No 1045, District 25, Under The United Grand Lodge of New South Wales & ACT Australia [Views herein does not necessarily reflect those of LJR 1045 & UGL NSW & ACT.]

Monday, November 21, 2011

Roster of Members

Foundation Members

Bro Numeriano 'Nomer' Adriano [resigned]
WBro Mario Baylon Jr
[Lincoln Lodge No 34 GLP]
Bro Joel Joseph Cabides
Bro Eulogio 'Butch' Canicula
W Bro Israel 'Izzy' de Guzman
W Bro Russell 'Russ' Dobson
W Bro Marcelino 'Mar' Driza
Bro Jose Dan Elizes
W Bro Godofredo 'Fred' Enriquez [deceased]
 W Bro Micvi 'Mick' Fidel
W Bro Vicente 'Vince' Flores
VW Bro Rolando 'Rolly' Manarang, PDGDC
RW Bro Emmanuel 'Manny' Maniago, PAGM
 W Bro Roland Martinez
W Bro Herminigildo 'Hermie' Mateo
Bro Solovin 'Sol' Paje [resigned]
Bro Roy Purificacion [resigned]
RW Bro Fidencio 'Fidel' Pamplona, PSGW
W Bro Manuel 'Manny' Placido
RW Bro Rey Porras, PSGW
W Bro Kristan Regalado
Bro Vedasto 'Ved' Reyes [resigned]
[Lincoln Lodge No 34 GLP]
VW Bro Rodolfo 'Rudy' Romerosa, PDGDC
Bro Julio 'Jay' Roson
W Bro Manuel 'Manny' Santos
 W Bro Antonio 'Tony' Saputil
W Bro Alfredo 'Fred' Sese
W Bro Jacinto 'Jack' Sta Maria
Bro Roberto Urqueza

Members/Affiliates

Bro Larry Pamplona
Bro Daniel Vincent Placido
W Bro Roberto 'Bobby' Maneze
Bro Meinardo 'Meynard' Leonor [a] [resigned]
Bro Myles Eusebio [a]
 [Lodge Blacktown Kildare 393]
Bro Paolo Beringuel [a]
Bro Troy Quimpo
Bro Roderick 'Eric' Buenavista
W Bro Pritam Singh [a]
 W Bro Honesto 'Nesty' Bangcoro [a]
W Bro Ramon Fio [a]
W Bro Khris Albano, G Standard Bearer
 [Dalisay Lodge No 14 GLP]
Bro Rajeev Kalra
Bro Oscar 'Ohkah' Eugenio
Bro Oliver Gadista
Bro Rommel Cruz
Bro Justin Bayliff
VW Bro Remigio 'Romy" Nieto [a], PDGDC
Bro Crezalde 'Zaldy' Pagala
Bro Bienvenido Palad
Bro Miguel Vicente Santiago
Bro Roberto 'Obet' Castor
Bro Kim Siv Hour
W Bro Ian Harrison [resigned]
Bro JoMar Crisostomo
Bro Arnel Santos
Bro Noel Gosiengfiao
RW Bro Brian Malcolm Potter, PJGW [a]
Bro Dr Raul Amor [a]
Bro Alexander 'Alex' Casas [a]
Bro Timothy 'Tim' Glanville
Bro Gerardo 'Gerry' Musa [a]
Bro James 'Jim' Holdsworth [a]
Bro Sebastian 'Bong" Canicula III, FCF
Bro Ferdinand Sitchon, FCF
Bro Reggie Acre, EAF
W Bro Arnel DM Landicho, [a], Grand Sword Bearer
[Lodge Camden No 217]
Bro Gothemberg Roque, EA
[a] Affiliated

Lodge Committees 2011-2012

Management Committee

WM - VW Bro Rudy Romerosa, PDGDC
SW - Bro Manny Santos
JW - Bro Manny Placido
Lodge Officers

Trustees

RW Bro Fidel Pamplona, JGW
RW Bro Manny Maniago, SGW
VW Bro Rudy Romerosa, PDGDC
Bro Mario Baylon Jr
Bro Manny Santos

Ritual, Mentoring & Education Committee

DC - RW Bro Rey Porras, PJGW
Assistant Director of Ceremonies
Senior Warden - Bro Manny Santos
Education Officer
Membership Officer[s]- W Bro Rolly Manarang
and other qualified members

