José Rizal Monument, Rizal Park/Luneta Park, Manila
( **** THAT BUILDING IN PARTICULAR! )
( View from another angle. )
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Information about the Monument
( Tagalog on the left, English on the right. )
The other things I saw while I'm there.
A map!
A fountain!
A Souvenir Shop!
OOOOOHHH
Now that I have dumped all photos I have taken using my $70 phone. It's time for storytelling.
Monumentoserye~ Jose Rizal.
(Disclaimer: I try to be as accurate as possible but the victors wrote the history books and I'm just a random guy.)
José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda
Jose Rizal is a rich kid! but his parents are the richer rich kid!
ok.. that's was bad. Let's start again.
IN A TIME IN HISTORY...
China got invaded by the Mongols, Yuan Dynasty is established,
after almost 100 years Yuan Dynasty got yeeted by Ming Dynasty.
Ming Dynasty lasted for about +/- 275 years, before also getting yeeted by the Manchu from the north and established Qing Dynasty.
and some time like 40 to 50 years later, the Revolt of the Three Feudatories happened.
The Revolt of the Three Feudatories happened because when Qing dynasty was established, China was in chaos and China is BIG!
while the Qing Dynasty managed to control the northern part of China, the same couldn't be said in the southern part,
So instead, they allowed Military commanders to "invade to own" the southern regions as long as they remain loyal.
40-50 years later, Kangxi Emperor said "Hey, I want those territories back." and they said no.
Yes that pretty much sums it up.
enter, Domingo Lam-Co Mercado,
A Chinese Immigrant who move to the Philippines to have a peaceful life and a better tomorrow~, Like most EXPATS!
In his mid thirties got baptized in the Philippines and got his first name Domingo.
later adapting the surname referencing his trade, Mercado (Market) due to tax reasons. like Harry Potter = is a potter, some other examples like Fisher, Baker, or White.
Got a young hot Filipina wife! FILIPINA WIFE, HAPPY WONDERFUL LIFE!
Became a BIG part of the Filipino Chinese Community, FILIPINO CHINESE NUMBA WAN!
in anycase, a successful businessman.
Got a child, which got a child, which got a child, which got Jose Rizal.
so yeah, Great Great Grandfather of Jose Rizal.
You might have noticed but everything seems.... peaceful and happy?
Yes It was! Until It wasn't.
A lot of things happened.
It was a time of Monarchs and The Church are married in Divine Right, Spain is monarchy, and when Spain suffers so does its colonies.
- War of the Spanish Succession
- Seven Years' War (That time when The Philippines almost became a British Colony.)
- Peninsula War
- Napoleon doing Napoleon things.
- Joseph Bonaparte becomes King of Spain and the assembly of the Spanish Parliament.
- La Pepa & Cortez of Cadiz (That time when Filipinos almost became Spaniards in terms of rights)
- Bonaparte Brothers losses and King Ferdinand VII shouts "I'M BACK BABY!" (La Pepa & Cortez of Cadiz is aborted.)
...So, Jose Rizal, a rich kid, but his parents are richer rich kid?
Aside from amassing wealth over generations like farms and businesses, his Grandfather became mayor of Binan, Laguna multiple times.
Why Rizal and not Mercado?
Remember when I said that surnames were mostly applied due to tax reasons? As time went by, Families would have members with different surnames. That's terrible.
And then it happened, the Claveria Decree, it allowed the populace to have change their surnames from trade related to family name.
Jose Rizal's father then choose to take Rizal instead of Mercado.
There are multiple reasons why:
- Protection, His family is very influential, having Mercado in your name is like painting a GIANT RED TARGET on your back.
- Jose Rizal's dad didn't want anything to do with politics, just want a quiet and peaceful life.
- Jose Rizal's dad is living the farmville life.
- Mercado = Market, Rizal = newly tilled soil (ready for planting). Family business is agriculture, it all makes sense.
Why Jose?
Saint Joseph, Jesus Adoptive Father.
(FUN FACT: Jose Rizal is affectionately called Pepe, from the acronym P.P. which means Pater Putativus\Reputed Father. Which means women that affectionately call him Pepe, is them calling him "Dzaddy.")
Ok... moving on.
Jose Rizal, born as the seventh child of eleven siblings of the Rizal Family.
being the middle child means you don't have the responsibilities of your older siblings and the perks of being the youngest. The middle child syndrome.
