Sunday, November 30, 2008

TRIBUTES TO ANDRES BONIFACIO

ANDRES BONIFACIO
(November 30, 1863 – May 10, 1897)

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Please note:
I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.
Thank you!

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Labels: Andres Bonifacio, Philippine history

posted by Señor Enrique at 9:04 AM | 14 comments

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

THE VAINGLORIOUS GENERAL AND HIS SUICIDAL LOVER

General Douglas MacArthur's father was General Arthur MacArthur, Jr., son of Douglas MacArthur Sr., who immigrated to the United States from Scotland, studied law, served briefly as Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, and then became a federal judge.

His son, Arthur MacArthur, Jr., at 17, was commissioned and appointed as the Adjutant of the 24th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment in 1862; at 18, led his regiment up Missionary Ridge for which he received the Congressional Medal of Honor, and was promoted to the rank of major (skipping that of captain); at 19, was made a full colonel and commander of his regiment.

In 1875 he married Mary Pinkney Hardy ("Pinky") of Norfolk, Virginia. Their first child, Arthur III died of appendicitis, while their second child, Malcolm, died of measles. Douglas MacArthur was born in 1880.

Arthur MacArthur, Jr. was promoted to brigadier general at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, and was sent to the Philippines. He went on to become a lieutenant general (the Army's highest ranking officer at the time), and was the military governor of the Philippines, but was passed over for the position of Army Chief of Staff. He resigned his commission in 1909 and died in 1912 at the annual reunion of his Civil War regiment.

Douglas MacArthur, though destined to outshine everyone in the family, always had tremendous respect for his father, and talked about him frequently for the rest of his life. But there were those who claim that the two Generals shared various negative character traits as well; the most common criticism of Douglas MacArthur is that he was vain, arrogant, egoistic, or all of the above.

Colonel Enoch H. Crowder, the first General MacArthur's aide in the Philippines, remarked later, "Arthur MacArthur was the most flamboyantly egotistical man I had ever seen, until I met his son".

Devoting himself to living up to his father's example, In 1899, at 19, Douglas MacArthur enrolled in the United States Military Academy at West Point. On the battlefields during World War I, Douglas MacArthur was wounded, gassed, cited as "the greatest front-line general of the war," awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, and was known for leading his troops into battle carrying a riding crop.

In 1922, at 42, Douglas MacArthur married Louise Cromwell Brooks, a divorced socialite ten years his junior with two children -- and a fortune. The unlikely union between the high-flying flapper and general ended seven years later.

Douglas MacArthur might have acquired intellectual virtues from his father but it was his mother who played a greater role than his father in shaping his character. "You must grow up to be a great man -- like your father and Robert E. Lee," his mother had whispered to him at bedtime.

But this great love and respect he had for his mother might have been the reason why Isabel Rosario Cooper, was relegated to the background, never to be formally introduced to his mother.

In 1929, MacArthur fell head over heels for then 16-year-old Isabel Rosario Cooper, a Scottish and Filipino-Chinese mestiza more popularly known as "Dimples." She was an actress who appeared in forgettable B-movies; one of which -- Ang Tatlong Hambog -- featured the very first kissing scene in Filipino cinema; she was at its receiving end. But more interestingly, Isabel Rosario Cooper aka Dimples was to become the general's mistress.

When MacArthur was appointed Army Chief of Staff and moved to Washington, his mother and Dimples followed suit. While his mother lived in Fort Myer, Dimples was ensconced in an apartment near MacArthur's office adjoining the White House. All along Pinky must have remained oblivious to Dimples' existence, as well as her son's torrid relationship with her.

According to William Manchester, MacArthur "showered Dimples with presents and bought her many lacy tea gowns, but no raincoat. She didn't need one, he told her; her duty lay in bed." Dimples eventually got bored with the setup and enrolled in law school where she met many interesting young men. The general had a fit and immediately ended their relationship.

When the secret affair was discovered by a Washington Post gossip columnist, Drew Pearson, MacArthur sued him for libel. But when Pearson revealed that he had obtained very intimate correspondence between McArthur and his young mistress, including having her as a witness to be deposed, McArthur withdrew the suit and paid Pearson a substantial amount of money in exchange for the letters.

Dimples, with the $15,000 received from the general, opened a hairdressing salon somewhere in the Midwest, before moving to Los Angeles some years later. In 1960, unable to recover from the lingering emotional anguish of her failed relationship with MacArthur, she committed suicide.

The general, on the other hand, with his second wife, Jean Marie Faircloth, spent the last years of their life together in the penthouse of the Waldorf Towers (a part of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan). It was a gift from Conrad Hilton, the owner of the hotel. MacArthur died in Washington, DC, in 1964.

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ADDITIONAL SOURCES:

The Exercise of Military Judgment:
A Philosophical Investigation of the Virtues and Vices of General Douglas MacArthur
by David W. Lutz
University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota

The American Experience: MacArthur
produced by Austin Hoyt (Reagan), co-produced by Sarah Holt
pbs.org

TOP PHOTO:

Landing at Leyte Monument
located at the foot of the MacArthur Bridge
Santa Cruz, Manila
© Señor Enrique

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Labels: Philippine history

posted by Señor Enrique at 8:53 AM | 35 comments

Sunday, November 23, 2008

TO DELIVER US FROM EVIL

On February 19, 1937, had the U.S. Charge d'Affaires in London, Ray Atherton, not discovered the nature of the clandestine meeting that was to be held between President Manuel Quezon and the British Foreign Minister, Anthony Eden, the Filipinos would have been belting out "God Save the Queen instead of humming Yankee doodle de dum tunes at major local gatherings.

Two years prior to this discovery, making good on his infamous sound bite, "I would rather have a government run like hell by Filipinos than a government run like heaven by Americans," Quezon -- upon assuming the presidency of the Commonwealth of the Philippines -- immediately pursued the task of laying the foundations of the future Philippine Republic.

