Filipino Freedom in Rizal's El Filibusterismo

Filipino freedom is one of the by-words in the June month-long celebration of Jose Rizal (June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896), his legacy to the Filipino race. In the quote below is a gentle rebuke to the Filipino malaise that has not found its cure to this day – a lack of true nationalism – a love for this country, the Philippines.  A side look at this quote gives away some insights on the present state of the nation.

“As long as the Filipino people have not enough spirit to proclaim, brow held high, and breast bared, their right to a free society, and to maintain it with their sacrifices, with their very blood; as long as we see our country men privately ashamed , hearing the cries of their revolted, and protesting in conscience but silent in public, or joining the oppressor in mocking the oppressed; as long as we see them wrapping themselves up in their selfishness and praising the most iniquitous acts with forced smiles, begging with their eyes for a share of the booty, why give them freedom?” – El Filibusterismo

Think About What Rizal Wrote

"As long as the Filipino people have not enough spirit to proclaim, brow held high, and breast bared, their right to a free society...

Two people power revolutions later, note how many student's hands inside a classroom will go up when a teacher asks, “Who likes to go abroad to work [and reside there permanently]?” Are there still many remaining Filipinos out there who will choose to stay put in this land and not become another country’s citizen? How many Pinoys, when faced with a direct challenge from another culture will insist on their Filipino-ness and defend it against another nation’s impositions? 

Or to put it another way, how many have embraced another way of life merely because it’s not Filipino or because it’s not “local?” Have we truly set ourselves free after getting rid of the major oppressors (Spain: 1521-1898; USA: 1900 – 1960 and onwards; Japan: 1942-1945; Marcos: 1972-1986) when other more subtle invasions brainwash our cultural mindset? 

and to maintain it with their sacrifices,

We declare the OFWs as heroes who have sacrificed greatly. But are most of their sacrifices for the good of the country? Should this question be asked or is it assumed that everybody who goes abroad and has his or her family in mind will eventually give back to his homeland?

with their very blood;

After the first quarter storm in the early seventies, this generation has yet to see another of this kind of sacrifice, in the truest revolutionary sense. 

as long as we see our country men privately ashamed,

Filipinos take pride in the professionals out there in other countries who are truly making their marks. But in most households in developed nations, a great number of Filipino workers belong to the lowest rank, and they are numbered among the more exploited laborers in the world.  

Back home, a nurse has to pay a hospital in order to have practice and experience after she passes the board exam. A teacher earns only enough to pay rent. A policeman has to augment his income through other irregular means.

hearing the cries of their revolted

How extensive has been the documentation of the sufferings of the OFWs? Mostly, the noise is about successes. In fact any kind of international success is a palliative to the ailing Filipino morale: So Hail Manny Paquiao! Cheers for Charise! Loud applause for the Filipino Indie Filmmakers winning festivals abroad!

and protesting in conscience but silent in public, 

Many people end up merely smirking at dead-end-win-some-lose-more deals reached by prosecutors of corruption. Cynicism prevents the citizens, especially the young people, from getting involved – at least in pronouncing their anger collectively and shaming the shameless propagators of bad governance.

or joining the oppressor in mocking the oppressed;

The influential who have the means to initiate change mostly play safe and just go through the motions. To preserve their vested interests, some hack away at every deal they could muster; the underpaid, the marginalized, the naive, the vulnerable, the ignorant be damned.  Those who are in charge of basic services are at their wits end in solving crisis-after-crisis, but nobody notices their gargantuan efforts since grand scale corruption drowns all their efforts like a Tsunami.

as long as we see them wrapping themselves up in their selfishness 

The ZTE scandal, the Jocjoc-Agri under the table deal, the PCSO foul plays, the GrandScale Landlordisms, the PIATCO scam, the unresolved murders of progressive journalists and social workers, the endless grandstanding in the house of representatives... and the list goes on....

and praising the most iniquitous acts with forced smiles,

Justice should always prevail but most of the time, the guardians drop their weapons and serve their pockets. They shrug their shoulders at “isolated irregularities” saying nothing ‘major, major’ has been happening and everything is all right. Hopefully greed will stop running amok on the streets.

begging with their eyes for a share of the booty,

When is freedom truly free? 

why give them freedom?”

Filipinos deserve true Filipino Freedom.

