125 years after the execution of Jose Rizal, I am coincidentally revisiting Conrado de Quiros’ speech titled Youthful Exuberance which tackled how youth-led movements have a certain kind of fervor not present in any other generations. I may never know whether both those figures would agree on the aftermath of youth in the society but one thing for certain is how both regarded the young ones as the pillars of tomorrow.

Amidst the prevalence of social media and using it as a means to (mis/dis)inform the public, it is becoming imperative to re-examine Rizal’s works and see how it reflects today. Would he be tagged as a modern-day “reklamador” if he lived through our times? Would he be mad knowing the same weapon he used to show the ills that plague our society is now being utilized to craft false narratives?

Unfortunately, one of the many victims of this tug-of-war for truth is the youth sector who will be the next leaders of our country.

The fight for truth will always be an uphill battle but our social and political climate now makes it more challenging with many difficult terrains to be surpassed. The Us vs Them division is more apparent, and worse, even encouraged, with the social media algorithms designed to isolate us in our echo chambers.

While at the end of the day, we all strive for a better Philippines that Rizal dreamt for us, the danger lies in attributing a false sense of security to fanaticism masquerading as patriotism. It creates nationhood that is exclusive instead of inclusive; it fosters pride that is divisive instead of uniting.

To move forward, we must ask ourselves how Rizal’s works and teachings can affect our way of living beyond academic practice. In doing so, we can begin exploring the real essence of Filipino identity so we can instill a strong sense of nationhood and pride.

In this light, the Philippine Consulate General Elmer G. Cato in New York, in partnership with the National Commission for Culture and Arts Chairperson Nicanor Lizaso spearheads the inauguration of Sentro Rizal in New York Center on December 30 joined by Lisa Tinio Bayot, the great grandniece of Jose Rizal.

This initiative aims to organize cultural programs and activities for Filipinos, especially for children overseas, to promote appreciation and understanding of Philippine culture and the arts.

At the age of 26, Rizal compared the condition of our country to a patient suffering from cancer so terrible that he did not dare to be touched. But instead of losing hope, he put forth his ideas and ideals using pen and paper and sacrificing his life for the country. As we look upon this day, may the youth of today not just recall the virtues he instilled but contemplate and take action as we are always in a constant battle towards our commitment to progress.

In honor of our National Hero’s 160th birthday, we take a closer look into our national hero Jose Rizal’s life in Wilhelmsfeld, Germany. A two-month stay in the town brought forth a friendship that transcended time and geography. It continuously gives birth to extraordinary connections between Germans and Filipinos up to this very day.

During the centennial of Dr. Rizal, the Philippine Government received a Rizaliana Collection consisting of letters, drawing and a first edition of the Noli Me Tangere from Dr. Fritz and Hans Hack. In 1961, the town of Wilhelmsfeld donated a small water fountain where Rizal drank from, this is now at the Luneta park.

The Rizal in Wilhelmsfeld exhibit opens on June 19, 2021 at 10 AM at the Museo ni Jose Rizal Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila. At the same time the German translation of Mi Ultimo Adios will also be unveiled. The exhibit highlights the donation of a table and a bed used by Dr. Rizal during his stay at Wilhelmsfeld from Dr. Fritz and Hans Hack, great grandsons of Pastor Ullmer. The author of the classic biography “Lolo Jose: An Intimate Portrait of Rizal“ Asuncion Lopez Bantug’s daughter Bea Bantug Tan, of the Narcisa Rizal branch will deliver a message.

Thanks to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines in cooperation with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in the Philippines, the Department of Tourism, and the Intramuros Administration, we will get to know more about Jose Rizal and the impressions he left in Wilhelmsfeld.

To know more about NHCP’s activities for Rizal’s 160th Birth anniversary, click the link below:
https://nhcp.gov.ph/nhcp-shares-activities-for-rizals-160th-birth-anniversary/

-Joan Garcia

With this alarming question, the De La Salle-College of St. Benilde embarked on a mission to find an answer that led them to produce an award-winning documentary, “ALON”, written and directed by celebrated filmmaker Gabriel Fernandez.

