# 131 THE RELEVANCE OF JACINTO'S CARTILLA

Emilio Jacinto's work reflects our aspirations as a people. His Cartilla really hits the spot and if I had my way, I would rather have schoolchildren know this by heart than "study" religion. The Cartilla is not a set of rules. It's not like the 10 Commandments. The original version is not even numbered. My best guess is that all are equally given importance.

Nilagay ko dito na hindi nakasalin sa Ingles. Kung babasahin ng maigi, mas damang dama ang nais ihatid ng may-akda.

Mga Aral ng Katipunan sa Kartilyani Emilio Jacinto

• Ang buhay na hindi ginugugol sa isang malaki at banal na kadahilanan ay kahoy (puno) na walang lilim, kundi (man) damong makamandag.
  
  
• Ang gawang magaling na nagbubuhat sa paghahambog o papipita sa sarili (paghahangad na makasarili), at hindi talagang nasang gumawa ng kagalingan, ay di kabaitan.
  
  
• Ang tunay na kabanalan ay ang pagkakawang-gawa, ang pag-ibig sa kapwa at ang isukat ang bawat kilos, gawa't pangungusap sa talagang Katuwiran.
  
  
• Maitim man o maputi ang kulay ng balat, lahat ng tao'y magkakapantay; mangyayaring ang isa'y hihigitan sa dunong, sa yaman, sa ganda; ngunit di mahihigitan sa pagkatao.
  
  
• Ang may mataas na kalooban, inuuna ang (dangal o) puri kaysa pagpipita sa sarili; ang may hamak na kalooban, inuuna ang pagpipita sa sarili kay sa puri.
  
  
• Sa taong may hiya, salita'y panunumpa.
  
  
• Huwag mong sayangin ang panahon; ang yamang nawala'y mangyayaring magbalik; ngunit panahong nagdaan nay di na muli pang magdadaan.
  
  
• Ipagtanggol mo ang inaapi; kabakahin (labanan) ang umaapi.
  
  
• Ang taong matalino’y ang may pag-iingat sa bawat sasabihin; matutong ipaglihim ang dapat ipaglihim.
  
  
• Sa daang matinik ng buhay, ang mga magulang ang patnugot ng mag-anak; kung ang umaakay ay tungo sa sama, and patutunguhan ng inaakay ay kasamaan din.
  
  
• Ang babae ay huwag mong tingnang isang bagay na libangan lamang, kundi isang katuwang at karamay (ng lalaki) sa mga kahirapan nitong buhay; isaalang-alang mo nang buong pagpipitagan ang kanyang (pisikal na ) kahinaan, alalahanin ang inang pinagbuhatan at nag-iwi sa iyong kasanggulan.
  
  
• Ang di mo ibig gawin sa asawa mo, anak at kapatid, ay huwag mong gagawin sa asawa, anak at kapatid ng iba.
  
  
• Ang kamahalan ng tao'y wala sa pagkahari, wala sa tangos ng ilong at puti ng mukha, wala sa pagkaparing kahalili ng Diyos, wala sa mataas na kalagayan sa balat ng lupa: wagas at tunay na mahal na tao, kahit laking gubat at walang nababatid kundi sariling wika, yaong may magandang asal, may isang pangungusap, may dangal at puri, yaong di nagpaaapi't di nakikiapi; yaong marunong magdam-dam at marunong lumingap sa bayang tinubuan.
  
  
• Paglaganap ng mga aral na ito, at maningning na sisikat ang araw ng mahal na kalayaan dito sa kaaba-abang Sangkapuluan at sabugan ng matamis niyang liwanag ang nangagkaisang magkakalahi't magkakapatid, ng liwanag na walang katapusan -- ang mga ginugol na buhay, pagod, at mga tiniis na kahirapa'y labis nang matutumbasan.

* * *

Felipe de Leon Jr., one of our lecturers in the training program has this to say about ideology (italics mine):

A national ideology is a relatively stable system of ideas and principles often formulated by a government to serve as guiding force for the nation. Its aim is to define how the nation must live, ideas it should follow to achieve full self-realization. It is intended to harmonize the nation through a system of values that corresponds to the national character of the people concerned. Only in this case will the full self-realization of a nation be possible.

Jacinto's Cartilla accomplishes this because it recognizes our values that we hold deeply. I'm particularly struck by the last tenet:

Paglaganap ng mga aral na ito, at maningning na sisikat ang araw ng mahal na kalayaan dito sa kaaba-abang Sangkapuluan at sabugan ng matamis niyang liwanag ang nangagkaisang magkakalahi't magkakapatid, ng liwanag na walang katapusan -- ang mga ginugol na buhay, pagod, at mga tiniis na kahirapa'y labis nang matutumbasan.