However, the relations between Quezon and his American overlords during the transition period were often less than amenable; the resulting tensions and exasperations eventually prompted Quezon to secretly approach the British and explore the likelihood of the Philippines becoming a part of the British Empire -- as a self-governing dominion, like Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

As early as August 1933, then Senate President Quezon had already told his British friend and adviser, Frank Hodsoll, that should the United States abandon their protectorate interests in the Philippines, he would go to London, and on behalf of the 14,000,000 Filipinos, ask for admission to the British Commonwealth of Nations. Hodsoll, acting as Quezon's secret liaison agent, finally contacted top British officials on January 20, 1935.

At this time, Quezon was already coping with serious concerns about the threat of a Japanese invasion. He was also alarmed by the Americans' continued indifference on the issue, as well as their lackadaisical attitude toward strengthening the military defenses of the Philippines.

The British Foreign Office recognized the merits of Quezon's concerns and approved holding official, though initially clandestine, talks with Quezon. Unfortunately, the Americans got wind of the planned meeting in London. President Roosevelt and many high-ranking government officials were aghast; thus, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Francis B. Sayre immediately censured Quezon as per orders received from Washington.

In his response, Quezon riposted that for the survival of the Philippines, it was his duty to seek protection from another powerful nation; that is, if the United States were unable to provide it. He then pointed out the lack of palpable measures by the United States to fortify the archipelago and make her impregnable to a Japanese invasion.

Quezon also admitted that he would consider a treaty of amity and alliance with Japan if the United States and Great Britain refused to protect his country.

Ironically, despite their horrified reaction to Quezon's seemingly lack of loyalty, the United States' war plans from 1937 onwards, prioritized winning the war in Europe. Essentially, America was prepared to accept the initial fall of Guam, Hawaii, and the Philippines to Japan. Such priority was mainly due to the fact that the American oligarchy at that time was mostly of European ancestry. Therefore, the Philippines was merely regarded as a not too significant a territory located in some far-flung remote region across the Pacific.

Furthermore, the U.S. did not appear to be in any position to guarantee, let alone provide, formidable military defense systems and logistics for the Philippines. This was made apparent when the American contingent at the 1941 secret Japan-US diplomatic negotiations began to consider permanently declaring the Philippines as a neutral country. Regrettably, diplomatic talks between the U.S. and Japan came to a sudden halt when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

These days, local historians could only speculate that perhaps, the eventual massive carpet-bombing of Manila by the U.S. forces during its liberation, might have been America's ultimate true response to Quezon's disloyalty, though his death saved him from seeing the city -- the seat of his government -- practically reduced to rubbles.

Title: View of burnt-out Manila, 1945
Date: 1945-03-12
Place/Time: Post-war commonwealth / Philippines / Manila
Publisher: US Signal Corps

Description: Vividly illustrating the condition of burned-out, battle-scarred Manila, as U.S. engineers and thousands of Filipinos begin the huge task of reconstruction, is this aerial view looking southwest across the Pasig River toward hulks of sunken ships in the harbor. Tall building, left foreground, is gutted, Eastern Hotel, center, across river, is burned out, general post office, extreme left, across river is Metropolitan Opera House in ruins. Battered wall of Intramuros, Walled City, and destroyed buildings inside, occupies rectangular area beyond post office. Left is demolished Santa Cruz Bridge, repaired by Army engineers. The streets have already been cleared of rubble.

Rights: U.S. National Archives
Submitter: McCoy, Alfred W.: University of Wisconsin--Madison. Center for Southeast Asian Studies.
Local Identifier: SEAiT.Philippines.ph00835.bib

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ADDITIONAL SOURCES:

History of the Filipino People
by Teodoro A. Agoncillo
Garotech Publishing

The Philippines: A unique Nation
by Sonia M. Zaide
All-Nations Publishing

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Labels: Philippine history

posted by Señor Enrique at 9:22 AM | 13 comments

Friday, November 21, 2008

THE RIVETING THIRTIES

During the 1930s, as the Great Depression unfolded -- scarring the lives of millions of Americans and spurring debates amongst seasoned economists as to what caused it -- the Philippines, a US protectorate, radiated confidence despite some dark clouds that hovered over its economic and political landscapes.

Although ruled ineligible for American citizenship and barred from immigrating to the United States, the Filipinos somehow never lost their faith in the Great American Dream. To ease this astonishing prohibition, the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1935 allowed a quota of 50 Filipinos a year to immigrate to the US, though the anti-miscegenation law enacted two years later deemed inter-racial marriage (between a Filipino and a white American) illegal.

Nonetheless, this seemingly unwelcome mat didn't sully the inherent hospitality of the Filipinos.

During the late 1930s, while a Miami port turned away the liner St. Louis with a boatload of 900 Jews (reflecting America's anti-Semitic policy during that period), about 1,200 German and Austrian Jews found sanctuary in the Philippines. They arrived in Manila's port from Shanghai while it was then under siege by the Japanese. Thousands more of these European Jews were to come and call the Philippines their new home.

And as millions of folks across the United States grappled with the oppressive burdens of the Great Depression, over at the ultra-modern Crystal Arcade building on Escolta -- which had become Manila's "peacetime" stock exchange -- stockholders of mining firms feverishly traded stocks amongst themselves, though most were worthless. That was because these gold companies very rarely conducted any actual mining; thus, the "gold profits" they boasted, if any, were nothing more than paper profits.

The blinding prospect of becoming rich overnight somehow obscured reality, allowing the gold mine boom of the hard-up 1930s to continue undeterred.

But what was to eventually become a major hit amongst the local folks, which made many of them rich overnight indeed, was the Sweepstakes. In one instance, on September 8, 1935, jockey Ordiales rode "Sugar Babe" to a victory, giving a 12-year-old peasant girl from Tayabas -- who was the holder of the lucky ticket -- a whopping 75 thousand pesos. An enormous fortune at that time.

Meanwhile, back in the States, it was also a race horse that was becoming a symbol of hope; a cultural icon, in fact.

This stallion's riveting tale of grit, grace, luck, and an underdog's stubborn determination was swaying over the nation's imagination. Over terrible handicaps this horse triumphed; becoming a champion and a legend of the racetrack. But more astoundingly, this horse healed the wearied soul of a nation battered by a staggering financial collapse. The horse's name was Seabiscuit.

