DOCSLIB.ORG

Passion for Philippine Social Transformation in the Novel Ilustrado of Miguel Syjuco

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Passion for Philippine Social Transformation in the Novel Ilustrado of Miguel Syjuco Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 3, No. 4, November 2015 Part V _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Asia Pacific Journal of Passion for Philippine Social Transformation Multidisciplinary Research in the Novel Ilustrado of Miguel Syjuco Vol. 3 No. 4, 14-21 November 2015 Part V Ivy Corazon B. Panelo P-ISSN 2350-7756 College of Teacher Education, Batangas State University, Batangas City E-ISSN 2350-8442 [email protected] www.apjmr.com Date Received: September 29, 2015; Date Revised: November 11, 2015 Abstract - The study aimed to analyze the Passion for Philippine Social Transformation in the Novel Ilustrado of Miguel Syjuco. In view of the prevailing social problems encountered in the Philippines such as social injustices, corruption, and the like, and the need for transformation or change of its societal structures, the researcher’s interest being a literature teacher is aroused or stimulated. The qualitative approach was used in this descriptive study of the novel of socio-political nature in order to project a social transformation through critical investigation on the values projected in it. Hence, the study used analytical approach, psychological approach, philosophical or moral/ethical approach, and sociological approach in analyzing its content. Results showed that social transformation in making wise preferences, having smooth family relationship, and decreasing social injustices apparently were the social transformations depicted in the novel. The author’s rejection to join politics and desiring to expose social ills were the major incidents in his life that showed his passion for social change. The structures of the society that needed to be changed were moral values of the leaders, personal interests, Filipinos culture, and the motives of the politicians to maintain their hold in power. The use of symbolism as the predominant literary device gave the readers clearer picture of the condition of the society and understanding of the author’s passion for Philippine social transformation. The moral ethical values of courage in saving other’s lives from devastation, honesty to self and to the country, devotion to Filipino writings and writers, faith in God, and forgiveness reflected in the story were made alive and real in the readers. Keywords: Philippines, Society, Transformation INTRODUCTION solitary way one will be able to change Philippine Social problems, also called social issues, such as society [2]. corruption, poverty, and human rights abuses affect Transformation surpasses reformation. every society, great and small. They tend to refer to Reformation denotes improving one’s life. But the problems that affect people living together in a transformation involves a change of heart, a new way society. It is an aspect of society which people are of thinking and a new perspective on life. concerned and would like to change. Transformation of society requires the conversion of Philippine contemporary society according to the societal structure: cultural, social, economic, and Bicomong’s study is brought about by the influence of political. These structures are made by people to foreign issues full of immorality and forgotten express and uphold the values that they love most: Filipino values which hinder the growth of the society what they believe, how they work, how they want to [1]. The country faces lots of social problems that be directed, their standards and hopes. These need transformation. This transformation according to structures change as the values of the society alter. Pascual must begin from personal conversion. He Values, thus, define the justness or unjustness of the further explains that the love for the Philippines alone Philippine social structures [3]. will not change or transform Philippine society. Only In addition, Buenaflor [4] clearly and strongly God’s love flowing through each soul will convert the emphasizes the importance of fighting for the moral country. One cannot regenerate Philippine society for principle as a Filipino leader for the country’s the better unless one has changed oneself for the transformation. He upholds the significant role of a better. Individual transformation back to Christ is the righteous and just leader for the nation’s attaining of 14 P-ISSN 2350-7756 | E-ISSN 2350-8442 | www.apjmr.com Panelo, Passion for Philippine Social Transformation in the Novel Ilustrado of Miguel Syjuco _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ true freedom. He also believes that every citizen uppermost literary honor. Its title alone, an insinuation should also submit to the leader’s authority and fulfill to the upper-class intelligentsia during the Spanish his/her responsibility to maintain peace and order in period, is a reference to examine Salvador/Syjuco. the society. Miguel Syjuco, the author of the novel, wins the 2008 In view of the prevailing social problems Man Asian Literary Prize. He is an educated, reform- encountered in the Philippines such as social minded, but most notably, upper-class. injustices, corruption, and the like, and the need for The author’s skills as a literary writer and social transformation or change of its societal structures, the critic are internationally known and manifested in his researcher’s interest being a literature teacher is use of different literary techniques and postmodernism aroused or stimulated. The researcher believes that style which inspired the researcher. through literature, one can mirror or reflect the true The novel’s exposition of the ills of society and