nation’s attention. To draw a contemporary parallel with Rizal’s fate would mean marooning, say, one of our senators on a deserted island!

Yet the Son of Calamba took everything in stride. When he learned of the deportation order, he remained calm and composed. One writer attributes this tranquility to the fact that the hero had always believed that “wherever I go I shall always be in the hands of God, in Whose hands are the destinies of men.”

Indignation

CANTABACO school principal Macaria Solamillo, MyRizal essay winner Jonalyn Juarez, MyRizal's Lisa Tinio Bayot

While his case was being discussed in the capital, Rizal was then very far away, physically and spiritually.   He was probably already beginning to plan what he would do in his new home. Perhaps the idea of getting away from it all was not entirely unattractive to the great hero. It can be noted that he had considered pulling out his family from Laguna and founding a new colony in Borneo. He had even invited his dear friend, Ferdinand Blumentritt, to join him there and set up a study center for natural history.

I think that Rizal’s greatness is revealed in the way he dealt with his exile. Instead of languishing and becoming despondent, the hero managed to carve out an amazingly productive life. Today, his place of banishment is a better place because it had once been his retreat.

Rizal continued his medical practice seeing poor and rich patients. One foreigner who had come all the way from Hong Kong for treatment would bring Josephine Bracken as his companion. She and Rizal fell in love, eventually living together in Dapitan as man and wife.

Rizal set up a school for the local boys, many of whom would grow up to occupy important positions in the region. Other projects included the electrification of the town, designs for the retablo of a church in neighboring Dipolog, the creation of a map of Mindanao for the plaza, the gathering of biological specimens as requested by European scientists and the development of a water system.

THE HERO of Dapitan

This last enterprise would catch the attention of a schoolgirl more than a century later. For the essay-writing contest ran by the My Rizal team (led by Lisa Bayot and Maite Gallego) as part of the sesquicentennial celebrations this year, Jonalyn Juarez of Cantabaco Elementary School in Toledo City, Cebu, would reveal her dream of becoming an engineer so that she could set up waterworks for her community.

It is almost painful to read how, in the 21st century, the vital liquid that the residents of a city in the Philippines have access to is actually dirty. Yes, it is a tragedy that clean water is still something the youth can only aspire for. Clearly, the contradictions and the social cancers which Rizal had written about are still very much in place.

Society’s problems, however virulent they may be, all seem to recede when one visits Rizal’s former compound in Dapitan, which is now being maintained as a shrine by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP). As I walked around, I could not help but notice how green my surroundings were, how lush and alive.

Rizal himself had this to say about his sojourn in this spot:

“I shall tell you how we live here. I have three houses, one square, another hexagonal, and a third octagonal, all of bamboo, wood and nipa… From my house I hear the murmur of a crystal clear brook which comes from the high rocks. I see the seashore… where I have small boats or baroto as they say here… I have many fruit trees, mangoes, lanzones, guayabanos… I rise early—at five—visit my plants, feed my chickens…”

Steps of the valiant

I lingered to examine the stream and the cascades at the base of the hill. I entered the reconstructed house but not before removing my shoes. Though only replicas of the original, the floors still represented surfaces hallowed by the steps of the valiant.

Inside the large nipa hut, I noted that two women from a Rizalista group have taken up positions on the balcony. They were expert hilots offering Philippine-style therapeutic massages to visitors.

TWO Rizalista 'hilots'

As I looked up at a huge tree that dominates the entire area, I fell to thinking about how this was one living creature which may actually have gazed down on the great man. I touched its gnarled bark: Perhaps Rizal had stopped momentarily here, too, more than a century ago.

I gazed at the sea which surrounds the precinct. Finally I was certain: The vista, the mountains in the distance, the broad marine expanse, these all had been part of our hero’s view as well. What thoughts would have played on that magnificent mind as the day drew to a close?

It almost seems strange to read about this historical giant writing about tending fowl and fruit, spending time to fashion Japanese lanterns to decorate his garden to recall his childhood Christmases in Calamba, looking beneath ferns and stones for a tiny frog.