SOURCES:

The Philippines: A Unique Nation
by Sonia M. Zaide
All Nations Publishing O, Inc.

Manila, My Manila
by Nick Joaquin

Seabiscuit: An American Legend
by Laura Hillenbrand
Ballantine Books

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LEAD PHOTO:
Old Houses on Arlegui Street
© Señor Enrique

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Labels: American colonial period, life in Manila, Philippine history

posted by Señor Enrique at 6:55 AM | 18 comments

Saturday, November 01, 2008

BADO DANGWA, ENTREPRENEUR & POLITICIAN

When Manileños think of buying fresh flowers, many go to the Dangwa Flower Market, though Bob Dangwa, a very successful entrepreneur, did not own any business enterprise in the cultivation or selling of fresh flowers.

The Dangwa Flower Market was so named because of the Dangwa bus terminal on Dimasalang Street, which became the drop-off point for fresh flowers when the Dangwa buses were the primary means to transport them from Baguio to Manila. Consequently, the surrounding area became a fresh flower market, now offering fresh flowers from all over the world.

As for Bado Dangwa, he was born in Kapangan, Benguet, on May 5, 1905. His main aspiration was to become a teacher while studying at the Trinidad Agricultural School. He was, however, also fascinated with junk machines and motor vehicles; taking them apart and then restoring them to finely-tuned, working condition.

During the 1920s, with the foresight to provide an efficient means of transportation for the Trinidad Valley region as it was being developed as the country's vegetable bowl, Dangwa took five dilapidated Chevrolet cars from the North Garage in La Trinidad. He refurbished their engines, and with a loan of ten pesos, converted three of them into passenger vehicles. They eventually proved to be a popular mode of transportation plying the La Trinidad-Baguio City route, long before the surplus jeeps of World War II.

Soon thereafter, he expanded his transportation business to connect Mountain Province with other nearby provinces and Manila. Hence, the Dangwa Transportation Company was born with Bado Dangwa as its president and general manager. By the time war broke out, the firm had 173 buses carrying both passengers and cargo between Baguio and Manila.

Just before he joined the guerrillas when the Japanese forces landed in the Philippines, he turned over his buses to the U.S. army. His bravery in leading guerrilla units in fighting the Japanese in the various mountain trails of the Cordilleras brought him fame.

After the war, to serve once again the people of the Mountain Province, he rebuilt his transportation business by acquiring and converting surplus American trucks.

In recognition of his business achievements and wartime heroic efforts, President Quirino appointed Dangwa as governor of the Mountain Province in 1953. Ramon Magsaysay, who succeeded Quirino, also reappointed him as governor; hence, Bado Dangwa was the only governor in Philippine history, who was appointed by two presidents from opposing political parties. When the governorship of the Mountain Province (composed of the sub-provinces of Bontoc, Ifugao, Kalinga Apayao, and Benguet), became elective, Dangwa was elected governor of Benguet. He was also reelected after his first term.

In 1963, he retired from politics and focused his energies on various private enterprises; one of which was the largest poultry farm in La Trinidad that employed highlanders (Igorots), and supplied Baguio City's needs for poultry products. Meanwhile, his transportation service company, by 1967, included 500 trucks and public utility cars and taxis; the majority of its 1000 or so employees hailing from the Mountain Province.

Married to the former Maria Antero, he and his wife pursued many philanthropic activities that benefited hospitals and schools, including a number of other civic and charitable organizations. Bado Dangwa died In 1976 at the age of 71.

Unfortunately, the Dangwa bus company is no longer as it once was. It has become a mere shadow of its former glory. Nonetheless, besides the famous flower market in Manila, the Cordillera police regional office was also named after Bado Dangwa.

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Additional source:
SILENT STORMS
Inspiring Lives of 101 Great Filipinos
by Fernando A. Bernardo
Published by Anvil

Photo depicts the crowded scene yesterday at the Dangwa Flower Market as many people flocked
to the area to buy fresh flowers for All Soul's Day.

Related links:

Dangwa Flower Market - Pictures from flickr

Flowers at the Dangwa Flower Market - a slide show - theprotagonist.net

Flowers for All Soul's Day - Housewife @ Work

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Labels: business, life in Manila, Philippine history

posted by Señor Enrique at 7:51 AM | 21 comments

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

PICTURE OF A FILIPINA AS A FEMINIST

This photo was taken during last year's election at Mabini Elementary School in Quiapo. It shows an elderly woman about to cast her vote.

Such right by the Filipino women was won on September 15, 1937, when President Manuel L. Quezon signed the law which extends the right to vote to Filipino women. This historic moment was largely attributed to the intense national campaign launched by the members of the Filipino feminist movement who used every possible means to draw women to register and vote for their own right to vote.

In the end, their tireless efforts paid off when they met the quota of 300,000 affirmative votes required by the suffrage law of the 1934 Constitutional Convention. The pillars of this feminist movement were invited to Malacañang Palace to witness the signing of the law that gives the Filipino women the right to vote and the privilege of being elected into public office.

This historical marker is placed in front of a building on
Avenida Rizal near corner C.M. Recto Avenue in Santa Cruz, Manila.

The role of women in the arena of politics and legislation was first heightened by the Suffragist Movement (1898-1937) which gained for the Filipino women the right to vote and be voted upon.

The suffragist movement brought to the fore the activism of such women as Concepcion Felix de Calderon (founder of the Asociacion Feminista Filipina), Rosa Sevilla de Alvero, Trinidad Almeda, Miss Constancia Poblete (founder of Liga Femenina de la Paz), Pura Villanueva Kalaw, Paz Mendoza Guazon, Pilar Hidalgo Lim (president of the National Federation of Women’s Clubs) and Josefa Llanes Escoda (president of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines).

Read more here.

