Sapientia, Eloquentia et Humanitas: Unpacking the Atenean in Jose Rizal

Sapientia, Eloquentia et Humanitas:

Unpacking the Atenean in Jose Rizal

 “I owe much to this Order [the Jesuits] — almost all that I am taken to be.”

- Rizal’s Diary, Calamba to Barcelona, 2 May 1882

INTRODUCTION

‘A heart inflamed with the Ateneo spirit’, late Nanding Hofileña, M.D. believed, in his remark upon receiving the Lux-in-Domino award[1], was why ‘though we [Ateneo graduates] have left Ateneo, the Ateneo has never left us’. Dominant narratives ubiquitously speak of Ateneo along the lines of character (trans)formation which it ultimately brings about. The lives of some of the greatest Ateneans over the past 150 years, as compiled by Fr. Jose Arcilla, S.J., exemplify and keep alive the tradition that is ‘The Ateneo Way’.[2]

Jose Rizal, Philippine national hero, equally extoled Ateneo and the Jesuits for transforming his life. Rizal, after all, had said that he would not have become the man that he had become were it not for his Ateneo education. In his diary, written soon after his graduation in the Ateneo, Rizal described his College years as the most transitional and transformative years of his life:

“Cultivating poetry and rhetoric had elevated my feelings, and Virgil, Cicero, and other authors showed me a new path which I [could] take . . . Who, at the age of fourteen years, if he has enjoyed the favor of the Muses, does not shed tears on the transition from childhood to young manhood?”[3] (P. Jacinto, Memorias de un Estudiante de Manila, p. 26)

A transition from “childhood to young manhood”, marked by “elevated feelings” and “a new path”, was the imprint of Ateneo on young Rizal. Much of  Rizal, he owed to his Jesuit education in Ateneo. Ambeth Ocampo, chair of History Department of Ateneo de Manila University, described the influence of Ateneo education in Rizal such that “he [Rizal] would have still been alive [after December 30, 1896]” had he not “taken his Ateneo education too seriously”. This paper then aims to reexamine Rizal’s life to find out the extent with which Ateneo had influenced and produced a man like Rizal.

In the Jesuit Constitutions[4], St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuit order, emphasized the crucial role of education in the total development of the individual, asserting that “Jesuit teachers were to show cura personalis (personal care) for their students”. For above all, the Jesuit education pursued one aim: ad majorem Dei gloriam, for the greater glory of God.

The Ratio Studiorum[5], the official plan for Jesuit education, three centuries old when Rizal entered the Ateneo, has been described as “a compilation of general principles and detailed instructions for teachers, rather a spirit and a method than a mechanical formula or a blind pedagogical technique”. Jesuit education focused not only on information but more importantly, on the formation of the human mind. Training the mind, which the Jesuits called eloquienta perfecta, was achieved by integrating the humanities and literature in the Jesuit curriculum. For the spirit that the “Jesuit education infused was the spirit of the classical humanities, the arts of human culture”[6]:

“Why have the great classics, the great works, the great authors, been studied? — Quite simply, they provide what it takes to form a soul, to form a personality.” (Fr. Richard Tierney, S.J. Teachers and Teaching[7])

Therefore, passion for academics and for the arts, an ideal stated in the Ratio Studiorum as Sapientia, Eloquentia et Humanitas, not only guided Jesuit education but also distinguished it. The Latin phrase, which became popular during the Renaissance, the period of European rebirth, roughly translates to wisdom, eloquence, and humanism —  which means, ‘to know, to speak the mind, and to be’. These virtues, because they are instilled in and interpreted by the human person, could influence one’s life and actions even beyond the walls of one’s school.

In the sections to follow, this paper will discuss how these same pillars of Jesuit tradition educated Rizal particularly during his college years. This paper argues that the influence of the Jesuits on Rizal cannot be underestimated. Ateneo’s Sapientia, Eloquentia et Humanitas, formed and transformed Rizal as a human person. These virtues, having been imbibed in Rizal, played an important role in the most crucial moments of his life.

And so, as much as this is a story of a man called Jose Rizal, it is the story of every Atenean.

‘I SPENT THE HAPPIEST YEARS OF MY LIFE THERE’

For he was short in stature and weak in constitution, eleven-year-old Jose Rizal almost did not get admitted in Ateneo Municipal in 1872, despite passing the required entrance examinations earlier that year. Had it not been for the help of Manuel Jerez, nephew of late Father Burgos, who contrived to overcome the Jesuit’s objections, Rizal would not have been admitted in the Jesuit school. In admitting young Rizal, Ateneo had nothing to regret for the boy “read perfectly and was very well behaved in spite of his tender years.”[8]

Rizal entered College in Ateneo Municipal on 16 June 1875[9]. What Rizal took was a five-year estudios generales leading to a degree of bachelor arts and a diploma in Perito Agrimensor (Master Surveyor and Assessor). Despite being 14 years old at that time, Rizal wrote in his diary, that “he was still very small” but this did not stop him from being esteemed. For he argued, “power is achieved through skill” and not by force. And so, not only were Rizal’s skills honed by his college education but also, his character developed holistically. The Jesuit curriculum at Rizal’s time included Christian doctrine, Spanish, Latin, Greek and French, world geography and history, the history of Spain and the Philippines, mathematics and the sciences (arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, mineralogy, chemistry, physics, botany and zoology), and the classic disciplines of poetry, rhetoric and philosophy.

Being the little provincial that he was, Rizal had to work his way toward excellence. In his diary, he humbly reminisced himself as a “child with little knowledge of the Spanish tongue, with an intelligence only partly developed and almost without refinement in feelings” when he had begun school.  In his first year, he was awarded only an accesit in all his subjects — among the leaders but not top of his class — and he received not a single prize. Despite being an indio who stuggled with a foreign language to obtain information, Rizal persisted, kept pace and even occasionally managed to surpass the others.

In his article “Rizal’s Record at the Ateneo,”[10] Fr. Raul Bonoan, SJ wrote that Rizal won his first medal in his second year for receiving good citations in five aspects — conduct, effort, Latin, geometry, and geography. It was during his second year, when he studied Virgil, Horace, Cicero and other authors, that Rizal affirmed to have developed patriotic sentiments:

“My second year in college resembled the first with the difference that patriotic sentiments as an exquisite sensibility had been greatly developed in me. It passed like the first among principles of logic, physics, and poetical compositions.” (P. Jacinto, Memorias de un Estudiante de Manila, p. 26)

Poetry and rhetoric — the incarnation of Jesuit humanitas — provided Rizal with a renewed vision in life, “a new path which I [could] take”, Rizal wrote. In the Ateneo collegiate course, poetry and rhetoric was studied and practiced on the model of the Greek and Latin classics. With the help of his professor Father Francisco de Paula Sanchez, Rizal learned about the “beautiful language” of Olympus and appreciated literature. To Rizal, who was overflowing with emotion, nothing could be sweeter than poetry and sadder than ‘prosaic positivism of metallic hearts’ that he wrote in his memoirs, “after having tasted it [poetry], I cannot conceive how a young heart can abandon it”. He finally concluded, “thus I dreamed then!”

In most subjects, the Jesuit curriculum required exercises not only in poetry and versification but also in religion and Spanish patriotism. In the Ateneo, Rizal composed verses for Magellan, for Urbiztondo (“the Terror of Jolo”), for Columbus, for the Catholic Kings taking Granada, and a verse translation of a Jesuit’s Italian play on a Roman martyr, all of which can be found in Poesías de Rizal[11], a rich compilation of Rizal’s poems edited by Jaime C. de Veyra. As much as these poems were student compositions, de Verya argued that upon taking a closer look, some of young Rizal’s poems already had a “tendency towards wider fields than those which are strictly scholastic”. For example, in his poem “Education Gives Luster to the Motherland”, which he wrote when he was still in Ateneo, Rizal first elucidated his view on the importance of education. He began his poem by describing education as the source of “enchanting virtue” that will bring the country in an “endless glory” and in “dazzling glow”:

“Wise education, vital breath,

Inspires an enchanting virtue;

She puts the Country in the lofty seat

Of endless glory, of dazzling glow.”(Rizal, trans. Por La Educación Recibe Lustre La Patria)

Much of Rizal’s latter College education focused on philosophy. Classes began and ended with prayes, and the whole school life was centered on the chapel[12]. The highest level of organizational involvement was to be found in the religious confraternities, The Academy of Spanish Literature, The Academy of  Natural Science, Congregracion Mariana and the Apostolado de la Oracion[13], with which Rizal was all part of, and to which he had later become the secretary of. As he entered his last year in the Ateneo, Rizal described his encounter with philosophy and physics with Igatian discerno, or keenness of insight:

“[S]evere philosophy, inquiring into the why of things attracted also my attention as did poetry, beautiful as she alone can be, playing with the charms of nature and leaving traces that breathe sublimity and tenderness. Physics, lifting up the veil that covers many things, showed me a wide stage where the divine drama of nature was performed. The movement, sound, warmth, light, electricity, a thousand varied phenomena, the most beautiful colors and delicate beauties entertained me during my free hours.” (P. Jacinto, Memorias de un Estudiante de Manila, p. 25)

From being ranked fifth in his second year, Rizal had moved to second place overall in his third year, and first in his fourth year. For all his achievements, Fr. Bonoan described, that Rizal graduated from the school as the “undisputed first”. In his diary, Rizal summed up his transformation in his years in Ateneo in this way:

“By dint of studying, of analyzing myself, of reaching out for higher things, and of a thousand corrections, I was being transformed thanks to the beneficient influence of a zealous professor.”[14] (P. Jacinto, Memorias de un Estudiante de Manila, p. 26)

Probably for the first time in his life, it was in Ateneo that Rizal “came into direct contact and competition with boys who were not natives”[15]. Despite this, he managed to participate, keep pace and even occasionally surpass the Spaniards. His Austrian friend Ferdinand Blumentritt, in his short  biography of Rizal, was convinced that Rizal’s story in the Ateneo was anecdotal to the Filipino situation. His “sensitiveness and self-assertiveness”[16], which he had developed in the Ateneo, took on a strong racial tinge. As we know, later on in his adult life, Rizal constantly reminded and challenged the native-born youth to “break the chains which shackle their creative genius”.  According to Blumentritt, Rizal’s experience in the Ateneo spurred his personal assertions on racial injustice. Blumentritt described Rizal’s rationalization that convinced him that, above all, the Filipino had potential as much as the Spaniards did:

