The Philippines is home to some of the most talented artists in the world. This thread is dedicated to the discipline that brought numerous honors to our country.

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Silver swan. Filipina ballerina Christine Joy Rocas, dancing as the Black Swan in Swan Lake, recently won the silver medal at the 8th New York International ballet competition, the equivalent of the Olympics in the ballet world.

Filipina bags top ballet honors in New York


A Filipino ballerina bagged top honors at the 8th New York International Ballet Competition (NYIBC) held recently at Alice Tully Hall of the Lincoln Center.

Christine Rocas, 18, who received her formal ballet training from Ballet Manila since she was 10, won the silver medal in the women’s division beating 26 couples from 19 countries.
The gold medal in the women’s division was not awarded during this year’s NYIBC while the bronze medal went to Hanae Seki of Japan.
In the men’s division, Joseph Gatti of the USA danced his way to the gold medal while Daniel Sarabia of Cuba won the silver medal.
Altankhuyag Dugaraa of Mongolia bagged the bronze medal.
Christine’s partner in all three rounds was fellow-Filipino and Ballet Manila company member Francis Cascaño.
The NYIBC, held every three years, is one of the world’s premier dancing competitions geared towards identifying promising young dancers, enhancing their professional education, and providing them with career opportunities.
Christine also bagged the Arpino Award, a one-year contract with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. As of press time, Rocas is yet undecided whether she will accept the offer.
"This is an example of how a student surpasses a teacher. It is a significant achievement that is unprecedented in Philippine ballet history," said Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, artistic director of Ballet Manila.
Christine, Ballet Manila’s demi-soloist, is the second Filipino to be awarded a medal abroad.
Her mentor, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, bagged the country’s first silver medal in the Asia-Pacific International Competition in 1987.
"This shows that the Philippines can produce great talent even though ballet is a Western art form. We hope this victory will provide the impetus for government, the business sector, and the public to support ballet. Our artists need patrons who share the vision of bringing the Philippines international recognition," Lisa stressed.
The NYIBC distinguishes itself from other competitions because of its unique and grueling format.
According to Osias Barroso, Ballet Manila associate director and ballet master, the repertory is announced only upon the arrival of the dancers.
During the first two weeks, all dancers are taught three pas de deux by world-renowned instructors and coaches.
Only the dancers with the highest scores advance after each round.
President of the Jury for NYIBC 2005 was Victoria Morgan of the USA, artistic director of the Cincinnati Ballet.
The other judges were Stanton Welch of Australia, artistic director, Houston Ballet; Andre Lewis of Canada, artistic director, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet; Xin Li Li of China, artistic director, Shanghai Ballet; Dame Merle Park of England, former artistic director of the Royal Ballet School; Dutch choreographer Hans van Manen, Alexei Ratmansky of Russia, artistic director, The Bolshoi Ballet; Victor Ullate of Spain artistic, Victor Ullate Ballet; and Maria Eugenia Barrios of Venezuela, artistic director, Ballet Contemporaneo de Caracas.
In preparation for the competition, Christine joined a contest in Helsinki, where she made it to the semifinals.
In August of 2003, Christine received a finalists’ certificate in the Junior Division at the 9th Asia-Pacific International Competition in Tokyo, Japan.
She also took on various roles during daily shows at the Star Theater and Aliw Theater.
Upon her return, Christine will perform the lead role in the full-length staging of "Swan Lake," Ballet Manila’s 10th season opening, at the Aliw Theater this August.

This thread is dedicated only to the professional artists. Particularly the ones who gathered international recognition or passed the standards of performing abroad.

To cite a few:
Lea Salongga
Monique Wilson
Leo Valdez
The Original Miss Saigon Casts
Cecile Licad - Pianist
Lisa Macuja - Ballet Dancer
The Madrigal Singers
Bayanihan Dance Troop

More on Christine Roca

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Christine Rocas

Poised to fly

By Rome Jorge

MENTOR and protégé mirror one another as they stretch and practice on the dance bar. With their outstretched toes they draw perfect circles in the air. With their arching backs they form a symmetry that is beyond human. Their synchronized feats of contortion are both discipline in motion and grace made kinetic. Christine Rocas, a young lady at 18, stands in front of Lisa Macuja, an impossibly youthful mother at 40. But while Macuja looks on to her pupil, Rocas looks ahead, her eyes shining bright, full of hopes and dreams.



Christine Rocas is on pointe at the crossroads of her life; the young ballerina pirouettes amid new paths opening before her. A young girl with a bright future and an enormous potential, Rocas now must decide her next step. She chooses between loyalty to the local school that honed her or the foreign company that now offers to expose her to a new standard in her craft. As rarified as her craft may be, Christine’s choices mirror those her generation faces in these troubled times: should I stay or should I go? Ironically and naturally, it is the motherly mentor who encourages her to step forward whom she may have to leave.

Macuja, Ballet Manila’s artistic director, says, “As a mother I’d rather transfer my family to Chicago to be with her or else forbid her to go. But as her mentor I would say she should not turn her back on this opportunity and go for it.”

Christine Rocas has won a one-year contract with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago when she garnered both the Arpino Award and the silver medal at the recent New York International Ballet Competition (NYIBC).

The NYIBC is premier contest held every three years with a unique selection process. Competitors are taught and coached by world-renowned dancers to perform a repertoire three pas de deux for two weeks. Then dancers are judged. Those with the highest scores advance. Winners perform at a gala performance with NYIBC alumni and veteran dancers. So stringent are the standards of the NYIBC that this year no gold medal was given for ballerinas; the silver medal performance of Rocas is this year’s best.

“I heard they chose me because they saw my smile didn’t look like it was just plastered on my face,” she reveals. Rocas genuinely loves dancing. “I live to dance. I dance to live,” she proclaims.

Choices

Milagros Rocas, Christine’s mother, feels her daughter who just turned 18 is too young to pursue a ballet career in the United States. For his part, Adam Skulte, ballet master for the Joffrey Ballet, states in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, “We will continue to talk to her over the next couple of years.”

Macuja states, “I hope she can stay to perform Swan Lake for our season opening. It will be her victory performance.” Ballet Manila’s Swan Lake is set to premiere at the Aliw Theater on August 5.

But it is the young lady who decides her own destiny. “I’m leaning toward Chicago,” she says. “I would like to go.” But she is also agreeable to dancing for Swan Lake, where she can alternate for Macuja in the lead role of Princess Odette. On stage, as with real life, the two mirror each other.

For Macuja, the recent triumph of her protégé is also the dance company’s own; it vindicates Ballet Manila’s much-criticized Vaganova methods.

Controversial pedagogy

“The old guard in local ballet say the Vaganova technique is only for the ideal body; they say it’s not suited for most Filipino dancers. But I demand it from all my pupils. They accuse me of pushing my students to injury,” confides Macuja. “But why stop if the child can do it?”

The Vaganova technique—named after a ballerina of the Imperial Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia who developed the method in 1919—is uncompromising. For example, it demands a dancer’s turnout—how she points her toes while standing perfectly straight—to be a full 180 degrees. Macuja adopted the methodology from her studies as a scholar in Russia. Rocas, like all students of Ballet Manila, now benefit from the school’s Russian and other foreign instructors.

“When I was being coached in New York, they corrected my turnout,” a perplexed Rocas recalls. Even the Americans found the Vaganova method too extreme. But is this very competition in New York that now validates Rocas’s favored dance method.

Macuja explains, “It makes perfect sense. There is a logical progression in its exercises. The body is not shocked. It promotes longevity.” Macuja, at 40 years of age, is still principal ballerina as well as artistic director of Ballet Manila. “All my contemporaries have retired; I still dance,” Macuja attests. The same training may also benefit all her dancers such as Rocas. She’ll need it; at 18 years of age, this girl has a long way to go.

Not a doctor

“I can’t imagine doing anything else. Ballet is life,” attests Rocas. And it shows. She is supposed to be in her third year of her bachelor course in Medical Physics at De La Salle University. But her leave of absence has been so long she now needs to start as a freshman should she decide to continue her studies at all. “I’m still young. Studies can always wait,” says Rocas.

The young ballerina, who enjoys the support of a beau, declares: “Dancing comes first over my boyfriend.”

Rocas is the younger of two siblings. “Our parents enrolled us into a lot of fields: karate, gymnastics and ballet,” she recalls. Like her brother she also received gymnastic training at an early age. But unlike her brother, she fell in love with ballet.

Now that she is 18, a lady, Rocas must make her own decisions on life. Fortunately for her, no doors are closing any time soon. Like the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, ballet Manila is also willing to wait for her. “She will always have a place among us,” says Macuja.

Rocas stretches her hands like wings as her body echoes that of her mentor on the mirrored hall of the dance studio. Lithe and seemingly weightless, she is a bird posed to fly.

GIOVANNIE PICO

of "ER"

GIOVANNIE PICO

of "ER"

Who's he? I've been watching ER since the beginning and I don't recall anyone with that name. :dunno:

She's in the Philippines right now, appearing on local TV.



*booked role as recurring med student LUDLOW on NBC's ER
lumabas bilang Ludlow sa 11th season ng TV series na ER) .
TV Guide (http://www.tv.com/er/show/111/episode_guide.html&season=11)

*booked as Principal Performer in The Vagina Monologues at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco March 2005

*American Yearbook won the Audience Award at the Santa Monica's Dance with Films Film Festival!

*featured in FILIPINAS Magazine

*cover story in Asian Journal

*featured stories in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Manila Bulletin, Philippine Star, Philippines Today, Manila Times, People's Tonight

http://www.giovannie.com/

ohhh... so she's that lady that appeared in SOP (GMA7) last Sunday?.....

not familiar with her... :D

Yeah, and she could speak Filipino well.




How about Lalaine Paras of "Lizzie McGuire" (2001) TV Series .... Miranda Isabella Sanchez

What about a list of all National Artists of the Philippines and their achievements.

The few ones I know are Lino Brocka (film), Nick Joaquin (literature), Alejandro Locsin (architecture), Carlos "Votong" Francisco (visual arts) to name a few.

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Filipinos win gold in Blackpool Dance Festival

By JOJO PANALIGAN

Regardless of dire political and economic situations here, local artists continue to light up the name of the Philippines internationally by bringing home honor in their respective fields.

This was again proven recently when Filipino dance couple Edna Ledesma and John Co clinched Gold in the Blackpool Dance Festival in London that’s equal to the Olympics in the world of ballroom dance.

The only Asians in the list of victors, the two bested tough competition from Belgium, Italy, Czechoslovakia and even perennial winner, Spain. It is the first time Edna and John triumphed totally in the Latin Dance category following runner up clinches in the same competition in 2003 and 2004.

"It’s a dream come true," Edna, who used to be a licensed real estate broker, said during a one-on-one interview. "Considering that all the dancers were so good, we were lucky to have garnered top prize."

But luck had little to do with it. Instead, discipline, keen interest on details and passion bordering on obsession for the sport were keys to their success. According to Edna, dancing is akin to boxing in that you need to build up incredible stamina and dedication to perfect your "footwork"—something only hours of demanding practice could yield.

"Practice, more importantly, attunes you to your dancing partner’s body," Edna explains. "One develops muscle memory in relation to each other. After a while, you get a sense of how far you should stretch your arms, spread your legs, tilt your head, etc., to get form correct. Like with any sports, dancing is more of a mental thing than physical; focus is integral. You know what the tricky part is? You have to make it look effortless."

She should know. A dancer since the age of eight, though she was into ballet and jazz then, Edna had been doing the cha-cha, rhumba and pasadoble since 1997. One day, while doing aerobics, renowned ballroom guru Beck Garcia, who had a studio upstairs from the gym Edna puts time in, enticed her to enroll in one of the former’s classes.

There was no turning back since. After just a year of lessons, she was convinced by Becky to join a competition.

So Edna did. She lost.

"I was terrible then," Edna recalled, giggling. "It was my first time so my technique was not quite honed yet and I had little mastery of international standards in dancing compared to the competition. Still, the point was to get a feel for competition; to develop a hunger of becoming as good as the others."

That she did well. Eventually, Edna began winning all over including competitions in Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia. In recent years, Edna had brought home trophies from the U.K. and British opens.

What sacrifices did she have to make in lieu of these?

"Time for golf," she joked. "Seriously, dancing is a lifestyle. It covers even choosing the right kind of shoes because if you get the wrong ones, you might injure your feet. Obviously, watching your weight is a must, too. You can’t be too skinny because it won’t look good. Or fat because you’d get backaches all the time. You aim for voluptuousness para sexy and fluid tingnan when you execute your steps. So there’s doing time in the gym and some more for stretching every day to make your muscles supple"

Edna continued, " Money, too, can be a problem sometimes. Like in our case, we had to get a British coach—Paul Harris— to improve and guide us with our techniques. Very few are the sponsorships we get and there are hardly incentives."

"Lastly, you have to think like an actor every time. It’s like taking on a role; you put yourself in character for dancing. This is the reason why dancing is a profound experience. You are not you when you dance. You become someone else transported to somewhere else."

Fortunately, being Filipino makes dancing a lot easier. Edna cites the natural rhythm of the race being so musically inclined. She also said being small in frame is an advantage since you can move faster. Lastly, she noted our penchant for learning quickly then improving on what was imbibed.

"This is important because most of the time, you only have a few minutes to impress the judges," she revealed. "One dance and they know if you have the stamina, the consistency and the inventiveness to move on to the next level. So aside from the basics which everybody does, you need to develop your own ‘secret weapons’ or special flair in choreography to get the judges’ nods."

Next time, Edna wants to join in the dance category of waltz, tango and fox trot. Even though the prize might not be worth the effort (they only won an unbelievably low loot of R19,000 in Blackpool), the personal gratification she gets from the sports more than compensates.

"Dancing is always a profound and fun experience," Edna concluded. "As with bringing honor to one’s country."

Edna Ledesma and John Co- Latin Dance Senior Category Winners of the Blackpool Dance Contest
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Filipinos are known to be artistically inclined. Our culture showcases different kinds of chants and ethnic dances. Time and again, singers have made our country proud in singing contests held in different parts of the world. Recently, the dancing duo of Edna Asano – Ledesma and John Derick Co won the grand prize for best in Latin Dance in the senior category of the Blackpool Dance Contest held in Blackpool, England. That’s why they are our Global Pinoys for the month of July!


Winning Dance Move Moments
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More details here:
http://www.globalpinoy.com/gpfeature/

I watched the show "So You Think You Can Dance?" (patterned after American Idol) last night with the auditios held in California. There were a lot of Filipino-Americans who qualified including a pinay jazz/ballet dancer, a hefty guy with a winning smile and personality, and a breakdancer.

Also in "Rockstar INXS", one of the contestants Migs Ayesa is an Australian-Filipino.

This only goes to show that arts and music run in the Filipino genes.

I watched the show "So You Think You Can Dance?" (patterned after American Idol) last night with the auditios held in California. There were a lot of Filipino-Americans who qualified including a pinay jazz/ballet dancer, a hefty guy with a winning smile and personality, and a breakdancer.

Yeah, one of the contestants that auditioned (in Los Angeles) is a cousin of my classmate from high school, you might have seen him on the episode that aired last night on FOX, his name is Ryan Conferido. He's part of the three-man group, sadly his two friends didn't make it to the next round, but he did!

Yes, that Ryan with the spiked hair is one awesome dancer! He was the breakdancer I was referring to. Typical of the Filipino-American families, his parents just wanted him to concentrate on his studies and pursue medicine but he says he dances on the sly 'coz he just loves it.

http://www.yolk.com/pix/m-091.jpg
My cousin Marie.
Her real name Marie Bernadette Gulmatico.
They made her shorten her name ( and butchered it ).
Her father is from Bacolod.
Her mom and my father are from Bulacan.
She grew up in OC, California.
She doesn't speak Tagalog or Ilonggo but understands some.
She was the female lead in Art of War opposite of Wesley Snipes.
She also played May in The Corruptor.
She now teaches acting and singing at her own school in LA.

^So your cousin is making waves in Hollywood!
Bakit wala atang masyadong news about her sa Pinas?

Will try to look for Art of war, what year ba to? :D

^So your cousin is making waves in Hollywood!
Bakit wala atang masyadong news about her sa Pinas?

Will try to look for Art of war, what year ba to? :D
She visited there years ago for the premier.
The movie came out in 2000.
Not a very good movie.
Everybody thinks Marie is of Japanese blood b/c of her screen last name.

i thought she was japanese since she had japanese sounding surname.

anyway, ive heard "The Great Raid" will be shown August

i thought she was japanese since she had japanese sounding surname.

anyway, ive heard "The Great Raid" will be shown August

...but as usual the bias is there. I watched CNN the other day and they had a segment regarding the movie "The Great Raid", it mentioned that it was the greatest ever rescue of American citizens at time of war by the American troops but there was no mention of Philippine Scouts helping the Americans with the rescue. Oh well!!

http://www.yolk.com/pix/m-091.jpg
My cousin Marie.
Her real name Marie Bernadette Gulmatico.
They made her shorten her name ( and butchered it ).
Her father is from Bacolod.
Her mom and my father are from Bulacan.
She grew up in OC, California.
She doesn't speak Tagalog or Ilonggo but understands some.
She was the female lead in Art of War opposite of Wesley Snipes.
She also played May in The Corruptor.
She now teaches acting and singing at her own school in LA.

Hey, I just saw Art of War on TNT last night. I saw your cousin Marie Matico there. She really looked Japanese. Landing the prime role is no small matter. Markadong-markado ang role niya. Actually the movie was good, not small-budgeted. It had good action effects and big stars including Anne Archer, Michael Biehn (of Terminator fame), etc. It's just that I'm not a fan of Welsey Snipes. I wasn't able to finsih watching it since I was too tired. Perhaps if the lead was not him, the movie might have done better at the tills. Marie should be given more breaks.

Thnx Lili.
Marie still gets royalty from that movie whenever it's shown on tv.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299135/#comment
She's in this movie now.

^ I'll try to get hold of that movie. The reviews were very interesting and enticing. Thanks for the referral, Joey.

Didn't know where to post this....I guess here would be just fine. :colgate:

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Finally, a museum for Filipino films
By Dennis Ladaw

Believe it or not, in its 100 year history, nobody has ever thought of putting up a museum for the Philippine film industry. Until this year, there wasn’t a place to store and display film movie memorabilia, prints and artifacts.

To remedy this situation, the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation has established the Pambansang Museo ng Pelikula at its own headquarters in Cubao, Quezon City. Film historian Nick Deocampo, the director of the Mowelfund Film Institute, is supervising the project. The said museum is being designed to trace the history of cinema in the Philippines with dioramas and artifacts donated by movie personalities.

At the launching of the project on July 29, Deocampo lamented the Filipinos’ lack of interest in their past and heritage. "We’re all known for our very short memories," he pointed out. "We forget our past, our history, which made us what we are today."

Deocampo noted that establishing the museum at this point is just perfect. "A lot of people were wondering why now, when the film industry is already dying. I say, why not? The industry is indeed dying and what it needs is a museum that would remind us of what it was like before. The only way to salvage this industry is to learn from the past. Recall how they did things then and perhaps we can discover a way to rescue the industry."

A director of short films, theatrical releases and documentaries, Deocampo said only a few people in Philippine cinema have shown interest in its history. "Countless Filipino films made before the war have been lost forever because no one has made an effort to preserve or restore them," he said.

Deocampo could only envy other countries where interest in their respective film industries has remained strong. Actors and directors who passed away several years ago remain revered. Late legends like Garbo or Marilyn Monroe continue to live on in contemporary pop culture and their works are still seen by millions through revivals, television and video.

In contrast, only a handful of Filipinos can recall the acting career of Fernando Poe Sr. "In fact, other countries have proven to be more interested in our films," Deocampo said. "I discovered a copy of one of Poe’s films, Zamboanga (1937), which I thought was lost forever. And where did I find it? At the US Library of Congress in Washington DC! I even have a friend from Thailand who’s doing a research paper on one of our late directors. Has anyone here done that at all?"

He added that contrary to legend, the Filipino’s first taste of films didn’t begin during the American colonial period. The country’s first screening, he said, occurred on January 1, 1897, during the Spanish colonial period. "Almost no one is aware of this," he stressed.

Boots Anson-Roa, Mowelfund’s executive director, echoed Deocampo’s sentiments. "Now’s the right time to open this museum. The only way to go forward is to look back to the past. As the old saying goes, "ang hindi lumingon sa pinanggalingan, hindi makakarating sa paroroonan (a person who doesn’t look at his past will never realize his dream)."

Roa said the museum’s official opening date is August 19. "This is a significant day. It happens to be Quezon City Day, and the city government has been very supportive of this project," she said.

Highlights of the museum include a photo gallery of movie stars, from the first superstar Atang de la Rama to Nora Aunor; copies of fan magazines and movie posters, manuscripts of acclaimed scripts; a display of awards, trophies and medals; replicas of superheroes like Darna and Lastikman, life-size photo reproductions of movie stars like Carmen Rosales and a display of cinema equipment.

A tour of the museum will also include a screening of short films or rare prints of vintage films.

Thanks for posting that Kimber. Finally! I am very enthusiastic about visiting that museum. They should get films from LVN, Sampaguita, Ilang-Ilang productions. I heard the films are soon getting ruined and burnt. It is important to preserve those precious films.

Hey peeps,

We have three finalist in the dance show "So You Think You Can Dance?" namely, Melody (jazz/ballet), Ryan (street/breakdance), and Allan aka Big Poppa (hiphop). They're all great and lovable!

Pinoys really do well in these talent shows -- remember Jasmine Trias and Camille Velasco of American Idol, as well as Mig Ayesa of Rockstar INXS?

Proudly Pinoy.

^^ I was watching "So You Think You Can Dance?" last night and I'm glad to see some "color" to the group of finalists. Will be ready and more than able to cast my vote starting next week! BTW, Mig on "Rockstar INXS" was really rocking the house last Tuesday night! :okay:

^^ Yeah, Mig rocked. He's very cute, too. I'm looking forward to him singing something more mellow and lyrical next time as he promised. I like Jordis but she bombed Tuesday night. I'm placing my bet the blonde guy (I forgot his name) who sang with just his guitar to win it. His style will blend more with INXS -- more similar to the late Michael Hutchence.

Do you watch Big Brother 6? Who do you want to return. I'd go for Kaiser.

^^ I think that blond guy's name is Marty. So, you don't think they'll choose Mig? I watch BB religiously, I voted (via text and online on www.rockstar.msn.com) for Kaysar to go back to the BB house. Maggie and her "circle-of-friends" are just plain evil! Although James and his cohort (GF) Sarah are also snakes. Will be watching it tonight and I hope and pray that Kaysar wins the vote! :colgate:

The way for Mig to win is if all Filipinos vote for him just like how they propelled Jasmine Trias as one of the finalists in American Idol. The producers have a way to block those off come decision time. I think Mig would be better off as a solo singer or as a Broadway rockstar, not as a front man/singer of INXS. At least via this show, he gained international exposure.

Yeah, Maggie is irritating and so smug. Eric (Cap) is so arrogant, too. I wouldn't bank on his being a firefighter to get him back in. I'm crossing my fingers for Kaysar to return to turn the tables around.

Check this out, Orpheum theater in LA.http://you-are-here.com/theatre/orpheum.jpg

^^ Yeah, Mig rocked. He's very cute, too. I'm looking forward to him singing something more mellow and lyrical next time as he promised. I like Jordis but she bombed Tuesday night. I'm placing my bet the blonde guy (I forgot his name) who sang with just his guitar to win it. His style will blend more with INXS -- more similar to the late Michael Hutchence.

Do you watch Big Brother 6? Who do you want to return. I'd go for Kaiser.


can't relate... but the Philippines will be getting its own franchise of Big Brother! Parating na si kuya sa Pilipinas!

http://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/ent-081005-bigbro.aspx

Movie memories
By Bayani San Diego Jr. Inquirer News Service Aug 17, 2005

Finally, if belatedly, a national film museum will open its doors to the public on Aug. 19. Finally, because it is the first of its kind in the country. Belatedly, because Philippine cinema is about 108 years old.

“The first screenings were held at the Salon Pertierra on Escolta Street on Jan. 1, 1897,” according to Boots Anson-Roa, executive director of the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation Inc. or Mowelfund, which spearheaded the undertaking.

The museum comes a month after the sale of the laboratory facilities of LVN. The fate of the LVN Museum is still unclear.

LVN grant

Anson-Roa confirmed that Mowelfund was discussing with LVN management the possible transfer of the studio’s holdings to the Pambansang Museo ng Pelikula.

“We’ve already received a partial grant from the LVN Museum,” Anson-Roa told Inquirer Entertainment.

Among the LVN mementos are the statue of Togo by Anastacio Caedo and Rogelio de la Rosa’s “Prinsipe Amante” costume. Nida Blanca’s estate donated Oriental outfits.

“For the stars who would lend us their collection, we can draft a Memorandum of Agreement,” Anson-Roa said.

Since the target visitors are primarily students, the museum, which occupies two floors of the seven-story Mowelfund building, presents Pinoy cinema history as a dynamic, colorful, and brisk (one-hour) journey.

There’s an MTV-ish feel to it

Museum curator and artistic director Nick Deocampo made sure to add touches of Pinoy pop culture.

A giant photo of 1950s love team Nida Blanca and Nestor de Villa shares the same space as Jolina Magdangal’s mannequin and Machete’s statue.

A separate room will be dedicated to the five National Artists for Film—Gerry de Leon, Lamberto Avellana, Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal and Eddie Romero—who will share the hall with the late action king Fernando Poe Jr., whom the Mowelfund has nominated as national artist.

A high-wire act is the museum’s attempt to straddle the scholarly and the “showbizzy.”

Deocampo owned up: “If we only wanted to attract fans, we could’ve just filled all the rooms with stars.”

Obviously, this is not the only goal.

“We want to entertain and educate at the same time,” Anson-Roa pointed out. “We want to sustain interest in and awareness on the movie industry at a time when it is beleaguered by numerous challenges.”

“We’re also planning to conduct different symposia and seminars on various topics,” Deocampo said. (Entrance fee is P100 for students.)

Detective work

The museum is a “visualization of my 25-year research,” volunteered Deocampo, who is currently writing a five-volume history of Philippine cinema.

Deocampo was inspired by his visits to various film museums abroad like the Frankfurt Film Museum.

In fact, a major part of the collection was a result of his “detective work” in the United States (at the Smithsonian and the Library of Congress), where he unearthed a treasure trove of trivia, facts and artifacts on colonial cinema.

Juan Torena

In the museum, students will meet Juan Torena, a Filipino who acted in pre-war Hollywood and mingled with the likes of Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford.

“Before Cesar Montano [in “The Great Raid”], there was Juan Torena,” Deocampo quipped.

Deocampo also “rediscovered” child prodigies Josephine Abcede and Pauline Ratilla, who became “international theater stars” way before Lea Salonga.

Also displayed are magazine and newspaper clippings of advertisements for documentaries on turn-of-the-century Philippines that were used as propaganda for America’s “manifest destiny” and eventual colonization of the islands.

“The main intellectual issue that needs to be raised in displaying these artifacts is: What kind of culture are we projecting?” Deocampo said. “The museum is actually a cultural reading of cinema.”

Ang Pambansang Museo ng Pelikula is at 66 Rosario Drive, Cubao, Quezon City.

@Kiretoce: Hey Kimber, did you get to watch "So You Think You Can Dance" last night? Ryan Confreido is BADASS! Ang galing n'ya no? I hope he wins -- from street dancing to suave mambo!

Also, Migs Ayesa of Rockstar INXS sang a superb rendition on Peter Frampton's "Baby I Love Your Way" with just his own piano accompaniment. It brought tears to everyone's eyes even Dave Navarro.

Both of them were judged as having made the best performances in their respective competition shows.

For those who have not seen these shows, these are FilAm contestants who have exhibited such superb talents in performance arts.

^^ Yep! I was flipping between FOX and CBS channels last night!

I was floored when I saw Ryan (not GreyX here on SSC :lol: ) danced, that was a big change from freestyle break dancing to the intricate and complex dance steps of the mambo. I also laughed when his trademark spiky anime-inspired hair was slicked-back.

Mig on the other hand rocked that last episode of Rockstar INXS! He was chosen to provide the encore for his performance of "Baby I Love Your Way." He had Jordis and Marty (the other two top contenders) sing back-up with him for his encore.

Going back to "So You Think You Can Dance," the other Fil-Ams, Melody did a great job dancing the Jive with her partner, while I wasn't that moved seeing Allan, aka "Big Poppa," with his partner danced a Hip-Hop inspired routine. After watching the show last night I called my classmate in California who is the cousin of Ryan and told her that he did great! It was a delayed telecast in the West Coast.

parang anime buhok ni ryan.

Why did Ryan C. say that dancing was frowned upon in his home because of religion?

I understand Melody's case because her parents wanted her to take Medicine or Nursing or some such degree. Very Filipino.

You think Big Poppa is leaving? It's hard having his size to do partner dancing but he is very graceful.

Ryan's religion (happens to be mine too) is Seventh-Day Adventist, a Judeo-Christian sect, and we are prohibited to dance or go to dance clubs. But that is not the rule or law, we're just strongly discouraged from going to such places and engaging in such activities. My liberal view on the matter is that dance incorporates a wide spectrum, it ranges from the folk dances of one's cultural background, to the more modern and contemporary (maybe even risque) movements.

Young SDAs are of course less conservative today than the generation before them, I personally don't see any harm in dancing, I do it all the time (not really well I might add) to whatever song I happen to hear. It's a form of personal expression and interpretation of the song or music. Of course my parents would have none of that since that's how they were brought up in the religion, but they also know that the times they are a changing and that there a some things that must change, but not to the point of eroding the values of being an SDA.

^ Yeah, you're going to be missing out a lot if you don't dance. As you say, it is a form of expression, actually I think -- a gift from God. Dancing does not have to be sexual. Although, you are right, times nowadays is too permissive. In the dance clubs, you see a lot of bumping and grinding between perfect strangers.

The way I see it, I'm not missing out on a lot if I don't dance, how can I "miss it" when I haven't even tried it! But I do dance, well....rather sway and bop my head to the beat rather than gyrate and swivel my hips! :lol: And I have been in dance clubs but mostly I'm a fly on the wall watching people on the dance floor. Dancing is a talent, and talents are from God as you have so stated earlier. :colgate:

Part-Filipina, let's see this rising star named by the New York Post in the Who's Hot Now.

http://fanzcentral.com/~nicolescherzingerfan/gallery_nic_bw_bio.jpg

WHO'S HOT NOW

The New York Post
August 18, 2005 --

NICOLE SCHERZINGER
The Pussycat Dolls have long been an outlet for pretty young Hollywood starlets to pretend they're sexy burlesque-style dancers for a night. But now the troupe is aiming to take on the recording industry and become a full-fledged pop act.
The Dolls' debut single, "Don't Cha," featuring Busta Rhymes, seems to be on a never-ending radio loop and is heating up the Billboard charts for good reason - it's the perfect summer mix of rap and dance.
While each of the six group members is a bona fide hottie singer and dancer, the breakout of the group is lead singer Nicole Scherzinger. You may recognize her from her stint in the girl group Eden's Crush (yes, the band that was put together during the WB's reality series "Popstars" back in 2001).
A triple threat - she can act, sing and dance - the 27-year old Scherzinger, of Hawaiian-Russian-Filipino descent, has appeared in movies ("Chasing Papi"), TV (guest-starring on "My Wife and Kids") and was once the vocalist for the rock band Days of the New.

The debut Pussycat Dolls album hits stores on Sept. 13.

http://www.nypost.com/living/27148.htm

http://fanzcentral.com/~nicolescherzingerfan/gallery_nic_bw_bio.jpg


^^ Ha..ha..ha! We are thinking the same thing! :colgate: I posted the song lyrics for "Don't Cha" by the Pussycat Dolls at the Musikahan thread. The Pussycat Dolls are HOT! :drool: I want to see their show in Las Vegas! :okay:

My cousin MiG

First posted 06:51pm (Mla time) Aug 18, 2005
By Suzette Legarda Montinola
Inquirer News Service

Editor's Note: Published on Page A2-1 of the August 19, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

WHEN Mark Burnett’s new reality show “Rockstar INXS” premiered on Star World, I sat riveted in front of the TV set—awed and terrified in equal parts. I had never been a reality show fan. It was fantastically surreal for me now to be watching a career that I had followed my entire life reach yet another all-time high.

I held my breath as the airplane landed at the LA airport, and then as the 15 finalists vying to be the next front man for the rock band INXS disembarked.

When Brooke Burke welcomed them to the Hollywood Hills mansion where they would spend the next three months, the one at the head of the pack was my first cousin Miguel.

Miguel Alfonso Ramon Legarda Ayesa, now known around the world as MiG (yes, that’s with a capital G at the end, like the MiG Jet Fighter) literally followed me into the world. The joke in our family goes that, just as my mom was being wheeled out of the hospital with me in her arms, his mother Tita Uko had gone into labor and was being wheeled in. He has always referred to me as “Older Cousin Suzie.”

MiG, his brother Andrew and their parents migrated to Australia when we were 4 years old. When I look back, however, it is almost as if they never left. My lolo, Alejandro Roces Legarda and GG (for Glamorous Grandmother as she liked to be called) Ramona Hernandez Legarda, were staunch believers in keeping family and family ties together. Every school break found Andrew and Miguel on a Qantas plane bound for Manila.

This happened every Christmas and Easter. We played war games and card games. We took trips together, built playgrounds in the backyard and threw dirty socks at each other. We sang Christmas carols in the car, exploded firecrackers on New Year’s Eve and prepared lavish programs for our elders.

MiG and I were 8 years old during our very first group performance with other cousins on our grandparents’ 40th wedding anniversary. We danced to Gloria Gaynor’s current hit at the time, “I Will Survive.”

As we got older, the programs got more sophisticated. Favorites included “Greased Lightning,” “You’re The One That I Want,” and “Summer Nights.” MiG always played the lead role of Danny Zuko.

The rest of us never made it beyond my grandparents’ patio, but MiG -- it was always his passion to sing and dance. MiG always had a band. He continued to participate in school plays and musicals. For him, what started out as simple piano lessons we were all forced to take, blossomed into a life of writing, composing, recording and performing.

In 1990, he co-wrote the song “Looks Like Love,” for Martin Nievera’s album, “Time.” It was this song, in the original MiG recording (scratches and all) that we used as musical background for my brother Manolet’s wedding video 13 years later in 2003.

MiG was already famous then. He was in the Ray Ban commercial. He had a part in the Australian TV movie “Top Secret: Mission Impossible.” He constantly impressed us. We were just waiting for the rest of the world to discover him, too.

In 1991, we were 21 years old. MiG landed the role of Richie Valens in the Australian production and tour of “The Buddy Holly Story.” He quit school to take the job but he said it was worth it. The part led to an offer to play the same role in the London West End Production. There, he first performed for Queen Elizabeth. I was studying in Switzerland, and MiG and I got to spend some time together in London.

“The Buddy Holly Story” is an adrenaline-filled, lively and fun show with great music, but it wasn’t until MiG strutted on stage, singing his heart out, that the audience actually clambered up their chairs to dance and sing along. The energy was unbelievable. I was sure he would be a big star.

MiG’s career also included many parts in Broadway productions all over the world, including Angel in “Rent,” Joe Vegas in “Fame” and, of course, Danny Zuko in “Grease.” Mig was also a Brooklyn Vampire in “Queen of the Damned,” Joe King in “The Ferals,” and was beside Elle Mcpherson at the Sydney 2000 Olympics opening.

MiG last came home for a family reunion in 2001, with then girlfriend Simone de la Rue. They were married a year later and moved to London, where Mig landed the lead role of Galileo in “We Will Rock You,” a West End Production featuring the music of Queen. His performance was so powerful, that Queen’s original guitarist Brian May took an active interest in MiG’s work. The two are now collaborating on a project using MiG’s original music.

I last saw Mig and Simone in New York last October. It was a bit of a juggle with our schedules, but our grandparents always taught us there was a way to keep family together, and we had found it.

Little did we know that, six months later, he would be in the show biz capital of the world, Hollywood.

“Younger Cousin Miguel” is now one on the last eight finalists. The entire family is thrown into agony with every elimination episode. But no matter how the competition ends, trust that whenever and wherever MiG comes out to sing, his family would be dancing and rocking and cheering him on.

I was just doing a search of Filipino-Americans on Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) and here's what I got....some of them are not artist though. :colgate:

Arts and Letters
Lynda Barry, mestiza cartoonist, most known for Ernie Pook's Comeek and Marlys, published in salon.com and other independent papers.
Jessica Hagedorn, playwright of Mango Tango and Dogeaters.
Jose Garcia Villa, poet/writer/generationalist. Pre-Beat Generation influencer.
Lea Salonga, Broadway Tony Award Winner, performer, singer, actress.
Alex Tizon, journalist, 1997 Pulitzer Prize Winner, Investigative Reporting.
Byron Acohido, journalist, 1997 Pulitzer Prize Winner, Beat Reporting.
George Estrada, author, "I Have Tasted the Sweet Mangoes of Cebu," Pulitzer prize nominee and journalism professor at Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA.
Cecile Licad, classical pianist.

Business
Diosdado Banatao, Silicon Valley engineer and businessman.
Loida Nicolas Lewis, chairman and CEO of TLC Beatrice International Holdings and founder of AALDEF (Asian-American Legal Defense and Education Fund).
Cora Tellez, CEO, Health Net.
Josie Natori, CEO, Natori Company, high-end fashionwear.
Dean Devlin, Producer, "Independence Day," "The Patriot," "Godzilla."

