What now, about Rizal?
| NO HOLDS BARRED |
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| Armida Siguion-Reyna |
Media to the left and right of us let out a flood of articles in connection with National Hero Jose Rizal’s 150th birth anniversary. He was all over the papers, on free and cable TV, discussed on radio, a giant statue of him was unveiled near his ancestral home in Laguna, by no less than the President, and, hey, not even the rains stopped people from going to his birthday picnic, on Facebook announced by an invite that read: “Imbitado ka sa 150th Birthday ko! Magpapa-picnic ako sa Fort Santiago, Intramuros, sa June 19, 6 p.m. Sa Linggo na!”
Never mind that the face on the invite wasn’t Rizal, but his classmate, Amado Carpio. It was an impressive gathering at the Walled City, with most attendees wearing Filipino costumes loaned out by organizers to those who had applied to borrow early enough, there was a program, good singing, and no, the weather just couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm, although had the sun been out there would have been more in the picnic.
Monday at the SM City Baguio, some 150 men from the ages of three to 70, attracted attention wearing the closest to the Rizal look as could be imagined, dark suits and top hats, while city officials spoke about Rizal’s student life and heroism, followed by a stage play, the opening of a Rizaliana exhibit and the showing of what I presumed to be the Gerry de Leon Noli Me Tangere, described in the write-up as “a film made in the 60s and preserved in its best form by the Philippine Historical Society.”.... MORE
Source: The Daily Tribune
URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110624com4.html
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