SI BATHALA

The TAGALOGS Origin Myths: 

Bathala the Creator

Who is BATHALA?

In ancient mythology among the Tagalogs, there was a creator, a supreme god. He was known as Bathala Maykapal or Lumikha. According to F. Landa Jocano’s Outline of Philippine Mythology (1969), Bathala is the grand conserver of the universe – the caretaker of nature and the creatures of the earth. “Hence the beautiful word “bahala” or “mabahala” meaning “to care.” From this evolved the Filipino attitude of “bahala na” or “Let Bathala take care of it” which gives a person tremendous courage in the face of danger.”

We can only speak about the worship of Bathala with varying degrees of certainty. Most of the foundations of Philippine Mythology are rooted in documentation by the Spanish. This creates a bit of a dilemma. The same documentation that re-enforces mythological stories about gods and creation are one and the same with the documentation that is being used to discredit belief in folkloric creatures (I’ll speak more on this in a future article). Using this documentation, we know that pre-Spanish Tagalogs on Luzon “worshipped” Bathala, the creator. We also know that, for a time, Bathala was incorporated into Christian teaching by the friars in order to assist with converting the population to Christianity.

“As for their sacrifices, each one of the natives, so far as I have seen, has in his house many idols, to whom they pray. They call God, Batala (Bathala), and the chief idol which they have is thus named; but others call him Diobata (Diwata) – at least among the Pintados (term used by Spanish to describe indigenous people with tattooed bodies in Cebu, Bohol, Samar and Leyte) they give him this name. The natives of this island (Luzon) usually call him Batala, and even consider him God of all creation. Accordingly, after the religious came to this land and commenced to preach the faith of Jesus Christ, and to baptize, the natives have not known how to give any other name in their language to God our Lord, except that of Batala.”

 – Fernando Riquel – Endorsed: June 19, 1572, Manila

                 
                           


                              

The Creation Story (Tagalog)

When the world first began there was no land, but only the sea and the sky, and between them was a kite. One day the bird which had nowhere to alight grew tired of flying about, so she stirred up the sea until it threw its waters against the sky. The sky, in order to restrain the sea, showered upon it many islands until it could no longer rise, but ran back and forth. Then the sky ordered the kite to alight on one of the islands to build her nest, and to leave the sea and the sky in peace.

Now at this time the land breeze and the sea breeze were married, and they had a child which was a bamboo. One day when this bamboo was floating about on the water, it struck the feet of the kite which was on the beach. The bird, angry that anything should strike it, pecked at the bamboo, and out of one section came a man and from the other a woman.

Then the earthquake called on all the birds and fish to see what should be done with these two, and it was decided that they should marry. Many children were born to the couple, and from them came all the different races of people.

After a while the parents grew very tired of having so many idle and useless children around, they wished to be rid of them, but they knew of no place to send them to. Time went on and the children became so numerous that the parents enjoyed no peace. One day, in desperation, the father seized a stick and began beating them on all sides.

This so frightened the children that they fled in different directions, seeking hidden rooms in the house—some concealed themselves in the walls, some ran outside, while others hid in the fireplace, and several fled to the sea.

Now it happened that those who went into the hidden rooms of the house later became the chiefs of the islands; and those who concealed themselves in the walls became slaves. Those who ran outside were free men; and those who hid in the fireplace became negroes; while those who fled to the sea were gone many years, and when their children came back they were the white people.



Bathala and his adversary, Sitan

Bathala’s adversary is believed to be “Sitan”, guardian of Kasamaan and the keeper of all souls therein. His task was to lead man to sin and destruction. The relationship between Bathala and Sitan was first documented by Juan de Plasencia in 1589. How much of this can be taken as certainty and how much is a Christian interpretation will always be up for debate, but the concept of “hell” certainly predates the Spanish arrival in the region.  The Tagalogs “Kasamaan” may have more in common with Naraka – a place of temporary torment in Hinduism – than it does with the eternal damnation in Christianity.

“They said also that in the other life and mortality, there was a place of punishment, grief, and affliction, called casanaan (Kasamaan), which was “a place of anguish;” they also maintained that no one would go to heaven, where there dwelt only Bathala, “the maker of all things,” who governed from above. There were also other pagans who confessed more clearly to a hell, which they called, as I have said, casanaan; they said that all the wicked went to that place, and there dwelt the demons, whom they called sitan.”

– Customs of the Tagalogs, Juan de Plasencia, O.S.F.; Manila, October 21, 1589

sources: the aswang project, clark (2013). Retrieved from https://www.aswangproject.com/bathala/

THE STORY OF MALAKAS AND MAGANDA

(ENGLISH VERSION OF “ANG ALAMAT NI MALAKAS AT MAGANDA”)

A LONG TIME AGO, THE HOUSE OF GOD WAS A FATHOMLESS VAST OF EMPTINESS.

HE WAS SADDENED BECAUSE HE CAN’T SEE NOR HEAR ANYTHING.

THE SUN ROSE, BRIGHT AS A GOLD AND THE HEAVENS WERE EMBELLISHED WITH CLEAR BLUE SKIES. IN A DISTANCE THE FULL MOON PEEKED AMIDST THE DARKNESS WITH THOUSANDS OF SPARKLING AND TWINKLING STARS.

GOD GRACEFULLY LIFTED HIS POWERFUL HANDS AND IN JUST A SNAP, THE EARTH WAS CREATED. TREES AND GRASSES SPROUTED FROM THE LANDS AND FRAGRANT FLOWERS CAME INTO BLOOM.

OCEANS WAVED AND SURGED; RIVERS OUTRAGEOUSLY FLOWED. BIRDS FLEW FREELY IN THE SKIES AND THEY REST TO SING FOR A WHILE.

GOD THEN CREATED THE WORLD. IT WAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL AND PLEASURE PARADISE TO BEHOLD!

ONE DAY, THE KING OF BIRDS FLEW AND EXPLORED THE WILD BLUE YONDER.HE PROUDLY SPREAD HIS STURDY MASSIVE WINGS AND FLEW TO THE FOREST.

FROM A DISTANCE, HE SAW A LOFTY BAMBOO BENDING FROM ITS WAIST AS A GENTLE BLOW OF WIND TOUCHED IT.

HE HURRIED THROUGH THE BAMBOO AND STOPPED FOR A SHORT REST.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

HE FELT A RESOUNDING KNOCK COMING FROM THE TALL BAMBOO. HE WAS SURE HE HEARD A VOICE!

“SET ME FREE, O, STALWART KING OF BIRDS!”, WAS THE PLEAD. “PECK HARDER! I CAN’T BREATHE. IT’S A CONFINEMENT!”

“IT MIGHT BE A TRAP!”, THE BIRD THOUGHT. AFTER A WHILE, A LIZARD CRAWLED UP TO THE BAMBOO. THE STARVING BIRD TRIED TO GRAB THE CRAWLING LIZARD.

HE HARDLY PECKED THE BAMBOO IN HIS ATTEMPT TO CATCH THE LIZARD.

ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE TALL BAMBOO BROKE. TO THE BIRD’S SURPRISE, A HANDSOME MAN EMERGED FROM THE BAMBOO.