Matutupad din ito.

# 130 THE CROCODILE AND THE CLEAN PASIG

My first unofficial tour was immediately followed by another assignment to give a free tour to two ladies. One's Filipina and the other's from Ecuador. Arnold and I took turns in each stop at Fort Santiago until we reached Falsabraga de Media Naranja, a false wall shaped like half an orange. It's facing the Pasig river and right across this structure is Binondo. I delivered my commentary about the Pasig River and told them an interesting anecdote about probably the second biggest crocodile in the world that was captured there.

This I got from Ambeth Ocampo's book Bonifacio's Bolo. There's some criticism about Ocampo's methods but for the most part, I find his works engaging and provoking. It led me to do a little research to support this story.

I'm just glad that there's a even a picture.

MUGGER THE CROC. It's unbelievably huge and it was caught here in the Philippines.
The crocodile's head is on display at the Peabody Museum in Harvard University. It's called "Mugger" and it measures between 27 to 30 feet. The head is measured at 5-feet-6-inches from the nose to the first vertebra.

The story goes that in the 19th Century, a Frenchman named Paul P. de la Gironiere set out to hunt down the crocodile that has victimized people, a horse and a sheep. With the help of the locals, they were able to kill the crocodile which lasted over six hours. He donated the head to his American friend. This piece would then end up in the Peabody Museum of Harvard University.

* * *
Last week, the Mabuhay Guides had a tour of the Pasig River and Santa Ana de Sapa. We rode a ferry with Architect Manolo Noche as our guide. I really enjoyed his tour and he was able to impart very useful information. Among these are the following:

• There used to grand houses for rich families on the riverbanks of the Pasig. We saw one of the old houses in Santa Ana de Sapa and it faced the river.
  
  
• Binondo got its name from the local term "Minundoc" which means a small mountain. It became a Chinese settlement after the Chinese were expelled from the Parian following the 1593 murder of Governor-general Gomez Perez de Dasmariñas by Chinese galley rowers.
  
  
• Santa Ana de Sapa is one of the more important pre-Spanish settlements along the Pasig River. Originally known as Namayan (where people lived) it was ruled over by Lacantagcan and his wife Bouan. The area was subsequently colonized and evangelized by the Franciscans who established their first mission outside Intramuros in 1577. Here beside a brook, “sapa” they built their first church dedicated to St. Anne mother of the Virgin Mary.

# 129 MY FIRST UNOFFICIAL TOUR

My first free tour happened after we finished taping an episode for Susan Calo-Medina's TV show Traveltime. Arnold (the fresh graduate armed with curious questions) Candie (the most gung-ho among all the Mabuhay Guides) and I agreed that since we're all dressed to kill, we might as well try out what we have learned from the training and see if we were really listening :)

For me, the biggest obstacle to a rookie guide who's offering free tours would be initiating contact to total strangers. I have the best intentions but there's this little cynical voice that gets in the way of doing the right thing. It's makes one doubt his or her capabilities. It doesn't help.

I'm digressing.

Moving along, we finally got our break from a group of foreigners who were willing to be guided. They're here for a conference at AIM (Asian Institute of Management). One's Canadian, the other one's from Mexico, the other is from the US, and I can't recall the other one. We toured them around Fort Santiago.

As rookies, there were times that excitement comes first before doing the actual job. Admittedly, there were lapses in laying out the must-tells to foreigners who were in a hurry and have a broad idea about the Philippines. The challenge would always be to keep them engaged and ultimately, make them ask questions.

The first one question was about the statue made out of cut and welded steel. It's in front of the old US barracks.
YOUTH'S CRY OF DEFIANCE. It's not Malakas at Maganda.
We quickly jumped the gun and told them that this was Malakas at Maganda. Philippine folklore's Adam and Eve. Then they asked who made it? That simple question left us dumbfounded for a moment but we were quick to recover our bearings and said that we'll research and email the information.

Thanks to the internet, we got our facts straight. The title of this work is: Youth's Cry of Defiance. This was a creation of one of our best sculptors. He's name is Eduardo Castrillo. Among his famous works are the Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal in Rizal Park, Raha Sulayman in front of the Malate Church, and the People Power Monument along EDSA. Check out this link to see more of his works.

The challenge would always be to keep them engaged and ultimately, make them ask questions.

# 128 MY FIRST OFFICIAL TOUR

After more than a month of waiting and giving free tours to visitors of Fort Santiago, San Agustin Church and Casa Manila, I had my first official tour as a Mabuhay Guide.

Mel, my colleague, and I were assigned to a group of Social Studies teachers from the Philippine Center for Civic Education. Most of them are from Sorsogon, Bicol. Their ages range from 30s to 40s. Majority are female.