Designing Filipino, The Architecture of Francisco Manosa

Designing Filipino....coffeetable book 
Eric Carruncho, 254 pages

BOOK REVIEW
"Meditation on a Monograph"
(c)2005 by Jophen Baui

Flicking through this luminous monograph and coffee table book, and goggling at photographs of bahay-kubo and bahay na bato inspired homes, resorts, institutions, and religious landmarks, I was again stirred up to ask the oft-repeated question of what counts as Filipino art. A hefty, glossy brochure, this monograph re-creates the already actualized aesthetic passion of one true Filipino architect.

“Three factors make architecture truly Filipino,” says Manosa, “Filipino values, Philippine climate and the use of indigenous materials….”

“The point was not to rebuild the bahay kubo and bahay na bato – their time had come and gone – but to learn from them. What was their essence? What made them Filipino? And how do you build modern structures that meet present-day needs while retaining that essence?”

Found in the short biography at the beginning of the book, these words serve as wise haligi to Manosa’s vision of a uniquely Filipino design. Francisco Manosa, named by Asiaweek in September 1982 as one of the seven visionary architects of Asia, is considered “the most outspoken champion of an indigenous Filipino architecture.”

“His striking designs for residences and institutions incorporate vernacular forms and make extensive use of indigenous materials while stretching the boundaries of contemporary tropical design.”

Nostalgic Pinoy

In this book, each captioned shoot of his showcased legacy arouses nostalgia for everything provincial and pinoy --

·         Snapshots of houses contiguous with the spaces surrounding them and marked by “a return to the old… from the age-old customs and traditions of the people and the lessons of the past” – an apotheosis of which is the “coconut palace”.

·         Vistas of churches and commemorative structures that provide a “tangible feel of the Philippines” because… they are “rich in historical significance…” such as the EDSA shrine and the St Joseph Parish housing the bamboo organ in Las Pinas.

·         A panorama of resorts and hotels that “espouse Filipino values, consider our tropical climate, use Filipino motifs…” – noteworthy of which is the Mactan Shangri-La Hotel in Cebu.

·         And finally, a perspective of high rise buildings and institutions that considered local “climate, geography and materials…” and echoing culture – the San Miguel building, one epitome of such.

Filipino Aesthetic

Far from merely showing off pictures, however, deliberate in the design of this book is a sala-sala of insights for creative inspiration. Artists should be inspired by the book’s outspokenness, its vocal and visual articulation of an aesthetic Filipino philosophy. For example, the spread that is pages 24 and 25 captions an elongated blueprint of the upper floor of the “coconut palace” as consisting of “seven suites, each intended to showcase a distinct cultural group: the Ilocos Room, the Igorot Room, the Tagalog Room, the Visayan Room, the T’Boli Room, the Maranao Room and the Zamboanga Room. In each case, authentic artifacts and motifs were used for the décor.” Virtually entering these rooms lets me into even the color preferences of these cultures – enriching, and one that local tourists may miss.

How about also providing a tukod for artists who aspire to become a “champion” in whatever art medium and leave their own marks of excellence? Consider the book’s effort at providing even aerial views and topographic plan that shows how structures were “designed and sited to blend with the natural landscape.”

Appreciate its descriptions of unifying motifs and design principles using actual blueprints and accounts of serendipity. [I am amused that even the hexagonal design idea for the coconut palace came from the coconut itself, how it is trimmed and cut.]

The book is also a construct with a built in shed or sibi to protect the creative from the glare of “inferiority.” “We must believe in ourselves, our capabilities, innovativeness and creativity, and stop imitating alien cultures and architectures. We must believe that in accepting what we are and what we have – both their limitations and potentials – we can finally emerge as equals.”

In Mactan, Cebu, the Shangri La hotel used the stones and sand available in the area to build its sturdy walls. The twelve-story 1987 Eucharistic Congress tower was made from “200 bamboo poles….Gale-force winds tested its integrity and proved the soundness of this traditional way of building with bamboo.” Back pages of the book displays photos of industrial designs using bamboo, coconut, shells, local lumber, Note Capiz lightings and shades, shell works, wood inlay works, coco material works – all a direct output of innovating “from traditional forms using modern technology….”

Champion Filipino-ness

Thus, an artist flipping through the pages is inspired to become an able steward of local culture and indigenous materials. Outspoken and a champion of Filipino-ness, this book is a firm, authoritative witness to artists grappling for a voice. It affirms that every artistic medium is its own boundless space and limit; but without a vision any art is merely redundant. A Filipino-ness in every art executes the personal yet universal essence of belonging to an appointed environ that is the original design of creation. At least, for many artists here is more than a final clue to identity:

“I design Filipino, nothing else.” This is a bold declaration, coming from an architect now at the peak of his powers after a successful four-decade career. But it springs not so much from Manosa’s successes in his field as from knowing himself, where he’s from, where he’s going.