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Additional recommended reads:

Women's rights in the Philippines today - Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project

Empowering the Filipino Woman - The Manila Times

Philippine Suffragette - Women in World History

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Labels: Philippine history, women's movement

posted by Señor Enrique at 8:50 AM | 8 comments

Monday, October 20, 2008

THE GENERAL FROM BINONDO

It was somewhere in Binondo where he was born on October 29, 1866. His father was a revenue inspector, his mother from a prominent family in Ilocos Norte. At the age of eight, he entered the Ateneo de Manila where he nurtured a great interest in literature and chemistry. In 1883, with highest honors, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree.

At the University of Santo Tomas, he endeavored in long hours of research. His paper, Dos Cuerpos Fundamentales De Quimica, was awarded first prize in a university competition. At the University of Barcelona, he earned the Licentiate in Pharmacy. He was conferred the Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 1890 at the Central University of Madrid.

While a student in Europe, he joined the Propaganda Movement and under the pen name Taga Ilog, he published editorials and articles which portrayed the evils of Spanish rule in Solidaridad. Supposedly, For a time in 1891, he single-handedly produced the issues of La Solidaridad.

In 1894, he was summoned back to Manila by his mother. He came home and worked as a professor and director of a laboratory in Manila. He didn't join the Kapitupunan; thinking it was premature to organize a revolution, but he was nonetheless arrested for complicity in the revolution mainly due to his advocated liberalism. After his release from prison, he left for Belgium where he studied military strategy under General Leman, a Belgian war hero.

In 1898 -- although the Filipinos still remember his traitorous acts against the revolution began by Bonifacio two years prior that drove the final nail in Rizal's coffin -- he joined Aguinaldo's forces to help the Americans banish the Spaniards from the archipelago when the United States declared war against Spain; hence, emerged General Antonio Luna.

Subsequently, Dewey's true interest for the Philippines became apparent; thus, barely a year after proclaiming their "independence," the Filipinos found themselves fiercely fighting the American forces -- superior to them in armaments and military training. At almost every encounter, the Filipinos lost, though on December 18, 1899, the Filipinos struck a single victory: General Licerio Geronimo defeated General Lawton in San Mateo.

Ultimately, it was General Antonio Luna's emotional immaturity that facilitated what could be the Filipinos' most shameful and tragic defeats.

He was so enraged by the unbecoming conduct of one of his subordinates, General Mascardo, that he left the battlefield taking with him his artillery including the cavalry and his men. This he did to teach Mascardo a lesson. But the lesson proved disastrous to the Filipinos.

General Gregorio del Pilar was almost alone in holding back the superior American forces. And without the much-needed artillery and men, the Americans overwhelmed the Filipino defenses. When General Luna returned from Guagua, Kalumpit had fallen to the hands of General Arthur MacArthur and his men.

In the end, he was remembered as having said, "If they kill me, wrap me in a Filipino flag with all the clothes which I was dressed at the time and bury me in the ground ... I will die willingly for my country." Ironically, his death was not caused by the enemy but by his countrymen -- at the hands of Aguinaldo's henchmen, allegedly -- as what happened to Andres Bonifacio.

In Talking History: Conversations with Teodoro Agoncillo, when asked if General Antonio Luna ought to be hailed a hero, Agoncillo opined:

Luna was the leader of the revolution against Spain? Puñeta! Since when? Since when did Luna fight against the Spaniards? He never fought against the Spaniards. As a matter of fact, Luna was a traitor to the revolution of 1896. Luna not only did not join the revolution of 1896, he was a traitor! Nagturo yan a! Nagturo!!! As a matter of fact, I do not consider Luna a hero. How did he become a hero? He never won any battle, papaanong sasabihing hero yan?

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Labels: Antonio Luna, Philippine history

posted by Señor Enrique at 8:15 AM | 18 comments

Thursday, October 16, 2008

ON PHILIPPINE POSTAGE STAMPS

Philately is the study of postage stamps. It comes from the Greek words Philos (friends) and Atelei (to be exempt from charge). It is also a term often used to refer to the art and science of stamp collecting. Interestingly, one can learn about a country’s history, culture, passions, nature, and industries through the study and collection of postage stamps.

A year or so ago, Clare Amador of YouthTrip invited me to join the Postal History Walking Tour, which she dubbed as "an afternoon of big words and old stories; a small trip in history guided by black and white images and anecdotes." Regrettably, due to a prior commitment, I was unable to attend. However, the other day at Manila City Hall, I met Lawrence D. Chan, the man who conducts the free Postal History Walking Tour held every third Sunday of the month.

If you're looking for something to do this Sunday, October 19, there is one walking tour being held. And for its highlight, there will be an auction of collectible items -- from vintage postage stamps to pastcards, and from Filipiniana books to old coins and currencies -- to be conducted right after the tour.

Incidentally, until Friday, October 17, at the lobby of the Post Office is the "One Frame Exhibit" sponsored by the Philippine Philatelic Federation National Exhibition.

Here's a couple of trivia on Philippine stamps:

* The first stamp in Asia was issued on February 1, 1854. One carried the word corros instead of correos, a genuine error highly valued nowadays by stamp collectors.

* General Emilio Aguinaldo issued his own set of postage stamps in 1898 under the new republic.

* The Philippines under the American rule issued a set of seven pictorial stamps on May 3, 1932. The vignette for the 18c was intended to show Pagsanjan Falls and is so labeled, but it was erroneously printed with the image of the Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park instead.

For additional information on the free guided tour, contact Lawrence D. Chan at
L_rence_2003@yahoo.com

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Labels: auction, Manila Post Office, Philippine history, postage stamps

posted by Señor Enrique at 7:43 AM | 18 comments

Sunday, October 05, 2008

ON HIDALGO, BUSTAMANTE AND AMBETH OCAMPO

This painting, Assassination of Governor Bustamante by Felix R. Hidalgo, is currently undergoing restoration at the National Art Gallery. It was the main focus of Ambeth Ocampo's lecture -- Hidalgo, Bustamante and the Big Black Wolf -- held yesterday at the museum's Ablaza Hall.

It was a riveting two-hour lecture in which from the painting, Ocampo traced the history of the story of Governor Bustamante who was assassinated by the friars during the 18th century and how it spawned the novel La Loba Negra (The Black Wolf) previously believed to have been written by Fr. Jose Burgos, but now proven to be a forgery.

