Four Eyed Journal

Ideas, commentary & geekery

Tag: History (page 1 of 2)

June 18, 2022 / 0 Comments

#NeverAgain Bundle by Adarna House

Back in May, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency Director General Alex Paul Monteagudo red-tagged Filipino book publisher Adarna House when it offered to sell book bundles about the late Ferdinand Marcos Sr’s dictatorship, describing it in a Facebook post as part of a plan to “subtly radicalize” Filipino children to rise up against the government.

The outrageous and dangerous insinuation that Adarna House, a respected book publisher founded by no less than National Artist Virgilio Almario, has ties to the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing the New People’s Army.

Even acclaimed English author Neil Gaiman weighed in:

It cannot be stressed enough that red-tagging is dangerous and there have been activists that were murdered after being red-tagged.

More to the point, publishing books about important historical events especially in a format aimed at younger readers is not only noble work, it is essentially public service.

So to support Adarna House, I bought their #NeverAgain Bundle which consists of the following books:

  • “Ito ang Diktadura” (2017) by Equipo Plantel
  • “Edsa” (2013) by Russell Molina
  • “Isang Harding Papel” (2014) and “Si Jhun-Jhun, Noong Bago Ideklara ang Batas Militar” (2001) by Augie Rivera
  • “The Magic Arrow” (2021) by Bolet Banal

After a little over a month, the books finally arrived yesterday and the wait was worth it. My daughter finished reading all the books in one sitting and said she really enjoyed each one.

#NeverAgain
#NeverAgain Bundle by Adarna House

The #NeverAgain bundle and many other good titles are available over at Adarna House’s website so grab a copy if you can. I promise you will not regret it.

Disclaimer: This is not a paid post nor am I connected to Adarna House, Inc in any way.

July 5, 2020 / 0 Comments

Justice Antonio Carpio: Defending Philippine Sovereign Rights in the West Philippine Sea

A must-watch for every Filipino, this lecture of retired Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio eloquently demolishes the 9-Dash line claim of China over the West Philippine Sea.

Using historical and legal evidence, he presents a very strong case in which China’s claims over the Spratly islands is built on a false narrative designed to suit the Chinese government’s expansionist desires.

Through this lecture, Justice Carpio makes it easy to understand the Philippines’ historic victory against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016. The full lecture can now be watched on Access Online’s YouTube account here.

November 30, 2019 / 0 Comments

Andres Bonifacio: Manifesto ng Supremo

Today we commemorate the 156th anniversary of Andres Bonifacio’s birth. Father of the Philippine Revolution, considered by some historians to be the first President of the Philippines, a revolutionary, mysterious and controversial figure, and an enduring symbol of the struggle for the Filipino masses for a better nation.

Engraving of Filipino insurgent leader Andrés Bonifacio from February 8, 1897 issue of La Ilustración Española y Americana, a Spanish-American weekly publication. Captioned (in Spanish): “Andrés Bonifacio, titled “President” of the Tagalog Republic“. From a photograph. Source: Wikipedia

What originally began as re-posting the immortal passage from the famous patriotic call “Ang dapat mabatid ng mga Tagalog” attributed to Andres Bonifacio, I decided instead to re-post a lesser known speech or manifesto issued either February or March of 1897 as a patriotic call to the Katipuneros in response to the attacks made by the Spaniards at Silang, Zapote in Cavite and in Batangas.

Sa Marahas Na Manga Anak Nang Bayan:

Ang inyong ipinakilalang katapangan sa pakikihamok sa kaaway na mga Kastila buhat pa ng simulan itong panghihimagsik, ay siyang nagsasabing mataas na di ninyo ikinasisindak ang ugong ng paghahanda at pagsalakay dito ng hukbong akay ni Polavieja, na sa kaunting panahon ay nagpakilala na ng malabis na kaduagan at hamak na kaasalan ng alipin sa kanyang pagpapahirap at malimit na pagpatay sa makapal na kalahing hindi nagsisilaban. Yaong pagpapasunog nito sa mga bayan, yaong paglapastangan at pagdungis sa capurihan ng mga babai na di na pinacundanganan ang canilang cahinaan, yaong pagkitil ng buhay ng mga matatandang hindi na macausad at sanggol na sumususo pa, na cailan may hindi aasalin at gagawin ng sino pa mang lalaking may puri at may tapang, ay humihingi ng isang masiglang paghihiganti at matinding caparusahan.

Sa inyong pamimiyapis mangyayaring abutin ang cayo’y tanghalin bangkay sa gitna ng parang ng pakikidigma; ngunit ito’y isang kapurihang inyong maipapamana sa ating Bayan, sa ating lahi, at sa ating angkan.

Ang inyong mapupugtong hininga, ay siyang magbibigay buhay sa ating Bayan at siyang matamis na alaala sa gunita ng inyong mga kapatid na maiiwan.