“Rizal asked himself: Are these views just? He put his question to himself while still a schoolboy, when he used to examine closely not only his white classmates but himself. He soon noticed that, in school at least, there was no difference in the standard of intellect between whites and indios; there were lazy and diligent, unruly and well-behaved, less talented and more highly gifted boys as much among the white as among the colored. .  . Thus it was at school that he first gained conviction that. . . whites and indios had the same mental ability.”[17] (Blumentritt)

At the age of sixteen, Rizal had graduated Ateneo with a degree of sobresaliente (excellent). And like most Ateneans, such as late Nanding Hofileña, Rizal was probably the first one to say that although he was leaving the walls of Ateneo, Ateneo would never leave his being:

“If my eyes no longer shed tears upon recalling you [years in the Ateneo], my heart melts and seems to be oppressed! I have your memory here in my heart, in my mind, in my whole being.” (P. Jacinto, Memorias de un Estudiante de Manila, p. 25)

SAPIENTIA: THE ATENEAN SAILS ‘TO DISCOVER’

On the May 3 1882, the first day of his departure from Calamba to Barcelona, tears welled in Rizal’s eyes — for he had to leave his motherland, his parents, sisters and brother Paciano — but the “cursed sense of honor” held them, Rizal wrote. On the third day, where they were only a third near Barcelona, Rizal had overheard his fellow passengers unanimously talk about the unrelieved corruption they were leaving behind, and this had not helped Rizal, who at that time was seasick:

“Criticism flowed freely. I discovered that in my poor country all the Spaniards, friars and lay officials alike, are consumed with the desire to suck the blood out of the Indio.”[18] (May 5, Diary of Rizal in 1882: Travel from Calamba to Barcelona)

Certainly, “I came to discover”, a phrase often used by expeditioners, would represent this life-changing voyage for the entirety of Rizal’s life. For ‘coming to discover’ required a mind that was discerning and willing to know, which was the very essence of Ignatian sapientia. For as he sailed, Rizal was not only crossing geographic boundaries but also moving through societies and worlds of different cultures and ideologies. For what had Rizal been but a sheltered boy whose world consisted only of Calamba, its few neighboring towns and Manila, with its “religious and academic atmosphere.”[19] Perhaps what had made Rizal was not only what Ateneo had done to him but what Ateneo could not have taught him: progressive and liberal ideas, for these ideas were not taught but encountered. What Ateneo had instilled in Rizal, instead, was an open yet discriminative mind. In his compilation of stories about Rizal’s stay in Europe, Francisco Villanueva, Jr. described how Rizal was both a careful observer and mentally-endowed:

“Rizal was a very good observer of foreign customs. According to the celebrated writer, Watts, “nothing tends so much to enlarge the mind as traveling.” Rizal knew this and he always took advantage of his travels to increase his knowledge and experience. He used to compare foreign customs with Philippine customs.”[20] (Villanueva Jr., A Careful Observer in Reminiscences of Rizal’s Stay in Europe)

Upon arrival in Barcelona, Rizal immediately felt the shift in culture. Rizal usually encountered the most elegant and magnificent sceneries of Barcelona, but later on, he witnessed the city’s most ugly section, and this gave him a “nostalgic aspect to things” [21], an arguably Ignatian sensation. When Rizal arrived in Madrid, for he was to continue medical studies at the Central University of Madrid, Rizal found stark contradiction between the Spanish colonial government in the Philippines and in Madrid. While in the Philippines, Spaniards, friars and officers were almost tyrranical and absolutist, in Madrid, freethinkers and atheists spoke freely of religion, the State exercised little authority, and republicans (liberals) and Carlists (conservatives) worked freely for the realization of their political ideals:

“His sojourn in Spain opened up to him a new world. His intellectual horizons began to expand. New ideas pressed upon him. He came from a country where bigotry came naturally, where the Spanish friar, the Spanish bureaucrat and the Spanish officer ruled with unlimited power over body and soul . . . A feeling of bitterness seized him as he perceived the difference between the unchecked freedom of the Mother Country and the theocratic absolutism in his nativeland.” (Blumentritt)

While classical literature and philosophy inspired young Rizal in Ateneo, contemporary literature and philosophy shaped his political views during his age of maturity. The liberal and progressive ideas and writings of the Enlightenment and of Romanticism, particularly that of French philosophers Rosseau and Voltaire, gave Rizal a more outward political outlook. Having mingled with liberals in Madrid, Rizal changed from “from a pious Catholic to an articulate rationalist”[22]. On May 26 1882, not more than a month after Rizal had left the Philippines, Paciano Rizal, Rizal’s only brother whom he considered his second father, sent him a letter to remind him that he had gone to Spain to fulfill a much higher purpose. That beyond finishing medical studies, Paciano was convinced as well, that Rizal was to pursue what he was truly meant to do:

“To me the principal purpose of your departure is not to finish this course but to study other things of greater usefulness, or that to which you are more inclined. So I think that you ought to study at Madrid, center of all the provinces, because though it is true that there is more life, more work, and better education at Barcelona, you have not gone there either to take part in that kind of life or much less to work.” Manila, 26 May 1882

That Rizal was convinced that nations won their freedom “not on bended knees but with weapons in the hand”[23], he told his Jesuit mentors of. Rizal led the propaganda movement enjoined by Filipinos both abroad and in the Philippines such as Apolinario Mabini. He became a central figure in the Filipino reformist movement, and a writer of assertive political novels that criticized both Spanish and Church abuses. The pen, which Rizal called “the heart’s and head’s main instrument”[24], signified the non-revolutionary attitude which the propagandists took. After all, the movement aimed to achieve reform by awakening the spirit of solidarity of the Filipino people and stimulate the creation of diverse societies[25], and not through violent and revolutionary means. Rival evaded thoughts of garnering independence through brute force and instead believed in the natural evolution of Filipino mentality and nationalism. Rizal’s ability to foresee consequences of such a reckless decision proved to be of benefit to the future affairs that would win this nation its own sense of freedom.

In the course of this movement, Rizal mentioned that while his Jesuit education taught nothing about nationalism, the Jesuits certainly trained their students to the best persons that they can be. For that, Rizal felt convinced that they were taking the right track and the most possibly Jesuit way of interpreting political action:

“All of us have to sacrifice something on the altar of politics though we might not wish to do so. . . Almost all of us have been educated by the Jesuits, who certainly did not inculcate in us love of country, but they taught us the beautiful and the best! For that reason, I am not afraid of the differences in opinion that may possibly exist in our country. They can be combated and repressed.”[26] (Rizal to Blumentritt, Berlin, Germany, April 13, 1887)

ELOQUENTIA: RIZAL’S PEN SPEAKS

Young an Atenean that he was, Rizal was a writer, a poet, in other words, an inherent literary enthusiast. He “ventured to write and intrude in the illustrious and fastidious theather of the poets, orators, historians and rhetoricians”, Rizal wrote. Even when he enrolled at the University of Santo Tomas, young Rizal won in two literary contests: first prize for his ode ‘A la Juventud Filipina’, and another prize for his entry about Cervantes, ‘El Consejo de los Dioses’. His words flowed naturally but were equally strict and stark. For this gift, which the Ateneo had nurtured, Rizal to be a man who spoke his mind, which truly was, Ignatian eloquientia. Rizal considered it important to free and speak the mind, and this, according to him, was the ultimate goal of writing:

“We ought always to work with the head and the heard . . . Now, the heart’s and the head’s main instrument is the pen; some prefer the brush, others the chisel. I choose the pen. But let not the tool appear as the primordial element; at times with a bad one great works are accomplished. . .”[27]

Politics is in itself literature[28], and art must not simply aim to please, it must be an instrument for political action, Rizal wrote. He believed that the writer must be a critic of society. Rizal’s pen, most of all, had written literature that were embedded in issues with politics and social institutions.

As much as he had written a few articles before the novel, it was Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere that had earned him attention against many of the Spanish community of Manila. As soon as copies of the book reached Manila, Rizal was utterly antagonized by superiors of religious orders, keeping after the Governor-General to have the author tried. They condemned the book as “heretical, impious and scandalous from the religious angele, and unpatriotic, subversive of the public order, offensive to the Spanish government”.[29]

Rizal, however, felt he had done what he wanted to do. To Rizal, that Noli Me Tangere painted the “realities of a naive country” and “of what was happening” in his Motherland, which he longed to write about, the novel was the embodiment of himself as well. The novel was the enactment of a work to which he “took part in”, he wrote.  In a letter he sent Fr. Pablo Pastells, who was his spiritual guide and director even after he had left Ateneo, he described how much he treasured his novel:

“I have turned my eyes to the fresh years of my youth and I have asked myself if at any time resentment moved the pen that wrote Noli Me Tangere, and my memory has answered no. . . What there was, was a clear-sighted look at the realities in my naive country, the vivid memory of what was happening, and sufficient accuracy in determining the cause of the disease, so that I not only pictured the past but also guessed the future, for even now I see what I called a ‘novel’ come true so exactly that I say that I am present at the enactment of my own work and taking part in it.”[30] (Rizal to Father Pastells, Dapitan, 11 November 1892)

In this novel, Rizal’s special relationship with the Ateneo stood. He painted the Jesuits in good light, in contrast to the negative portrayal of other religious orders. Later on, Rizal moved to France where finished another novel, El Filibusterismo. A sequel to his first novel, El Filibusterismo was one that “sought the well-being of the suffering and promote human justice”[31]. He would have poured into its pages “all his knowledge, all his thoughts, all his feelings, but there was not enough space.”

The higher purpose of Rizal’s writings could perhaps be summarized in what he had told Juan Luna, ‘ad majorem Phil gloriam’[32], “for the greater glory of the Philippines”, which resounded the Latin motto of the Society of Jesus. In all of his writings, Rizal “vowed to dedicate to avenge the victims” of injustices and cruelties, he wrote. Witnessing the execution of the Gomburza fathers “opened up” young Rizal’s mind. For he was there — up a tree in Intramuros — when the three priests walked to their execution. Since then, he asked God to give him the occasion to pursue his studies and pass what he was sworn to do. And that same year, he applied in Ateneo Municipal, and his life changed forever:

“If it were not for 1872, we would today, not have Plaridel nor Jaena nor Sanciangco; there would be none of the brave and active Filipino communities in Europe. In view of those injustices and cruelties while I was yet a boy, my imagination woke up, and I vowed to dedicate myself to avenge those victims some day. With this idea in mind, I have pursued my studies, and this can be seen in all my writings. May God give me the occasion, some day, to bring to pass what I have sworn to do.”[33] (Rizal to Mariano Ponce, Paris, 18 April 1889)

In his later years, it was the Jesuits, out of all the men of the cloth, whom he corresponded with, debating with them on matters such as religion and the fate of the islands. As he walked to his execution grounds in Bagumbayan on December 30, 1896, two Jesuits were flanked by his side. For the last time, and it was to be some of the last words he would ever say, he turned to the city and recognized Ateneo, and had said that “he spent 7 years there [in Ateneo]” and that “everything the Jesuits taught me was good and holy”. To the Jesuits who went with him, Rizal cried out his suffering for it was “a terrible thing to die”[34]. To his very last day, Rizal turned to his Jesuit fathers for reassurance, some moments before he was shot.

