SOBRIETY FOR THE PHILIPPINES

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Gat Andres Bonifacio: The Anti-Colonial National Hero of the Philippines (Bonifacio Series I)

Recommended:

Andres Bonifacio's Tagalog Nation & Predictions of Global Warming (Bonifacio Series II)
The Devaluation of a Hero & Promotion of a Counter-Hero: Where's Bonifacio in the 5 Peso Coin (make it P2) [Bonifacio Series III]
Debunking the Outrageous Glenn May Thesis on Supremo Andres Bonifacio
Ang Pagdaklot kina Supremo Bonifacio
The Tragedy of the Katipunan: The Supremo's Assassination-cum-Execution (Bonifacio Series I)

EVERY November 30, the Philippines celebrates Bonifacio Day to commemorate the birthday of the Father of Philippine Revolution, Andres Bonifacio y de Castro. The second foremost figure in the country's pantheon of heroes, he is in fact regarded by Filipino nationalists more highly than the only one other but 'more official' national hero,* Jose Rizal, who is criticized as having been an "American-sponsored hero" chosen by the United States colonial government over the "too radical" Bonifacio and the 'Sublime Paralytic' Apolinario Mabini.

The Anti-Colonial National Hero

Rizal, writes eminent historian Renato Constantino, was undoubtedly a great Filipino--true martyr and patriot-- but the fact remains that veneration to him was promoted by the US colonial government because among others, he did not advocate independence, neither armed resistance to the government. This, in contrast to Bonifacio, who founded the revolutionary secret society Kataastaasan Kagalang-galang na Katipunan nang manga Anak nang Bayan ((KKK), and subsequently launched the revolution against Spanish colonial rule. Choosing the "unregenerate" Mabini, who lived long enough to support continued war against America well into his last years, or Bonifacio, who clearly aimed for independence for his country, would have been counter to the colonial policy of the new imperialist master.

Supremo of the Filipino Revolutionary Government

Bonifacio, in fact, formed the first national government of the natives with the intent and vision that the Katipunan would govern the islands after any overthrow of Spanish colonial rule. Beyond being a secret militant organization, the Katipunan was a revolutionary government with a bureaucratic framework, own set of laws and founded on democratic and moral principles summed up under the KKK Cartilla or primer. Even the US Library of Congress record proves such to an extent: "the Katipunan insinuated itself into the community by setting up mutual aid societies and education for the poor." The same text points to how Bonifacio, with a 30,000-strong** KKK "proclaimed Filipino independence on August 23, 1896."***

After the Katipuneros launched the uprising against the Spaniards, the "Great Plebeian" hero set out to transform the national secret organization into an open and de facto revolutionary government. The founder of the Katipunan became the president and headed a cabinet composed of those he trusted, including Emilio Jacinto, Secretary of State; Teodoro Plata, War; Aguado del Rosario, Interior; Briccio Pantas, Justice; and Enrique Pacheco, as Secretary of Finance. While certain historians had tried to downplay or dispute his formation and leadership of the earliest national government by and of the Filipinos, clear evidence that had only quite recently been made available bestows on Andres Bonifacio the glorious, unequivocal title of being the truly first President of the Philippine Revolutionary Government.

Surviving official letterhead communications dated 1897 point to the great hero’s various designations that include being the "Supreme President, Government of the Revolution." Perhaps the most telling proofs come from non-partisan sources of the period. Nineteenth century Spanish historian Jose M. del Castillo, in his 1897 writing "El Katipunan" or "El Filibusterismo en Filipinas," describes the first national elections in the Philippines from which Bonifacio emerged as the President, and Plata, Jacinto, del Rosario, Pantas and Pacheco as cabinet officials. This is corroborated by the February 8, 1897 issue of the international publication "La Ilustracion Espanola y Americana" in its article about the Philippine revolution and which featured an engraved portrait of “Andres Bonifacio, Titulado ‘Presidente’ de la Republica Tagala,”**** clad in a dark suit and white tie.

Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa" (Love of Motherland)

Bonifacio Day for 2008 is the 145th birth anniversary of this fervent, plebeian, nationalist hero who might arguably have not been very effective in the battlefield, but possessed the organizational genius that paved the way for the revolutionary struggle for independence by the Malay race of the Philippine Islands. The depth of Gat Andres Bonifacio's ardent love for his country and people can be gleaned from his famous poem "Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa" (Love for Motherland), which has been popularized as a song in the modern times.

