"Hinanakit sa Pagbalik"
Bakit, Pilipino, puso mo'y malaki
tila basang papel, kaytagal magsindi,
ngunit pag nag-alab ay kugon sa liksi
kung matupok yaong poot mong matindi?
Kapag may nanguna sa paghihimagsik,
ikaw ay uupo muna't magmamasid,
kung sino'ng manalo, doon ka sisiksik
at magmamalaking ikaw ay tumindig.
Pagkat ang ibig mo'y ikaw ang mamuno,
yaong nangunguna'y pilit igugupo,
agad hihiwalay kapag nasiphayo - -
bakit mithing laya'y 'di maisapuso?
Kasaysayan natin ay paulit-ulit:
kung may Lapulapu'y may Zulang pumanig
sa dayong Kastila; kay Sulaymang tagis
ay may Lakandulang kalis ng pagtalik.
Kahinaan natin ang magwatak-watak:
kilusan ng masang Tundo ang naglunsad
windang sa Cavite at nagpangkat-pangkat - -
halos amba pa lang, himagsika'y wasak!
Bakit tayu-tayo itong naglalaban,
bakit 'di maglaho iyong kasibaan,
bakit 'di mawala ang pag-uulutan,
ang onor ng iba bakit inaagaw?
- - mula sa isang chapter sa tulang epiko ni Tony Donato - "VIVORA"
From our school's history text books to the history books of today,
which our "Big brother America" wrote for us, said that the "Philippine
flag was skillfully sewed by wife of the first Filipino diplomat Felipe
Agoncillo - Marcela Marino de Agoncillo, with the help of her daughter
Lorenza and Delfina Herbosa de Natividad, niece of Jose P. Rizal, at 535
Morrison Hill, Hong Kong. What was later to be known as "The Sun and
the Stars" and was completed within five days and handed over to Emilio
Aguinaldo before he returned to the Philippines. The flag was unfurled
for the first time on the window of Emilio Aguinaldo's home in Kawit,
Cavite on June 12, 1898 in proclamation of independence from Spain. The
flag was based on the design of Emilio Aquinaldo during his exile in
Hong Kong in 1897, though to some it was Feliciano Jocson a treasurer of
the Katipunan under Andres Bonifacio, was the real designer of our
present flag. Jocson who also fought in the revolutionary war of 1896
and after the murder of the Supremo Andres Bonifacio, together with
Emilio Jacinto revived the Katipunan on February 8, 1898. According to
Gen. Artemio "Vivora" Ricarte, Jocson saw a Cuban flag while reading a
newspaper and with this he designed a flag which became the basis for
the flag we are using today. Ricarte added that Aquinaldo can not claim
in designing the flag, because even before he returned to the
Philippines from his self exile in 1898, it was already being used by
Gregorio del Pilar's men, "Tropa ng Pasong Balite" who were left behind
by Gen. del Pilar and was with Aquinaldo in Hong Kong. The same flag was
displayed in Battle of Alapan, in Imus Cavite, on May 28, 1898 -- known
today as the Philippine Flag Day.
The original design of the
flag adopted a mythical sun with a face, a symbol common to several
former Spanish colonies like Cuba & Puerto Rico. The similarity of
the Philippine flag with these two countries' flag were obviously seen
at the Treaty of Paris of 1898, where Spanish commissioners argued that
Manila (Intramuros), the only remaining city which Filipino
revolutionaries have not yet claimed because of the requested of their
American ally, Spanish-Manila not had surrendered after the ceasefire
and that the Philippines could not be demanded as a war conquest, but
they eventually yielded. The treaty specified that Spain would cede her
remaining island colonies; Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines with
Guam to the United States for 20 million dollars. Based on anecdotal
evidence and the few surviving flags from the era, historians argue that
the colors of the original Philippine flag were the same blue and red
as found on the flag of Cuban and Puerto Rico. From one of the founders
of "La Solidaridad" Mariano Ponce, remembered about the original
"colors" that the blue is "azul oscuro (dark blue)" between "azul marino
(navy blue)" and "azul cielo (sky blue)."