Here are some of my observations that I lifted from my official report:

1. This group of Filipino tourists was fun but difficult to gather in one place. Most of them are first-time visitors and they were excited in taking pictures and enjoying the company of each other.
   
   
2. It is takes a great deal of effort to explain the must-tells because of prior knowledge. This is one of the things to watch out in taking this type of local tourist. They sure know what the guide is talking about especially on the following:
   
   • The dungeons in Fort Santiago where prisoners were drowned. Ciudad Murada by Victor Torres helped me on this one.
     
     
   • Rizal’s “deformities”. One of the participants asked this question. I mentioned Ante Radaic’s analysis about our national hero where he explained Rizal’s determination to make up for his physical deficiencies. When Rizal was little, one of his sisters said that he had an unusually huge head for a small body. His sisters were making fun of him while he was growing up. It was said that it was one of his motivations to succeed by making it “big” in different fields.
     
     However, I was quick to say that it does not diminish the greatness of our national hero. During the tour, I showed them the picture of Rizal when he was a little boy inside the Chamber of Text in the Rizal Shrine.
     
     
   • The validity of calling Rizal “Dr. Jose Rizal”. I was a bit careful in answering this because I read this issue somewhere that Rizal did not officially get this title from an institution but I stressed that he studied under the leading figures in ophthalmology while in Europe and made it big in Hong Kong.
     
     
   • Rizal’s height. Some say he’s 5 feet 2 inches while other accounts state that he’s 5 feet 3 inches. It is an inch of a difference but a good commentary should be based on hard facts.
     
     
   • The place where the Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios was written and how it slipped the Spanish authorities.
     
     
   • The note inside Rizal’s shoe when he was executed. Some of the participants picked this up from Ambeth Ocampo’s book Rizal Without the Overcoat. I explained that Rizal was buried right away in an unmarked grave and because it took a long time for his remains to be exhumed, the note was not retrieved. His shoes were rotting.
     
     
   • The veracity of the Filipino firing squad and the second row in Rizal’s execution. They asked the accuracy of this detail which I was not able to cite because I was not sure about my source. I read this “somewhere” and this was also used in the training but I learned that citing the source is very useful.
     
     It was a good thing that we are in the digital age. I finally found the article that came out in the Inquirer that discussed this topic. Here’s the excerpt (mine in bold):
     
     

     At 7:03 a.m., Rizal was facing Manila Bay when the guns were fired. He veered his body toward his right as he fell dead.
     
     The firing squad was composed of six native Filipino soldiers under the command of the Volunteer Soldiers of Maria Cristina (some references counted eight men).
     
     Descendants of one of the executioners, Adolfo Pastor Quetcuti, narrated how the captain of the guards put only one live bullet in one of the rifles, while placing blanks in the others. This was intended to ease the guilt feelings of those in the firing squad who believed Rizal was innocent.
     
     As an additional measure, another line of peninsular soldiers stood behind them.
     
     - Rizal martyrdom: The making of a national hero
     by Emmanuel Encarnacion
     First posted 04:29am (Mla time) Dec 30, 2005, Inquirer
     

     
     
3. Polo y Servicios/ Forced labor during the Spanish period. I asked them to also consider that not all churches were built on forced labor but also because of the Filipino’s religious fervor.

The tour went well because of the weather and the group. It was great to share information with the participants. They have the power to influence young minds. I urged them to tell their students to visit these places to know what we have, to know ourselves better and to eventually drive change.

# 127 A TRIP TO ARAYAT

I woke up at 5:00 in the morning. It was Good Friday and my fellow Mabuhay Guides and I took a trip up north to Pampanga, the land of A-A-A-A-A.

Pampangos are known for their excellent cooking, Lito Lapid, Sexmoan and Macabebe (the old folks would say: Sex-moan before you Make-a-Beybi), and the disappearance of the letter "H" before a vowel is pronounced. Take for example the Tagalog word "ahas". This is pronounced as "a-as".

Thus, Kapampangan laughter in the written word is read as: A-A-A-A-A.

Oh, before you get your Pampangan friends to label me as a racist, let me tell you that I'm a proud Kapampangan. A half-breed though :) My father is Kampampangan. His family hails from Santa Rita, Pampanga. My lola is a native of Betis, a town that has a reputation of producing a lot priests.

Ganda ng lola ko. An old picture of lola in her teenage years.
* * *
The Tagalog and Pampango share the distinction as "The Wicked Accomplices" in keeping the Philippines together from then until now- a claim that may border on arrogance but also a trait that shows how "politicized" these two tribes are.

Our national flag proclaims it. The eight rays in the Philippine sun are the first provinces (Manila, Bulacan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Laguna, Batangas,and Cavite) that started the revolution. All of them are in the Tagalog-Pampango realm. The Spaniards sensing a great deal of trouble placed them all under martial law after the battle of San Juan del Monte in Manila.