situation of the society. It is one of the most effective clamor for change can be easily understood because of ways of telling the truth where one can have profound its richness of thoughts and wisdom that motivated the understanding of the society and compel a strong researcher to explore more for its meaningful desire to change it. As part of the Philippine society, implications to life through an in depth analysis. the researcher’s awareness of the country’s social, political, cultural, moral, and economic conditions OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY widens due to the rampant national problems the The study attempts to analyze the Passion for government and its people are experiencing and Philippine Social Transformation in the Novel suffering until now. Ilustrado of Miguel Syjuco. Explicitly, the study Ilustrado was only a manuscript when it was first aimed to determine the forms of social transformation written in 2008. Miguel Syjuco experienced several depicted in the novel of Miguel Syjuco; to identify hardships of rejection and revision before his bookwas specific incidents in the life of the author that show published. Through the help of his editor, Eric passion for social change; to determine how the Chinski, and his copyeditors, designers, and following facets of Philippine social transformation translators, his manuscript became a book. It obtained are pursued in the novel: moral ascendancy, the Grand Prize for the Novel in English at the 2008 economic security, cultural identity; and political Palanca Awards before it was published. In November stability; to determine the literary devices does the 2008, he gained the Man Asian Literary writer use to bring out passion for Philippine social Prize for writing Ilustrado. In 2010, it acquired the transformation; and to determine the moral ethical QWF Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction, values that are awakened among readers of Quebec's highest literary award, and became New contemporary society. York Times Distinguished Book. It was also a qualifier for the 2010 Grand Prize du Livre de METHODS Montreal, one of the exceptional English-language The study used the descriptive method of research books in the world. In late 2010, Ilustrado was that described the nature of a situation and explored published in Spanish, Swedish, and Dutch translation. the causes of social problems with emphasis on the In 2011, Ilustrado became one of the top three best- social transformation of the contents of the selected selling books in the world and was published in novel. Hence, the study was analytical in nature and different international languages like French, Italian, ultimately required critical examination or Japanese, and German through the help of Peter investigation of the values projected in it. Straus, Melanie Jackson, Laurence, and Stephen [5]. The study used content analysis in trying to project Syjuco come to be known world-wide for being the values in the selected fiction. The analyses present one of the most intellectual novels that attempt to specific incidents in the life of the author that shows mirror the Philippines and Filipinos into different his passion for social transformation as treated in the levels and dimensions of life. It focuses on themes selected novel. such as insurgency, responsibility, social The analytical, psychological, philosophical or transformation, valor, weakness, remorse, faith, moral, and sociological approaches in literary expatriation, and patriotism. Ilustrado achieves the criticism bore concrete meaning along with the Palanca Outstanding Award, the Philippines’ 15 P-ISSN 2350-7756 | E-ISSN 2350-8442 | www.apjmr.com Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 3, No. 4, November 2015 Panelo, Passion for Philippine Social Transformation in the Novel Ilustrado of Miguel Syjuco _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Headstart for the Philippines Cultural Notes
    TA 0001 5 HEADSTART FOR THE PHILIPPINES " ... - .......- = - - . _ _ t' A . , ..... _ -. - . ' ':~"" &'t • :. - - '!:...;..-..... -....~: CULTURAL NOTES DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE, FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER HEADSTART FOR THE PHILIPPINES CULTURAL NOTES FIRST EDITION FEBRUARY 1985 DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER ACKNOWLEDGMENT Photographs provided by the Northern California Philippine Ministry of Tourism, San Francisco, CA. ii CONTENTS Geography 1 Climate 2 People 2 History 4 Language 9 Religion 10 Family Life 11 The Filipina 12 Courtesy and Custom 14 Arts 15 Food and Restaurants 18 Alcoholic Beverages 19 Sports 20 Holidays 21 Sightseeing 23 Shopping 26 Transportation 27 Driving 28 Health 29 Currency 30 Telephone Service 30 Household Help 31 Bibliography 31 iii SOUTH SATA N£S PAOV, ; "-~ATANC IS . • • QBA8UYAN IS. CHI NA o P \locos Sur SEA LUZON PACIFIC Sur OCEAN CALAMIAN GROUP SULU SEA MINDANAO SEA Republic of the Philippines GEOGRAPHY A few degrees above the equator and several hundred miles from the Asian mainland, the Phil­ ippines lie scattered north to south for a thou­ sand miles and east to west for seven hundred. Eleven of the more than 7,107 islands and islets, only 700 inhabited, account for 96 per­ cent of the land. The islands of the archipel­ ago fall into three groups. The northernmost includes Mindoro and Luzon. Luzon, where Manila is located, is the center of government and the most heavily populated and industrialized sec­ tion of the country. The eight central islands of the Visayan group--Samar, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol, Negros, Panay, Masbate and Palawan--are second in development. To the south lie Sulu and Min­ danao with vast but relatively unexploited agri­ cultural and mineral potential.
