CEU and the Sampaguita

Last night while trying to look for old Hispano-Filipino songs in youtube I stumbled upon clips of CEU’s gradution rites. It was amazing seeing graduating students singing “El Collar de Sampaguita”. I wasn’t expecting to witness that. I thought they’ve already translated it in Tagalog and abandoned the original.

I’ve read the history of CEU (Centro Escolar de Señoritas, now Centro Escolar) some years ago because I once considered taking a course in their Makati campus. The history buff that I am, I took a liking to one of the founders, Doña Librada Avelino . She grew up during the time when filipino-hispano culture was prevalent. She’s used to the Spanish style of education that when she initially established her first private school it failed because of the new standards set by the Americans. She enrolled herself to the Summer School of Linguistics to learn English.

The Spanish song El Collar de Sampaguita was one of the most popular Spanish songs of its time (and is a personal favorite). It speaks of the unique and rare quality of the country’s national flower. The inclusion of the song in the graduation rite’s probably started during the early 1900′s when the university had Francisco Buencamino, the composer of El Collar de Sampaguita. He taught music in the university.

My favorite part of the song is the closing stanza, “Pero al fin la delicada sampaguita, devorada por el fuego se marchita, y si alguien la guardó, esa flor se convirtió, en recuerdo de la dicha que pasó”. In many ways our remembrance of the old sampaguita is about history and keeping alive the memory of those who cherished it most.

There seem to be confusion on “La Flor de Manila” and “El Collar de Sampaguita”. Both songs dedicated to the national flower. “La Flor de Manila” was composed by Dolores Paterno, the younger sister of Pedro Paterno. She died relatively young at the age of 27. This song which was written in the 1890′s is her only known surviving work. It is said that she composed the music while she was asleep. This story was told to me by GGR. In the 60′s GGR compiled and sung all these wonderful song in his radio program.

The lyrics “La Flor de Manila” are credited to Antonio Luna, Maximo Hizon and Leopoldo Brias. Of course, we’re familiar with Antonio Luna and what happened to him. The other fellow, Hizon another forgotten hero in the revolution. He mysteriously died at the age of 31 after he was captured by the Yanqui’s in Pampanga.

So when someone say that these Spanish songs are remnants of our colonial past, we better think about who created them – because they in most cases, they’re the very people we regard as heroes and founders of our nation.

Discussions on the State of the Spanish Language during the American Occupation

I spent the whole morning talking with Pio Andrade and GGR about the true state of the Spanish language during the American occupation in the early 1990′s [and some other historical stuff].

Below are some of what they had to say about the topic:

PA: The Americans forbided the teaching of Spanish when they came yet the Spanish capability of the Filipinos increased because the Thomasites had to learn Spanish for them to teach English effectively. Instead of decreasing the speakers of Spanish, they increased it.

A number of English publications in 1903 compared to the number of English and Spanish publications of 1918 shows the latter increasing. Almost all English publications had to dedicate Spanish sections in order to be widely read. Agoncillo’s claim of 2% [Spanish speakers in the 1900's] have no reference. It’s a big  lie.

GGR: It’s a lie to you, to me and to all Filipinos [that Spanish was never spoken by Filipinos]. That’s why they’re [the US] here, to lie. The exploitation was unbelievable since the beginning.

You should have a copy of the book “Rizal’s Unfading Glory”, written by Padre Jesús María Cavanna y Manso. Its the most exhaustive research on the man. Its all there. They try to wishy washy Rizal. Trying to justify American colonialism by promoting the Americanized version of this hero. If they want to get serious about Rizal then they should study his poems, novels, songs and plays in Spanish!

The brave women of Malolos wanted to learn Spanish. Rizal supported them. The message was clear. A lot of people appears to be afraid of the true Rizal but the true Rizal must come out! People just want to repeat the same stories about the man.

WOP: I’ll never forget the stories of my adopted grandmother about Spanish [language]. Having been born in prewar Manila she grew up around people who spoke Spanish. Her father was Irish, having stayed in the country for so long learned Spanish. Her mestiza mom, part Swiss, also spoke it. Intramuros  exclusively spoke Spanish. This includes according to her the servants and the Chinese merchants!

She saw it as something very Filipino. She’s so proud that her generation spoke “the language”. She succeeded in teaching it to her children and grandchildren. And this is an American citizen.