Entertainment
Amapola, singer [Sang the original movie theme "Kapantay Ay Langit", Awit Awardee, Hall of Fame Award from the Philippines National Press Club], author [Coming Home, Promising Skies], actress [starred in 4 films], musician [plays 8 instruments], Hosted her own syndicated weekly TV program "Amapola Presents Show" on KemoTV San Francisco for eight years.
Tia Carrere, actress.
Wil Castillo, actor Running Springs.
Phoebe Cates, actress.
Emy Coligado, actress, famous for her role as Piama, Francis' wife, in Malcolm in the Middle.
Ryan Conferido, So You Think You Can Dance contestant.
Francine Dee, model.
Jocelyn Enriquez, singer.
Jerome Fontamillas, guitarist for the Christian rock band Switchfoot.
Jeff Francisco, actor Tweek City.
Kat Gutierrez, model.
Kirk Hammett, lead guitarist for Metallica.
Chad Hugo, music producer and musician; one-half of The Neptunes.
Enrique Iglesias, singer/international pop star.
Cris Judd, actor Dance Like We Do, ex-husband of Jennifer Lopez.
Honey Labrador, host of Queer Eye For The Straight Girl.
Melody Lacayanga, So You Think You Can Dance contestant.
Lalaine, child star, one of the main stars of Lizzie McGuire.
Rachael Lampa, Christian singer.
Allan Pineda Lindo aka Apl.de.Ap, musician; member of the Black Eyed Peas.
Vanessa Minnillo, Miss Teen USA 1998 and MTV personality.
Paolo Montalban, actor.
KC Montero, MTV-Asia VJ. Real name Casey Miller. Born in Washington.
Troy Montero, actor. Real name Troy Miller. Born in Washington.
Rex Navarrete, comedian.
Van Partible, creator/director/writer of cartoon series Johnny Bravo.
Lou Diamond Phillips, actor.
Ernie Reyes Jr., actor.
Sabrine Maui, adult film star.
Neal McCoy, country music singer.
Joey Santiago, guitarist for the Pixies.
Rob Schneider, Saturday Night Live performer, actor, comedian.
Shannyn Sossamon. actress, 40 Days and 40 Nights, A Knight's Tale.
Charmane Star, adult film star.
Tamlyn Tomita, actress, The Joy Luck Club (half-Japanese and half-Filipino).
Jasmine Trias, American Idol contestant.
Camile Velasco, American Idol contestant.

Military
Rudolph Davila, Medal of Honor Recipent, WWII.
Edward Soriano, Lieutenant General (3*) of U.S. Army.
Antonio Taguba, Major General (2*) of U.S. Army, author of the Taguba Report which uncovered major prisoner abuses in Iraq.

Politics
Peter Aduja, first Filipino American elected to political office.
Carlos Bulosan, Filipino American author and labor activist.
Robert Bunda, first Filipino American legislative president.
Benjamin J. Cayetano, first Filipino American governor in U.S.
Gene Canque Liddell, first Filipina American mayor in U.S.
Eduardo E. Malapit, first Filipino American mayor in U.S.
Judge Alfred Laureta, first Filipino American state cabinet member in U.S., first Filipino Federal District Court Judge.
Michelle Malkin, syndicated columnist.
Bobby Scott, U.S. Representative from Virginia (D).
Velma Veloria, first Filipina American legislator of Washington in the 11th district for the House of Representatives (D). Served from 1993 to 2005.

Sports
Benny Agbayani, New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals baseball player.
Eugene Amano, NFL offensive guard/center, Tennessee Titans.
Bobby Balcena, Cincinnati Reds baseball player.
David Bautista aka "Batista", WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Teddy Lacap Bruschi, NFL All-Pro linebacker, New England Patriots.
Bobby Chouinard, Baltimore Orioles baseball player.
Natalie Coughlin, Olympic swimmer, gold medalist.
Dorothy Delasin, LPGA Golfer.
Victoria Manalo Draves, diver who was first woman to win two gold medals in springboard diving at the 1948 Olympics in London.
Roman Gabriel, NFL quarterback,Los Angeles Rams.
Sunny Garcia, Surfing World champion, surfing legend.
Malia Jones, Surfing model/People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People.
Liz Masakayan, Consensus All-American UCLA, US Olympian, beach volleyball legend.
Luis Reyes, U.S. Taekwondo Gold medalist.
Jennifer Rosales, LPGA Golfer, NCAA Individual Women's Champion.
Raymond Townsend, NBA point guard, first Asian to be drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft Golden State Warriors.
Brian Viloria, US Olympian boxer.
Mike Ventura, Weightlifter.

Other
Angela Perez Baraquio, Miss America 2001.
Cristeta Comerford, first woman executive chef at the White House. She worked as an assistant chef for 10 years. After a ten-month search, she was appointed by First Lady Laura Bush on August 14, 2005.
Andrew Cunanan, serial killer, murdered Gianni Versace in 1997 before killing himself.
Josie Cruz-Natori, fashion magnate.
Pedro Flores, father of the yo-yo (Donald Duncan purchased the company and renamed it Duncan Yo-Yo Co.).
Andrea Jumapao, first Filipino American to participate (on a national level in the United States) in the Miss USA-World 1976 competition held in Boston, MA. as Miss Oregon.
Benjamin Menor, first Filipino American state Supreme Court justice.

A proud Pinoy moment

http://images.inq7.net/news/entertainment/images/2005/aug/31/rizza-jed3.jpg

First posted 10:49pm (Mla time) Aug 30, 2005
By Ernie Pecho
Inquirer News Service

Editor's Note: Published on page A2-1 of the August 31, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

IT WAS a proud Pinoy moment.

For the first time in the 11-year history of the World Championship of Performing Arts (WCOPA)-dubbed "Talent Olympics"-recently held in Hollywood, a single country swept all but a few major awards.

The Philippines' Jed Madela and Rizza Navales bagged a total of 11 gold medals, one silver medal, three Champion of the World plaques and the Grand Champion trophy.

Madela and Navales were the country's only representatives. The United States fielded 150 talents and South Africa sent 250.

The WCOPA is staged annually in Hollywood. This year's competition was participated in by 51 countries, from Armenia to Zimbabwe.

Madela won the gold in all six events that he joined. Navales won five golds and a silver.

Jed was declared Champion of the World in the Male Singing Division and Rizza won parallel honors in the Female Division. They also won Champion of the World in the Duet category.

Overall winner was Jed, who was declared
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Grand Champion. He bested hundreds of contenders in the Dance, Acting, Instrumental and Modeling divisions.

The duo's recording company, Universal Records, said that, on the first day of the competition, the heads of delegations introduced their participants. It was then that the leader of the South African group proudly announced that he had brought a "planeload" of contestants. South Africa and the US were enthusiastically applauded, Universal executives said.

Ida Henares of GMA Artist Center, head of the Philippine group, next took the podium. She proudly announced that her country sent two contestants, one male and one female. This was reportedly greeted with snickers-even laughter. But after a few days, many of those who laughed were shouting, "Bravo!" after every Pinoy performance.

The Philippine delegation celebrated their triumph in Las Vegas, where they watched a performance by now US-based Lani Misalucha. There, Jed and Rizza also performed for international bookers and talent agents. That same evening, they both received several tempting offers-for example, a permanent slot in a Vegas nightspot for Rizza.

But the winners are taking things slowly. First in their immediate plans is a Manila homecoming, of course.

Congrats! Yang ang galing Pinoy!

in your face!!!! ha! :baeh3:

galing galing! :cheers:

Has anybody here watched this film? Mabuhay!

RP film bags gold in Montreal fest

The Philippine Star 09/07/2005

"Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros," the Philippines’ entry to the First Films World Competition at the 29th Montreal World Film Festival in Canada, bagged first place and was awarded the Golden Zenith award.

"Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros" bested 15 entries in the First Films World Competition. The Silver Zenith award went to "Truth or Dare" (Germany) by Jan Martin Scharf and Arne Nolting. The Bronze Zenith went to "London" (USA) by Hunter Richards and starring Jessica Biel and Leelee Sobieski.

The First Films World Competition of the 29th Montreal World Film Festival gives an opportunity for selected first feature films to be recognized.

Written by Michiko Yamamoto (who also wrote "Magnifico"), directed by Aureaus Solito and produced by Raymond Lee, "Ang Pagdadalaga..." won three awards in the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and Competition held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines last July. It won awards for Best Production Design, a special citation for best performance of an actor by Nathan Lopez who played the lead role, and a special jury prize.

"Ang Pagdadalaga..." tells the coming-of-age story of young Maxi whose unquestioning devotion to his family of small-time criminals in a Manila slum is undermined when he strikes up a friendship with a principled young policeman.

There were strong performances from the cast that included Soliman Cruz and Bodjie Pacua, former mainstays of the defunct children’s show "Batibot."

The film’s soundtrack was written by rock legend Pepe Smith, who also appears in a bit role as an eccentric neighborhood piano player. Photography was by Nap Jamir.

The 29th Montreal World Film Festival was held Aug. 26 to Sept. 5, 2005 in Montreal, Canada. The program of the festival offered a broad selection of films from five continents. Over 300 films from 70 countries were screened in the festival.

The goal of the Montreal World Film Festival (or Montreal International Film Festival) is to encourage cultural diversity and understanding between nations, to foster the cinema of all continents by stimulating the development of quality cinema, to promote filmmakers and innovative works, to discover and encourage new talent and to promote meetings between cinema professionals from around the world.

The Montreal World Film Festival is divided into the following sections: World Competition, First Films World Competition, Hors Concours (World Greats, Out of Competition), Focus on World Cinema, Documentaries of the World, Tributes, Cinema Under the Stars and the Canadian Student Film Festival.

I put together the following info from http://www.viloria.com/secondthoughts/archives/00000765.html and from http://www.geocities.com/palanca_awards/2005.html

I apologize for the fact that I couldn't find on-line examples of the Tagalog and regional language works.

For more information about the Carlos Palanca Awards, here's some information from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palanca_Award). They're pretty much the Philippine's most prestigious awards for literature, akin to the Pulitzer Prize.

Please take the time to read some of the works published on-line. We really do have some great writers in the Philippines. Click the links. :)

Carlos Palanca Award Winners for the Year 2005

The 55th Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature writing contest organizers announced last Sept 1, 2005 this year's winners.

ENGLISH DIVISION

Novel
Grand Prize: Dean Francis Alfar (http://deanalfar.blogspot.com/2005/09/palanca-awards-night-2005.html), "Salamanca" (excerpt (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/alfar_salamanca))

Futuristic Fiction
First Prize: Karen Manalastas, "Treasure island"
Second Prize: Pia Roxas, "Last Bus Ride (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/roxas_busride)"
Third Prize: Pearlsha Abubakar, "Espiritu Santos (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/abubakar_espiritu)"

Short Story
First Prize: Alexis Abola, "The Shakespeare Guy (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/abola_shakespeare)"
Second Prize: Lakambini Sitoy, "Shut Up and Live"
Third Prize: Maryanne Moll, "At Merienda (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/moll_merienda)"

Short Story for Children
First Prize: Grace Dacanay-Chong, "No Lipstick for Mother"
Second Prize: Raissa Claire Rivera, "The Dancers of Malumbay"
Third Prize: Nikki Alfar (http://nikkialfar.blogspot.com/), "Menggay’s Magical Chicken (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/alfar_menggay)"

Essay
First Prize: Lakambini Sitoy, "From the Outlands with Love"
Second Prize: Aurelio Agcaoili, "Metaphor Man and Migrant, I (http://www.geocities.com/phil_essays/agcaoili_metaphor)"
Third Prize: Maria Angela Perreras, "Thorn"

Poetry
First Prize: Joel Toledo (http://rambling-soul.blogspot.com/), "What Little I Know of Luminosity (http://www.geocities.com/phil_literatura/10_toledo.html)"
Second Prize: Naya Valdellon, "Evasions (http://www.geocities.com/phil_poetry/valdellon_evasions)"
Third Prize: Ana Maria Katigbak, "The Proxy Eros (http://www.geocities.com/phil_literatura/10_katigbak.html)"

One-Act Play
First Prize: Alfonso Dacanay (http://makathain.blogspot.com/), "First Snow of November"
Second Prize: Glenn Mas, "Children of the Sea"
Third Prize: Christopher Martinez, "Welcome to Intelstar"

Full-Length Play
First Prize: Glenn Sevilla Mas, "In the Land of the Giants (http://www.geocities.com/phil_drama/mas_giants)"
Second Prize: Ma. Clarissa Estuar, "Jyan Ken Pon (http://www.geocities.com/phil_drama/estuar_pon)"
Third Prize: Allan Lopez, "Something Happened"

FILIPINO DIVISION

Nobela
Grand Prize: Ellen Sicat, "Unang Ulan ng Mayo"

Futuristic Fiction
First Prize: No winner
Second Prize: No winner
Third Prize: Dick Garcia Enoya, "Vic"

Maikiling Kuwento
First Prize: Agustin Pagusara Jr., "Mga Landas Ng Pangarap (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/pagusara_pangarap)"
Second Prize: Domingo G. Landicho, "Anay Sa Dagat Na Asul"
Third Prize: John Iremil E. Teodoro, "Ang Santo Niño Na Walang Ulo (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/teodoro_santonino)"

Maikling Kuwentong Pambata
First Prize: Eugene Y. Evasco, "Tag-araw ng mga Ibong Hilaga (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/evasco_hilaga)"
Second Prize: Edgardo B. Maranan, "Ang Batang Nanaginip Na Siya'y Nakalilipad"
Third Prize: Perry C. Mangilaya, "Ang Kahon Ni Lolo Yoyong"

Sanaysay
First Prize: Luis P. Gatmaitan, "Tapok at Banlik (http://www.geocities.com/phil_essays/gatmaitan_banlik)"
Second Third Prize: Ferdinand Pisigan Jarin, "Anim Na Sabado Ng Beyblade"
Third Prize: Eugene Y. Evasco, "Segunda Mano (http://www.geocities.com/phil_essays/evasco_segundamano)"

Tula
First Prize: Joseph Rosmon M. Tuazon, "Sa Pagitan ng Emerhensiya"
Second Prize: Rebecca T. Anonuevo, "Buong Buo"
Third Prize: Mesandel Virtusio Arguelles, "Una Prosa"

Dulang May Isang Yugto
First Prize: No winner
Second Prize: Joseph Patrick V. Arevalo, "Sa Loob ng Kawayan"
Third Prize: Vincent A. De Jesus, "Ateng..."

Dulang Ganap ang Haba
First Prize: Reuel M. Aguila, "Baligho"
Second Prize: Edward P. Perez Jr., "Si Marya at Si Kiling"
Third Prize: Rodolfo Carlos Vera, "Masa"

Dulang Pantelebisyon
First Prize: Manuel R. Buising, "Niños Inocentes"
Second Prize: Elmer L. Gatchalian, "Pasalubong"
Third Prize: Ma. Clarissa N. Estuar, "Bayad Utang"

Dulang Pampelikula
First Prize: Erlito G. Reyes, "Hubog Ng Langit"
Second Prize: Veronica B. Velasco, "Boy"
Third Prize: Allan Tijamo, "Blue Moon"

REGIONAL LANGUAGE DIVISION

Short Story-Cebuano
First Prize: Macario D. Tiu, "Balyan (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/tiu_balyan)"
Second Prize: Agustin Pagusara Jr., "Bangka sa Kinabuhi (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/pagusara_norhaina)"
Third Prize: Josua S. Cabrera, "Sesyon"

Short Story in Hiligaynon
First Prize: Genevieve L. Asenjo, "Turagsoy (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/asenjo_turagsoy)"

Short Story-Iluko
First Prize: Danilo B. Antalan, "Goyo: Ti Dangadang iti Rabaw ti Ulep"
Second Prize: Joel B. Manuel, "Ti Galienera, Ti Ili, ken Tallo A Kronika"
Third Prize: Daniel L. Nesperos, "Dagiti Dir-i ken Tagay iti Daradara a Bangabanga"

KABATAAN ESSAY DIVISION

Essay
First Prize: Patricia Marie I. Ranada, "Stories"
Second Prize: Joan Paula A. Deveraturda, "As Silly As It Gets"
Third Prize: Katrina G. Gomez, "Learning To Be Filipino"

Sanaysay
First Prize: Kristina D.C. Javier, "Wahahahahahahahaha"
Second Prize: Jamaica Jane J. Pascual, "Alaala ng Quiapo"
Third Prize: Arnold Pantaleon Pascua II, "K"

ZALDY, the designer of Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. line is of Filipino descent. Here is a feature article in the New York Post.

HOLLABACK GUY

By MAUREEN CALLAHAN
________________________________________
Gwen Stefani modeling one of her L.A.M.B. dresses, co-designed by one-name wonder Zaldy.

September 8, 2005 -- HE'S Fashion Week's hottest designer - but he can't even sell his own clothes. Meet Zaldy (one name, "like Cher"), one of the highest-ranking members of Gwen Stefani's burgeoning fashioning empire, L.A.M.B.

"I guess we really clicked," he says of his boss and fashion muse. "She has such confidence, such a strong point of view, and she doesn't follow trends. She'll be like, 'Oh, I'm thinking about England, pirates,' whatever. So we went and found all these costumes from 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' and we go from there. Her direction is right on."

Zaldy's fluent in such fashion-world free-association. An avant-garde designer, New York night-life fixture and friend to the famous, Zaldy also runs his own clothing line - beloved by fashion editors, bought by no one - showing this Saturday, the second day of Fashion Week. "I didn't even sell my last collection," says the designer, sitting amid piles of books, DVDs and party flyers in his living room/bedroom at the Chelsea Hotel. His space here - half studio, half apartment - is fabulously, fashionably shabby, with swatches of pale blue paint peeling from the walls and the faint smell of stale cigarette smoke wafting through the cramped space. "But," he adds, "I feel like it's going at a good pace for me."

Though Zaldy wants, very much, for his own line to be as high-profile and successful as L.A.M.B., he knows that, in many ways, he's his own worst enemy: His stuff is too unconventional. (And expensive. L.A.M.B is priced from $75-$950, while Zaldy goes for $245-$3,500). Fashion editors love him, but retailers won't carry his line, and he's more Visionaire than Vogue. He hates math and has no interest in commerce (hardly unusual for a designer, but still a hindrance). Part of the reason he decided to even show his collections was so that "people would know how to get in touch with me."

"We cover him every time; he's an editor's favorite," says Rose Apodaca, West Coast bureau chief for Women's Wear Daily. "But despite the positive reviews, he is unable to generate business."

So far, Zaldy - who is gearing up for his own Fashion Week show this Saturday, then L.A.M.B.'s runway debut on Sept. 16 - has done six collections on his own, though he unexpectedly skipped a year when he realized, a bit too late, that one key component was missing. "I was like, 'OHMYGOD I don't have any money!'" he exclaims, speaking, as he does, quickly and breathlessly. "No one's giving me money! I have no money! I think I need to start bringing money into my life." There was also the season he found himself without the shoes he designed for runway: "They were so stunning, and I was so sad that I didn't know that ... Italy closed!" he says, laughing at his overly dramatic spin. "In August! The factory closed! And I couldn't make my shoes!" He pauses. "I don't have major retail relevancy at the moment," he admits.

Zaldy's own collections are highly dramatic, filled with unusual, angular pieces that, however stunning, are difficult for the average civilian to wear. They're more suited to his celebrity clientele: Mick Jagger, Rufus Wainwright, Parker Posey, Christina Aguilera. He says he had offers from London shops Harvey Nichols and Browns for his last collection, but they wanted his pieces at a discount. "I was like, 'You know what? I just can't do it.' I'm not going to put myself through the rigors and the emotional drama and get back $20,000. It's like, no way. I can make that doing a custom wedding gown." Yet in the three years that he's been working for Stefani at L.A.M.B. - first as a consultant, now as head designer - he has somehow edited and streamlined his own eccentric sensibility into wearable, just-this-side-of-downtown pieces that mesh with Stefani's own studiously random personal style.
The result: a projected gross of $20 million in sales for Stefani's three-year-old company.

Zaldy - who says he doesn't keep up with trends, never reads magazines, and occasionally goes on style.com to see what other designers are doing - thinks that his customer and the L.A.M.B. customer are "connected." But he admits that "mine is even more arty, or something." His success at L.A.M.B. has made him less fearful of the mainstream: "I want to make clothes for the stores, clothes all my friends can wear - not just extreme pieces," he says.
"What he desperately needs is someone with business sense, and I'm actually surprised no one has approached him," says WWD's Apodaca. "Anything that even mildly rubs elbows with celebrities is attractive to retailers right now. You would think the Gwen factor would be enough to get retailers interested."

Zaldy, who says he's 39, grew up in Connecticut. "I was very preppy," he says. Both his parents are doctors, and he went to prep school and boarding school. He attended the now-defunct L.A. branch of Parsons, but was kicked out for refusing to make his models smile. "I was like, 'Whatever. Don't tell me someone has to be smiling.'" He spent the next six months becoming "part of the scene," and making clothes for his fabulous friends. Disillusioned with the business of fashion design, he became a model: "I was modeling as a male and a female," he says. "It's uncommon, but the androgyny thing was big in the '90s." He became part of the scene in New York too, moving into the Chelsea Hotel, where he's been for "12 or 14 years - I don't even know."
As a model, he was shot by Karl Lagerfeld and Ellen von Unwerth, and did runway for Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier. He befriended then-nightclub queen Suzanne Bartsch. He counts Rufus Wainwright as one of his best friends, and networked with other professionally fabulous people, including Stefani, who'd worn some of his pieces. And, most crucially, he kept making clothes for his high-profile night-life compatriots. "I was just sort of known in the club and underground scene, which is the way it's always been," he says nonchalantly.

His hiring and ascension through the ranks at L.A.M.B is equally one part fairy tale and one part ode to knowing the right people. "I was at the Coachella Music Festival [in California] with Danilo, who does Gwen's hair," he begins. "And then Danilo's like, 'Oh, Gwen's having a party at her house tonight. Let's go!' And I'm like, 'OK, let's go!' And, uh, somehow it wound up just her and me, sitting on the couch, and she was like, 'OHMYGOD!' She had just seen my fall 2003 show and she loved it and had worn a dress or something, and she was like, 'OHMYGOD! I don't know if I'm even supposed to do this or if I even have to clear this with anyone to talk to you about it, I don't know, but I'm doing this line,' and blah blah blah, 'and I know you do your own line and I don't know if you'd ever be interested in consulting' - and I was like, 'Are you crazy? Of course I would work with you, be creative with you. How genius.' So that's how it was." And that's how it is, with Zaldy calmly at the helm at one of the biggest, most commercially successful fashion ventures of the past decade, while struggling to find a backer for his own stuff, build a viable name in retail, and become the star he knows he's meant to be.

He believes that this next collection, showing on Saturday, will be "the one," though all he will say is that it's inspired by the number 7. "It's my seventh show, so there's seven-pointed stars in one of the prints, but that made me think of Siouxsie Sioux, which made me think of [Russian designer] Leon Baskt, which made me think of Klimt, which made me think of geometry and alchemy," he says, taking a breath. That said, "they are clothes that are relevant to next year." The L.A.M.B. collection, meanwhile, has four points of inspiration: Gatsby Rasta, Yardie Rasta, black and white, and Pirate Trouper. "It's a beautiful collection, and an absolutely salable collection," he says. As for the salability of his own collection, he remains philosophical.
"When the moment's right, the moment's gonna be right," he says. "It's totally the right time for L.A.M.B to be skyrocketing. But with that, my profile is moving up too. My time is coming."

Here is another article featuring Zaldy in Time Out New York (TONY) magazine.

www.timeoutny.com/checkout/384/384.checkout.html

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
TONY visits four on-the-brink designers as they prep for this week's Fall 2003 fashion shows
By Zoë Wolff
Photographs by Willy Somma

ZALDY

Mise-en-scène: Simmering on the stove at Zaldy Goco's ramshackle Chelsea Hotel apartment/atelier is a pot of what looks like ramen but is actually clumps of yarn soaking in yellow dye—the ingredients for a knit sweater-dress. The 36-year-old designer is feeling buoyant. His fourth collection, he says, was hanging by a thread but has just been rescued by a motley crew of sponsors that includes Swarovski, Saga furs, Ultrasuede and Doc Martens.
Back story: Of Filipino descent and raised in Connecticut, Goco, a graduate of both Parsons and FIT, got his fashion-world legs as a stylist and steady presence on the NYC nightclub circuit, traveling with party maven Susanne Bartsch, his "original, forever muse." His eccentric eye also owes to his grandmother, who ran a fashion school in the Philippines and introduced him to The Cher Show.

The audience: Goco's ethereal dresses, all made by hand, have shapes as logic-defying as Gaudi buildings; their price tags tend to be equally outrageous. Goco was instrumental in creating the images of Gwen Stefani and RuPaul, and his look-at-me masterpieces have found favor with many A-list celebrities—recently, he was summoned to customize a pair of pants for tenacious rock god Mick Jagger.

Inspirations: Pinned on a wall alongside several pictures of Siouxsie (sans Banshees) are an image of a man in full motorcycle regalia and one of a child swaddled in a hooded parka, the forms of which resurface in the designer's sketches. Beck and former Portishead frontwoman Beth Gibbons provide the sound track.

Show time: This collection, to be shown on February 14, is focused on sleek, tailored coats—"not punk and not mod but with that kind of masculine energy," Goco says. A custom-designed, abstract stealth-bomber print will appear on several garments, including a head-to-toe ensemble composed of a peacoat, knickers and knee-high Doc Martens revamped with leather straps. Accessories maestro Desi Santiago, Goco's longtime collaborator, is contributing hard-edged accents such as resin bracelets and sandblasted metal studs that will be affixed to various garb.

Where to buy: Eva in Nolita is currently the sole stockist; to order a customized piece, e-mail the designer at zaldynyc@aol.com.

Look at this thread

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=252242

Some European guy featured our very own Weng Weng in his "stream of consciousness" collage. Weng Weng had become a legend and worldwide phenom. Sad to say, he only had a short life.

RP stage talents migrate to Hong Kong Disneyland
By Bayani San Diego Jr. Inquirer News Service 9/13/2005

Lea Salonga was not the only Filipino talent at yesterday's opening of Hong Kong Disneyland. Singer Jinky Llamanzares performed onstage, while local theater stalwart Bobby Garcia worked backstage as "director for shows" at the theme park.

Salonga, best known for her performance in the Broadway show "Miss Saigon," is the singing voice behind Disney animated characters Mulan and Princess Jasmine in "Aladdin."

Llamanzares played Gigi in the Toronto production of "Miss Saigon," while the Fordham-trained Garcia directed "Rent" in Manila and Singapore.

There are other Filipinos helping Mickey and the gang create magic for Hong Kong Disneyland guests. They work as character performers, playing Disney icons Cinderella and Snow White. They're also singers, dancers and musicians.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) pegged the number of Filipino artists recruited by Hong Kong Disneyland at 116.

In an interview with the Inquirer, Doug Miller, executive vice president and managing director of Walt Disney International (Asia Pacific) said: "We've hired about 5,000 to 6,000 people from Asia. Among [the new recruits], quite a few are from the Philippines. Visitors will see a lot of Asian faces at the park."

Hong Kong Disneyland is the 11th in its global empire and the smallest at 40 hectares. Aside from the theme park, there are two hotels offering a thousand rooms each.

Disney auditions in Manila

Ever since Cameron Mackintosh stumbled on a treasure trove of talent in Manila for his original West End staging of "Miss Saigon" in 1987, the Philippines has built a solid reputation among international casting agents.

The US Disney team realized this soon enough when many of those who passed the Hong Kong auditions were Filipinos.

Disney approached composer Ryan Cayabyab because he had previously worked on various projects with the global entertainment giant.

Cayabyab, as the executive and artistic director of the San Miguel Foundation for the Performing Arts, "produced" the Manila auditions for Disney.

From November 2004 to June this year, representatives from Disney International Casting visited Manila to search for talents. "They held auditions in Manila at least five times seeing some 400 to 500 Filipinos," Cayabyab said.

Those who passed the auditions are now in Hong Kong, working as character performers, singers, dancers and even musicians (brass, trumpet and saxophone players).

Bring rubber shoes

"In June, they were here looking for hand drummers," Cayabyab said. "African percussionists. Meaning, they play drums not with sticks but with their bare hands. The musicians and singers will work not only in the park, but also at the two hotels."

"They shot all the participants with a video camera," Cayabyab described the process. "They didn't decide on the spot. Instead the audition tapes were sent to the main office in Florida. It's a very stringent and professional process."

According to the theme park's official website, there was another round of auditions in Hong Kong last July 10. Applicants must be at least 16 years old.

"Anyone who's interested can go there," Cayabyab said. "It's open to everyone, for as long as they meet the requirements. All they need to bring are their rubber shoes!"
And lots of chutzpah.

Brain drain

"Being a character performer is not just [about] bringing a character to life," the Disney website said. "It is [about] having the belief that you [can] truly create magic."

And while Hong Kong Disneyland is giving these Filipino artists gainful employment, the country is experiencing another "brain drain" -- this time in the performing arts.

"Local musical theater lost a number of seasoned actors," said Audie Gemora, president and artistic director of Trumpets. He said Ampy Sietereales, Sheila Valderrama, Anna Liza Zialcita, Ralion Alonso, Roy Rolloda and Noel Rayos had joined Hong Kong Disneyland.

Among the Filipino dancers who had signed up with Hong Kong Disneyland were nine company members of Ballet Philippines, according to artistic director Augustus Damian.

"We lost four female and five male dancers," he said, "That's nine out of 17 company members."

On average, these dancers, who were of different ages, had logged two to five years of dancing experience, said Damian, who himself worked as principal dancer in various ballet companies in Germany for two decades.

These artists could hardly be blamed. A Ballet Philippines company member is entitled to a basic salary and shoe allotment which, he said, is "a pittance" compared to international standards.

Window of opportunity

"From what I gather, a ballet dancer in the Philippines earns slightly higher than a public school teacher," Damian said. "Which is slightly above minimum wage."

In contrast, the Filipino talents in Hong Kong Disneyland are paid in Hong Kong dollars and given partial payment upon contract signing, according to Angie Magbanua, Llamanzares' manager.

Cayabyab noted that the Disney exodus "is still a positive development," in spite of the perceived "brain drain."

"Since the more experienced performers are leaving for abroad, a window of opportunity has been opened for younger talents who are just waiting in the wings," he said.

"New artists will be discovered and trained," Cayabyab added. "Moreover, when the artists who've gone abroad return home, they can share and pass on skills and knowledge to their peers here. I am certain their stints abroad will make them better artists and mentors. It will teach them discipline and independence. It will broaden their horizons."

^^ Kiretoce Kimber: Talo ang mga manok natin sa Reality TV shows. First, Ryan Confreido of So You Think You Can Dance is out. There's only Melody left among the Fil-ams.

Then last night in Rockstar INXs, Mig Ayesa only lasted until the final 3. My bet Marty didn't win, but JD did. It's all good since the music of INXs does not really fit them. They're better as solo stars. I felt elated that Mig Ayesa thanked not only Australia but also the Philippines in his speech. Gotta luv that guy!

Then in Big Brother 6, those 2 unpopular b*atch*s that we did not like got to vie for the half million with Maggie winning. I was rooting for Janelle. But my favorite was Kayser.

Tonight, I'm gonna watch The Apprentice of Martha Stewart.

I forgot to mention...

Madam Conchita Gaston the first and only filipina to perform at the new york metropolitan opera house

and the ballerina cecile sicangco-licad ( she was the one in the caltrate commercial)

and there's peque gallaga who has one numerous citations here and abroad

and of course I won't forget direk rene hofilena,.. who founded and directed batibot which won as the world's best children's show during the 90's ... he also directed the opening rites for the sea games in the phils at 1992...

^^ Cecille Licad is not a ballerina but an acclaimed concert piano player. If I'm not mistaken, she won the Rachmaninoff and Tschaikowsky contests way back.

The reknowned Filipina ballerinas then were Lisa Macuja and Ana Villadolid. Lisa was in the Bolshoi Ballet while Ana was in American Ballet.

Is there still Batibot on TV?

Kimber, Talo ang mga manok natin sa Reality TV shows. First, Ryan Confreido of So You Think You Can Dance is out. There's only Melody left among the Fil-ams.

^^ I know, but at least hope's still alive with Melody, I want her to be in the Final Four. Her last two routines with her partner (it was Nick, right?) was amazing on last night's episode. About Ryan, I had a feeling that he would exit the show soon, at least he got into the Top-10, pretty impressive for a kid that has no formal dance training.


Then last night in Rockstar INXs, Mig Ayesa only lasted until the final 3. My bet Marty didn't win, but JD did. It's all good since the music of INXs does not really fit them. They're better as solo stars. I felt elated that Mig Ayesa thanked not only Australia but also the Philippines in his speech. Gotta luv that guy!

^^ I knew JD would win the competition, he was very much into INXS and he did sound like the late front man Michael Hutchence. Marty to me just wasn't the right fit, he's screams his lyrics a lot. I also knew that MiG will come in third, he did give the other two guys a run for their money with his flawless performances each week.


Then in Big Brother 6, those 2 unpopular b*atch*s that we did not like got to vie for the half million with Maggie winning. I was rooting for Janelle. But my favorite was Kayser.

^^ I also was rooting for Janelle, but I was happy that the prize money was awarded to Maggie instead of loud-mouth Ivette. One thing Janelle said to Ivette when it was down to three housemates, to take Janelle with her to the final two and evict Maggie, that way her chances to win the $500,000 will greatly increase with Janelle sitting beside her on finale night. But Ivette chose Maggie and evicted Janelle, and when it was all said and done, Janelle was correct. Boohoo for Ivette, she must kicking herself silly for not taking Janelle's sound advice.

^^ I doubt Ivette would have won even against Janelle, because the judges in the panel, April and that other girl will definitely not vote for her while Kayser, Michael, James, I forgot the names of the others will vote for Janelle. So, the votes will overwhelmingly go to Janelle. Ivette was right when she said she would have thrown the game if she brought Janelle with her to the final two. At least with Maggie she has an even chance. But, she lost just the same. Boohoo for her. Maggie will remain smug. One thing good for her was she maintained focus and not get too emotional.

Yeah, last night's "So You Think You Can Dance" was stupendous. Melody was in her elements. She'll definitely be in the final four. I can't wait for the showdown between Nick and Blake. This other girl, who although is good, lacks charisma.

Martha's The Apprentice was so blah so I switched back to "So You Think You Can Dance".

Martha's The Apprentice was so blah so I switched back to "So You Think You Can Dance".

Just as I suspected. Sequels, spin-offs or clones of the original rarely, if ever, make it big like their predecessor. :colgate:

Ballet Philippines presents:

DA CAPO #1*:

Playing Maestro Ryan Atbp.

Nothing comes close to evoking the Filipino soul than through the music of the Maestro himself, Mr. Ryan Cayabyab. Mr. C, as he is affectionately called has been celebrated, awarded, revered and loved. His genius has encompassed a staggering vision of works that includes opulent musicals such as Rama Hari and full-length ballets such as La Revolucion Filipina. Ryan Cayabyab’s music is blessed with a golden touch and has long proven to withstand the test of time.

On the 14th, 15th and 16th of October 2005 the spectacle “Playing Maestro Ryan” Shall reawaken as “Playing Maestro Ryan Atbp.” It will feature Ballet Philippines’ choreographies to Ryan Cayabyab’s bestseller “Great Filipino Love Songs” as well as various other pieces. This unique production showcases choreographers such as Tony Fabella, Alden Lugnasin, Bam Damian, Irish Abejero, Novy Bereber, Christine Crame to name a few.

The evening is an exploration of choreographic works as a fuller theatrical experience and draws inspiration from one of the dance world’s true geniuses, Mr. Maurice Béjart. Experimental. Uninhibited. Bold.

It is all about “Playing Maestro Ryan…and more.” It is a statement, a question and a challenge in itself.

Tickets available at the CCP and Ticketworld outlets.
For information, call 832-6011 or 551-1003.

*Da Capo is an Italian Phrase which, loosely translated, means “to repeat.” It is a command given by conductors to signal the orchestra to repeat the previously played music from the beginning. It is also used by choreographers to tell dancers to repeat the piece being rehearsed. Da Capo or the People’s Choice Performances will be a repeat presentation made up of BP masterpieces or crowd favorites from a particular season.

You may also reply to: ballet_philippines@yahoogroups.com or visit our website: www.ballet.com.ph
Ballet Philippines ... Beyond Ballet, Beyond Perspective

^^ Cecille Licad is not a ballerina but an acclaimed concert piano player. If I'm not mistaken, she won the Rachmaninoff and Tschaikowsky contests way back.

The reknowned Filipina ballerinas then were Lisa Macuja and Ana Villadolid. Lisa was in the Bolshoi Ballet while Ana was in American Ballet.

Is there still Batibot on TV?

no that's not her I'm talking about cecil sicangco-licad not cecille licad their two different people

somewhere along the way, the list missed out the name of rafe totengco, bag and fashion designer extraordinaire. click www.rafeny.com

no that's not her I'm talking about cecil sicangco-licad not cecille licad their two different people

Oh ok Kyle. My bad.

somewhere along the way, the list missed out the name of rafe totengco, bag and fashion designer extraordinaire. click www.rafeny.com

Yes! Rafe! Thanks for the mention and the link@sugarboy.

Who do you think are WORLD CLASS PINOY ARTISTS?

World class? Lots of them are. It's a pretty broad category. I mean what forms of art are you talking about?

Jessica Hagedorn, Lav Diaz, Lino Brocka, Mike De Leon, Fernando Zobel de Ayala, Ninotchka Rosca, Ang Kiukok, Bhen Cervantes--- these are all artists in different fields that can be considered "world class."

Article by Ricky Lo
Philippine Star

First, the bad news: Filipino-Australian MiG Ayesa finished only third in the CBS reality show Rock Star: INXS (which is in search of a lead singer for the group). MiG’s loss came as a downer not only to his wife Simone but also, more so, to the fans he has attracted during the contest, many of whom religiously texted votes for MiG. I’m sure that my friend, topnotch lawyer Katrina Legarda (namesake of the hurricane that levelled New Orleans to the ground), who is a cousin of MiG’s, is also disappointed.

"I did the best that I could," said MiG in his first ever exclusive interview after Rock Star: INXS, with Funfare’s New York correspondent Edmund Silvestre (news editor of The Filipino Reporter), "and making it to the finals was more than I thought I would do."

Now, the good news: MiG is coming for a vacation in December and he’s more than willing to do a concert as a gesture of gratitude to his fans who rooted and prayed for him all the way.

Here’s Edmund’s full report:

With his warm, captivating charm and nearly flawless performance week after week, MiG Ayesa was a consistent favorite to become INXS’ new lead singer. But in the end, the 35-year-old Filipino-Australian settled for third place behind top winner JD Fortune of Canada, and second placer Marty Casey of the US in Tuesday’s finale of the CBS’ reality show, Rock Star: INXS.

But the guy’s not sweating it.

"I did the best that I could and making it to the finals was more than I thought I would do," he told The Filipino Reporter from his Los Angeles hotel. "I was kinda expecting it (not winning) to be honest, because Marty and JD had been performing very well the past three weeks and they’re really in the forefront. And I could feel that INXS was leaning more towards what they’re (Marty and JD) doing than what I was doing so I knew that the first person to go would be me, and I was right."

When asked about his wife Simone’s reaction, MiG burst into a hearty guffaw. "Thank God it’s over...she’s disappointed that I was eliminated, for sure, and she was surprised that Marty lost to JD. But my wife said I will always be her rock star and that’s what matters most."

So why did INXS pick JD over him and Marty? "I think INXS is looking for a bad boy image and I think I was just too nice for them," he laughed. People.com earlier noted that MiG "has a great voice," but his theatricality could work against him. "Some of the guys (in INXS) still feel he’s got a lot of (musical) theater in him," it stated.