Nominations/Benevolence Committee

WM - VW Bro Rudy Romerosa, PDGDC
SW - Bro Manny Santos
JW - Bro Manny Placido
Secreatry - RW Bro Manny Maniago, SGW
Treasurer - RW Bro Fidel Pamplona, JGW
and Trustees

masoniCare [Caring] Committee

masoniCare Officer - Bro Fred Sese
masoniCare Officer - Bro Tony Saputil
Secretary - RW Bro Manny Maniago, SGW
Treasurer - RW Bro Fidel Pamplona, JGW
& other interested Officers & Members

Auditors

Bro Roland Martinez
Bro Vedasto 'Ved' Reyes

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Officers for 2011-2012



From left: RW Bro Manny Maniago, VW Bro Rudy Romerosa & RW Bro Fidel Pamplona
[Photo courtesy of W Bro Romy Nieto]

Worshipful Master - VW Bro Rodolfo 'Rudy' Romerosa, PDGDC

Immediate Past Master - RW Bro Fidencio 'Fidel' Pamplona, JGW

Senior Warden - Bro Manuel 'Manny' Santos

Junior Warden -  Bro Manuel 'Manny' Placido

Chaplain - W Bro Jacinto 'Jack' Sta Maria

Treasurer - RW Bro Fidencio 'Fidel' Pamplona, JGW

Secretary - RW Bro Emmanuel 'Manny' Maniago, SGW

Director of Ceremonies - RW Bro Rey Porras, PGJW

Senior Deacon - Bro Mario Baylon Jr

Junior Deacon - Bro Micvi 'Mick' Fidel

Director of Music - W Bro Herminigildo 'Hermie' Mateo

Organist [via computer]  - Bro Edward 'Ed' Banting

Membership Officer[s] - W Bro Rolando 'Rolly' Manarang

masoniCare [Caring] Officers - Bro Afredo 'Fred' Sese & Bro Antonio 'Tony' Saputil

Inner Guard - Bro Myles Jose Eusebio

Stewards - Bro Larry Pamplona, Bro Daniel Placido, Bro Richard Eusebio & Bro Paolo Beringuel

Tyler - TBA

Lodge Mentor/Education Officer - RW Bro Rey Porras, PJGW [PRGC]


Regional Grand Councillor - RW Bro William 'Bill' McBey [Jennie]

District Grand Inspector of Workings - VW Bro Paul Larbalestier [Diana] 

Looking Back: Rizal as teacher and pupil

By: Ambeth R. Ocampo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Tuesday, November 15th, 2011
 
"Last weekend I accompanied the Reading Association of the Philippines on a pilgrimage to Dapitan. Since most of the members were teachers, I advised them to soak in the atmosphere of the place and appreciate being able to literally tread the ground Jose Rizal walked on during his exile there from 1892-1896. To me as a teacher, the most relevant artifacts on display were the original table and blackboard (actually just a slab of Philippine hardwood) that Rizal used in his makeshift school for boys there. Everything else in Dapitan is a reconstruction of the original structures that once stood there. Thus, Dapitan, like Emilio Aguinaldo’s eccentric mansion in Kawit, is one of my favorite historic sites because it has not changed much since our heroes lived there.

"Dapitan was a social laboratory where Rizal put most of his ideas into action: he improved the town plaza and landscaped the ground with a relief map of Mindanao—a map that exists to this day; he taught the Dapiteños how to fish with a net and gave them their first taste of fluffy bread; he opened a sari-sari store, a school, and learned more about mangkukulam and herbal medicine in his effort to improve public health; he built a water supply system, tried his hand at the abaca- and brick-manufacturing business; he tilled the land and tended fruit-bearing trees on an estate bought from his winnings from the lottery.

"This is the Rizal that people have to re-discover in order to make him relevant to modern times. Rizal did not just write the “Noli me tangere,” the “El Filibusterismo,” and the “Ultimo Adios,” he wrote much more for a nation that does not read. Each time I go to Dapitan I re-read his letters to his family for here we see a plain Rizal, a Rizal without the overcoat, a Rizal who is heroic, although at the time those letters were written, he was yet to be executed to become a “National Hero” later.