A COPY of the pavilion Rizal Built

Yet all these, too, are part of the message of Dapitan. Unlike Luneta, this was not a place which commemorated death and the cutting short of a glorious career. This was a place that celebrated the pulsing rhythms of a life well lived.

Imagine how much Rizal had already accomplished by the time he was deported to Mindanao. He was truly a universal man, in touch with the pulse of the entire planet. Yet it would be his destiny to suddenly be called to this tiny corner of the earth where he would have to tend to the things that grow, blossom and bear fruit.

Dapitan demonstrates that what made Rizal a hero was not just his game-changing vision, his literary feats, his selfless sacrifice. Equally remarkable is the fact that he had actually served a community, shared in its daily routine and concerns, laughed at its antics and wept at its disappointments.

In Dapitan, Rizal showed us all that the real citizen of the world is she or he who knows how to reach out and touch the very ground on which we all happen to find ourselves.

http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/29331/in-dapitan-a-great-mind-found-a-little-home

MANILA, Philippines — It was Atty. Ramoncita Reyes who represented the Rizal descendants during the sneak preview of Mirana Miranda’s video version of Ultimo Adios at Rizal Shrine, Fort Santiago Intramuros, Manila last 29 December.

But Ms. Lisa Tinio Bayot, who seemed to be just another pretty face in the crowd, was sure that she had her fair share of immortalizing her lolo.

On 19 January 2011, when we coincidentally turned 47, she started it all by collaborating with the Holy Angel University’s Juan D. Nepomuceno Center for Kapampangan Studies to create facebook rizal 150 to 150, a 150-day countdown to Jose Rizal’s 150th birth anniversary.

Speaking of how great she is as the great granddaughter of Saturnina Rizal, our National Hero’s eldest sister who married Manuel Timoteo Hidalgo of Tanauan, Batangas! A draftsman and interior designer of her own Saturnina Development Corporation, Ms. Tinio Bayot exerted extra effort to further make Rizal more relevant to the Gen X, or Y, by teaming up with Trixie Herbosa Grau, the great granddaughter of Lucia Rizal, Maite Gallego, a descendant of Maximo Viola, together with Rosalyn Consing, Loi Ilustre, Miko Liwanag and Miles Po who are all members of Binhi English Literacy Foundation Inc.

On 28 May, she and Ms. Herbosa Grau led the slideshow presentation called Rizal as Young Hero for the Filipino Child at the Museo Pambata.

And, on Rizal’s birthday itself, 19 June, they organized the Maligayang Bati Jose Rizal at the Fort Santiago. It was participated in by Cris Villonco, who sang Sinta ng Bayan, playing not Maria of Sound of Music but Maria Clara; Sipat Lawin Ensemble, a theater company composed of the Philippine High School for the Arts’s theater arts alumni; Heroes Square, another young theater group which performed a 30-minute play; Buhay na Kasaysayan whose actors wore military uniforms from different periods of Philippine history; Ateneo Chamber Singers, conducted by Jojo Velasco, who did Maritess Salientes’ composition and arrangement in MyRizal Jazz Symphony; and Gerard Salonga, the 2011 The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Awardee for Music, who jammed with Ms. Salientes for the finale number as a call to unity of all Filipinos for the love of country. Through the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Society of Filipino Film Archivists, Gerardo de Leon’s 1961 adaptation of Noli Me Tangere was projected on the walls of Fort Santiago where Rizal spent his last days 115 years ago.

Then, they launched the website at the Manila Diamond Hotel where they made a birthday cake with Maligayang Bati, Jose Rizal!, shaped in the form of the original design of Noli Me Tangere’s cover.

What they started in 2011 reached its peak during the awarding ceremonies of PreMYo Rizal essay-writing contest at the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation Plaza’s Yuchengco Museum last 5 December.