    [Show full text]
  • Un Mundo Ilustrado
    UN MUNDO ILUSTRADO José Rizal formó parte del mundo ilustrado que floreció en Filipinas a fines del siglo XIX. En él se incluía una élite de personas educadas en universidades filipinas, que frecuentemente completaban su formación en instituciones europeas. Este grupo de ilustrados, identificados más por su grado de educación que por un único nivel socioeconómico, fue esencial en la formación de una conciencia nacional filipina. Ilustrados fueron pintores como Juan Luna y Novicio o Félix Resurrección Hidalgo, formados en las notables escuelas de dibujo existentes en Manila y especializados en Academias de Bellas Artes europeas. La destreza de sus pinceles les llevó a ganar importantes certámenes internacionales. Los ilustrados se interesaron también por el estudio de la Lengua, bien fuera a través de investigaciones sobre los antiguos alfabetos filipinos o los muchos dialectos del archipiélago, bien a través del aprendizaje de los idiomas modernos. Tenían tras ellos, además, una larga tradición de elaboración de gramáticas, iniciada por los religiosos españoles en 1610, cuando Fr. Joseph publicó en Filipinas la primera gramática tagala. Posteriormente, otros autores estudiaron el visayo, el pampago, el ilocano… Rizal insertó sus estudios gramaticales, que abarcaron desde el tagalo a los jeroglíficos egipcios, pasando por más de diez lenguas, en esa tradición. Algo parecido ocurrió con el conocimiento de la Historia. Desde el siglo XVI se escribieron importantes estudios históricos sobre el archipiélago – Chirino, 1604; Colín, 1663; San Agustín, 1698; Aduarte, 1693… – Rizal prosiguió esa dinámica, anotando los Sucesos de Filipinas escritos por Antonio de Morga en 1609, en lo que se ha considerado como la primera historia de las islas escrita por un filipino.
    [Show full text]
  • Colonial Contractions: the Making of the Modern Philippines, 1565–1946
    Colonial Contractions: The Making of the Modern Philippines, 1565–1946 Colonial Contractions: The Making of the Modern Philippines, 1565–1946 Vicente L. Rafael Subject: Southeast Asia, Philippines, World/Global/Transnational Online Publication Date: Jun 2018 DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190277727.013.268 Summary and Keywords The origins of the Philippine nation-state can be traced to the overlapping histories of three empires that swept onto its shores: the Spanish, the North American, and the Japanese. This history makes the Philippines a kind of imperial artifact. Like all nation- states, it is an ineluctable part of a global order governed by a set of shifting power rela­ tionships. Such shifts have included not just regime change but also social revolution. The modernity of the modern Philippines is precisely the effect of the contradictory dynamic of imperialism. The Spanish, the North American, and the Japanese colonial regimes, as well as their postcolonial heir, the Republic, have sought to establish power over social life, yet found themselves undermined and overcome by the new kinds of lives they had spawned. It is precisely this dialectical movement of empires that we find starkly illumi­ nated in the history of the Philippines. Keywords: Philippines, colonialism, empire, Spain, United States, Japan The origins of the modern Philippine nation-state can be traced to the overlapping histo­ ries of three empires: Spain, the United States, and Japan. This background makes the Philippines a kind of imperial artifact. Like all nation-states, it is an ineluctable part of a global order governed by a set of shifting power relationships.