"Anyone who reads the Rizal family correspondence will discover his nine sisters like Narcisa Lopez, his favorite, whose nickname Sisa is immortalized as a tragic character in the “Noli.” Sisa wrote him on Feb. 27, 1886, saying: “I suppose you don’t know yet that I’m now the mother of six children. In this letter you will see the names of the three older ones (in their own handwriting), and of the last ones, the older was Isabel, the deceased one, and the two, one girl and one boy, are called Consolación and Leoncio López, who is as fat as a melon. The children of Sra. Neneng are three: They are called Alfredo, Adela and Abelardo. Olimpia’s shortly will be three, like Sra. Neneng’s. The two who are not here are called Aristeo and Cesario; the older one called Aristeo, what a lively boy he is! His godfather is Sr. Paciano. He will be a useful boy when he gets older. At the age of two, he already knows a great deal. He is the only consolation of our parents, I tell you, because when you see this child, even if you are angry, you will be obliged to laugh, he is so funny.”

"Based on the above and the fact that Rizal came from a brood of 11 children, one can only wonder what his stand would be on the RH bill had he lived today. His large family was a constant ray of sunshine when he was homesick in Europe, and we can only imagine what joy Rizal got from letters. Another sister, Lucia Herbosa, in a letter dated Nov. 13, 1882, described a son born to her in 1882, whom they named Jose: “I amuse myself with José’s ear, which is like yours. I tell you that it is really like yours, but I pray that the likeness does not stop there, but that he may have your disposition, your goodness and diligence in good works.”

"In July 1886 Lucia’s husband wrote Rizal about their daughter Delfina who was suffering from “a little inflammation of (the) eye, which is the cause of her absence from school. What a pity she did not become a boy! She is bright and very studious. Her mother is always telling her not to read because her inflammation might worsen, but she is so hardheaded.” Imagine, a child insistent on reading! Twelve years later, in 1898, Delfina would assist Marcela Agoncillo in Hong Kong in the sewing and embroidering of the first Philippine flag.

"Even Paciano, Rizal’s older brother, was concerned about education, asking Rizal in July 1886: “Furnish me with information of the best schools there. We have many nephews, most of them promising. It is a pity that these ones should fall into the hands of teachers who teach unwillingly and do so only for show. It is true that they inculcate in children very sane principles, such as fear and humility, the first being the beginning of wisdom and the second of apostolic and civic virtue, but it is also true that fear and humility lead to dullness.” Rizal replied that “children are not allowed to be themselves, to make noise or to play. Instead, they are made to recite the rosary and novena until the poor youngsters become very sleepy and understand nothing of what is going on. Consequently, when they reach the age of reason, they pray just as they have prayed when they were children without understanding what they are saying; they fall asleep or think of nonsense. Nothing can destroy a thing more than the abuse of it, and praying can also be abused.”

"We must not forget that the Philippines’ National Hero was not born great, he evolved over time, developing as a hero amid interaction with his family."


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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Canberra City News: MWBro Derek Robson



Freemason with secrets to share


[Canberra culture August 25, 2011 at 9:21 am] by Kathryn Vukovljak


ONCE a secret society of mysterious passwords, unexplained symbols and obscure handshakes, the Freemasons are now revealing what goes on behind closed doors, according to Derek Robson, the newly elected Grand Master of the Freemasons in NSW and ACT.“We encourage men to live an ethical life; it’s not something to be hidden away,” he says.

“We’ve been told by past Grand Masters to ‘dare to be different’ and that ‘Freemasonry is good – let’s talk about it’. I want to promote open discussion.”

Derek, a former Australian Navy officer and now national secretary of the RSL, was installed as Grand Master in early August, something he describes as a huge honour, particularly as he is keen to “break down the veil of secrecy” surrounding the ancient men’s organisation.“We’re a worldwide fraternity, and although we’ve been called a secret society over the years, it’s time to reverse that,” says Derek, who’s been a Freemason since 1978.


“It’s not a secret society; it’s a society with secrets. And there’s nothing wrong with having secrets. Everyone has a PIN number that they don’t tell anyone else. For us it’s part of the mystique of the craft.”

Secrets such as Masonic passwords and handshakes date from biblical times, Derek says, when stonemasons and skilled artisans with differing dialects would use certain words and handshakes to identify themselves.

“We also use stonemasons’ tools as a visual way to remind us how to live a better life,” he says.

“Members are encouraged to allocate time to work, family, the Lodge and charitable acts. It’s important that no one thing becomes dominant in our lives, which is why we have the 24-inch ruler as one of our ‘tools’ – it reminds us to plan the 24 hours in the day.