“THANKS, O, GREAT KING OF THE BIRDS! MY NAME IS MALAKAS. PLEASE CONTINUE PECKING THE BAMBOO. RELEASE MY PARTNER WITH YOUR GRACE AND POWER!”

ONCE AGAIN, THE BIRD PECKED THE BAMBOO.

A MODEST AND BEAUTIFUL WOMAN CAME OUT FROM THE BAMBOO. “SHE IS MY WIFE. HER NAME IS MAGANDA. YOU FREED US, O, KING OF THE BIRDS! YOU MUST LIVE WITH US FOREVER!”

“I CAN’T”, REPLIED THE BIRD. “I AM BUT ONE BIRD AND MY HOME IS THE IMMENSE BLUE SKIES. I TRAVEL WITH THE WIND. MY WINGS WERE INTENDED FOR FLIGHT. BUT, I WOULD ALWAYS SING FOR YOU. EVEN IF WHEN I’M GONE, MY NESTLINGS WOULD ALSO SING FOR YOU. WITH THEIR RHYTHMIC VOICES, THEY WOULD SING THE SONG I SANG FOR THE BOTH OF YOU!”

“COME! RIDE IN MY MASSIVE WINGS. I WOULD BRING YOU TO THE LAND OF THE MORNING. THERE YOU MUST LIVE AND STAY!”

MALAKAS AND MAGANDA REACHED THE LAND OF GREEN ISLANDS. IT SHONE WITH THE BRIGHTNESS OF GOLDEN SUN. THE WHOLE LAND WAS A VAST OF GLISTENING PEARLS OF THE EAST!

THERE, IN THE LAND OF THE MORNING, MALAKAS AND MAGANDA LIVED TOGETHER – THE FIRST PARENTS OF THE FILIPINO RACE.

SOURCES: ANGEL (2016). RETRIEVED FROM https://itscamilleangela.wordpress.com/2015/09/01/the-legend-of-malakas-and-maganda-english-version-of-ang-alamat-ni-malakas-at-maganda/

THE STORY OF TUNGKUNG LANGIT AND ALUNSINA

                                   

Once upon a time when the earth was but a shapeless, formless void appeared the god called Tungkung Langit (“ Pillar of Heaven”) and the virgin goddess of the eastern skies, Alunsina (“ The Unmarried One”).

The old Visayan folklore states that Tungkung Langit fell in love with Alunsina. After he had courted her for many years, they married and made their home in the highest part of heaven. There the water was always warm and the breeze was forever cool, not a bad weather was in sight, and the couple was happy. In this place in the heavens, order and regularity began.

Tungkung Langit was a loving, hard-working god. He wanted to impose order over the confused world. He decided to arrange the world so that the heavenly bodies would move regularly. On the other hand, Alunsina was a lazy, jealous, selfish goddess. She sat at the window of their home all day doing nothing but brush her long beautiful hair. Sometimes she would leave her home, sit down by a pool near the door, and comb her long, jet-black hair all day long. One day Tungkung Langit told his wife that he would be away for some time. He said he must make time go on smoothly and arrange everything in the world and did not return for a long time. Alunsina thought he was off to see a lover, so she summoned the breeze to spy on Tungkung Langit. Tungkung Langit caught the spying breeze and he became very angry with Alunsina. After he returned home, he told her that it was ungodly of her to be jealous since there were no other gods in the world except the two of them.

Alunsina resented this reproach, and they quarreled all day. In his anger, Tungkung Langit drove his wife away. And with that, Alunsina suddenly disappeared, without a word or a trace to where she went. A few days passed, Tungkung Langit felt very lonely and longed for his wife. He realized that he should not have lost his temper. But it was too late, Alunsina is gone.  Their home which was once vibrant with Alunsina's sweet voice, his home became cold and desolate. In the morning when he woke up, he would find himself alone. In the afternoon when he came home, he would feel loneliness creeping deep within him.

For months Tungkung Langit lived in utter desolation. Try as he did he could not find Alunsina. And so in his desperation, he decided to do something to forget his sorrow and win back his wife’s favor. So he came down to earth and planted trees and flowers that she may notice it, but she still didn’t come home. Then in desperation, he took his wife's jewels and scattered them in the sky. He hoped that when Alunsina should see them she might be induced to return home.

Alunsina's necklace became the stars, her comb the moon, and her crown the sun. But in spite of all his efforts, Alunsina did not return home. Until now, as the story goes, Tungkung Langit lives alone in his palace in the skies and sometimes, he would cry out for Alunsina and his tears would fall down upon the earth as rain and his loud voice, calling out for his wife, was believed to be the thunder during storms, begging for her to come back to their heavenly palace once more.

sources:
Luzvimida (2016). Retrieved from http://vizayanmyths.blogspot.com/2013/05/creation-myth-variant-1.html

BIAG NI LAM-ANG

BIAG NI LAM-ANG (Life of Lam-ang) is pre-Hispanic epic poem of the Ilocano people of the Philippines. The story was handed down orally for generations before it was written down around 1640 assumedly by a blind Ilokano bard named Pedro Bucaneg.

THE SUMMARY OF BIAG NI LAM-ANG STORY

Don Juan and his wife Namongan lived in Nalbuan, now part of La Union in the northern part of the Philippines. They had a son named Lam-ang. Before Lam-ang was born, Don Juan went to the mountains in order to punish a group of their Igorot enemies. While he was away, his son Lam-ang was born. It took four people to help Namongan give birth. As soon as the baby boy popped out, he spoke and asked that he be given the name Lam-ang. He also chose his godparents and asked where his father was.

After nine months of waiting for his father to return, Lam-ang decided he would go look for him. Namongan thought Lam-ang was up to the challenge but she was sad to let him go. During his exhausting journey, he decided to rest for awhile. He fell asleep and had a dream about his father's head being stuck on a pole by the Igorot. Lam-ang was furious when he learned what had happened to his father. He rushed to their village and killed them all, except for one whom he let go so that he could tell other people about Lam-ang's greatness.

Upon returning to Nalbuan in triumph, he was bathed by women in the Amburayan river. All the fish died because of the dirt and odor from Lam-ang's body.

There was a young woman named Ines Kannoyan whom Lam-ang wanted to woo. She lived in Calanutian and he brought along his white rooster and gray dog to visit her. On the way, Lam-ang met his enemy Sumarang, another suitor of Ines whom he fought and readily defeated. Lam-ang found the house of Ines surrounded by many suitors all of whom were trying to catch her attention. He had his rooster crow, which caused a nearby house to fall. This made Ines look out. He had his dog bark and in an instant the fallen house rose up again. The girl's parents witnessed this and called for him. The rooster expressed the love of Lam-ang. The parents agreed to a marriage with their daughter if Lam-ang would give them a dowry valued at double their wealth. Lam-ang had no problem fulfilling this condition and he and Ines were married.

It was a tradition to have a newly married man swim in the river for the rarang fish. Unfortunately, Lam-ang dove straight into the mouth of the water monster Berkakan. Ines had Marcos get his bones, which she covered with a piece of cloth. His rooster crowed and his dog barked and slowly the bones started to move. Back alive, Lam-ang and his wife lived happily ever after with his white rooster and gray dog.