And this man’s death led to the birth of a new nation.

HUMANITAS: THE ATENEAN AS NATION-BUILDER

We are now an independent nation. And yet, we still find ourselves in the same situation of social and economic underdevelopment as in Rizal’s time. A few elites control the wealth of the land, and the working class are alienated and subjugated to this select few. Our politicians are elected not based on genuine political ideologies and platforms but based on personality politics. Today’s youth are still void of education, for they cannot afford it and the government cannot provide for it. . . (some paragraphs deleted) . . . History is witness to this nation’s incessant rising and falling. . . (some paragraphs deleted) . . .

Today, we still are unsure about where we are heading — of where we are bringing this nation.  A hundred and fifty years ago, our heroes and martyrs fought for the Philippine nation, now, we are called to build this nation and sustain it. While we have achieved political independence, we continue to build the Philippine nation. This, truly, is the Atenean legacy which, more than 150 years ago, Philippine national hero and fellow Atenean Jose Rizal led and fought for, and now, the Atenean, most of all, is called to build and sustain. To be a nation-builder, “to contribute to the development goals of the nation”, as stated in Ateneo de Manila University’s vision and mission today, is the mission of every Atenean. We continue to become, as in Ignatian humanitas, not only for ourselves but for our country as well.

To be men and women for others — this phrase, coined by Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J., twenty-eighth Superior-General of the Jesuits, serves as the mantra of today’s Jesuit education, so much so, Ateneo. The concept of being-man-and-woman-for-others emphasizes “re-education for justice”, liberation of man, and “action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world”, and the Atenean is called to exemplify this. The Atenean is called to serve beyond oneself. The Atenean — the modern intellectual of today’s Philippine society — therefore, is asked not only to mesmer at the nation but to go down from the hill to build it.

CONCLUSION

As much as Ateneo has influenced Rizal, Rizal has influenced the Ateneo. Jose Rizal lived out what it means to be Atenean, by embodying Ignatian Sapienta, Eloquentia et Humanites, and at the same time, Rizal also redefined what it means to be truly Atenean —

    for, Rizal had shown, Sapientia does not just refer to a discerning mind, but that with a discerning mind, we must sail ‘to discover’.

    for Eloquentia does not just refer to speaking the mind, but speaking the heart as well.

    for Humanitas does not just refer to being truly human, but being truly human for others.

Every Atenean can read through the letters of Rizal, and find oneself. This, after all, is the ultimate message of Rizal’s life: “to challenge to be better than you are and to see beyond yourself”[35]. Ambeth Ocampo had said it plainly yet piercingly:

“. . . you can take a boy out of the Ateneo but you can never take Ateneo out of a boy. That is the germ of Rizal in Ateneo in Rizal.”[36]

Rizal lifted up the hearts of his generation, and now, the present generation inherits and preserves the legacy. More than a century had passed, but we remember him, and remember how much he believed in us:

To the Filipino youth,

Hold high your faultless brow,
Shine forth resplendent now,
In gallant glory stand,

Radiant Genius, fly!

Make thy noblest dreams his own;
Break the chain that shackles

Its creative Genius.

(Rizal, A La Juventud Filipina)

WORKS CITED

Fr. Jose S. Arcilla, S.J. Formation of Philippine Society. 2009, Diliman: Muse Books, p. 220.

Fr. Jose S. Arcilla, S.J. Rizal and Poltergeists in Dapitan. Philippine Studies vol. 49, no. 1 (2001).

Raul J. Bonoan, S.J. Rizal’s Record at the Ateneo, Philippine Studies Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints, 27(1).

Fr. Raul J. Bonoan, S.J., trans., The Rizal-Pastells Correspondence. 1994, Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University press. For an online version, refer to http://joserizal.info/Writings/Letters/rizal-pastells.htm.

Petronilo B.N. Daroy and Dolores S.Fere. Rizal: Contrary Essay. Petronilo B.N. Daroy and Dolores S.Fere. 1968, Quezon City: Guro Books.

Horacio V. Dela Costa, trans and ed. The Trial of Rizal (W.E. Retana’s transcription of  the official Spanish documents). 1961, Manila: Ateneo de Manila University Press.

Jaime C. de Veyra, trans and annotated, Poesías de Rizal. 1946, Manila: Bureau of Printing.

P. Jacinto. [Rizal’s pen name], trans Leon Maria Guerrero. Memorias de un Estudiante de Manila. 1950, Manila: Bardavon Book Co.

Leon Ma. Guerrero. The First Filipino: A Biography of Jose Rizal. 1977. National Historical Institute.

Leon Ma. Guerrero. Race, Religion and Rhetoric in The First Filipino: A Biography of Jose Rizal. 1977. National Historical Institute

Ambeth Ocampo. Rizal in Ateneo in Rizal. June 22, 2011. Retrieved from http://opinion.inquirer.net/6759/rizal-in-ateneo-in-rizal.

Claude Pavur, S.J., trans. and annotated. The Ratio studiorum: the official plan for Jesuit education.2005. Saint Louis, MO : Institute of Jesuit Sources.

Francisco Villanueva y Madrid, Jr. Reminiscences of Rizal’s Stay in Europe. 19– Cornell University. Retrieved from http://ia600409.us.archive.org/25/items/cu31924023255874/cu31924023255874.pdf

Rizal-Blumentritt Correspondence. 2011, National Historical Commission.

Paolo M. Taruc. A Martyr Lives On. August 2, 2011, The Guidon. Retrieved from http://www.theguidon.com/1112/main/2011/08/a-martyr-lives-on/.

Richard Henry Tierney, 1870-1928. Teacher and teaching. 1914, New York [etc.]: Longmans, Green and co. Retrieved from http://www.archive.org/stream/teacherteaching00tier/teacherteaching00tier_djvu.txt.

Maxima Viola. My Travels with Doctor Rizal,. Retrieved from http://joserizal.info/Biography/viola_diary.htm.

ENDNOTES

[1] Read Hofileña’s complete response in Dr. Fernando P. Hofileña, Lux-in-Domino Citation in In Memoriam: Fernando P. Hofileña, M.D. Retrieved from http://www.ateneo.edu/index.php?p=120&type=2&aid=10616.

[2] For an account of the lives and contributions of some of the greatest Ateneans, refer to 150 The Ateneo Way, a coffee table book compiled and edited by Fr. Jose Arcilla, S.J.2009. Mediawise Communications, Inc.

[3] Chapter 5 of P. Jacinto [Rizal’s pen name], trans Leon Maria Guerrero. Memorias de un Estudiante de Manila. 1950, Manila: Bardavon Book Co.

[4] William Cornwallis Cartwright in The Jesuits: their constitution and teaching; an historical sketch. 1876. J. Murray.

[5] Claude Pavur, S.J., trans. and annotated. The Ratio studiorum: the official plan for Jesuit education.2005. Saint Louis, MO : Institute of Jesuit Sources.

[6] Description of Leon Ma. Guerrero in The First Filipino: A Biography of Jose Rizal. 1977. National Historical Institute.

[7] Tierney, Richard Henry, 1870-1928. Teacher and teaching. 1914, New York [etc.]: Longmans, Green and co. For the full text, see http://www.archive.org/stream/teacherteaching00tier/teacherteaching00tier_djvu.txt

[8] Retana, 19, quoting an article by Xerez Burgos entitled Rizal de niño, in Republica Filpina, 30 December 1898.

[9] Chapter 5 of Memorias de un Estudiante de Manila. Manila.

[10] Raul J. Bonoan, S.J. Rizal’s Record at the Ateneo, Philippine Studies Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints, 27(1), 53-74.

[11] Poesías de Rizal, edited and annotated by Jaime C. de Veyra. 1946, Manila: Bureau of Printing.

[12] 46, Leon Ma. Guerrero. Race, Religion and Rhetoric in The First Filipino: A Biography of Jose Rizal. 1977. National Historical Institute.

[13] Ibid, p. 47.

[14] Chapter 5 of P. Jacinto [Rizal’s pen name], trans Leon Maria Guerrero. Memorias de un Estudiante de Manila. 1950, Manila: Bardavon Book Co.

[15] Leon Ma. Guerrero. Race, Religion and Rhetoric in The First Filipino: A Biography of Jose Rizal. 1977. National Historical Institute, p. 49.

[16] Ibid, 49. Guerrero described Rizal’s sensitiveness and self-assertiveness as two traits in Young Rizal which would be of utmost importance later in his life.

[17] The same translation of Blumentritt’s article, in Leon Ma. Guerrero. The First Filipino: A Biography of Jose Rizal. 1977. National Historical Institute, p. 49.

[18] On May 5, Diary of Rizal in 1882: Travel from Calamba to Barcelona. Online version can be retrieved at http://joserizal.info/Writings/Diary/01_Calamba-Barcelona.htm.

[19] Fr. Jose S. Arcilla, S.J. Formation of Philippine Society. 2009, Diliman: Muse Books, p. 220.

[20] Francisco Villanueva y Madrid, Jr. Reminiscences of Rizal’s Stay in Europe. 19– Cornell University, p. 21. Retrieved from http://ia600409.us.archive.org/25/items/cu31924023255874/cu31924023255874.pdf

[21] Written by Rizal on June 6, on his trip to Barcelona, Diary of Rizal in 1882: Travel from Calamba to Barcelona.

[22] Description by Fr. Jose C. Arcilla, S.J. Formation of Philippine Society. 2009, Diliman: Muse Books, p. 220.

[23] Fr. Arcilla’s description, Ibid, 223.

[24]Rizal’s letter addressed to Mariano Ponce. London, 27 June 1888. Online version retrieved from http://www.filipiniana.net/publication/rizal-london-27-june-1888-to-mariano-ponce/13076029571131/1/1.