“I particularly like the mallet, which represents taking action.”

Derek says there is some crossover between his work at the RSL and Freemasons. “The core values of care and the welfare of others are similar,” he says.

The only subjects banned in the Lodge are religion and politics, says Derek, and this is to encourage camaraderie and togetherness, and to protect the individual views of members.

“While we suggest themes for behaviour, there are no specific answers and members are encouraged to interpret themes to suit their own beliefs and what they want from their lives,” he says.

Freemason meetings are very simple, Derek says, and usually start out with administrative issues. “We also take part in 300-year-old rituals that we have to memorise,” he says.

“Then we close with a light supper, chat, speeches and toasts. There’s always a social aspect.”

Derek says there’s been a resurgence in interest in the Freemasons of late.

“Happily, we have more young men joining now than we’ve had in decades,” he says. “Our well-worn philosophy is that we make good men better, and people are attracted to that way of life.

“Anyone interested can just ask questions – we’ve taken away the mystery.”


Thursday, June 16, 2011

Reading Shaped Rizal’s Political Consciousness

By Bryan Anthony C. Paraiso

Philippine Daily Inquirer 6:03 pm
Sunday, June 12th, 2011

(Editor’s Note: The author is the shrine curator of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.)

MANILA, Philippines – MANY Filipino heroes, like Andres Bonifacio and Apolinario Mabini, assiduously collected and read books and pamphlets. But Jose Rizal stands out as the foremost bibliophile, his interests ranging from the literary to the scientific.

Even as a three-year-old, according to his elder sister Narcisa, Rizal was determined to learn his alphabet from the cartilla, memorizing the letters and their pronunciation within a day. He was deeply indebted to his mother, Teodora Alonso, who taught him simple prayers, folk songs and nursery rhymes

As a student at the Ateneo Municipal, he wrote, “By this time I began to devote myself in my leisure hours to the reading of novels, though years before I had already read ‘El Último Abencerraje,’ but I didn’t read it with ardor. Imagine a boy of twelve years reading the ‘Count of Monte Cristo,’ enjoying the sustained dialogues, and delighting in its beauties and following step by step its hero in his revenge.”

Rizal wrote to Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt on Nov. 8, 1888, “In my town of only 5,000 to 6,000 inhabitants, there are some six small private libraries. Ours is the largest, consisting of more than one thousand volumes; the smallest may have twenty or thirty. The Indio, in general, is very fond of reading and studying…”

During trips to Europe, Rizal frequented the bookshops of Antonio Rosés, Pedro Vindel, Fernando Fe, and Cuevas in Madrid, tracking down rare Spanish books that detailed preHispanic Filipino culture and other ethnographic materials.

Prized possessions

Noted historian Dr. Esteban de Ocampo indicated that, through these forays, the hero collected some 2,000 volumes. Rizal considered his collection important, and was angered by those who would steal his books: “Tell me if the book that was taken by a soldier had been returned already, and if not, what book it is. How good it is that while I economize money to buy books, anyone takes them away. You give me the temptation of buying everything in Germany with the certainty that there will be no lieutenant of the Civil Guard who understands them, but I will not do this for you, because you would not get any benefit…The books I have here are as many or more than what are there; see to it then that none will get lost, thanks that those gentlemen put up a library with involuntary donations.”

Unfortunately, Rizal’s valuable library, left in the care of his friend Jose Maria Basa in Hong Kong and sent back to the Philippines before World War II, was presumed to have been destroyed during the conflict.

In 1960, De Ocampo compiled a list of books and pamphlets collected by Rizal throughout his life. It appeared, from the list, that Rizal’s artistic and political preoccupations were shaped by the ideas and principles of Western thinkers.

Among the political theorists Rizal read was the British philosopher Herbert Spencer, whose atypical views on colonial reforms seemed to have been expounded in the hero’s second novel “El Filibusterismo.”

In “Man versus the State”, Spencer said, “In our days of active philanthropy, hosts of people eager to achieve benefits for their less fortunate fellows by the shortest methods, busily occupied in developing administrative arrangements of a kind proper to a lower type of society—are bringing about retrogression while aiming at progression. The normal difficulties in the way of advance are sufficiently great, and it is lamentable that they should be made greater. Hence, something well worth doing may be done, if philanthropists can be shown that they are in many cases insuring the future ill-being of men while eagerly pursuing their present well-being.”