Before returning to his wife and Maltese dog named "Powder" in London, and to his band called MiGnition, the Manila-born singer will be staying in Los Angeles "for a couple of weeks to meet with people in the industry."

He’s heading to Manila in December for Christmas and enjoy the famous white sand beaches of Boracay. "Boracay is among the best in the world," he said. "I’m so excited."

MiG says he’s open to staging a concert in Manila and meeting fans who followed the Rock Star reality series.

"I would love to meet President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo," says MiG, whose mestizo parents are Alfonso Ayesa and the former Carmen Legarda. "The President is cute and charming, and my aunt (Dr. Ching Legarda, whose husband Dr. Ramon Legarda is lawyer Katrina’s uncle) said she’s very smart and intelligent.

"I’m very proud of being a Filipino and I even wore ‘I Love Philippines’ T-shirt on the show at one time," he adds. "I want to thank the Filipinos again and again for their support because I could not have done this without them. I will always be a Filipino."

When asked to say something in Filipino, he uttered, "Mabuhay ang Pilipinas. Salamat po."

"My Tagalog is putik," he said, referring to his broken Filipino, "but I’m working on it."

http://www.inq7.net/archive/2005/sep/26/zoom.jpg

I have yet to find out which competition they'd conquered.

^ I really like the colorful barongs and the ladies' ternos. Yes, the UP Singing Ambassadors have brought pride to the country. I always enjoy their performances whenever I get to watch them in their sojourn here in the US.

How Filipinos saved their Olympics for the arts

First posted 11:29pm (Mla time) Sept 27, 2005
By Vincent Cabreza
Inquirer News Service


CORDILLERA PHOTOGRAPHER TOMMY HAFALLA brought home the gold from the Olympics for the arts held early this month in Malaysia, but only after he wielded hammer and nails to help stage these games.

Hafalla won the world photography prize of the second Delphic Games held Sept. 1 to 7 at Kuching City in Sarawak, Malaysia, for his photographic documentation of “begnas” (rice ritual) in Sagada, Mt. Province.

Ifugao sculptor Gilbert Alberto won a gold in the stone sculpture competition for his “Spirit Cat,” while architect Rey Florentino topped the games’ architecture conservation category.

It was the Philippines’ first gold harvest from this largely underrated Olympics that was sponsored by the International Delphic Council (IDC), a world art movement that aims to redirect the artwork of 40 countries away from their elite commercial markets.

But like the birth pains of fledgling institutions, the games almost failed to proceed this month after the Malaysian government pulled out its sponsorship.

So Hafalla, a few Filipino craftsmen and the artisans of at least 23 participating countries pooled their resources, skills and time to co-produce the Delphic Games themselves.

Hafalla helped mount the artwork of various foreign artists. Baguio-based theater artist Raffy Kapuno, who won honorable mention for the games’ storytelling competition, volunteered to host some of the games’ evening programs.

Even the judging became the delegates’ chores. Each local Delphic council from participating countries selected its set of judges for the games, according to Divina “Debb” Bautista, the world council’s three-term president.

University of the Philippines Baguio art professor Liza Ann Ilagan, Hafalla and Bautista had to pinch-hit as judges for the music, film, and visual arts category to replace member jurists who withdrew.

No regrets

The artists did not regret helping produce the games. After all, almost all of the Filipinos who joined the Sept. 1 IDC Olympics had a hand in its inception.

Bautista said she helped found the movement in 1994, along with 62 diplomats and cultural workers of Argentina, Austria, China, Cyprus, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, Libya, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, the United States, Slovakia and Lithuania.

The movement was the brainchild of J. Christian Kersch, a German finance adviser and graphic artist.

The IDC website said Kersch “pursued the idea of reviving the Delphic Games of the Modern Era (since 1989) to complement the Olympic Games and to serve as a forum for the culture of the intellect.”

Bautista said Kersch recruited her in 1989. In 1994, they installed a world guiding council for the movement.

Feuding members

IDC’s first high-profile venture was the first Delphic Games of 2000 in Moscow. But the pioneering games sparked a feud that led to the Malaysian crisis two weeks ago, Bautista said.

An IDC board member, who helped produce the games in Moscow, has been in a legal tussle with the IDC for the rights to produce future Delphic Games.

The IDC official has been blamed for a series of letters advising state leaders to veer away from the IDC-sponsored games, and may have been responsible for Malaysia’s withdrawal, Bautista said.

The IDC had taken legal action against the IDC member, but not before Sarawak had canceled most of the games’ activities.

“[However], like the Philippine delegation, many of the countries involved were already en route by plane to Malaysia and [200 of the expected 600 world artists] could not turn back. So what were we to do? We decided to buckle down to work and take over,” Bautista said.

She added: “We wanted the world’s artists to shine, to make their presence felt, and we wanted [the games] to be their showcase, so [the Philippine delegation] agreed to work and rebuild the games.

“Japan and China canceled their delegations, but we had 23 countries flying in. So we talked with them and we agreed to [proceed]. South Africa, which brought in the largest delegation, volunteered to handle administrative and technical work. The United States delegation offered to share the bills.”

Diplomacy

But Bautista said the Filipinos ended up with the more difficult chore—diplomacy.

“Artists need to be pampered sometimes, but no [other nationality] was willing to accept this burden, so it became [the Philippines’] job,” she said.

Their first job was to placate furious delegates whose hotel bookings were never arranged, she said, crediting IDC Philippine secretary Ruth Halili for doing the dirty work.

Hafalla said he and several foreign artists took time out from framing competing artworks to fashioning the Golden Delphic trophies, which were handed out on Sept. 7.

Bautista said they arrived to discover that the Sarawak team had not prepared the prizes.

“An Indian artist, who wanted a special work room for his exhibit, got our goat. He was making so many demands. So I prevailed upon [Narda Capuyan] to relocate her indigenous fabric display from her own room to a more public venue. The Indian artist was surprised and delighted. Soon, most of them appreciated the Filipino delegation,” Bautista said.

Days later, Capuyan got a standing ovation at a Sarawak fashion show, which displayed the world’s ecological fiber creations.

^ I wish there were pictures of the winners' entries.

I'm hoping that despite their good intentions, they don't get involved in that IDC legal tussle for pushing through with the games.

Hey Lili!

Did you watch the season finale of So You Think You Can Dance? Nick won the competition (I knew he would) and second place belonged to Melody; I was happy with the results. Nick and Melody are close buds anyway and they both danced really well and are versatile in every dance style that got thrown on them, so choosing between the two is really hard. Third place went to Jamile and the fourth place to Ashle.

Auditions for season two are already in the making! So....you think you can dance? ;)

^ Are you trying to get Lili to audition?

hey guys, please read this:

http://www.goodnewsphilippines.com/balita/publish/article_0055.shtml

the above link is about bienvenido bones banez, he's currently based in nyc.

here's a sample of his work on exhibit at williamsburg art & historical centre.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/mywarlockdream66.jpg

mywarlockdream666

^ Are you trying to get Lili to audition?

Nothing wrong in trying, she might take the bait. :lol:

Hey Lili!

Did you watch the season finale of So You Think You Can Dance? Nick won the competition (I knew he would) and second place belonged to Melody; I was happy with the results. Nick and Melody are close buds anyway and they both danced really well and are versatile in every dance style that got thrown on them, so choosing between the two is really hard. Third place went to Jamile and the fourth place to Ashle.

Auditions for season two are already in the making! So....you think you can dance? ;)

Hey Kimber,

I was just about to holler at ya about the So You Think You Can Dance finale. I was so excited watching it. I had a grand time seeing all of the prior contestants together and having the finalists dance their favorite numbers. But for me the most awesome performance was the Groovarama hip hop number. I was so stoked. During my younger years, perhaps I would have joined, although I got no formal training. Makikigulo lang. :D

^^ Yeah! Groovarama was off the hook! Some of their tricks were gravity-defying! :eek2:

NEO-ANGONO ARTISTS COLLECTIVE

2nd NEO-ANGONO PUBLIC ART FESTIVAL

Proponent: Neo-Angono Artists Collective Inc.

Target Beneficiary: People of Angono, Rizal and the National Art Community

Number of participating artists: Around 80 Angono and Manila-based artists

Project/Festival Duration: November 20-22, 2005 (Sunday, Monday and Tuesday)

Short profile of NEO-ANGONO ARTISTS COLLECTIVE

Established in November 2004, NEO-ANGONO ARTISTS COLLECTIVE is both a movement and organization founded by visual artists, writers and poets, musicians, theater people and cultural workers.
NEO-ANGONO has participated in art festivals such as the 2nd Tupada International Action Art Event held in Febuary 2005, the UGNAYAN 2005 (4th Philippine International Performance Art Festival) held last September, and art forum initiated by people behind Mag:net gallery. Under its educational program, the group has given free workshop and seminar on art (painting, sculpture, glass etching and silkscreen printing), poetry, drama and theater, and music to scouters from all over the country in the 2004 National Jamboree held in Mt. Makiling Los Banos, Laguna as well as to more than 600 college students of University of Rizal System in Pililla and Morong in Rizal province.

Mission

As an organization, NEO-ANGONO is non-profit, artist-centered, committed to experimentation, recognizes the need to contribute to art research and education, and welcomes support and advice from colleagues and critics.
We are committed to bring art close to the public, particularly to marginalized people living in disadvantaged communities.
We also believe that artists can make a difference in society by teaching people how to be creative, which in turn, aids him/her to transform our world and environment into a better place to live.
This creativity likewise is a valuable tool in life not only for assuring one's survival but also for achieving his/her fullest potential as a productive human being.

Vision

As a movement, NEO-ANGONO strives to render modernist visual and artistic language responsive to the times by articulating and invigorating contemporary Angono experience, sensibility and consciousness. It is also a movement because it observes the intricate engagement and interplay of various creative art forms (the seven disciplines of Art) wedded in the local community and people.

2nd NEO-ANGONO PUBLIC ART FESTIVAL

Initiated independently by young Angono artists, the 2nd Public Art Festival is NEO-ANGONO's niche in the local and national art scene. It is held every November 20-22 alongside the atmosphere and celebration of the town fiesta, which is held on November 23.
The public art festival presents new possibility and relationship through programs that are not restricted by specific type or genre. It highlights the richness and diversity of Angono's contemporary art through public art presentation and events situated in satellite areas/venues that include site-specific installations, public art performances, in-transit or moving graphic/poetry works, studio exhibitions, music-poetry fusion, and art lectures and symposium.
The public art is also a celebration in exploring the possibilities of art and in infusing new life and blood into Angono art scene by welcoming and distilling ideas from Manila and local artists.

Objectives

NEO-ANGONO's Public Art Festival hopes to create new perception, which is the essential spirit of art.
By inspiring young artists to explore the limits of art, the Public Art Festival brings art closer to the people by dilluting or constricting the space between the artwork/performer and audience/reader.
The Public Art Festival also hopes to free the artists' either irrepressible genius or imaginative eccentricities as well as intertwine the intellect with emotion and soul.

Strategy

"Ampunan" or adoption will play a key role in the three-day art festival.
Homegrown and local artists of Angono will serve as host and adopt the invited artists and performers from Manila. They will be responsible for ensuring the invited artists' food and lodging, security, essential art materials and equipment to be used, transportation allowance and, if the festival budget allows it, modest honorarium.

Tentative and Partial List/Schedule of Art Performances and Activities

Sunday, November 20

AM

In-transit and
Site-Specific Installation

TODA (Tricycle and Operators and Drivers' Association) POETRY PROJECT by Linangan sa Imahe Retorika at Anyo (LIRA), KM64, Abet Umil, Tata Raul Funilas, Richard Gappi, Philip Anorico

Wire Rommel Tuazon's "Relocating Immortality" at the Municipal Cemetery

Chitoy Zapata's "Higante" installation at the School Overpass

Brian Sergio's Art Installation

Michael de Guzman's sign intervention of ANGONO PUBLIC MARKET building as ANGONO PUBLIC ART

Marte Miranda's "Windmill Installation" on the riverbank of Angono River

Kaktus' "Sunset Cinema" installation art on Laguna Lak

"Komiks Distribution" of the life and art of Angono's two great artists during the Spanish period - Tandang Juancho Senson and Tandang Pedro Piñon - by Owen Saguinsin, Marlon "Nunong" Olinares and Philip Anorico
PM

6:00-7:00

Film showing of Cultural Center of the Philippines' "Botong" at Carlos "Botong" Francisco's studio on Doña Aurora St., Brgy. Poblacion Itaas

Film Showing of Rembrandt Vocalan's short film titled "Botong"

7:00-8:00

"ENCOUNTER TERROR," a one-minute video performance by New World Disorder shown on TV stores of sidewalk vendors near the town's "Perya"

Showing of short films by Sig Sanchez, Mes de Guzman and other short filmmakers also on TV of sidewalk vendors

Monday, 21 November

AM

On-going In-transit and
Site-Specific Installation

TODA (Tricycle and Operators and Drivers' Association) POETRY PROJECT by Linangan sa Imahe Retorika at Anyo (LIRA), KM64, Tata Raul Funilas, Richard Gappi, Philip Anorico

Wire Rommel Tuazon's "Relocating Immortality" at the Municipal Cemetery

Chitoy Zapata's "Higante" installation at the School Overpass

Brian Sergio's Art Installation

Michael de Guzman's sign intervention of ANGONO PUBLIC MARKET building as ANGONO PUBLIC ART

Marte Miranda's "Windmill Installation" on the riverbank of Angono River

Kaktus' "Sunset Cinema" installation art on Laguna Lake


"Komiks Distribution" of the life and art of Angono's two great artists during the Spanish period - Tandang Juancho Senson and Tandang Pedro Piñon - by Owen Saguinsin, Marlon "Nunong" Olinares and Philip Anorico

PM

1:00-3:00

Artists' Talk by Prof. Alice Guillermo, Jose Tence Ruiz and Owen Saguinsin

4:00-5:00

Street play by Sinagbayan

7:00-9:00

Viewing of SINEKALYE's short film

9:00

Banana Hemp Republic's Open Microphone and Performances (featuring Ronnie Lazaro, Vim Nadera, Jevijoe Vitug, Johnny Manahan Friends Forever, KM 64, LIRA, Bandoleros, Abet Umil, Richard Gappi, Tata Raul Funilas, Philip Anorico and other poets and musicians)

Tuesday, 22 November

AM

On-going In-transit and
Site-Specific Installation

TODA (Tricycle and Operators and Drivers' Association) POETRY PROJECT by Linangan sa Imahe Retorika at Anyo (LIRA), KM64, Tata Raul Funilas, Richard Gappi, Philip Anorico

Wire Rommel Tuazon's "Relocating Immortality" at the Municipal Cemetery

Chitoy Zapata's "Higante" installation at the School Overpass

Brian Sergio's Art Installation

Michael de Guzman's sign intervention of ANGONO PUBLIC MARKET building as ANGONO PUBLIC ART

Marte Miranda's "Windmill Installation" on the riverbank of Angono River

Kaktus' "Sunset Cinema" installation art on Laguna Lake


"Komiks Distribution" of the life and art of Angono's two great artists during the Spanish period - Tandang Juancho Senson and Tandang Pedro Piñon - by Owen Saguinsin, Marlon "Nunong" Olinares and Philip Anorico


Viewing of Japanese and other foreign films

PM

4:00-5:00

Streetplay by Ian Lomongo's theater students

7:00-8:30

Ferris Wheel Art Performance by New World Disorder

8:30-9:00

Elemento's sound art and performance at the riverbank of Angono River

9:00-9:30

Burning of UGAT-LAHI's effigy on Angono Hi-way and poetry and performance of Abet Umil, KM64, and Bandoleros

9:30-onwards

Closing Party that features poetry reading, music and band performances Dayuhan, Volume Control, Milagros Dance Hall, Edru Abraham, Brownbeat All Stars, Neighbors (with Side Project Band) and other band performers

HAPPY FIESTA! VIVA SAN CLEMENTE! (NEO-ANGONO joins in the town parade and "Pagoda" (fluvial parade)

^ Wow, what a great project and activity by the Neo Angono artists. Hopefully, they will be able to present an exhibit in international fora in the future. Perhaps, do also an auction of some artwork as a fundraising activity to finance some of these activities. Angono is really getting to be the haven of Luzon artists. I remember buying two watercolors from an Angono artist named Jovito when I visited years ago.

my works:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/hr_dayalogo_1.jpg
dayalogo (dialogue)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/hinaut1.jpg
hinaut (hope)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/samok1.jpg
samok (noisy)

^^Nice! The first one Paul, is that a self-portrait? Even the designs in your portfolio are great. I'm glad to be in the midst of talented and artistic people. :)

@ Paul: actually, na-save ko na some of your works dati pa sa folders ko. nice gallery.

gusto ko yang pinost mo at yung mga sulat sa gilid.

salamat lili and dave. actually still updating my stuff dahil i need to submit some test shots for a stock photo site. plus i need to prepare some works for a group exhibit with artist friends from davao in new york come april (lili kitakits tayo!)

:okay: Paul. BTW, I like how you capture the interplay of light and shadows in your pictures. Vibrant! Ibang klase.

@Paul: nice arts... and i love the paintings.. SAMOK! (hehe)

@Paul: nice arts... and i love the paintings.. SAMOK! (hehe)

lili, simply_me at dave - those works are part of my "sa ilang mga nawong" (in their faces) series. it explores the angst of immigrants anywhere (filipinos primarily). works are in mixed media and charcoal on paper. explorations of mental deliberations of life that immigrants have left back home and the uncertainty of the new home.

the photos are part of what i call "life's details". they're part of my "life project". these are mostly everyday objects which we tend to overlook, you're right lili, those lights, those curtains, those doors and knobs, those tables, those chairs and floors, those are your everyday everything.

Filipino doll fetches $1,300
By Volt Contreras Inquirer News Service Oct 18, 2005

A BARBIE she may not be, but a lifesaver she most certainly is.

A doll dressed up by Philippine fashion guru Pitoy Moreno emerged among the biggest sellers at a recent United Nations fund-raiser, fetching $1,300 to buy life-saving vaccines for impoverished children throughout the world.

Called “Binibining Pilipina,” Moreno’s creation had on a Maria Clara gown of heavily embroidered piña fabric at the Oct. 12 auction held by the UN Children’s Fund or UNICEF. The affair was held at the Pantheon of the Czech Republic’s National Museum in Prague, according to a report from Ambassador Carmelita Salas released by the Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday.

The only two higher bids went to dolls designed by the Italian fashion house Prada and Israel’s Michal Negrin, both highly popular brands in Prague, the envoy said. She did not say, however, how much they fetched.

The Philippine Embassy had approached Moreno to lend his touch and represent the country’s support for the UNICEF project, to which he responded “with great generosity of spirit and impeccable fashion sense,” Salas recounted.

The “Binibining Pilipina” doll, which was sold for 31,000 Czech crowns (roughly $1,300 or P72,000), was one of 17 dolls auctioned off under UNICEF's “Adopt a Doll and Save a Child” vaccination campaign.

Most of the buyers were members of the Czech business community.

The Czech edition of the UNICEF program raised a total of $9,800 -- roughly equivalent to the cost of vaccinating 375 children in developing countries, the DFA said.

With shots costing $20 per child, the tots could be protected from the “six most fatal” childhood diseases -- polio, tuberculosis, tetanus, measles, whooping cough and rubella, according to the UNICEF website.

For the past 20 years, vaccines have protected nearly three-quarters of the world’s children against major childhood illnesses, said UNICEF. Yet every year, more than two million children still die from diseases that could have been prevented with inexpensive vaccines.

Young directors go "Big Time." A group of La Sallians to be proud of
By Dennis Ladaw Wednesday, October 19, 2005

They look more like yuppies than indie filmmakers, who tend to appear bohemian in look and character. In contrast, Mario Cornejo and Coreen “Monster” Jimenez aren’t starving, struggling artists but they can make a good, edgy film that could do Quentin Tarantino proud.

Cornejo and Jimenez did just that when they joined the recent Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. Their entry, the comedy Big Time, emerged a crowd favorite—a feather in the cap for their alma mater De La Salle University, whose college basketball team is embroiled in a fiasco with the UAAP.

The two wrote the script themselves. It tells the unfortunate yet humorous tale of a group of not too smart people dreaming of making it big—from two petty thieves moving on to be kidnappers to an air-headed teenager aspiring to be a star.

The film’s dark, irreverent humor left audiences impressed. Here at last was a Tagalog movie that doesn’t oversell a joke or rely on slapstick. The lines come fast and quick and nobody mugs at the punch line. The cast, headed by Jaime Wilson, has perfect timing. Only in Big Time will you hear remarks about the heftiness of a megastar called “Shawie,” obviously named after the real megastar Sharon Cuneta. And what other film has Manila Mayor Lito Atienza doing a walk-on at his very own Luneta Park, only to have his wallet snatched by the lead actor?


Pinoy to the core

In an interview with Life & Times, Cornejo said the comedy in the movie is very Pinoy. “It’s just presented in a different way. We didn’t try to stretch the jokes. If we felt the joke wasn’t working, we’d tell the actor to just say it fast and go on to the next line!” he said.

“Many of the jokes in the film are actually the jokes everyone laughs about. The Shawie jokes, for instance. Everyone else talks about it but somehow, there seems to be an unwritten rule that you can’t do Shawie jokes on film, at least in mainstream films.”

As Cornejo notes, viewers get to miss out on great comedy when the writer is forced to remain reverent to certain people or institutions. Both Cornejo and Jimenez opted to be disrespectful and came up with an original, hilarious comedy.

He thought of writing Big Time when Fil-American actor Ernie Reyes Jr. flew into town to look for some scripts he could produce and star in. In Big Time, Reyes would have played the lecherous son of a crime lord. Cornejo tried to finish Big Time, but he had no access to Reyes and the star returned to the United States. Jaime Wilson eventually inherited the role Reyes would have played.

Then he learned about Cinemalaya and broached Jimenez on the script he was writing. Jimenez owns a production company called Arkeo. She was also producing an entry for the short film category, Joel Ruiz’s Mansyon.


Hail to De La Salle

Cornejo, Jimenez and Ruiz are old pals. They met in college at De La Salle University, where they majored in Communication Arts. “It doesn’t seem like it on the surface, but once you get to know us better, we talk a lot like the characters in our film,” he said.

After college, Cornejo began a career as an assistant director for TV commercials. He worked under Manolo Abaya, spouse of Marilou Diaz-Abaya. He said he learned much from Abaya and he paid tribute to him in Big Time by naming the villain after him (Don Manolo played by Michael de Mesa). Cornejo went on to be a TV director for shows like Nginig.

Coreen Jimenez, on the other hand, was hired as a writer for the defunct Manila Chronicle under the late entertainment editor Manny Pichel and was managing editor of the glossy magazine Agenda. She then worked as an assistant for the legendary director Mike de Leon, particularly in Bayaning Third World. (De Leon hired and fired her several times, she recalled)

Jimenez and Cornejo collaborated on the script of Big Time. To keep away from distractions, they drove off to a family rest house in Tarlac to live in recluse and finish the draft. “Sometimes we felt the script we were writing wasn’t funny at all. We’d ask ourselves, ‘Will the audience laugh at this?’ Thankfully, when the movie was screened, people said it was the most commercial entry of the Cinemalaya,” he said.

Joining the festival turned out to be a rewarding experience for the three directors. Ruiz, co-producer of Big Time (he also played a drug dealer in the movie) won the top prize in the short film category. The reviews of Big Time were positive and the movie compared favorably to Peque Gallaga’s astonishingly similar Pinoy Blonde. The latter had commenced its commercial run in the same week. In fact critics like Noel Vera and Mario Bautista noted that Big Time was everything Pinoy Blonde aspired to be. Big Time hit the bull’s eye while Pinoy Blonde, despite its pedigree and star-studded cast, flopped.

Beating a stalwart like Gallaga in his own game is a major accomplishment for this trio of newcomers, who all turned 30 this year. Yet they refuse to get swayed by the comparisons being made. “People said Pinoy Blonde has a lot of good stuff in it and I’m looking forward to seeing it when it comes out on DVD,” Cornejo remarked.

At this point, the three have received offers from major companies to release Big Time in theaters. Yet they may eventually release the film through Arkeo before Christmas. Cornejo has also been offered a directing job by Star Cinema. He and his two pals are also planning an even darker comedy for Arkeo. “It won’t be the same kind of comedy. The material is disturbing but if we do it right, it could turn out to be very romantic,” he said.

salamat lili and dave. actually still updating my stuff dahil i need to submit some test shots for a stock photo site. plus i need to prepare some works for a group exhibit with artist friends from davao in new york come april (lili kitakits tayo!)

good luck paul! share to us some updates & articles on that... ha?... salamat.

Powerful and Personal: Pia Rivera ang Alfredo Mendoza demostrate the emotive power of art

SOMETIMES the only difference between scrutiny and appreciation is a white wall and a bare room; metaphor, perhaps, for the state of the subconscious set up by surroundings and social circumstance. Truth be told, when the defenses are down, and there are no expectations, appreciation comes easier, and art merges with life to become very, very real.

This would seem largely part of what Pia Rivera and Alfredo Mendoza have brought to each other’s crafts Set in the easy, comfortable and yet splendid world inside the Souk Gallery, a creative fashion and art space, the unusual joint exhibit of a painter and a photographer titled Open for Inspiration is a subtle yet strong display of art that demands closer inspection and is open to interpretation, offering depth and experimentation for the curious and the critical, but without the pretentiousness or intimidation that would drive away the common observer. Spread out, often inconspicuously, in the urban bohemia of the gallery slash fashion haunt, the common thread between paintings and photographs, upon first glance, would seem to be the ease with which it blends into the store—behind racks of clothing or between displays of beads and pearls, hung on walls or laid on the floor, each piece nestles comfortably in the space it is given, not desperately jumping out to be noticed, but, like hidden treasures, sit waiting to be discovered.

But what really ties these pieces together runs much deeper than that. Both Pia and Alfredo’s work reflect the common philosophy they have about their respective crafts: that it reflects their lives, their current thoughts and emotions, and things that are important to them. There is something very emotional about their works which, ultimately, make them very alive and very real.

Long-time painter and former full-time international model, 28-year-old Pia stands among the few who understand two rather obvious yet immensely profound things about art that are often unappreciated: one, that art is a powerful and effective tool for not just self-expression but for growth, learning, and communication, and two, that the understanding and interpretation of art, once borne out into the world, becomes the property of whoever views it, and no one person, not even its creator, can dictate its meaning. Pia’s acrylic and mix media pieces, which are richly textured collage-like pieces with layers of color and concreteness, lend to a degree of abstractness so that, despite having very personal meanings to her, they are easily open to whoever interprets them.

"I actually like it that people see things in my art," Pia explains. "Some people interpret it in a way that’s personal, they put their own meaning and see certain little details in a different way." Pia personally works according to her moods, which are sometimes apparent in series of pieces that she does at the same time—sometimes they have the same color palette or occasional style similarities—hints of the process she goes through in creating them. For her, art is very much about the process, not just the finished piece, and incidentally, she likes it that as much as art is the process of creating, viewing it also becomes a process of seeing.

"I like taking my time with my pieces," she says. "And I never know exactly what the outcome will be. I like looking through my personal scrapbooks and writings, getting ideas from the emotions and experiences I have. And I use softdrink can tabs, tea bags, embroidery, scraps of denim, or any other found objects in my works—whatever strikes me, sometimes a stamp I collect from my travels, or stitching and beadwork that I like. The pieces in the exhibit illustrate my relationships and my continuous search for meaningful experiences. I enjoy the whole process I go through to translate what I’m feeling, which is why my art is very personal to me." Pia goes on to explain that even when she had been a Fine Arts major in UST, she preferred a more emotional approach to art and didn’t quite take to the way art was presented in the institution, which was rather impersonal, technical, and constrained. "Honestly, if you ask me what school of art my paintings hail from, I can’t answer that," Pia says. "That isn’t how I create my pieces. I don’t think that way." After UST, Pia took studio painting courses at the San Francisco School of Art, then later went to Florence, Italy, where she earned a Graduate Certificate in Art at the Instituto d’ Arte Lorenzo de Medici. In between, she has had several exhibits, both group and solo, including one in Florence and several in Manila.

While Open for Inspiration is Pia’s sixth exhibit, it is actually Alfredo’s first. Having discovered the power of photography at the tender age of 11 (prompted by his wanting to let his father see more of the world through photographs after being diagnosed with Glaucoma), 26-year-old Alfredo has had remarkably comprehensive experience in the field so far. Having gone through the shift from the darkroom to the digital lab, Alfredo is one of the few and perhaps youngest in the overflowing pool of Philippine photographers with unquestionable technical proficiency and creative capacity, with an understanding of the medium that goes beyond prints on a page. For Alfredo, taking photographs is about presenting the realities of life no matter how grotesque or beautiful—about presenting what is real.

"I don’t use digital manipulations," he explained when he presented his photographs. "And I don’t like overly made-up shots, like some ‘artsy’ types who’ll tie tin foil to trees and do ‘artistic shots.’ I believe you should simply capture first, naturally translate the experiences you have in this world." Although Alfredo is a talented architectural photographer—and one of the few—his personal preference is photographing people, though in Open for Inspiration, his subjects are varied. Many of his prints are scanned from transparencies, though more recent works are on digital film, and are printed using a Durstlambda, which produces a result remarkably similar to film with accurate color reproduction, on fiber-based non-coated archival paper for better contrast and sharpness.

"The photographs in this exhibit are my personal shots," Alfredo says. "Working as a photographer, I started feeling like I wasn’t taking the photos I wanted to be taking, like I was always taking photos for other people. It’s about time I showed my personal works. These photographs reflect me as a Developmental Studies graduate, as a professional photographer, as a traveler, and as a Filipino." From a simple candle to a grand structure, the quietness of Alfredo’s photographs and unique way choosing the less obvious angles immediately draw the eye because of their simple, clean lines and vivid colors. Alfredo has a natural eye for composition and even when he breaks the rules of framing or plays around with the available light, his photographs always create a subtle yet striking image, open to the emotions and the interpretation of the viewer.

"Someone once said, ‘Capture the world through your photographs, then let the world capture you,’" Alfredo muses. "This is what I’ve always tried to achieve in my photographs—showing the world how I experienced this scene through my pictures."

Having studied both here and abroad in such prestigious institutions as the International Center of Photography in New York and under such people as Adam Eidelberg, who handled large scale printing of the Metropolitan Museum, and Allan Rocach of Southern Living Magazine, and, locally, Emilio Esguerra and Tom Epperson, Alfredo has a strong creative and technical capacity that is defined in his art. He has been a regular with such magazines as My Home, Real Living, FHM, Cosmo, Seventeen, Slam, Preview, Prevention, and Working Mom, among others, and has had several direct clients like Cena, Pilo, Dove, and Domex.

Pia is currently finishing her Master of Arts in Education at Ateneo and runs a studio in Makati where she teaches art to both children and adults with varying creative skills and encouraging them to let out the artist that is inside them. Alfredo is now the photography editor for CEMEX+Me, the full-feature corporate magazine of CEMEX Philippines. They have some plans to work together in the future, merging painting and photography, further creating art and interpreting on the canvas the world as seen through their eyes.

Open for Inspiration runs until the end of October in Souk Gallery, 2nd floor Crescent Building, 21 San Miguel Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City (building with Union Bank on the first floor). Pia Rivera may be reached at 0917-5331336 and Alfredo Mendoza at 0917-5360479.

good read!

Pinoy indie movie producer wins grant in Cinemanila film summit
Thursday, October 27, 2005

Award-winning independent filmmaker Raya Martin's new project "Glint of an Alley in a Rush" received a US$10,000 grant from the Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival of Rotterdam at the second Boracay International Co-Production Meeting held at the Casa Pilar in Boracay last October 20 to 23.

The Boracay summit, held as part of the seventh Cinemanila International Film Festival, is considered the first co-production market in the Philippines. Aside from providing partial financial assistance to selected films, the co-production meeting also aims to bring together quality and feasible projects from filmmakers with demonstrable talent and ability. Although the selection committee looks closely at the financial viability of the project, the decisive factors remain its content and artistic value.

Rotterdam film festival programmer Gertjan Zuilhof led the panelists in selecting the winning project.

Martin graduated cum laude from the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, majoring in film and audio-visual communication. His short atmospheric horror "Bakasyon" won for him the Ishmael Bernal Award for Young Cinema at the sixth Cinemanila. His first full-length documentary "Ang Isla sa Dulo ng Mundo," about the Itbayat tribe of Batanes, the Philippines, won Best World Documentary at the second .MOV International Digital Film Festival, and is part of the New Asian Currents Competition of the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival 2005.

Martin has just finished his first feature film "Maicling Pelicula nang ysang Indio Nacional," a primarily silent film set just before the end of Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. He is currently writing for the Southeast Asian film journal, Criticine.com.

Producer Arleen Cuevas represented Martin during the summit. Martin and five other filmmakers from all over the world were selected for a six-month Cannes residency (October 2005 - February 2006). His thesis film "Infancia en las Islas de Filipinas sin fecha," which earlier won for him the Kodak Student Achievement Award for 35mm, was chosen by the Cannes jury, making him a part of the prestigious Cinefondation.

"Glint of an Alley in a Rush" tells the story of Rita/Tata, who lives in a world where escapism through entertainment marks the troubles of real life. The incongruence of her desired life versus actual life causes Rita to tune out from daily conversations with her family and friends. In the end, she sees that the value of the real is more important than the promises of the reel.

Martin bested fellow finalists Kamron Gunatikala ("Once, A Pond, A Time," Thailand), Leonard Lai ("The High Cost of Living," Singapore), Tan Chui Mui ("Love Conquers All," Malaysia), and Filipino filmmakers Erwin Romulo ("Paloma") and Mes de Guzman ("Balikbayan Box"), who earlier won second prize at the seventh Cinemanila's Digital Lokal film competition for his entry "Ang Daan Patungong Kalimugtong."

Last year, the first recipients of the grant from the co-production meeting were Singaporean producer Juan Foo and director Han Yew Kwang for their entry "Pinball" and acclaimed Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz for his new project "Heremias."

The Hubert Bals Fund is designed to bring remarkable feature film and feature length creative documentaries by innovative and talented filmmakers from developing countries closer to fulfillment. The fund provides grants that often turn out to play a crucial role in enabling filmmakers to realize their projects. Since it started in 1988, over 530 projects (scripts, post production, training and distribution) from independent filmmakers in Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa, and Latin America have received support.

good luck paul! share to us some updates & articles on that... ha?... salamat.

yup yups dave. if you know bong espinosa, surely he can give you updates there in davao.

Feminists recognize Pinay movers of RP cinema

Fabulous Filipinas of Philippine Cinema will be given special recognition for their outstanding body of work in feminist films on November 23 during the Feminist Centennial Awards.

The event will celebrate women producers, directors, writers or actresses of quality films that have advanced the feminist movement in the country. With the awards, festival organizers hope to give Filipinos the chance to see not just the issues and stories of women on the screen, but also the Filipina creative minds and talents behind it.

Organizers also hope that the awards will raise awareness on issues that affect the Filipina, and inspire young men and women to actively participate in the socio-cultural transformation of society toward the goal of gender equality.

Awardees will receive trophies conceived and created by mother and daughter sculptors Julie Lluch and Aba Dalena.

The awards night will be held at Cinema 3 of the Shang Cineplex, Shangri-La Plaza, on November 23 at 7 p.m. Local film luminaries, diplomats and cultural officers, especially of the countries participating in festival, will grace the affair, along with government, nongovernment and international funding agency representatives and members of the academe.

Other events during the festival include a symposia series under the general theme "Breaking the Stereotype" set to be taken on tour among colleges and universities. Local and foreign filmmakers will interact and dialogue with students and professors on feminism as a positive social force.

Opening the symposia series on November 24 is Revathy, a former Indian film actress who will discuss her film Pher Melenge (Till We Meet Again)—a drama about a young, modern, successful career woman whose romantic adventure brings her life to a standstill.

Arlene Ami of Canada will present her documentary, Say I Do on November 25. Shot in the Philippines and Canada, the film looks at the "mail order bride" industry.

The third symposium on November 28 will tackle "Women in Cinema."

A traveling photo display, to be exhibited first on the second level of Shangri-La Plaza, will present historical perspectives of Pinay feminism and feminist values in Filipino films from precolonial to contemporary times.

The festival is a project of Feminist Centennial Network, headed by former senator Leticia Ramos R. Shahani. Lead government agencies are the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women. The Communication Foundation for Asia organized the event.

The festival will run from November 23 to 29 at the Shangri-La Cineplex, UP Film Institute from November 30 to December 4. A tour of four key cities in the provinces is scheduled before Christmas.

ARTISTHOOD an independent art group of davao and guest artists
*in cooperation with the* *NCCC mall of davao** p r e s e n t
****************** YEAR-END GROUP PAINTING EXHIBIT
A G I F T O F A R T *O N *C H R I S T M A S
a fund raising project in preparation for the US group exhibition

featuring davao's *homegrown *multi-talented visual artists:
michaelBauzon, bongEspinosa, rodneyYap, *junPamisa, phillipSomozo, *rexKyamko, robTanedo, rogerPaconla, allanDesierto, benBanez,***egaCarreon,***juliusAlmonicar... & etc.

Opens on November 15, @ 6pm. NCCC mall, Second level mallway, near New Jersey Studio On view until December 31, 2006

" S U P P O R T *O U R *L O C A L T A L E N T S ... ! "

View**our Art Calendar project:
<http://groups.msn.com/AbitofArt/akonibay.msnw?Page=1>http://groups.msn.com/AbitofArt/akonibay.msnw?Page=1*

View our artwork samples:
<http://groups.msn.com/AbitofArt/membersupcomingexhibitsevents.msnw?action=view_list&viewtype=0&row=5&sortstring>http://groups.msn.com/AbitofArt/membersupcomingexhibitsevents.msnw?action=view_list&viewtype=0&row=5&sortstring=

Perf de Castro, A rocker goes classical
By Dennis Ladaw Friday, November 04, 2005

With his long hair and cool demeanor, guitarist Perf de Castro looks every inch a rock star. He actually was a rock star and was for a time the guitarist of the popular alternative rock band Rivermaya.

Yet for some rock musicians, there comes a time when an artist has to move on to another genre. Rod Stewart, for instance, bid rock music goodbye to record the standards that made Sinatra a legend.

Perf de Castro’s move was much more radical. He decided to be a classical guitarist because as far as rock was concerned, he’s been there and done that.

“There’s nothing else to conquer in this arena,” he told Life & Times. “Classical music is harder to learn and the things you can do—the challenges—are endless,” he said.