SOURCES: Blogger (2013). Retrieved from http://cielomariegementza.blogspot.com/2013/10/biag-ni-lam-ang-summary.html

Ang huling pag-ibig ni Gregorio del Pilar

Mayroong dalawang misteryosong burdadong kagamitan ang pinakasikat sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas.

Noong 21 August 1983, nakilala ang lalaking binaril na kasama ni Ninoy Aquino sa tarmac ng Manila International Airport dahil sa brief na may nakaburdang "Rolly." Makalipas ang ilang araw ipakikilala ang lalaki bilang si Rolando Galman. Magkakaroon pa ng plakard ang mga rallyista noon na may nakakabit na brief at may nakalagay na inskripsyon: "A brief encounter with history."

Noong 2 December 1899, matapos na mapatay sa Labanan sa Pasong Tirad si Gregorio del Pilar—si Goyo, ang batang heneral—natagpuan sa kanyang kasuotan ang isang gintong locket na may ilang buhok at isang sedang panyo na may nakaburdang pangalan: "Dolores Jose."

Gen. Gregorio del Pilar

Sa kabila ng pangalan sa panyo, nananatiling misteryo maging sa mga historyador ang katauhan ng huling pag-ibig ni Gregorio del Pilar. Ang kuwento ng huling pag-ibig ni del Pilar at ang katauhan ng babae ay hindi man lamang mababanggit sa mga istandard na talambuhay ni del Pilar tulad sa isinulat ng historyador na si Teodoro Kalaw na isinalin sa Ingles bilang An acceptable holocaust: Life and death of a boy-general.

source:
Retrieved from sources;  https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/content/610067/ang-huling-pag-ibig-ni-gregorio-del-pilar/story/ 

STORY OF Jose Rizal and Leonor Rivera.

JOSE RIZAL – Here’s the love story of Jose Rizal and Leonor Rivera as to how they have met and the sad ending of their story.

For over 10 years, Jose Rizal was engaged with his distant cousin Leonor Rivera whom she met when he was 19 years old and the girl on age 13. She is our hero’s great and true love. Ideally and definitely pretty, Leonor possesses a wavy soft hair, high forehead, wistful almond eyes, small and pensive mouth, and charming dimples.

She is as well intelligent and talented as she can actually play the harp and the piano with a fascinating singing voice. She attends school at La Concordia while Rizal was a medical sophomore student at the University of Santo Tomas.

In their letters, Leonor used pen names such as La Cuestion del Oriente’ and ‘Taimis/Tamis’. However, around 1882, after some incident, Rizal left and went Spain without leaving any notice to his love which devastated her. Their only communication was through letters but due to Rizal being a Filibustero because of his published book Noli Me Tangere, Leonor’s mother bribed post office officials to give her the letters instead.

Due to this, Leonor was convinced to marry the Englishman Charles Henry Kipping which really hurt Rizal and indicated the end of their 11-year love affair. A couple of years after the marriage, Leonor died with her daughter during her second child birth. But she remained immortal because of “Maria Clara”. She was Rizal’s inspiration for the character in his books Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

Sources:
Retrieved from on 2018 https://philnews.ph/2019/09/19/jose-rizal-leonor-rivera-story-how-they-met-sad-ending/?fbclid=IwAR0UgkK7UfBg8OtR_zdnCHyGU4enwSGni9RVKowb8AL2925OVYoZfEKen-4  

A touching fictional love letter from Andres Bonifacio for his wife Gregoria De Jesus.

ANDRES BONIFACIO – Here is a fictional love letter of Philippine hero Andres Bonifacio for his wife Oryang that touched numerous hearts.

In schools, we often hear the heroic acts that Andres Bonifacio and his wife Gregoria De Jesus have done for our country to have the freedom that people are actually enjoying until now. But little did we know, there lies a story and love put into words from the Supremo of Katipunan to the association’s “lakambini”.

Mali ka. Hindi kita nakasalubong upang sa dulo ng kalsada, ako ay liliko sa kanan at ikaw sa kaliwa. Sapagkat saan man tayo dalhin ng ating pakikibaka, ikaw lang ang aking itatangi at makailang ulit na ihaharap sa pulang bandila. Hindi tayo nagpalitan ng mga kwento upang sa pinakahuling tuldok ng pangungusap, ang karugtong ay alingawngaw ng katahimikan. Walang pagod kitang aawitan ng imnong pambayan, Oryang. Hindi kailanman ako mauubusan ng salita upang maialay sa iyo bilang mga tula. Maging ang bulong at buntung-hininga’y magpapahayag ng pagsinta sa tulad mong umiibig din sa bansa. Hindi tayo sabay na tumawa, nagkatinginan, at tumawa pa nang mas malakas, upang sa paghupa ng halakhak ay may butil ng luha na mamimintana sa ating mga mata. Loobin man ng Maykapal na pansamantala tayong magkawalay, tandaan mong ang halakhak at sigaw ng ating mga kasamahan ay sa akin rin. Hindi ka dapat masabik sa akin sapagkat ako’y mananatili sa iyong piling. Hindi kita niyakap nang ilang ulit upang sa pagkalas ng mga braso ko sayo ay maramdaman mong iniiwan kita. Habambuhay akong magiging tapat sa ating panata, Oryang. Kapara ng binitawan kong sumpa sa ngalan ng bayan, tayo’y mananatiling katipun, kawal, at bayani ng ating pagmamahalan. Hindi tayo bumuo ng mga alaala sa umaga, tanghali at gabi upang sa muli mong paggising ay maisip mong hindi tayo nagkasama sa pakikidigma. Hindi ko man hawak ang bukas, nais kong tanganan mo ang aking pangako na ilang ulit kong pipiliing mabuhay at pumanaw upang patunayan sa iyong mali ka. At kung magkataong ako’y paharapin sa ating anak na si Andres, buo ang loob kong haharap sa kanya at sasabihin ko sa kanyang mali ka. Hindi ako bumati sa simula upang sa huli ay magpaalam. 

MYTH: Mariang Makiling

Long ago,in Mount Makiling,there lived a beautiful goddess name Mariang Makiling. She is beautiful,kindhearted and loving. She had a long shiny black hair and she often wear black pearls and gold jewelry. She often shows off herself to people living at the foot of the mountain as a human. Many times,people would climb up to the mountain and pick some fruits but when they came down,fruits changed into gold. People thanked her for it.

But one day,some people robbed her jewelry. Some hunters climb up the mountain and hunted for wild animals,cut down trees and left the forest at the top of the mountain denuded. At that time,one of those hunters is a mortal which Mariang Makiling fell in love with. She discovered that that hunter already have a mortal as his wife. After those things happened,Mariang Makiling was very angry that it thundered and rained hard that night and her voice was heard by all people leaving at the foot of the mountain saying "I have provided you food,treasures and shelter but it wasn't enough for you!I have given you everything you want but still you aren't contented. I loved you more than myself but still you searched for mortal love. Now,feel my anger! And wait for my revenge! From now on,you shall stand on your own feet and you will never see me again. I swear!" And she laughed so hard that it brought an earthquake.