[25] Maxima Viola narrated her conversations with Rizal in Maxima Viola. My Travels with Doctor Rizal,. Retrieved from http://joserizal.info/Biography/viola_diary.htm.

[26] Rizal’s letter addressed to Blumentritt. Berlin, Germany, April 13, 1887. In Jose Rizal, Rizal-Blumentritt Correspondence. 2011, National Historical Commission.

[27] Fr. Arcilla’s book

[28] A chapter entitled “Politics as Literature” was dedicated to a discussion on why Rizal considered politics as literary, and vice-versa, in Petronilo B.N. Daroy and Dolores S.Fere. Rizal: Contrary Essay. Petronilo B.N. Daroy and Dolores S.Fere. 1968, Quezon City: Guro Books.

[29] Rizal to Blumentritt, Ghent, 22 September 1891 in Teodoro M. Kalaw. Epistolario Rizalino. Bureau of Printing, 1930-1931. Fr. Arcilla, S.J. also mentioned in Rizal and Poltergeists in Dapitan, Philippine Studies vol. 49, no. 1 (2001), p. 95.

[30] Fr. Raul J. Bonoan, S.J., trans. The Rizal-Pastells Correspondence. 1994, Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University press. For an online version, refer to http://joserizal.info/Writings/Letters/rizal-pastells.htm.

[31] Fr. Jose Arcilla, Rizal and Poltergeists in Dapitan. Philippine Studies vol. 49, no. 1 (2001), p. 96.

[32] After finishing Noli Me Tangere, Rizal told Juan Luna that he was at the British Museum for some “ad majorem Phil gloriam”. Found in Leon Ma. Guerrero. The First Filipino: A Biography of Jose Rizal. 1977. National Historical Institute, p. 218.

[33] Rizal’s letter addressed to Mariano Ponce. Paris, 18 April 1889. Online version retrieved from http://www.filipiniana.net/publication/rizal-paris-18-april-1889-to-mariano-ponce/13097440725771/1/0.

[34] Horacio V. Dela Costa, trans and ed. The Trial of Rizal (W.E. Retana’s transcription of  the official Spanish documents). 1961, Manila: Ateneo de Manila University Press.

[35] In a personal interview with Ambeth Ocampo. Paolo M. Taruc. A Martyr Lives On. August 2, 2011, The Guidon. Retrieved from http://www.theguidon.com/1112/main/2011/08/a-martyr-lives-on/.

[36] Ambeth Ocampo was referring to an exhibit in Ateneo de Manila University entitled Rizal in Ateneo  in Rizal. Rizal in Ateneo in Rizal. June 22, 2011. Retrieved from http://opinion.inquirer.net/6759/rizal-in-ateneo-in-rizal

“Kulang-Kulang”

12.31.2011. 5:30 AM.

Inspired by Hegelian phenomenology, faith-without-religion paper, my life, and cobra.

Kulang-Kulang

Abalang
hanap-hanap ang kung anong makabubuo
dito sa sandaling lilipas rin,
sa sariling gala,
para sa mamayang
hindi alam kung darating.

Binibigkas ang awit ng pagtitiis,
pare-pareho, paulit-ulit:
nakaabang, nanabik.
Ano pa’t mahirap ang
“sayang,
kung sana lang.”

Hanggang sa pagtila ng ngayon
ay ang kaninang
hindi naman, hindi nanaman.
Walang espasyong iniiwan,
muli’t muli, lagi.

Hindi ba’t
sa totoong pagkakakulang-kulang,
nabubuo?

HAPPY 2012!!

Eskapong sa Pasko’y Pasók

Bilang pasko naman.

Nang nakaraang taon, pinasulat kame ni Sir Coroza ng sanaysay na maglalarawan ng karanasan namin sa magdaraang Pasko.

 

Isinumite: Enero 06 2011

FIL12 K, Sir M Coroza

Unang Maikling Papel

 

SA ATENEO NAGSISIMULA ANG AKING PASKO

Gaano man ibalot at ipagkasya ang sarili sa kumot, hindi matatakasan ang ginaw kung Amihan na ang malayang lumiligid sa bulwagang Cervini. Sa panahong ito, mas mahaba man ang gabi sa araw, pinakamahirap magpasiya kung papasok sa maagang klase o iaantala ang gising sapagkat sadyang kaylamig ng hele ng hangin. Gayundin, mahirap panatilihing mulat ang mga mata sa mga klase lalong-lalo pa’t mga dahong nahuhulog sa puno ang tanawin saan man sa kampus ng Ateneo. Sa gabi naman, matatanaw mula sa dormitoryo ang mga pa-ilaw at parol sa simbahan ng Gesu at ang basar sa Xavier field, marahil ang pinakamasiglang parte ng Ateneo. Hindi man kasinghaba at kasing-aga ng tinaguriang Paskong Filipinas, hinuhudyat na ng mga ito ang pagsisimula ng Paskong Ateneo.

Kakaiba ang pag-aabang ko sa Pasko ngayong taon sapagkat malayo ako sa Zamboanga at mga nakagawian ko dito. Hindi ko maitatangging bigla-bigla, sumusulpot sa isip ko ang mga tradisyon at karanasang nakasanayan ko sa Zamboanga. Minsan, umaasa akong makasaksi dito sa Cervini ng mga makukulit na batang mangangarol at marinig ang mali-maling nilang awit tulad ng sa aming probinsiya. Hindi kaya, bumalik sa mga pagkakataong kasama ang mga kaibigan buong gabi sa bungad ng maliliwanag na Belen na tulad ng sa bulwagan ng aming barangay. Sa tuwing tatambay ako sa silid-lathalaan ng Matanglawin sa gusali ng MVP, hindi ko maiwasang maalala ang mga mangangarol sa pag-alingawngaw ng mga awiting pamasko galing sa mga koro ng katabing organisasyon na ACIL o Gabay. Hindi kaya, sa usok sa mga ihawan sa basar sa tapat ng Gesu, naaalala ko ang mga isaw at pisbol na kasama  naming magkakaibigan sa kuwentuhan sa harap ng Belen. Napagtanto kong sa bilis ng pagbabago ng buhay ko, mas naunawaan ko ang halaga ng mga bagay na minsan, nakakaligtaan ko sapagkat masyado na silang karaniwan. Sa mga pagkakataong ito, hinahanap-hanap ko ang mga karanasang ito sapagkat gaano mang karaniwan, naging bahagi na sila ng aking pagkatao. Gayumpaman, naisip kong hamon ito upang mas unawain ang aking paligid at mas payabungin ang sarili sa pamamagitan ng mga bagong karanasan sa panibagong pakikipagsapalaran.

Palapit na ang bakasyon ngunit tambak pa rin ang mga tungkuling pilit pinapatapos ng mga guro. Iyon namang hindi matapos, isinisingit sa tambak na ngang pabaon para sa Pasko. Kaya naman, gintong-ginto ang anumang oras na maikubli ko para sa ibang gawain. Sa anim na parting dinaluhan ko, may palitan ng regalo ang lima. Sa susunod, hindi pala dapat ganoon karami ang sasalihan dahil magastos na, nakakapagod at pangain pa ng oras ang maghanap ng mga regalo! Pero sa huli, naisip kong sulit naman ang pagod dahil sa sáya at mga halakhakang pinagsaluhan kasama ang mga taong parehong nagpagod para makapagbigay ng magandang regalo. Sa karanasang ito, napagtanto kong sadya ngang hindi isang simpleng proseso ng bigay-kuha ang buhay. Ayon pa sa paglalarawan ni Berkeley, the task of an apple lies in the contact of the fruit with the palate, not with the fruit itself. What is essential is the aesthetic act, the thrill, the almost physical emotion . . .

Gaano man kaabala sa buong araw, hindi ko nakaligtaang ipagbunyi ang tunay na diwa ng Pasko sa pamamagitan ng pagdalo sa mga Simbang Gabi. Sadyang memorable ang mga ito sapagkat unang pagkakataon ko ito na makiisa sa tradisyong Filipino. Hindi ko man nakumpleto ang siyam na misa para raw matupad ang hiling, sapat na ang makasama ko ang mga kaibigan sa makabulang misa sa pag-aabang ng pagkasilang ni Kristo.

Sapat na ang aking Pasko hindi pa man pumapatak ang mismong araw nito. Gayumpaman, nakapag-impake na ako: mabigat na ang bagahe ko hindi lamang dahil sa maraming librong pabaon ng mga guro ngunit dulot rin ng mga alaalang dadalhin ko mula sa aking unang Paskong Ateneo. Naghihintay na ang eroplanong maghahatid sa akin sa tunay na Pasko sa tahanan ko sa Zamboanga.

ESKAPO SA BISPERAS NG PASKO

Pansamantala kong isinantabi ang sangkaterbang takdang gawain para sa eskuwela nang lumabas sa internet ang huling episodyo ng sinusubaybayan kong anime na Amagami SS. Maaga pa ang gabi kaya’t pinanood ko muna ito. Dahil sa bisperas ng Pasko inilabas, ipinaghalo ang tema ng Pasko sa romantik na genré ng palabas. Sa ideyal na paglalahad ng mga karanasan sa Pasko ng magkasintahan sa kuwento, napagtanto kong nasa mga kamay ko rin ang kakayahang ihugis ang kuwento ng sarili kong Pasko.

Nagsimula nang umingay sa sala ng aming bahay sapagkat maraming tao tulad ng mga kamag-anak, kaibigan at empleyado. Marami sa kanila, nag-iinuman sa harap ng videoke sa balkonahe ng aming bahay samantalang nagpapalitan ng mga kuwento. Sinabayan ko naman ito ng tugtog ng makabagong musika galing sa aking kompiyuter para matakpan ang katahimikan ng kuwarto ko. Gaano man karami ang tao, hindi pa rin ito kumpleto sapagkat wala ang isa kong kapatid na nagtatrabaho sa Dubai. Nakakalungkot sapagkat ito ang unang Pasko na hindi kami kumpleto bilang pamilya. Kaya naman, nagsama-sama kame sa harap ng kompiyuter para batiin ang kapatid sa pamamagitan ng video chat sa internet. Napagtanto kong naging eskapo na nga nating mga Filipino ang teknolohiya mula sa katotohanan na pilit tayong pinaglalayo ng kawalang-kakayahan natin na masolusyonan ang suliranin sa pangingibang-bansa. Sa kabalintunahan, naisip kong ipinapakita nito ang kagustuhan ng mga Filipino na mailigtas ang pamilya sa kabila ng mapait na realidad. Sadya ngang mapaglaro ng tadhana. Mismong ako, nagdalawang-isip kung uuwi ba agad para sa Pasko dahil may mga kailangan pang tapusin sa Maynila. Nang matapos ang pakikipag-usap namin sa aming kapatid, nagsama-sama na kameng magpapamilya sa hapag-kainan upang pagsaluhan ang simple ngunit makabuluhang noche buena.