    [Show full text]
  • "Patria É Intereses": Reflections on the Origins and Changing Meanings of Ilustrado
    3DWULD«LQWHUHVHV5HIOHFWLRQVRQWKH2ULJLQVDQG &KDQJLQJ0HDQLQJVRI,OXVWUDGR Caroline Sy Hau Philippine Studies, Volume 59, Number 1, March 2011, pp. 3-54 (Article) Published by Ateneo de Manila University DOI: 10.1353/phs.2011.0005 For additional information about this article http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/phs/summary/v059/59.1.hau.html Access provided by University of Warwick (5 Oct 2014 14:43 GMT) CAROLINE SY Hau “Patria é intereses” 1 Reflections on the Origins and Changing Meanings of Ilustrado Miguel Syjuco’s acclaimed novel Ilustrado (2010) was written not just for an international readership, but also for a Filipino audience. Through an analysis of the historical origins and changing meanings of “ilustrado” in Philippine literary and nationalist discourse, this article looks at the politics of reading and writing that have shaped international and domestic reception of the novel. While the novel seeks to resignify the hitherto class- bound concept of “ilustrado” to include Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), historical and contemporary usages of the term present conceptual and practical difficulties and challenges that require a new intellectual paradigm for understanding Philippine society. Keywords: rizal • novel • ofw • ilustrado • nationalism PHILIPPINE STUDIES 59, NO. 1 (2011) 3–54 © Ateneo de Manila University iguel Syjuco’s Ilustrado (2010) is arguably the first contemporary novel by a Filipino to have a global presence and impact (fig. 1). Published in America by Farrar, Straus and Giroux and in Great Britain by Picador, the novel has garnered rave reviews across Mthe Atlantic and received press coverage in the Commonwealth nations of Australia and Canada (where Syjuco is currently based).
    [Show full text]
  • The History of Filipino Women's Writings by Riitta Vartti Sivu on Päivitetty 2.1.2007, Riitta Vartti, [email protected] Updated
    The History of Filipino Women's Writings by Riitta Vartti Sivu on päivitetty 2.1.2007, Riitta Vartti, [email protected] updated An article from Firefly - Filipino Short Stories (Tulikärpänen - filippiiniläisiä novelleja) Riitta Vartti (ed.), Kääntöpiiri, Helsinki 2001 The Philippines can be proud not only because of the country's high literacy rate but also because of her women authors who write and publish in the many languages of the country, both in the Philippines and abroad in diaspora. The development of women's writing is tied to the history of the country and the language question - from oral tradition to silencing of women under Spanish rule, from the English period under American rule to the date when more literature is written in vernacular. In this article is told more about the writers who are not represented elsewhere in the book "Firefly". The Language Question They spoke the language of his childhood, the language he never used in Manila because it was not cosmopolitan enough. Lakambini A. Sitoy: Bones (a short story in the collection Mens Rea) My family thinks in Spanish, feels in Tagalog, prays in Pidgin Latin, and speaks English. Sylvia Mayuga In the Philippines, people speak several tens of languages and dialects which belong to the Southeast Asian Malay group of languages. Tagalog, Visayan (bisaya) and Ilocano are among the most common native languages with their several dialects. Before the Spaniards colonized the islands in the 1500s, many of the indigenous peoples had also already developed their own writing system (1). However, in the Philippines just like in many other former colonized countries, majority of the writing middle class has not much used the languages of their people.
    [Show full text]
  • UC Riverside Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    UC Riverside UC Riverside Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Language, Tagalog Regionalism, and Filipino Nationalism: How a Language-Centered Tagalog Regionalism Helped to Develop a Philippine Nationalism Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/69j3t8mk Author Porter, Christopher James Publication Date 2017 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE Language, Tagalog Regionalism, and Filipino Nationalism: How a Language-Centered Tagalog Regionalism Helped to Develop a Philippine Nationalism A Thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Southeast Asian Studies by Christopher James Porter June 2017 Thesis Committee: Dr. Hendrik Maier, Chairperson Dr. Sarita See Dr. David Biggs Copyright by Christopher James Porter 2017 The Thesis of Christopher James Porter is approved: Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside Table of Contents: Introduction………………………………………………….. 1-4 Part I: Filipino Nationalism Introduction…………………………………………… 5-8 Spanish Period………………………………………… 9-21 American Period……………………………………… 21-28 1941 to Present……………………………………….. 28-32 Part II: Language Introduction…………………………………………… 34-36 Spanish Period……………………………………….... 36-39 American Period………………………………………. 39-43 1941 to Present………………………………………... 44-51 Part III: Formal Education Introduction…………………………………………… 52-53 Spanish Period………………………………………… 53-55 American Period………………………………………. 55-59 1941 to 2009………………………………………….. 59-63 A New Language Policy……………………………… 64-68 Conclusion……………………………………………………. 69-72 Epilogue………………………………………………………. 73-74 Bibliography………………………………………………….. 75-79 iv INTRODUCTION: The nation-state of the Philippines is comprised of thousands of islands and over a hundred distinct languages, as well as over a thousand dialects of those languages. The archipelago has more than a dozen regional languages, which are recognized as the lingua franca of these different regions.