After her large voice was heard, she never showed herself again to those mortals who abused her kindness. Today,it is still believed that MAriang Makiling is still living there.


source: Retrieved from http://myths.e2bn.org/mythsandlegends/userstory20017-mariang-makiling.html

Juan Luna: How He Got Away with Murder

Five months after Luna murdered his wife and mother-in-law, a fact that he admitted to doing, he was acquitted by the court. It was a time when criminal and civil laws in Paris greatly favored men. In just one day of session, the court dismissed the charges against Luna on the grounds of temporary insanity caused by passion.

Apart from being found to have had temporary insanity when he killed his wife and her mother, an unwritten law in France at that time allowed husbands to punish or kill their wives who were found to commit adultery. In the end, the most punishment Luna was made to pay was a price of 40 francs, which was the cost of court documentation. Five days after his acquittal, he moved to Madrid with his son, where he spent the next 17 years

The Pardo de Tavera family shunned Luna forever, for they never received the justice for the deaths of Doña Juliana and Paz Pardo de Tavera. Her brother, Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, who would become a respected historian, doctor, and statesman, blackened out the face of Juan Luna in every family photograph where Luna was present.

sources: LIMOS (2019) Retrieved from June 18, 2019

https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/life-of-juan-luna-a00293-20190618-lfrm

THE DARKER LIFE OR JUAN LUNA: A TALE OF JEALOUSY AND MURDER

Luna and Pardo de Tavera lived happily for the first few years of their marriage. They had a son, Andres, who would later become one of the Philippines’ most discerning architect in the pre-war period. One of his most notable projects is the Crystal Arcade building, which was erected in 1932. Luna and Pardo de Tavera also had a daughter, Maria, who died during childbirth.

Textbooks have always painted a positive image of the life of Juan Luna: an ilustrado, a part of the Propaganda Movement, and the Philippines’ foremost master painter. And yet we gloss over the most glaring, terrifying, and tragic event that haunted Luna all throughout his life and beyond: He killed his wife and her mother.

In 1886, when Luna was 29 years old, he married the love of his life, Maria de la Paz Pardo de Tavera, or simply Paz. After marrying, they sailed to Europe, making sure to stop by Venice and Rome before finally settling in Paris. Two years earlier, Luna had created the "Spoliarium," which won one of several gold medals at the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes.

Textbooks have always painted a positive image of the life of Juan Luna: an ilustrado, a part of the Propaganda Movement, and the Philippines’ foremost master painter. And yet we gloss over the most glaring, terrifying, and tragic event that haunted Luna all throughout his life and beyond: He killed his wife and her mother.

In 1886, when Luna was 29 years old, he married the love of his life, Maria de la Paz Pardo de Tavera, or simply Paz. After marrying, they sailed to Europe, making sure to stop by Venice and Rome before finally settling in Paris. Two years earlier, Luna had created the "Spoliarium," which won one of several gold medals at the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes.

Monsieur Dussaq in the Life of Juan Luna

Life in Paris was romantic, until the arrival of one Monsieur Dussaq into the life of Juan Luna and Paz Pardo de Tavera. In 1892, four years into their marriage, Luna and Pardo de Tavera’s marriage was already on the rocks. Luna’s temper, like his brother Antonio’s, was not one to be toyed with for he had very poor control over his emotions. For Luna, anger and jealousy were two deadly tempests that also made him crazy.

A Portrait of Paz Pardo de Tavera by Juan Luna

Earlier in the year, Pardo de Tavera made the mistake of speaking to Luna quite fondly of a certain man whom she had met in Mont-Dore, a mountainous vacation destination in central France. Luna did not like what he heard. Months later, on September 4, 1892, Dussaq called on the Luna residence looking for Pardo de Tavera. Luna became enraged.

Luna threatened Pardo de Tavera that he would harm her if she continued to speak to other men, especially Dussaq. When he was not convinced of her fidelity, he made good on his threat, eventually assaulting and beating her. As if those were not enough, Luna also destroyed Pardo de Tavera's clothes, prompting her to leave him and seek refuge elsewhere.
Luckily, Doña Juliana, Pardo de Tavera’s mother, heard the commotion and immediately summoned her sons to protect her daughter from Luna, who threatened to shoot them with his revolver.

How Juan LunA Murdered His Wife
and Mother-in-law

Weeks later on September 22, 1892, Pardo de Tavera’s brothers Trinidad and Felix came to visit and check on her and her son, who was sick at the time. The visit was brief, because the brothers decided to get breakfast at a nearby café.

Doña Juliana and Pardo de Tavera decided that they did not want to be left alone in the house, so they went downstairs and made their way to the café. But in the doorway, they saw Luna holding a gun. He fired multiple times at Pardo de Tavera and her mother, who screamed and ran back upstairs and locked themselves in the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Trinidad and Felix heard the gunshots and ran back to the house immediately. Luna was prepared for them, and also fired at them, seriously wounding both brothers. Afterward, he went upstairs and looked for the two women, whom he found cowering on the bathroom floor.

He pointed his revolver at Doña Juliana and killed her with one shot to the head. Then, he turned his gun on his wife, and also shot her in the head. Somehow, she survived the gunshot, but eventually died in the hospital 11 days later.

sources: LIMOS (2019) Retrieved from June 18, 2019

https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/life-of-juan-luna-a00293-20190618-lfrm

JUAN LUNA

                                 

Juan Luna y Novicio was a Filipino artist and sculptor and political activist.

Luna was born in Badoc, Ilocos Norte, Philippines on October 23rd, 1857. In 1861, his family moved to Manila where he attended Ateneo Municipal de Manila. He attained a Bachelor of Arts degree and excelled at painting and drawing. He enrolled in Escuela Nautica de Manila (Philippine Merchant Marine Academy) to become a sailor. He also took drawing lessons and enrolled in the Academia de Dibujo y Pintura (Academy of Fine Arts). Unfortunate his teacher felt his strokes were to vigorous and he was dismissed from the Academy.

In 1877, Luna and his brother traveled to Europe where Luna studied painting. He entered Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (Royal Academy of Fine Arts San Fernando). There he met Don Alejo Vera, who was a well established Spanish painter of the time. Luna was unhappy with what was be taught at the new Academy and felt he could learn much more from Vera. He left the Academy and traveled to Rome with Vera where he was exposed to the art of the Renaissance.

In 1878, Luna had his first public showing at the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Demonstration of Fine Arts). From then on he was completely focused on painting and began creating many paintings, some commissioned and others on his own. In 1884, he appeared again in the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes. This time he was the first recipient of three gold medals given at the event. His friend and revolutionary José Rizal gave a speech congratulating his friend.

In 1885, Luna established a studio in Paris. The following year he married his friend's sister Maria de la Paz Pardo de Tavera. Luna would often paint his wife as a subject. Unfortunately, Luna has was a very jealous man and he believed that she was having an affair with a Monsieur Dussaq. In 1892, in a jealous rage, Luna would kill his wife, brother-in-law, and mother-in-law. Just five months later he was acquitted of the charges on the grounds of temporary insanity. At the time there was also an unwritten "rule" that forgave men for killing unfaithful wives.

In 1894, Luna returned to the Philippines and traveled from there to Japan. In 1896, Luna and his brother were arrested for being part of the Katipunan rebel army. The Katipunan had close ties to the masonic fraternity similar to the Sons of Liberty in the United States. He continued to paint in prison. In 1897, he was pardoned by the Spanish courts and he traveled back to Spain. He returned to the Philippines the following year.