Sinimulang kong magsulat ng entri sa blog ko para ipaabot ang Pamaskong pagbati at pasasalamat sa mga taong naging bahagi ng aking Pasko. Inabot ako ng madaling araw sa pagsulat ngunit naisip kong wala lamang iyon kung ihahalintulad sa ligayang idinulot nila sa akin ngayong Pasko.

Kinaumagahan, pumunta kameng pamilya sa dambana ng Fort Pilar upang dumalo sa misa ng Pasko. Sa kabila ng lahat ng pinagkakaabalahan, ang pagdating ni Kristo pa rin ang talagang diwa ng Pasko. Nagsindi kame ng mga kandila sa sikat na shrine. Samantalang kumukuha ng letrato ng isa’t isa, nadatnan namin, bagaman Pasko, ang mga batang nagbebenta ng mga kandila at popcorn. Naguhit ang malaking ngiti sa kanilang mga mukha nang isali namin sila sa iilang letrato at handugan ng Pamaskong regalo. Naisip kong masyado akong naging kulong sa sarili kong mundo kaya’t nakaligtaan ko ang realidad na may mga bata at pamilyang naghihirap ngayong Pasko. Kaya’t kahit sa maliit na paraan, masaya ako sapagkat napasaya namin sila.

Sa hapon naman, nanood kame ng mga kaibigan ko mula hayskul ng pelikulang Dalaw, isang entri sa Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). Sadyang kay galing na ng Filipino ngayon sa paghahabi ng nakakatakot na pelikula. Bukod riyon, nakasama kong muli ang matatalik na kaibigan galing hayskul. Natapos ang mahaba at makahulugang araw ng Pasko ko sa gabihan kasama ang pamilya.

HIKAHOS: PAGBALIK SA REALIDAD        

Sa susunod na taon muli ang Pasko. Gayumpaman, nagpagtanto kong hindi kailangang hintayin ang Pasko upang maunawaan ang halaga ng sarili, kaibigan, pamilya at ni Kristo. Araw-araw, maaari kong matutunan ang mga bagay na ito basta’t pagtutuunan ng pansin. Nasa pandaigdigang paliparan ng Zamboanga ako ngayon, naghihintay sa eroplanong magdadala sa akin sa panibagong tahanan sa Maynila. Bagamam nagdaan na ang Pasko, sa buong buhay ko dadalhin ang mga alaala at aral nito.

In another world

What I would probably be:

> Physicist-Mathematician-Philosopher

mala-Rene Descartes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

> Jesuit Priest-Economics (or Philippine History) Professor

mala-Fr. Arcilla, mas terror lang :))

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

> Psychologist-Therapist

mala-Kal Penn in How I Met Your Mother

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

> Cool rich party Western guy

mala-Jim Sturgess in One Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

> Novelist (of classical pieces)

mala-May Day Eve ni Nick Joaquin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#end

#kthnksbye

Happy Stress and my First Sem 2011-2012

Last semester was awesome, but not the kind of awesome one would easily appreciate.

In terms of physical and mental stress, I think last sem is the most stressful sem I’d have over the next years!

It’s true that the higher one’s level of stress is, the greater is the potential for one to feel happier/more fulfilled. This I call ‘happy stress’. That really, it’s not a matter of what is [stress] but that you realize its value (or non-value) every time you have it [stress]. It’s these things that alter, tilt life or prompt spontaneity that really make us appreciate our ”humanity” and “individuality”.

(i) Spongebob: ROTC 2011-2012

Waking up 3 or 4 every Saturday morning for ROTC Special Flight training after a week of hell (aka acads)? Definitely not the best activity to take! After what, four or five months of physical and mental training, of balancing this with acads and social life, ugh, it’s hell difficult. Along the way, had to reprimand the Cafeteria lady, the dorm guard, roommates, (annoying) people, (sorry had to do it guys) to channel the negative feelings brought about by the inferiority, laziness, recklessness and nobodyness that ROTC instills in you as part of the training. For all these is why I admire greatly all my officers and COCs and co-SFs

The best reflection ever said to me was that of one of my buddies Nats (non-verbatim) — to realize that when you graduate, you would hardly remember the routinary/minutiae accomplishments and experiences in College… it’s these things — such as ROTC — long, block, extreme, experiences — that would really bring concrete feelings back to you even when you’ve left College.

That’s why I’ll keep that picture of Special Flight graduation deep deep in my heart (cheesy but true). I don’t have a picture of my Air Police pin but it’s one of the awesomest things I have!

(2) Best Professors and Subjects Yet

Alvin Yapan – FIL14

Siya na talaga. Galing lang ni Sir!

JE Tirol – Western Civilization

Ronnie Calugay – Biotechnology

Puetopellano – Muay Thai

PolSci: Trinidad-Candelaria-Abao

On History and Human Subjectivity

Submitted: August 10, 2011

HI18, Sir J.M.E. Tirol

Second Reflection Paper (On the movie Courage Under Fire)

Grade for Paper: A

“Human memory is never objective. Nevertheless, we need to seek truth in history to honor the past, and in doing so, better understand ourselves in the present.”

Reality is not just black and white. From a macro level standpoint, we can describe our world as one that is full of ideologies, motivations and asymmetries. Every time frame in history is sheathed with social, economic, political, religious and cultural scenarios which have effects on the way we live, think and act. From a micro level standpoint, every person has a unique set of experiences and encounters with people, places and time. Conversely, as much as life is about possibilities, each one of us is also naturally limited in many ways. All these internal and external factors blur and taint our memory of the past as we cosmologically move forward in our lives and in history. We would always come from certain perspectives.

The movie “Courage Under Fire” likewise reflects the grayness of our world. We know that stories happened; now we ask, how do we unravel and tell these stories?

The movie begins with what can be a literal interpretation of the title. In the middle of warfare in Al Bathra during the Gulf War, Lt. Col. Nathaniel Serling mistakenly gave the order to fire a friendly unit that killed Lt. Boylar. Literally under fire for committing friendly fire, Lt. Col. Serling’s courage was shook. What makes this much more irregular is how the military concealed from the public and Lt. Boylar’s parents the truth about his death. Certainly, the lies and the cover ups reflect a past dishonored. To put it in Serling’s words, “For the public and the parents of Boylar to not know the truth is to disrespect the death of Lt. Boylar at all. To not reveal the truth for the military’s benefit would mean consequences to other people involved. The military knew about a truth that would truly free the parents of Lt. Boylar but they kept it. To live in a world of lies, one will never be able to truly understand himself or herself in the present.

More crucial than that, by obscuring history by not revealing what we know, we force the people who know the truth to believe in something that did not happen. What do we honor in something that is not true, if it did not or does not exist in the first place? This is why we need to seek truth in history because only by recognizing something real and authentic do we genuinely honor the past. What happened was Lt. Col. Serling received a medal anyway. Clearly, not disclosing to the public what happened bothered him because he was benefiting from a half-truth.

The pursuit to find this integrity back heavily convinced Lt. Col. Serling to find out what really happened to Army Captain Karen Emma Walden when the Colonel was later reassigned to determine if the Captain deserved to receive a posthumous Medal of Honor. If so, Capt. Walden would be the first woman to receive the award.

Consequently, Lt. Col. Serling started investigating the case. What was noteworthy about the investigations was how each of the soldiers narrated the event from a certain vantage point. Lt. Chelli contributed by describing his troop’s encounter with Capt. Walden’s Huey from afar, therefore Lt. Chelli and his troop were essentially narrating a story from a third person point-of-view. However, what they narrated were select facts about the scenario. The thing is, they were not able to narrate everything not only because they were stationed somewhere distant from Capt. Walden’s team but because the facts that they chose to retain were the memories that were relevant to them. Similarly, being biased is not merely about retelling facts as they are but also that the mere process of picking certain facts to consider remembering is in itself bias.

What even put more pressure in the investigations was when Lt. Col. Serling found out that Capt. Walden was a woman. As described by the Washington Post reporter, “She’s the first woman ever to be awarded Medal of Honor for combat. It’s gold. I’ve got here little daughter. . . The president’s going to lean down and hang that ribbon round that pretty face. There is not going to be a dry eye from Nashua to Sacramento.” This statement also alluded to Monfriez’s statement later on, “I told them what they wanted to hear, we all did” and much later Brigadier General Hershber’s in the words, “Everybody wants it – senators, congressmen –one shiny piece of something for people to believe in.”

From this we can see how the kind of society that we are part of greatly contributes to how the truth should be crafted. Our society has needs and expectations, and these needs and expectations form a value of its own. In other words, in the process of seeking the truth, societal influence takes part in the value judgment spectrum. For example, in assuring the integrity of the military or in giving people something to believe in, the truth that is portrayed plays a vital role. The real meaning of disclosing a truth becomes of similar value with faking a truth. Machiavelli would say, the end justifies the means; or Foucault, it’s just an apparatus of the government to assure its preservation. In all essence, deciding whether to alter the truth or not now essentially becomes a matter of choice and value judgment, and in making these choices, biases are inevitable. Human memory essentially loses its objectivity in this aspect too.

On the contrary, this conscious recognition of societal pressures only convinced Lt. Col. Serling to know more about what really happened in the battlefield. He continued the investigations. He talked to co-pilot Warrant Officer Rady to get his account of the event. Rady’s narrative revolved around how Capt. Walden bravely responded when the Huey got unsteady after getting hit by bullets. Lt. Col Serling also talked to Ilario, who as a medic, gave a narrative from a medic’s perspective – describing how Rady and the Captain were greatly wounded. Another soldier, Staff Sergeant Monfriez, gave an account which reflected assertiveness by calling Capt. Walden a coward. Finally, even Sergeant Altameyer, who could hardly consciously speak, gave out the words which were most significant to him, “Fire! Fire!”

Clearly, the common ground among these accounts is how every person comes from a certain perspective and bias, such as their role and their personality. What is clear was how they did not have consistent interpretations of the event. Similarly, human memory is never objective because it is subject to interpretation. For instance, Monfriez, who later would defy the Captain’s orders, damagingly described the Captain in order to serve his interest. The investigations carefully portrayed how one event can have many interpretations – that human memory is subjective.