De Castro said he also couldn’t imagine himself still playing rock 20 years from now. “I see Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones doing their stuff up to now and they’re all in their sixties. You have to admire them for having all that energy, yet it also feels sad to see them still make a go at it. They probably still enjoy it, yet the fact that they have to continue doing what they did 40 years ago, it’s as if they’ve lost a certain degree of dignity,” he said.

As a classical musician, the 31-year-old de Castro feels he can still play the guitar well into his seventies with his dignity intact. At a recent concert at the Philamlife Auditorium, de Castro wore a black suit as he played the works of Lucrecia Kasilag, Joaquin Rodrigo and several flamenco tunes. Ensconced at the center of the stage, holding his 10-string guitar, he gave everyone in the theater a high without having to dive into the audience or trash his guitar. (“The guitar is too expensive,” he laughed.)

De Castro’s passion for the guitar began in 1987 when he was 13. He had attended a concert of The Dawn and was mesmerized by what Teddy Diaz and company could do with their instruments. Diaz became his inspiration and he decided he wanted to study guitar. He was a high-school freshman at Don Bosco at that time and the school’s curriculum included comprehensive music classes. “Our music teacher required us to learn a musical instrument. Naturally I chose the guitar,” he recalled.

Strangely, instead of pursuing music in college, he majored in Political Science at the University of the Philippines in Manila. He said it was a crazy period for him. He’d miss classes to play gigs and was employed as a recording engineer for a recording studio. He eventually transferred to the College of Music of the University of Sto. Tomas (UST). Yet the college dean discouraged him from studying classical guitar and instead pushed him to play another instrument so he could fit into UST’s orchestra.

De Castro then went on to the Philippine Women’s University where his mentor, the Maestro Jose Valdez, nurtured his talent.

It was during college when he joined Rivermaya. The band was renting his studio in Parañaque for rehearsals and the guitarist was often absent. “I would sub for him and they eventually took me on permanently and fired the other guitarist,” he recalled.

His stint with Rivermaya lasted for more than a year. He left when the band took on a certain direction that was not interesting for him.

He then formed his own band, the Tri-Axis, and they recorded two albums. By the turn of the century, there was a lull in rock music. Tri-Axis refused to compromise their art by playing other music genres just to survive. They disbanded, and with the encouragement of Maestro Valdez, de Castro returned to classical music.

De Castro and his family moved to Los Angeles, California, in 2004. His wife had found a job there and he vowed to focus on his music. He attended concerts and met other guitarists, which paved the way for his recitals in various music festivals in Oregon, California and Connecticut. Despite his recent shows abroad, however, he said it remains very difficult to penetrate the American market.

This hasn’t discouraged, him, however. He’s planning to record a CD album next year and hopes other young guitarists could take classical music more seriously. “These young people who study the guitar, as soon as they think they can make it with a band, they stop the guitar lessons. They’re already having fun being famous. The result (is that) we don’t have any world-renowned Filipino guitarists. We already have a famous international pianist in Cecile Licad. I’m not implying I’m going to be her guitar counterpart, it’s just I’d like to see a Filipino guitarist become internationally famous.”

De Castro describes his life as a classical musician as obviously much quieter than it was when he was a rocker. “It’s also actually much scarier,” he stressed. “Because when you’re onstage, you have no band mates to cover up your mistakes. You’re alone up there and you can’t stop playing when you forget the notes. The people who attend these recitals listen to every note you play. And unlike rock fans, they don’t get drunk during a concert!”

true true kimber. there's a lot of rock musicians who turn to classical music.

I guess one mellows with age. You know you're getting old is when you go to a rock concert and you find the music too loud! I've changed my listening habits when it comes to the radio, before it was all rock and alternative Top 40, now I'm into easy-listening and music from the 1980s, plus throw in some of classical and jazz.

some musicians find classical music more challenging. ako naman ever since, i was into crossover (or jazz fusion), plus of course classical (i love arias!).

I have stopped listening to the radio except for NPR (national public radio. http://www.npr.org ) so I do not know what is popular music these days. But I've always been into all different kinds of music. If I find something challenging to listen to, I try to listen to more of it so that I can understand what's appealing about it. Sometimes, i even start listening to that music more. So I guess you can say I like challenging music. Mostly these days, I've been listening to hip hop (which I never used to listen to growing up), Bach cantatas and 1960s avant garde Jazz of the Ornette Coleman style.

Lea’s 10 tips on how to make your dreams come true
As told to Carissa C. Villacorta, Nov 02, 2005

On November 7, I will again have the opportunity to meet the one woman who has inspired the present generation of dreamers. Lea Salonga will perform at New York’s Carnegie Hall, an equally illustrious venue.

In one way or another, we’ve all met her. Via the stage, TV, or newspapers, we were inspired by how she’s lived her life and carried the pride of the Filipinos. These direct quotes below provide another way of getting into her outlook and approach, so that we too may transform from great dreamers, to great performers, as she has.

CV: If you were to give ten top tips to the young Filipinos on how to achieve their dreams, what would they be?

LS: I don't think my list will reach 10...these are what I live by:

1. Don't forget the people you meet on the way up, as they'll be the same people you meet on the way down. Remain humble and grounded always, and be grateful to everyone who helped you achieve success.

2. Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. It means practice, rehearsals, warming-up before shows, taking the time to perfect one's skill.

3. Be professional. Every occupation in this world deserves and demands respect. That means showing up to job interviews, auditions and rehearsals on time and well-prepared, being respectful to those working for you and with you, and treating the work with love. It burns me when I see anyone doing anything halfway, as I was brought up and trained to always give it my best shot.

4. Have fun at work! Enjoying one's work never hurt anyone, and it makes everything so much easier. I have a smile on my face when I sing, even on a relatively bad day. Just make sure it's never at someone else's expense.

5. Accept and appreciate both the compliments and the criticisms. The first is a great ego booster, and the second a good gauge of how you're doing and how you can further improve.

6. Take time to smell the roses. Once upon a time it was all work for me, and I realized that getting together with family and friends just to hang out, talk, laugh, eat with absolutely nothing to do with work keeps my head balanced and sane. It makes me appreciate and love the work even more.

7. Pray. When I feel that life is starting to get to me, I take some time for spiritual rejuvenation. I particularly like going to an empty church and spending a few minutes in silence. Also, when life is particularly great, I pray for thanks. God is a very important part of my life and my work.

8. Rest. Even God had a day off, what makes you think working 7 days a week is good for you?

9. Live life to the fullest. You'll be surprised at how that filters into your work. I've seen so many loved ones leave this world at a young age. That teaches me to really experience as much of life as possible before it's time to go.

10. Surround yourself with the people you love, as much as possible. Life is way too short to spend it with people you don't really like, or are indifferent towards. I know that it's not always possible to have those you love around you physically, and that you'll sometimes be working with people you just can't get along with, but as long as these loved ones are in your heart and mind, you're all set.

CV: What is your mantra in life?

LS: Have fun... at work and in life.

CV: After a fairy tale wedding, and a career on Broadway, is there anything else you wish and work for?

LS: Healthy children. I have a child on the way, and I pray that s/he's healthy. I can only wish for a good life for him/her.

CV: Anything else on your to-do list? / What are the next steps for you?

LS: Hmmm... shake hands with Barbra Streisand, maybe! As for next steps, I would just love to do more concert work all over the world. That's always a fun time!

CV: What does a regular week and weekend consist of for you?

LS: Well at the moment, my days consist of negotiating morning sickness. But
normally, it all depends. If I'm coaching someone in a show, I'm at rehearsals with that person for a few hours and at that person's first few performances. If I'm not working, I go shopping or eating with friends, spend time with my husband in the evenings and weekends, go to church, see shows, go to a movie. Normal stuff.

CV: What is your interpretation of the phrase "Harnessing Individual Successes Toward Collective Empowerment" (as Filipinos) ?

LS: Hmmm... if we are all successful individually, that can only build the country as a whole. It's kind of like every person being assigned each a square yard of sidewalk to clean. If we each do our individual share, the entire sidewalk would then be clean.

CV: What is your opinion of the Filipino diaspora? That many Filipinos leave the Philippines to find their individual destinies?

LS: On the one hand, it's unfortunate that so many of our countrymen decide to leave the country, but on the other hand, I can't blame them either for wanting to find what they believe to be a better future for themselves and their families. I left home for the opportunity of a lifetime, and I'm still living my dream.

CV: What are your favorite books and movies?

LS: Books: anything by Robin Cook (after the first book I was hooked), The Far Side series, the Griffin and Sabine series (all 6 parts). I'm currently in the middle of One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Movies: Mr. and Mrs. Smith was the one film I was recommending to all my friends. I also loved Batman Begins, and both Spider-man and X-men films. I'm also huge on cartoons.

CV: Did you ever think, when you were younger, that she would become an icon in Philippine history (as well as on Broadway)?

LS: No, that was the last thing I ever expected. I never in my wildest dreams ever thought any of this would happen, and I'm just thankful for everything. It's awesome.

When I was 11, and a visitor to New York, I had the privilege to meet Lea, and write my first ever published article “My Encounter with Lea Salonga in New York.” That meeting ended with her signing my Miss Saigon playbill with a smiley face after it. Many articles and smiley faces later, she, for this interview, emails me her own version of 10 Ways to be Happy, then signs “Lea” and a = and a ). I’ve wondered about this, but now know why she has that trademark sign. Because even though she’s away from home, she remains to be the carrier of Manila’s smiles across the miles. Her smiles are captured on stage, on TV and on every young dreamer’s most-prized moments. And her mantra – to have fun in work and in life, as she does, as well as her signature mark, should, as she hopes, make the jump from the papers and onto our faces, as when we met her, and always.

eto po yung exhibit namin sa nuyok... kaya medyo busy ako preparing for this.

http://groups.msn.com/AbitofArt/membersupcomingexhibitsevents.msnw?action=view_list&viewtype=0&row=5&sortstring

Wow, Paul. Beautiful artwork by you and your fellow artists. I should better ask around for the venue I spoke about with Sugarboy. So, that we can time it together.

Do you mind if I use that webpage to show the art gallery proprietor/director. These are purely for exhibit only, right?

sure ms lili, not a problem.

Rock stars MiG, Constantine arrive for shows
By Nikko Dizon Inquirer News Service Nov 15, 2005

Two charismatic rockers who became famous worldwide this year landed in Manila yesterday.

Filipino-Australian rocker MiG Ayesa and New Yorker Constantine Maroulis stepped off the same Philippine Airlines flight from Los Angeles, California, and into a quiet welcome each from a small group of fervent fans. It was 3 a.m.

Ayesa placed third in “Rock Star INXS,” which featured 15 contenders and was broadcast worldwide for 11 weeks from the CBS Studios in Los Angeles. The prize was the position of new front man for the Australian band INXS, a phenomenal success in the 1980s whose lead singer died in 1997.

His impressive showing, Ayesa believed, was boosted by text messages from his two home countries. During the final leg of “Rock Star,” he said in a previous Inquirer interview that, win or lose, he was definitely Manila-bound “sooner than next year … to personally thank every single fan” who sent an SMS in his favor.

“It’s nice to be treated like a long-lost son, to feel the nation behind me. It’s very nice to come home this way,” Ayesa told a handful of reporters upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Centennial Terminal 2.

It was a surprise, too. Ayesa was initially expected on Dec. 1 to perform at the “MTV Staying Alive Music Summit for HIV/AIDS.” As it turned out, he had to turn up two weeks early as negotiations pushed through for him to perform the finale number at the opening ceremonies of the Ad Congress in Cebu City on Thursday.

At NAIA, he briefly exchanged “hey, man” hugs with “American Idol” finalist Constantine Maroulis, who is in the country for a series of performances at Ayala malls nationwide.

Like Ayesa, Maroulis did not win the competition he joined, but emerged as a big audience favorite. “I did not expect to make friends on ‘Idol.’ I treated the audition like a job interview,” Maroulis said at a press conference later in the day. “But I did make friends. In fact, we were like family.”

Ayesa, 35, describes himself as a “funk soul rocker.” His fans have heard him render classic rock songs like they were his own. He has also treated them to soulful ballads.

After a little prodding, the rocker revealed that he was also performing at the Ad Congress with Lea Salonga. “We will be doing a duet,” Ayesa said, grinning, the handsome face lit up by his amazingly beautiful blue-green eyes.

He wouldn’t say what the duet would be, but for his solo numbers, he said, he would reprise a song he did on “Rock Star” and the legendary British band Queen’s signature, “We Will Rock You.”


Killer abs

Ayesa, who is a theater singer and actor by profession, played the lead role in the London West End production of “We Will Rock You” before joining the reality competition.

Despite losing to Canadian JD Fortune, Ayesa was a huge hit with rock fans in the United States, Australia and Asia, as much for his mesmerizing performances as for the killer abs that sent the women in the studio audience screaming whenever he ripped off his shirt after nailing a song.

Miguel Alfonso Ramon Legarda Ayesa was born in Manila on Jan. 12, 1970. His nickname, MiG, comes from the Russian MiG fighter jet. His family moved to Sydney when he was 2.

Lawyer Katrina Legarda is an aunt, and Manuel Legarda, lead guitarist of Pinoy rock band, Wolfgang, is a cousin. International pop star Enrique Iglesias, son of Julio Iglesias, is also a cousin.


Truly Pinoy

MiG has been married to Simone de la Rue since 2002. They have a Maltese named Powder.

In his own words, his Tagalog is “terrible” and “putik” (mud). Yet Ayesa swears he is as Pinoy as a Pinoy could be. He is a Roman Catholic and he loves to eat, he pointed out.

“I love adobo, crispy pata, kare-kare,” he said. “I look forward to eating those … and suman … and champorado…”

He is flying back on Friday to Los Angeles, where he is taking part in a rock awards program. But he’ll be back “in exactly 12 days.”

This is his message to his Filipino fans, especially those who may not see him this week: “It’s great to be back here and it’s nice to be amongst you again. I hope this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

These are not empty words. Later in the afternoon, over coffee with staff members of Inquirer Entertainment who chronicled his performances on “Rock Star,” Ayesa said, “I truly felt the support from the Philippines. I’m here to pay up.”

Laughing, he added, “Spread the word.”

Don Quixote - The Man of La Mancha is being performed by the Repertory Philippines in Manila


Bibot’s quixotic dream comes true

By ROME JORGE

To dream . . . the impossible dream . . . " This most famous line from Joe Darion’s lyrics for Dale Wasserman’s musicale, The Man of La Mancha, based on Miguel de Cervantes’ literary masterpiece Don Quixote, distills our noblest aspirations -- to believe regardless.

And sometimes, dreams do come true. Live orchestral music. A superb set. Flamenco dancing. Sterling voices. Riveting performances of the highest caliber.

The late Zeneida Amador -- founder of the much-acclaimed Repertory Philippines, a tiller of windmills by reputation and known as "Tita Bibot" to her friends and collogues -- got her wish as the Repertory with the Manila Symphony Orchestra stages "Man Of La Mancha" at the Globe Theater, Onstage, Greenbelt 1, on November 25 to 28, and December 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 and 16.

Before she passed away, Amador had requested that Repertory stage Wasserman’s well-loved musicale this year. Nearly a year after her death on November 28, 2004, old friends have come together to make her dream come true.

Come together

A reunion of Repertory’s illustrious talents, La Mancha brings together Baby Barredo as director, with a cast led by Michael Williams and Audie Gemora in the role of Don Quixote; Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo who plays Aldonza; and Robbie Guevara who plays Sancho Panza. Also playing key roles are Cocoy Laurel, Miguel Faustmann, Niccolo Manahan, Cathy Azanza, Joy Virata, Rem Zamora and Arnel Carrion. Completing the cast are Allan Alojipan, Carlos Canlas, Edwin Cruz, Harold Cruz, Lorenz Martinez, Raul Montesa, Ralph Perez, Jack Salud, Boyd Tinio, Oliver Usison, Aireen Antonio and Maria Soria. Flamenco artist Clara Ramona makes a special appearance in the musical.

La Mancha narrates the tale of a man who doggedly chooses to pursue the unattainable ideals of chivalry. Despite reality constantly knocking him off his high horse, the eternal optimist chooses fantasy over reality.

Cervantes’s immortal classic is a dreamers dream well told. On stage, it is a thespian’s declaration of principles. As staged by Repertory Philippines, The Man of La Mancha is love for an old friend enacted.

A tale within a tale

The play begins with Cervantes being thrown into a dungeon along with his servant to fend off a mangy rabble of ruffians and harlots. His crime: insisting to collect tax arrears from a monastery in the time of the Inquisition. The playwright, an aristocratic soldier who, upon his return from battle, lost his fortune after being held hostage in Africa for years, has taken up the unenviable work to make ends meet.

While he awaits the Inquisition, his fellow inmates, rapaciously eying his possessions, conduct their own trial, accusing him of incorrigible and hopeless optimism. Cervantes pleads guilty, but to prove worthy of reprieve, he mounts a legal defense in the only way he knows how: by mounting an improvisational play with the mangy lot as his cast.

Alonzo Quijana, an elderly nobleman who losses his wits, but gains his soul in assuming the fantasy identity of Don Quixote, sees true with his mad eyes: the tramp is a lady and reason is but dark wizardry.

Wasserman’s musicale is postmodern theater: it is a play within a play and a story about story making. Cervantes’s novel, arguably the world’s first, expounds on the dilemma of all writers: how does one tell the truth by writing fiction? Don Quixote answers that question with knackered armor, bent sword and warped mind.

Matching talent for talent

As staged repertory Philippines this year, the play opens with Romana transforming the floor into a percussion instrument with staccato taps and kicks that complement her rapid-fire castanets.

The Manila Symphony Orchestra turns brass into gold by complementing the spirited performances with living music.

The finely crafted set and lighting is evocative; the dungeon deep in the belly of the earth hangs heavy with impending verdicts and punishments.

But as with any worthy play, it is the players that shine brightest.

Williams hits all the high notes with gusto worthy of the knight-errand. As Cervantes, Quixote and Quijana, Williams strides with the literary giant’s gait and speaks his gilded truths. Through him we feel the tragedy and heartache that waits all optimists.

Lauchengco-Yulo wins our hearts with her feisty yet soulful Aldonza/Dulcinea. Hardened yet fragile, scornful yet tender, Aldonza as portrayed by Yulo, is fleshed out and transcendental.

And Guevara is simply adorable as the squire Sancho. Undaunted and loyal despite his sanity, Sancho as played by Guevara is more than a sidekick; he is a player with his own truths to tell. Much like Sancho, Guevara is unerring in delighting audiences.

Laurel sings a silver note as the priest. Manahan is unforgettable as the scheming nephew Carrasco. The ensemble cast that plays like a symphony.

For information and reservations call 887-0710 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays to Fridays. Tickets are also available at Greenbelt 1 Ticketron and at Ticketworld outlets with phone number 891-9999.

Christmas classics at the Park ]

Ilocos Norte’s Centro de Baile School of Classical and Contemporary Ballet, under the management of Edwin “Nonoy” Vicente and Helen Perez, performs in Concert at the Park this Sunday, Dec. 4, at 5 p.m.


Billed "In the Classic Tradition," the program hosted by Minette Padilla will also feature students from Laoag City Ballet and Centre de Ballet Etude of director/ choreographer Venus Salgado.

"In the Classic Tradition" is composed of "Excerpts from the "Nutcracker Ballet", "Selections from the Ray Coniff Christmas Medley" and other ballet pieces such as "Jewels", selections from "Paquita", La Poupee, Twinkling Stars, Pas de Deux and Les Fantasy, among other Christmas classics.

Performing ballet students from Badoc and Pinili, Ilocos Norte are Joshua Roam Abucay, Joni Rose Aclan, Kristal Jane Adora, Charyll Mae Arcangel, Maria Christianette Bagarino, Clarisse Baligad, Danica Joy Borja, Angeli Calaycay, Marie Concepcion, Tessie Canero, Christine Coloma, Linel Jan Coloma, Myka Dalimot, Jemaica Dumaguing, Nastasha Guelas, Everly Joy Marquez, Angelica Andrea Pagala, Ma. Krisnalie Juliene Saturnio, Jhervy Gianne Acosta, Ashley Barnachea, Christiamae Genove, Jasmin Beatriz Hidalgo, Gea Johnson, Kristyl Ann Laureaga, April Rian Lorenzano, Jodi Dianne Picar and Esthericca Sumabat.

Joining them are Ivan Morris Canlas, Yzrae Trish Caoile, Mae Jansen Doroneo, Lewizah Lyrah Gapuzan, Amerah Claire Perez and Edle Joy Perez of the Laoag City Ballet and Katherina Claire Umali and Ramcy Cortista of Centre de Ballet Etude.

"In the Classic Tradition" is under the choreography and direction of Edwin "Nonoy" Vicente, a member of the Association of Ballet Academies, Philippines (ABAP) and an affiliate of the Australian Conservatoire of Ballet and Mr. Breshnev Larlar.

Admission is free.

eto po yung exhibit namin sa nuyok... kaya medyo busy ako preparing for this.

http://groups.msn.com/AbitofArt/membersupcomingexhibitsevents.msnw?action=view_list&viewtype=0&row=5&sortstring

so bump, the reason why i'm going to nuyok.

RP hosts 'historic' jazz & arts festival
First posted 08:52pm (Mla time) Jan 22, 2006
By Tina Arceo-Dumlao
Inquirer

FILIPINOS ARE AMONG the world's best jazz exponents, says renowned jazz artist Kevyn Lettau, and it's about time more Filipinos knew about it.

Lettau told the Inquirer that it was with this in mind that she had jumped at the chance to participate in the first Philippine International Jazz and Arts Festival spearheaded by the Philippine Jazz Society (PJS).

"Jazz artists here are not appreciated enough," Lettau said, "[I'd like] to help raise awareness among Filipinos that there are really good artists here."

Lettau said jazz as a music form has not been as appreciated as it should be, either, not only in the Philippines, but elsewhere in the world, because of lack of exposure to the music, plus a generation gap between those who grew up listening to the likes of Sarah Vaughn and Billie Holiday and those weaned on rap music.

Another reason, she said, is the proliferation of pop music that she described as "overwhelmingly loud." She explained: "Nowadays, popular music hits you over the head, it does not allow you to be involved. This means the younger generation is not used to really listening."

Lettau is confident that jazz and similar forms of music will soon enjoy a resurgence. She said the festival is one such opportunity for more people, especially Filipinos, to be exposed to the unique musical art form that is jazz and then maybe champion it.

"[Filipino] culture is an advantage because [of the many] influences, [including] Latin and black," Lettau said. "[That's why] you have a lot of soul."

Showcase of cultures

The desire to showcase that soul prompted the PJS, headed by singer Sandra Lim-Viray, and the Department of Tourism to put the festival together.

Kicking off the four-day event was the World Jazz Fiesta street party at The Podium held Friday night, featuring local bands The Brass Munkeys, Pinikpikan, Guarana, Hairy Dawgs, Nyko Maca and Electrosamba and Sirocco of Australia.

It is Sirocco's first time in the Philippines. The group has been singing for some 25 years now. Its mission: to expose the world to Australian aboriginal music and learn from other cultures.

"Sirocco means desert wind. It knows no boundaries-like music," explains musician Paul Jarman.

David Hudson, who plays the didgeridoo, a traditional aboriginal instrument, added that the group was excited to participate in the festival.

"We call ourselves edutainers," he explained. "We educate and entertain. We believe [we should all] learn from each other because we are part of just one race, the human race."

Sirocco also took part in the official opening ceremonies on Saturday night at the Harbour Square, CCP complex.

Hosted by local jazz great Mon David, the rites also featured performances by UP College of Music Dean Ramon Acoymo, Bob Aves, Grace Nono and traditional groups from Maguindanao and the Cordilleras, Sinika and Kaisahan ng Lahi Dance Ensemble from Puerto Princesa, Palawan, and the Indonesian Dance Troupe.

This was followed by grand performances of the UP Jazz Ensemble, Johnny Alegre Affinity, Lester Demetillo, Makopa, Jong Cuenco, Isha with Look, the Ria Villena Group, Brownbeat, Paolo and Power Train, Aquarela, Makopa and the H30 Jazz Visitors.

Deodato with Lettau

The night was capped by a concert featuring the Kevyn Lettau Quartet and Brazilian composer and musician Eumir Deodato.

Last night, one of the featured artists was homegrown talent Charmaine Clamor, who has released a solo album in the United States, "Searching for the Soul," under FreeHam records.

The album represents the fulfillment of the American dream for Clamor, who left the Philippines for the US in 1988 to pursue a singing career.

Clamor said she had her share of bad gigs and paid more than her due before she finally got that album into the market.

To come home and participate in the jazz festival, she said, was another dream come true.

"This is such a historic event and it's amazing to be part of it," Clamor said. "Hopefully, we can have something like this every year."

this isn't an international thing but he's filipino anyway and i dunno any other thread to place this. :bash: just trying to help a friend. sana makapunta kayo lalo na sa mga taga metro manila.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/ajbossa/web.jpg
by Chris C. Calilao

Chop Chop, the first solo exhibition of paintings by AJ Omandac, will open at the ultra-hip boutique/gallery Store For All Seasons, owned by designers Mich Dulce and Cecile Zamora, on February 3, 2006.

Born and raised in Davao, Omandac is one of finest new artists to emerge from the burgeoning Philippine lowbrow art scene. As opposed to the practitioners of fine art, lowbrow artists rebel against the elitist conventions of the traditional art world to create fun, exciting, and most importantly, accessible works. Drawing inspiration mainly from pop culture, lowbrow art incorporates influences from such diverse and disparate sources such as graffiti, old cartoons, fashion, comic books, rock music, Japanese anime, classic TV sitcoms, B-movies and cyberspace among many others.

With Chop Chop, the artist introduces his own brand of lowbrow art. Mischievous and playful, Omandac's works are distinguished by their utilization of wooden chopping boards instead of canvas as the surface of choice. The paintings depict scenes and images culled from daily life, rendering them in an exaggerated, almost cartoonish manner. Notable for the use of bright, garish colors favored by Pop Art, they are pictures of paradox: coating the angst and loneliness of the everyday with the veneer of the whimsical and fantastic to expose the surrealism and absurdity of the ordinary and mundane.

Store for All Seasons is located at The Conservatory Building, 605 Shaw Blvd. Exhibition runs until February 24, 2006.

:cheers:

very nice work!

another good friend of mine is exhibiting in store for all seasons. sana makapunta ang mga asa metro manila sa dates nung exhibit. thanks. :)

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e270/toblindfoldher/drippy4_c_web.jpg

Driftwood: Visions of a New Floating World, a solo exhibit by Mica Cabildo, runs from March 18 until April 8 at Store for All Seasons.

The show features medium-sized acrylic paintings on plywood depicting birds of paradise, fallen angels, unlikely goddesses, and other women of a slightly grafitti-esque floating world. Cabildo's stylized women are burly yet provocative, and are often portrayed in dramatic poses amidst drippy clouds, colorful sunbursts and illusive foliage.

Cabildo, mostly self-taught, derives her style from fashion illustration, contemporary cartoon and graphic design influences. For more information about the artist and her works, please visit http://www.tabulas.com/~toblindfoldher.

Store for All Seasons is located at the Conservatory Building, 605 Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City.

thanks. :cheers:

this is the more appropriate thread.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/more/invite.jpg

Ay sayang... I just found out that my trip won't be until the weekend of April 22. Maybe if I get in on the 21, I'll be there for the closing.

wow! Is that the flyer Paul? Kakatuwang makita yung name mo sa flyer. :okay:

sikat na si kuya paul!!!! yay!!! hehehehehe

another good friend of mine is exhibiting in store for all seasons. sana makapunta ang mga asa metro manila sa dates nung exhibit. thanks. :)

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e270/toblindfoldher/drippy4_c_web.jpg

Driftwood: Visions of a New Floating World, a solo exhibit by Mica Cabildo, runs from March 18 until April 8 at Store for All Seasons.

The show features medium-sized acrylic paintings on plywood depicting birds of paradise, fallen angels, unlikely goddesses, and other women of a slightly grafitti-esque floating world. Cabildo's stylized women are burly yet provocative, and are often portrayed in dramatic poses amidst drippy clouds, colorful sunbursts and illusive foliage.

Cabildo, mostly self-taught, derives her style from fashion illustration, contemporary cartoon and graphic design influences. For more information about the artist and her works, please visit http://www.tabulas.com/~toblindfoldher.

Store for All Seasons is located at the Conservatory Building, 605 Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City.

thanks. :cheers:


@weirdo, friends mo ba ang mga owners ng store for all seasons?

kuya sugarboy hindi po. ang pagkakaalam ko si mich dulce (pinoy big brother celebrity ed contestant) ang owner noon. nagwork dun friend ko for a while so may artist friends kaming nakakapag exhibit.

ang driftwood exhibit ay extended til april 22. sana makapunta kayo.

kuya paul good luck po sa palabas ninyo. :)

speaking of artists... paki-add po sa friendster ang banda ng kaibigan ko... astig sila promise... jawbangers@yahoo.com

some revisions for the invite:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/more/invite2.jpg

some names have been added. one made it in time for the exhibit after pleading with the visa officer about this exhibit.

si Paul Corpus ka pala

^^ E ano ngayon gagawin mo?

6 nominees sure to receive National Artist award; Palace may add more names
By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr. and Christine Avendano April 13, 2006

MALACAÑANG PALACE yesterday all but confirmed that it would be adding more names to the list of National Artist awardees this year, even as it insisted that the process of choosing the final list of recipients was not yet complete.

In a bid to explain the snafu that followed the Palace move to withdraw the announcement of the awardees only hours after making it public the other day, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita clarified that the conferment of the award on the six nominees, led by the late actor-director Fernando Poe Jr., would remain, denying speculations that some of the names would be taken out.

In fact, there might even be more names to be announced, which was why the announcement of the list of awardees was "premature," Ermita told reporters in Baguio City.

Cecile Guidote Alvarez, the presidential adviser on culture, also said "maybe one, two, even three names" could still be added.

Muslim sculptor

Yesterday, Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor indicated who the additional awardee might be -- Muslim sculptor and painter Abdulmari Asia Imao.

Defensor said a group of Muslim cultural groups had been clamoring for Malacañang to give a Muslim artist the National Artist Award, the highest national recognition accorded Filipinos who had made significant contributions to the arts.

He said he "accidentally sat" in on a recent Palace meeting where the Muslim clamor for Imao being recognized was discussed and said this might be the reason Malacañang was "holding back" from announcing the final list of awardees.

Earlier on Tuesday, Malacañang released a list containing the names of six distinguished Filipino artists -- Bienvenido L. Lumbera (literature), Ramon A. Obusan (dance), Benedicto Cabrera (visual arts), Ildefonso P. Santos Jr., (architecture), Ramon Valera (fashion design) and Poe (film) -- who will be conferred the rank and title of Order of National Artist.

Official list withdrawn

Later that day, however, Palace executives scrambled to pull back the memo from public release, claiming that the list was not yet final and the selection process was still going on.

But Ambeth Ocampo, the chair of the joint board of commissioners of the National Commission of Culture and the Arts, told the Inquirer the other day that the selection process had been completed and the list of recommended awardees had been sent to the Palace which confirmed them.

The NCCA jointly administers the awards with the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The two institutions conduct the "committee of peers" review of the candidates and make the recommendations to the President who confirms the awardees and makes the final announcement.

According to sources in the cultural community, the awards have been attended by controversy in the past because of Malacañang's propensity to add names to the list of recommendees made by the selection process although they made clear that Presidents were legally within their rights to do this.

Palace review

Alvarez, who is also executive director of the NCCA, took the Palace line that the selection process was not yet complete. She explained that after the selection body sends its list to the President, there was still a Palace "honors committee" review before the decision was made on the final list.

She said the honors committee had yet to meet on the 2006 awardees. Aside from the President, this committee is made up of Ermita and Joaquin Lagonera, the senior executive deputy secretary. She said she might also be asked to join the committee's meetings.

Alvarez confirmed that Imao was being considered by Malacañang because letters had poured in from Muslim cultural organizations in his behalf after the original six were chosen. She said Imao was on the list of candidates considered by the selection committee but was not chosen.

"He (Imao) deserves it (the award) because he is the first Filipino Muslim to gain international fame for his art," said Alvarez, who refused to call the pressure from the Muslim organizations on Imao's behalf "lobbying."

Imao, who hails from Jolo, Sulu, draws his inspiration from the Tausug and Maranao artistic traditions of Mindanao, particularly the art of the okir wood-carving design, which he interprets in a contemporary idiom.

Proper respect

The President conferred on Imao the Presidential Medal of Merit only in June 2005.

Partisans of Poe, the opponent of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the 2004 election, reacted as if Malacañang was taking back the award that already belonged to Poe.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., claiming to have heard from his own sources that Malacañang wanted Poe stricken off the list, said it smacked of political persecution of the worst kind.

"It's a terrible thing. Now that he's dead, they're still pushing him around like a wet rag," he said.

Marichu Maceda, a close friend of Poe's widow Susan, said in an ANC television interview that Malacañang did not show proper respect for Poe when it bungled the announcement.

Alvarez clarified that the award for Poe was not being withdrawn.

"There's really no confusion. Since 2004, Poe had been nominated. But since the awards are given only every three years, we had to wait till 2006 to give it to him," she said.

Misunderstanding

Explaining how the misunderstanding could have happened, Ermita said the names of the six nominees were forwarded to the President by the National Film Academy under the supervision of the NCCA.

"Upon the approval of the President, it was handed to the Protocol [office] and given to the Office of the Press Secretary, but without knowing that there were still things that need to be done, need to be processed," he said.

He said the process was not yet final because his office had yet to prepare an executive order announcing the awardees.

"We are in the process of preparing that so until such time as we submit it to the President and she signs it, then nothing really is complete," Ermita said.

A lapse

He said "there must have been a lapse somewhere but ... the conferment [of the] awards is in June, so in a maximum of two weeks, everything will be final," he said.

"I don't think it’s anyone's fault. The Protocol and OPS just did not know that the documentation process was not yet finished," he said.

"I don't think there's anything to apologize for. These things happen," Ermita said.

hello, invite ko lang sa mga asa metro manila, lalu na makati ng saturday.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/boranzohn/poetrynights06.jpg

Restoring the Spoliarium

Penman (Butch Dalisay) for Monday, July 17, 2006

http://homepage.mac.com/jdalisay/blog/user_files/spolarium.jpg

CREATING A masterpiece is hard enough, but sometimes restoring or preserving one can be just as tough if not more difficult.

That rare breed of specialists we know as art restorers or conservators certainly know this. It took Michelangelo four years to paint the frescoes on the Sistine Chapel ceiling—now one of the hallmarks of Western civilization—but it took an international team of experts 12 years to restore the work to its nearly-original glory, paring away centuries of grime and soot. And the end of the restoration proved to be only the beginning of a continuing debate over whether it was right, in the first place, to mess with the dark, brooding magnificence of the aged frescoes. (For a quick look at the work in question—before, after, and during the restoration—check out this website.)

Here in the Philippines, we’ve been blessed by the proliferation of gifted and productive artists who’ve left us with a trove of valuable and irreplaceable art—valuable not only in the financial sense but more so in terms of their significance to our cultural and even political history. It’s a far cry from where we are now, but in the days of Jose Rizal (himself an artist of no mean talent), painters and poets were important people, their greatest works held with the same esteem we now reserve for Manny Pacquiao.

One such artist, of course—if not the greatest of them—was Juan Luna y Novicio (1857-1899), a young man whose obvious gift for painting took him to Europe in the 1880s as a government pensionado. In Rome, in March 1884 and after eight months of labor, Luna completed what would become his signature work: the Spoliarium, a massive (almost eight by five meters) oil on canvas painting depicting two dead gladiators being dragged to an ignominious disposal as men and women look on in helpless horror. The word spoliarium itself refers to that part of the Roman Colosseum complex where the corpses of vanquished gladiators were divested of their armor and weapons, for reuse by the survivors.

In May 1884, the painting was exhibited at the Nacional Exposicion de Bellas Artes in Madrid, and won the first of three gold medals, besting compatriot Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, whose Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho won a silver medal. The victory sealed Luna’s reputation as a painter of the highest order, and praise—as well as Filipino pride—abounded.

Almost immediately, Filipinos on the verge of a revolution saw the work as an allegory for colonial suffering. Critic Eric Torres reports that “Rizal interpreted the Spoliarium as a symbol of ‘our social, moral, and political life: humanity unredeemed, reason and aspiration in open fight with prejudice, fanaticism, and injustice.’ On another occasion, Lopez-Jaena likewise read political implications in the Spoliarium, as follows: ‘For me, if there is something grand, something sublime, in the Spoliarium, it is because behind the canvas, behind the painted figures… there floats the living image of the Filipino people sighing its misfortune. Because… the Philippines is nothing more than a real Spoliarium with all its horrors.’”

For Luna, it meant a welcome stream of commissions, and entry into some of Europe’s most exclusive circles. His life would take a tragic turn when, in 1892, he shot his wife and mother-in-law to death in a fit of jealous rage (just as outrageously, he was slapped on the wrist and released by a French court that saw the deed as a forgivable “crime of passion”). He died in Hong Kong in 1899 from a severe heart attack (some say he was poisoned), broken by the news of his brother Antonio’s murder back home.

Today we remember Juan Luna not just for the Spoliarium, but also other masterworks such as the Blood Compact (and one of my favorites, the enigmatic green-gowned woman of Despues del Baile). The more practical minded might note, with some cynicism, that Luna’s Parisian Life took a P43-million chunk out of GSIS pensionsers’ funds. But it remains the Spoliarium that we identify most with Luna, and, indeed, with the romantic notion of a Golden Age of Filipino painting, when we proved ourselves equal to the world’s best.

The Spoliarium itself would acquire an interesting if spotted history. After having been exhibited in Rome, Madrid, and Paris, it was bought (while still in Paris) by the provincial government of Barcelona in 1885 for 20,000 pesetas. In 1887, it was moved to the Museo del Arte Moderno in Barcelona, where it remained in storage until the museum was burned and looted in 1937, during the Spanish Civil War. Damaged, the painting was sent by Gen. Franco to Madrid for restoration, and remained there for 18 years. In the 1950s, patriotic Filipinos and sympathetic Spaniards moved for its repatriation to Manila. (“Repatriation” is misleading, since it had never been here before.) Franco heard of these plans and ordered the work restored and donated to the Philippines; restorers worked on it in late 1957, and the painting was turned over to our Ambassador Nieto in January 1958.

And then a curious thing happened. Just before it was shipped to Manila, the Spoliarium was cut into three pieces, with each piece going into its own crate. These pieces were much later received by the Juan Luna Centennial Manila Commission in 1960; Antonio Dumlao performed relining and cleaning, while Carlos da Silva took charge of the mounting, framing, and architectural work. In December 1962, the restored Spoliarium was unveiled in the Hall of Flags of the Department of Foreign Affairs. (And this was where I first saw it, on a high-school field trip.)