In 1898, Luna became part of the Philippine delegation at the Treaty of Paris, ending the Spanish-American War, which required Spain to relinquish control of it's empire. The Philippines specifically was ceded to the United States. After the Treaty of Paris, Luna was sent to the United States to try to get formal recognition of the Philippine Government.

Luna returned to the Philippines in 1899 when he received word of the murder of his brother. Later that same year he traveled to China where he passed away from a heart attack on December 7th, 1899.

Luna was initiated in Paris, France into Lodge Solidaridad No. 53. At the time the lodge members were acting as a Masonic club in Paris and were initiating members there.



SOURCES:

EMILIO JACINTO

"Whether their skin be dark or white, all human persons are equal; one may be superior in knowledge, in wealth, in beauty, but not in being more human." - Emilio Jacinto, Kartilya ng Katipunan.

Emilio Jacinto was an eloquent and brave young man, known as both the soul and the brain of the Katipunan, Andres Bonifacio's revolutionary organization. In his short life, Jacinto helped to lead the fight for Filipino independence from Spain. He laid out principles for the new government envisioned by Bonifacio; in the end, however, neither man would survive to see the Spanish overthrown.

Early Life

Not much is known about Emilio Jacinto's early life. We do know that he was born in Manila on December 15, 1875, the son of a prominent merchant. Emilio received a good education, and was fluent in both Tagalog and Spanish. He went to the San Juan de Letran College briefly. Deciding to study law, he transferred to the University of Santo Tomas, where a future president of the Philippines, Manuel Quezon, was among his classmates.

Jacinto was just 19 years old when news arrived that the Spanish had arrested his hero, Jose Rizal. Galvanized, the young man left school and joined with Andres Bonifacio and others to form the Katipunan, or "Highest and Most Respected Society of the Children of the Country." When the Spanish executed Rizal on trumped-up charges in December of 1896, the Katipunan rallied its followers to war.

Revolution

Emilio Jacinto served as the spokesperson for the Katipunan, as well as handling its finances. Andres Bonifacio was not well-educated, so he deferred to his younger comrade on such matters. Jacinto wrote for the official Katipunan newspaper, the Kalayaan. He also penned the official handbook of the movement, called the Kartilya ng Katipunan. Despite his young age of just 21, Jacinto became a general in the group's guerrilla army, taking an active role in the fight against the Spanish near Manila.

Unfortunately, Jacinto's friend and sponsor, Andres Bonifacio, had gotten into a heated rivalry with a Katipunan leader from a wealthy family called Emilio Aguinaldo. Aguinaldo, who led the Magdalo faction of Katipunan, rigged an election to have himself named president of the revolutionary government. He then had Bonifacio arrested for treason. Aguinaldo ordered the May 10, 1897 execution of Bonifacio and his brother. The self-proclaimed president then approached Emilio Jacinto, trying to recruit him to his branch of the organization, but Jacinto refused.

Emilio Jacinto lived and fought the Spanish in Magdalena, Laguna. He was seriously injured in a battle at the Maimpis River in February of 1898, but found refuge in the Santa Maria Magdalena Parish Church, which now boasts a marker noting the event.

Although he survived this wound, the young revolutionary would not live for much longer. He died on April 16, 1898, of malaria. General Emilio Jacinto was just 23 years old.

His life was marked with tragedy and loss, but Emilio Jacinto's enlightened ideas helped to shape the Philippine Revolution. His eloquent words and humanist touch served as a counter-balance to the blunt ruthlessness of revolutionaries such as Emilio Aguinaldo, who would go on to become the first president of the new Republic of the Philippines.

As Jacinto himself put it in the Kartilya, "The worth of a person is not in being a king, not in the shape of his nose or the whiteness of his face, nor in being a priest, representative of God, nor in the loftiness of the position he holds on this earth. That person is pure and truly noble, even though he was born in the forest and knows no language but his own, who is possessed of good character, is true to his word, has dignity and honor, who does not oppress others nor help their oppressors, who knows how to feel for and care for his native land."

sources:  Szczepanski (2019). Retrieved from March 06,2019 https://www.thoughtco.com/emilio-jacinto-of-the-philippines-195646

ANDRES BONIFACIO

                                     

Si Andres Bonifacio ay ipinanganak noong ika-30 ng Nobyembre, 1863. Sina Santiago Bonifacio at Catalina de Castro ang kanyang mga magulang. Siya ay nag-aral ng Elementarya sa mababang paaralan ni Guillermo Osmenia ng Cebu, ngunit siya ay nahinto sa pag-aaral ng mamatay sa sakit na tuberkolosis ang kanyng mga magulang.Sa edad na 14, ay siya na ang nag-alaga sa kayang mga nakababatang kapatid na sina Ciriaco, Procopio, Petrona, at Iroadio. Pagtitinda ng baston at pamaypay ang tanging ikinabubuhay nila.

Kahit salat sa pinag aralan, marunong siyang magbasa at sumulat. Dalubhasa din siya sa pagsasalita ng salitang Kastila. Kaya't nakapagtrabaho siya bilang ahente at klerk. Dito ay ipinakita niya ang kanyang determinasiyon at sipag  sa kanyang trabaho. Dahil dito, naging matatag siya sa kanyang trabaho.

Bagama't mahirap, mahilig siyang magbasa ng mga libro tulad ng nobela ni Rizal na Noli Me Tangere at El Filibusterismo, Ang mga buhay ng Pangulo, Ang "Les Miserables" ni Victor Hugo na kanyang isinalin sa Tagalog, Ang pagkasira ng Palmyra at Himagsikang Pranses. Sumulat din siya ng mga artikulo at mga tula na tungkol sa pagmamahal sa bayan, karapatang-pantao at kasarinlan ng ating bayan, Isa sa pinakasikat na tulang kanyang sinulat ay ang 'Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa'.

Dahil sa kanyang mga nabasang aklat nagsiklab sa kanyang kalooban na gumawa ng Himagsikan at kaya itinatag niya ang Katipunan o KKK (Kataastaasang Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan) noong ika-7 ng Hulyo, 1892, matapos dakipin at ipatapon si Dr. Jose Rizal sa Dapitan. Itinatag niya ang Katipunan  kasama sina Ladislao Diwa, Teodoro Plata at Deodato Arellano. Dahil dito kinilala siya bilang "Ama ng Rebulusyon."  At tinawag siyang "Supremo" ng ibang mga kasapi ng katipunan. Ang kanyang asawa na si Gregoria de Jesus ang siayng lakambini ng Katipunan. Mabilis na dumami ang kasapi ng Katipunan maging iba't ibang panig ng Pilipinas. At noong Mayo 1986 nagplano na sila na maghimagsik laban sa mga kastila, nguhit hindi ito natuloy sapagkat natuklasan ito ng mga Kastila. Noong ika-23 ng Agosto, 1896, mahigit sa 1,000 Katipunero ang sumama sa kanya sa Pugad Lawin, Caloocanat doon ay sabay sabay nilang pinunit ang kanilang mga sedula.