The poem is a poignant call for nationalism that emanates from within the people and not from anyone or anywhere else. In it, Katipunan Supremo Andres Bonifacio laments the suffering of his people under Spanish colonial misrule and as well, the seeming loss of pride in their race. A patriotic song, it views love for country as perhaps the noblest and purest love there is. "Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa" was first disseminated during the Philippine Revolution against Spanish rule in the 1890s, appearing in the first and only issue of the Katipunan publication, Kalayaan. It was adapted to music during the Martial Law years.

PAG-IBIG SA TINUBUANG LUPA
(ni Andres Bonifacio y de Castro)

Aling pag-ibig pa ang hihigit kaya
sa pagkadalisay at magkadakila
Gaya ng pag-ibig sa sariling lupa?
Aling pag-ibig pa? Wala na nga, wala.

Pagpupuring lubos ang palaging hangad
Sa bayan ng taong may dangal na ingat,
Umawit, tumula, kumata't at sumulat,
Kalakhan din niya'y isinisiwalat.

Walang mahalagang hindi inihandog
Ng may pusong mahal sa Bayang nagkupkop,
dugo, yaman, dunong, katiisa't pagod,
Buhay ma'y abuting magkalagut-lagot.

Bakit? Alin ito na sakdal ng laki,
Na hinahandugan ng busong pagkasi,
Na sa lalong mahal nakapangyayari,
At ginugulan ng buhay na iwi?

Ay! Ito'y ang iang bayang tinubuan:
Siya'y iona't tangi sa kinamulatan
Ng kawili-wiling liwanang ng araw
Na nagbigay-init sa buong katawan.

Kalakip din nito'y pag-ibig sa Bayan,
Ang lahat ng lalong sa gunita'y mahal,
Mula sa masaya'y gasong kasanggulan
Hanggang sa katawa'y mapasa-libingan.

Sa aba ng abang mawalay sa bayan!
Gunita ma'y laging sakbibi ng lumbay,
Walang alaala't inaasa-asam
Kundi ang makita'y lupang tinubuan.

Pati ng magdusa'y sampung kamatayan
Wari ay masarap kung dahil sa bayan
At lalong mahirap. Oh, himalang bagay!
Lalong pag-irog pa ang sa kanya'y alay.

Kung ang bayang ito'y masasa-panganib
At siya ay dapat na ipagtangkilik,
Ang anak, asawa, magulang, kapatid;
Isang tawag niya'y tatalidang pilit.

Hayo na nga, hayo, kayong nagabuhay
Sa pag-asang lubos ng kaginhawahan
At walang tinamo kundi kapaitan,
Hayo na't ibangon ang naabang bayan!

Kayong nalagasan ng bunga't bulaklak
Ng kaho'y ng buhay na nilanta't sukat,
Ng bala-balaki't makapal na hirap,
muling manariaw't sa baya'y lumiyag.

Ipahandug-handog ang busong pag-ibig
At hanggang may dugo'y ubusing itigis;
kung sa pagtatanggol, buhay ay mapatid,
Ito'y kapalaran at tunay na langit!

Legend:

*According to the NCCA,

No law, executive order or proclamation has been enacted or issued officially proclaiming any Filipino historical figure as a national hero... Aside from Rizal, the only other hero given an implied recognition as a national hero is Andres Bonifacio whose day of birth on November 30 has been made a national holiday.

**Estimates vary from 30.000 to 400,000
***Recent records have established the true date to be August 24, 1896
****Bonifacio referred to the whole of the Philippine Islands as Katagalugan or Tagala in his writings.

________

References:

Andres Bonifacio: “Titulado Presidente De La Republica Tagala”. http://www.geocities.com/umalahokanstribe/EXHIBIT.html.

Constantino, Renato. Veneration without Understanding. Third National Rizal Lecture, December 30, 1969. 13 January 2008. PinoyPress Site. http://www.pinoypress.net/2008/01/13/jose-rizal-veneration-without-understanding/7/.

Guerrero, Milagros, Emmanuel Encarnacion, and Ramon Villegas. Andres Bonifacio and the 1896 Revolution. In Sulyap Kultura. National Commission for Culture and the Arts, 1996. NCCA Site. 16 June 2003. http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/articles-on-c-n-a/article.php?i=5&subcat=13.