My biological great grandparents, and this came from those who lived with them, spoke the language. My maternal great grandfather was said to be a strict disciplinarian [he evicted my grandpa from Dumangas] exclusively spoke Spanish at home. He was Aglipayan.

Its just strange that we all remember our grandparents speaking Spanish and yet we believe what was taught in school. That it was never widely spoken by Filipinos.

Pio and GGR posing with the newspaper interview ( ¿se retracto Rizal?...¡si!) showing Trinidad Rizal admitting that Jose indeed retracted before he died. GGR here commenting and having fun on the printed shirt (waikiki) of Don Pio!

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All other text enclosed in parenthesis is mine.

Mga Antigong Larawan: New Batch of Scanned Pix

One of my favorite picture of GGR. Teaching, whether it Flamenco or Spanish or Filipino historiography, has been his life long advocacy.

Two months ago, a friend of mine, Sr. Gomez, gave me more than 200 pictures to scan. I volunteered to do it because converting old photos to digital format  is something that I enjoy doing – it’s one way of saving them for the future.

I usually scavenge antique shops for old photos. When I visit old houses, I usually ask for family albums – since I can’t take them back home with  me I would just take snapshots using my digicam.

Once these old photos are lost, their lost forever. So we have to try saving copies while we can – and since we have the technology, we can start with Lolo and Lola’s photos that often neglected.

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Every pictures tells a story. They capture a time lost in the transition of Filipino tradition, values, faith and lifestyle.

I wanted to show more of GGR’s photos but knowing him (his a very personal person) I would have to keep most of what I have now.

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Get together. Notice the bottle of Cokes and weird looking soda "Royal Tru Orange" bottle.

I don't know who are these children. I wonder why they look worried (with the exemption of the tallest girl at the back who managed to smile). If it were not for the jeepn in the background you would wouldn't be able to tell its here.

Lunch with Sr. Gomez Rivera

A distant relative from the “Diaz” side of the family. Sr. Gomez enjoys fast food topped with historical debates!

Just had a great chat and lunch with  Sr. Gomez Rivera. This living legend’s historical lectures both disturb and amuse me all at the same time.

“Disturb” Because he reveals the ugly lies hidden just beneath the surface of Filipino historiography. His voice speaks the truth of how Filipino history is still being manipulated and used to favor the interest of groups who wants to destroy the “Filipino”, and these people, unfortunately, has partly succeeded as we accepted to manage decadence and a culture of ignorance.

When will we finally lose our culture, our identity as Filipinos?

The Ermitense Leon Ma. Guererro, the prince of Filipino poetry warned us “Filipinos” against joining  these “idiots and dwarves” who have thrown “our” heritage to the dustbin – because of this careless attitude, we continue, willingly to be “degraded into the condition of disenfranchised beggars”.

“Amuse” yes, because he perfectly blends history and humor. Humor that always ends with his hysterical laughter! No-one could tell stories like Gomez: history, literature, politics, arts, writing, books — all rolled up in his interesting accounts of life as Filipino.

It must be his dancing, writing activities and his voracious reading habits that keeps him fit physically and mentally. He’s in better shape than most people my age – what’s shocking is that he eats all kinds of fast food! I remember my friend saying, “he would outlive both of us!”.

I hope he will give us more of his works for many, many years to come. Eres el mejor, Sr!

We owe him a great deal of thanks for the many lessons he shared with us. He has finally agreed to have his books “digitalized”, a project that I had proposed a long time ago. Pepe and I can’t wait to get it started!

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11 November 2009

MESTIZAJE

MESTIZAJE
By Señor Guillermo Gómez Rivera
Filipino dance and music researcher, historian and Bayanihan Consultant

When Suzie Moya Benitez, Bayanihan’s executive director, wanted a name for the projected super-show involving Bayanihan and the visiting Folklorical Group from the Island of Palma de Mallorca, Spain, the word “re-encuentro” (re-encounter) was given. She paused to think and found the word “warlike” for that is the word for “shoot-out” in present day Tagalog and Visayan. So “re-encuentro” would not do. The lady opted for another given word “Mestizaje” which means “fusion”, “unity”, “a dynamic step forward”. She then directed the use of “reencuentro” for the suite where both Bayanihan and Palma de Mallorca dancers do dances to the same music of the jota, the fandango and the bolero.