Lt. Col. Serling, who persisted to further investigate the issue, eventually and gradually unraveled more details about the event, hoping to know and reach the “objective history”. This was, however, an agonizing process. To tell the truth and honor the past is a noble task – something that requires sacrifice. Monfriez did not have the courage admit the truth which caused him to commit suicide. Ultimately however, Ilario confessed what really happened – how they committed the likes of mutiny against Capt. Walden. But truly, only when we let go of our inhibitions and denials can we truly move on and understand ourselves.

We do not honor the past when we do not exert effort to know the past. Like Capt. Walden’s case, there are things that are of tremendous importance to society and to us even in the present. When Lt. Col. Serling investigated the case with extreme curiosity, the past is valued more. If he did not seek to know what really happened, the past would not be truly appreciated as it is.

If Capt. Walden were awarded a Medal of Honor merely for leading the troops, then it’s not authentic recognition of the past. However, Capt. Walden was given the award for selflessly sacrificing in the line of duty and military service. By finding out more about the truth, we actually honor a real past. Regardless of whether the truth is uninteresting and ordinary, the important lesson is that the truth we are recognizing is the real one.

However, a contradiction is occurring: if human memory is never objective, how can we seek “real truth” in history? In other words, do we ever get to a truth if we know that everything is subject to interpretation? How do we know that Capt. Walden really courageously faced the crucial battle? Whereas, as the movie moved from one witness to another, the interpretation that is implied to the audience also changed each time. What if, one fact has been ignored which can overturn our impression of Capt. Walden?

I think this would be the reason why Lt. Col. Serling, throughout the movie, never really commented as to whether he sided with Capt. Walden or not. It just came to a point that Capt. Walden was awarded for merits she exemplified, but a mere award such as that would never define the “truth” that transpired. The award recognized a certain aspect of Capt. Walden – her bravery, valor and selflessness – but that award did not mean to define the totality of whatever happened in the battlefield.

Similarly, the truth we know and accept in our lives, our interpretations of the past, do not encapsulate the totality of the experience or the event. The truths we recognize reflect only a certain aspect of our interpretation of the accounts of the past – that we judge things to be true only as “rays in a greater spectrum”. Meaning, we aren’t capable of omnisciently knowing and interpreting an experience in its entirety but just as strands that extend only to particular personal satisfaction.

Just like Lt. Col. Serling – he wasn’t really trying to impose an omniscient reading of what happened in the battlefield, but that he was trying to understand the a particular aspect – the underlying values for Capt. Walden to be awarded the merits for, that beyond the facts are values that cannot be determined other than by human subjectivity. From that, he was able to understand more himself. In fact, what gives present life to our experiences in the past is not just what objectively happened in the past but our subjectivity and interpretations in the present.

The movie concluded with Lt. Col. Serling offering his medal to Capt. Walden’s tomb while an audio was playing where Capt. Walden was reading her letter. Now, it’s all about forgiveness and moving on. When we know we’ve discovered the truths that we know has set us free, then we must be freed. From this, we understand ourselves in the present – that our interpretations, subjectivity, emotions, and value judgments make us who we are and make us unique. Like Lt. Col. Serling, we would finally let go of a medal when we have realized its real value to us and to others like Capt. Walden. How we remain courageous, despite the inconsistencies in the past and the challenges we experience in the present, give us the impetus to find out who we truly are.

Umibig, umibig at umibig pa rin / Nang may magawa ang mga bituin

Awit Kay Ana ni Eduardo Jose E. Calasanz

Walang ginagawa ang mga bituin
Kundi pagmasdan ang mga mangingibig.

Isang gabi, kapag ikaw ay umiibig,
Tumingala ka sa mga bituin.
Malasin mo ang kanilang ningning,
Ligaya mo’y sinasalamin.

Mabait ang mga bituin.
Sa mga mangingibig
Isa lamang ang hiling:
Umibig, umibig at umibig
Nang may magawa ang mga bituin.

Walang ginagawa ang mga bituin
Kundi pagmasdan ang mga mangingibig.

Isang gabi, kung masawi ka sa pag-ibig
Tumingala kang muli sa sa mga bituin;
Pati liwanag, nagiging dilim
At tamis ng puso’y dahan-dahang umaasim.

Malupit ang mga bituin.
Sa mga bigo sa pag-ibig
Labis ang hinihiling:
Umibig, umibig at umibig pa rin,
Nang may magawa ang mga bituin.

*Oo, kukunin ko si Sir Calasanz sa isa sa mga Philo subjects ko!

A Federal Bangsamoro State as a Viable Solution in the Resumption of GPH-MILF Peace Talks

My personal take on the recent news about MILF’s rejection of the government’s offer of a wider autonomy — is federalism, and my Argumentative Research Paper [below] would explain why for me, it’s for the best.

The lead paragraph of the article “Rebels Reject Plan for Filipino Muslims” by C.  Conde of The New York Times described the still on-going negotiations in this way:

“Islamic rebels in the southern Philippines have rejected a government offer of “genuine autonomy” for Filipino Muslims, saying Tuesday that it “does not address the real issues” that have fueled the separatist rebellion in the country’s south over the past 40 years.”

Submitted: March, 2011

EN12, Ms. A Soriano

Argumentative Research Paper (ARP)

Note: This is a Copy of the Final Draft (which I edited again)

Grade for Paper (the Draft before the Final Draft that was never returned): A

Every peace negotiation capitalizes on the earnestness and genuineness of the involved parties to participate. Ideally, parties in any peace process should be earnest, genuine and committed to each other not only to jumpstart the talks but also to resemble the real end goal which is peace. However, in reality, parties usually fail to trust each other because the development in the actual process does not proceed as immediately and precisely as envisioned. Ironic as it may seem, peace processes are shrouded by disappointments. For instance, a complex demand from one party cannot always be granted immediately and fully by the other, sometimes, not at all.

Such is the dilemma of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) in the resumption of the peace negotiations with the dissident rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The MILF, which separated from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in 1981, fights for the rights of the Bangsamoro people. Ever since the colonizers of our country deprived them of their rights over their own land, the Bangsamoro, which comprises of thirteen ethno-linguistic Moro tribes, have been struggling to regain their right to self-determination (Abreu, 2001).

Several years of negotiations in the past failed to bring a genuine peace accord between the parties. The 1976 Tripoli Agreement between the GRP and the MNLF resulted in the creation of the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) which the MNLF did not want. The 2001 Tripoli Agreement between the GRP and the MILF resulted in a Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) which the Supreme Court denied. As the peace negotiations resume with these failures still fresh in mind, the government has a lot to show and prove in order to regain its integrity.

In tackling the issue of the Bangsamoro, many should be considered in the negotiations. What attitude should the government take? Who should be on the negotiating table? Fundamentally, however, the Moro problem, equivalently the Bangsamoro right to self-determination, needs a certain form of autonomy; the form of autonomy that would be compromised in the negotiations really determines if the peace efforts will advance or not. As simple as it may seem, arriving at a decision is a difficult task for the government. Autonomy comprises of national and transnational demands in terms of resources, territory and governance among others.

As the world turns to multinational federalism in order to cater to national minorities, several national leaders and political figures have also been promoting a shift to federalism as a means to cater to the Bangsamoro problem. This paper believes that the Philippine government should prioritize and advertise the idea of a federal Bangsamoro state in the resumption of the GPH-MILF negotiations above all other political options. Although federalism involves a complex and risky political restructuring, federalism serves as the best option because it embodies a genuine autonomy towards the country’s dream of a sustainable peace.

However, although federalism is becoming more acclaimed nationally and globally, to our country, the suggestion to shift to federalism in order to create a Bangsamoro state remains a mere idea. The process of conceptualizing is always unsure and risky. A shift to federalism as a means to cater to the Bangsamoro demands requires radical changes in the national and local political landscape which, fundamentally, is manifested in the need for a constitutional amendment. Although the negotiations are confined with solving the problem of the Southern part of Mindanao, the fate of the whole country is at stake in changing the constitution. For instance, the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (BJE MOA-AD) in 2008 was suspended by the Supreme Court because the judiciary deemed that certain provisions in the MOA-AD required amendments to the constitution which necessitated public consultations (Alvarez, 2009). Because creating a federal Bangsamoro state requires constitutional change, the whole process should correspond to the opinion of the general public. If the BJE MOA-AD failed to be transparent and agreeable to majority of the Filipinos, a radical political change in the face of federalism may not appeal to the Filipinos.

Aside from the complexities of changing the Constitution, the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the supposed BJE, among others, show how the government strictly crafts its decisions within the framework of the 1987 Constitution. Julkipli M. Wadi, present dean of the Institute of Islamic Studies of the University of the Philippines, emphasized the government’s task to creatively utilize and exhaust the constitution while the government resists to finally open up to constitutional amendment (personal communication, January 28, 2011). Apparent in the result of the negotiations in the past, the suggestion to move to a federal structure remains a remote agendum in the present talks. Truly, in negotiating within the framework of the constitution, the government can most efficiently proceed with the negotiations because no period is wasted on amending the constitution. All that the government has to do is to find ways that will make the present constitution work in light of the demands of the Bangsamoro. The government is forced to keep itself away from implementing radical national changes because the constitution restricts and regulates every decision of the government peace panel. In principle, working with a constitution that has been tested and contested for several years, Filipinos can better absorb the changes that the present constitution permits and prohibits.

In radically altering a political system, several important aspects of the issue have to be theoretically assessed and projected which means a lot of risks can occur. Similarly, turning to federalism to resolve the Bangsamoro problem faces a lot of skepticisms and risks. Federalism, being a higher form of decentralized autonomy, bestows greater authority, independence and responsibility to the regional government, which means that a greater leadership is needed. A concrete basis in predicting the leadership capability of the Bangsamoro leaders is by evaluating their performance in the ARMM. Clearly, the present regional government of the ARMM generally failed to deliver basic services to its people. Lingga (2010) reported a high 61.8 per cent poverty incidence, low 62.9 per cent literacy rate and high 23.1 per cent out-of-school youth rate which makes ARMM the region with the lowest standards of living in the country. Santos (2005) claimed that one of the reasons for the failure of ARMM is the weak regional leadership of the Bangsamoro especially in promoting the public’s common interest (Santos, 2005). If the Bangsamoro leaders cannot properly manage a relatively simple ARMM, failing to govern a massively important federal state is more than possible. Consequently, mismanaging a Bangsamoro state can have disastrous effects for the country such as the national economy.