It was hardly the best spot for the masterpiece, because, as a reporter would later observe, “Molds caused by the moisture from an air-conditioning unit have eaten away the paint in the lower right hand corner of the huge canvas, and a sizeable area immediately above. The painting's signature today has the appearance of a grayish patch from which the paint has been clumsily scraped away. Furthermore, the inexpert joining of the canvas has begun to show. The new coat of varnish applied to the seam fails to match the old coat so that a broad swath appears to separate a third of the painting from the rest.”

In 1982, the painting was cleaned by the late Suzanno “Jun” Gonzalez, and at some point, the Spoliarium was moved to its present location in the National Museum.

And here begins the vignette of its latest restoration, undertaken by a young but experienced and energetic company called the Art Restoration and Conservations Specialists, Inc. (ACES). Headed by painter June Poticar Dalisay (uhmm, yes, we’re related—and that’s how I got this story), the Spanish-trained members of ACES have worked on a score of important restoration projects since their formal incorporation in 2001, including the ceiling paintings of the 150-year-old St. John the Baptist Church in Jimenez, Misamis Oriental, and a steady stream of works by Botong Francisco, Vicente Manansala, Jose Joya, Anita Magsaysay-Ho, and J. Elizalde Navarro, among other Filipino masters.

No, Beng (that’s what I call June) and her team didn’t restore the whole painting—that will need vastly more time and resources—but they were brought in to address a relatively small but potentially critical problem that had developed. Sometime last year, the Spoliarium had to be moved in its entirety by three-and-a-half meters to make room for another painting, but even the best care—which we’d have to assume was taken—couldn’t prevent cracks from forming in the joints and on the canvas itself.

ACES prides itself on its scientific approach and its respect for the artwork and its creator—it won’t take on a job if all the owner wants is a coat of varnish and some dabs of pigment to make a painting “look new”—and it responds to every assignment as a team, usually comprising a painter, an art historian or scholar, a chemist, and an architect. The Spoliarium was their most challenging task to date because of its historical importance, but the job itself was easily broken down into predictable and manageable phases, from detailed photo documentation (before and after), grid-laying, data recording, and a thorough discussion of the problems and options, to the actual repair, which consisted of mechanical cleaning, testing the solubility of the damaged paint layer, consolidation, removal of the facing and excess glue, and retouching.

Working almost daily on wiry scaffoldings that brought them nose-to-nose with the painting, the ACES team finished the job in four months, and is now completing its report (from where much of the data here was taken). But even more interesting to me, as a distant kibitzer (I never even got past the door, so strict were the conditions), were Beng & Co.’s personal observations:

“My team of scientific conservators and I were in awe the first time we set foot inside the Great Hall of the Masters. We stood inches away from the painting, a magnificent work of art that takes one's breath away. Its size stupefied us while the drama and energy that emanate from the powerful images on canvas affected us profoundly and transported us to Luna's studio in Rome….

“Many questions came up as we studied the physical condition of the painting through our magnifying glass. We knew very little about it and we needed to know its story so we could better understand its present condition. How did it find its way to Madrid? Who took care of the painting? How and where was it hung or kept? What were the circumstances surrounding its journey to the Philippines? Was it restored before it was returned to the Philippine government? Who restored the painting? Who and how was it mounted and put up in its present site?

“Gathering information and data on the Spoliarium proved difficult. The National Museum tried its best to help but could not furnish us with any kind of documentation. Some individuals had stories to tell about the painting, but we needed hard data. Finally, Ricky Francisco, who was a member of the conservation team, found a report on the Spoliarium, while Roberto Balarbar, a conservator with the Chemical and Conservation Laboratory of the National Museum, also found a copy of a research paper among his files. These data proved very valuable and helpful for they answered many of our questions and filled in many gaps in the history of the painting.

“However, some questions remain unanswered at this point. One issue that continues to puzzle us is Madrid's decision to cut the painting into three parts. Did Madrid inform the Philippine government about this decision? Who decided this? Is there a document to prove that the Philippine government gave Madrid permission to do so? Did the size of Spoliarium make loading it into a ship truly impossible? Was there not any ship capable or willing to accommodate a painting of such length? What kind of ship was it loaded on? Did anyone from the Philippine government accompany the Spoliarium as it traveled from Madrid to Manila?

“We hope that in the future, an art historian will come along and accept the challenge to dig deeper into the history of the Spoliarium and uncover other stories that surrounded the painting while it was in Rome and Madrid.”

And let me add that if you or anyone you know has any of the answers to these questions—or corrections to make to the painting’s history as ACES knows it—do let me know and I’ll pass it on to them.

Much more work needs to be done on the rest of the Spoliarium, and credit has to be given to National Museum Director Cora Alvina for her tireless campaign to seek support not just for the Spoliarium but the many other priceless pieces of our heritage in her safekeeping.

Not incidentally, Beng and I recently attended a benefit concert at the National Museum sponsored by the Museum Foundation of the Philippines, featuring the opera “Spoliarium,” with music by Ryan Cayabyab and libretto by Fides Cuyugan-Asencio. It was a marvelous musical treat, worthy of its subject, and proof positive that, as in Juan Luna’s time, we have what it takes to compete with the world’s best. Ryan’s score convinced me that I had heard the work of a future National Artist—of a much gentler bent than Luna, but certainly no less talented. Mabuhay ang Pilipino!

Thanks for reviving this thread @Sugarboy with no less than an interesting piece by Butch Dalisay on Juan Luna's The Spolarium.

It is heartening to know that careful work and restoration are being done by young but experienced and energetic company called the Art Restoration and Conservations Specialists, Inc. (ACES) on this work of major historical significance in Philippine arts, particularly that this group prides itself on its scientific approach and its respect for the artwork and its creator.

There are many interesting questions posited in that article and I do hope that the history of the Spolarium will be further revealed by our researchers and art historians: particularly that it had to be cut in 3 parts to ship it back to Manila and that Generalissimo Franco actually agreed to give it back to the Philippines.

Imbedded in that article are mentions of other Philippine artists including the writer himself Jose "Butch" Dalisay, composer Ryan Cayabyab and coloratura Fides Cuyugan Asencio.

you're welcome @lili. actually, i was googling for some items on butch dalisay to post on the science high thread. then i stumbled on this.

Jose the Rizal - Jack the Ripper?

http://news.inq7.net/opinion/index.php?index=2&story_id=66981&col=80
By Ambeth Ocampo
Inquirer

URBAN legends in Philippine history fascinate me. While some people search for the "White Lady" of Balete Drive or Robina Gokongwei's "snake twin" lurking in department store dressing rooms, I try to find the elusive "kapre" that lives in an ancient mango tree near the Emilio Aguinaldo house in Kawit town or Andres Bonifacio's love child from a place aptly named Libog (now Santo Domingo) in Albay province. It was thus stupid of me to presume that the most incredible Jose Rizal urban legend was that he was the father of Adolf Hitler, the result of an indiscretion with a prostitute in Vienna. The most current urban legend is that Rizal was Jack the Ripper!

Textbook history tells us that Rizal was in London from May 1888 to January 1889, in the British Library copying "Sucesos de las islas Filipinas" by hand because there were no photocopying machines at the time. Jack the Ripper was active around this time, and since we do now know what Rizal did at night or on the days he was not in the library, some people would like to believe Rizal is suspect. They argue that when Rizal left London, the Ripper murders stopped. They say that Jack the Ripper must have had some medical training, based on the way his victims were mutilated. Rizal, of course, was a doctor. Jack the Ripper liked women, and so did our own Rizal. And -- this is so obvious that many overlooked it -- Jose Rizal's initials match those of Jack the Ripper!

For someone who wrote a great deal on the most ordinary things, Rizal only made passing reference to Jack the Ripper in an essay on the Guardia Civil he wrote in the April 30, 1890 issue of La Solidaridad. Can this be added to the flimsy but growing list of circumstantial evidence to make Rizal a suspect?

If you open the Jack the Ripper website, you will find Rizal's name on the long list of suspects. There is even a forum dedicated to Rizal, (*http://forum.casebook.org/showthread.php?t=199*) begun by a certain "Amateursleuth" who signs in allegedly from Canada and signs the postings "Karen." Her first posting lists the following data:

"In 1888, he was staying with the Beckett family at 37 Chalcot Crescent in Camden [London]; He was a doctor (ophthalmologist); He was good with weapons (was called 'the swordsman'); He was a Malay; He was proficient in the martial arts; He would have been 27 at the time of the Ripper killings; He was short, had dark skin, dark hair, and dark eyes; He came from a well to do family, was well dressed and looked respectable; He came to London on May 24, 1888 on the ship City of Rome; He left London in January of 1889, and the Ripper killings stopped; He was multi-talented (could speak many languages, was a writer, poet, author, sculptor, artist); He was executed in the Philippines on December 30, 1896 at the age of 35; Had a romantic relationship with Gertrude Beckett-the daughter of Charles Beckett; He wrote letters to his friend Blumentritt from London, however there were no letters written to his family or friends from July 1888-Nov. 14, 1888; After he died, his mother tried to procure his assets which consisted of some pretty nice jewelry, including gold cuff links and other baubles of diamonds and amethysts (gold chain with a red stone seal?); I think this man warrants further investigation, which I intend to do."

She provided a photo of Rizal from an Argentine website leading a certain Glenn Andersson, writer and historian, to remark:

"An interesting character; good luck with the research and come back with more when you can. With such South American features, I doubt that he fits in well with the possible sightings, but then on the other hand, we can't be sure that any of those witnesses saw the Ripper anyway. After all, foreign suspects from those parts were under investigation by the police at the time."

Then somebody remarked that Rizal was in Paris at the time one of the victims, Annie Chapman, was cut up leading "Karen" to reply:

"OK, maybe he didn't kill Annie Chapman, but he had a friend called Dr. Antonio Regidor who could have killed her. Rizal stayed with him in London prior to moving in with the Becketts. Dr. Regidor was also from Manila. They were quite close."

It was also noted that one of the Ripper victims was buried in the same cemetery where Regidor and his family presently lie in peace. Karen later added:

"Since Dr. Rizal was in Paris between Sept. 4 and Sept. 10, 1888, it is therefore impossible for him to have killed Annie Chapman. However, after some digging, I discovered that Rizal had a good friend named Dr. Reinhold Rost who lived approximately 1 block from the Becketts' at 1 Elsworthy Terrace, Camden."

The most incredible piece of information-and absolutely untrustworthy-is that some time in January 1986, the present owners of the London apartment Rizal stayed in discovered a trunk in their attic that contained a diary where Rizal confesses to the Whitechapel murders and a glass jar with half a human kidney preserved in alcohol!

All these tales are ridiculous, but in life and death Rizal continues to fascinate, and tales continue to be spun around him, keeping him current and interesting a century after his execution.

^^ That is a funny link about Jose Rizal being a suspected Jack the Ripper. And AmateurSleuth is even dead serious about his/her investigation. He/She listed the following findings:

"20th January 2006, 04:21 PM
AmateurSleuth Posts: n/a

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have been doing some research on Dr. Jose Rizal. This is what I have found out so far:

- In 1888, he was staying with the Beckett family at 37 Chalcot Crescent in Camden
- He was a doctor(opthalmologist)
- He was good with weapons(was called "the swordsman")
- He was a Malay
- He was proficient in the martial arts
- He would have been 27 at the time of the Ripper killings
- He also took up fencing and was quite good
- He was short, had dark skin, dark hair, and dark eyes
- He came from a well to do family, was well dressed and looked respectable
- He came to London on May 24, 1888 on the ship City Of Rome
- He left London in January of 1889, and the Ripper killings stopped
- He was multi-talented(could speak many languages, was a writer, poet, author, sculptor, artist)
- He was executed in the Philippines on December 30, 1896 at the age of 35
- Had a romantic relationship with Gertrude Beckett - the daughter of Charles Beckett
- He wrote letters to his friend Blumentritt from London, however there were no letters written to his family or friends from July 1888 - November 14, 1888
- He was working at the British Library at the time
- After he died, his mother tried to procure his assets which consisted of some pretty nice jewelery including gold cuff links and other baubles of diamonds and amethysts(gold chain with a red stone seal?)
I think this man warrants further investigation, which I intend to do

Here is a photo of Dr. Jose Rizal:

http://www.buenosairespe.com.ar/images/rizal.jpg"

yah... she was really serious about it lol

hey wasnt Jose Rizal also suspected as Hitlers Father?

^ Yup! lol. What is the next urban legend?

He came from the Merovingian line?

nyahaha, kung anu-ano na lang..

:scouserd: just sharing the knowledge... i think new threads is enough for the day hehe :runaway:

but further discussion about this subject is welcome :cheers:

oops, baka you got me wrong Isaric..hehe, i meant kung anu ano na lang na urban legend ang nagiging product ng fertile imagination ng tao..hehe.

LOL Jose The Rizal...

^^ The killings stopped when he left?! Uh oh...

pinoys could be a schizophrenic lot at times. take the case of our dear kiretoce, punching his friend for no apparent reason (see other thread on Unforgettable Events in High School/College) . so what makes us think JR wasn't capable of such? maybe he was really out to collect female eyeball samples to examine and study meticulously before he finally operated on his mom ;)

^^ That is a funny link about Jose Rizal being a suspected Jack the Ripper. And AmateurSleuth is even dead serious about his/her investigation. He/She listed the following findings:

"20th January 2006, 04:21 PM
AmateurSleuth Posts: n/a

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have been doing some research on Dr. Jose Rizal. This is what I have found out so far:

- In 1888, he was staying with the Beckett family at 37 Chalcot Crescent in Camden
- He was a doctor(opthalmologist)
- He was good with weapons(was called "the swordsman")
- He was a Malay
- He was proficient in the martial arts
- He would have been 27 at the time of the Ripper killings
- He also took up fencing and was quite good
- He was short, had dark skin, dark hair, and dark eyes
- He came from a well to do family, was well dressed and looked respectable
- He came to London on May 24, 1888 on the ship City Of Rome
- He left London in January of 1889, and the Ripper killings stopped
- He was multi-talented(could speak many languages, was a writer, poet, author, sculptor, artist)
- He was executed in the Philippines on December 30, 1896 at the age of 35
- Had a romantic relationship with Gertrude Beckett - the daughter of Charles Beckett
- He wrote letters to his friend Blumentritt from London, however there were no letters written to his family or friends from July 1888 - November 14, 1888
- He was working at the British Library at the time
- After he died, his mother tried to procure his assets which consisted of some pretty nice jewelery including gold cuff links and other baubles of diamonds and amethysts(gold chain with a red stone seal?)
I think this man warrants further investigation, which I intend to do

Here is a photo of Dr. Jose Rizal:

http://www.buenosairespe.com.ar/images/rizal.jpg"

next urban myth, JR was a transvestite :lol:

Si Jose Rizal daw ay dios nagkatawang tao. tama ba ako Mr. Ecleo?

pinoys could be a schizophrenic lot at times. take the case of our dear kiretoce, punching his friend for no apparent reason (see other thread on Unforgettable Events in High School/College) . so what makes us think JR wasn't capable of such? maybe he was really out to collect female eyeball samples to examine and study meticulously before he finally operated on his mom ;)

But decided instead to collect female uteruses. Did he know he was "baog"?

maybe the artist in him yearned for a new form of art thereby pre-empting by a hundred years, Jack Nicholson's "Joker" of Batman fame in being the first "homicidal artist". :)

^ Yup! lol. What is the next urban legend?

He came from the Merovingian line?

We may find that funny, but to the sakdalists and rizalistas (I believe there are still some who fall in this category, though they are very old), Rizal was the second coming of Christ, literally.

the work that he copied by hand in London called "Sucesos de las islas Filipinas"....in english is means "Crime reports from the Philippine Islands"... ooooooooo!

Ok, Ako na maglakas loob to post this u(r)ban legend about Jose Rizal :

"He might be Gay"


Was Rizal Gay?
(http://www.geocities.com/icasocot/neillgarcia_rizal.html)

From that link:

First, Rizal was a bakla because he was afraid of committing himself to the revolutionary cause. Second, Rizal’s kabaklaan made itself apparent in his periodic “failings” in his relationships with the women to whom he was supposed to have been romantically linked. Third, Rizal, unlike his compatriots, didn’t go “wenching” in the brothels of Barcelona and Madrid (at least, not very often). Fourth, Rizal might not have even been the father of Josephine’s benighted baby boy, since—paraphrasing noted Rizalist historian Ambeth Ocampo’s feelings on the matter of Rizal’s “disputable paternity”—Josephine would seem to have been routinely sexually abused and consequently impregnated by her stepfather.

Of course, these four “conjectures” hardly qualify as proof. They are more likely the end-results of what I can only describe as a largely catty evidential procedure that begs now to be challenged, if only for its underlying assumptions concerning what being a bakla means: one, a bakla cannot ever be a revolutionary because he is essentially spineless and a coward; two, failing in your relationships with women makes you a bakla; three, a bakla cannot possibly have sex with women, not even when they are wenches; and four, to be a bakla is to be impotent or at least incapable of getting a woman pregnant.

The dubiousness—and utter stupidity—of these assumptions hardly needs to be emphasized: according to them, basically, kabaklaan is the negation of everything good and desirable in masculinity and is hence, devoid of its own inner substance and worth. Indeed, even if I were to champion the cause of the bakla and would like to win someone as “big” and popular as Rizal over to my side, I would nonetheless balk at Cruz’s way of going about such a task. His “biographical evidence” demonstrates nothing, other than the unflattering and sadly naive opinion he holds of who (or what) a bakla is.

In saying that I do not find Cruz’s method credible in the very least, I am of course also saying that there is a better way of making the project of ascertaining Rizal’s “gender and sexuality” work. And this method involves, first and foremost, asking if the question itself is sensible, given the historical period in which I would wish it to make sense.

Examining the categories one is using in one’s study of such slippery “realities” as sexuality and gender is the necessary first step, then. This is because the categories we use are always culture-bound and historically specific, and as such are never quite neutral and “scientific,” let alone universally reliable and insightful. To ask if Rizal was a bakla, one has, first and foremost, to be clear about what the concept bakla meant at the time and in the place that Rizal lived. In other words, the way we understand bakla today most probably was not the way people in these islands a century ago understood it. This alone makes one’s project more difficult than it might have originally appeared, for it requires one to undertake a comprehensive study of the “sex/gender system” of mid-nineteenth-century Philippines—in particular, the sexual and gender categories that operated in the lives of the Tagalog ilustrados, whom Rizal most certainly was.

My own tentative findings about the “social semantics” of bakla—in other words, the career this concept has enjoyed in Philippine social history—would seem to indicate that, until recently, it didn’t even connote an identity that is distinguished by its sexuality, but merely a quality of emotional wavering, indecision or uncertainty—something that anyone unlucky enough can suffer from at any point in his or her life. Until early in this century, in fact, bakla wasn’t so much a noun as a verb: one was nababakla if he or she was not sure of his or her choices, or if one was suddenly afraid or confounded by the unexpected turn of events. (2) In contrast, nowadays, a bakla is an effeminate male who wishes to have sex with “real men” or tunay na lalake. Thus, the bakla in our midst is a variety of male homosexual who can easily be recognized because of his swishy ways, and whose sexual desire defines his innermost and most authentic sense of self.
Obviously, during Rizal’s time, there was no bakla or effeminate homosexual: there may have been effeminate men (called, among others, binabae/yi, bayoguin, asog and bido), but they were not defined as such by virtue of the desire they possessed, but only by their choice of occupations (feminine ones, like weaving, pottery-making, and the like), and their womanlike appearance and behavior. In fact, the idea that people were different on account of the gender of the object of their sexual desire (in other words, that people were either heterosexual or homosexual) was alien to our turn-of-the-nineteenth-century ancestors, who most probably desired and had sex with whomever they wanted at whatever point in their lives, without thinking of what such desires or acts had to say about their identities, their conceptions of who they essentially were.










... also because he is always happy and gay. :D

Mga Rizalians, wag niyo akong batuhin ng kamatis, nabasa ko lang ito when searching for Blumentritt.


The power of the internet nga naman. :scouserd:

yelo... well i didnt really read that ^^^ thing over there... but whoever wrote that needs to be :bash:

Well Rizal was most definitely metrosexual.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/ECdoesit/rizal.gif
The Young Rizal

^^this thread is getting ridiculous. Rizal is our national hero for God's sake... :no:

i heard of a conspiracy in ssc too, its about a moderator who doesnt like philippines that he supposedly had the clouds cover the makati skyline in google earth

or something like that.

:lol:

haaay buhay, wala lang off topic i know. but then again, what isnt? mwehehe

The Back of Affection Part 2, UP FC Galeria 1, October 9-13


"Back of Affection," an installation by Midori Hirota, a
Japanese artist based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, will be exhibited at
the University of the Philippines (UP) Faculty Center Galeria 1,
from October 9-13. Gallery hours are from 8am – 6pm.

The idea for Hirota's compelling work sprung from a visit to Fort
Santiago in August 2005, which coincided with the anniversary of the
end of WWII. "While my thoughts were not focused on WWII most of
time I traveled in the Philippines, when I visited Fort Santiago and
reflected on what the Japanese army had done there, I recalled that
this day was the exact date of the anniversary as observed by the
Japanese. Suddenly my eyes filled with tears as the Fort changed its
color to orange with the sunset. This experience is my strongest
memory of my first visit to the Philippines, " the artist writes in
the catalogue notes.

The encounter with memories of the war at Fort Santiago sparked the
idea for "Back of Affection," which was first realized in the
Philippines at Green Papaya Art Projects in August 2006. During the
show, the artist displayed more than 1,000 figures, which the
viewers exchanged with objects they brought with them. These
exchanged goods/gifts were put on the cushion that the artist made
from cloth from the three countries – Japan, Indonesia and the
Philippines - and also exhibited at the gallery as "witness" of that
exchange/communicat ion.

The exhibit at FC Galeria 1 on October 9-13 will continue the
exchange, as part of the artist's goal to implement this project
until all of these figures are traded away to gallery visitors in
the Philippines.

Hirota has held fourteen solo shows in Japan and Indonesia and
participated in numerous group shows, including the Bali and Jakarta
Biennales. She works in oil, installation, and mixed media. Her
visit to the Philippines is part of the project Pasar-Ichiba-
Talipapa in connection with the Philippines- Japanese Friendship
Year. Grounded on the metaphor of exchange that takes place in
Indonesian, Japanese and Philippine markets, "Pasar-Ichiba- Talipapa
isn't just our project theme," according to the artist, "but is also
a key word for us as we search for new ways of being Asian artists."

Pasar-Ichiba- Talipapa and its centerpiece "Back of Affection" was
held under the auspices of the Japan Foundation Manila Office and
the UP Department of Art Studies.

For more information, please contact Flaudette May V. Datuin,
project leader, at 9270581.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/boranzohn/flyer4_edit_2.jpg

The Wallflower
Watercolour Paintings by AJ Omandac
October 14 to November 25, 2006
Chocolate Kiss Cafe, #91 A. Roces Avenue, Quezon City
Opening night on October 14, 2006 at 5-10pm

Map
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/boranzohn/map.gif

in her own right, anna bayle has elevated strutting on the fashion runway into an art. here's the story of one filipina who goes beyond good looks. :-)

The runway stunner is now teaching future models

By Adrian Carlo Velasco
GIVING birth to a child is the fulfillment of womanhood. It marks the start of a new life. Anna Bayle couldn’t agree more, as the Filipino supermodel reminisces an incredible moment in her life. “It’s the birth of my son, Callum,” Anna calmly speaks.

The former runway star is raising her seven-year-old child in New York. “I love this city. When you walk along the streets, you could hear 15 languages. You’ll realize how much knowledge you gained, through people you’ve bumped into. It is a melting pot of so many cultures, so many things to see—film, music, opera, the arts. Everything I need for Callum is in New York,” she says in her youthful voice.

Anna never lost her sense of commitment, since she first arrived in the US 25 years ago, to try the international circuit. “I worked the hardest. I gave them what they wanted,” she firmly says. According to her, a model must provide an ideal impression for consumers, from face, look, to body and style.

Model of the ’80s

“They were all blonde when I came,” she talks about the demand for Caucasian models in 1979. But the 5’10 stunner never doubted her capabilities. Eventually, she learned that Paris was a more promising scene for such “exotic” looks as Asians and Africans. With her remarkable confidence and professionalism, Anna Bayle became one of Europe’s top 10 models in two years time, being dubbed as the “Model of the ’80s.” She became a muse to important designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Chanel, Gianni Versace, and Givenchy, among others.

As soon as her name was established, she flew back to New York. “I went to an agency, but was told to come back, until the manager saw me leaving. He shouted at the assistant: ‘Are you out of your mind? You’re sending away the biggest model in Europe!’” she shares. Anna was no ordinary model. Out of the “Big Five” in New York fashion, she would get four in a season, including Calvin Klein. She had nine shows a day, while most pros would have one at the most.

And since her schedule had been fully booked, producers would pay for a whole day’s work just to get her in a show. “So I was always running. I’d be in and out of the car. If the traffic’s too heavy, I’d go with the girls and ride the train,” Anna adds. What’s more, she graced the catwalks for as long as she wanted. It was only in 1994 when the Filipino supermodel decided to retire from the seemingly endless runway career. “Asians don’t age like the whites do. I was even called a ‘miracle,’ still doing shows at 34.” she modestly shares.

From QC to HK

Anna’s focus in life took her to the world’s richest cities, from her student days in Quezon City. She was a scholar at the Philippine Science High School and finished Bachelor of Science in Pre-medicine at UP Diliman. “I was part of a basketball team. My teammates convinced me to join the Miss Republic of the Philippines, when we saw the pageant ad in 1975. I wasn’t even prepared,” Anna says. Although she didn’t get the title, fashion designers like Auggie Cordero saw her potential as a runway model. “He was the most supportive and trained me when I was only 16. Auggie would teach me fashion.” It was the famous designer who planted her the seed, telling Anna that she could do it.

Several months later Anna moved to Hong Kong. There was an incident when she was asked to replace Billie Blair, a “star” import model at the Hong Kong Trade Fashion Show, due to an accident. Fortunately Anna knew how to walk. She danced the way shows were done. The next day, the Hong Kong Standard’s headline was: “The Filipina that Saved the Show.” Anna Bayle broke into the international scene since then.

Retired and refreshed

Currently, she launched her Anna Bayle Lipstick line in New York, catering to Asian women. “Rumors say that the first Asian woman will be on the cover of Vogue in 2006,” she says. She believes that it is the time of Asians. That is why she plans to put up an agency and school for Asian models. “I would like to help them succeed.”

“There are a lot of beautiful Filipinas. It’s a matter of training, takes a lot of fortitude. I was shaped by wise people, like Ruben Nazareth and Petusa Lopez. They were makeup artists in Europe, who changed Philippine fashion. I listened to them, because I was willing to learn. Now it’s my turn to teach new girls how to break into (sic) the real global scene.” she adds. The former supermodel is now preparing for a series of seminars in the Philippines sometime in May.

“If I was able to ‘baby sit’ younger models like Tyra Banks and Naomi (Campbell), then I can surely help any girl from the Philippines. It would be like having a new child.” That reminds her of a long-time goal—”to make my son an incredible person. Now he’s getting a 95 percentile in IQ.” Anna intends to train Filipino girls with that same dedication.

Analysts try to put a face on Jack the Ripper
Documentary depicts killer as mustachioed, balding, with bushy eyebrows

http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/061121/061121_jackripper_vmed_4a.widec.jpg
This image, released Monday, creates a vision of the face of London's 19th century serial killer "Jack the Ripper" as he may have looked.

LONDON - British analysts have created a composite police drawing of Jack the Ripper, depicting the notorious Victorian serial killer with a mustache, a receding hairline and bushy eyebrows, the makers of a new television documentary said Monday.

Using the 118-year-old statements of 13 witnesses, a Metropolitan Police analyst created an image of what the prostitute-killer is believed to have looked like. The killer’s image was to be unveiled Tuesday on the British television channel Five.

“It’s a popular misconception that nobody ever saw the murderer, that he just vanished into the fog of London,” said former Metropolitan Police commander John Grieve in a statement. “Well that’s just not right. There were witnesses at the time who were highly thought of by the police.”

Grieve examined the witnesses’ statements and found enough similarity to think they could have been talking about the same man. The computer drawing of the murderer’s face was created from the descriptions. The newest investigators believe the murderer was between 25 and 35 years old and between 5-foot-5-inches and 5-foot-7-inches tall.

Jack the Ripper remains infamous, in part because his identity was never unmasked. More than 200 people have been accused of the murders of at least five East London prostitutes in 1888. The suspects have ranged from “Alice in Wonderland” author Lewis Carroll to Sir John Williams, the royal family’s obstetrician, to painter William Richard Sickert.

Well, we had our constitution class this morning (ewan ko kung bat may ganun sa Arki - sayang sa tuition) and medyo nabago mga previous na kaalaman ko.. hehe.. which I think is tama.. may pagka historian prof namin e..

^^this thread is getting ridiculous. Rizal is our national hero for God's sake... :no:

I agree... this thread is somewhat blasphemous against to our national hero.. a national symbol of the courage and peace-loving Filipino kinsmen.... I wish in the sense of nationalism among us that this thread be closed or deleted.... please let's stop disgracing our national hero....

A national hero is not God. So, it is not blasphemous. I would rather go with the side of free expression than curtailment of the right to free exchange of ideas, no matter how incongruous and silly it they might be.

We are all thinking people here.

We may find that funny, but to the sakdalists and rizalistas (I believe there are still some who fall in this category, though they are very old), Rizal was the second coming of Christ, literally.

And even to those who espouse this belief, I'd still rather defend the right to express it or object to it than prevent its expression.

There is no clear and present danger to our national security at stake here.

I meant "somewhat" blasphemous... hehehe.. I don't know of a word that would fit.. hehehe...

but the same thought is that the urban stories told here seems to attack on the personality of what the nation has "believed" to be one of the most noblest person who have lived...

Adolf Rizal (and his Half Brother, Rizal Zedong)
Manuel L. Quezon III, Saturday, September 17, 1994

Here is the craziest thing I’ve heard (and I’ve heard it more than once, at parties): Adolf Hitler was really the illegitimate son of Jose Rizal. Here is the second craziest thing I’ve heard: Mao Zedong was actually Rizal’s illegitimate son. Two variations, I suppose, on the idea that "Yes, the Filipino Can!"

Sadly, I found the two theories so funny that I never thought of asking the people who told them to me to explain on what grounds they based their claim about Der Fuehrer and the Great Helmsman. A dentistry student friend from UE has also heard these fanciful theories, but it also did not occur to him to ask on what evidence these fanciful claims were based. So I did a little research to find out how people could make up such a story.

The claim that Adolf Hitler was Rizal’s progeny must be based on the following facts:
·
Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 (that means he could have been conceived sometime in August 1888), in the little village of Braunau, near the German- Austrian border.
· He was born an Austrian and remained one until the 1930s.
· The name of Hitler mother was Klara Polz.
· At one time she was a maid in Vienna.
· Hitler always considers a town Linz, in Austria, as his hometown (in his Political Testament he referred to " my hometown of Linz on the Danube").
· Hitler's oldest brother, Gustav born on May 17, 1885, and his sister Ida, born in 1886, both died before he was born.
· Bavaria was considered the "cradle" of Nazism.
· The Nazis made Japan one of the Axis powers. At one point they tried to prove that the Japanese were Aryans, to make the Japanese members of the "master race."

Now combine the above information with the following, culled from the life of Rizal:

· On February 1, 1886, he left Paris for Germany. He went to Heidelberg, Wilhelmsfeld, Munich (in Bavaria), all somewhat near a German–Austrian border; on August 9, 1886 he left for Leipzig ("visiting various German cities along the way," one book says), arriving there on August 14. In October he went to Dresden and then to Berlin.
· In Berlin he finished Noli Me Tangere. One of the book’s characters is named Maria Clara.
· On May 11, 1887, Rizal began his Grand Tour of Europe. He went to Dresden, Teschen (now Decin in the former Czechoslovakia), Prague, and then Brunn (where he lost a diamond stickpin), and Vienna (where he got back his diamond stickpin, which was found by maid in the hotel he stayed in Brunn) in Austria.
· On May 24, 1887, he left Vienna by riverboat to see sights on the Danube River (on the boat he saw paper napkins for the first time). His voyage ended at Linz.
· From Linz he went to Munich (where Hitler attempted a putsch in 1923) and Nuremberg (site of the Nazi Party rallies and the War Crimes trials), and other German cities.
· Rizal was in the German Empire, sometimes past the German-Austrian border, from February 1886 until he went to Switzerland in early June 1887.
· Rizal was again in Europe from May 24, 1888, until October 18, 1891. He was in London, Paris, Brussels, Madrid, Biarritz, Ghent. He was in Europe during the time Hitler was conceived and when he was born.
· Rizal in 1888 had an affair with a Japanese woman, Seiko Usui, when he visited Japan. She had an only daughter, Yuriko, by a foreign husband some years after her encounter with Rizal. Yuriko later married the son of a Japanese politician.

Put all these information together and you may be able to conclude the following: Hitler was conceived either in 1887 when Rizal passed through Linz or other towns (such as Brunn - How do you think he lost the diamond stickpin? And who was the "maid" who found it later and gave it to Blumentritt who forwarded it to Vienna?) near the Austrian border. In which case Hitler’s older siblings were fictitious, to cover up his mother’s being pregnant with him. In other words, Hitler was actually born before 1889.

Or he was conceived in August 1888, when Rizal was supposedly in London. Or perhaps in September 1888, when Rizal went to Paris for a week (to have a rendezvous with Klara?). Maybe he went to Paris in 1889 so he could communicate more easily with the now-expecting Klara? Klara Polzl’s affair with Rizal may have centered around Linz, which is why the Hitler family moved there later (so Mama Hitler could live where she had An affair to Remember), which would explain Hitler’s fondness for the town.

Finally, Seiko Usui’s only daughter was not really fathered by her husband, Alfred Charlton. He was simply a front. Yuriko, you see, was Rizal’s daughter! And Hitler knew she was his half-sister. She used her influence on her brother Adolf to persuade him to enter into an alliance with Japan (making it one of the Axis powers). Which is why Japan invaded the Philippines!

Yuriko made it clear to Hirohito that Hitler would appreciate it if his ally were to take over his father’s homeland. And of course the reason why Hitler wanted to become dictator of Germany was because his natural father had spent some of the most interesting years of his life there!

That, I think, is the rationale behind such a fantastic claim based on information that can be gathered from any high school textbook on Rizal and any good biography of Adolf Hitler. Naturally, this can only be done through selective use of the evidence, but it does make for an amusing piece of historical fiction.

Now, as to the idea that Mao Zedong was also Rizal’s son. Unfortunately this claim cannot be supported by even the most spurious evidence. Mao Zedong was born in 1893, in Hunan Province, which you could say is kind of near Hong Kong. But at that time (1893), Rizal was in exile in Dapitan. Now it would have been possible for Rizal to scamper around Europe and get Klara pregnant without anybody noticing, but he couldn’t possibly have jumped into a boat and rowed to Hongkong without being caught. He did pass through Hong Kong in 1888 and 1891 but he never seems to have visited other parts of China (unless you count Xiamen and Macao). So there are no details that can be manipulated.

These exercises in foolishness prove how creative Filipinos can be. What other people would be able to make the bogus claim that one of their heroes fathered the man who almost turned Europe into a "howling wilderness" (to borrow from the instructions for the extermination of Samar by American forces at the turn of the century). That would have been poetic justice, I suppose. The brown man strikes back and all that sort of thing.




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Can someone translate this German Thread about Jose Rizal our National Hero
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Rambotan_von_Laguna

Mitglieds-Nr. : 162
beigetreten: 26 10 2005
Beiträge: 29

Ort Hauptwohnsitz: Sta. Catalina
Alter: 52

Region: Region IV
San Pablo City

Keine Bewertung
Erstellt: Samstag, 10. Dezember 2005, 15:29
Betrifft: Joze Rizal, der Vater von Adolf Hitler?

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Nun eine Story, die spekulativ zwar höchst interessant ist , aber historisch nicht nachgewiesen wurde :
Auf einer Houseblessingparty, auf der reichlich gebildete Pinoys als Architekten, Ingenieure, Rechtsanwälte und Medical Doctors vertreten waren , kam es zu vorgerückter Stunde nach einigen "Alfonsos" und "Carlos Primeros" zum Ausspruch eines Lawyers zu mir: "Do you know my German friend, that Adolf Hitler, the German Führer was the son of Jose Rizal?"

Ich hatte zwar im Vorfeld schon mal ähnliches gehört , aber als "BlaBla" abgetan, und nicht weiter beachtet. Aber jetzt, wo der Ausspruch von einem "Rechtsverdreher" kam , interessierte mich die Sache mehr.

Diesmal habe ich versucht, darüber im Internet was zu finden, und tatsächlich, die Meinung ist weiter verbreitet als angenommen. Dazu gibt es im Internet wirklich einige Seiten, die interessanteste ist wohl folgende:

http://www.tribo.org/history/adolfrizal.html ( Adolf Rizal and his halfbrother Mao Rizal)

Wer interessiert ist, an der Spekulation dieser deutsch-philippinischen Gemeinschaftsgeschichte, der möge mal im Internet nachschaun, es gibt reichlich interessantes über die spekulative "Vaterschaft Rizal-Hitler" nachzulesen.

Reine Info an alle! Ich enthalte mich jeglichen Kommentars!!!

Gruß Rambo!!!

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...auf ein glückliches Leben in der neuen Heimat !

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wbethge

Mitglieds-Nr. : 41
beigetreten: 26 10 2004
Beiträge: 12

Region: Region
Keine Bewertung
Erstellt: Samstag, 10. Dezember 2005, 15:56
Betrifft: Re: Joze Rizal, der Vater von Adolf Hitler?

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Diese - sehr überraschende - Theorie, scheint nur auf einer Koinzidenz der Daten zu basieren. Ich meine, hätte Rizal ein Techtel-Mechtel im Konsequenzen im bayerisch-böhmischen Raum gehabt, dann hätte sich dass vermutlich auch auch in der Korrespondenz mit seinem Busenfreund Prof. Blumentritt irgendwie niedergeschlagen. Das ist aber - nach meinem Wissen - nicht der Fall. Die Theorie taucht auch bei den klassischen Hitler-Biographen wie Bullock oder ( ?? - FAZ-Herausgeber) nicht auf.

Man hat Hitler ja auch schon jüdische Vorfahren nachgesagt.

