MINIATURES

I. NAGING KAKULANGAN NG PILIPINAS SA SABAH Marahil kung mayroon dapat sisihin sa pagkakapunta ng Sabah sa kamay ng Malaysia ito ay ang mabagal at malamyang "foreign policy" ng Pilipinas sa Sabah noong binubuo pa lamang ang Malayan Federation (1950's-1960's).  Kilala ang Britania sa pagiging bihasa sa stratehiya ng kanyang foreign policy subalit hindi  nakuhang sabayan ng mga namumuno ng Pilipinas ang utakang nangyari noon. Marami sanang realidad ang nagamit o na "exploit" ang Pilipinas , subalit naging mabagal ang bansa.  Halimbawa: 1) Ang isa sa kinikilalang at nirerespetong  lider noon ng Sabah ay si Donald Stephens (Fuad Stephens) isang Kristiano, nagmumula sa ethnic group na "Kadazan". May agam agam si Stephens sa pagsama ng Sabah sa federasyon ng Malaya sa dahilang may takot siya sa dominasyon ng mga Malayo sa katulad nilang hindi muslim. Sa katunayan opsiyon sa kanya at sa ibang kasama sa liderato ang isang malayang o independent na ...

Ang tanging larawan ng Supremo Si Andres Bonifacio ay hindi lamang isang organisador at mandirigma. Katulad ng mga kilalang pangalan sa kasaysayan, sa Pilipinas man o ibang lugar, nakita nya at nagamit ang halaga ng "Sining" sa pag gising ng diwa ng mga mamamayan. Gaano man kapayak, ang supremo ay naging aktor sa tanghalan ng "Moro-Moro" sa kanyang lugar sa Tondo. Kasama ang ilang kaibigan i tinatag ni Bonifacio ang isang grupo tinawag nilang "Teatro Porvenir" (Teatro ng Kinabukasan o Theater of the Future).  Ang hangarin ay pagbutihin ang kaalaman sa Tagalog at pananagalog. Pinag ukulan din nya ng panahon alamin at busisiin ang mga alamat na humalo na sa kamalayan Pilipino tulad ng alamat ni Bernardo Carpio. "Teatro Porvenir" maaari nangangahulugan din Teatro ng mga simpleng tao, ng mga pangkaraniwang uri. Naalala ko tuloy ang isang halimbawa ng opera noong ika 18.siglo sa Europa, ang "Opera Buffa" at ang "Zarzuela" ng...

                                                                   CELIA                                      Pasa, pasa silenciosa, sin luciérnagas de piedra Se llama Celia en el pueblo que sabe de su dolor, El pueblo al borde del agua…                              Y se viste de tristeza Por su novio pescador que murióse en la borrasca: El viento iracundo daba vuelta y más  vuelta. Llovía En la mente y temblaba el pueblo bajo el relámpago Ranchas del fr í o habagat prestaban filo a la espuma Y dentadura a las olas. Tormenta y tormento duros Para una ...

                         Emilio Aguinaldo (1869-1964) The President On the Run The biggest tragedy in the short-lived Malolos Republic was that some names identified with it were either opportunist, fence-sitters, or worst, turncoats that not even the brilliant mind of Mabini could muster enough force to check that time the growing influence in the government of such personalities as Pedro Paterno et al. "Collaborators"... that was how Emilio Aguinaldo labeled Pedro Paterno when he found out that the latter was favoring an American take over of the Philippines. Months after the outbreak of the Filipino-American War, Aguinaldo was on the run and was  planning to direct a guerilla warfare in the jungles of Luzon. The sad reality was, most of the prominent Filipinos who were once part of his government had simply abandoned him and went to the other side. Aguinaldo then turned to his former Prime Minist...

Jose Rizal (1861-1896) & Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936) In his "Epilogo" for Jose Rizal's biography written by Wenceslao E. Retana, Spanish poet/philosopher Miguel de Unamuno mentioned about the possibility of him having seen Rizal, that their paths must have crossed each other many times in the Universidad Central de Madrid, where both have been students. Unamuno wrote:  "Rizal estudió Filosofía y  Letras en Madrid por los mismos años en que estudiaba yo en la misma Facultad, aunque él estaba acabándola cuando yo la empezaba. Debí de haber visto más de una vez al tagalo en los vulgarismos claustros de la Universidad Central, debí de haberme cruzado más de una vez con él mientras soñábamos Rizal en sus Filipinas y yo en mi Vasconia.” Translation: "Rizal studied Philosophy and Letters in Madrid during the same years I attended the same Faculty, although he was finishing his studies when I was just beginning mine. I must have seen the Tagalog scho...

  Lope de Vega (1562-1635) In Rizal Avenue (Avenida area in Manila)  there is a street called LOPE DE VEGA named after the famous Spanish playwright of the Baroque period, Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio (1562-1635). Because we are separated now from the Spanish language, we hardly read or even know him. Some of us get only that chance to see or hear something abou t Lope de Vega, say if Instituto Cervantes, Manila would feature something about the Spanish playwright.  Looking at the street names and plazas of Manila you will also find Zurbaran, Cervantes, and Calderon de la Barca, they do not only tell of Spanish heritage in the country  but also Spanish history itself. Those names were representative of a period when Spanish arts and literature flourished. The period is known as "SIGLO DE ORO" -- the golden age. Francisco de Zurbarán   (1598-1664) Self portrait as Saint Luke .  Known mainly for his works with religious themes, Zurbarán...

Larawan ni Manuel L Quezon at Anthony Eden I SANG NAKAPLANONG MEETING NOONG PEBRERO 19. 1937 SA LONDON. Sa pagitan ng Presidente ng Philippine Commonwealth Manuel L. Quezon at British Foreign Minister Anthony Eden. Ang tatalakayin ay ang posibilidad na pagsama ng Pilipinas sa British Commonwealth. Napaka radical ng plano ni Quezon na umalis sa poder ng Amerikano at lumapit sa pangangalaga ng mga British. Ang dahilan ay nakikita niyang kakul angan ng Amerika sa paghahanda at pag aarmas laban sa lumalakas na banta ng bansang Hapon noong panahon na iyon. Sa totoo nito bagamat kolonya nga ng Amerika ang Pilipinas, wala naman ito sa prioridad ng Amerika upang ipagtangol ito ng lubusan. Sa katunayan ilan beses din kinausap ni Quezon si Dwight Eisenhower (Ang dati naninilbihan naninilbihan sa ilalim ni Macarthur) tungkol sa kahandaan ng Pilipinas. At ang sagot na nakukuha nito kay Eisenhower ay nababahala: Hindi handa ang Pilipinas! Ng malaman ng Washington ang napipintong meet...

Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) As a young student, Jose Rizal read and admired the novel "The Count of Monte-Cristo" by  French  author Alexandre Dumas (père). Quite often people who read Rizal and this work of Dumas, relay the character of Edmond Dantes with that of Simoun (El Filibusterismo). The plot of revenge and the lonely figure of an avenging hero is too similar to be ignored. The difference c ame in the ending of the two novels. While Edmond Dantes found fulfillment in his life, Rizal gave a tragic end for Simoun (Ibarra).  The ever present themes of 19th Century "Romanticism" are found not only in the works of Rizal but also even in the way he conducted his life. "Canto del Viajero" (poem of Rizal) reminds one of the many adventures of Edmond Dantes.  Is there really an Edmond Dantes in Jose Rizal?    El Conde de Monte-Cristo. Spanish Edition