MINIATURES

I was reading the reports about the riots in the US brought by the death of a black suspect in the hands of a white policeman when I recalled one popular impression of Jose Rizal has had on the country. In a letter to his friend Mariano Ponce dated 27 July 1888, Rizal wrote: "Visité las más grandes ciudades de América, con sus grand iosos edificios, sus luces eléctricas y sus concepciones grandiosas. La América es indudablemente un gran país, pero tiene aún muchos defectos. No hay verdadera libertad civil...." ~ " I visited the largest cities in America, with its great buildings, its electric lights, and its great concepts. America is undoubtedly a great country, but it still has many flaws. There is no true civil liberty." A few years later, in his essay "Filipinas dentro de cien años" (The Philippines a century hence), Rizal predicted the possibility of the US intervening in the Philippines. He was correct. I always wonder whether Rizal would als