This was the first time I had attended a lecture conducted by Ambeth Ocampo, and I must admit I was spellbound, and now eagerly await the next, which I hope should be in the very near future. I have read many of his books -- sources of numerous blog articles -- and although I am one of those who never asked for autographs (from any of the many film and music artists I had met or run into in my life), yesterday I deemed an exception -- an altogether different situation. Compared to other artists, I think authors loved it most when knowing about or meeting those who actually appreciate their writings.

Hence, there wasn't any trace of trepidation on my part yesterday when I approached Ambeth Ocampo prior to the start of his lecture -- to introduce myself as a big fan while deftly whipping out two books from my bag for him to sign. He was indeed delighted to oblige.

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Labels: Ambeth Ocampo, art matters, Featured artist, Philippine history

posted by Señor Enrique at 7:00 AM | 38 comments

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

MARITIME PIRACY AND ECONOMIC CHAOS IN OLD MANILA

According to the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center, there has been an alarming surge in pirate attacks worldwide. Africa remains the world's top piracy hotspot, with 24 reported attacks in Somalia and 18 in Nigeria this year.

Recently, Somali pirates seized the cargo ship Faina off the coast of Somalia on Thursday as it headed to Kenya. The Ukrainian-operated ship is carrying ordnance ordered by the Kenyan government, which ncludes 33 Russian-built T-72 tanks and a substantial amount of ammunition and spare parts.

The pirates are demanding a $20 million ransom to release the Faina and its crew. Although the Kenyan government stands firm in its policy not to negotiate with pirates or terrorists, what's on board deeply concerns five nations — Ukraine, Somalia, Russia, the United States and Britain — and have been sharing information to try to secure the swift release of the ship and its 21-member crew.

Meanwhile, in America, in its attempt to thwart a shattering financial crisis with major global repercussion, the Bush administration and congressional leaders agreed on a deal to authorize the biggest banking rescue in U.S. history — the $700 billion bail out program.

According to the Wall Street Journal, at its core is Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's concept of buying impaired mortgage-related assets from financial firms — giving them cash to replace the toxic debts that have put them in danger or dissuaded them from lending. The plan is to help the firms restore their capital bases as well as the trust that enables them to borrow and lend at reasonable terms. Without this, officials worry that the credit markets, the lifeblood of the U.S. economy, would grind to a halt.

An extraordinary week of talks unfolded after Paulson and Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, went to Congress 10 days ago with ominous warnings about a full-blown economic meltdown if lawmakers did not act quickly to infuse huge amounts of government money into a financial sector buckling under the weight of toxic debt.

These two crises — maritime piracy and economic turmoil — in one fell swoop, at one point during the 16th century, similarly roiled in and shocked Manila.

In the early morning of November 4, 1587, in the bay of Augua Segura or Puerto Seguro, now named San Jose del Cabo somewhere in the tip of Baja California, the English pirates led by Thomas Cavendish sighted the galleon ship Santa Ana, on her way to Cabo San Lucas at the tip of Lower California to make a landfall and check her course prior to continuing on to Acapulco.

Cavendish's ships, the Desire and Content gave chase with all sail. It was afternoon when they came up broadside with the Santa Ana — tagged as the "great rich ship" — under the command of Tomas de Alzola. It left the port of Cavite the last week of June, some four-and-a-half months earlier.

The English ships attacked the Santa Ana with full force, killing and maiming many of its men who fought valiantly and refused to surrender. After about six hours of intense resistance and having suffered heavy loses — with the hull of Santa Ana also sustaining a canon blast at the waterline — Captain Tomas de Alzola finally hung out a flag of surrender.

In spite of the the disparity in size of the ships — the Santa Ana had a tonnage of 700, while the Desire and the Content were of 120 and 60 tons, respectively — the odds of the battle was overwhelmingly in favor of the British. The Santa Ana lacked the necessary artillery and fire power. Cavendish's Desire alone mounted eighteen guns, while the Content had ten.

In a report to the king from Manila, Governor de Vera wrote that the capture of the Santa Ana came as a surprise since the galleon routes were kept a secret and no other but Spanish ships had been sighted on the these galleon routes for years.

Cavendish and his men were all praise, however, for the courage of Captain Alzola and his crew, which included Filipinos, for fighting up to the end.

The Santa Ana carried 122,000 pieces of gold and a cargo of fine pearls, silks, satins, damasks, musks, and other merchandise of the East Indies, as well as ample supply of all kinds of foods and wines. The royal treasurer in Manila provided a more detailed report: the Santa Ana carried 2,300 marks of gold, equivalent to 84.2 pounds avoirdupois; not to mention a large amount of gold that had not been registered. The total sale value of the Santa Ana's cargo in Mexico would have been over two million pesos, which represented an original investment in Manila of more than one million pesos.

The Spaniards in Manila were further infuriated upon fully realizing the extent of Cavendish's depredation, which consequently, created a severe economic meltdown in Manila. Bankruptcy, poverty and severe despondency were experienced by many members of the city's trading community, including a substantial number of inhabitants and soldiers.

Besides the daring piracy that Cavendish conducted in the waters considered by the Spanish as the exclusive domain of their king, it was his youth (barely in his twenties) along with an inferior sea vessel manned no more than fifty men — who trespassed their domain and got away with it — that ultimately left the Spaniards in Manila feeling unbearably weak and inadequate.

During the 250 years of the galleon trade, the sea claimed dozens of ships, thousands of men and many millions in treasures. As the richest ships in all the oceans, the galleons were the most coveted prize of pirates and privateers. Four were taken by the English — the Santa Ana in 1587, the Encarnacion in 1709, the Covadonga in 1743, and the Santisima Trinidad (the largest ship in her time) in 1762.

The first to fall was the Santa Ana, a prize catch that went to the Englishman Thomas Cavendish. His brazen act of maritime piracy eventually precipitated an economic turmoil that startled the Spanish regime in old Manila.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

SWEETENED AND STIRRED

Unlike many photobloggers who post their choiced works accompanied with only minimal technical details and/or a short blurb about the subject and nature of the locale, I am one usually inspired to post images -- including the ordinary and seemingly mundane -- with a short story, news article, work of fiction, evocative quote by a popular figure, or in this particular case, an inaugural address by President Joseph Ejercito Estrada delivered at the Quirino Grandstand on June 30, 1998.