Medina, Isagani. Heroes of the Philippines Revolution. In The Great Lives Series, Andres Bonifacio, Tahanan Books for Young Readers, Bookmark, 1992. Bakbakan Site. http://www.bakbakan.org/heroes.html.

Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa. Philippine Revolution Web Center Site. http://www.philippinerevolution.net/cgi-bin/kultura/awit.pl?title=pag-ibig%20sa%20tinubuang%20lupa.

Revolución filipina (1896-1898). Museo Oriental de Valladolid Site. http://www.museo-oriental.es/ver_didactica.asp?clave=138&loc=0.

*Selection and Proclamation of National Heroes and Laws Honoring Filipino Historical Figures. *From the Reference and Research Bureau Legislative Research Service, House of Congress. NCCA Site. http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/culture-profile-nationalhero.php.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Psychic Predictions on Estrada and Arroyo, the US, Obama & the world

Warning: Only for those who take psychic "predictions" not to heart.

The decade was the mid-1980s when I watched the documentary on Nostradamus' predictions, the much acclaimed The Man Who Saw Tomorrow. Much of its contents had already slipped my mind (until I recently decided to revisit the movie via YouTube) but based from the presentation, I remember telling myself then that the French seer has a near-prophetic accuracy at foretelling the future, and that he has some rather dire predictions in store for the modern humans. I wasn't inclined, however, to buy his predictions hook, line and sinker. While I was try to keep an open mind as a matter of "scientific thinking" policy, I'm not the gullible type because I always seek valid evidence before getting myself to believe anything.

One of Nostradamus astounding predictions shown in the film is the supposed devastation of the world being brought about by a nuclear war instigated by a Muslim leader from the "East." As show in the film, the man, clad in an apparently Muslim garb with blue turban, will launch a nuclear weapon targeting the United States of America. Keep in mind that the year this was shown was the 1980s and that at the time, the "enemy" of the US was no other than the communist superpower Union of Soviet Socialist Republic. Back then, any Muslim country being able to stand up to the US was unthinkable. Moreover, the Cold War had every country and everyone fearing that the end of the world would come via a nuclear missile exchange between the two superpowers.

As history would later unfold, the improbable happened when the once indivisible USSR and its communist bloc began disintegrating, beginning in the late 1980s. Was this historical development a proof of the accuracy of Nostradamus' predictions?

Predictions of an "Apo"

Amidst numerous internet sites insinuating, if not actually naming Democratic standard bearer Barack Obama as the next "anti-Christ" mentioned in Nostradamus quatrains, I ventured to seek a more "enlightened" interpretation of the Nostradamus predictions that potentially relates to Obama and the future of the world. I then set out to "consult" with a low-profile psychic I've heard about for years. I've been aware of his political predictions on the Philippine scene--which I constantly question in my mind but most of which have so far proved to be true.

Ever since the Edsa 2 coup that deposed the constitutionally elected Joseph Estrada and catapulted the power grabbing Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to the presidency, I must admit I have been hoping for some news or "predictions" that would rectify this grave political sin against the Filipino people. Apo, however, would consistently predict that the fake "President" Arroyo would continue her hold on power--despite the pro-Estrada Edsa 3 failed revolution, numerous coup rumors and attempts, and electoral exercises, particularly the 2004 elections (which official results declaring Arroyo's win over opposition bet Fernando Poe Jr. proved to have been rigged by a conspiracy among Arroyo, certain Comelec and military officials, administrations senators and congressmen, and perhaps even the NAMFREL "watchdog").

Obama victory

Apo has very interesting things to say on both the Philippine and American political scenes, and the world in general. What will happen in America in the next months or years, it seems, will gravely impact on world developments. Well, the United States being the sole remaining superpower, it's hardly surprising that developments in the US influence events in other parts of the globe.

The Democratic ticket led by Barack Obama will most likely win the November elections, says Apo. The final vote tally will yield an approximately 33 percent lead over the Republican tandem of McCain and Palin. Unfortunately, there's a second, unpalatable part of this prediction. Barack Obama's presidency will be marked by pronounced materialism. Contrary to Obama's apparent idealism, his latent materialist agenda will surface once he takes over the administration of the USA.