    [Show full text]
  • Translation and the Problem of Realism in Philippine Literature in English1
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Ateneo de Manila University: Journals Online Garcia / Translation and the Problem of Realism 99 TRANSLATION AND THE PROBLEM OF REALISM IN PHILIPPINE LITERATURE IN ENGLISH1 J. Neil C. Garcia University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City [email protected] Abstract To the degree that Philippine literature in English is translational it cannot be realistic: realism is a signifying practice that presupposes a monocultural ground, upon which the “consensus” of representational fidelity can happen. And yet, much of the criticism of this literature, as produced by Filipinos themselves, has generally failed to take note of this crucial precondition, enacting a ruinous category mistake that, among other things, unwittingly confounds contemporary departures from the referential towards the “avant-garde” and/or antimimetic modes, as these are espoused by young Filipino poets and fictionists alike. Finally, this paper argues that the various literary practices encoded in Philippine anglophone writing still need to be postcolonially specified, their translated or syncretic qualities critically recognized and acknowledged, and that this kind of interpretive labor needs to be made not only by locally engaged critics but also by Filipino writers who purport to champion more theoretically informed and self-reflexive “performances” or texts. Keywords anglophone, poetry, Filipino, mimetic, category mistake, avant-garde About the Author J. Neil C. Garcia teaches creative writing and comparative literature in the University of the Philippines, Diliman, where he serves as Director of the university press and a fellow for poetry in the Institute of Creative Writing.
    [Show full text]
  • Traditions in Philippine Literature and History: Synthesis and Analysis
    Journal of Global Media Studies Vol. 24 ［４校］ P.55 Traditions in Philippine Literature and History: Synthesis and Analysis Michael N. Quiros ※ Abstract This paper takes a different look at Philippine literature and history. By viewing the literature of a nation as an embodiment of its historical consciousness, it is able to reveal much about: Who is the Filipino today? What makes up and drives Philippine society and culture? To answer these questions, this paper looks into five major literary traditions of Philippine literature -- Native, Islamic, Spanish, American, and Nationalist – which in turn belong to any of the three historical periods of Philippine history: Pre-Colonial, Colonial, and Post-Colonial. Each of these traditions is also characterized by its own set of genre and generative themes in line with the spirit of the times. The paper concludes that all these five major literary traditions make up the Filipino today and are a driving force behind Philippine culture and society. Key words: Philippine Literature, Philippine History Introduction As the title suggests, this paper is about Philippine literary history inasmuch as it is about the socio-cultural history of the Philippines. Webbing the two themes together is made possible by the correspondence between the country’s historical periods and literary traditions, namely, Pre-Colonial (Native and Islamic), Colonial (Spanish and American), and Post-Colonial (Nationalist) respectively.1 According to Northrop Frye, litera- ture is like a looking glass through which “the whole cultural history of the nation that produced it comes into focus” and that it is possible to see “the cultural history of the nation by looking through that imagination” which is the language and realm of literature (cited in Willinsky 1998, 236).
    [Show full text]
  • Race and Ethnicity in the Era of the Philippine-American War, 1898-1914
    Allegiance and Identity: Race and Ethnicity in the Era of the Philippine-American War, 1898-1914 by M. Carmella Cadusale Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the History Program YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY August, 2016 Allegiance and Identity: Race and Ethnicity in the Era of the Philippine-American War, 1898-1914 M. Carmella Cadusale I hereby release this thesis to the public. I understand that this thesis will be made available from the OhioLINK ETD Center and the Maag Library Circulation Desk for public access. I also authorize the University or other individuals to make copies of this thesis as needed for scholarly research. Signature: M. Carmella Cadusale, Student Date Approvals: Dr. L. Diane Barnes, Thesis Advisor Date Dr. David Simonelli, Committee Member Date Dr. Helene Sinnreich, Committee Member Date Dr. Salvatore A. Sanders, Dean of Graduate Studies Date ABSTRACT Filipino culture was founded through the amalgamation of many ethnic and cultural influences, such as centuries of Spanish colonization and the immigration of surrounding Asiatic groups as well as the long nineteenth century’s Race of Nations. However, the events of 1898 to 1914 brought a sense of national unity throughout the seven thousand islands that made the Philippine archipelago. The Philippine-American War followed by United States occupation, with the massive domestic support on the ideals of Manifest Destiny, introduced the notion of distinct racial ethnicities and cemented the birth of one national Philippine identity. The exploration on the Philippine American War and United States occupation resulted in distinguishing the three different analyses of identity each influenced by events from 1898 to 1914: 1) The identity of Filipinos through the eyes of U.S., an orientalist study of the “us” versus “them” heavily influenced by U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • The 'Unfinished Revolution' in Philippine Political Discourse