The “new Rizals,” for Grade School (Filipino), include: Therese Diane S. Villanueva from Occidental Mindoro State College, first place; Jonalyn T. Juarez, Cantabaco Elementary School, Cantabaco, Toledo City, second place; Jaydie Ann R. De Castro, Paaralang Sentral ng Timog Boac, Laylay Boac, Marinduque, third place.

For High School (English), the winners are Marisse T. Sonido, Assumption Antipolo, first place; Nicole Louise G. Serrano, Ramon Magsaysay Cubao High School, second place; and Jose Vergel T. Herrera, Saint Columban College, Pagadian City; third place.

For College (Filipino): Teressa S. Villanueva, UP Diliman, first place; Jan Victor R. Mateo, UP Diliman, second place; Erick Dasig Aguilar, UP Diliman, third place; Roberto O. Umil, and Mon Karlo L. Mangaran, Far Eastern University, both honorable mention. On the other hand, College (English): Alexei Frederick Remollino Flores, UP Diliman, first place; Anne Margaret P. Cordero, UP Diliman, second place; Cristina Gratia T. Tangtengco, Ateneo de Manila University, third place.

Everything about it can, actually, be found on www.myrizal150.com – but we still preferred to hear it from the founder herself. Thus, we asked Ms. Tinio Bayot about a nagging question: “Is there life after Rizal?”

Vim Nadera: What is your project — My Rizal — all about?

Lisa Bayot: Maite Gallego and I co-founded MyRizal composed of some descendants and friends of Rizal. It is a movement, an invitation and a challenge for all to rediscover Dr. Jose Rizal, have a deeper understanding of his heroism and ideals,and to celebrate the Rizal in each of us. MyRizal is inclusive and encourages participation by everyone—regardless of whether you are a Rizal relative or not–150 years after his birth. We have with us today his spirit, his example, his body of works. If Rizal lives in us, we can live Rizal.

VN: What urged you to co-found it with Maite Gallego and Trixie Herbosa Grau?

LB: We – together with Rosalyn Consing, Lois Ilustre, Miko Liwanag and Miles Po – are members of Binhi, an NGO I founded in 2008 advocating education for the youth, and Rizal embodies this quest for education.

I thought we can match the ideals of both organizations for this purpose.

Teodora Alonso is an “icon” of Binhi since our advocacy is education, and often, Binhi gets community-based mothers to teach Binhi classes. During Binhi parent orientation day, we point out Alonso’s significant influence on our national hero, and we point out opportunities to be a hero in one’s family and communities.

VN: Last 19 January, you began another project. Whatever happened to Facebook Rizal 150 to 150?

LB: In partnership with Holy Angel University in Pampanga, we launched Facebook Rizal 150 to 150, a daily countdown 150 days before 19 Jun 2011. Each day featured a different quote from Rizal set against the backdrop of a different Rizal monument in various parts of the country. It ended when we reached countdown zero.

VN: Later on May 28, Ms. Herbosa presented Rizal to the Museo Pambata as a Young Hero for the Filipino Child, could you tell us the details?

LB: At Museo Pambata, my cousin Trixe Herbosa Grau and I, together with volunteer Marie Ganal, highlighted Rizal as a young person so that Filipino children can better relate with Rizal and appreciate him as a hero. We showed how he lived his life as a son, brother and a student by narrating stories of Rizal growing up as a normal boy, undergoing the same experiences that other children do. We recounted how much effort he exerted to excel in sports, how he enjoyed clay modeling and sketching, and his mother’s influence on his early learning.

VN: During the 150th birth anniversary of Jose Rizal last 19 June, you organized Maligayang Bati Jose Rizal at the Fort Santiago. How was it?

LB: My Rizal was honored to be working with and collaborating with different groups. These participants joined enthusiastically and volunteered their time and efforts out of their nationalism. In spite of the rain, 600 people attended and it generated the highest turnout ever of Rizal descendants in a family reunion.

VN: You honored the PreMYo Rizal winners last 5 December at the Yuchengco Museum. What lessons did you learn from it?