W.
GZIP : On | Debug : On | Cache : Off ]

http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/06/19/OPED2006061967213.html

Rizal as ‘father’

Breakfast Table: Adrian Cristobal

AN amusing "theory" of notso-long-ago was that Dr. Jose Rizal was the father of Adolf Hitler – based on the Max Viola’ s diary that the national hero had an "adventure" with an Austrian "seductress," by which the latter meant " a dove that flies low in the evening." Then there was his aborted fatherhood when he supposedly pushed pregnant Josephine Bracken down the stairs. (I’m not sure if Rizal expert, Ambeth Ocampo, can confirm this.)


The thought only struck me because yesterday was Father’s Day and today is Rizal’s birth date. It makes one wonder why Rizal didn’t have any direct heirs, preferably a son, considering that he had been linked with so many women abroad. One of them was Nelly Boustead, over whom he nearly fought a duel with Antonio Luna. It’s exhilarating to know that heroes were also moved by mundane passions.

My own theory – for which I have no "documentary evidence" – is that Rizal had formed friendships with many women and this was interpreted by romanticizing chroniclers as love affairs simply because he wrote poems and letters to them. Someone told me that then and now, young men, especially Ateneans (obviously anecdotal), loved to write letters and send books to young women. The unwary could easily interpret the practice as signs of intimacy.

In any case, if Rizal had sired sons and daughters and they in turn had continued the line, would any of them have become presidents of the country? After all, Rizal was our Gandhi, who gave India three prime ministers. Would any one of them have ended the 35-year-old insurgency?

Having a father or grandfather who died for freedom, would another Rizal have committed himself or herself in realizing the Rizalian dream of a free and happy Philippines?

All his life, Rizal deplored the lack of "national progress" in the face of "individual progress."

That’s why historians say that his works and martyrdom gave us a sense of nationhood. This makes us the historical progeny of Rizal. Undoubtedly, we consider ourselves a nation, although our self-image is that of a fragmented one

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Wondering what our Fil-Chinese's comment to the story that Mao Tse Tung of PRC is also a son of our national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal.

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Btw, I have read before in some articles that Rizal was chosen by the Americans as the national hero for our country since Rizal is only a reformist, an elite (illustrado) and never agreed on overthrowing the Spanish colonizer.

While Andres Bonifacio belongs to the masses (masa), is a revolutionist and a threat to American government that's why the American government that time opposed the choosing of Andres Bonifacio as the national hero.

Have you not noticed that most nationalist and leftist groups always held their meetings or assembled in the monument of Bonifacio in Liwasang Bonifacio infront of the Manila Post Office, and never in Rizal monuments.

Bonifacio should be the national hero since he really fought against Spanish colonizer, unlike Rizal who is only a reformer and still want the Spanish govt to continue that time. In the History book, when Rizal was in exiled in Dapitan, a group of Katipunan revolutionaries requested Rizal to renounce the Spanish rule but he refused.

a rizal bloodline...interesting...could somebody PM mr. Brown, i smell another blockbuster novel...:lol:

"Fear history, for it respects no secrets" - Gregoria de Jesus

"Perhaps getting acquainted with the past will correct my judgment.
I do not put my trust in theories; I am guided by facts."
"If that is so," Elias answered after a thoughtful pause,
"I will tell you my history." - Noli me tangere

Arcilla, Jose S. "Who is Andres Bonifacio?" Philippine Studies 45 (Fourth Quarter 1997): 570-5

[570]

Who is Andres Bonifacio?

Jose S. Arcilla, S.J.

Inventing a Hero: The Posthumous Re-Creation of Andres Bonifacio.
By Glenn Anthony May. Madison: University of Wisconsin Center for Southeast Asian Studies and Quezon City: New Day Publishers, 1996. 200 pages.

Historiography is actually the search for the truth that outlasts time and space. But historical truth is not identical with metaphysical truth for paradoxically, change characterizes history, which is the delicate balance between external stimuli and the corresponding human reaction.

History is also distinct from other academic sciences since its object no longer exists, except what survives from the past, the "relics" or sources of history. Basically, then, historiography is an intellectual process, a mental creation that is reined in by the available sources -- personal diaries, letters, memoirs, speeches, clothes, medals, official documents, etc. Unless based on these "objects" that are "out there" independent of one's thinking, what one writes, no matter how stylistic, cannot be "history" but instead fiction.

The primary task, therefore, is to look for the sources of history and verify them. Only after finishing this preliminary search and evaluation can one put these disparate sources of information together and create an intelligible pattern which we call history.

Glenn Anthony May wanted to write a biography of Andres Bonifacio. Instead, he ended up writing a "bizarre story about a famous man," bizarre because he believes the hero has been "posthumously recreated... given a new personality and a childhood that may bear little resemblance to his real one" (1).

This is a rather strong statement, and has immediately provoked an equally strong reaction. But May was stymied by the sources he studied. He found them to be "problematic... seriously flawed," sources that "appeared to contradict each other often, sometimes on matters of small detail and sometimes on important issues" (2). For three years, he dropped his plan until he decided to write an essay on the sources of Bonifacio's life instead. The result is as the book's title expresses it: Bonifacio is a hero "invented" by the first authors who wrote about him.

That Bonifacio lived, founded the Katipunan, was forced to rise up in arms against the Spanish colonial government in the Philippines, and was

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executed, however, are incontrovertible facts. But to May, the real problem is who the hero was. It is this problem that the book tries to analyze. It is like trying to answer the question facing every biographer: do deeds confirm the doer's personality? Or do actions logically flow from one's personality. The two are different, as the Mexican Nobel Prize winner, Octavio Paz, has observed. Life does not completely explain one's works, and vice versa. There is a wide gap between the two and this gap can be called creativity (Octavio Paz, Sor Juana de la Cruz o Las Trampas de la Fe [Mexico: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 1982], 13). Thus, for May the question has no answer, because there is a lack of reliable information on who Bonifacio was.

The first writers about Bonifacio were Epifanio de los Santos, Manuel Artigas, and Jose P. Santos, son of Epifanio. These three have been almost exclusively the source of our present knowledge about the national hero. Artigas was 45 years old when he wrote Bonifacio's biography in 1911 (14 years after Bonifacio's death), de los Santos was 48 when he published an essay on Bonifacio in 1917 (21 years after Bonifacio's death) in the Philippine Review, and Santos wrote in the mid-1930s. Artigas and Santos wrote in Spanish, while Santos, the son, wrote in Tagalog. The first two were Bonifacio's contemporaries and had possibly known him personally, the third was not.

Artigas was literally a pioneer in Bonifacio historiography. Unlike the case of Rizal who had been immediately rehabilitated by the new American government, there was little writing about Bonifacio, and it was generally derogatory. An early history book for the schools under the American government, for example, had devoted four pages to the first, but only one to the second. Some Filipinos themselves were ambivalent toward the latter. In their perception, Bonifacio had been a revolutionary killed by fellow revolutionaries, likely a failure, for it was Aguinaldo who had brought to term the successful struggle against the colonial masters. Moreover, in contrast to the abundant literature that gave a clear picture of who Rizal was, even basic information about Bonifacio was lacking.

May thinks Artigas, not always a reliable writer, wanted to fill the lacunae: the date of Bonifacio's baptism, his family, the Katipunan. But of the 90 pages Artigas had written, about 45 were copies of documents of the Katipunan, revolutionary manifestos, and his own negative criticism of other books about the revolution. Bonifacio's youth and early adulthood filled only two pages.

But a more serious defect, according to May, was the absence of footnotes and acknowledgment of the sources Artigas had used. Of course, explicit footnotes are not always needed in a good book; on the other hand, many bad histories are crammed with them. If judged, however, from his other books, Artigas was uncritical in the use of sources, careless in transcribing documents and, although preserving for later historians many precious documents of Philippine history (e.g., documents on the Cavite Mutiny of 1872), he has not done so with his brief book on Bonifacio. It seemed

[572]

that Ortigas [sic] was too prolific a writer, to his own loss. In 1911 he published four books and in 1912 two more, or six books in two years. Thus, May concludes that Artigas could "not have [had] sufficient time to do extensive research on all the subjects that interested him" (30). And so,
our examination of Artigas's oft-cited book does not suggest that we should place absolute faith in its contents. Artigas may have examined some documents... talked to some of Bonifacio's surviving contemporaries... based on his accounts on details, possibly untrue ones, that had found their way into oral tradition... also have gotten some data wrong... All we can be certain about is that as an authority Artigas was hardly unimpeachable. (30)
Epifanio de los Santos's essay appeared six years after Artigas's book. Described as "the foremost Filipino scholar of his time," de los Santos worked in various government offices, but his most important appointment was as Director of the National Library and Museum from 1925 to 1928.

Like Artigas, de los Santos did not include footnotes or citations of his sources. But whether unconfirmed or not, verified or not, anecdotes (for example, the story that Bonifacio had read Eugene Sue's The Wandering Jew) have become standard fare for all Filipinos because of him. But one may justifiably ask, how did de los Santos know these episodes in Bonifacio's life?

This is the basic question May asks in his analysis of the early writers about Bonifacio. In this wise, he finds a clue in the Retana collection of documents on the revolution, which includes Pio Valenzuela's declarations before the court when he applied for and received amnesty soon after the outbreak of the revolution in 1896. Unfortunately, evidence has led historians today to believe that Valenzuela often changed his statements to save his skin, and is therefore an unreliable witness. De los Santos claims his information came from Valenzuela, probably in a letter (presumably now lost) or in several interviews. But what de los Santos included is found neither in Valenzuela's recorded testimony nor in his other descriptions of the revolution. "Why did that information," May asks, "only appear in the article by Epifanio de los Santos?" (33)

Jose P. Santos, the third of the early writers on Bonifacio, wrote in Tagalog, and his best-known book is Si Andres Bonifacio at ang Himagsikan. As in his father's case, the reader is justified in asking how the son came to know about the observations he put to paper.

Santos repeats practically the same information already given by the first two, but he also adds some of his own ideas on Bonifacio's writings. De los Santos credits Bonifacio with having written Katungkulang Gagawin ng mga Z. Ll. B., a poem, Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Bayan, and an essay, Ang Dapat Mabatid ng mga Tagalog, while Santos the son adds a few others: the Decalogue for the Filipinos, a newspaper article, four poems, a translation

[573]

of Riza1's Ultimo pensamiento (more popularly, Ultimo Adiós), and a proclamation. Not only that, Santos the son also published what he claimed was the original Tagalog versions of these writings, except that of the Decalogue.

Like the first two writers, however, Santos neither cited his sources, nor their provenance. Moreover, May points out contradictions in Santos's statements. For example, the latter claimed that two works, Ang Dapat Mabatid and Pag-ibig, had appeared only in translation. He was now offering the reading public the original Tagalog text "without making any changes" to "show that our hero also possessed a great gift as a writer and a poet" (41). At the same time, Santos claimed some portions of the manuscript were illegible, torn, or obscured and he marked some portions of his transcriptions with question marks. But where these original gems had come from, Santos did not say.

Santos also announced that Bonifacio's Tagalog version of Rizal's poem had "been published numerous times before in newspapers and periodicals" (41). Retana, in his brief list of Rizal's works, mentioned Bonifacio's Tagalog translation of the poem but does not give a date (Wenceslao E. Retana, Vida y Escritos del Dr. José Rizal [Madrid 1997], 473). It is known that the poem, hidden in a lamp which the national hero had bequeathed to his sister on her last visit to her brother's prison cell, was immediately copied and distributed to some friends. One of these reached Hongkong, where Jose Ma. Basa had it published there in January 1897. A second printing came off a Hongkong press again in May 1897, when Bonifacio had already been dead. Before his death, did Bonifacio, already up in aims against the government when the poem was distributed among friends and continually moving or hiding have the time to, first, know about the poem and, second, translate it?

This is not May's question; rather, his concern is the provenance of the manuscripts of Bonifacio's literary works. He does not accept Santos's explanation of "white ants" that may have devoured portions of the manuscript. Instead, he flatly states that "Bonifacio's authorship cannot be credited for the simple reason that [Santos] provided not a scrap of evidence that the poems were authentic" (42). Bonifacio, then, "the literary master, the unschooled genius, the creator of timeless Tagalog prose, and the gifted poet... may have been a myth" created and foisted on unthinking Filipino schoolchildren and scholars by "de los Santos and Santos, father and son, both makers of unproved claims, translators and transcribers of possibly bogus text[s]" (43).

Besides denying Bonifacio's literary works, May also refuses to accept as authentic the few letters also attributed to the founder of the Katipunan: two to Mariano Alvarez, and four to Emilio Jacinto. The Bonifacio-Jacinto correspondence reports incidents during the Filipino-Spanish fighting in March-April 1897 and the Tejeros Convention, which replaced Bonifacio with Aguinaldo as head of the revolutionary forces. There are two versions of the existence and discovery of the letters -- one by de los Santos, the other by his son.

[574]

The first says that in 1917, de los Santos edited the correspondence in Spanish and shortly, he edited the English translation in the same magazine, the Philippine Review. Again, May questions why the original texts were never published. Teodoro Agoncillo, who edited the historical writings of de los Santos, explained that the latter tried "to 'play it safe' by putting into' parentheses words or phrases he feared that he [de los Santos] might have translated wrongly" (60, citing de los Santos, Agoncillo's ed., Revolutionists" ii). But these inclusions only include the names of persons and places, repeating "letter for letter, the word or words that precede it" {60). May, however, remains unconvinced.

The second version of the letters' provenance comes from Santos the son. In 1904, some Filipinos agreed to prepare a history of the revolutionary period, for which documentation was essential. De los Santos the father finally located Bonifacio's widow and his other childhood acquaintances. Moreover, he eventually purchased for a sizable sum the correspondence and the acts of the Tejeros Convention from somebody residing in Tondo, Manila. Reportedly, Emilio Jacinto had kept them in a vase which he had buried in the ground under his house. This explains why even after an anti-Bonifacio group (the followers of Aguinaldo) had already burned Jacinto's house, the collection remained unharmed. Somehow, while in the keeping of the Santos family, it survived several accidents and calamities: a fire in 1907 which gutted the Santos residence in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, floods, termites, the Japanese invasion, and the Hukbalahap atrocities. In other words, according to Santos, the continued existence of the papers was almost miraculous.

Santos, however, did include some Tagalog texts in a manuscript he had submitted as an entry for the Bonifacio biography-writing contest in 1948. However, when he compared the Spanish and the Tagalog texts, May found "a number of strange discrepancies... various words and phrases in the Tagalog version are not translated at all, and, on occasion, the Spanish translation seems to distort the sense of the Tagalog text. The Spanish version also includes a few passages that do not correspond to anything in the Tagalog text" (64).

Translation, as everyone knows, is tricky. It can be done in any number of ways that could try to preserve the meaning, even the "euphony" and stylistic flow, of the original text. May, however, concludes that this cannot be true of the Santos translations: "The differences between the two versions are too great. It seems likely, then, that Jose P. Santos made a conscious decision to edit the prose of the Bonifacio documents" (65).

Artemio Ricarte, the fourth writer, is also unacceptable to May. Ricarte was a schoolteacher-turned revolutionary who later went into self-exile in Japan rather than accept the American government. His Memoirs of General Artemio Ricarte was edited by Armando J. Malay and published by the Philippine National Heroes Commission in 1963.

[575]

What is wrong with this book? May says that, among other things, Ricarte's version of the Tejeros Convention shows Ricarte for what he is. May is not the first to say so, for others have already detected defects in the memoirs. For example, Agoncillo wrote that he had found "several obviously unreliable statements that documents, discovered later on, belied" (Agoncillo, The Revolt of the Masses: The Story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan [Quezon City: University of the Philippines, 1956], 85).

May, bases himself on contradictions he found between Ricarte's documents and other contemporary documents, which include Santiago Alvarez's recently published Katipunan and the Revolution, Aguinaldo's published memoirs of the revolution, and unpublished documents. It is standard research procedure to evaluate necessarily limited and obviously prejudiced personal memoirs against the total historical context when they were written and which they only partially describe. Whether consciously or not, no man is a villain in one's eyes. May concludes, however, that Ricarte was one such "villain."

First, the latter's story of the Tejero's [sic] elections "may have been -- and probably were -- rigged." May points to evidence that even before they came together, the delegates to the convention had already apparently agreed to hold an election, with "non-Caviteñ'os, and especially from the nearby province of Batangas" playing a key role. Almost logically, even when he later tried to nullify the results, Bonifacio had little support after the elections at Tejeros. At a later session in Tanza, "it was most unlikely... [that] Aguinaldo and the other delegates who had met there decided to announce that they had nullified everything they had done" (94-107).

Ricarte's "myth," therefore, presents mainly local political leaders at the Tejeros meeting who "suddenly and for no apparent reason... refrained from electoral politicking, arm-twisting, and dirty tricks." This could not be true, May writes, since Ricarte, "the national hero... was a dissembler. He may even have been a plotter" (110). Thus, the data about Bonifacio from the Ricarte memoirs are doubtful and unacceptable.

May also examines the information offered by two other writers, Agoncillo himself and Reynaldo C. Ileto, author of Pasyon and Revolution: Popular Movements in the Philippines 1840-1910 (Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1979). Agoncillo, according to May, offered two Bonifacios: a heroic, pre-revolutionary leader of the "Manila underground, the humble, quiet, honorable supremo of the Katipunan who commanded respect" and a later revolutionary leader, "the demon of the Cavite battleground, a man who seemingly underwent a psychological change in late 1896 once he left the city for the countryside" (114). On the other hand; Ileto whose attention centered on the possible motivations of the ordinary Filipinos for joining anti-government movements, only tangentially discussed Bonifacio's place in the entire Philippine revolutionary cycle.
[576]

One of May's more serious complaints against Agoncillo was the latter's uneven treatment of his subject. Agoncillo's fault was, for reasons of his own, his "faith in sources (usually, but not always, his interviews with Aguinaldo) that conveyed a favorable impression of the actions of Aguinaldo and his followers, and, he discounted others indicating that the Magdalo men exacerbated the conflict." That is why the "second part of The Revolt of the Masses, amounts to nothing more than an apologia for Emilio Aguinaldo" (130)

Ileto, on the other hand, wanted to show that contemporary literature, especially the traditional and very popular narrative of Christ's Passion, could reveal the ordinary Filipino's perception of kalayaan and what it meant to struggle and die for it. Bonifacio's movement, therefore, was not entirely identical with that of the ilustrado campaign for political reforms and eventual political independence, a concept externa1ized by only one Tagalog word: kalayaan. Rather, the Filipinos familiar with religious images and aspects of biblical history popularized in the vernacular "were culturally prepared to enact analogous scenarios in real life in response to economic pressure and the appearance of charismatic leaders" (141, citing Ileto). In other words, the Philippine revolution was the Philippine experience, an important one in the contemporary millenarist tradition that characterized the last decades of the nineteenth century in Southeast Asia. "Almost overnight," May concludes, "Andres Bonifacio was transformed from a revolutionary 'plebeian' to the leader of a millenarian movement, a figure comparable not only with charismatic Filipino leaders like Apolinario de la Cruz and Felipe Salvador, but with a Javanese like Prince Dipanagara and a Burmese like Hsaya San" (144).

Ileto's thesis depends on an analysis of texts which he constructed "in such a way as to blur distinctions and link things that should not necessarily be linked" (146). This is clear in an effort to show a similarity existed between the Katipunan and the colorum society, which had hitherto been dismissed as having any serious connection with the 1896 revolution.

For his part, May denies the idea. He thinks that Ileto misread Alvarez's text describing an early cooperation between the two groups, which merely meant to show that the two were similar, since "in the early stages of both organizations the personal relationships among the members were similar" (150).

One of the questionable aspects of Inventing A Hero itself is perhaps its analysis of the motives of the early authors for writing about Bonifacio as they did. This is the heart of the book, and May knows he is treading on slippery ground here. But he takes care to prop himself up with, an honest examination of the data available: the social and political contexts during which each author wrote, the internal evidence the sources themselves offer (from which contradictions and improbabilities appear), and the linguistic characteristics that determine the validity or invalidity of primary sources. Such an analysis is basic for serious historical study. One may not agree

[577]

with the conclusions or, perhaps, the evidence presented, but May deserves credit for what he has done.

As any respectable historian knows, conclusions are drawn according to each one's personal prejudices and mind-sets. Scholastic tradition describes it with the meaningful phrase "quidquid recipitur secundum modum recipientis recipitur (literally, whatever is received is received according to the manner of the receiver). Precisely, the test of good history is whether or not, despite prejudiced writing, one can trace a pattern from the past. One has to admit that even recognized" writers could have been in error and thus, their findings discarded. But to dismiss a book because one more "ugly American" has authored it is not only to miss the point but also to be intellectually dishonest. Attention should focus on the issue, not on personalities.

Inventing A Hero is important in another sense, for it reflects the present situation of Philippine historical literature. Save for a few exceptions, much of what has been accepted today as "history" is no better than propaganda and pseudo-scholarship. The ongoing celebration to commemorate the centenary of the revolution against Spain has revived, in a not-so-subtle way, the leyenda negra against Spain. Instead of trying to analyze and understand the issues that ended Spanish rule in the Philippines, the publications have tended to glorify the pseudo-heroes, so considered merely because they died during those years. Why they died, why some traditional figures continue to be honored as "martyrs," or who honored them as such are left unanswered or naively taken for granted. If history seeks truth, these questions should be faced squarely and answered clearly.

So far, Philippine revolutionary analysis has yet to admit that no revolution ever occurs overnight, or that people must first attain a certain level of political maturity before they could prefer death to an unacceptable social situation. Paradoxically, the Philippine revolution could not have happened had Spain not promoted this essential political maturity. But current writing has stressed the Spanish cruelty against Filipino bravery, forgetting that both Spaniards and Filipinos were both cruel and brave, for revolutions are times of instability, revealing both the worst and the best among the people. The point is not to say whether there are Filipino heroes or not; rather, an attempt should be made to show what makes them heroic.

Who is Andres Bonifacio? What external stimuli made him react the way he did? These are questions of fact that must be answered with facts, not fiction. Without an army of drumbeaters or propagandists, can he stand on his own merits and receive honor as a national hero? Precisely, what merits does he have? What evidence substantiates them?

Unless we know what these are, we would be like the blind leading the blind. Both would then fall into an academic pit, or worse, we would be glorifying fiction.
LINK

2 Comments:
Bles Sutherland said...
My father has always said that we are dirct descendants of Andres Bonifacio. My father's middle name is Bonifacio. It is also widely known in our family that one of our grandfathers is a dead-ringer for the hero.

I should would like to know more about his life.

April 26, 2006 6:28 AM
Anonymous said...
karl corteza love marynor

September 17, 2006 12:31 AM
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^^ I think Andres Bonifacio deserves a thread of his own.

^meron tayong kapangalan nyan d2, at alam mo rin who :lol: Sssssssh

^^ Ang dami nga, yung mga taga-Bonifacio Global Village. ;)

yes, Bonifacio must have a Thread, it's time to resurect Bonifacio the hero of the Pinoy masses.

Unlike Rizal a hero chosen by the Americans to serve their own imperialistic purposes, since Rizal just want to preserve the status quo of illustrado (elite) and Spanish rule.

Bonifacio is the hero of the revolutionaries and the downtrodden, the hero of the nationalist, rightist and leftist movement.

Rizal represent the elite class while Bonifacio represent the middle and the poorer class who dare to start a revolution against the corrupt Spanish colonizer.

I don't think we should pit Bonifacio against Rizal. Our national heroes have their respective niches in our history and in the formation of our national consciousness. I think we should revive the National Heroes thread. We used to have one.

I will try to make a rebuttal about Gat Andres Bonifacio in the weekend [busy for now] that would make him as a true hero of the Tagalog region as what he actually wanted was a Tagalog Republic and not a Philippine Republic. Also, Bonifacio was also part of the elite. He has Spanish ancestry in his blood and well educated as he even translated Jose Rizal's works from Spanish into the Tagalog language. Also, he can read and write in Spanish for he wrote poems in Spanish.

^^ Yes, you have posted that before. It just got buried with all the influx of postings.

There have been a lot of articles published recently about the radicalism of Rizal. While Bonifacio's martial efforts and nationalist ideas do certainly put him firmly in the pantheon of Philippine heroes like Rizal and Mabini, Bonifacio was indeed a hero of katagalugan. However, this doesn't stop people from outside of the Tagalog regions from claiming him as their own. History is not just limited by geographic boundaries. Ideas flow beyond them.

At the same time, we need to recognize whether Rizal himself was also nationalist or whether his idea of Filipino extended beyond the Tagalog region itself. It's been well-documented that Rizal has had arguments with people like Ilocano Isabelo de los Reyes about what to consider indio and what to consider insular. There was quite a publicized correspondence between Rizal and his friend Blumentritt about Rizal's annoyance with de los Reyes's account of Ilocano folk tales as somehow representing the Philippines. In that conversation, it seemed that Rizal's idea of Filipino only extended to hispanicized Filipino (a somewhat elitist statement) that scoffed at the nativist cosmology documented in the Ilocano writer's El Fokloro Filipino as somehow primitive. Some academics believe that the maids that served in Rizal's house Rizal wouldn't have considered "Filipino."

To counter de los Reyes, Rizal made his own nationalist history of the Philippines in his translation of Morga's Succesos de las Islas Filipinas which firmly rooted his idea of the advancement of the Filipino in the Filipino's acquirement of enlightenment ideals-- an end run on the nativist writings of de los Reyes. It could be considered an elitist history as well.

In short, I think that all these people-- Rizal, Bonifacio, Mabini, de los Reyes, etc. should all be considered "National Heroes" because the use of their writings and the status of their heroism has always been politicized. Just look at how these names are being used by competing sides. You can see this in how American era Philippine histories play up Rizal's enlightenment and push down Bonifacio's anti-governmentalism (See this in Epifanio de los Santos's history). You can see this in the post-war socialist histories of the Philippines by people like Agoncillo. You can also see this in the 1980s re-adoption of Rizal by people like Ambeth Ocampo who find radicalism in Rizal's ways, as if to say, Bonifacio was a reactionary... Rizal is also a radical.

So the heroism of these people have always been relative to how they are recalled by later generations. We can't discount the contributions of any of these people because history and culture are never set in stone. I myself have grown to appreciate the radicalism of Rizal-- although I'm somewhat puzzled by how he ended El Filibusterismo.

In that conversation, it seemed that Rizal's idea of Filipino only extended to hispanicized Filipino (a somewhat elitist statement) that scoffed at the nativist cosmology documented in the Ilocano writer's El Fokloro Filipino as somehow primitive. Some academics believe that the maids that served in Rizal's house Rizal wouldn't have considered "Filipino."


It would be be an oxymoron for me if Rizal's servants were not Catholics, have Spanish names, celebrate Hispanic fiestas, and speak or knew Spanish words that has been part of their native languages and not be considered as a Hispanicized native. The term Filipino o Filipina at that time has not yet been applied widely to the natives of the archipelago.

Here is a nicely written blog called The Filipino State (http://www.emanila.com/pilipino/various/ggr_filipino_state_1-2.htm) and another blog (http://skirmisher.org/bullshit-meister/in-response-to-a-highlanders-hispanophobia-a-postscript-to-el-mes-espanol/#more-882) entry about the Filipino State:

Anyway, in one of my posts, Tamsilog asked me what is my context of a Filipino. I’ve been asked of this question several times in the past that in some occasions it already makes me sick. I intended to respond to his question in the comments box, but I noticed that my explanation doesn’t deserve to be written as a mere reply due to its length and relevance. So Tamsilog, my pal, today’s your lucky day (and not mine; my body’s sore due to that Mt. Batuláo climb that I experienced yesterday — but more on that in my next post). Here is just an abridged answer to your significant query…

Many years ago, former Statesman Carlos P. Rómulo made a very controversial remark regarding the Igorotes. He said that the Igorotes, not excluding various mountain people in the Philippines, were not Filipinos. But ”Mr. United Nations” was speaking in a historical perspective, not in the line of nationalities that we now know.

No matter how I dislike Rómulo, I had to agree with him on that remark of his. Let me expound on this further.

Tamsilog, whenever Filipino students are taught Philippine history, the birth of the Filipino nation is never discussed (and I have a strange feeling that this omission was originally deliberate). We are only taught that the capital of the Philippines, which is Manila (from the Chinese mayi-in-ila kung shing-fu, and not from may nilad or may dilà), was founded on 24 June 1571. Today, Manileños celebrate it as Araw ng Maynila or Manila Day. Actually, the whole country SHOULD be celebrating that date.

Why? Simple: why in the world declare a capital city –complete, of course, with a seat of government and laws– without any corresponding state or country to govern?

Plain and simple logic. With the founding of Manila, the Filipino State was also founded and established. May I also add that Adelantado Miguel López de Legazpi did not simply acquire the Philippines in a mere snap of a finger. He issued a challenge to those who oppose his declaration that the Philippines should be under the Spanish crown. Actually, that challenge of his was a medieval way of “asking permission” from the natives to conquer a territory. Oh, and when he issued the challenge, the Spaniards were outnumbered by the natives. And –oh again– nobody dared challenge him, despite his old age at the time.

The Philippines wasn’t a mere colony in the North American context. It was made part of the provincias de ultramar of Spain. Thus, all natives became Spanish citizens. And yes, this “awful” fact was never taught to us, also.
Years later, in 1599, local chieftains from all over the archipelago (including Muslim leaders!), particularly from the lowlands (smile, dude), were invited to a synod in Manila. They were made (not forced) to choose whether or not they would like to accept the Spanish King as their sovereign ruler. After agreeing to the benefits that they’d receive upon becoming vassals to the King of Spain (Philip III, 14 April 1578 - 31 March 31 1621), an overwhelming majority voted “yes.” Even the Muslims of Manila, Joló, and Mindanáo said “yes” to the Spanish offer — this, therefore, integrated Muslim territories to the newly established Filipino nation (so what Mindanáo secession are you talking about?).

Yes, Tamsilog, all Filipino historians –INCLUDING IMPARTIAL MUSLIM FILIPINO HISTORIANS– can never deny this fact which appears that you’re ignorant of.
To make a long story short, when these local tribal leaders agreed to be subjugated under Spanish rule, they instantly became Spanish citizens (although they still had no representation in the Spanish Cortes).

More importantly, the people who were subjugated under Spain –except the Muslim Filipinos– were baptized under the Christian religion. And during the 333 years of Spanish rule (via Nueva España, which is now Mexico), although all the natives of Las Islas Filipinas were somehow recognized as Spanish citizens, the term Filipino referred only to the Spaniards who were born in the archipelago (also called insulares). The rest, i.e., the natives (Tagalos, Ilocanos, Pampangueños, Bisayas, etc.), were referred to as indios (after the native American Indians of North and South America), especially those who weren’t integrated to the Hispanic culture.

The indios who were able to integrate themselves into the prevailing Hispanic culture of those days, i.e., those who were able to learn the Spanish language, were, naturally, accepted into the Filipino mainstream. Those who did not remained as Tagalos, Ilocanos, etc. A case in point was in Ternate and Cavite City. Those who didn’t speak either Spanish or Chavacano were tagged not only as indios but as de fueras (which means “outsiders”; this term can be likened to today’s derogative tag provinciano, or bumpkin).

But it was actually Luis Rodríguez Varela –also known as El Conde Filipino–, a Creole (pure-blooded Spaniard born and/or living in the Philippines) poet born in the Philippines around the 18th century, who first used the term Filipino in a more endearing and nationalistic connotation. We can also say that he was the first Filipino who wrote patriotic compositions (which can be gleaned from his verse collection, Parnaso Filipino (Philippine Parnassus). With his writings, he was able to instill the first few seeds of nationalism into the then developing Filipino psyche. Yes, he somehow gave a new definition to the word Filipino. Because of Rodríguez Varela’s philosophy, the term Filipino did not belong solely to Spanish Creoles in the Philippines; it also encompassed everyone born in the Philippines, regardless of one’s birth or race. He referred to them as Los Hijos del País — Sons of the Country (this is where the founding fathers of the Katipunan got the idea of the Anák Ng Bayan).

The only people who were UNFORTUNATE of not having shared the blessings of the Western Culture were the highlanders — including your Igorot people, Tamsilog. Yes, the local highlanders (as well as other isolated tribes) like the igorotes, mañguianes, itas, etc., were not considered as Filipinos. For one, they were not Christianized – the Spanish Crown back then was united with the Church, remember? The authority of the Church and State were in a sense considered as one.

Secondly, they were not (or they did not) integrate into the Hispanic Culture that was already flowering in the Philippines. They weren’t able to learn Spanish nor did they acquire any fragments of Spanish Culture.
So in a sense, they weren’t considered as Filipinos. Culturally (and even in a religious perception), the highlanders weren’t Filipinos, for yet another definition of a Filipino back then was one who pays taxes to the King of Spain (Rey Felipe II or King Philip II). So this is how Rómulo saw the highlanders, particularly the Igorotes, when he remarked years ago that weren’t Filipinos. But politically, especially in today’s judgment (and when talking about nationality, of course), they are, and should be, considered as Filipinos.
Perhaps we can say that Rómulo’s remark had a bit of what we call in Tagalog nowadays as namimilósopo (loosely translated as one who’s trying to be smart-alecky or something to that effect), but I hope you get my point, Tamsilog.

But the bottomline is that the Filipino identity is a grand Spanish creation. Our brothers from Latin America aren’t even ashamed of it. And why the fuck should we, man?
So while you’re up there in your high horse telling everyone how proud your race is that they weren’t “conquered” by the “oppressive” colonizers, think very carefully about it. Or else, you might fall hard on your head.
Avoid cultural stagnation, pare. Your people may have preserved their culture as it has always been for the past hundred years. But do you even think that it is really beneficial for your people’s very existence, or for your people’s future? Also, I dare ask you this (and PLEASE don’t take this question as an insult; it ain’t): has your people even progressed?

Ok e-epal ko lang mga pics ko nung na meet ko si Dr. Rizal, i said HI and he said HI back, just mutual. i just wanna share thats all

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/IMG_5201.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/IMG_5202.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/IMG_5203.jpg
yung mga libro nya sa intramuros, ewan ko kung legit to o kung sa kanya nga ito o replica lang, pero i took the picture anyway even if its illegal :lol:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/IMG_5204.jpg
inukit nya

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/IMG_5205.jpg
his tools, i guess, supposedly or maybe replica again, correct me if im wong

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/IMG_5208.jpg
Dito sya kinulong ng mga hampaslupang espanyol

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/IMG_5211.jpg
painting papuntang 2nd flr

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/IMG_5212.jpg
his trench coat, at yung bata e pamagkin ko

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/IMG_5213-1.jpg
painting dun sa entrance

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/IMG_5214.jpg
i know thats Dr. J pero ano ba ang ginagawa nya dito, alam ko e binaril sya sa Luneta. Ano nga ba ang ginagawa nya dito?

Sr. Animo:

I'm not challenging the idea that there was no such thing as Philippines at that time. "Filipino" was one of those "floating" words that really did not have a crystalized meaning. But yet again you post about the centrality of the Spanish in Philippine identity. While certainly the Spanish had a great deal of influence in shaping this-- particularly since there was no such thing as nation before the introduction of western ideas in the Philippines, the idea of nation developed in spite of, and not because of the Spanish. It's interesting also that even within Spain, the idea of nation as a secular republic was also being contested by its own republicans and monarchists. Spain, was after all a provincial backwater of the enlightened Europe at that time. Yes, nationalism was an idea introduced by westerners, but I wouldn't give Spain all that credit. Rizal and his contemporaries, after all were very well read, and I wouldn't put it past them to also cite French, American and their co-revolutionary compatriots in Latin America like poet Jose Marti as influences in their shaping of the idea of Philippine nationhood.

Furthermore in that piece of hot air you posted (wow that blogger-- talk about somebody who is REALLY into mythologies), the writer of the blog conflates nation with state; these are two very different things. The state, the institutions that enforce the state and keep it going, and the institutions that construct citizens or legal persons within the state should never be made equal to the idea of nation, which is a more slippery term that encompasses things like identity, ethnicity, bonds of affective recognition and the most indefinite idea of communities of emotion.

The incorporation of Manila did in fact amount to making the administrative idea of the Philippine colonies a reality, and did in fact shape the affective communities that were attached to it. It also brought with it the definition of Filipino as those of Spanish descent who were born in the Philippines (insulares vs. the peninsulares) who were not indio. But he does not at all talk about the origin of the Philippine NATION at all (which he criticizes Philippine history classes as failing to do as well). What he talks about is the construction of an administrative unit.

The role of the Spanish in Philippine nation-making is indeed nothing to be ashamed about because there really is nothing to be ashamed about. The Spanish were facilitators or conduits but far be it from them to actually construct the idea of Philippine nation.

One of the hallmarks of nationhood is a sense of self-determination and the construction of a community that people FEEL they belong to at levels beyond tax-payment. For this I refer you to Benedict Anderson's treatment of Rizal and his contemporaries found in his latest works Under Three Flags: Anarchism and the Anti-colonial Imagination, The Spectre of Comparisons: Nationalism, Southeast Asia, and the World and finally his seminal piece on nationalism, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. Anderson talks about the technologies of nationalism, wherein he firmly places the introduction of the idea "nation" in the acquisition of particular ideas by native nationalists in order to help IMAGINE a collective community. For this, we can thank the Spanish. Filipinos were given a common colonial language, were given the tools of spreading this language, were shown a map with which they can draw borders around their nation, and were introduced to the possibility of a shared history by the people who were able to use these technologies. But actually CONSTRUCTING the nation? Nope, Spain can't take responsibility for that. (though again, we must ask what the nationalists were thinking when they were constructing the idea of "Philippines"-- were the non-Christians in Mindanao and the Cordilleras included in their imagined community?)

The thing is, the seed of "Filipino" in Rizal's own writing happened in his trips to Europe, and particularly upon seeing the way Filipinos were depicted in the exhibitions. The idea of Filipino to Rizal and his contemporaries really started to develop after his translation of the Morga and during his travels and hanging out with his chum Del Pilar. There have been numerous collections of travel diaries by these two writers that talk about the feeling of resentment they felt at the misportrayal of indios in the exhibitions and expositions of Europe. It was then that a real sense of "us vs. them" started appearing in Rizal's writings. That's when that group of illustrado writers started calling themselves Indios Bravos, interestingly after Rizal saw Buffalo Bill's Wild West traveling rodeo in a European exhibition wherein he was struck by the gravitas displayed by Chief Sitting Bull and other native Americans. The "noble savage" of the North American indians inspired Rizal and his friends to claim that term for themselves and the community they were trying to speak for. This is when we start seeing funny pictures of Rizal and fellow Filipino students in Europe dressed in martial uniforms, wielding sabers and looking rather noble. There was also a sense of Henri Rousseauian "noble savagery" here, where Rizal imagines a pre-Spanish Philippines that he portrays as honorable in his literature. False or not, this bit of myth-making and construction of a shared historical experience was instrumental in shaping the idea of a Filipino nation.