(“ALON” A Documentary on Plastic Waste: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKTdKpNWmr4&t=777s)

As we mark the 159th birth anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal, we share with you this eye-opener as our own homage to our national hero’s devoted but often unrecognized contributions to improving community health and the environment.

From 1892 to 1896, Rizal had a vibrant life as a political exile in the town of Dapitan. He carried out community projects on health, sanitation and the ecology, including the installation of a water system and pipeline to give residents access to clean water, the draining of swamps to control the breeding of malaria-carrying mosquitoes, the provision of the street lighting system using coconut oil lamps, and the beautification of the town plaza. While in Dapitan, Rizal discovered three new species of animals which have been named after him: Abogonia Rizalie, a type of small beetle; Drago Rizalie, a specie of dragonfly and Racoforus Rizalie, a specie of toad.

For more on Rizal’s water system and pipeline, click here: “Grandson of Rizal’s Dapitan student: Let’s restore historic water system”

On this historic day, may the memory of Dr. Jose Rizal’s love for nature serve as a wake-up call for our youth and the entire nation. According to the World Bank, 60% of Filipinos live on the coast and most depend on the sea. But tragically, 97% of reefs in the Philippines are under threat (United Nations Environment Program). With that frightening statistic, it is high time we stop the wave of plastic, ride the wave of change, and become eco-warriors ourselves. If he were alive today, Dr. Jose Rizal would do no less.

The Americans tagged Apolinario Mabini as the “Insurgent’s Brains,” [The Wichita Eagle, Kansas, December 14, 1899], and believed that “nearly all proclamations and state papers bearing Aguinaldo’s name were really the work of Mabini” [The Washington Times, May 17, 1903]. In the same vein, Dr. Paul Dumol, a Filipino historian echoed his thoughts: “…Hindi natin maikokompara yung pagsangguni ni Aguinaldo kay [Felipe] Buencamino dun sa kanyang pagdedepende kay Mabini. Kaya halos lahat ng mga polisiya ni Aguinaldo nanggaling kay Mabini. Siyempre noong meron ng Malolos Congress dumadaan din ito sa Congress pero mula sa Congress magbibigay ng opinyon si Mabini, at madalas yung opinyon ni Mabini ang sinusunod ni Aguinaldo….["…we cannot compare Aguinaldo conferring with Buencamino with his dependence on Mabini, so almost all of Aguinaldo's policies came from Mabini. Of course, when the Malolos Congress came about, these would pass through Congress but from Congress Mabini would give his opinion, and usually it was Mabini's opinion that Aguinaldo would follow."]

These are excerpts from PULE: UTAK NG REBOLUSYON, an educational documentary on the life of Apolinario Mabini [1864-1903], Chief Adviser of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, First President of the Philippine Republic, and the First Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

Primarily intended for Deaf Filipinos, Filipino Sign Language [FSL] interpretation and/or insets were used to provide them access to information on Mabini. However, the target viewers are not limited to them. It has narration in Filipino, and is fully subtitled in English. A global audience was in mind.

PULE is one of the very few video documentaries made on Mabini. What makes it significant, distinct and “special” is the inclusion of Persons with Disability [PWD] in the making of the film. In fact, there were more PWDs who participated in it than the so-called “abled” individuals.

Envisioning a segment with Deaf interpretation of Mabini’s El Verdadero Decalogo [The True Decalogue / Ang Tunay na 10 Utos] in Filipino Sign Language, I have asked Myra Medrana, Deaf choreographer of the SILENT STEPS for their participation. With the help of several hearing interpreters and teaching staff of the DLS-CSB School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies, the Decalogo was for the first time presented in visual-gestural form. Written more than 100 years ago in 1898 by Mabini, the Decalogo has taken a new form. Simultaneous with the interpretation, I have asked a wheel-chaired Person with Disability to read the Decalogo in Filipino. He has become the Mabini character. With subtitles in English, I came up with a multi-track presentation. As a reaction to it, one of the Department of Foreign Affairs directors who viewed it, Ms. Lenna Sison remarked: “…your presentation [treatment] of Decalogo is beautiful…I felt more its significance. It was touching! I fully appreciated how Mabini’s mind and heart worked.”