Sa gitna ng rebulusyon, isang pulong ang ginanap sa Tejeros, Cavite sa kahilingan ng mga Katipunerong Magdalo na ang lumahok ay mula sa Cavite lamang. Si Bonifacio ang namuno ng pagpupulong upang itatag ang Republika ng Pilipinas. Sa halalan si Aguinaldo ang nahalal na Pangulo, si Mariano Trias naman ang Pangalawang Pangulo at si Bonifacio ang Taga-Liham. Dahil sa tagasunod ni Aguinaldo ang mga nasa ilalim ng kapangyarihan ni Bonifacio, minaliit nila ang kakayahan ni Bonifacio dahil sa siya ay mahirap lamang. Nainsulto si Bonifacio kaya't ginamit niya ang kanyang karapatan bilang Pinakamataas na Pinuno ng Katipunan, upang mapawalang bisa ang halalan dahil sa pandaraya ng mga Magdalo sa nasabing bothan. Dahil dito kinasuhan siya ni Aguinaldo ng sedisyon at pagtataksil sa mga Magdalo.

Habang hindi pa nakalalabas ng Cavitesi Bonifacio at ang kanyang pamilya, inaresto at ipinapatay siya ni Aguinaldo sa kanyang mga tauhan dahil daw sa kanyang mga gawain na paglaban sa bagong pamahalaan. Pinatay siya sa kabundukan ng Maragondon, Cavite noong ika-10 ng Mayo, 1897 kasama ang kanyang kapatid na si Procopio Bonifacio.

sources: Olmics(2012). Retreived from https://pinoy-students-corner.blogspot.com/2012/09/talambuhay-ni-andres-bonifacio.html on September 07,2012.

APOLINARIO MABINI

Apolinario Mabini y Maranan (July 23, 1864 – May 13, 1903) was a Filipino revolutionary leader, educator, lawyer and statesman who served first as a legal and constitutional adviser to the Revolutionary Government, and then as the first Prime Minister of Philippines upon the establishment of the First Philippine Republic. He is regarded as the "utak ng himagsikan" or "brain of the revolution".

A Filipino theoretician and spokesman of the Philippine Revolution, who wrote the constitution for the short-lived republic of 1898–99.

Born into a peasant family, Mabini studied at San Juan de Letran College in Manila and won a law degree from the University of Santo Tomás in 1894. In an insurrection organized in August 1896 by nationalists, he joined the forces of the patriot general Emilio Aguinaldo and soon became his right-hand man. When the Spanish–American War broke out in 1898, Mabini urged cooperation with the United States as a means to gain freedom from Spain. At a convention held at the market town of Malolos in September and October 1898, an independent republic was proclaimed with Aguinaldo as its president; Mabini drew up its constitution, which resembled that of the United States. When the United States announced, however, that it would annex the Philippines, Mabini joined Aguinaldo in a renewed struggle for independence. He was captured by U.S. troops in December 1899 and, because he refused to swear allegiance to the United States, was exiled to Guam, not being allowed to return home until a few months before his death. Mabini wrote La revolución filipina, which was published in 1931.

sources:

Augusty, Bauer, McKenna & Zelzko (2020). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Apolinario-Mabini on January 2020

DR. JOSE RIZAL

                             

Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda ang buong pangalan ni Dr. Jose Rizal. Labing-isa silang magkakapatid at ikapito siya. Ang kanyang mga magulang ay sina Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y Alejandro at Teodora Morales Alonso Realonda y Quintos. Nakita niya ang unang liwanag noong ika-19 ng Hunyo, 1861 sa Calamba, Laguna.

Kung susuriin ang pinagmulan niyang angkan, ang kanyang ama na si Francisco Mercado ay anak ng isang negosyanteng Instik na nagngangalang Domingo Lam-co at ang kanyang ina ay isa ring mestisang Intsik na ang pangalan ay Ines dela Rosa.

Intsik na Intsik ang apelyidong Lam-co kung kaya’t kung minsan ay nakararanas si Domingo Lam-co ng diskriminasyon kaya upang makaiwas sa ganoong pangyayari at makasunod sa ipinag-uutos ni Gobernador Claveria kaugnay ng pagpapalit ng mga pangalang Pilipino noong 1849, ang Lam-co ay pinalitan ng apelyidong Kastila at pinili nila ang Mercado na nababagay sa kanya bilang negosyante, sapagkat ang ibig sabihin ng Mercado ay palengke. Ang pamilyang Lam-co ay kilalang mangangalakal noon sa bayan ng Binan, Laguna.

Bagamat ang mga ninuno ni Rizal sa ama ay kilalang negosyante, ang kanyang ama ay isang magsasaka. Isa siya sa mga kasama sa Hacienda Dominicana sa Calamba, Laguna.

Ang apelyidong Rizal ay naidagdag sa kanilang pangalan sa bias ng Kautusan Tagapagpaganap na pinalabas ni Gob. Claveria noong 1849 at ito’y hinango sa salitang Kastila na luntiang bukid.

Masasabing mayaman ang angkang Rizal sapagkat ang pamilya ay masikap, matiyaga at talagang nagbabanat ng buto.

Nang tumuntong si Rizal sa gulang na tatlong taon, 1864, siya ay tinuruan ng abakada ng kanyang ina at napansin niyang nagtataglay ng di-karaniwang talino at kaalaman ang anak, kahit kulang sa mga aklat ay nagawa ng ginang na ito ang paglalagay ng unang bato na tuntungan ni Rizal sa pagtuklas niya ng iba’t ibang karunungan.

Nang siya’y siyam na taong gulang, si Jose ay ipinadala sa Binan at nag-aral sa ilalim ng pamamahala ni Padre Justiniano Aquino Cruz, ngunit pagkalipas ng ilang buwan ay pinayuhan na ito na lumipat sa Maynila dahil lahat ng nalalaman ng guro ay naituro na niya kay Rizal.

Noong ika-20 ng Enero, 1872, si Jose ay pumasok sa Ateneo Municipal de Manila. Siya ay nagpamalas ng kahanga-hangang talas ng isip at nakuha ang lahat ng pangunahing medalya at notang sobresaliente sa lahat ng asignatura. Sa paaralang ito natamo niya ang katibayang Bachiller en Artes at notang sobresaliente, kalakip ang pinakamataas na karangalan.

Nang sumunod na taon sa Pamantasan ng Santo Tomas ay nag-aral siya ng Filosofia y Letras at Agham sa pagsasaka naman sa Ateneo Municipal de Manila. Kumuha rin siya ng panggagamot sa naturang pamantasan. Di pa nasiyahan, nagtungo siya sa Europa noong ika-5 ng Mayo, 1882 upang doon ipagpatuloy ang kanyang pag-aaral.

Nagpatuloy siya sa pag-aaral ng Medicina at Filosofia y Letras sa Madrid, Espana at tinapos ang kursong ito noong 1884 at 1885.

Noong 1884, si Rizal ay nagsimulang mag-aral ng Ingles; alam na niya ang Pranses pagkat sa Pilipinas pa lamang ay pinag-aralan na niya ang wikang ito. Bukod sa mga wikang ito, nag-aral din siya ng Aleman at Italyano dahil naghahanda siya sa paglalakbay sa iba’t ibang bansa sa Europa. Alam niyang mahalaga ang mga wikang ito sa pag-aaral ng mga kaugalian ng mga tao roon at ng pagkakaiba nila sa mga Pilipino sa bagay na ito. At upang mapag-aralan ang kasaysayan ng mga baying nabanggit na mapaghahanguan ng mga aral na alam niyang makatutulong sa kanyang mga kababayan. Bunga nito, si Rizal ay maituturing na dalubwika.

