12th, 1898 Filipino rebels led by Emilio Aguinaldo declared their independence from Spain
19th, 1861 Birth of Jose Rizal, martyr and Philippine national hero
In many ways, June starts the Philippine year more than January does. The school year begins in June. It starts the rainy season and until recently, brings in the new administration that survived the noise and rancor of the May elections. More importantly, June marks the birth of the Filipino nation. On the 12th of this month, after many months of fighting Spanish rule, a joyous crowd of Filipinos led by Emilio Aguinaldo gathered in Kawit, Cavite and unfurled the Filipino flag of independence. And, for the first time the public heard the national anthem Marcha Nacional Filipina played by a marching band. Looming on the horizon amidst this celebration was the American fleet and army. Within seven months, the young nation was plunged into a war the United States. In short order, Aguinaldo?s army was crushed and a new colonial regime began. Thus also began, the split-loyalty of many Filipinos, a love-hate relationship with America that has it roots from this historical period.
Much like the July 4th of America, June 12 is about flag waving and anthem singing. The genesis of the national anthem is a unique story. Composed by Julian Felipe, the music was played first played without lyrics. During the height of the war against America, Spanish lyrics were added, adapted from a poem of Jose Palma. Because of its popularity, the Americans banned its singing and the display of the Filipino flag, declaring the behavior as ?seditious? and anti-American. When the Philippine Commonwealth was established in 1935, an English version was commissioned and was written by Camilo Osias, educator and author of the Americanized Osias Reader for public schools. It was only until 1952, under President Magsaysay that a version in Tagalog was made official. When President Diosdado Macapagal re-instituted June 12 as the national independence day, an event that for many years was celebrated on July 4, the last vestiges of American rule was removed. The symbolic circle was complete. The Filipinos now had its own independence day, its own flag and a national anthem sang in one of its local languages. Thus, for a while, a generation of Filipinos sang the national anthem in three languages, reflecting a complex political and cultural history.
Bayan magiliw, perlas ng silanganan? (Idelfonso Santos & Julian Cruz Balmaceda, 1940)
Land of the morning, child of the son returning?(Camilo Osia & M. Lane, 1920)
Tierra adorada, hija del sol de Oriente ? (Jose Palma, 1899)
Until the late ?50s school children were praised for reciting in Spanish the ?La Ultimo Adios?(The Last Farewell), the last poem and will that Jose Rizal wrote on the eve of his execution by Spanish colonial authorities. Born on the June 19th in 1861, Rizal?s martyrdom on December 30, 1896 is celebrated as The National Holiday. Indeed, if there was a single figure who symbolized the intellectual and emotional desire for racial pride and self-determination of the Filipino, it was Jose Rizal. Rizal?s biography is the story of determination and purposeful life, at all costs, including death. This organic nature of his representation has earned him the title of ?Ama ng Bayan? (Fatherland) from nationalists. Single-handedly, Rizal has set the standard for almost all aspects of Filipino historical and cultural experience. Every president, foreign dignitary or petty politician pays homage to the Rizal Monument as the first duty of the day. A ?Rizal industry? has grown that is dedicated to the production of text-books, Filipiniana readers, memorabilia, and until it was declared illegal, advertising that employed Rizal?s image in the product. Yet not many know that Rizal was like any other Filipino who loved to eat ?tuyo? (dried fish), enjoyed the company of women, loved sports (fencing) and occasionally drew comic books. There were many among Rizal?s contemporaries who were equally talented and intelligent, but it was Rizal who responded to the challenge and demands of the time ? Spanish colonial oppression, the age of enlightenment and science, and nationalism ? with a sense that he was destined by history.
Suggested readings:
Austin Coates, Rizal: Philippine Nationalist and Martyr. (Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1968)
Teodoro M. Kalaw, The Philippine Revolution. (Quezon City: Jorge Vargas Filipiniana Foundation, 1969)
Ambeth Ocampo, Rizal Without the Overcoat. (Pasig City: Anvil Publishing, 2000)