And indeed, “Mestizaje” is the right word for this over-all new meeting with folklorical Spain of the Mallorcan variety. This new meeting is the of-shoot of Bayanihan’s victory last year as the world’s best folklorical group in a worldwide “concurso” held in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

It is obvious that the word “Mestizaje” is kindred to that other word we all know in these Islands. Mestizo. And Mestiza if feminine. For us who were born in old native Cabeceras like Vigan, Malolos, Lingayen, Iloilo, Zamboanga and Cebú the “Sector de Mestizos” or “Pari-án” is a place familiar to us. But the mestizos there, or the “kamistisuha ng Par-ián”, are not blood mestizos of Spaniards. They are cultural mestizos because Native and Chinese by blood but Christian Catholics by religion and Spanish by their language, their food, their songs and their dress. Thus the first mestizos were the children of a Chino Christiano father and an Indio mother.

And since the Chinos Cristianos were traders, usually involved in the Galleon trade, the “Sector de Mestizos” was an enclave of the rich and the educated who spoke and sang in Spanish and wore the “traje de mestiza” and lived in those big Vigan houses and those Malolos mansions, to cite but two examples. Those who ignore history rashly label these “Sectores de Mestizos” as “a gheto” when these are not enclaves of poverty and misery but precisely of opulence and good taste.

The hispanization by blood of these old “Sectores de Mestizos” became later intensified when many Spanish government officials, employees, businessmen and military settled in the Islands and married into the families of these “Sectores” or “Pari-ánes”. The offspring of these latter marriages were called “Mestizos terciados” because aside from Native and Chinese, they also had Spanish blood.

These dynamic fusion of Catholic Spain and the Philippines is Christian “Mestizaje” and the virtues of this fusion can be seen in all Christian Filipino dances which are classified into three kinds: (1) bailes criollos (the creole dances). These are dances that directly came from the Spanish Peninsula and New Spain (Mexico) but which were later indigenized, (2) bailes urbanos (dances from the big cabeceras and ciudades), and (3) bailes municipales y rurales (rural dances). The pre-Hispanic dances were called danzas tribales ( tribal dances).

Bayanihan’s multi-awarded Choreographer and Director, Ferdinand “Bong” José, has observed that many of our Filipino regional dances are very similar to the regional dances of Spain. This merely confirms our thesis about Mestizaje and the fact that under Spain, all Filipinos were Spanish citizens or subjects upon the acceptance of King Felipe Segundo as their “natural sovereign”..

But the Mestizaje of Filipino native dances is not only limited to what is Spanish and native but also to what is Filipino and Chinese (El collar de Sampaguita) and to what is Filipino and Japanese (Habanera Japonesa de Paco). These dances we have offered when the suite called Extramuros de Manila (Beyond the Walls) was staged, —-with the 1873 Manila visit of Hong Kong Governor-General, Sir John Bowring, as the theme. While Intramuros had purely Spanish or creole dances, (kri-olyo in old Tagalog), the arrabales beyond the walls, like Binondo, Santa Cruz, Quiapo, San Miguel, Paco, Ermita and Malate had their respective Mestizaje dances.

Some sectors of course did ask: What about “American Mestizaje”? And the simple answer is that there is no such thing as a fusion between native and American dances and songs. This never happened since Filipinos were never made, wholesale, American citizens like they were previously made Spanish Citizens. With English as our compulsory medium of education, no such fusion took place. We simply were made to adopt, wholesale, American pop culture with its Hollywood movies, popular jazz, blues and the cowboy square dance. Thus, although still under American suzerainty up to now, its either Filipinos sing and dance jazz, the charleston, the boogie-woogie, the swing as they are wont to do, or we change what folkdance means within the accepted concept of authentic Filipino dance culture.

This re-encounter with the folkdances from Palma de Mallorca, Spain, should prove to be an experience for Bayanihan and Manilas culturatti. It is a pity that with the destruction of Intramurso de Manila, the grand old Palma de Mallorca Hotel y Panadería, the cultural center then of old Intramuros and of greater Manila, has also disappeared. If Intramuros had survived, Mestizaje would have been also staged in its big function hall complete with a good sized stage. Bienvenidos a Manila, amigos mallorquines.

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MESTIZAJE
EN CCP Sept. 4, 8PM, Sept. 5, 3 y 8 PM, Sept. 6, 3 y 8 PM.