Ayon kay Retana, ipinahayag ni Rizal na sinulat niya ang unang kalahati ng Noli Me Tangere sa Madrid noong magtatapos ang 1884, sa Paris naman ang ikaapat na bahagi at isa pang bahagi ay sa Alemanya. Ipinalimbag ito sa Berlin, at noon lamang Marso, 1887 ay lumabas ang 2000 sipi. Si Dr. Maximo Viola na taga-San Miguel, Bulacan ang nagbayad ng pagpapalimbag sa halagang 300 piso.

Ang El Filibusterismo ang kasunod na aklat ng Noli Me Tangere na ipinalimbag sa Gante, Belhika noong 1891.

Itinatatag naman ni Dr. Jose Rizal ang La Liga Filipina noong ika-3 ng Hulyo, 1892. Ang kapisanang ito ay lihim na itinatag at layuning magkaroon ng pagbabago sa palakad ng pamahalaan sa Pilipinas sa pamamagitan ng mapayapang pamamaraan at di sa paghihimagsik.

Noong ika-5 ng Agosto, 1887, siya ay nagbalik sa Pilipinas. Ngunit noong Pebrero 3, 1888, siya ay muling umalis sapagkat umiilag siya sa galit ng mga Kastila dahil sa pagkakalathala ng Noli Me Tangere. Bumalik siya sa Maynila noong ika-26 ng Hunyo, 1892.

Noong Hulyo 7, 1892, alinsunod sa kautusan ni Kapitan-Heneral Despujol, si Rizal ay ipinatapon sa Dapitan, isang maliit na bayan sa hilagang kanluran ng Mindanao, dahil sa bintang na may kinalaman siya sa paghihimagsikan nang mga araw na iyon. Sa Dapitan, nagtayo si Rizal ng isang maliit na paaralan na may labing-apat na batang taga-roon na kanyang tinuturuan.

Habang nagaganap ang labanan sa pagitan ng Espana at Cuba, sa pangambang madamay sa kilusang ukol sa paghihimagsik kaya hiniling niya na makapaglingkod siya sa mga pagamutan sa Cuba. Binigyan niya ng isang liham si Kapitan-Heneral Blanco na nagpapatunay na kailanman ay di siya nakikilahok sa mga himagsikan sa Pilipinas. Ngunit noong bago magtapos ang taong 1896, siya’y hinuli ng mga kinauukulan at ibinalik sa Pilipinas.

Ikinulong si Rizal sa Maynila sa Real Fuerza de Santiago. Nang iharap sa hukumang militar at litisin, siya ay nahatulang barilin sa Bagumbayan.

Noong ika-29 ng Disyembre, 1896, Sinulat ni Rizal ang kanyang Mi Ultimo Adios (Huling Paalam) isang tulang kakikitaan ng magigiting na kaisipan at damdamin.

At noong ika-30 ng Disyembre, si Rizal ay binaril sa Bagumbayan na ngayon ay tinatawag na Luneta.

Siya ay nagkaroon ng 9 na kasintahan. Pero ang kanyang minahal ng lubos ay si Leonor Rivera. Subalit sa huli ay minahal niya si Josephine Bracken.

1. Segunda Katigbak          2. Leonor Valenzuela   3. Leonor Rivera     4. Consuelo Ortega y Rey

5. O-Sei-San   6. Gertrude Beckett      7. Suzanne Jacoby    8. Adelene Bousteds 

9. Josephine Bracken

11 na magkakapatid sila Dr. Jose Rizal.Narito ang taon at kapanganakan at kamatayan nila:

SATURNINA RIZAL (1850-1913)        PACIANO RIZAL (1851-1930)

NARCISA RIZAL (1852-1939)            OLYMPIA RIZAL (1855-1887)

LUCIA RIZAL (1857-1919)             MARIA RIZAL (1859-1945)

JOSE RIZAL (1861-1896)                          CONCEPCION RIZAL (1862-1865)

JOSEFA RIZAL (1865-1945)               TRINIDAD RIZAL (1868-1951)

SOLEDAD RIZAL (1870-1929)                SATURNINA RIZAL (1850-1913)

BSED Filipino Major. Retrived from;   https://www.facebook.com/1793231607466410/posts/talambuhay-ni-jose-rizalbuod-ng-talambuhay-ni-dr-jose-rizaljose-protacio-rizal-m/1865967290192841/ on 2017-2018.

GREGORIO DEL PILLAR

Si Gregorio del Pilar (Gre·gór·yo del Pi·lár) ang binansagang “Bayani ng Pasong Tirad” at pinaka-batàng heneral sa Himagsikang Filipino. Ipinanganak siyá noong 14 Nobyembre 1875 sa San Jose, Bulacan, Bulacan. Ang ama niyang si Fernando H. del Pilar ay kapatid ni Marcelo H. del Pilar, at bagama’t angkan ng mayamang Gatmaitan ay nása sangang mahirap ang kaniyang pamilya.

Matagal na niyang nais sumapi sa Katipunan ngunit hindi  tinanggapdahil masyadong batà. Gayunman, nagsilbi siyáng tagapagdalá ng mensahe at tagapagkalat ng mga akdang ma- panghimagsik. Nang sumiklab ang Himagsikang Filipino, tumakas palabas ng Maynila si Goyo (palayaw niya) at tinanggap na ring kasapi ng Katipunan.

Unang nakilála ang kagitingan ni Goyo sa Labanang Kakarong, isang lugar sa Pandi, Bulacan, noong 1 Enero 1897. Dahil dito’y nabigyan siyá ng ranggong tinyente. Kinagulatan siyá sa pag-asinta ng rebolber. Sa kaniyang kahusayan sa pakikidigma ay itinaas ang ranggo niya sa tenyente-koronel. Kabilang siyá sa lumagda sa Konsti-tusyong Biyak-na-Bato at sa maliit na pangkat na isináma ni Aguinaldo sa Hong Kong kaugnay ng pansamantalang kapayapaan. Kasáma rin siya ni Aguinaldo nang bumalik sa Filipinas. Sa Cavite, hinirang siyá ni Aguinaldo bilang “diktador ng Bulacan at Nueva Ecija.” Sa loob naman ng madalîng panahon, nakabuo siyá ng batalyon at napasuko niya ang mga Español sa Bulacan at Nueva Ecija. Itinaas siyá ni Aguinaldo sa ganap na heneral at noong inagurasyon ng Kongresong Malolos ay pinanguna siyá sa paradang militar.