Why? There is no worse enemy than an alienated friend (The Aquinos of Tarlac by Nick Joaquin, page 19). For centuries, the two tribes were sent in various expeditions to keep the colony together. Both have trained and learned military art under the Spaniards. They know how to beat them and eventually, they did.

* * *
We saw a great view of Mount Arayat as we went to visit the Medina House. It was in this ex-volcano where the revolutionary forces sought its protection as their hideout and headquarters. Arayat was also originally called, Sinukuan from the word "Suko" which means "old and venerable".

We made a short stop at the Santa Ana Church where we saw a bunch of penitents doing their thing- taunting death to repent.

I bloody heart you. Penitent seems to be loving the pain.
After taking shots and wiping blood off my left arm (I was so damn near the action), we made our way to the Medina House. We met up with other friends from the Mabuhay Guides and had a sweet welcome from Susan Calo-Medina and her husband, Johnny. They treated us to pastillas and yema Pampango-style.

They encouraged us to go out and explore. We strolled around town and visited a church that was sponsored by a Medina with a P20,000 donation (that was a considerable amount back then) to repair the church.

* * *
After acting as tourists, we went back to the house. I had one of the best meals in my life in that house.

Aside from the company that I had going into this trip, I had a great time having a laugh with the descendants of the 1896 Revolution. Their main man was no other than General Jose Alejandrino, Rizal's roommate in Belgium and the first person who cleverly read the El Filibusterismo.

A blow-up picture proudly displayed in the house shows Filipino ilustrados in Madrid.
Ilustrados in Madrid. I got this picture from this.

I was told by one of the relatives that the original copy was lent to a government agency for the centennial celebration but unfortunately, it was not returned. If you look closely, Jose Alejandrino is the gentleman behind Jose Rizal wearing a top hat.

Stylishly heroic. Our heroes in Rizal's time were isputing.
* * *
We also met a lady named Leonor. She's a direct descendant of Leonor Rivera, Rizal's greatest love. She is the family's historian because she has an amazing memory. She knows the sons and daughters of each relative together with the stories and juicy stuff that makes our heroes human. Leonor is sought by historians because of what she knows and most probably with the way she tells those stories.

# 126 READ ALL ABOUT IT

This blog entry marks a new stage in my life. It's more about living my passion and sharing it with others. Welcome, ladies and gents.

My geekery shall now be housed here. As a background, I took the Mabuhay Guides training program for more than six weeks. A good part of this session was devoted to exploring our identity, our literature, our history, our food, our music and OUR EVERYTHING.

This blog will also chronicle lessons learned from each subject and I wanted to share these together with my personal views to as many people as I can. Thanks to the lecturers that we had, I am confident that I shall be able to present these topics in the best way that I can.

This would also serve as my blog for the tours that I will take soon with guests from the Department of Tourism.

There are three things that I learned from this program:

1. We can only excel in our own culture.
   
   
2. This quote from National Artist Virgilio Almario says it best:
   "Ang isang lahi na walang marangal na gunita hinggil sa sarili ay isang lahing madalîng alipinin at patuloy na may isip-alipin kahit bigyan ng kalayaan."
   
   
3. We need pride but we need to know and understand what we should be proud of.

I hope that my entries would help my fellow Filipinos to open their seeing eye. It is easy to put down our country in a tough time like this. Real love for the motherland goes further than eating adobo, wearing Barong Tagalog or speaking in Filipino. The three points that I mentioned comes close to what I think is real love.

"Ang isang lahi na walang marangal na gunita hinggil sa sarili ay isang lahing madalîng alipinin at patuloy na may isip-alipin kahit bigyan ng kalayaan."

I would like to thank Carlos Celdran and the late and great Francis Magalona for inspiring me and instilling this sense of duty and sense of country in proclaiming the greatness of this race.

I also want to thank our lecturers particularly, Felipe de Leon Jr., Flor Hornedo, Ning Encarnacion-Tan, Ramon Santos, Virgilio Almario, Eric Torres, and Toti Villalon.

A big thanks goes to my beautiful wife for supporting me in this endeavor. Be, this one's for you.

I would also like to thank my classmates in the Mabuhay Guides program for heeding the call of the motherland. Our work begins now.

There is no future. There is only now.

Plus ultra!

# 125 MABUHAY!

I'm just happy that I passed the exams and I'm thankful to have the support of my wife and also my boss. This is my way of making a contribution to Filipinas.

It's just a beginning of something beautiful.

I can't wait to share what I've got from the program. It made me know more about my heritage and the importance of having this knowledge to take on the world in a confident manner that speaks Filipino.

Mabuhay!