LB: We visited schools and DepEd school conferences to promote PreMYo Rizal. We were inspired and encouraged by the enthusiastic reception we were shown in many places and by the support we have been given by government officials, our media partners and our sponsors. Rizal is a unifying force for our country. He appeals to the hearts and minds of Filipinos of all ages.

We were also touched by the unique perspectives and the local contextualization of Rizal that we read from the essays. We learned that we mustn’t take our children’s thoughts and feelings for granted: they do have surprisingly distinctive views and questions which we must encourage, harness, guide and answer wisely.

VN: You are also the founder and chairman of the Binhi English Literacy Foundation Inc.? Tell us more about its history.

LB: Binhi is a non-profit foundation inspired by Pratham which has promoted literacy and the learning capabilities of 21 million underprivileged children in India. I founded Binhi in 2008, with our vision of “Every Filipino child in school and Learning Well.” We started with pilot classes at the HSBC library in Baseco, Tondo . Today, more than a thousand children have been helped through Binhi classes.

We target children who are at risk of not completing an education. It is Binhi’s desire to see all Filipino children develop reading and writing skills as a foundation for their education.

Binhi provides a teaching/learning kit comprised of a daily lesson plan for six months, flash cards, board games, 53 story books, instructional DVD, evaluation tests, application forms and monitoring sheets.

MyRizal is a program of the Binhi English Literacy Foundation Inc.

VN: Do you work hand in hand with the government? Or with the church?

LB: Yes, presently there are 12 Binhi classes at five public schools in Pasig and Laguna comprising 363 students. One of its sites was initiated by sponsors who are active in their parish and Binhi classes were held in a chapel.

VN: What were the sites you selected and why?

LB: Binhi collaborated with other community sponsors to start programs in various areas:

•Baseco, Tondo Manila

•Brgy. Kaingin, Balara, Quezon City

•Manila South Cemetery, Makati City

•Tuloy Sa Don Bosco, Muntinlupa City

•Brgys. Diezmo, Casile&Teleray in Cabuyao, Laguna

•Brgy. Mesa Homes in Sta. Rosa, Laguna

•Punta Fuego Nasugbu, Batangas

•Sitio San Miguel, Tacloban, Leyte

•Bambang Elementary School in Pasig City

•Kalawaan Elementary School in Pasig City

•Buting Elementary School in Pasig City

•Dr. Sixto Antonio Elementary School in Pasig City

•Happy2Help in NHA Resettlement Site 3 Calauan, Laguna

•Bantay Bata 163 Children’s Village, Bulacan

•Dayap Elementary School (Annex), BNJ in Calauan, Laguna

•Dayap Elementary School (Main) in Calauan, Laguna

•Sto. Tomas Elementary School in Calauan, Laguna

Binhi’s strategy is to obtain community sponsors who will purchase the teaching/learning kit, and recruit the teachers (who may be community based mothers rather than trained teachers) to teach the classes. The community sponsors also handle student recruitment and evaluation testing. Therefore, we go to sites where we find community sponsors.

VN: What are your plans for this year and beyond?

LB: Today more than a thousand children have benefited from the Binhi kit which provides them with the necessary learning tools needed to stay in school. We hope that as they stay in school and complete their education, they will become productive and financially independent citizens. Effectively, we see Binhi as a stepping stone to escaping poverty.

Binhi is developing two more Learning kits, one to teach Pre-Reading to pre-school children, ages three to five and another for older children, ages nine to 11 who have Basic Reading skills.

MyRizal will continue its focus on education, culture and the arts. We are in talks with the DepEd to assist them in promoting public awareness and interest in some of their Rizal related activities.

We will encourage new research on Rizal, his family, friends and our other national heroes who in the coming years will also be celebrating their sesquicentennials.

“Rizaldy,” the latest book by renowned children’s book writer Eugene Evasco, was recently launched at the Top Plaza Hotel in Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte, during the National Midyear Demofest of the Reading Association of the Philippines.