A chief hindrance in achieving effective governance in the ARMM is the disunity among the Bangsamoro tribes. Seeing the Bangsamoro as a collective people united by a shared religious identity is a common misconception among Filipinos. Eder (2010) argued that the Bangsamoro should not be mistaken as an ideal group that pursues a common goal. Although the Bangsamoro shares a common religion, ethnic divisions and pluralities reside among the Bangsamoro. Each tribe has a particular history which includes not only the struggle with colonizers but also a struggle with their fellow Moro tribes. Therefore, entrenched in the Bangsamoro is a long history of power struggle and tension (Eder, 2010). In a survey conducted by Kamlian (2005), he reported 671 cases of family feud or rido in nine Mindanao provinces (Kamlian, 2005). Gerard Rixhon, professor from the Ateneo de Manila University Department of Sociology and Anthropology who specializes on the study of Muslim life in the Philippines, argued that a mere federal state is in itself not enough to cater to the existing power struggle and tension among the Moro tribes. A federal structure follows the same structure as that of the ARMM where tribes such as the Yakan and Subanen are constantly ignored and marginalized (personal communication, February 18, 2011). Because there is a struggle of power and tension among Bangsamoro tribes, unequally distributing the high authority in federalism can only aggravate the problem of power struggle. Monopoly of power and underrepresentation can still happen in a federal system. Hence, federalism alone cannot assure a sustainable development among the Bangsamoro.

Without internal harmony and holistic governance, the conceptualized Bangsamoro state can fail extensively .Consequently, cases of prevalent failure can be an avenue for balkanization or secessionism, concepts that refer to splitting from the country. Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Nigeria experienced secessionism after a transition to federal state (McGarry, 2004).

Several political figures and countries around the world support federalism because it does not require splitting the country in order to cater to national minorities. In the case of the three countries above, Pimentel (2008, August) argued that these countries failed because of first, the weak governance in those countries and second, because the forms of federalism that was adapted to by these countries were shams: the shift to federalism was forced and the process was not transparent (Pimentel, 2008, August). As long as the process of transition to federalism is legitimate, the Bangsamoro do not have an excuse to resort to secessionism.

Of all these issues that federalism faces, the fundamental question is really whether federalism genuinely affirms the Bangsamoro right to self-determination. Other than federalism, the Bangsamoro can consider other political options such as independence, a free-associated state or a higher form of regional autonomy (Abbas, 2007). In a draft referendum conducted to some Moro tribes, Omar (2007) reported that federalism ranked variedly as only the second and third choice of the surveyed Moro tribes, independence as the first. Independence being the first choice of the surveyed Moro tribes is quite predictable since through an independent state, the Bangsamoro can govern a country that is separate from the Philippines, a country where they can fully fulfill their right to self-determination (Omar, 2007).

However, Teves (2003), citing Justice Jainal D. Raul, argued that the Bangsamoro are not negotiating for independence anymore. Instead, they negotiate in order to form a certain autonomy that does not necessarily call for separating from the country (Teves, 2003). In federalism, the Bangsamoro right to self-determination can be fulfilled without splitting the country. Despite all the risks and complexities of a political restructuring, federalism is the best political option because it provides a genuine autonomy without splitting the country.

A federal state is bestowed basic powers and rights that fulfill the Bangsamoro demand to a genuine autonomy. A federal system of government allows a state its own constitution, an authority to implement this constitution, power to taxation, establishment of a police force, creation of its own political structure, control over natural resources, creation of a state identity and receiving other powers from the central government (Abbas, 2003). Having its own constitution allows the Bangsamoro to further express the Shari’ah law, which is the Muslim law, in their state (Saway, 2007).

To better understand the nature of the struggle of the Bangsamoro, Marohomsalic (2001) described the struggle in Mindanao by referring to the divine instructions called “The Unbelievers” where Muhammed, the Muslim prophet, granted autonomy to non-Muslim Jews:

“Muslims therefore regard it [struggle for autonomy] as a matter of religious obligation to govern themselves by their own social system to grant autonomy to sectoral minorities in their society… It [genuine autonomy] does not only come along the growing needs of an expanding society and the corresponding widening differences, but a political formula to keep the bond of unity among heterogeneous peoples.” (p. 323)

From this aspect, Muslims in Mindanao are struggling not merely because of their long political history but fundamentally, also because their faith tells them that to freely lead themselves will make them a more united and productive people. Such case is reflected by different countries around the world. Globally, the structure of federalism is adapted by different countries because of its dynamism in accommodating its ethnic diversity while preserving the central government’s authority (He, 2007). Mahajan (2007) described India as one of the most successful countries to adapt to multinational federalism which caters to national minorities. An ethnic group in India that reflects this success are the Mizos. For thirty years, the Mizos struggled for their own nation-state and even formed a National Front in order to separate from India. However, Mizo became the 23^rd state f the Indian Union and today, it enjoys 84 per cent approval rate on pride as Mizons and as Indians (Mahajan, 2007). Another country that adapts to federalism is Malaysia. Its minimalist federalism caters to Chinese and Malay minorities, and distracted them from secessionism (Case, 2007). Two of the world’s oldest federal countries, Canada and Switzerland, and others such as Belgium, Pakistan and Spain, are also successful in promoting national minorities.

These different countries around the world may show how federalism can be effective in preserving the identity and guaranteeing the development of national minorities. However, a lot of issues still surround the Bangsamoro. The question on whether the Bangsamoro wants federalism as their form of autonomy remains. Abbas (2003) asserted that the Bangsamoro supports federalism as long as a genuine autonomy is implemented (Abbas, 2003).

The issues against federalism can be addressed by altering the political structure of the federal state. Marahomsalic (2003), citing the Regional Consultative Commission (RCC), proposed the collegial executive-council type of government where representative are elected from different tribes, among them, a leader is elected (Marohomsalic, 2003). By altering the political structure of the Bangsamoro federal state this way, the problem on the power struggle can be addressed. Despite the ethnic plurality and tension among the ethnic groups that comprise the Bangsamoro, the suggested political structure can provide an avenue for genuine participation and representation.

Similarly, federalism addresses the problem on the weak leadership of the government. A federal form of government benefits the region in several ways. With lack of funding as one of the lapses of the ARMM which caused its failure, in the federal form, the economic distribution is more equalized from the national government to state governments (Papillon, 2010).This time, with better resource management and allocation, the Bangsamoro can create their own government where they can develop. By getting the taxes from the state, the leaders can directly implement projects for their region; especially that ARMM is a very rich region in terms of resources. Hence, they can contribute better to the national economic development.

In the negotiations, the government should promote and advertise the idea of a Bangsa Moro State in the negotiating panel. The dilemma of the government is whether it can decide on a tangible offer that will be for the best for both parties. The government of the Republic of the Philippines should enter into an international binding agreement with the MILF in order to assure the enactment of a federal Bangsamoro state (Abbas, 2003). Unlike the BJE MOA-AD, resorting to international binding agreement assures the Bangsamoro that the agreement will be implemented. Moreover, this will restore the integrity of the government especially in negotiations because it shows that the government is committed and honest in reaching the goal.

The country should model its transition to federalism using the One Nation, Two States policy. Transition can begin with an experimental Bangsamoro State and when successful, the whole country can follow (Abbas, 2003). In this approach, the shift to federalism does not require to be sudden at all. This process can serve as a safety net in case the Bangsamoro State does not work. Moreover, the radical change that many are afraid of can be absorbed more gradually.

As the talks between the government and the MILF resume, the government is given a new chance to make better decisions. The government can continue to indefinitely delay peace by not being open to the risks and complexities of political restructuring and constitutional amendment or the government can choose to separate the country to grant the Bangsamoro absolute sovereignty. On the other hand, however, the government can choose to strike a balance between these two — being open to the Bangsamoro demands without splitting the country — by choosing federalism.

Transitioning to a federal system in order to cater to the Bangsamoro may involve a complex and risky political restructuring, but great sacrifices are necessary in order to achieve great results. Dr. Antonio G.M La Viña, present dean of the Ateneo School of Government who worked as member of the GPH-MILF peace panel during Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration, expressed the same motivation (personal communication, February 22, 2011):

“We need to understand why there is conflict [and] that this is a historical problem [which] needs to be corrected with radical change. In certain things, we have to decide as a society to move forward. But this is worth doing for peace because peace is a worthwhile goal.”

The conceptualized Bangsamoro state essentially fulfills the Bangsamoro right to self-determination by granting them the genuine autonomy that they have been struggling for centuries. The structure of federalism bestows rights and powers that the Bangsamoro can fulfill such as territory and self-rule, among others. Evident in the success of different federalist countries in the light of globalization, the conceptualized Bangsamoro state promises sustainable peace and development that ARMM failed to achieve and that the Philippines cannot share in a Bangsamoro that is separated by independence.

Leaning towards federalism, which is the most sensible choice, as early as possible, assures trust and cooperation between the government and the Bangsamoro in the long-term. Taking time to decide is important but taking too much time wanes hope and trust. Similarly, sustainable peace and development in Mindanao is not achieved merely with signed papers but also with the relationship that is preserved even after peace negotiations. The lasting impression of the present negotiations is critical in shaping the real end goal for Mindanao. Time is ticking for the government. The proposal to shift to federalism also just hangs around, waiting for the government to finally open itself up to change.

References

Abbas Jr., Y. (2003). Is a Bangsa Moro state within a federation the solution? Ateneo Law Journal, 48(2), 291-368.

Abreu, L. M. (2008). Colonialism and resistance: A historical perspective. In B. M. Tuazon (Ed.), The Moro reader: Contemporary struggles of the Bangsamoro people. Quezon City: CenPEG Publications.

Alvarez, J.S. (2009). Bangsamoro Juridical Entity, Philippine territory at the negotiating table: The price tag for peace? UST Law Review, 53(1).

Eder, J. F. (2010). Ethnic differences, Islamic consciousness, and Muslim social integration in the Philippines. Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, 30(3), p. 317 – 332.

Kamlian, J. A. (2005, June). Incidences of clan conflict and conflict management: Survey of feuding families and clans in selected provinces of Mindanao. (Working paper). Iligan: Mindanao State University – Iligan Institue of Technology.

Lingga, A. S. M. (2010). Assertions of sovereignty and self-determination: The Philippine-Bangsamoro conflict. Mindanao Horizons, 1(1).