In addition, twice-exceptional Person with Autism [PWA], Thristan Mendoza music scored the film, making PULE and The Sublime Paralytic, [a variation narrated in English], the very first Filipino films music scored by a PWA. The risk was there when I got him to do the job knowing that he had no experience in music scoring. However, it was confidence in his ability, and the rock-strong belief in God that I am being led to the right persons that comforted and assured me with regards my decision to try him despite his mother’s fear and anxiety over the outcome of Thristan’s music scoring work. I was actually quite excited while waiting for his music composition as nobody knew what he would come up with. Finally, when I heard his music, I was so delighted. I thought that they were awesome for a first-timer. It might have taken me longer time to work with him because of processes I had to do which are not necessary when working with the usual scorers. But it was all worth it.

In the observance of the 2016 National Arts Month, it is just apt to celebrate the talents of people classified as “Disabled” like any other. Let’s celebrate their ABILITY not DIS-ability. By showcasing their talents, we make them shine and prove to the society that they can be as good as anyone.
Above anything else, it is my hope that through this film, viewers could actually learn more who Apolinario Mabini was, and what he did for our country. The way the youth perceived Mabini when they viewed “Heneral Luna” last year in 2015 when it was shown was quite appalling. Questions and reactions such as: “Why was Mabini seated throughout the movie?”, “Maybe tired?”, “Perhaps lazy!” I cannot imagine how our future leaders would be without knowledge, sense, concern and love of history.

It is no wonder perhaps why our current political leaders act the way they do, or why graft and corruption persist. Could that be an outcome of their failure to look back? Ignorant of the past, they seem unaware of our great heroes’ lives who placed God and Country first Above Self! Too bad and sad that for most of our leaders now, Self comes above all else.

Notes by Mirana Medina
Independent Advocacy Filmmaker
February 8, 2016

In celebration of National Heroes Day 2015 and closing of Apolinario Mabini’s 150^th Birth Anniversary, and in promotion of use and recognition of FSL in the Philippines, Miryad Vision in collaboration with De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies, and National Commission for Culture and the Arts present APOLINARIO MABINI, THE SUBLIME PARALYTIC.  A 50-minute digital documentary by Mirana Medina with subtitles in English and Filipino Sign Language Interpretations / Inserts.  Featuring the first ever deaf interpretation of Mabini’s “El Verdadero Decalogo” and the first music score for a film by a Filipino with Autism.

Synopsis: Son of a peasant couple, Apolinario Mabini (1864-1903) worked and supported himself through college until he obtained his Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of Sto. Tomas.  At first a reformist, he later turned into a revolutionary upon seeing the continuous oppression by the Spaniards and the suffering of the people.  Arrested several times because of his involvement in revolutionary activities, his fight for independence continued until the Americans took over the rein of the country from the Spaniards.  Already paralyzed by an unknown disease at the time, he became the Chief Adviser and First Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the First President of the Philippine Republic, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo.  His strong influence on the policies and decisions of Aguinaldo earned him the title of “Black Chamber of the President.”  To this admirers however, he was “The Brains of the Revolution.” The laws and government policies he wrote for Aguinaldo helped in shaping the destiny of our nation.  As a political writer and thinker, one of his famous writings was “El Verdadero Decalogo” (1898), the preamble of his Programa Constitucionalda la Republica Filipina. Described by the Americans as the “most irreconcilable among the Filipinos,”  Mabini did not want to recognize American sovereignty over the Philippines.  He was adamant and stubborn against it.  Because of that, he was exiled to Guam.  He could not return to the Philippines unless he swears an oath of allegiance to the United States.  He died at the age of 38 less than three months after his return to the country.

Premiere Screening is on  August 27, 2015, 4 P.M. at DLS-CSB ARG Theater, 5th Floor Benilde Taft Campus, Manila.

The University of the Philippines Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Development will hold colloquia known as “Paliwanagan” and a Professors Emeriti Symposium, which features a collaboration of a group of researchers representing the old and the young. The public presentation of UP’s top researchers aims to contribute to the dissemination of research and development (R&D), create public awareness and create an academic environment that promotes the primacy of research.

