Conflicts with Understanding

FMG-22                                                                                20150321

Conflicts With Understanding

For over 300 years, Philippines was under the rule of the Spaniards. Many Filipinos, especially those who dedicated their time in studying Philippine History, can say that the Spanish regime is a loop of exploitation and abuse of the Philippines, its resources, and especially, its citizens. Some still despise what the Spaniards did to our country but some are thankful for the good things they’ve contributed to our culture and beliefs. Moreover, through this colonization, we’ve discovered various people who sacrificed their lives in order for us to freely say what we want to say and to live the life that we and they dreamt of. You see, when I was in grade school, I did not give the slightest attention to the heroes of our country. I only knew their names. Rizal, Bonifacio, Del Pilar, and Luna are only some of the names that my Filipino teacher introduced to us. I’ve given my gratitude and respect to an extent but that was it. It was just gratitude and respect. I wasn’t fascinated or curious why they gave their lives for the life I’m living now but as I grew aware of my surroundings, I slowly started to appreciate what they’ve done. This is the main reason why I was so excited when it was announced that we were going to watch a play about Bonifacio. The title of the play was Bonifacio: Ang Sarswela. I was mostly curious about Bonifacio because I wondered why he chose to die for the Philippines and his fellow Filipinos instead of being with his wife and family. As I watched the play, I realized that this was about being a martyr. All of them were; even Aguinaldo and his colleagues. The way they spoke fascinated me. Filipinos today, including me, are having a hard time constructing full Filipino sentences without inserting various English words. The script was well thought out because there are lines that struck my heart and have been engrained into my mind up until now. Along with the script, the music made the ambiance of the play seem that we were in the same time and place where Bonifacio was 300 years ago. It made me calm, enraged, aggravated, happy, and sad simultaneously. Even today, I sing (and dance, heh.) the segment “Laban, Laban, Laban” and “Sigaw ng Pugadlawin, Ikaw ay dadakpin” whenever when I’m with my cousins. That’s a great clue that you’ve watched a superb play. It stays even after it is over. The costumes, however, seemed to have slowed them down and made their dances seem heavier than it should be. I know that they dress for the historical representation but I do wish that a lighter material should’ve been used like what Bonifacio was wearing. Overall, the play was outstanding. The word Bonifacio will never be the same to me after watching it. Now, he’s not just the typical hero I knew when I was in grade school. He’s more than that and he should be given the utmost gratitude, respect, and attention that he deserves. After all, his love for the Philippines is greater than the love he has for his wife; and that, is rare.

        Firstly, the context of the play, during this time, Philippines was on the edge. Filipinos were longing for freedom. They have been oppressed far too long and it had to stop. Within the timeframe of the play, every character was stressed. Each of them had their own goals and objectives which didn’t collide with each other. The Spaniards wanted to retain their authority in the Philippines while the Filipinos wanted freedom and independence. Blood was shed and lives were lost. Bonifacio, who was the “Supremo” of the Katipunan, knew that a revolution must start. He had the guts but he did not have the money. As he was faced with financial difficulty, he asked for aid from Aguinaldo, who is now considered as the first President of the Philippines. Bonifacio’s anger as well as his fellow countrymen didn’t just spurt out of nothing. Filipinos woke up every day thinking if they were still going to be alive the next day and wondering if the Philippines will ever be free. They knew that the Spaniards (especially some of the friars) would do everything just to stay in power. They did horrible crimes and showed no remorse. Rape, torture, unequal rights, racism, and murder are only some of them. These crimes are what enraged the Filipinos. Filipinos knew what they wanted. Rizal even emphasized on it. It was independence. It was alright to be a part of the Spanish colony as long as independence was present. I remember a certain lesson from my Rizal class; Philippines treated Spain as a mother. However, there will come a time that a child will leave his mother’s stead and explore the world by himself. This child is the Philippines. He will not forget his mother, Spain, but he will be independent from it. However, this was not the case. Bonifacio saw that Philippines wasn’t treated as a child, but more of a slave. Moreover, it was not only the Spaniards that he was battling. He was also battling his own blood. His fellow Filipinos that he thought he could trust. But through it all, he still loved them. He still died for them. And I truly admire him for that.

        Secondly, the characters, Bonifacio is the loving husband and the leader of many. He is sweet and caring to his wife and family, a good companion to his friends but a killing machine for those who abuse the Philippines. He is also a father and good one at that; not only to his own child (even before his child was born) but to millions of Filipinos. His objective was to free the Philippines from the bondage that it is in. He knew his objectives and was strong-willed to accomplish it. He let his pride and ego be crushed only for the sake of being aided financially. Bonifacio is a good man with a good heart. A heart that speaks love for the Philippines. Also, the few things I knew about Bonifacio was, he was short, a negro, illiterate, and was full of violence. However, through this play, I was proven wrong multiple times. Even before the play started, I already learned a lot through the person introducing what Bonifacio: Ang Sarswela was. He told us that Bonifacio was not a small person. Instead, he was of average height. He wasn't a negro because his father was a mestizo and he was nowhere near an illiterate or what you call "walang pinag-aralan". Bonifacio read excellently because he loved reading news articles especially Rizal's pieces and even though he wasn't given the privilege to study in a well-known school, he still thrives to learn because he knew how to calculate because of his business. Therefore, debulking all the judgment and prejudices about him. He's well known for these false things and what I realized is, Bonifacio is a victim. The question that kept creeping up my mind is why did all of these appear just now? Why did these stories only appear in the 2000s? Did someone do everything they had to do just to cover up the wrondoings and crimes that Aguinaldo and his colleagues did? Power dominated over Aguinaldo back then but why is power still dominating us now? A lot of questions boggled my mind. I never knew the answer because even I was a culprit. I didn't know the cure and neither did Aguinaldo. This is basically the reason why I couldn't blame him for being pushed to kill Bonifacio for the sake of staying in power, fame, and glory. Aguinaldo, on the other hand, is a character that seemed the most human to me. Aguinaldo did not only battle the Spaniards, he waged war over his countrymen and most of all, with himself. He is an elite. A man of his own word and a person who knew values more than anyone else. This irks me why he still chose to do it out of selfishness and greed. Why do I think he is the most human? The reason is simple. He thinks for the betterment of himself more than the abundance of everyone. I am devastated to say this but humans are like that. It even came to a point that being nice is considered rare and surprising. However, he is not all about being greedy and narcissistic. He also thought of his family and the country. However, his thinking was not for the better, but for the worse. I relate more towards Aguinaldo since I always think of ways to make a person’s day better or help him in any way but I end up getting things worse than ever before. Aguinaldo is a person that wants the good out of things but he puts all of the matters into his own hands and asks for advice from the wrong people. His colleagues, on the other hand, represent those who are thirsty for power. Their way of thinking is the expense of a life is for the benefit of all, which is far from reality. The women in this play fascinate me. Hilaria represented conscience by reminding Aguinaldo that what he is doing isn’t who he truly is. Hilaria is hidden in each of us. She is always reprimanding us but we remain stubborn like Aguinaldo. Gregoria broke all the stereotypes being thrown at women. She was strong, brave, a warrior, and a loving mother. Macario Sakay and Emilio Jacinto were the friends that everyone hopes to have. Both of them are friends that treat you like family and are even willing to die for you. All of these characters looked up to only one objective, to free the Philippines. However, all of their approaches were different. Bonifacio wanted a revolution but Aguinaldo wanted to consolidate with Spain which overclouded Bonifacio’s wishes. With that, there are inner war fares within themselves and it sounds too familiar with the situation that we have today.