“Architecture,” he has said time and again, “must be true to itself, to its land and to its people. For the design of the built environment reflects man’s expression of his way of life, his emotional, philosophical, religious, technological and material values in response to his needs and environmental challenges.”

In a culture that often takes mediocrity for granted and is hasty towards becoming a part of the global culture, Manosa’s monograph is a trigger of sorts, some stubborn call to regional individuality, a celebration of Filipino uniqueness. 

more on expressions of the Filipino soul

Bencab - Filipino Artist, His Art and Vision

A BOOK REVIEW by JOPHEN BAUI

BENCAB by Krip Yuson and Cid Reyes, Mantes Publishing

Bencab, the coffee-table book essays the highlights of Ben Cabrera’s illustrious life as visual artist. Part one is a delicious read because Alfred Yuson chose those close-friend details that don’t clog or patronize, yet give intimate insight on the person of the artist. Part two is Cid Reyes’ intellectual digest of the art of Bencab, savvy and enlightening, truly an art critic’s stuff, seemingly low-profiled beside a feast of photographs of Bencab’s works, but in reality taking off like brush strokes as smoothly as its familiarity with the subject permits. 

Reading this book makes Bencab as reachable as the struggling artist, although already at his peak. After all, this artist is a Filipino who knows what it means to ride a jeepney and enter into the abstract thoughts of its passengers, live in a low class neighborhood and narrate all about roofs and patches, go abroad and survive a panorama of broken dreams, and travel to the past with a delight and passion for the costumes and facades of history.

The reader-friendly layout welcomes the reader into both Yuson's and Reyes's understanding of this very important person in the history of Philippine art. Highlights are enhanced by the creative and witty titles for each part… Pithy but witty labels with symbolic overtones summarize the intention that is to simply revel and take pride in Bencab’s  persona. In“Hand Over Heart”, read growth and passion as an artist; in “The Art of Being Filipino,” read compassion. 

Hand Over Heart

The chronological detailing of Bencab’s life in part one (Hand Over Heart) takes the reader to an easy journey, because crafting by Yuson is artfully short and visual, taking care that the images turn into sepia photographs that you can’t help but frame for posterity. Thus, the reader closes the book with pictures of Bencab and his Kuya Bading illustrating comics, Joyamentoring Bencab on stage design and abstractions, Bencab contemplating the provincial greenery in a bus ride from Bambang to UP,  Bencab poring over US embassy work while student protests rage outside the embassy, Bencab listening and drinking with Nick Joaquin inside Indios Bravos, and and of course, many pictures of Bencab sketching in Bambang, in his stall in London, at his house in Baguio, with his Tam-awan friends and finally laughing and joking with Yuson as he says “off the record” things.  Why, even Bencab with his girl admirers as he sketched them!

The Art of Being Filipino

In part two, (The Art of Being Filipino), it is Bencab’s non-political stance but perceptive gaze,  which informs Cid Reyes of the latter’s compassion. Not only are Bencab’s strokes being rendered in acrylic but Bencab uses acrylic to invite others to gaze beyond the opacity of the commonplace. There is something to be read in the choice of medium and subjects --- Filipina circa 1800s, heroes of the past, the color sepia, disasters, images of exile – that is more than nostalgic and decorative. Reyes asserts that Bencab’s mythical rendering of drapes and holographic distortions of faces insist on every Filipino's reality. 

On the jacket, it reads: “The essay argues for the aesthetic potency and significance of Bencab’s visual themes.” This significance is Bencab’s stamp which is anchored in a local context, yet resonating the universal plea for a second look and consideration for the plight of those who have less in life. 

Why You Should Read the Book

Bencab is an abstract of the man, in a way similar to how Bencab does his quick portraits - expertly - in pen and ink. Besides, you can expect nothing less from two award winning authors.

The book will charmingly sit on your coffee table, and every visitor can flip through its 287 pages and not get tired; look at more than the 30 photographs of the artist and feel nostalgic, and feast at more than 150 pages of pictures of Bencab’s paintings and gawk at what they have missed. Then for more information about this artist, there are four pages of a chronological index of milestones in Bencab’s life at the back of the book. Part 1 has 16 short chapters, Part 2 has 20 subtitles. 

Recommended to all Bencab lovers and people like me who can only read and dream about owning a Bencab.

Bencab is only one favorite. Read other Book Reviews