Losing hope

Early on, Rizal was a firm advocate of assimilation with Spain through reforms. He gradually changed his views, as reflected in his letter to Blumentritt in June 1888: “I believe that it is already late; the majority of Filipinos have lost already the hope they have pinned on Spain! Now we await our fate from God and from ourselves, but never anymore from any Government!”

Consequently, in the Fili, published in 1891, Simon’s criticism of Basilio’s naïveté echoes Spencer’s trenchant remarks against colonial reforms: “You pool your efforts thinking to unite your country with rosy garlands and in reality you forge iron chains. You ask parity of rights, the Spanish way of life, and you do not realize that what you are asking is death, the destruction of your national identity, the disappearance of your homeland, the ratification of tyranny. . . What is to become of you? A people without a soul, a nation without freedom; everything in you will be borrowed, even your very defects. You ask for Hispanization and do not blush for shame when it is denied to you.”

The parallelism with Spencer’s views seemed to signify Rizal’s acceptance of the idea of an alternative form of governance for the Philippines, free from Spain’s “civilizing” involvement.

Though cautious, Rizal was not averse to the idea of revolution to effect extensive change. In June 1887, he said: “I can assure you that I have no desire to take part in conspiracies which seem to me too premature and risky. But if the government drives us to them, that is to say, when no other hope remains to us but to seek our destruction in war, when Filipinos would prefer to die rather than endure longer their misery, then I will also become a partisan of violent means.”

Getting ready

Rizal prepared for every possible event in the Philippines by reading and educating himself—from books on military history and strategy to politics, industry, and agriculture.

In April 1890, he wrote to Marcelo H. del Pilar: “I am assiduously studying the happenings in our country. I believe that nothing can redeem us except our brains: materialiter vel idealiter sumptum (materially or ideally considered). I still have faith in this belief of mine.”

Rizal’s passion for books contributed to the formation of his patriotic consciousness and, in due course, his literary voice as a political novelist.

Today, how many government officials have prepared for their leadership roles by educating themselves through books? With all the scandals besetting the country, perhaps they could learn from Rizal’s studiousness and selflessness: “…I do not aspire either for eternal fame or eternal renown; I do not aspire to equal others whose conditions, faculties, and circumstances could be and are in effect different from mine. My sole wish is to do what is possible, what is in my hands, the most necessary. I have glimpsed a little light and I believe that it is my duty to teach it to my countrymen.”

To know more about Rizal@150 and NHCP, visit www.nhcp.gov.ph.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Relevant by Conrado de Quiros

IT’S 10 days to Jose Rizal’s 150th birthday.

It’s customary during Rizal Day and other occasions that have to do with Rizal for speakers and writers to wrack their brains to find some way of relating him to our times. Or to (re)discover his relevance to today, as it is often put. This particular column is no exception. But I doubt if I’ll have to wrack my brains to do it.

The reason for that is that his relevance to today is more than obvious, it is ponderous. It leaps out at us. His times do not just hold echoes for ours, they parallel ours, in quite uncanny ways. Enough to make you wonder how far we’ve really gone from when Rizal was born.

Then there were the friars who were the fountainhead of wretched beliefs, which they spread in the name of religion. They were the ones who violently opposed the education of the indios on the ground that they would become too big for their breeches. They particularly reserved their scorn for those who went abroad in search of it (the indios bravos), deeming them to be potential polluters of the public mind when they came home.
Though a Catholic, Rizal was also a Mason, and subscribed to its philosophy of humanism and rationalism. Much as Martin Luther railed against the priests and bishops of his time, who distinguished themselves more for vice than for virtue, Rizal railed against the friars of his time, who distinguished themselves more for heathen cruelty than Christian charity.

Today there are the priests and bishops who are the fountainhead of wretched beliefs, which they spread in the name of religion. They are the ones who violently oppose any form of contraception on the ground that God wants people to overpopulate the planet. They particularly reserve their scorn for the President whom they regard as lesser than her mother for being a little less subservient to the Church, deeming him deserving of excommunication if he doesn’t mend his ways.

Can Rizal’s relevance in this respect be so hard to see? Now as then we are compelled to rail against those who do not see the immorality of defending electoral fraud but see the morality of encouraging people to produce more mouths than they can possibly feed. Fortunately, we don’t have to be Masons to do that today, for we live in more enlightened times. Or do we?