As 2015 marks the 85^th death anniversary of Paciano Rizal Mercado who served as the mentor of Jose Rizal, the research event was also designed to highlight the lesser-known Rizal and to represent a research and academic culture that emphasized mentorship in research and academic discipline.

A variety of researches will be presented on 15 May 2015, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Quezon Hall, UP Diliman. Online pre-registration for the event is open. You may log on to http://bit.ly/1Ey1etn.

Known to a generation of students as the translator of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, and a biographer of Jose Rizal, Leon Ma. Guerrero is a writer and diplomat whose work was translated to reach today’s generation through the LMG Centennial “History in 100 Tweets”. According to his son David Guerrero, “the exhibit imagines how he may have tried to reach today’s generation. And distills some of his writing into the 140-characther platform we have become so familiar with.” I myself have been following Twitter for updates, and it is amusing to see the perspective of a statesman whose influence in the academe, as well as political affairs, is notable. It is disclaimed that much of the context will be lost in the 140-character platform, but still, you can understand what he was trying to say.

The Ayala Museum and the Filipinas Heritage Library opened the interactive exhibit on the life of Leon Ma. Guerrero to share his works for today’s millennial generation. There is an audiovisual presentation of a typewriter with some of the tweets, and 100 white boxes with short quotations, not more than 140 characters, from the diplomat’s writings. The entrance of the exhibit features an interactive chance to hear some clips of the Noli Me Tangere audiobook, read in English. It is refreshing to hear again the voices of Crisostomo Ibarra, Sisa and Padre Damaso.

Leon Ma. Guerrero, known to his close friends and family as Leoni, is known as the writer of “The First Filipino,” a biography of our national hero Jose Rizal, which won him the grand prize at the Rizal Centennial Biography contest in 1961. According to historian Ambeth Ocampo, “Guerrero took the heart of stone from Rizal, exchanged it with a beating heart of flesh, and gave color to a life story that has since become my area of expertise.”

Some of the tweets mention how Rizal is a patriotic hero who was not able to experience the revolution he started, and on his soft side, how he truly loved Josephine Bracken. There are some tweets which also focus on Leoni’s life as an ambassador and an internationalist. It can be truly understood how he was an intellect and a fighter using the pen as a weapon, which is similar to how Jose Rizal used his writings to show his love for the Philippines. Leoni considered his typewriter as a “lucky typewriter” which he used to type the draft of “The First Filipino.” At the beginning of World War II, he buried it in the garden of his house, and found it when he dug it up after the war.

Leon Ma. Guerrero lives through his writings. His works surely inspire today’s generation to fight for the upliftment of our country through all possible means.

Unlike any other human being who was about to face a firing squad, Jose Rizal was not feeling any anxiety due to the fact that his blood pressure did not go up.

He was executed in Bagumbayan, Manila on December 30, 1896. The day before he wrote several letters and using words about peace, tranquility, dying with a clear conscience and preparing himself for the inevitable by talking about it and maintaining a calm state.

To read the letters he wrote of acceptance of his circumstances to his family click the link below:

http://islandsentinel.com/2011/02/22/how-to-face-a-firing-squad-execution-with-a-normal-heart-beat-rizal-30-december-1896/

Read this article by Ivy Vibar of abs-cbnnews.com as Jose Rizal’s life and execution are being recreated through a Twitter account named @tweetnirizal ran by an entrepreneur who is a member of Dead Heroes Society (a group of bloggers posing as national heroes online to increase citizen’s knowledge of Filipino history and current events). Click the link to read more about it.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/12/30/11/rizal-dies-twitter

Filipinos upload photos of existing Jose Rizal busts and monuments from around the world in places like Toronto and Quebec in Canada, New Jersey, USA, Chicago, Illinois, Tokyo, Japan, Singapore, Czech Republic, Mexico, China, Peru, Madrid Spain, Ireland, Wilhelmsfeld, and Rome, Italy.

So if you have found anymore Jose Rizal monuments and/or busts feel free to send it to their facebook page at Monument of Jose Rizal All Over the World.

(https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.183449945087327.37622.119499311482391&type=3)