So you see, we cannot say that Spain had no hand in the matter. That would be a myth. But it would be an even greater myth to tie everything to Spain. There were after all plenty of enlightenment ideas floating around in the late 1800s that people in 1500s Manila had no access to. In fact the idea of nation itself did not really come into being until the 1700s, not even to Europeans. Before the 1700s and the rise of modernity, there was no such thing as sovereignty because everybody was just a subject. But we can say that it was Spain that helped provide the tools by which the nationalists were able to imagine a Philippine nation. The idea of nation, however, was not a Spanish one.

ang hahaba ng explanation, mamaya ko na babasahin

ito muna, time out muna

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/davao/IMG_5281.jpg
Puppet ni Dr. J.R mula sa Museo Pambata

^^ Mabuti pa yung intermissions ni Tigs. Nahihilo akong magbasa ng arguments muna.

In-ignore yung question mo Tigs. Ano nga ba ang ginagawa ni Rizal don? Nagmumuni-muni? Hindi mo kasi binasa yung intro eh.

ang hahaba ng explanation, mamaya ko na babasahin

ito muna, time out muna




Ang haba nga. :lol: Gagawa na lang ako sa susunod na araw ng aking pahayag. Maganda rin iyong mga fotos mo tigs. :)

To keep it short: I am not entirely accepting all the concepts in both articles. But I do believe in how the Philippine State was a product of Spain or in some case Mexico really. Have you read the article about the Filipino State which was explained into sections?

Sr. Animo:

I'm not challenging the idea that there was no such thing as Philippines at that time. "Filipino" was one of those "floating" words that really did not have a crystalized meaning. But yet again you post about the centrality of the Spanish in Philippine identity. While certainly the Spanish had a great deal of influence in shaping this-- particularly since there was no such thing as nation before the introduction of western ideas in the Philippines, the idea of nation developed in spite of, and not because of the Spanish. It's interesting also that even within Spain, the idea of nation as a secular republic was also being contested by its own republicans and monarchists. Spain, was after all a provincial backwater of the enlightened Europe at that time. Yes, nationalism was an idea introduced by westerners, but I wouldn't give Spain all that credit. Rizal and his contemporaries, after all were very well read, and I wouldn't put it past them to also cite French, American and their co-revolutionary compatriots in Latin America like poet Jose Marti as influences in their shaping of the idea of Philippine nationhood.

Furthermore in that piece of hot air you posted (wow that blogger-- talk about somebody who is REALLY into mythologies), the writer of the blog conflates nation with state; these are two very different things. The state, the institutions that enforce the state and keep it going, and the institutions that construct citizens or legal persons within the state should never be made equal to the idea of nation, which is a more slippery term that encompasses things like identity, ethnicity, bonds of affective recognition and the most indefinite idea of communities of emotion.

The incorporation of Manila did in fact amount to making the administrative idea of the Philippine colonies a reality, and did in fact shape the affective communities that were attached to it. It also brought with it the definition of Filipino as those of Spanish descent who were born in the Philippines (insulares vs. the peninsulares) who were not indio. But he does not at all talk about the origin of the Philippine NATION at all (which he criticizes Philippine history classes as failing to do as well). What he talks about is the construction of an administrative unit.

The role of the Spanish in Philippine nation-making is indeed nothing to be ashamed about because there really is nothing to be ashamed about. The Spanish were facilitators or conduits but far be it from them to actually construct the idea of Philippine nation.

One of the hallmarks of nationhood is a sense of self-determination and the construction of a community that people FEEL they belong to at levels beyond tax-payment. For this I refer you to Benedict Anderson's treatment of Rizal and his contemporaries found in his latest works Under Three Flags: Anarchism and the Anti-colonial Imagination, The Spectre of Comparisons: Nationalism, Southeast Asia, and the World and finally his seminal piece on nationalism, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. Anderson talks about the technologies of nationalism, wherein he firmly places the introduction of the idea "nation" in the acquisition of particular ideas by native nationalists in order to help IMAGINE a collective community. For this, we can thank the Spanish. Filipinos were given a common colonial language, were given the tools of spreading this language, were shown a map with which they can draw borders around their nation, and were introduced to the possibility of a shared history by the people who were able to use these technologies. But actually CONSTRUCTING the nation? Nope, Spain can't take responsibility for that. (though again, we must ask what the nationalists were thinking when they were constructing the idea of "Philippines"-- were the non-Christians in Mindanao and the Cordilleras included in their imagined community?)

The thing is, the seed of "Filipino" in Rizal's own writing happened in his trips to Europe, and particularly upon seeing the way Filipinos were depicted in the exhibitions. The idea of Filipino to Rizal and his contemporaries really started to develop after his translation of the Morga and during his travels and hanging out with his chum Del Pilar. There have been numerous collections of travel diaries by these two writers that talk about the feeling of resentment they felt at the misportrayal of indios in the exhibitions and expositions of Europe. It was then that a real sense of "us vs. them" started appearing in Rizal's writings. That's when that group of illustrado writers started calling themselves Indios Bravos, interestingly after Rizal saw Buffalo Bill's Wild West traveling rodeo in a European exhibition wherein he was struck by the gravitas displayed by Chief Sitting Bull and other native Americans. The "noble savage" of the North American indians inspired Rizal and his friends to claim that term for themselves and the community they were trying to speak for. This is when we start seeing funny pictures of Rizal and fellow Filipino students in Europe dressed in martial uniforms, wielding sabers and looking rather noble. There was also a sense of Henri Rousseauian "noble savagery" here, where Rizal imagines a pre-Spanish Philippines that he portrays as honorable in his literature. False or not, this bit of myth-making and construction of a shared historical experience was instrumental in shaping the idea of a Filipino nation.

So you see, we cannot say that Spain had no hand in the matter. That would be a myth. But it would be an even greater myth to tie everything to Spain. There were after all plenty of enlightenment ideas floating around in the late 1800s that people in 1500s Manila had no access to. In fact the idea of nation itself did not really come into being until the 1700s, not even to Europeans. Before the 1700s and the rise of modernity, there was no such thing as sovereignty because everybody was just a subject. But we can say that it was Spain that helped provide the tools by which the nationalists were able to imagine a Philippine nation. The idea of nation, however, was not a Spanish one.


:applause: :applause: :applause:
i don't know what to say! haha. no one couldve said it better!
muy bien hecho, Boybaha. :cheers1:
that was a truly enlightening piece. :)

Wow. Somebody read my hot air.

Anyway, just to be sure, i also don't think Rizal was the one who invented Philippine nationalism. But the idea was kicking around at that time. There were many failed uprisings before the 1890s uprisings.

In literature, particularly in the novels, a distinct idea of "Filipino" started appearing around the 1850s, in the work of Pedro Paterno. But neither did he invent "Filipino." I'd consider them barometers of the time though.

^^ I read your hot air. Not like helium though. It shows gravitas. I like that word.

Its very much hydrogen lili. :lol:
I loved your piece Mike. In other words, 'THE NATION' is an abstract concept that goes beyond the state and institution. For sure, Spain would not want to lose its economic and colonial interests in their colonies so why would they brew nationalism that will go against them? It's too bad that Spain wasn't able to hold the ideas from the natives of their colonies for so long in that their very institutions were indirect instruments for introducing the ideas of 'THE NATION'.

Wow. Somebody read my hot air.

Anyway, just to be sure, i also don't think Rizal was the one who invented Philippine nationalism. But the idea was kicking around at that time. There were many failed uprisings before the 1890s uprisings.

In literature, particularly in the novels, a distinct idea of "Filipino" started appearing around the 1850s, in the work of Pedro Paterno. But neither did he invent "Filipino." I'd consider them barometers of the time though.


yea i agree. so is it also safe to conclude that, aside from the world events that reached the archipelago about the idea of nation and independence (the 1830s saw the liberation of almost all Spanish colonies in America), Philippine nationalism was also inspired by the 3 Martyr Priests: Burgos, Gomez and Zamora, as what they teach us in schools back home? Rizal and the other patriots saw their cause as a "Filipino" one; the uprisings that preceded that were only regional/local. The issue of secularization (filipinization) of the church in the Philippines and the execution of the three priests greatly affected the entire populace, and, for the first time, united the different ethnolinguistic groups in the archipelago under one cause. (for they are Catholics Together, Indios Apart.) The idea of "Filipino" then started to grow. :)

this is just an intermission and a trivia.

alam nyo ba na ang firing squad na bumaril kay Rizal ay panay Filipino din at ang platoon leader nila ay si Francisco Macapagal isa ring filipino. related kaya si GMA sa kanya ?

^^ Siya ba yung sumigaw ng "Fuego!"

i was scheming through my fotobucket and i saw these...sorry kung pics time ulit hehe. my cus's lolo is actually active over there, they do the reviewing for nclex, and the obvious balroom dancer hallway, hindi mawawala sa mga may edad 'to

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/jon004.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/jon003.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/jon002.jpg

jose rizal center sa uptown chicago

ako din. i'm posting my pix with 'el Heroe Filipino"

Replica of the Rizal Monument
Av. de la Islas Filipinas y C/ Santander
Parque de Vallehermoso
Madrid, Spain
2004

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/manileno/rizalenmadrid.jpg

oy galing meron din ba sa toronto kasi madaming pnoy din dyan e

^ yea there is one (though just a head bust) in Earl Bales Park North York, Ontario

i dont have pix tho. :)

^^ is it near your place juan?

^ oh that's north. by bathurst and sheppard close to the filipino district (where aristokrat, jollybee, cusina, timezone, other pinoy restos/bars are located).
i live in west now (or northwest.. you know etobicoke?) near m'ssauga and brampton. hehe
btw i didn't notice the 2nd pic tigs posted. what we have in north york is exactly like that.

i was scheming through my fotobucket and i saw these...sorry kung pics time ulit hehe. my cus's lolo is actually active over there, they do the reviewing for nclex, and the obvious balroom dancer hallway, hindi mawawala sa mga may edad 'to

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/jon004.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/jon003.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/jon002.jpg

jose rizal center sa uptown chicago

Nakarating ba ng Chicago si Rizal? Bakit meron siyang churva diyan?

I don't recall if Rizal made it to Chi-town but he did take one trip through the US. He arrived in the Port of San Francisco and traveled by train to New York. Theres a good chance he did go to Chicago if this is true since most trains pass by Chicago.

It was an eye-opening experience for him as far as racist treatment goes. Their boat was made to wait for a week outside of SF without docking and he felt that it was dehumanizing that the boat was made to wait because of politics. There's a monument/plaque on a building in SF's Market Street where a hotel used to be that he patronized.

An interesting thing is he would have been in New York City at the same time Cuba's nationalist poet Jose Marti was there so who knows if the two writers would've met and talked about independence from Spain. So I wonder if the two knew of each other and were aware that each were in NYC.

Here's his letter to Blumentritt written onboard the ship in SF.
In California under quarantine - Folklorists and anthropologists appear in Ilocos.

San Francisco, California
30 April 1888
Dear Friend:

We are anchored in this port under quarantine. We don't know how long it will last although there are no sick passengers aboard and the ship did not come from a filthy port. The reason for this is that we have 643 Chinese passengers and, as elections are approaching, the government wants to be in the good graces of the people. We protest, but it is useless for, as the Spaniards say, it is like exercising the right to kick.

The voyage from Yokohama has been fine; I did not get seasick. On board are many Englishmen, some Japanese and three Filipinos.

I see that many folklorists and future anthropologists are appearing in Ilocos. Here is Mr. Deloserre(1) with whom you have had some dealings. There is something that attracts my attention: In view of the fact that the majority of Filipino folklorists are Ilocanos and they use the epithet Ilocano, anthropologists will classify authentic Filipino customs and usages as Ilocano; but that is our fault. I have Isabelo's works and from Europe I will bring to your attention his observations. He has committed some errors because he does not speak Tagalog well.

Greetings to you and kisses for the children.

Very respectfully Yours,
Rizal

(1) Pseudonym of Mr. Isabelo de los Reyes (1864-1938).

From http://www.univie.ac.at/Voelkerkunde/apsis/aufi/rizal/rbcor066.htm


EDIT:
Did further reseach. His trip through the US was hasty. In fact, it seems he didn't stay in NYC for more than a couple of days. So I doubt he got a chance to talk to the other Latin American nationalists that were there. That's a kind of fantasy of mine I guess... a roomful of nationalists comparing notes. But oh, what a fantasy!

This is what he has to say about Chicago:
We wake up near Chicago. The country is cultivated. It shows our nearness to Chicago. We left Chicago at 8:1/4 Friday night. What I obesrved in Chicago is that every cigar store has an Indian figure, and always different. (27-75 Washington Street. Boston Miss. C. G. Smith.)

From: http://www.univie.ac.at/Voelkerkunde/apsis/aufi/vtr/usa.htm

It seems that Rizal also met some woman on that trip... I wonder who Miss C.G. Smith is.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/ECdoesit/Luneta.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/ECdoesit/Rizal.jpg

Nakarating ba ng Chicago si Rizal? Bakit meron siyang churva diyan?

cguro meron syang chenelin cho cho

Oy eto pa. Kung churva churva kayo dyan.

Was Rizal gay? Read and then discuss. :colgate:

This story was taken from www.inq7.net
http://news.inq7.net/opinion/index.php?index=2&story_id=76775

An intriguing love poem for Rizal
First posted 00:54am (Mla time) May 24, 2006
By Ambeth Ocampo
Inquirer

EVERYONE knows that teaching will not make anyone rich, but it has enough psychic rewards to make the financial sacrifice worth it. Teaching keeps my feet on the ground, my hand on the pulse of young people. People think I’m being patronizing when I say that I actually learn a lot more from my students than they do from me. But this is true because while my students may not have the training and experience I have now, in their youth they see the world differently, and in history that may spell the difference between fresh insight and basic research.

I recently assigned my undergraduate students to go over the correspondence of Jose Rizal and choose any letter that they personally found interesting. Because Rizal’s correspondence comprises about 954 letters, more or less, and I didn’t want to be flooded by 180 papers on one and the same letter, the students were instructed to choose a letter by (not “to”) Rizal written on their birth month.

The results were amazing. I knew much of the material myself and could check if they were faking it, but for many of the students, reading Rizal’s letters raw was like meeting him for the first time. It was an awakening of sorts as they encountered a human being, not a national hero.

The fact that Rizal was human, like you and me, is something we tend to forget. We often imagine that Rizal was made of bronze and stone, that he was a monument from the time of his conception.

Last week, two of my students came up to me after class with a volume of Rizal’s correspondence and asked what I thought of a rather mushy juvenile poem that Ricardo Aguado dedicated to Rizal on March 19, 1877. At the time of its composition, Rizal was 15 years old, a student at the Ateneo Municipal and the verses read:

Dedicated to Rizal by his classmate Ricardo Aguado, 19 March 1877. To my Dearest Friend Jose Rizal, on His Saint’s Day, 19 March.

That merciful heart divine
Now lovingly inspires
My psaltery unrefined
With voices my mind doth seek
To sing its ardent love.

Your pleasing image alone,
In my soft heart always engraved,
Now removes from me the fraud
The loved star from sailor forlorn
As in an agitated sea.

For you’re, sweet friend of mine.
The only joy of my soul.
And always to be with you
Is my incessant desire
In this sad, unfortunate land.

But since my luck denies
Me such happiness this day,
My Muse with tenderness
Its affection doth sent to you
At this pleasant hour of joy.

And cheerfully is content
Kind heaven to implore
To banish gloomy thoughts
Away from your lusty soul
And in it dwell peace and joy

That as the ardent rays
Of the sun eclipse feeble stars
With mortal grief,
As with belles-lettres you leave
Behind ’neath your footprints the rest.

That such enthusiasm your years
Frustration, wickedness, sad fears
Without perturbing your peace
Like a brook among flowers gay
With thing of beauty pass by.

And if one day finally
The Just calls you to His
Happy home of ineffable joy
Your beautiful soul
May enjoy celestial bliss.

I didn’t quite know how to react, especially since the above verses come with a small note that reads, “Rizal, Yesterday I could not give it to you because it was not yet finished, and then I went out and had no more time. Don’t show these verses to anybody, not even to one you trust most.”

How could I have missed something as intriguing as this? When I returned to the office and pulled out my copy of Rizal’s correspondence, there was a small note on the table of contents beside this letter that said, “Is there something more to this seemingly juvenile verse?” For me to speculate would prove to my critics that when I read documents, I actually add one plus one and get three.

Rizal’s reply or his reaction to the above is lost to history. There is one other letter from Aguado to Rizal dated May 21, 1877 that relates the assault on the Luna home by bandits, but even here was a harmless line made meaningful by context. Rizal asked, “Who are the boys at your house?” Now, that I leave to the reader’s imagination.

Before we read this in the context of “Brokeback Mountain” or “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros,” we have to guard against hindsight, or the use of 21st-century views on a document from the late 19th century. Maybe we need some background from Felix Roxas, who was a student in the Ateneo Municipal at the time. He wrote:

“... It happened that at the age of 13 when we took up the study of our two classics -- Virgil on the one side and Fenelon on the other -- we staged a play about Olympus with goddesses, nymphs and nereids. Human nature takes its course and, for an infinity of reasons, this instinct develops until such time comes when passionate love letters are addressed to each other by fellow classmates.”

At the time, when an all-boys school had a play, only boys were on stage, playing both male and female parts. The same was true of an all-girls school play. No wonder passions were aroused. So was there anything going on between Aguado and Rizal? I leave that to your imagination.

If my students learn how to read a document, analyze it inside out and form their own conclusions, this is definitely a lesson they will take with them for the rest of their lives.

* * *

Comments are welcome at aocampo@ateneo.edu.

©2006 www.inq7.net all rights reserved

^^ Siya ba yung sumigaw ng "Fuego!"

most probably siya, pero nakalimutan ko na ang details dahil high school pa ako noong mabasa ko ang story ng Firing squad.

tila taga macabebe pampanga si Makapagal na yaon. Actually "K" in Makapagal, siguro later on yaong mga descendants ng leader ng Firing Squad ay binago ang letter na "K" at ginawang "C" as in Macapagal.

^^ that is quite interesting,.. but maybe they were just extremely close friends...

or it's jsut something that passed by during boyhood??

Well Rizal was most definitely metrosexual.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/ECdoesit/rizal.gif
The Young Rizal

O' diba poging pogi si Rizal?

But that "Taas ang kilay" might lead to a different conclusion. :D

Maybe we need some background from Felix Roxas, who was a student in the Ateneo Municipal at the time. He wrote:

“... It happened that at the age of 13 when we took up the study of our two classics -- Virgil on the one side and Fenelon on the other -- we staged a play about Olympus with goddesses, nymphs and nereids. Human nature takes its course and, for an infinity of reasons, this instinct develops until such time comes when passionate love letters are addressed to each other by fellow classmates.”

At the time, when an all-boys school had a play, only boys were on stage, playing both male and female parts. The same was true of an all-girls school play. No wonder passions were aroused. So was there anything going on between Aguado and Rizal? I leave that to your imagination.

* * *


So, this letter-writing phenomenon in exclusive schools transpired even during Rizal's time. This happened in my school, too. Girly girls (not necessarily lesbians) writing love letters to each other. [Of course, there were those lesbians, too.] But this became an "in" thing in school such that if you don't have an "on" or "MU", you are out and not as popular. I have been a recipient of these love notes/ love poems from very feminine girls in school but I would refuse to acknowledge those since I thought it would encourage "lesbianism" and I was being a "model" student in an exclusive girls' school run by nuns.

So, this letter-writing phenomenon in exclusive schools transpired even during Rizal's time. This happened in my school, too. Girly girls (not necessarily lesbians) writing love letters to each other. [Of course, there were those lesbians, too.] But this became an "in" thing in school such that if you don't have an "on" or "MU", you are out and not as popular. I have been a recipient of these love notes/ love poems from very feminine girls in school but I would refuse to acknowledge those since I thought it would encourage "lesbianism" and I was being a "model" student in an exclusive girls' school run by nuns.

Even in this age of information, messages and other symbols conveying affections are simply passed through electronic means such as text messaging, e-mail, chatrooms anddd forums. The idea is as old fashioned as it is.

^^ I was talking about same gender exchanges of 'romantic' or just friendly messages that are prevalent in exclusive schools, even those who are heterosexuals are drawn into doing it.

^^ Interesting.

Dunno if our female classmates had this thing too but we boys (of our time) certainly did not. Our interactive exchanges were primarily limited to mutual taunting and lots of ****namos and showing of middle fingers. :lol:

Young Rizal
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k60/ECdoesit2/youngrizal.jpg
(without the signature hairstyle yet)

cguro meron syang chenelin cho cho

He he he he he sorry about the lingo. Kemilar fatale itey, pwes keri magchurvahan uklingan fatale. :)

^^ that is quite interesting,.. but maybe they were just extremely close friends...

or it's jsut something that passed by during boyhood??

Basically everything starts in that kind of relationship... close boyhood friendship... :)

We were also speculating that somehow Rizal was open when it comes to sexual relationship. Sometimes we were wondering what he was doing every evening in the streets of Madrid. Alangan namang namamasyal lang. Panalo kaya ang Asian beauty pagdating sa Europa.

^^ Ano raw? He he...

I just bought the two volumes of Rizal and Blumentritt's correspondence. I'll be reading it later when there's nothing much to do at work.

By the way, you can purchase the two volumes for P275 at the National Historical Institute.

I was Rizal-crazed last month (maybe I still am). I bought the facsimile copy of Noli and El Fili and DVD copies of Joze Rizal and Bayaning 3rd World. I guess I'm just interested in knowing Rizal better.

^^ Ano raw? He he...

I just bought the two volumes of Rizal and Blumentritt's correspondence. I'll be reading it later when there's nothing much to do at work.

By the way, you can purchase the two volumes for P275 at the National Historical Institute.

I was Rizal-crazed last month (maybe I still am). I bought the facsimile copy of Noli and El Fili and DVD copies of Joze Rizal and Bayaning 3rd World. I guess I'm just interested in knowing Rizal better.

He he he he he ... I like bayaning third world very much... especially yung part na pinaphotocopy ang kanyang retraction... one of the cool ideas in the film... galing ni Mike De Leon

Nakarating ba ng Chicago si Rizal? Bakit meron siyang churva diyan?


baka nagka anak din si Rizal sa State... hindi kaya anak nya rin si Bush...

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

baka nagka anak din si Rizal sa State... hindi kaya anak nya rin si Bush...

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


Malay mo nga. :lol:

He he he he he sorry about the lingo. Kemilar fatale itey, pwes keri magchurvahan uklingan fatale. :)



Basically everything starts in that kind of relationship... close boyhood friendship... :)

We were also speculating that somehow Rizal was open when it comes to sexual relationship. Sometimes we were wondering what he was doing every evening in the streets of Madrid. Alangan namang namamasyal lang. Panalo kaya ang Asian beauty pagdating sa Europa.


it's possible Rizal was a great thinker and a liberal,..most likely he was open to it, the question is, did he indulge in it??:cheers:

probably with Prof. Dr. Blumentritt..... :gossip:

it's possible Rizal was a great thinker and a liberal,..most likely he was open to it, the question is, did he indulge in it??:cheers:

:booze: :lurker: :speech: :rofl:

:dance: :hahaha:

ahahaha, i remember Sir Ambeth Ocampo's lecture nung HS pa kami (naging guest lang siya) and he said a lot about Rizal's alleged kabaklaan, yung isang notebook daw niya na nasa chicago (?) na museum ngayon ay puno raw ng drawings ng... penises... hehehehehe, tapos may pinakita siya sa aming slide, may pic ni rizal kasama mga kaibigan niya, nakaupo sila... and tinuro niya sa amin yung kakaiba sa picture.... hinahawakan ni Rizal yung legs nung katabi niya!! :lol: :nuts: :bash: he also showed a self portrait ni rizal.... ang layo... at self portrait yun ha, ginawa niyang artistahin sarili niya... :lol:

btw, again according to Ambeth Ocampo, di raw pantay shoulders ni rizal... that he had to use shoulder pad sa isang side lang...


Oy eto pa. Kung churva churva kayo dyan.

Was Rizal gay? Read and then discuss. :colgate:

This story was taken from www.inq7.net
http://news.inq7.net/opinion/index.php?index=2&story_id=76775

An intriguing love poem for Rizal
First posted 00:54am (Mla time) May 24, 2006
By Ambeth Ocampo
Inquirer



Ok, Ako na maglakas loob to post this u(r)ban legend about Jose Rizal :

"He might be Gay"


Was Rizal Gay?
(http://www.geocities.com/icasocot/neillgarcia_rizal.html)

... also because he is always happy and gay. :D

Mga Rizalians, wag niyo akong batuhin ng kamatis, nabasa ko lang ito when searching for Blumentritt.


The power of the internet nga naman. :scouserd:


[serious mode] may point kanina yung prof ko sa PI 100, na si rizal ang pinaka masuwerteng bayaning pilipino, wala talagang successful na gumagamit (kung meron man) ng pangalan niya, because of that rizal was for every filipino.... mga descendants ni paciano rizal, nag palit ng apelyido, mga kapatid ni rizal, mga babae so they ended up taking other surnames after marriage, besides who would really want to claim to be rizal's relative (except in politics, kung meron man... hayyy :ohno: ) you'd end up being compared to rizal, tatanungin ka: honor student ka ba? magaling ka ba sa ganito ganyan? ano na nagawa mo para sa sambayanang pilipino? (and other stuff...)

compare that with ninoy aquino.... (kris aquino: "ano ka ba? he's my father!" and "hindi mo tututukan ng baril ang anak ng namatay sa baril" or something like that.... tessie aquino: "ang paboritong bunsong kapatid ni ninoy".... cory aquino: "kung buhay si ninoy....")

[hahaha mode] back to ambeth ocampo... eto pa isang urban myth.... na si rizal daw ay isang anak ng diwata... (some say diwatang maria makiling.. hehehe)... at iniwan lang raw si rizal sa likod ng bahay nila.... ahahaha, ganun ba ka-ayaw nung diwata si rizal at pinamigay lang siya??? hehehe

[seryosong mode again] about making fun of rizal, ok lang naman, kasi you get to "integrate" with the national hero... hmmm, lalim naman ng "integrate" (hindi galing sakin yun, sa prof ko...)

dun sa issue na itinatapat si bonifacio kay rizal, why not? it would be a good debate, but it would never end... (yata?) hehehe

EDIT: so i saw ate lili's post below, wala palang descendants si paciano rizal.... anyway, my bad

JOSE RIZAL FAMILY TREE FROM PARENTS TO DESCENDANTS--------------------------------------------------------
Created by: Job Guerrero Elizes In 2004. Update: 6/1/04
Contact: jobelizes@aol.com, job_elizes@yahoo.com, http://profiles.yahoo.com/job_elizes
Please email corrections and expansion of names. Thanks.
Source: http://hometown.aol.com/jobelizes/myhomepage/garden.html
--------------------------------------------------------
Guide to Reading the Codes
0-means parents or original generation
1-means first born, 2-2nd born, 3-3rd, 4-4th, 5-5th, etc.

One digit means first generation, Two digits means 2nd,
Three means 3rd gen, 4 means 4th generation and so on.

Example 1: JOSE RIZAL MERCADO is Code No. 7
One digit means he belongs to first generation
Digit 7 means JOSE RIZAL is 7th born to FRANCISCO RIZAL MERCADO

Example 2: GEMMA GUERRERO CRUZ is code No. 6321
Four digits means she belongs to 4th generation
lst digit 6 means MARIA RIZAL MERCADO is 6th born to FRANCISCO
2nd digit 3 means MAURICIO CRUZ is 3rd born to MARIA
3rd digit 2 means ISMAEL CRUZ is 2nd born to MAURICIO
4th digit 1 means GEMMA is lst born to ISMAEL CRUZ
---------------------------------------------------------

FAMILY TREE FOLLOWS:
-------------------------------------------

0. FRANCISCO RIZAL MERCADO, 1820s + TEODORA ALONSO, 1830s.

Married in 1848 in Kalamba. During 1850s Francisco changed his name from Mercado to Rizal per Spanish Decree authorizing such changes. But Francisco and some children continued to use Mercado to avoid confusion in their merchant activities although his children were born with Rizal family name, like Jose Protacio Rizal. Year of births given below are mere estimation and subject to corrections.
-------------------------------------------

. . 1. SATURNINA RIZAL (MERCADO),1849? + MANUEL HIDALGO

. . . . 11. ALFREDO RIZAL HIDALGO,1875? + AURORA TIAOQUI

. . . . . . 111. ANGEL HIDALGO,1900? + WIFE?

. . . . . . 112. ARMANDO HIDALGO,1902? + WIFE?

. . . . . . 113. LOURDES HIDALGO,1904? + HUSBAND?

. . . . 12. ADELA RIZAL HIDALGO,1877? + JOSE VER

. . . . . . 121. JOSE VER JR,1902? + WIFE?

. . . . . . 122. BERNARDINO VER,1904? + WIFE?

. . . . . . 123. EMMA VER,1906? + RAMON REYES

. . . . . . 124. PURISIMA VER,1908? + HUSBAND?

. . . . . . 125. AURORA VER,1910? + FELIX GONZALEZ

. . . . 13. ABELARDO RIZAL HIDALGO,1879? + WIFE?

. . . . 14. AMELIA RIZAL HIDALGO,1881? + HUSBAND?

. . . . 15. AUGUSTO RIZAL HIDALGO,1883? + WIFE?

------------------------------------



. . 2. PACIANO RIZAL (MERCADO),1851? + SEVERINA DECENA

. . . . (NO DESCENDANTS) Paciano is the only brother of Jose Rizal. As both of them have no descendants, the surname Rizal ended with both of them. All their 9 sisters were either married or remained single and their descendants assumed their espouses surnames(not Rizal).

--------------------------------------------


. . 3. NARCISA RIZAL (MERCADO),1853? + ANTONIO LOPEZ

. . . . 31. EMILIO LOPEZ,1878? + WIFE?

. . . . 32. ANGELICA LOPEZ,1880? + BENITO ABREAU

. . . . . . 321. ANA ABREAU,1905? + CONRADO GARCIA

. . . . 33. ANTONIO LOPEZ,1880s? + EMILIANA RIXAL

. . . . . . 331. EUGENIA LOPEZ,1907? + VIVENCIO VILLARUZ

. . . . . . 332. FRANCISCO LOPEZ I,1909? + WIFE?

. . . . . . 333. FRANCISCO LOPEZ II,1911? + MABAIT CONCEPCION

. . . . . . 334. EDMUNDO LOPEZ,1913? + RUFINA DE GUZMAN

. . . . . . 335. JOSE LOPEZ I,1915? + WIFE?

. . . . . . 336. JOSE LOPEZ II,1917? + ELENA TALAO

. . . . 34. ISABEL LOPEZ,1880s - Died early in 1887

. . . . 35. MARIA CONSOLACION (CONSUELO) LOPEZ,6/14/1882 + HUSBAND?

. . . . 36. LEONCIO LOPEZ,1888? + NATIVIDAD ARGUELLES

. . . . . . 361. ASUNCION LOPEZ,1913? + ANTONIO BANTUG

. . . . . . . . 3611. LEANDRO LOPEZ-RIZAL BANTUG (DINKY), 1930s? CEO/OWNER, Design Intl Selections Inc.

. . . . . . 362. CARMEN LOPEZ,1915? + RICARDO CONSUNJI

. . . . . . . . 3621. RICARDO CONSUNJI III, 1940s?

. . . . . . . . 3622. DITAS O. CONSUNJI, 1950s?

. . . . . . 363. NATIVIDAD LOPEZ,1917? + VICENTE FRANCISCO

. . . . . . 364. LEANDRO LOPEZ,1919? + WIFE?

. . . . 37. FRANCISCO LOPEZ,1890? + WIFE?

. . . . 38. ARSENIO LOPEZ,1892? + WIFE?

. . . . 39. FIDELA LOPEZ,1894? + HUSBAND?

----------------------------------------------



. . 4. OLIMPIA RIZAL (MERCADO),1855-1887 + SILVESTRE UBALDO

. . . . 41. CESARIO RIZAL UBALDO, 1880s? + WIFE?

. . . . 42. ARISTEO RIZAL UBALDO,1883 + LEONARDA LIMJAP

. . . . . . 421. MARITA UBALDO,1905? + FRANCISCO MARASIGAN

. . . . . . 422. OLIMPIA UBALDO,1907? + ANTONIO LOZANO

. . . . . . 423. LEONARDA UBALDO,1909? + TOMAS TIRONA

. . . . . . 424. PAZ UBALDO,1911? + ALFREDO FILART

. . . . 43. BABY - OLIMPIA RIZAL UBALDO died giving birth to this 3rd child in 1887.
---------------------------------------------



. . 5. LUCIA RIZAL (MERCADO),1857? + MARIANO HERBOSA (Raised 8 children, but only 7 listed here. Subject to further corrections)

. . . . 51. PAZ RIZAL HERBOSA,1882? + HUSBAND?

. . . . 52. VIRGINIA RIZAL HERBOSA,1884? + HUSBAND?

. . . . 53. DELFINA RIZAL HERBOSA,1886? + SALVADOR NATIVIDAD

. . . . . . 531. PAZ NATIVIDAD,1911? + HUSBAND?

. . . . 54. JOSE RIZAL HERBOSA,1888? - Died young.

. . . . 55. CONCEPCION RIZAL HERBOSA,1890? + HUSBAND?

. . . . 56. PATROCINIO RIZAL HERBOSA,1892? + HUSBAND?

. . . . 57. TRALINIO RIZAL HERBOSA,1894? + LUCINA VYTINGCO

. . . . . . 571. JOSE HERBOSA,1919? + WIFE?

. . . . . . 572. LUCIA HERBOSA,1921? + ANTONIO ARCEGA

. . . . . . 573. LUIS HERBOSA,1923? + EMILIANA ANGELES

. . . . . . 574. ESTANISLAO HERBOSA,1925? + FELICIDAD MONTES (WIFE1)

. . . . . . . . 5741. CONCEPCION HERBOSA,1950? +MANDASTICO DUTERTA

. . . . . . . . 5742. MARIANO HERBOSA,1952? + EVELINA GARCIA

. . . . . . . . 5743. ESTANISLAO HERBOSA JR,1954? + JUANA JAVIER (WIFE1) + PAZ CABRERA (WIFE2)

. . . . . . . . 5744. FELICIDAD HERBOSA,1956? + HUSBAND?

. . . . . . . . 5745. PAZ HERBOSA,1958? + HUSBAND?

. . . . . . . . 5746. KLINA HERBOSA,1960? + HUSBAND?

. . . . . . . . 5747. ANGELINA HERBOSA,1962? + HUSBAND?


. . . . . . 574. (REPEAT) ESTANISLAO HERBOSA,1925? + FORTUNATA MENDOZA (WIFE2)

. . . . . . . . 5748. FRANCISCO HERBOSA,1963? + ZENAIDA GUIDOTE

. . . . . . . . 5749. DELFINA HERBOSA,1965? + HUSBAND?

. . . . . . . . 574-10. RAFAEL HERBOSA,1967? + WIFE?

. . . . . . . . 574-11. ENRIQUE HERBOSA,1969? + PACITA BONCAN

. . . . . . . . . . . 574-11-1. ANTONIO BONCAN HERBOSA + WIFE? Principal, Corporate Fiance Division, Punongbayan & Araullo, 19th Fl, Tower 1, The Enterprise Center, Ayala Avenue, Makati City. Tel.(632)887-9482 Fax.(632)886-5506. http://www.punongbayan-araullo.com. antonio.b.herbosa@pna.ph

. . . . . . . . . . . . 574-11-2. ENRIQUE BONCAN HERBOSA JR. + WIFE?

. . . . . . . . . . . . 574-11-3. EDGARDO BONCAN HERBOSA + WIFE?

. . . . . . . . . . . . 574-11-4. PATRICIA BONCAN HERBOSA + HUSBAND?
--------------------------------------------------------



. . 6. MARIA RIZAL (MERCADO),1859? + DANIEL CRUZ

. . . . 61. PETRONA RIZAL CRUZ,1884 + HUSBAND?

. . . . 62. ENCARNACION RIZAL CRUZ,1886? + ROSENDO BANAAG

. . . . . . 621. SIMEON BANAAG,1911? + WIFE?

. . . . . . 622. MERCEDES BANAAG,1913? + HUSBAND?

. . . . . . 623. CLEMENCIA BANAAG,1915? + HUSBAND?

. . . . . . 624. PAZ BANAAG,1917? + BIENVENIDO LAUREL

. . . . . . 625. MARIA BANAAG,1919? + ROBETO LAUREL

. . . . 63. MAURICIO RIZAL CRUZ,1888? + CONCEPCION ARGUELLES

. . . . . . 631. CARIDAD CRUZ,1913? + PEDRO SYQUIA

. . . . . . 632. ISMAEL CRUZ,1915 + CARMEN GUERRERO

. . . . . . . . 6321. GEMMA CRUZ-MISS INTL.,1942? + MR.ARANETA

. . . . . . . . 6322. ISMAEL CRUZ JR,1944? + WIFE?

. . . . . . 633. ESPERANZA CRUZ,1917? + HUSBAND?

. . . . . . 634. FE CRUZ,1919? + VLADIMIR GONZALEZ

. . . . . . 635. HILDA CRUZ,1921? + BENJAMIN ALDABA

. . . . 64. PAZ RIZAL CRUZ,1890? + HUSBAND?

. . . . 65. PRUDENCIO CRUZ,1892? + WIFE?

---------------------------------------------------



. . 7. JOSE PROTACIO RIZAL (MERCADO),6/19/1861-12/30/1896 + JOSEPHINE BRACKEN

(NO DESCENDANTS)

---------------------------------------------------



. . 8. CONCEPCION RIZAL (MERCADO),1863? + HUSBAND OR UNMARRIED?

(NO DESCENDANTS)

---------------------------------------------------



. . 9. JOSEFA (PANGGOY) RIZAL (MERCADO),1865? - Died in 1882 due to cholera epidemic.

(NO DESCENDANTS)

---------------------------------------------------



. . 10. TRINIDAD RIZAL (MERCADO),1867? + UNMARRIED

(NO DESCENDANTS)

--------------------------------------------------



. . 11. SOLEDAD RIZAL (MERCADO),1870 + PANTALEON QUINTERO (Raised 5 children. Names below subject to further corrections, because it listed only 2 children & several grandhildren).

. . . . 11-1. TRINITARIO RIZAL QUINTERO,1894? + MARIA SAN MATEO

. . . . . . 11-11. RAFAEL QUINTERO,1919? + CONCORDIA PAGULAYAN

. . . . . . 11-12. MARIA QUINTERO,1921? + HUSBAND?