In the above photograph of my suki candy vendor on Avenida, it was the abundance of sweet candies with their colorful wrappers that brought to mind Erap's speech, which according to Manolo Quezon, "a masterpiece of mass psychology; of personalistic rule appealing directly to the people; it is the most perfect example of a speech designed to pander to the longings of the masses."

In essence, it was a superbly crafted discourse, saccharined to appease the soured spirit of the tired toiling masses who gifted him with a landslide victory, or in more vulgar terms: a speech akin to a proverbial kiss that precedes the anal trespass.

The following is a brief excerpt from which:

Quote

Six years after Cory Aquino, the foundations of a strong economy were laid. In the six years of the Ramos administration, the economy was paying big dividends to its biggest stockholders. This time, why not to the common people as well, for a change? Must we always measure progress only by the golf courses of the rich?

I hope this message will not be taken badly by the rich. It has always been their turn, and it is also their turn again. For it is the priority of my administration to create the environment of peace and order in which business does well. But, surely, it is time for the masses to enjoy first priority in the programs of the government.

As far as resources permit, to the best of our ability and the limit of our energy, we will put a roof over their heads, food on their tables, and clothes on their backs. We will educate their children and foster their health. We will bring peace and security, jobs and dignity to their lives. We will put more infrastructure at their service, to multiply their productivity and raise their incomes.

But this time things will be different. What wealth will be generated will be more equitably shared. What sacrifices are demanded will be more evenly carried. This much I promise, for every stone of sacrifice you carry, I will carry twice the weight.

This I promise the people. You will not be alone again in making sacrifices, and you will not be the last again to enjoy the rewards when they come.

I ask the rich to take a share of the sacrifices commensurate with their strength. What each of us carries is not our individual burden alone, but the fate of our country that we must all share, and which none of us can escape.

While I ask you to share these sacrifices with me, I will not impose any more on you when it comes to my job as president. The job is mine now and I'll do it.

Unquote

Read the complete speech here.

As for the man himself, Manolo observed, "Like Ferdinand Marcos, too long used to getting his way, Estrada would refuse to accept that the public's perception of him had changed, perhaps irrevocably. He continued to sally forth, pleading that he was misunderstood, maligned, slandered; and yet the old lines didn't work anymore. The more he protested innocence, the harder his supporters worked to prevent what he himself said he wanted: a chance to vindicate himself. The result was his eviction from the presidential Palace as a result of a failed impeachment and a successful Edsa II."

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."
- Lennon & McCartney

* * *

Source:
20 SPEECHES THAT MOVED A NATION
selected and with introductions by
Manuel L. Quezon III
Anvil Publishing in cooperation with Platypus Publishing
Pasig City 2002

Related links:

Judgement Day at Plaza Miranda

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Labels: life in Manila, Philippine history

posted by Señor Enrique at 5:23 AM | 13 comments

Monday, September 15, 2008

THE FILIPINO SEAFARERS

Imagine my astonishment when told about these festive-looking boats along Manila Bay; that they're not merely used by the local kids to dive off from, but they actually serve a distinct purpose: as water taxis to ferry seamen from Baywalk to their ships anchored not at the lee of the Manila piers, but out there in the bay.

My curiosity came about when I was taking pictures for my Manila Beach post. From the corner of my eye, I saw this young man -- wearing an orange T-shirt and denim jeans (see above photo) -- nonchalantly boarded one of the boats docked by the seawall. As the boat pulled out, I took a shot and then asked the man next to me where it was heading. It was then I was told about the seamen and the water taxis.

Another surprise came about while I was chatting with a barangay official one afternoon by Ever Goteco on Recto. He said the seamen who are in between job contracts comprise the largest segment of transient tenants of Quiapo's boarding houses. All along, I thought it was the students who attend the schools within the university belt area who were catered to since the seamen already have the huge Ocampo Pagoda near Bilibid Viejo Street as their home away from home or ship.

The barangay official also added that many local residents generate extra income by renting out their spare rooms (see slide show below). Supposedly, seamen are usually preferred because even if abroad, most continue renting their rooms and simply pay the back rent upon their return. Interestingly, many of these seamen somewhat become the landlords' extended family members.

As for the Filipino seamanship itself, it isn't a modern day phenomenon -- like the pioneering Saudi Boys of the '70s. In fact, the Filipinos have been a seafaring lot, as well as shipbuilders, since the sixteenth century. They have been explorers of the New World much longer than any group of Asians.

Moreover, there were at least a hundred galleons built locally: in Pangasinan, Albay, Mindoro, Marinduque, and Iloilo, but the majority were built in the shipyards of Cavite. Developed by naval architects around 1550, these galleon ships were three- or four-masted, high-forecastle-and-poop vessels with over 2,000-ton cargo capacity, although most were smaller, with 700- to 1000-ton range. Nevertheless, they were all state-of-the-art vessels with a commanding appearance and almost always heavily armed. Pirates had reportedly captured eight galleons over the centuries, while several were shipwrecked or sank by the ferocious typhoons in the Pacific.

Termed polo y servicios, which means nothing more than slave labor, was used to build these ships. As many as 8,000 Indios called Cagayan were rounded by the Spaniards and subjected to the grueling tasks of cutting trees, converting them to timber, and hauling them to the shipyards.

For over two and a half centuries, some sixty thousand Filipinos had sailed on the galleons. Between 1570 and 1815 alone, every year, two galleon ships sailed from Manila to Acapulco. In the beginning only one out of five crew members was a Filipino native. In the ensuing years, as much as 50 to 80 percent of the entire crew were Filipinos. Although many were Indios, there were also many from the mestizo class. The other crew members were Spanish, Mexicans and Portuguese.

The Filipino sailors who worked on these galleons stayed in Acapulco for three months prior to their return to Manila; some keeping families in both cities, while many jumped ship altogether upon arriving in Mexico, never to return to the Philippines.