Mahajan, G. (2007). Federal accommodation of ethnocultural minorities in India. In B. He, B. Gallian & T. Inoguchi (Eds.), Federalism in Asia. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.

Marohomsalic, N. A. (2001).  Aristocrats of the Malay race: A history of the Bangsa Moro in the Philippines. Marawi City: Mindanao State University System.

May, R. J. (2007). Federalism versus autonomy in the Philippines. In B. He, B. Galligan &. T. Inoguchi (Eds.), Federalism in Asia. Cheltenhan, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.

Omar, I. S. (2007). Bangsamoro question: autonomy, federalism or independence? (Unpublished master’s thesis). Institute for Islamic Studies, University of the Philippines, Quezon City.

Pimentel Jr., A. Q. (2003, August). The federal system of government: The key to national development and Mindanao peace. Paper presented at the University of the East Foundation for Research and Advanced studies, Inc. Lecture Forum.

Saway, D. M. V. L. (2007). The indigenous peoples’ pespective on ancestral domain. In A.O. Senturias (Ed.), Insights on referendum, ancestral domain and the right to self- determination. Cotabato: Community Education, Research and Extension Administration (CEREAL) Division, Southern Christian College.

Soliven, M. V. (2005, December 12). ‘Federalism’ will break up our country, not magically ‘save’ it. Philippine Star, p. 14-15.

Teves, R. M. (2003). Federalism: An idea whose time has come. In A.B. Brillantes Jr., S.A. Ilago, E.V. Santiago & B.P. Esden (Eds.), Decentralization and power shift: An imperative for good governance. Quezon City: CORASIA.

5 Centimeters per Second

I just finished watching “5 Centimeters per Second”, a Japanese animated film about life and love. The film was composed of three vignettes (Cherry Blossom, Cosmonaut and 5 Centimeters per Second), and all three essentially were love stories. The film was beautifully crafted in aspects including how it carefully used metaphors, the great effects, colors, details and music, and finally, its ability to preserve and contain emotion, but it was too cheesy!

Here’s the most striking scene for me:

They both walked down the road --

Takaki and Akari -- they passed by a train crossing.

And they seemed to have recognized each other

...

Takaki: "I felt it strongly --"

"-- that if I looked back now, she would look back as well."

Akaki have seemingly turned around...

But a passing trains cut off their view (scene fades)

At the end of the movie, the scene was continued: The trains have passed but Akari wasn't there. Like Akari, Takaki finally walked away and moved on as well.

Indibidwalismo: Mga Kabalintunaan

Ipinasa: Setyembre, 2010

FIL 11, Sir M. B.F. Lim

Huling Kahingian

Marka para sa Papel: A

Sa sandaling pinutol ng tao ang mga tali upang makawala sa kontrol ng Diyos at ng kolektibismo, masasabing nakatamo ang tao ng kalayaan upang mapagyaman ang ako, ang indibidwal.

Sa pagsisimula ng indibidwalismo, samakatuwid sa ideyal na konsepto ng indibidwalismo, ang ako ang may kapangyarihan na tumakda sa ako – na ang ako lamang ay may ganap na kontrol, na ang ako ay may identidad dahil sa ako. Ngunit ito ay ang ideyal na kalagayan. Ito ang pangarap ng modernong pananaw, ito sana. Ito ay malinaw na ipinamalas sa tulang Ako ang Daigdig ni Alejandro G. Abadilla, ang kauna-unahang tula na nag-aklas sa tradisyunal na panulaan. Ang nais iparating ng tula ay simple, sa isang radikal na pagpapahayag, nais nitong hingiin na pagbigyan ang ako. Sa lahat ng anggulo, ang ipinararating ay ang ako ang may kapangyarihan, sapagkat sinusubok nitong pakahuluganan ang konsepto ng modernong pananaw.

Samakatuwid sa modernisasyon, o sa proseso ng paglikha sa indibidwal, umusbong ang karunungan, ang agham, ang teknolohiya, ang kultura, at ang mundo, bilang tugon sa pagpapayaman sa ka-henyuhan ng indibidwal. Ngunit sa pag-usbong ng karunungan, tila ito ang naging pamantayan ng ako, na hindi ganap ang ako kung walang karunungan. Bakit? Sapagkat ang karunungan ay naging sukatan at pamantayan ng ka-henyuhan. Tila kung marami kang alam, mataas ang tingin ng lipunan sa iyo, mahalaga ka sa lipunan.  Sa mismong pagkalikha ng karunungan, nawala ang hawak ng ako sa ako. Ang karunungan ang may kapangyarihang magbigay-kahulugan at magbigay-identidad (kumahon) sa ako. Ito ay ipinamalas sa tulang Mga Ehersisyong Analitiko ni Reolando S. Tinio. Sa paglago ng agham, sinusubok na nitong pakahuluganan ang ako. Ika nga, siyentipikong obhetisismo, pagkakahon sa pamantayan ng ako sapagkat ito ay katotohanan tinatag na, hindi maaaring ipasok ang opinyon at karanasan gayong mahalaga ang mga ito sa indibidwalismo. Samakatuwid, ang karunungan ang naging tutok. Mula sa sanang indibidwal ang may kapangyarihan, mula sa ideyal, ay ang balintunang mismong ito ang nagsanhi upang mawala ang hawak ng ako sa ako, patungo sa karunungan.

Sa modernong pananaw, mahalaga ang indibidwalidad, ang ako na may identidad. Ito, sa ideyal, ang pinaka-halili ng modernismo. Samakatuwid, sa parehong konsepto ng humanismo (bawat tao ay mahalaga), bawat tao ay indibidwal, bawat tao ay ako. Ang empleyado, babae, lalake, burgis, o sinumang tao, ay ako. Una, sila ay sakop, sa ideyal, ng konsepto ng modernong pananaw (tao bilang sentro). Pangalawa, hindi naman maitatangging meron silang oportunidad sa pag-iisip, na gumawa ng sariling pasya, na mabuhay ayon sa kaganapan ng sarili, mga katangian ng indibidwal.

Ito ang pundamental na pagpapalagay o asumpsyon ng modernong pananaw, na ang bawat tao ay kailangang pagyamanin ang indibidwalismo, ang ako nito. Ngunit sa mismong pagpapayaman ng ako, halimbawa sa pamamagitan ng karunangan, kailangang may umusbong at kailangang may lumugpok, ang pagtapak sa iba ay parte ng pag-akyat. Ito ay dramatikong ipinamalas sa tulang Tulay, Hindi Pader ni Lamberto E. Antonio. Ang mababang uri ay nahihiwalay sa mga burgis. Sa pagtungtong ng mga burgis sa mga pribadong lote, nakakain ang lansangan ng mga mababang uri. Sa pagtatapos ng tula, ang mababang uri ay nanawagan habang nakatapak sa mga bubog, sapagkat sila ay umaasa lamang sa mga burgis. Mula sa sanang pagpapayaman ng bawat isa, mula sa ideyal, ay ang balintunang mismong ito ang naging sanhi upang lumugmok ang isa pang uri (proletaryan) at hindi maipayaman ang ako.

Sa parehong konsepto, pagpapalagay ng modernong pananaw na ang bawat isa ay  nasa ideyal na kalagayan, kalagayang magpapahintulot sa  ganap na pagyaman. Ngunit sa mismong pagtatag ng teknolohiya mula sa karunungan, nagaganap ang dehumanisasyon, ang alyenasyon ng tao. Ito ay ipinakita sa maikling kwentong Di Ko Masilip ang Langit ni Benjamin Pascual. Sa pagkakatatag ng sistema ng konstruksyon bilang bunga ng karunungan, tila naging walang halaga ang kontribusyon ng isang manggagawa, isang alyenasyon sa produksyon. Naipamalas din ang alyenasyon sa produkto at esensyang pantao sapagkat hindi napakinabangan ang produkto dahil mahirap lamang. Tila walang representasyon ang manggagawa sa kanyang produkto. Mismong ang produkto ng karunungan ang nagpapalayo sa manggagawa mula sa kanilang produkto. Mula sa sanang ideyal na kalagayan para sa ganap na pagyaman, ay ang balintunang mismong produkto ng karunungan ang nagiging sanhi ng dehumanisasyon.

Dahil sa pagpapahalaga sa indibidwal, nalugmok ang modernong pananaw sa konsepto ng pagkamakasarili. Ang naging implikasyon, ang layon ng modernisasyon ay pagpapayaman sa sarili lamang sapagkat ang ako ang batayan ng anumang pamantayan. Ito ay ipinakita sa tulang Ang Burges Sa Kanyang Almusal ni Rolando S. Tinio. Ang burges ay nalunod sa indulhensiyang pansarili. Nabubusog sa tanawin ng mirasol, klarete at iba pang mamahalin sa kanyang silid-kainan, samantalang nang makita ang masamang balita ay mas lalong pumangit ang pananaw sa mababang uri. Naipakita rin ito sa maikling kuwento ng Kasal. Dahil sa pagpapahalaga sa indibiduwalismo, iniisip na lamang natin ang ating sariling interes. Nalilimutan natin ang ibang tao (tulad ni Joanne), na maaari natin silang masaktan.

Sa panahong ito, umusbong ang konseptong Feminismo na tumutugon sa pagkakapantay-pantay ng mga kasarian. Ang pagyaman ng mga babae bilang indibidwal ang naging sentro nito, mga babaeng natutong ipagtanggol ang kanilang estado sa lipunan. Ngunit kahit pa man umusbong ang konseptong Feminismo, hindi tuluyang natatag ang babae bilang babae. Ipinakikita lamang ang nagbagong babae bilang tugon sa stereotype ng lipunan, na hindi ito mahina, na hindi ito sekswal object. Ngunit ano ito? Ito ay ipinakita sa tulang Bago ang Babae ni Rebecca T. Anonuevo at Kasalo ni Joi Barrios. Sa parehong tula, masasabing ang babae ay naipagtatanggol na ang sarili, may boses na, may tapang na humarap, ngunit wala silang tiyak na identidad, na indibidwalismo, na ako. Samakatuwid, sila ay nagbabago dahil lamang gusto nilang patunayang hindi sila mas mababa sa lalake, hindi dahil rin sa gusto nilang lumikha ng identidad ng makabagong babae. Mula sa pagnanais na itaas ang mga sarili kapantay ng kalalakihan, ay ang balintunang mismong ito ang nagtanggal sa kanila ng identidad, ng ako.