MINIATURES

After the execution of José Rizal, the anarchists of Barcelona found a new figure to expound their struggle against the Spanish crown. They included Rizal's writings in their literature, mentioned him in their articles, and reported on him in their press, honoring him and his cause. The very first translation of Noli Me Tangere into French was done collaboratively by two leading anarchists—Henri Lucas and Ramon Sempau. Among the Barcelona anarchists, Ramon Sempau (1868–1910) cuts a colorful figure. He was a lawyer and correspondent for some leading newspapers in Spain and part of a larger circle of intellectuals associated with the emerging anarchist movement in Spain and France. Sempau had to flee Spain after the Corpus Christi Barcelona bomb attack in June 1896, which was blamed on the anarchists. He first went to France and then to Belgium, constantly under the surveillance of local police due to his known revolutionary activities. In Brussels, it was reported that his hotel roo...

  In the 19th century, Pasig was renowned for its lavish and artistically elaborate celebration of its town fiesta—the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Every December, the town would come alive with a vibrant mixture of faith, music, theatre, and spectacle, as residents and visitors alike joined in the festivities. Streets would be illuminated with lanterns and Bengal lights, music bands paraded through the town playing cheerful marches, and fireworks lit the night sky in dazzling displays. One contemporary account from December 1875 offers a remarkable glimpse into the scale and creativity of these celebrations. From high Masses accompanied by full orchestras to acrobatic gymnastics, comedic farces, and operatic performances, the festivities combined solemn religious devotion with theatrical flair and public entertainment. The residents of Pasig, particularly Gremio de Naturales under the stewardship of Gobernadorcillo Don Apolonio Santiago, spared no effort in preparing both p...

The modern circus of the 19th Century In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the modern circus—born from Europe’s equestrian shows and America’s traveling spectacles—sailed across oceans and found a home in the colonial port cities of Asia. Manila audiences embraced the circus as a popular form of entertainment, eager to see marvels that broke the routine of daily life. The first major circus to arrive in Manila was Giuseppe Chiarini’s Royal Spanish Circus. Chiarini, an Italian equestrian born in Rome in 1823, had built a global reputation as a horse trainer and impresario. By the mid-1850s, he managed his own shows and founded Chiarini’s Royal Spanish Circus, known for disciplined horsemanship. He toured the Caribbean and Latin America, famously building a 3,000-seat amphitheater in Mexico City and performing for Emperor Maximilian. Giuseppe Chiarini (1823-1897) In June 1882, Chiarini brought his circus to Manila, erecting his large tent in the Barrio de la Concepción, near tod...

        In an article from the Gaceta de Manila —the official newspaper of the Spanish colonial government in the Philippines—one can read a public announcement regarding a subasta pública (public bidding) for the construction of a river ferry crossing ( balsa ) along the shores of Malapad-na-Bato, leading to the opposite bank of the river. Here is my translation: “By order of the Director of the Provincial Government, a public auction will be held for the establishment of a ferry crossing in Malapad-na-Bato, town of Pasig, in this province. The project will be awarded to the bidder who submits the best offer. The starting amount for the auction is set at ₱1,250, and it will be gradually reduced in accordance with the terms and conditions stated. The auction will take place before the Board of Provincial Government Auctions, at their office on 29 Palacio Street, precisely at ten o’clock in the morning on the 7th of March. Anyone who wishes to participate ...

  (From the newspaper Münchner Neueste Nachrichten ) Last night, while reading articles on the diplomatic conflict between Spain and Germany in the Pacific islands that began in 1885—known today as the “Caroline Question”—I came across an article in the Münchner Neueste Nachrichten ( Munich Latest News ). The piece is particularly striking, for it contains subtle yet unmistakable criticism of Spain’s misrule in the Philippines. Such a tone is not surprising, given that in the same period the two European powers were engaged in sharp disputes over the Marianas, Caroline Islands, and other Micronesian territories—possessions that were then under Spanish authority administered from Manila, but which Germany began to claim in the mid-1880s. The article also highlighted complaints raised by both Spaniards and native Filipinos regarding the administration of Governor-General Despujol, particularly in matters involving the Catholic Church. In its latter portion, the article mentions José...

I have always associated Taiwan with its old colonial name, Formosa, and with the 17th-century Chinese general, Koxinga. In the early 1600s, Koxinga captured Formosa from the Dutch and used it as a base to challenge Spanish Manila. Meanwhile, the island is also known as the first settlement of Austronesian peoples, who began migrating southward around 3000 BC, eventually reaching the Philippines and spreading across the Pacific. These layers of history—military, colonial, and ancestral—have long shaped my imagination of Formosa, and they set the backdrop for my own journey there. I finally experienced the “Formosa” of my imagination when I was chosen to present my paper the IASPM-SEA - International Association for the Study of Popular Music conference, August 6 to 8, 2025, at National Taiwan University in Taipei, themed “Peripheries, Margins, and Ambiguities Across Borders in Southeast Asia.” My paper discusses on the social realities and struggles of Filipino musicians in the local g...