Lorraine Crouchett, an American historian, noted that some Cebuanos sailed on the galleon San Pablo when it made its historic first crossing of the Pacific Ocean from west to east in 1565. Guided by Fray Andres de Urdaneta, the San Pablo was sent by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi to find the return route to Mexico and to obtain supplies for his expedition to settle the Philippines.

The route discovered by Legaspi was used by the Manila galleons to travel to Mexico for 250 years. From that period, Filipinos traveled to the New World regularly. And they continued to cross the Pacific long after the galleons were gone.

To learn more about the first recorded landing of Filipinos in California and other tales from the galleon trade, click here.

I will post additional articles pertaining to the Filipino seamen of the sixteenth century and the Filipino-Mexican connection in the future. For now, enjoy this slide show of the various boarding houses in Quiapo.

* Refresh screen to replay slide show!

* * *

Labels: life in Manila, Philippine history

posted by Señor Enrique at 6:55 AM | 24 comments

Monday, August 25, 2008

NGANGA

Droppings from the neighbor's areca palm tree

Camera: Canon Ixus 65
Aperture: F2.8
Shutter: 1/20 sec

Recommended quick reads on betel-chew tradition:

Hidden in the Heart - Rosa Maria Magno

Betel Chewing in the Philippines - Cynthia Ongpin Valdes

Chewing Betel-Nut with the Mangyans of Mindoro - Howie Severino

The Philippine History - June Mae

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Labels: Local culture, Philippine history, photography

posted by Señor Enrique at 9:56 AM | 26 comments

Saturday, August 23, 2008

THE YOUNG SCRIBE

At 15, he was hired by the Manila Times as a full-time cub reporter and assigned to cover the police and miscellaneous beats. He soon proved his salt by becoming the paper's leading scoopmaker.

At 17, he found himself in Korea as the paper's war correspondent. His remarkable dispatches from the battlefront were quite credible, coming as they did from the actual firing line assigned to the Filipino contingent. He was wounded and had to be sent back to Manila and assigned to the army beat. At 18, President Quirino awarded him with a Legion of Honor medal and a parade in his honor, attended by the Armed Forces Chief of Staff.

At 20, he once again found himself on foreign soil: as a Southeast Asian roving correspondent, interviewing state leaders as Chiang Kai-shek. He wrote prodigious political articles about China, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Burma.

At 21, he wrote a screenplay that was made into a movie, Korea (1952). It was nominated for that year’s FAMAS awards: Best Picture and Best Screenplay (for Ninoy).

At 22, he was tapped as President Magsaysay's political affairs officer and was provided living quarters in Malacañang. At 23, he earned another Legion of Honor medal for having negotiated the surrender of Luis Taruc, then Southeast Asia's No. 1 communist.

He ran for and became the youngest municipal mayor at age 23, although he was subsequently unseated by the Supreme Court for being underage. But at 27, he became the youngest vice governor, and at 29, the youngest governor.

in the interim, the 6,000-hectare sugar plantation that he managed raked in the biggest harvest after he had converted it into a mini-welfare state.

Pursuing a political career, at 35, he became the youngest senator. At 40, he became the leading oppositionist to the Marcos regime. When Martial Law was declared, he was incarcerated at Fort Bonifacio. At 41, he was charged with murder, subversion, and illegal possession of firearms. At 45, he was sentenced to death by firing squad. An international outcry stayed the executioner's hand. He appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court.

After seven years and seven months of languishing in prison, he suffered a heart attack and was allowed to leave with his family for the United States where he underwent a triple by-pass surgery. Afterwards, he was offered a fellowship at Harvard and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

At age 51, concerned about a communist takeover of the Philippines, he decided to return home to help Marcos find a peaceful solution. On August 21, 1983, as he alighted from his plane at Manila International Airport, he was assassinated before his feet could touch the ground of his beloved homeland.

It took his death to unite all the Filipino people who were hurt and hounded by Marcos for eleven years since the US-supported Martial Law was declared in 1972.

NINOY AQUINO
(Nov 27, 1932 - Aug 21, 1983)

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Labels: Philippine history

posted by Señor Enrique at 10:18 AM | 21 comments

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

THE BONIFACIO MONUMENT IN TUTUBAN

I was inspired to go to Tutuban in Divisoria the other day to take some pictures and video of this monument of Andres Bonifacio on account of two readers. One was Elson T. Elizaga who writes for Mindanao Goldstar Daily; the other was Tony Donato a Filipino history researcher and artist who lives in California.

Firstly, Elson emailed me a couple of months ago and mentioned about an article he was writing in which he cited a local Historical and Cultural Commission(HISCCOM) member, Paulita Roa, who claims that the statue of a man holding a bolo and a flag in Divisoria is not that of the plebian hero Andres Bonifacio, but “a tribute to the local revolutionaries who died during the Battle of Agusan Hill” on May 14, 1900.

In addition, Roa said "the bones of the revolutionaries are buried among the rocks that line below the statue”. She said “the inscription ‘El Pueblo A Sus Heroes’ at the foot of the monument is proof that the statue is not that of Bonifacio but an artist interpretation of the fallen Kagay-anon heroes” during the Philippine-American War.

Elson then wrote in his article that "Roa is correct about the bones of the heroes, but
is mistaken about the monument. The first thing she should have done is visit the park of the municipality of Tagoloan – the hometown of her boss, vice-mayor Vicente Y. Emano, because a statue similar to ours is present there, placed beside that of Dr. Jose Rizal."

The only thing that baffles me in this entire issue is where exactly in Divisoria is this monument of Bonifacio they were referring to located? The only significant monument of Bonifacio that I know of in Divisoria is this one in Tutuban which is near where Bonifacio was born.

Could they be referring to this monument instead (click here) -- created by sculptor Ramon Martinez to commemorate the Cry of Balintawak. It was unveiled on September 3, 1911, in Balintawak, but it has since been transferred in front of Vizon's Hall in the University of the Philippines, Diliman campus.

Perhaps, another fellow blogger may be able to shine a light on this matter and direct us to the exact location of this monument in question.