Winner of the 2011 Philippine Board on Books for Young People-Salanga Prize, “Rizaldy” tells the story of a boy whose name was derived from the holiday on which he was born: Rizal Day. Yasmin Doctor illustrates.

MANILA ─ The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) unveils on Tuesday, December 30, 2011, the historical marker “Rizal Fountain” at the Noli Me Tangere Garden, Rizal Park, Manila, in commemoration of the 115th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal. The marker states:

RIZAL FOUNTAIN

DATING NASA TAHANAN NI PASTOR KARL ULLMER SA WILHELMSFELD, ALEMANYA KUNG SAAN NANIRAHAN SI JOSE RIZAL NANG TAPUSIN NIYA ANG MGA HULING KABANATA NG NOBELANG NOLI ME TANGERE, 1886. IPINAGKALOOB NG PAMAHALAAN NG ALEMANYA SA PILIPINAS BILANG TANDA NG MAKASAYSAYANG RELASYON NG DALAWANG BANSA AT INILAGAY SA RIZAL PARK, 30 DISYEMBRE 1964. ISINAAYOS, 1994. MULING ISINAAYOS BILANG BAHAGI NG IKA-150 TAONG PAGDIRIWANG NG KAPANGANAKAN NI RIZAL, 2011.

Jose Rizal left Heidelberg in April 1886, and moved to Wilhelmsfeld, Germany. He stayed at the house of Protestant Pastor Karl Ullmer. During his stay, Rizal visited the town and often drank from the fountain located in the courtyard of the house of Pastor Ullmer. It was also in Wilhelmsfeld, that Rizal celebrated his 25th birthday and, where he wrote the final chapters of his novel, Noli me tangere.

He left Wilhelmsfeld and Heidelberg in the late summer of 1886, went to Leipzig and Berlin, where “Noli Me Tangere” was published. He eventually returned to the Philippines.

Rizal’s experience in Germany brought him new insights on his life. Not only did he master the German language; he was also able to observe Germans’ way of life and traditions. Rizal admired the diligence and character of the Germans.

In 1964, Pastor Gottlob Weber, then the occupant of Pastor Ullmer’s house initiated the move, together with Minister Pura Santillan Castrence and Free Press staff artist and Rizalist Gene Cabrera to have the old fountain donated to the Philippines. On December 30, 1964, on the 68th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Rizal, the fountain was formally turned over to the Philippine government by then German Ambassador Johann Karl Von Stechow, in the presence of then Foreign Secretary Mauro Mendez.

The fountain was set up at the Luneta and was called Rizal Fountain, a gift from the German government to the people of the Philippines.

Rizal Fountain

In 1994, a major renovation was done through the kindness of Sir Hans Schoof, KGOR Supreme Exchequer Order of the Knights of Rizal with Engr. Edmund M. Tolentino, then Executive Director of the NPDC, providing the support.

The rehabilitation project was part of Pres. Fidel V. Ramos’s vision of Philippines 2000, which includes an environment that is clean, green and ecologically balanced. President Ramos presided at the unveiling and re-inauguration ceremony on December 30, 1994.

In 2011 the fountain, together with other structures in Rizal Park, was renovated as part of the celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Jose Rizal.

The unveiling ceremony is being organized by NHCP in cooperation with the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC).

His Excellency President Benigno S. Aquino III will lead the unveiling ceremony. He will be assisted by Vice-President Jejomar Binay, NHCP Chair Maria Serena I. Diokno, Mayor Alfredo S. Lim, NPDC Exec. Director Juliet Villegas and NHCP Exec. Director Ludovico D. Badoy.

The NHCP is the national government agency mandated to promote and preserve Philippine history and heritage through research, information dissemination, conservation, including the marking of historic sites and structures, and the maintenance and administration of national shrines, monuments and landmarks.

For more information, contact Eleonor B. Samonte at NHCP tel. 5231037/5239050.