. . . . . . 11-13. CARMEN QUINTERO,1922? + HUSBAND?

. . . . . . 11-14. MARIO QUINTERO,1924? + MILAGROS IBASCO

. . . . . . 11-15. RAMON QUINTERO,1926? + WIFE?

. . . . . . 11-16. LETICIA QUINTERO,1928? + MOISES SACAPANO

. . . . . . 11-17. GLORIA QUINTERO,1930? + JUAN BOHOYO

. . . . . . 11-18. SERAFIN QUINTERO,1932? + VIOLETA SABAN

. . . . . . 11-19. JOSE MA. QUINTERO,1934? + WIFE?

. . . . 11-2. AMELIA RIZAL QUINTERO,1896? + BERNABE MALVAR

. . . . . . 11-21. JOSE MALVAR,1921? + AGUSTINA ARCEGA

. . . . . . 11-22. ANTONIO MALVAR,1923? + WIFE?

. . . . . . 11-23. FRANCISCO MALVAR,1925? + WIFE?

. . . . . . 11-24. ANGELITA MALVAR,1927? + PORFIRIO GOCO

. . . . . . 11-25. JOSEFINA MALVAR,1929? + OSCAR GUZMAN

. . . . . . 11-26. TOMAS MALVAR,1931? + WIFE?

. . . . . . 11-27. MANUEL MALVAR,1933? + WIFE?

. . . . . . 11-28. LOURDES MALVAR,1935? + HUSBAND?

. . . . . . 11-29. TERESITA MALVAR,1937? + HUSBAND?

. . . . . . 11-2-10. NATIVIDAD MALVAR,1938? + HUSBAND?

----------------------------------------------------




NOTATIONS
1) LAM CO - From the Story of Rizal By Craig, 1909 edition, Jose Rizal's family root can be traced to the original Chinese from Amoy who came to the Philippines in late 1600s. His name is LAMCO, who was given a christian name of DOMINGO in 1697. He married late in life.

2) FRANCISCO MERCADO Y CHINCO - This is the first son of DOMINGO. Francisco adopted the surname MERCADO to designate his occupation as "trader".
I estimate that he was born about 1730s-1750s?

3) CAPT. JUAN MERCADO Y MONICA - This is the youngest son of FRANCISCO MERCADO Y CHINCO. No details about the other siblings. I estimate that JUAN was born about 1760s-1780s?

4) JUAN'S CHILDREN WERE:
- PETRONA MERCADO, born about 1800s-1810s
- POTENCIANA MERCADO, born about 1810s
- FRANCISCO MERCADO, born about 1820s-1830s

Craig's book says that Potenciana is 20 years older than Francisco. Francisco was only 9 when his father, Juan died. This Francisco is the father of Jose Rizal.

5) FRANCISCO MERCADO married TEODORA ALONSO in 1848. Teodora is 9 years younger than Francisco.

6) FRANCISCO changed his name from MERCADO to RIZAL in 1850. He and Teodora raised 11 children.
JOSE RIZAL was the 7th child, born in 1861.

Source -http://www.malaya.com.ph/jun23/ednakpil.htm

RIZAL HEADSTART By Carmen Guerrero Nakpil In Her Column dated June, 2003 In One Newspaper*******

" What goes into the making of an exceptional man? Is it nature or nurture (as pop science asks today), genes or environment? Rizal had them all. "

R I Z A L H E A D S T A R T

WE Filipinos don't pay enough attention to Rizal's birthday (June 19, 1861) and to the circumstances of his earliest years. Even the most ardent Rizalist is more interested in the dramatic events of his career in Manila, Madrid, Paris, Heidelberg or Dapitan, than his childhood in Calamba. The fact is that Jose Rizal got a headstart for greatness in his home in Laguna.

What goes into the making of an exceptional man? Is it nature or nurture (as pop science asks today), genes or environment? Rizal had them all.

His father, Francisco Mercado, was a successful sugar planter of Chinese descent, whose father and grandfather had been municipal captains of Biñan. An excellent provider, stern, quiet and strong, he gave his family wealth, an enviable family life, special prominence and all the security possible to natives in a centuries-old colony of the Spanish empire.

Rizal's mother was a brilliant colegiala who signed herself, "Teodora Alonso de Realonda," a lover of literature and mathematics, with Spanish and Chinese blood refined, highly educated and well connected. Virtuous and enterprising, she read Tagalog poetry to Rizal every night and owned a flour mill, cured hams and dyed fabrics, which she sold at a small shop on the ground floor of her house.

Rizal had an older brother, Paciano, who doted on him, and nine adoring sisters who laughed at all his sallies, sewed his clothes and served his favorite foods. They lived in the town's largest stone house, next to the church and the municipio on the main plaza, and enjoyed a large family library and an orchard with a small play house. There Rizal read and played with modeling clay endlessly. He was an attractive boy, fair and razor-sharp.

The town itself and the surrounding countryside were among the most beautiful in the Philippines, lush, verdant, fascinating, full of fruit trees where birds sang, coconut groves, the high, green, magic mountain Makiling (the view from Rizal's bedroom) and the immense blue lake, Laguna de Bay, where the family would sail or go on picnics. As a child, Rizal could identify and learned to love all the trees, birds, fishes, the magnificent flora and fauna of Laguna.

He was born frail and was small for his age, but when he was six, a physical-culture uncle taught him hiking, swimming and horse-back riding and he developed his physique to compensate for his lack of height. He had other tutors at home and then went to private school maestros in Calamba and Biñan.

More to the point, he received crucial lessons in colonial politics and human justice. When he was 10, Doña Teodora was arrested and accused of poisoning an in-law, her cousin Jose Alberto's wife, who had abandoned her home. Doña Teodora had tried to heal the domestic rift and was repaid by a false, malicious accusation. The Spanish officers who has often dined at her home, made her walk 20 miles to the provincial capital of Santa Cruz where, despite legal action and frantic appeals to Manila, she remained imprisoned for more than two years. The boy Jose, "Pepe", was sunk in grief and outrage. One of Rizal's biographers, Austin Coates, explained that travesty thus: "At that time, a Filipino of merit was an object of fear to any Spaniard."

The year 1872 saw the explosion of the Cavite mutiny in which Fathers Burgos, Gomez and Zamora were implicated. The three priests had not had absolutely anything to do with the revolt, but they had been advocating the Filipinization of parishes, and Spanish authorities decided to make an example of them by fabricating evidence and executing them by garrote on the Luneta.

Because he has been a pupil and protege of Father Jose Burgos, Paciano went into hiding, and to avoid further persecution, the Mercado family changed their name to Rizal.

In June the same year, 1872, the boy Pepe Mercado, 11 years old, was enrolled in the Jesuit Ateneo Municipal in Manila under the name of Jose Rizal. There he was to learn arts, sciences and Catholic theology, and also, that he was the equal, and probably better, than any Spaniard. It was as if he was being programmed to become the national hero.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source - http://www.ebalita.net/go/news/news.php?id=1301

RIZAL'S LAST GRANDCHILDREN RECALL HOUSEHOLD OF HEROES
Posted By editor on Friday 13th June, 2003 @ 10:46 - (This posting taken from eBalita.net, which is presumably a public domain site.)

In a quiet neighborhood in the heart of Mandaluyong City live little-known witnesses to the making of heroes who bequeathed to the Philippines the distinction of being the first country in Asia to mount a revolution against its colonizers 105 years ago.

And the heroes are no less than Jose Rizal and his family.

Asuncion "Sunny" Bantug, 89; Carmen Consunji, 87; and Natividad Francisco, 86, the remaining grandchildren of Rizal, learned their history and about heroism right in their household.

They are probably the last of the Rizal clan to be raised in the old school in the manner of the national hero's mother Dona Teodora Alonso, whose children were taught unquestioning obedience and responsibility at home, alongside lessons in languages and the arts.

They had a brother, the youngest in the brood, who died during World War II.

The sisters are a striking reminder of the strength, courage, vivacity and intelligence characteristic of the Rizal women.

Their father, Leoncio Lopez-Rizal was a nephew of Rizal by Narcisa, the elder sister who attended to Rizal when the hero was exiled by the Spanish colonial authorities in the southern town of Dapitan.

Sometimes Leoncio would dish out stories about his famous uncle. The kids were also fed Rizal stories by their grandmothers Maria, Soledad, Trinidad, Rizal's other sisters.

Sunny remembers their Lolo Paciano, Rizal's only brother, who was known to have had a great influence on the hero, as a "very patient" man who would occasionally join their storytelling sessions.

"That's why we called him 'Lolo Pasensya' sometimes," Sunny says.

Raised in a close-knit household held together by their Lola Narcisa, they had a close look at the person known to the rest of the country only as a hero and a great literary figure.

A favorite destination on Sundays when they were kids was visiting the Rizal Monument at Manila's Luneta Park with their Lola Sisa who took them there after they finished their homework.

Lola Sisa would often end up crying whenever she spotted a flower or two laid before her brother's shrine, Sunny writes in her book.

When they were in grade school at Saint Paul's College in Manila, Sunny, Carmen and Naty would be brought to their Lola Sisa's house in Binondo every Thursday for storytelling sessions.

In this informal history class, Lola Sisa enchanted the children with recollections of events in the life of the Rizal clan made vivid with intimate details of each family member.

On such visits, Sunny, who graduated with a degree in Journalism and wrote two books on Rizal, always brought a notebook with her.

This was a sign that the eldest of the three sisters had brought along a lot of unanswered questions, a familiar experience for the elders of the household.

As a boy, Rizal himself endlessly asked a barrage of questions, which earned him the title of "the little question box," according to Sunny's book "Lolo Jose: An Intimate Portrait of Rizal."

Sunny herself was called "the little question box."

Sunny also has a degree in Education; Carmen finished Commerce and Naty completed both Chemistry and Commerce, all from the University of Santo Tomas.

Despite the sisters' relation with the national hero, they say they were never raised to feel important.

"We did not have that distinction," Carmen quips in an interview at their house on Lopez-Rizal Street.

Naty adds that their father did not allow them to grow up acting like significant personalities in society.

Although the family was well-off, the three girls were made to do house chores when they had no classes to give the maids a day off, as Dona Teodora did to Rizal and her other children.

In school, they were not even known as relatives of Rizal.

Naty says that the only time she was "found out" was when she submitted a composition in class detailing how Rizal got mad at one of his nephews and said: "I'd rather see you dead than hear you tell a lie."

When the teacher asked how a grade school student could have known about such a story, Naty said she learned it from her father.

In her book "Lolo Jose," she recalls how she and her sisters and cousins would try to excel in school so they would be rewarded with the privilege of holding the original of their Lolo's "Gahinlalaki," Rizal's Tagalog version of Thumbelina.

Rizal sent his original "Gahinlalaki" to Narcisa's children, which was later kept by Leoncio. Most of Rizal's original works inherited by the family were donated to schools and historical institutions.

Like their elders, the sisters converse in Spanish until now. They lapse into a mix of Filipino and English with guests. They also speak and understand "a little" of French, German and Mandarin.

Carmen says they picked up the languages from their schooling and frequent travels around the world with their parents, who believed in introducing them to other cultures.

These days, it is the turn of Sunny, Carmen and Naty to spend Sundays with their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren at their Mandaluyong compound.

The family was the first to build a house there, where they sometimes spent weekends even before they permanently relocated to Mandaluyong from Sampaloc in 1951.

"My father always wanted us to be together," Naty recalls.

But it is harder to gather and pass on stories to the younger generations as many of them have migrated abroad.

So, the sisters keep themselves busy with something less than historical: ballroom dancing at the Barrio Fiesta on Edsa twice a week.

Their main preoccupation at the moment is to stay strong and sharp. Carmen and Naty have also tried their hand at painting and ceramics.

Sunny continues her passion for reading. Her daughter takes her shopping for books every now and then. She also reads two newspapers every day.

Sunny said during the interview that they were seeking leaders who have a sense of history, who know how the lessons of the past can help shape the future.

They have, after all, seen the past and have been part of its heroic history.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

nice post ate lili! lalo na yung family tree....

^^ do the rizalistas ,... make gods of his descendants???

RIZAL'S "RAGS-TO-RICHES" ANCESTORS FROM SOUTH CHINA

By Wilson Y. Lee Flores
April 26, 1999

QUANZHOU CITY, China--In the annals of the world's top ethnic
Chinese entrepreneurs, immigrant tycoon Don Domingo Lamco
(Chinese name: ''Cue Yi-Lam,'' also pronounced ''Ke Yi-Nan'' in
Mandarin) of Laguna province, the Philippines will eventually
rank high in importance due to the greatness of his direct male
heir and Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal.

Five Rizal descendants recently made a historic homecoming to
the hero's ancestral village of Siongque (pronounced ''Zhang
Guo'' in Mandarin) in Losan district, Jinjiang City, Fujian
province, south China last April 2, just three days before the
ancient Ching Ming Festival when Chinese people traditionally
pay homage to their ancestors. Agence France Presse (AFP)
said 10,000 people gave a grand welcome in Siongque. Many
Filipino businessmen now propose the construction of a
1.2-hectare Rizal park and museum in Fujian as ''symbols of the
enduring friendly relations between the Philippines and China.''

In May 1998, this writer had lunch at the home of Rizal's
grandniece Asuncion Lopez-Rizal Bantug and I told her it was
possible to trace the hero's Chinese roots. In February this year,
this writer and businessman Manuel O. Chua successfully
verified the roots of Rizal based on south China genealogical
records and a 1913 book donated by the late Justice Roman
Ozaeta (father of former PCIBank president Antonio Ozaeta) to
Manila's National Library. Authored by American historian Prof.
Austin Craig, the book ''Lineage, Life and Labors of Jose Rizal,
Philippine Patriot'' gave the first Philippine verification of Rizal's
Chinese roots in the chapter on ''Rizal's Chinese Ancestry.''

Domingo Lamco had specified Siongque in Manila church
records as his home village near Chinchew or ''City of Spring.''
''Siongque Village of Fujian province indeed exists near the
historic city of Quanzhou, which is pronounced ''Chuanchow,''
meaning ''City of Spring.'' The rural areas of Jinjiang (now a city),
Lamoa, Hui-Wa, Chio-Sai, An-Khue and others under Quanzhou
are the ancestral places of 80 percent of the country's top
Filipino entrepreneurs of Chinese descent.

Rizal's eminent ancestors

Siongque was the rural ''barrio'' where entrepreneur Domingo
Lamco was born and educated in. He was the 19th generation of
the first Cua who settled in Siongque. The Cua clan of south
China and Asia trace their origins 3,000 years ago to patriarch
Chua Siok-To in the Yellow River basin of central China, in that
area now called Henan province. Duke Chua Siok-To was the
fifth son of the political genius who founded the Chou Dynasty
and his eldest brother later became the king. This era was before
the rise of a unified China under first Emperor Chin Shih
Huang-Ti. Descendants of Chua (also pronounced ''Tsai'' in
Mandarin or ''Choy'' in Cantonese) include some of the world's
richest billionaires according to Forbes magazine--Taiwanese
Tsai Wan-Lin of Cathay Life Group and Indonesian 'Tobacco
King' Rachman Halim (Chua To-Hing) of Gudang Garam Group.
Another clan member was the late Philippine 'Sugar King' and
philanthropist Antonio Roxas-Chua. Another heir of patriarch
Chua Siok-To started the clan of Cua (pronounced ''Ke'' in
Mandarin, also spelled as ''Qua'' or ''Koa,'' of which Domingo
Lamco and Dr. Jose Rizal were direct male descendants).

Lamco was founder of the entrepreneurial Mercado clan in
Laguna and the great-great-grandfather of Dr. Jose Rizal. From
March 31 to April 7, this writer accompanied and acted as
interpreter in south China to the five Rizal heirs--businessman
Antonio ''Noni'' Lopez-Rizal Bantug Jr., Leandro Bantug Jr.
(whose father Dinky owns a top furniture firm and the MBA
basketball team Manila Metrostars), Raul Jose Rizal Tan,
Ricardo Consunji III and Ditas O. Consunji. Noni's 78-year-old
mother Asuncion is the granddaughter of Rizal's elder sister
Narcisa and author of two important Rizal biographies.

Village of Lamco and Copra King

The five Rizal heirs were accompanied by 200 Cua-Chua clan
members from the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong,
Malaysia, Taiwan and China in the sentimental journey to the
village of Domingo Lamco. The entire 5,000 population of
Siongque Village and thousands others from nearby villages
lined all streets for the grand welcome. There were nonstop
firecracker blasts, the local school was closed, red banners filled
the walls saying ''Welcome Home, heirs of Domingo Lamco and
Jose Rizal from the Philippines,'' a thousand small children in red
waved flower bouquets and ancient rites were held in them two
village temples. It was a welcome befitting an emperor.

Noni Bantug delivered a speech hoping that the memory of
Rizal's Chinese heritage will strengthen Philippine-China
relations. Stanford-educated Ricardo ''Bombit'' Consunji III
(Chinese name: Cua Yeng-Liong), with Philbank director Francis
Chua's help in drafting his speech, impressed the audience by
speaking about his ''lolo'' Jose Rizal in fluent Mandarin. Rizal
himself was fluent in the Chinese language and researched
Chinese historical data referring to pre-colonial Philippines to
debunk Spanish claims that the country had no early culture.

Bicolano trader Melanio Cua Fernando said: ''Our village had
never seen such a grand celebration, not since 1948 when
Bicolano tycoon Qua Chee Gan, another son of this village,
returned to Siongque to donate the local school.'' In the. pre-war
era years to the pre-martial law 1970s, immigrant Qua Chee Gan
was the ''rags-to-riches'' trader who became Philippine ''Copra
King.'' Based in Tabaco, Albay, Qua vigorously pushed
Philippine copra exports and was also a leading philanthropist.
Qua was so respected for his ''shinyung'' or ''trustworthiness''
that company drafts with his signatures were then considered
more valuable than cash by traders in the Bicol region and
Quezon province. One of his agency managers based in Daet,
Camarines Norte was the late Fernando S. Vinzons Sr., the future
top Bicolano businessman and father of former BIR
Commissioner Liwayway Vinzons Chato.

From merchant, mayors to martyr

Domingo Lamco was a fearless entrepreneur who not only
ensured the survival of his descendants, but also their
socio-political leadership as highly educated ilustrados. Lamco
achieved business success despite cruel odds, since the
Spaniards persecuted the Chinese and Chinese mestizos,
required them to pay unfair higher taxes and even at times
massacred them.

Persecutions toughened the Chinese traders, forcing them to
become resilient and resourceful. Baptized in the Catholic
church of Manila's Parian Chinese ghetto in June 1697 at age of
35, Domingo Lamco later moved to Bi?an, Laguna, prospered
and became a Chinese community leader. To free his heirs from
the Spanish regime's anti-Chinese racist policies, Lamco gave
his clan the new surname ''Mercado'' (meaning ''market'' in
Spanish) so that his heirs will not to forget their Chinese
merchant roots.

Rizal's ancestors were survivors of the Spanish colonial regime's
racism and despotism. Domingo Lamco wed Inez de la Roza,
daughter of the successful immigrant trader from Chuanchow
named Agustin Chinco. Lamco's son Francisco Mercado and
grandson Juan Mercado married Chinese mestizas and both
served as distinguished mayors of Bi?an for a total of five terms.

Juan's wife Cirila Alejandra was the daughter of an immigrant
trader and Domingo Lamco's baptismal godson Siong-co. By the
time of Rizal's father, their branch of the wealthy clan moved to
Calamba, built the first stone house in the whole town, owned
the first piano, the first carriage, owned a flour mill, a dye
factory, increased landholdings and sent their children to the
best schools. Jose Rizal Mercado again had to change the
family surname before entering Manila's Ateneo, to avoid
Spanish persecution since his elder brother Paciano Mercado
was close to the martyred Filipino priest, Jose Burgos. Rizal
himself died a martyr in 1896 at age 35, becoming a hero whose
powerful ideas and moral courage helped liberate the Filipino
nation from Spanish oppression.

It is fitting that much of Asia now honor the immigrant trader
Don Domingo Lamco of Laguna. His ''rags-to-riches'' career may
not yet be as well-known as those of immigrant billionaires Li
Ka-Shing of Hong Kong, Liem Sioe-Liong (Sudono Salim) of
Indonesia, prewar ''Rubber King'' Tan Kah-Kee of Singapore,
John Gokongwei Jr., Tan Yu or Henry Sy of the Philippines or
even that of 19th century empire-builder Jose Cojuangco I of
Tarlac, but Don Domingo Lamco's legacy of courage and
excellence embodied by heir Dr. Jose Rizal had immeasurably
enriched Philippine national life.


April 26, 1999
from the Philippine Inquirer Internet Edition

^^ ^^ okay ang coding madaling intindihin

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k60/ECdoesit2/nanaynirizal.jpg
Teodora Alonso

para-feel... let's put some pictures.... :)


http://static.flickr.com/82/257244225_eb940a9c22.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/117/257244223_143c87c23f.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/109/257244217_26c09511cc.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/98/257244218_9e22c0b2a2.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/113/257244210_34fdfa8997.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/92/257244221_1fad9a7fb2.jpg?v=0

I wonder how good that restoration job is on the RIzal house in Calamba. From the looks of it, it looks pretty modern. I remember going there when I was a kid to take a tour.

Regarding making fun of Rizal. I think we should all find the flaws in our heroes because nobody is truly heroic. Everybody is human and has their faults.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k60/ECdoesit2/rizals_dapitan_home.jpg

It seems Pinoys have a very fertile imaginations and master of conspiracy theory.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

When a fellow student in my class in high-school ask our teacher( a Dominican priest) about what really transpired between Rizal, Bonifacio and Aguinaldo during the height of the revolution, our teacher replied, "We would take that issue before the end of this subject. Hanggang natapos, wala nang nangyari. :D

You can just wonder what their dialogue would be.


Bonifacio : ano, Pepe, sasama ka ba sa aming digmaan?

Jose Rizal : no, no, no, no,no, daanin na lang natin sa pluma.

Aguinaldo : hmmm.... (VWEG) :evil:

Andy: Peping.. musta na... alam ko na na-inlove ka sa pinsan mo... hahaha.. di mo ba alam na pagmatuluyan kayo at nagka-anak kayo baka maging abnoy ang anak nyo?

Pepe: Oy alam mo ba na maraming nakikilalang lalaki yan si Gregoria de Jesus sa kanyang posisyon bilang henerala ng Katipunan? You know what I'm saying mang? You dig madapaka?

Emilio: Nyehehehe... you two keep on fighting each other.... (twirl mustache tip with fingers)

Buti wala sa eksena si Juan Luna.... :lol:


I don't know, maybe it is just me, but I admire Juan Luna and Plaridel more than other heroes.

Juan Luna: Papatayin kita! Taksil!!! :kicks the door: Bang Bang!!!

Trinidad Pardo de Tavera: Sin Verguenza! Pinatay mo mi Mama y mi Hermana! Magdutha ka tha calabozo.

Juan Luna: Dats wat u think. (twirls mustache tip with his gun-powdered finger)

Juan Luna: Papatayin kita! Taksil!!! :kicks the door: Bang Bang!!!

Trinidad Pardo de Tavera: Sin Verguenza! Pinatay mo mi Mama y mi Hermana! Magdutha ka tha calabozo.

Juan Luna: Dats wat u think. (twirls mustache tip with his gun-powdered finger)


Juan Luna: Dats wat u think. (twirls mustache tip with his gun-powdered finger) then slowly put his right hand on his chest inside his coat and look at the camera and says : "Isang mahalagang patalastas muna, mula sa ating nagmamahal na taga-tangkilik" ---- "YCO Floor wax" - ayan ang gamit ko sa aking bigote mga kapatid.

^^ what an entertaining skit.... :lol:

peke yang bahay na yan, recreation lang yang nung dating bahay ni rizal...:)

I wonder how good that restoration job is on the RIzal house in Calamba. From the looks of it, it looks pretty modern. I remember going there when I was a kid to take a tour.

Regarding making fun of Rizal. I think we should all find the flaws in our heroes because nobody is truly heroic. Everybody is human and has their faults.


may trip kami (about rizal and other heroes...) sa 17....

Paciano Rizal Shrine - Los Baños
Jose Rizal Shrine - Calamba
Ancestral Homes in Lipa and Taal, Batangas (di ako nakinig sa class eh... di ko alam kung kaninong bahay...)

kaso wala akong cam... baka manghiram ako...

Andy: Peping.. musta na... alam ko na na-inlove ka sa pinsan mo... hahaha.. di mo ba alam na pagmatuluyan kayo at nagka-anak kayo baka maging abnoy ang anak nyo?

Pepe: Oy alam mo ba na maraming nakikilalang lalaki yan si Gregoria de Jesus sa kanyang posisyon bilang henerala ng Katipunan? You know what I'm saying mang? You dig madapaka?

Emilio: Nyehehehe... you two keep on fighting each other.... (twirl mustache tip with fingers)

It reminds me of a play by PETA, an argument between Josephine Bracken and Gregoria de Jesus in a deck of certain ship. I cant remember the title of the play now. All I can remember are the lines:

Gregoria De Jesus: p**a ka

Josephine Bracken: Mas p**a ka keysa sa akin....

Hmmmm... I should look for my copy of the script of this play.

^^ :lol: Baka magalit yung mga Rizalians and Makabayans dito.

We are just adding some humor to the Philippine history of "WHAT IFs"

I remember when I was a kid, it seems that saying bad things to our National heroes was an extreme mistake in life. My Lolo would let go of his famous "Hijo de P*tas and Carajos" word blessing on anyone who disgrace our heroes. They revered our national heroes so much that I can tell that they are really very Nationalistic and Patriotic. And when it comes to the 4th of July, he would make a trip to Manila from Bikol just to attend the Independence day parade. :D Tapos, aattend ng function sa JUSMAG. :lol:

I think that kind of reverence is misplaced though. I mean, whose Rizal are we talking about? (heheh... sounds like Bayaning 3rd World eh?)

We recognize how important these people are to the construction of the nation, but we also recognize how politicized their heroism is. When they're alive, their actions are notable enough to bring change. That's the only time these heroes ever have control over their actions. But it is only after they die that they really become historical characters. It is here when their legacy is used to carry out rather political ends. They don't have control anymore over their heroism once they're dead.

And so when we mythologize these people, when we make heroes out of them, all we're doing is adding our own imagined narrative to someone else's deeds. One guy's hero is another guy's goat. And who is to say what is heroic? That's why I think all the works by historians like Ambeth Ocampo that tend to look for the human in the myth is useful in reminding us that in the end, history is relative, and in the end is much more useful than the histories that lionize people.

To me, Mike De Leon's Bayaning 3rd World is a much more successful and more faithful Rizal movie than Marilou Diaz-Abaya's Jose Rizal for this reason.

^ Yes, just like Sir Francis Drake is considered a hero in England while viewed as a ruthless pirate and privateer by Spain. It is really a matter of epistemology on whose viewpoints we are considering and from what angle and perspective.

^^ That's why I love to hear my Lolo and Lola's kuwento at night about the olden times. I don't get tired of listening to their stories over and over again.
My Lolo's idol really was Luciano...sumtin, hehehe, I forgot his last name name, he said, Luciano was really a hero and was killed by the gringos.
Kaya siguro maraming Luciano sa amin. But the nickname Luci in Bikol sounds bad.... :D


BTW, I can understand their reverence to some famous Filipino icons, for during those times they don't have much to do in our province and media and communications are hard to come by so thus other forms of entertainment, kaya bolahan na lang sila about panahon ng Kastila at panahon ng Hapon.

^^ Bolahan. :hilarious

^ Yes, just like Sir Francis Drake is considered a hero in England while viewed as a ruthless pirate and privateer by Spain. It is really a matter of epistemology on whose viewpoints we are considering and from what angle and perspective.True, true... that's why I'm interested to see Letters from Iwo Jima. I've seen Flags of Our Fathers and Letters... is supposed to be told from the Japanese perspective... two sides of the same coin kind of deal. (Ok, this post isn't exactly about Rizal but not entirely irrelevant... I hope. :lol: )

^ Yes, just like Sir Francis Drake is considered a hero in England while viewed as a ruthless pirate and privateer by Spain. It is really a matter of epistemology on whose viewpoints we are considering and from what angle and perspective.

You might as well be talking about Macario Sakay and his men from the Philippine-American War from 1903 to 1907. To the Cavite peasantry, they were revered as patriots and heroes. But to the colonial Americans, they were tagged as petty thieves and bandoleros or ruthless insurgents.

I have always wondered why all the books I get ahold of on turn-of-the-century Cavite omitted references to Sakay and his men. The books instead glorified the deeds of Aguinaldo and other leaders who, when you think hard about it, were men who abandoned the ideals of the Katipunan and prospered in their political careers under the American occupation as collaborators.

I post here this only known picture of these patriots who up to now still have to be exonerated from the accusations thrown at them along with the historical inaccuracies and distortions.

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/935/sakaylt4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
For decades, this bad quality photo as carried by the lesser history books projected these men as bandits rather than the patriots they really are.

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/5305/bandolerospz7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
This same but clear photo is a recent discovery. The superb quality seems to project freedom-loving souls through the eyes of these men.
L to R: seated, Julian Montalan (my ancestor), Francisco Carreon, Macario Sakay, Leon Villafuerte; standing, Benito Natividad, Lucio de Vega.

^^ There was a movie before 'Sakay' on the life and tribulations of Macario Sakay starring Julio Diaz helmed by Raymond Red. It was even shown here in NY. The venue for the initial screening was the Guggenheim Museum, if I recall.

Thanks for the rare picture of Sakay. He looked young and frail not as tough as I envisioned him to be. So, I guess that image was part of the American propaganda to make out Sakay as a "bandido" or "tulisan" to water down his cause as a patriot for independence.

Yes, the movie "Sakay" (I have a VHS tape of that in my collection). Though it was a good movie specially in terms of cinematography, there was a review i read which told it was badly-researched --not much time went into it because of hectic production schedule.

And the posted pic is indeed quite rare, meaning i doubt that one can find a clearer picture than it all over the internet.

I've seen the movie Sakay too. Among other issues, I remember the most is a blunder on one of the scenes: white leghorn chickens are scampering in a barrio scene. How stupid it was! Wala na talaga siguro silang makuhang native chickens to serve as props. Sana wala na lang yung mga manok, mas ok pa.

Hey, this thread is really about Rizal, right? Well, I got one and I swear it is true. I mean me witnessing it all from my Lolo when i was a kid

In the early 70s, while touring Fort Santiago in Manila my Lolo wept before a life-size statue of Rizal writing the Noli Me Tangere. When asked why he was weeping, he narrated that his uncle Pablo was involved with the Katipunan and how, as a small boy and pet nephew of Pablo, he served as a runner for the Katipunan bringing food to the hero's cell.

In between wiping tears away, my Lolo Clemente recounted that, as he handed Rizal his food, he whispered news for Rizal to prepare for a Katipunan mission to rescue him which included his Filipino guards as accomplices to the rescue. Rizal refused the plan saying Filipinos were not yet ready for a revolution where many lives would be shed, choosing rather to stay in prison and meet his fate in execution.

I witnessed this emotional moment, athough at the time I was too young to comprehend the full import of my Lolo Clemente's story.

There is also a myth that Rizal did not really compose Mi Ultimo Adios inside the prison cell but had already made that poetry way before in anticipation of his martyrdom.

At a very young age, Rizal already knew or had a sense of knowing that he will be considered great someday and will play a pivotal role in history.

Last year I had a project for a parade in Calamba the birthplace of Rizal. Here are some little known pics about the hero during his younger days.

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/537/rizalselbstportraitli1.th.jpg (http://img83.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rizalselbstportraitli1.jpg) http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/9192/rizalstudentqv6.th.jpg (http://img81.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rizalstudentqv6.jpg)

Take note of that deadly pabling smile ;)
http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/528/youngrizalpt3.th.jpg (http://img174.imageshack.us/my.php?image=youngrizalpt3.jpg)

Macario Sakay, sadly, is a forgotten player in the revolution. It's not widely known that the Katipunan wasn't one Katipunan. After the surrender of Aguinaldo, even during the presidency of Aguinaldo, there were many Katipunans and the revolution went on into the 19-teens, led by people like Sakay. History marginalizes these Katipuneros as bandits and tulisans, but so-called tulisans have had a long history of providing alternate lifeways in the Philippines. Always written about along the margins, tulisans have occupied important parts of folk-imagination both as bandits to the rich and wise-folk to the forgotten.

Just look at how the bandits are portrayed in Rizal's Noli. Even in the modernist Rizal's story (he really can be called one of the first "modern" Filipinos), though they are depicted as marginal and pathetic, Rizal actually imbued the bandit leader with a kind of wisdom and gravity that was not possessed by the Spanish lords. There's a rich tradition of banditry in the Philippines that provides an alternate telling of history, where they represent an unfulfilled hope. The other groups that played these roles were the Colorum and the Sakdalists, who despite being made into buffoons by most accounts of Philippine history, still play a romantic role in the Philippine national imaginary, of symbolizing the fight for a mythical glory yet to be achieved.

So while our modern narratives of history (the ones we are taught in schools, whether favorable of the Spanish a-la Joaquin and Zaide, or favorable of the proletariat, a la Agoncillo and Constantino) all have their own version of unfulfilled Philippines (to the hispanophiles, a return to the bourgeois glories of high Spanish culture and to the socialists, a return to the truth of the people), we also have our alternate narratives that speak of a different unfulfilled Philippines, which speaks of a kind of cosmic justice (the stories of the loob, our versions of karma). Why discount one for another if we're all dealing with competing mythologies anyway?

There is also a myth that Rizal did not really compose Mi Ultimo Adios inside the prison cell but had already made that poetry way before in anticipation of his martyrdom.

At a very young age, Rizal already knew or had a sense of knowing that he will be considered great someday and will play a pivotal role in history.

It's interesting how a few people in different eras and history are this way and they seem to know themselves at an early age.

Macario Sakay, sadly, is a forgotten player in the revolution. It's not widely known that the Katipunan wasn't one Katipunan. After the surrender of Aguinaldo, even during the presidency of Aguinaldo, there were many Katipunans and the revolution went on into the 19-teens, led by people like Sakay. History marginalizes these Katipuneros as bandits and tulisans, but so-called tulisans have had a long history of providing alternate lifeways in the Philippines. Always written about along the margins, tulisans have occupied important parts of folk-imagination both as bandits to the rich and wise-folk to the forgotten.

Just look at how the bandits are portrayed in Rizal's Noli. Even in the modernist Rizal's story (he really can be called one of the first "modern" Filipinos), though they are depicted as marginal and pathetic, Rizal actually imbued the bandit leader with a kind of wisdom and gravity that was not possessed by the Spanish lords. There's a rich tradition of banditry in the Philippines that provides an alternate telling of history, where they represent an unfulfilled hope. The other groups that played these roles were the Colorum and the Sakdalists, who despite being made into buffoons by most accounts of Philippine history, still play a romantic role in the Philippine national imaginary, of symbolizing the fight for a mythical glory yet to be achieved.

So while our modern narratives of history (the ones we are taught in schools, whether favorable of the Spanish a-la Joaquin and Zaide, or favorable of the proletariat, a la Agoncillo and Constantino) all have their own version of unfulfilled Philippines (to the hispanophiles, a return to the bourgeois glories of high Spanish culture and to the socialists, a return to the truth of the people), we also have our alternate narratives that speak of a different unfulfilled Philippines, which speaks of a kind of cosmic justice (the stories of the loob, our versions of karma). Why discount one for another if we're all dealing with competing mythologies anyway?


:horse:
I've always wondered about the reality of the Katipunan being the proper national icon for the nation's fight for independence.

Really, if I'm not mistaken, the Katipunan was just born in 1892 and lasted only through 1898 (I may not be accurate with the years but I know for a fact that it only lasted -technically- for less than a decade.) And all this time the people who will figure in the first(?) Philippine politics would rise up to become major players. To my mind, the first dirty play of politics happened when, with the blessing of Aguinaldo, Bonifacio was executed in Mt. Buntis.

Can you imagine it, Aguinaldo having the founder of the Katipunan killed while at the same time being celebrated as the first Philippine President?

I believe the Tulisanes, also called ladrones, malebolo, malhechores, and bandido, should properly symbolize the fight against colonialism and not the Katipunan.

The Katipuneros had only been at it for 6 years while there had been Tulisanes as early as 1820 (could be earlier), with 7 major bands of Tulisanes reported in Cavite El Viejo.

Or put it this way, our Pilipinas had been under the rule of Spain for about 300 years. But only in the last few years of Spanish rule did Filipinos gain enough sense to rise up against the Europeans? The struggle didn't begin with the Katipunan, did it?

For many years now I have been digging into my roots. My Lolo once told his children na ang mga Montalan ay lahi ng mga tulisan. In my research, it appears ang panunulisan started when the Spanish authorities along with the Dominican friars land-grabbed legally-owned properties and forced their owners to pay taxes for using and tilling their own land. There were also peasant farmers who were abused and shown injustices much like the rebels today who took to the hills and joined the New People's Army. These events I learned had much to do with many peasant revolts in the mid-18th century.

In the case of my ancestor, Don Clemente Fernando-Montalan, it was the Spanish authorities stealing all his land and wealth. And this started generations of panunulisan in the family. Julian Montalan, the overall commanding general of Macario Sakay, came from this family. His background as a tulisanes could only explain his legendary exploits and skill in fighting the colonial American soldiers in the Philippine-American War from 1903 to 1907.

It's interesting how a few people in different eras and history are this way and they seem to know themselves at an early age.

like alexander the great?? napoleon.. octavian??
one thing about great people, is their uncanny ability to sense their future..

I've seen the movie Sakay too. Among other issues, I remember the most is a blunder on one of the scenes: white leghorn chickens are scampering in a barrio scene. How stupid it was! Wala na talaga siguro silang makuhang native chickens to serve as props. Sana wala na lang yung mga manok, mas ok pa.

isang napansin ko was they were using the modern american flag (stars arranged diagonally instead of horizontal and vertically straight). generally it was ok despite minor flaws.

like alexander the great?? napoleon.. octavian??
one thing about great people, is their uncanny ability to sense their future..


I hope you're not suggesting that great people realize they're great. If they do, I think -more often than not- they're destined to become villains, like BWAHAHAHAHA! WORLD DOMINATION!!!

...whereas "great people" or heroes may just be ordinary mortals who mustered extraordinary courage to overcome bigger-than-life obstacles. I think great people are everywhere. They just choose to be quiet about their achievements ...until some enterprising writers or historians spot them and decide to puff up or put spice in the life of their unwitting subjects with juicy and exaggerated details.
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