* * *

UPDATE: 07/02/08

Elson T. Elizaga had just informed me of the following:

1) The term "divisoria" refers to a rectangular area in Cagayan de Oro that was used during Spanish times as a means to stop the spread of fire. It was originally an empty lot, but today it's a park composed of four sections with one statue each: Rizal, Borja, Bonifacio, and Magsaysay. The entire divisoria is also called Golden Friendship Park.

2) As for the exact location of the Bonifacio monument in Cagayan de Oro, click here.

3) As for information on Borja, click here.

Thank you, Elson!

* * *

Now, the other reader, Tony Donato, has been posting lengthy comments lately on several history-related articles I had previously posted. I must admit that his thoughts and opinions were based on impressive research efforts. Wish I have his resources.

The following is one he had recently posted:

Salamat sa pag-alala at sa iyong nasaliksik na mga detaliya sa buhay ni Gat Andres Bonifacio ang Bayani ng Maynila, ang lugar ng Tondo at Katipunan.

When I was growing up in Binondo (Binundok), I used to take photos of historical houses & places as reference for my own curiosity. I came across "Meisic" (I asked my father, who was a history buff himself, the source of this name, I was told that, it's because of the number of Chinese who lived in that place MaINSIK), area surrounding calle Reina Regente and calle Soler, which was the border of Binundok & Tondo district.

In Meisic, there was or might still be the "Jose Abad Santos High School" on it. But during Bonifacio's time Meisic, was a "Quartelles de Guardia Civil" (Spanish Civil Guards Outpost), until the fall of Manila to the Americans, which they took over, then passed it on to the "Manila Police Department" (was still there during the "60s).

To be more detailed Bonifacio was from Tondo, but always hang around with Emilio Jacinto who lived in “Calle Trozo” a place closed to a river where logs like narra, molave, ect...coming from Tanay, Laguna, & other places, were floating to be used for building houses.

The house where Katipunan was founded, was destroyed by fire on calle Azcarraga, near Divisoria. Calle Azcarraga (now Claro Recto) is a shape of a bow, from Divisoria going towards Malacanan. The Malacanan part down to Reina Regente was called "Calle Yriz" & from Reina Regente to Divisoria was called "Calle Azcarraga".

The leaking of the secret "Filibusteros" (subversive) society was because of Padre Mariano Gil, fria-curate of Tondo.

In the first week of August 1896 he dispatched a messenger to the naval commander of Manila to inform him of the existence of Katipunan in Tondo. The commander forward the information to the governor-general, who lost no time in dismissing it as a figment of the imagination. Father Gil then went to the military governor of Manila to try his luck.

Father Gil was nursing his wounded pride when two Katipuneros working in "Diario de Manila", Teodoro Patinio & Apolinario de la Cruz had a quarrel and Patinio probably out of spite, let out the secrets of the Katipunan to his sister. Patinio's sister a devout catholic, was so oppressed with fear, she informed Sor Teresa, the "Madre Portera" of the orphanage were she was an inmate. Sor Teresa advised Patinio to confess to the "Cura Paroco", Mariano Gil.

At six in the afternoon of August 19, 1896, Patinio repaired to the Tondo church to see Father Gil the revelation that there were 1,500 armed men in San Mateo ready to attack the Spaniards. The proofs of existence of the secret society was obtained in the printing shop of the "Diario de Manila". There Katipunan receipts were being printed secretly and daggers were being manufactured between noon and 1:00 pm, during "siesta".

Father Gil sent a message to Lt. Jose Cortez of "Guardia Veterana de Manila", what Patinio had confided to him. This was not enough, Father Gil rushed to the printing shop of the "Diario de Manila" and accompanied by the owner, searched for and found the evidence. Teodoro Patinio was shown the evidence and pronounced them real. With Lt. Olegario Diaz singing paeans to the efficiency and sharpness of the "Guardia Veterana de Manila", the newspapers next day published the discovery of the Katipunan.

Just some detailed additional info, for the interest of our kababayan, specially the youth who were given wrong information and forced to believe by the colonizers, in order to cover their faults, crimes and greed. Tulad ng aking kinathang tulang epikong "Vivora" naaayon sa buhay ni Artemio Ricarte sa huling yugto....

"Bayani ka lamang kung ikaw'y panalo,
ngunit isang sukab pag ikaw ay talo;
kaya't kapalara'y nagdidikta rito
kung ikaw sa bansa'y bayani o lilo."

I recommend visiting Ka Tony Donato's Banlaw Kasaysayan site to read more of his writings.

The video clip below shows the Tutuban Center area in which the monument in honor of Bonifacio is located.

* * * *

* * *

Labels: Manila history, Philippine history, photography

posted by Señor Enrique at 11:33 AM | 10 comments

Life in Manila as observed by a former New Yorker who with a laptop and camera has reinvented himself as a storyteller. Winner of the PHILIPPINE BLOG AWARDS: Best Photo Blog in 2007 and three Best Single Post awards in 2008.

Wish you were here

Sunday, November 30, 2008

TRIBUTES TO ANDRES BONIFACIO

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

THE VAINGLORIOUS GENERAL AND HIS SUICIDAL LOVER

Sunday, November 23, 2008

TO DELIVER US FROM EVIL

Friday, November 21, 2008

THE RIVETING THIRTIES

Saturday, November 01, 2008

BADO DANGWA, ENTREPRENEUR & POLITICIAN

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

PICTURE OF A FILIPINA AS A FEMINIST

Monday, October 20, 2008

THE GENERAL FROM BINONDO

Thursday, October 16, 2008

ON PHILIPPINE POSTAGE STAMPS

Sunday, October 05, 2008

ON HIDALGO, BUSTAMANTE AND AMBETH OCAMPO

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

MARITIME PIRACY AND ECONOMIC CHAOS IN OLD MANILA

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

SWEETENED AND STIRRED

Monday, September 15, 2008

THE FILIPINO SEAFARERS

Monday, August 25, 2008

NGANGA

Saturday, August 23, 2008

THE YOUNG SCRIBE

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

THE BONIFACIO MONUMENT IN TUTUBAN

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