Are You Interested In Filipino Historical Films?

Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral is now showing in Philippine theatres. Sadly, I am in Japan and away from the country. I watched Heneral Luna by Jerrold Tarog last 2015 and was looking forward for more historical epic films and Goyo is one of them along with another film about Manuel L. Quezon.

Among the local genres of films in the country, this is one of the closest to my heart. In my childhood, I was always waiting for the show Bayani every morning along with Sineskwela in ABS-CBN before going to school. If you think about it, all of the films are actually heartbreaking because almost all of our national heroes were killed, most of the time brutally, while they were fighting for the country.

Back in high school, Philippine History is one of my favorite subjects to talk about and listen to inside the classroom. I am blessed to have amazing Araling Panlipunan (Social Science) and Filipino teachers in Marist School. I hope we produce more teachers and historians who are passionate about the story of Filipinos in the past. Nowadays, it’s easy to fabricate stories and distort history so we really need them to tell us about telling the truth and how to spot what’s not true.

A true story: One of my childhood friend is a descendant of Emilio Aguinaldo. We were batchmates for two years in Elementary but he transferred school after Grade 4 and since then I never heard of him since our family also transferred house.

When I entered the chess varsity in Grade 5, one of my teammates surname was Bonifacio, which is rare.

Speaking of, my great grandmother’s name was Bonifacia. Named after the great Manileño hero, it somehow gives me an insight how popular he was and how Filipinos back them regard him as the de facto national hero.

How about you? Have you encountered some of the relatives of any of the important historical figures in the Philippines?

Marcos as the best president of the Philippines?

One time I wonder why I saw a Facebook post saying that the best president of the Philippines is Ferdinand Marcos. Really? Talaga lang ha?

For the record, I was not yet born during his lifetime. He died in Hawaii, right? If my sense of history is correct, when Marcos died, it was the year when they tore down the Berlin wall; we just had our new constitution implemented for two years; it was a time of rebuilding the nation from his ugly dictatorship.

Yes, I get irritated that I want to hit the unlike button (which is non-existent in FB) and even unfriend the person. Why do they think like that? Erase. Wrong question. Try again. Another one: How are they able to acquire these kind of erroneous mentality? I got a feeling that someone is responsible in spreading this misinformed history about Marcos. Somebody might be rewriting the past with some propaganda. Is it the Marcos loyalists or the Marcoses themselves? Am I just paranoid or what?

(As I am writing here, I saw a post against a local musician who is an anti-Marcos. There must be really a cunning propaganda lurking behind the shadows, huh? Or… just a bunch of people who idolizes the Marcoses)

Dear friends, I really love our country no matter how flawed she is. I can’t accept this trickery. Let us remember what our heroes fought for in exchange for freedom and democracy we are enjoying right now. Think about Ninoy Aquino or the many unnamed victims who are supposed to be living with us right now if not for Marcos and his Martial Law. There’s no need to mention them all; just read our recent Philippine history. Did they all suffer in vain?

I repeat: Remember.