Kasáma ni Aguinaldo si Goyo sa pag-urong mula sa Bayambang, Pangasinan hanggang makarating sila sa Ilocos Sur. Noong 1 Disyembre 1899, ipinasiya niya, kasáma ang maliit na pangkat ng kawal na Filipino, na harapin ang mga tumutugis na Americano sa Pasong Tirad. Ipinagtanggol nila ang paso upang magkaroon ng panahon ang pangkat ni Aguinaldo na makalayô. Kasama si Goyo sa mga nagbuwis ng buhay sa labanang iyon bago nakuha ang Pasong Tirad. Ipinangalan sa kaniya ang isang bayan sa Ilocos Sur at ang Fort Del Pilar, tahanan ng Philippine Military Academy sa Lungsod ng Baguio.

source: https://philippineculturaleducation.com.ph/del-pilar-gregorio/

A TIMELINE OF THE HISTORY OF THE PHILIPPINES

The Early Philippines

10th Century Filipinos trade with China

12th Century Filipinos trade with the Arabs

1521 Magellan reaches the Philippines and claims them for Spain

1565 Miguel Lopez de Legazpi leads an expedition to The Philippines and builds a fort there

1571 The Spaniards land in Luzon and found Manila. The Spanish set up a feudal system. Spanish friars convert the indigenous people to Christianity.

1762-62 The British occupy Manila

1872 A rebellion takes place in Cavite but it is soon crushed

1892 Jose Rizal founds Liga Filipina

1896 Another rebellion breaks out but the Spanish crush it

1898 The Philippines declare independence. However, the USA plans to take over from Spain after winning a war with that country.

1899-1902 The USA fights Filipino patriots

The Modern Philippines

1935 The Philippines are made semi-independent
1942 Japan occupies the Philippines
1945 The Americans recapture Manila
1946 The Philippines become independent
1965 Ferdinand Marcos becomes President of The Philippines
1972 Marcos declares martial law
1980 Benigno Aquino goes into exile
1983 Aquino returns to the Philippines but he is shot
1986 Marcos is forced to flee and Cory Aquino replaces him
1992 Fidel Ramos becomes president
1993 The Americans leave Subic Bay

2000 Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo becomes president of The Philippines

SOURCE: http://www.localhistories.org/philippinestime.html

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PHILIPPINES

The Early Philippines

The first people in the Philippines were hunter-gatherers. However, between 3,000 BC and 2,000 BC, people learned to farm. They grew rice and domesticated animals. From the 10th AD century Filipinos traded with China and by the 12th Century AD Arab merchants reached the Philippines and they introduced Islam.

Then in 1521, Ferdinand Magellan sailed across the Pacific. He landed in the Philippines and claimed them for Spain. Magellan baptized a chief called Humabon and hoped to make him a puppet ruler on behalf of the Spanish crown. Magellan demanded that other chiefs submit to Humabon but one chief named Lapu Lapu refused. Magellan led a force to crush him. However, the Spanish soldiers were scattered and Magellan was killed.

The Spaniards did not gain a foothold in the Philippines until 1565 when Miguel Lopez de Legazpi led an expedition, which built a fort in Cebu. Later, in 1571 the Spaniards landed in Luzon. Here they built the city of Intramuros (later called Manila), which became the capital of the Philippines. Spanish conquistadors marched inland and conquered Luzon. They created a feudal system. Spaniards owned vast estates worked by Filipinos.

Along with conquistadors went friars who converted the Filipinos to Catholicism. The friars also built schools and universities.

The Spanish colony in the Philippines brought prosperity - for the upper class anyway! Each year the Chinese exported goods such as silk, porcelain, and lacquer to the Philippines. From there they were re-exported to Mexico.

The years passed uneventfully in the Philippines until in 1762 the British captured Manila. They held it for two years but they handed it back in 1764 under the terms of the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1763.

The Philippines in the 19th Century

In 1872 there was a rebellion in Cavite but it was quickly crushed. In 1892 Jose Rizal founded a movement called Liga Filipina, which called for reform rather than revolution. As a result, Rizal was arrested and exiled to Dapitan on Mindanao.

Meanwhile, Andres Bonifacio formed a more extreme organization called the Katipunan. In August 1896 they began a revolution. Jose Rizal was accused of supporting the revolution, although he did not and he was executed on 30 December 1896. Yet his execution merely inflamed Filipino opinion and the revolution grew.

Then in 1898 came the war between the USA and Spain. On 30 April 1898, the Americans defeated the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay. Meanwhile, Filipino revolutionaries had surrounded Manila. Their leader, Emilio Aguinaldo declared the Philippines independent on 12 June. However, as part of the peace treaty, Spain ceded the Philippines to the USA. The Americans planned to take over.

The war between American forces in Manila and the Filipinos began on 4 February 1899. The Filipino-American War lasted until 1902 when Aguinaldo was captured.

The Philippines in the 20th Century

American rule in the Philippines was paternalistic. They called their policy 'Benevolent Assimilation'. They wanted to 'Americanize' the Filipinos but they never quite succeeded. However, they did do some good. Many American teachers were sent to the Philippines in a ship called the Thomas and they did increase literacy.

In 1935 the Philippines were made a commonwealth and were semi-independent. Manuel Quezon became president. The USA promised that the Philippines would become completely independent in 1945.

However, in December 1941 Japan attacked the US fleet at Pearl Harbor. On 10 December 1941 Japanese troops invaded the Philippines. They captured Manila on 2 January 1941. By 6 May 1942, all of the Philippines were in Japanese hands.

However American troops returned to the Philippines in October 1944. They recaptured Manila in February 1945.

The Philippines became independent on 4 July 1946. Manuel Roxas was the first president of the newly independent nation.

Ferdinand Marcos (1917-1989) was elected president in 1965. He was re-elected in 1969. However, the Philippines was dogged by poverty and inequality. In the 1960s a land reform program began. However many peasants were frustrated by its slow progress and a Communist insurgency began in the countryside.

On 21 September 1972 Marcos declared martial law. He imposed a curfew, suspended Congress and arrested opposition leaders.

The Marcos dictatorship was exceedingly corrupt and Marcos and his cronies enriched themselves.

Then, in 1980 opposition leader Benigno Aquino went into exile in the USA. When he returned on 21 August 1983 he was shot. Aquino became a martyr and Filipinos were enraged by his murder.

In February 1986 Marcos called an election. The opposition united behind Cory Aquino the widow of Benigno. Marcos claimed victory (a clear case of electoral fraud). Cory Aquino also claimed victory and ordinary people took to the streets to show their support for her. The followers of Marcos deserted him and he bowed to the inevitable and went into exile.

Things did not go smoothly for Corazon Aquino. (She survived 7 coup attempts). Furthermore, the American bases in the Philippines (Subic Bay Naval Base and Clark Air Base) were unpopular with many Filipinos who felt they should go. In 1992 Mount Pinatubo erupted and covered Clark in volcanic ash forcing the Americans to leave. They left Subic Bay in 1993.

In 1992 Fidel Ramos became president. He improved the infrastructure in the Philippines including the electricity supply. The industry was privatized and the economy began to grow more rapidly.

However, at the end of the 1990s, the Philippine economy entered a crisis. Meanwhile, in 1998 Joseph Estrada, known as Erap became president. Estrada was accused of corruption and he was impeached in November 2000. Estrada was not convicted. Nevertheless, people demonstrated against him and the military withdrew its support. Estrada was forced to leave the office and Vice-president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo replaced him. She was re-elected in 2004.

The Philippines in the 21st Century

Today the Philippines is still poor but things are changing. Since 2010 the Philippine economy has grown at about 6% a year. Today there is reason to be optimistic for the future. Today the population of the Philippines is 103 million.
source: http://www.localhistories.org/philippines.html