The three stars on
the Philippine flag symbolize Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The 8 rays
represent the 8 provinces that took part in the revolution against
Spain; Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Laguna
and Batangas. But the symbolism given by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista who
wrote the Philippine Declaration of Independence on June 12, 1898
Proclamation of Philippine Independence, differs from the current
official explanation. Bautista explained and read on the occasion of its
proclamation on June 12, 1898, has listed the eight provinces as
Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Laguna and
Batangas. The proclamation also declares that the sun represents the
gigantic steps made by the sons of the country along the path of
Progress and Civilization and lists "Bataan" instead of Tarlac among the
eight provinces were declared in a state of war almost from the start
of the revolution, symbolized by the sun's rays. It was also mentioned
that one of the three, five-pointed stars, represents the island of
Panay, rather than the entire Visayan islands, which now stand for the
three major geographical island groups that comprise the Philippines:
Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. He continued, that the white triangle of
Masonry signifies the emblem of the Katipunan, the secret society that
opposed Spanish rule and the flag's colors commemorate the flag of the
United States as a manifestation of gratitude for American protection
against the Spanish during the Philippine Revolution.
So where
is the sun's ray for the Visayans who also raised their arms against
Spain? The Visayans like; the Magbanuas, Papa Faustino, The Pulajanes,
Dagohoy, Papa Rios, were they forgotten by Aquinaldo? Mindanao was also
excluded, is it because the Spaniards only went as far as Zamboanga and
had a tough time fighting our Muslim brothers? They have to built Port
de Pilar to protect themselves from the fierce Muslims who refused their
presences. The Spaniards failed in Mindanao, so as the Americans and
the Japanese armed forces during WW II. Gen. Arthur MacArthur's caliber
38 can't stop the "invisible Moros" already been hit by the bullet,
still can attack, slash, kill them with their bolos. Gen. MacArthur have
to request US armory to design and produced a more powerful caliber 45,
was called "kalibreng pang Moro." So if Mindanao was not colonized by
any imperialist country, why was Mindanao part of the whole purchase of
$20 million at the Treaty of Paris? The Americans knew it, decided to
keep quiet and acted like it was part of the purchase. Because of the
Philippine was bought at the Treaty of Paris by America, our fight for
freedom & resistance against their colonization was branded as an
"insurrection" and not a revolution.
The NHC scratched "Bataan"
out of the original eight provinces that took part in the initial
revolution against the Spain and replaced by "Tarlac." Pampanga borders
Tarlac and its confusing how Aquinaldo or Jocson who claimed they
designed the flag missed this problem. How can they forget the honest
and gallant Gen. Francisco Makabulos and Gen. Servillano Aquino the
grand father of Ninoy Aquino who are both from Tarlac? Aguinaldo made
his last stand in Tarlac before he fled to the mountainous North where
he was eventually captured by the Americans. It was in Tarlac where the
Republic fell as the Philippine-American War deteriorated into scattered
guerrilla operations. These are not the only questions that needs
explanation but also, why did Aquinaldo replaced Bonifacio's Katipunan
flag? Is it to establish the new Ilustrado revolutionary government to
replace the Katipunan revolutionary government of the masses at the
controversial Tejeros convention? Why did Aquinaldo needed an election,
change of government and a new flag, when the revolution is still going
on and independence is not yet achieve? It is the same problem which the
Philippines is going through from Aquinaldo's mafia like government to
the present! We lost a lot of good Filipinos who could have made our
country great again, as great as when the Philippines was one of the
centers of trade during the great maritime empire of SRI VIJAYA before
that lamed navigator Magellan claimed he "discovered" the Philippines.
ka tony
the 28th of May, 2011 (revised 28 of May, 2012)
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