Dapat naman ninyong mabatid, na ang kadahilanan ng ating paggugugol ng lalong mahalaga sa loob at sampu ng ingat na buhay, ay ng upang tamuhin at kamtan yaong linalayong Kalayaan ng ating Bayang tinubuan na siyang magbibigay ng buong caginhawahan at magbabangon ng ating kapurihan na ilinugmok ng kaalipinan sa hukay ng kadustaang walang makatulad.

Sasagi kaya sa inyong loob ang panlolomo at aabutin ang panghihinayang na mamatay sa kadahilanang ito? Hindi, hindi! Sapagka’t nakikintal sa inyong gunita yaang libolibong kinitil na buhay ng mapanganyayang kamay ng Kastila, yaong daing, yaong himutoc at pananangis ng mga pinapangulila ng kanilang kalupitan, yaong mga kapatid nating nangapipiit sa kalagimlagim na bilanguan at nagtitiis ng walang awang pagpapahirap, yaong walang tilang pag agos ng luha ng mga nawalay sa piling ng kanilang mga anac, asawa at matatandang magulang na itinapon sa iba’t ibang malalayong lupa, at ang katampalasanang pagpatay sa ating pinakaiibig na kababayan na si M. Jose Rizal, ay nagbukas sa ating puso ng isang sugat na kailan pa ma’y di mababahaw. Lahat ng ito ay sukat ng magpaningas sa lalong malamig na dugo at magbunsod sa atin sa pakikihamok sa hamak na Kastila na ang nag bibigay sa ating ng lahat ng kahirapan at kamatayan.

Kaya mga kapatid, igayak ang loob sa pakikipaglaban at paaasahan ang pagtatagumpay, sapagka’t na sa atin ang tunay na katuiran at kabanalang gawa; ang Kastila, iyang kasuklamsuklam na lahing dito’y napasuot, ang tanging ipinaglalaban ay ang maling katuirang panggagaga at panlulupig dito sa di nila bayan.

Sa lahat ng ito, ng malubos ang kabanalan at kapurihan ng ating lahi, ng tanghalin ng Sandaigdigan ang kamahalan ng ating kalooban, ay huag nating tularan ang kalabang Kastila sa pagkahamak ng asal sa ugaling gamit sa pakikidigma, huag tayong makipaghamok sa kaibigan lamang pumatay, kundi sa pagtatanggol ng Kalayaan ng ating Bayan, at abutin sa mahigpit na pagkakayap nating mga anak ng Bayan, ay mahiyaw ng buong lakas na Mabuhay! Mabuhay! Ang Haring Bayang Katagalugan!

Andres Bonifacio, Manifesto: Sa Marahas Na Manga Anak Nang Bayan. From 20 Speeches that Moved a Nation edited by Manuel Quezon III.

April 6, 2019 / 0 Comments

Tulfo is racist & colonial

By defaming Filipino workers before the world, Tulfo and company are demonstrating how much they loathe the very class that produces the goods and services they themselves enjoy, and dismissing any possibility that the country of their birth, through its own people’s efforts, can ever better itself.

– Luis Teodoro, Racist – and colonial
March 24, 2019 / 0 Comments

[FACT CHECK] Apolinario Mabini was not a student of Juan Ponce Enrile

Yes, it’s a meme. It’s satire. It’s funny AF. And here it is below in all its glory:

Screen grab from The Third Pinoy Season Facebook page

Humor aside, I’m a bit concerned that there would be someone who would actually think this is true. Unbelievable as it may sound but we’ve reached this point in our civilization that there are people who think everything on the internet is true.

So let’s break this meme down.

Quick facts about the two persons involved:

Juan Ponce Enrile – Born 14 February 1924 (age 95 years)

Apolinario Mabini – Born: 23 July 1864, Tanauan, Batangas
Died: 13 May 1903, Manila

Was Apolinario Mabini a lawyer? Yes. He earned his Law degree at University of Sto Tomas in 1894*.

Did Juan Ponce Enrile taught law? Yes. He was taught Law at the Far Eastern University Institute of Law in the 1960s before he became involved with former dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Was Apolinario Mabini a former student of Juan Ponce Enrile? No. Apolinario Mabini was already a lawyer in 1894, thirty years before Juan Ponce Enrile was born†.

Hope this sets the record straight. Still, hats off to JPE, he’s almost a century old and I think he’ll see two more Presidents until he kicks the bucket.

  1. *
    Zaide, Gregorio F. (1984), Philippine History and Government, National Bookstore Printing Press
  2. †
    Wikipedia contributors. (2019, March 14). Juan Ponce Enrile. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 03:58, March 24, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Juan_Ponce_Enrile&oldid=887724006
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