According to our high school history textbook, when the Colegio de Santo Tomas ( now University) was established in April 1611, it opened its doors to Filipino students. But, that was misleading, the late Dr. Domingo Abella used to argue because the Filipinos then were offsprings of full-blooded Spaniards born in Las Islas Filipinas. The … Read more
Two days ago, it was the birthday of Leon Maria Guerrero (LMG), my uncle, the one responsible for that classic phrase about beauty contests – “Basta de barbaridades!” Then ambassador to Spain, when he learned I was on my way to Long Beach, California, he cabled my mother. He was pessimistic about my chances, but … Read more
Elvis Presley, then the indisputable “King of Rock” was the icon of all my female contemporaries, to the chagrin of the Maryknoll nuns (our teachers) who denounced him as an “occasion of sin”. Until Elvis came into the picture, no one sang with such a sexually provocative style. Although we danced to rock and roll … Read more
At this writing, 22:16 hours, May 9, I am seized by dread as election results from various sources appear online. From regions 1 and 2, the solid North, the BBM-Duterte tandem has emerged the winner, as expected. But, there are 15 more regions in the Republic of the Philippines. Brace yourselves for a frenetic tumblel … Read more
Throughout his life, Jose Rizal constantly argued with himself. In his mind, political thoughts contended vigorously, endlessly. He expressed his convictions and beliefs in his letters to his family and contemporaries, in travel journals, essays for “La Solidaridad”, and more emotionally through the characters of the Noli-Fili (It is only one novel, he said). Rizal … Read more
Jose Rizal must have wanted his two novels to be read as one book, that is why on the title page of the hand-written original of ”El Filibusterismo” (1891) these words appear in parenthesis– (II parte del Noli Me Tangere). But, Rizal crossed it out before bringing the manuscript to the printer. Be that as … Read more
When I first read “El Filibusterismo”, I was too young to understand why it is “ profound and perfect” ( Rizal’s own words), so I was appalled that Maria Clara jumped off the convent roof before Simoun could rescue her and that his revolution failed. Two decades later, I read it again and caught a … Read more
“The Philippine Readers”, a teleological series of textbooks for Filipino youth during the American colonial period, was edited by Camilo Osias who had lived through the Revolution against Spain, the First Philippine Republic, Philippine-American War, the Commonwealth, Japanese Occupation and five years of Marcos’s martial law. Mr. Osias was 90 when he passed away in … Read more
I am the happy owner of two pre-loved Camilo Osias books both titled, “The Philippine Readers”; I do not know if these were also used in private schools, specially the sectarian ones, during that period called “peacetime”. The revised edition of Book Six is in mint condition, although it was first published in the USA, … Read more
In 1901, General Arthur MacArthur ( Douglas’s father) announced: “A rapid extension of educational facilities is an exclusively military measure…” What a clever strategy, that was the essence of “benevolent assimilation” and “pacification.” Immediately, Gen. Elwell Otis endorsed 7 schools opened by an army chaplain, shortly after that mock battle in Intramuros between Spanish and … Read more