Then there was corruption of epic proportions in government. The governor generals did not particularly relish the idea of being shipped off to this godforsaken place and spent their tenure amassing as much wealth as they could with which to retire comfortably back home. There were exceptions, those who were reform-minded, but they were few and far between.

Since the governor generals had to be audited before they left the colony at the end of their terms, they had to amass enough to bribe the auditors, or oidores, with while leaving themselves with enough to make up for their pains. The only limit to plunder was a scale sufficient to stoke the overtaxed indios to rebelliousness. Malasakit, or concern, for the welfare of the ruled was virtually nonexistent, the rule for the most part being for the rulers to make hay while the sun shone.

Rizal believed that given the opportunity, or the reins of government, the indios would prove themselves better rulers. Contrary to what the Spaniards propagated, which was that the indios were naturally inferior, it was in their genes, Rizal advocated that all that was the product of history, specifically colonial rule, and with education, there were no limits to what they could do.

Today Filipinos have gotten educated, quite apart from independent, and have taken over government. But our rulers continue to look upon their tenure not unlike the way the Spanish governor generals did theirs: as an opportunity to make hay while the sun shines, the presidential term in particular being fixed to only one term. Malasakit, or concern, for the country has been on long-term leave, if not permanently absent, the country having experienced mind-boggling corruption particularly during the despotic rules of Ferdinand Marcos and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the brief, but benighted, one of Joseph Estrada. Which has left it biting the dust of its neighbors. Enough to make you wonder if it’s really in our genes.

Then there was a handful of ilustrados who were not really illustrious, who dreamed only of becoming part of Spanish society at home or in Spain, and a teeming mass of Filipinos who dreamed only of their rulers becoming a little kinder, there was no future other than under Spanish yoke. There was no sense of country simply because there was no country to begin with, there was only a colony. Rizal himself would not postulate an independent Philippines—it was left to Bonifacio to do that. But he had a strong sense of a separate people, with its own identity and destiny.

Today there is a handful of intelligentsia who are not really intelligent, who dream only of becoming part of American society at home or in America, and a teeming mass of Filipinos who dream only of finding work abroad, there’s precious little future other than under the heel of poverty. Filipinos in general have no sense of country even though they have a country called the Philippines, one that once showed the most tremendous promise. The rulers themselves cannot postulate independence, the essence of their foreign policy being the protection of American, and not Philippine, interests. It has been left to the youth, many of whom have been killed for being communists, subversives and seditious elements, to insist that we are a separate people, who can forge our own destiny if we put our mind, and soul, to it.

One hundred and fifty years after he was born, Rizal remains as relevant as ever.

[Appeared on C de Quiros' Philippine Daily Inquirer column: There's the rub, June 9, 2011]

Sunday, March 27, 2011

TIVOLI 2011: 7 April


Tivoli 2011 - to support masoniCare's Flood Victims Appeal


Lodge Thespian & masoniCare invite you to attend Tivoli 2011 to be held on Thursday, April 7 at the Sydney Masonic Centre from 6.30pm.

Tickets are $40 per person which includes a complimentary drink on arrival.

Tivoli 2011 will raise money for the masoniCare Flood Victims Appeal and will feature a fantastic line-up of entertainers.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Rizal in Dapitan


by Manuel L. Quezon III
(from an article, 1996)

The following extract is taken from Luis Serrano’s translation (from Tagalog) of the “controversial” memoirs of Dr. Pio Valenzuela, recounting the conversation he had, as emissary of the Katipunan, with Rizal on June 21, 1896, at Dapitan. Valenzuela’s memoirs conflict with the testimony he gave on October 6, 1896, when he was captured and interrogated by the Spaniards, in which he said Rizal vehemently refused to have anything to do with the Katipunan or a revolution. But his memoirs, and testimony he gave at court (he was cross-examined by Vicente Sotto, who had been sued for libel by a former Katipunero) in 1917, after the Spanish era, said that Rizal really favored a revolution but not just yet; some historians explain the discrepancy as Valenuela’s attempt to not implicate Rizal after his capture. The Rizal in Valenzuela’s memoirs is the Rizal I choose to admire.

Rizal: You have to use all precautions to prevent the discovery of the association.

Valenzuela: And if the precautions fail?