    Southeast Asian Studies, Vol. 31, No. I, June 1993 The 'Unfinished Revolution' in Philippine Political Discourse Reynaldo C. ILETo * The February 1986 event that led to Marcos's downfall is usually labelled as the "February Revolution" or the "EDSA Revolution." On the other hand, all sorts of analyses have argued to the effect that the "EDSA Revolution" cannot be called a revolution, that it can best be described as a form of regime-change, a coup d'etat, a restoration, and so forth [see Carino 1986]. Yet to the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos from all social classes who massed on the streets that week there seemed to be no doubt that they were "making revolution" and that they were participating in "people power." For the revolution to be, it sufficed for them to throw caution aside (bahala na), to confront the tanks and guns of the state, to experience a couple of hours of solidarity with the anonymous crowd, and to participate in exorcising the forces of darkness (i. e., the Marcos regime). Should the business of naming the event a "revolution" be understood, then, simply in terms of its political referent? Whatever the reality of the processes enveloping them, the crowds on EDSA seemed to readily interpret or locate their experience within a familiar discourse of revolution and mass action. The present essay explores the discursive frame of radical politics from the 1950s up to 1986. I) I hope to explain why "revolution" and "people power" were familiar in 1986, as well as why the imagined "1986 EDSA revolution" also constitutes a departure or break from the Marcos/Communist Party discourse of revolution.
    [Show full text]
  • The Historical Context and Legal Basis of the Philippine Treaty Limits
    The Historical Context and Legal Basis of the Philippine Treaty Limits Lowell B. Bautista * I. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 2 A. Territorial Integrity as an International Legal Norm................... 3 B. The Philippine Nation-State ......................................................... 6 1. The Philippine Archipelago as a Single Territorial Entity..... 6 2. The Philippine Declaration of Independence........................ 8 II. THE CESSION OF THE PHILIPPINES FROM SPAIN TO THE U.S.................. 9 A. State Succession in International Law.......................................... 9 B. The Spanish Title over the Philippine Archipelago .................... 12 C. The American Title over the Philippine Archipelago ................. 14 D. Treaties Defining the Philippine Treaty Limits........................... 15 1. The Treaty of Paris of 1898................................................. 16 2. The Cession Treaty of 1900 ................................................ 19 3. The Boundaries Treaty of 1930........................................... 20 III. THE TERRITORIAL BOUNDARIES OF THE PHILIPPINES ......................... 21 A. Historic Rights in International Law.......................................... 21 B. The Philippine Historic Right of Title over the Treaty Limits..... 23 C. The Juridical Function of the Boundaries.................................. 26 IV. CONCLUSION .....................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Jose Rizal : Re-Discovering the Revolutionary Filipino Hero in the Age of Terrorism
    JOSE RIZAL : RE-DISCOVERING THE REVOLUTIONARY FILIPINO HERO IN THE AGE OF TERRORISM BY E. SAN JUAN, Jr. Fellow, WEB Du Bois Institute, Harvard University Yo la tengo, y yo espero que ha de brillar un dia en que venza la Idea a la fuerza brutal, que despues de la lucha y la lenta agonia, otra vzx mas sonora, mas feliz que la mi sabra cantar entonces el cantico triunfal. [I have the hope that the day will dawn/when the Idea will conquer brutal force; that after the struggle and the lingering travail,/another voice, more sonorous, happier than mine shall know then how to sing the triumphant hymn.] -- Jose Rizal, “Mi Retiro” (22 October 1895) On June 19, 2011, we are celebrating 150 years of Rizal’s achievement and its enduring significance in this new millennium. It seems fortuitous that Rizal’s date of birth would fall just six days after the celebration of Philippine Independence Day - the proclamation of independence from Spanish rule by General Emilio Aguinaldo in Kawit, Cavite, in 1898. In 1962 then President Diosdado Macapagal decreed the change of date from July 4 to June 12 to reaffirm the primacy of the Filipinos’ right to national self-determination. After more than three generations, we are a people still in quest of the right, instruments, and opportunity to determine ourselves as an autonomous, sovereign and singular nation-state. Either ironical or prescient, Aguinaldo’s proclamation (read in the context of US Special Forces engaged today in fighting Filipino socialists and other progressive elements) contains the kernel of the contradictions that have plagued the ruling elite’s claim to political legitimacy: he invoked the mythical benevolence of the occupying power.
    [Show full text]