There's much more. The low-key psychic says that Obama's win will signal the beginning of the world era of much difficulty and chaos. The global recession obtaining at the moment will not be resolved by the new administration, and instead, will deteriorate into a world crisis. Also, Obama will supposedly befriend, or be befriended by, a political figure of a Muslim state--an association that would somehow adversely impact on President Obama's foreign affairs and domestic policies. Apo says that Nostradamus' dire predictions for the US and the world could likely come to fruition under the Obama presidency (He did not elaborate so I'm not sure what particular Nostradamus quatrain he refers to, but I'm wondering whether he meant the scenario of that Middle Eastern man with blue turban bringing terror to the West as depicted in The Man Who Saw Tomorrow movie).

Assassination attempts on Arroyo & Estrada

Apo also predicts that deposed and defamed ex-President Joseph Estrada will run again for the Philippine presidency. Based on current developments when the opposition appears disunited, and on past statements of Estrada indicating that he'll run himself if the opposition will not field a unified candidate, this prediction does not seem far-fetch. The psychic also says the former President will win--something not really surprising, considering how he continues to be mobbed wherever he goes and how various surveys show how the Filipinos view him as innocent of the Plunder charges for which he was convicted.

The startling part of Apo's Estrada prediction is that the defamed Philippine President will be assassinated by a group who cannot accept his comeback in Philippine politics. Such a scenario would not come, however, before Gloria Arroyo herself, the incumbent who grabbed power from Estrada, and who is widely believed to have cheated opposition standard bearer FPJ during the 2004 elections, becomes subject to an assassination plot after she steps down in 2010.

Apo has more to say, like the Philippines doing an Atlantis (translation: will sink deep into the ocean bottom) if the Filipinos don't reform as a nation--whatever he means by that. His other predictions are still far fetched in time, so for the moment, my focus is on his short-to-medium term predictions. Are Apo's "predictions" accurate, just silly figments of imagination, or simply hoax material?

Frankly, I find Apo's predictions very bleak and rather belonging to the doomsdayers' stuff. I've been tempted to dismiss them as crazy stuff had I not reminded myself that this same Apo told me some six months earlier that Obama would prevail over Hillary Clinton in the primaries(much to my violent chagrin because I was hoping for a Hillary-Obama Democratic ticket). Ever the rational yet open-minded fellow that I am, I think I'm going to wait and see.

_____

Reference:

The Man Who Saw Tomorrow. Prod. Paul Drane, et al., & Dir. Robert Guenette. Warner Bros, January 1981. http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=620FEB1849943E73&playnext=1.

Postscript 1:
(5 November 2008)

The US elections are a done deal. Obama wins. Now brace yourself for the determining figures: Obama's 349 vs. McCain's 163 electoral votes, out of a total of 512. Next, do your math. Final tally reveals that Obama got 68.16%, over McCain's 31.86%. In approximate terms, the resulting difference is one-third, or in exact figures, 36.3% electoral vote lead.

Are you getting the shudders now? Apo predicted about one-third Obama lead, which I wrote as "approximately 33 percent lead over Mccain." Given that the Apo meant the figure as an approximation, I say this part of his predictions has been "proved" right: so accurate that if it is off, it's just by a only around 3.3%. I've been sort of hoping that the final figures would be far away from Apo's predictions because if that were the case, logic would dictate that the rest of his morbid foretelling would be wrong as well.

Unfortunately, that ain't the case. I'm starting to wonder whether former First Lady and Senator Hillary Clinton never really stood a chance against Sen. Barack during the primaries. Has Obama's victory been long written in the stars? I mean, long been fated, and inscribed on the Akashic records by Nostradamus?

Postscript 2:
(5 November 2008)

There's one "heavy" part of Apo's prediction that I opted not to include because it was so "negative" of a future America. I've decided to append this deleted portion in the aftermath of Obama's victory because it should look good contrasting with the future policies of the US President-elect who campaigned on a mantra of liberal, progressive change, Here it is:
"Under the Obama presidency, America will show its true color, evil color."

How Americans, or the US, can be so wicked as described in the prediction is beyond me. I'm thinking it may have something to do with what the Apo himself described as the materialist course Obama is supposed to lead his country into. The world knows America to be a bully and even actual colonizer in the past but for it to be termed "evil" sounds like an exaggeration.

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