R: You, the principal chiefs, must see that the resolutions of the Katipunan are faithfully complied with; you are duty-bound to avail yourselves of all means to prevent the shedding of blood. When the generals do not command, the soldiers stay still.

V: The case of the Katipunan is different; if the generals do not give orders, the soldiers will order the soldiers. If the Katipunan is discovered, the revolution will inevitably break out…

R: Does the association count with its membership many persons in high society in Manila and in the provinces?

V: Unfortunately, no; in Manila and the provinces, there are about a hundred from the middle class; the rest are poor.

R: There is no other remedy but to attract to your association all the rich and influential persons of Manila and the provinces. You may also avail yourselves of Antonio Luna who is a very intelligent man, and who has free access to the homes of wealthy Filipinos. Luna, at the same time, can direct the campaign in case hostilities break out.

V: What shall we do if we fail to attract these aristocratic people to the Katipunan?

R: These Filipinos will be your worst enemies if you commit the imprudence of attacking the Spaniards without the necessary preparation. When they see you without arms, they will go over to the side of Spain and persecute you; and being Filipinos and rich too, they will win over your soldiers with their money.

V: And what are we to do then?

R: See to it that these persons are at least neutral -that they help neither the Spaniards nor the Filipinos.

V: Neutrals (sic)? By what means can we make them neutrals?

R: That is difficult to answer now. The means are born of circumstances and events…

The doctor invited me to talk on the beach, and upon arriving at a certain place he pointed to a spot in the sea where the boat to take him to a foreign land may drop anchor. Later, we returned to his house and during the walk the following conversation took place between us:

Rizal: Tell our countrymen that, at the same time that we are preparing for a war against Spain, I desire to see college established in Japan which will be converted later into a university for Filipino youths. I shall be greatly pleased to be the director of said college.

Valenzuela: I shall bear in mind all what you say and counsel, but I believe you would rather direct the revolution than manage the college.

R: I am ready for both.

V: As soon as we have arms and munitions we shall try to take you out of Dapitan before the revolution starts in order that the Spaniards may not get to you and shoot you.

R: As soon as you obtain arms, start the war against Spain right away; do not bother about me for I will know how to get out of here by any craft with the help of the Moros. When it comes to the redemption of the country, you must not look behind for just one man.

V: If the revolution breaks out before schedule and you are still in Dapitan, the Spaniards will hold you and have you shot.

R: To die and conquer is pleasant; but to die and be conquered is painful.

This is a Rizal far different from the one a Fr. Alfeo Nudas, S.J. chooses to proclaim as great; the Rizal who wrote, from prison, that “I have recommended study and the civic virtues, without which no redemption is possible. I have also written… that reforms, if they are to bear fruit, must come from above, for reforms that come from below are upheavals both violent and transitory… I cannot do less but condemn, as I do condemn, this ridiculous and barbarous uprising, plotted behind my back, which both dishonors us Filipinos and discredits those who might have taken our part. I abominate the crimes for which it is responsible and will have no part in it. With all my heart I am sorry for those who have rashly allowed themselves to be deceived. Let them, then, return to their homes, and may God pardon those who have acted in bad faith.”

And yet the Spaniards, as Fr. de la Costa (another Jesuit) once wrote, refused to release this “reasoned” condemnation of the revolution on the grounds that (as the Spanish Judge Advocate General commented) “Dr. Jose Rizal limits himself to criticizing the present insurrectionary movement as premature… as far as Rizal is concerned, the whole question is one of opportunity, not of principles and objectives… a message of this sort, far from promoting peace, is likely to stimulate for the future the spirit of rebellion.”

An individual’s choice of heroes, one’s decision to admire -and venerate- a particular character out of the past, says a lot about that person. What is even more interesting is that one’s choice of which particular facets to emulate in a hero -and, people being what they are, which facets to suppress or simply gloss over, since they are incompatible with one’s preconceptions, biases, or goals- reveals a great deal, too.

But reveals nothing about the true nature of the hero.

“I do not mean to say that our freedom must be won at the point of the sword. The sword now counts for very little in the destinies of our time, but do I say that we must win our freedom by deserving it, by improving the mind and enhancing the dignity of the individual loving what is just, what is good, what is great to the point of dying for it. When a people reach these heights, God provides the weapon, and the idols and the tyrants fall, like a house of cards, and freedom shines in the first dawn.” — Jose Rizal, FILI (1891)

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