However, Jose Rizal is the second and last male among his siblings, which makes him doted by his family so much more.
Enter, Paciano Rizal, second child of the Rizal siblings and Jose Rizal's older brother with an age gap between them of about 10 years.
Paciano is like an Itachi to Jose's Sasuke.
Paciano is the heir to the family business, knows what's up and down, Have seen the atrocities with his own eyes and probably tried to shield his younger brother from it. VERY VERY PROTECTIVE.
Specially after 'that' happened, that being the execution of the Filipino priests, Gomes, Burgos and Zamora, Jose Burgos is Paciano's mentor and friend... Jose Rizal was 10 years old at this point in time.
Discrimination at this point in time is wild if you are in Jose Rizal's shoes.
- Discriminated for being Filipino in a Spanish Colony.
- Discriminated again for having Chinese ancestry.
Having suffered...people. Jose Rizal completed his education with achievements and went on to study to be a statesman in UST only to shift courses to medicine because his mother worsening eye condition.
Can't blame him. Love Mum.
In 1882 he left Philippines and went to Travel because "DASURV KO ITO", before going to Madrid and getting his medical license in 1884. Jose Rizal didn't require a lot of time in adjustment, since high school life he lived in dormitories in manila and being treated like a foreigner in your own country helped quite a lot to having a thick skin.
"Filipinos are not racist because they are the epitome of being racists."
Squint Eyed? Are you Chinese?
Darker shade of the skin? NIGGA!
these values exist even now, but In truth, Filipinos didn't care about "SUPERIOR RACE" and inequality, because Filipinos has been treated like SHIT ever since the Spanish colonization started. what they care about is what you can bring in the table and the entertainment one can bring.
In a Filipino's mind:
If you are Chinese = hardworking, good with money.
If you are African = strong bodies, BID BICKS!
If you are European = too cool for the Filipino weather.
If you are Filipino = gossip-monger, mugger.
Yes Filipino are racists against their fellow Filipino.
There's Tagalog, and non Tagalog look down upon them the same way as Tagalog look down upon non Tagalog.
"Bawal magbisaya nakamamatay." A Tagalog saying where one should not speak Bisaya because they look down upon it.
there's also rumors that if you speak Tagalog in Visayan Region, you would be charged MORE for goods and services. just a rumor, ITS A RUMOR RIGHT?
in the end, Filipino is the least racist type of people for they are high level racists, they know, they understand, and they accept.
seriously, ever seen a Filipino tip toe on your boundaries? puck your boundaries!~
As Jose Rizal travels and learn about other countries culture he slowly leans towards liberalism, he couldn't help but think it's unfair for Filipinos back at home have shitty rights in their own homeland.
Jose Rizal is also thought to be a Rizzler but it's a statement that has been largely overblown.
Jose Rizal has a lot of women, the statement is partially true, Jose Rizal has a lot of female friends.
Jose Rizal had NINE sisters, NINE! and they were taught to be prim and proper, the perfect housewife.
for that, Jose Rizal have umm appreciation towards women, specially younger ones. HAH!
rather than lust, his actions to seek women is seem to be through fascination and curiosity, because again, women in his home country live very different lives.
throughout the years while going to college in spain to get his license in medicine and afterwards as he practice as a doctor he met other like minded people, like Ferdinand Blumentritt, Maximo Viola, Juan Ponce Enrile Mariano Ponce(second great-uncle of Enrile), Juan Luna and others.
All of these peeps have like minded opinion in regards to the treatment of Filipinos in their own homeland.
It was injustice! It was wrong! and their sentiment only grew stronger.
even before Jose Rizal arrived in Spain in 1882, a number of people are already voicing for reforms for Filipinos in Spain and in 1880 they formally organized as the Propaganda Movement.
and so in early 1887, Jose Rizal published Noli me Tangere. funded by Maximo Viola, and has a German version translated by Blumentritt.
The book was an success spreading to Europe like wildfire and even reached The Philippines.
both the Spanish Colonial Authority and Catholic Church in the Philippines didn't like that. didn't like it one bit.
Book has been banned in the Philippines. but like Internet Piracy, The Philippines is NUMBA WAN in spreading information, worthy of the title gossip mongers.
in late 1887 Jose Rizal went home to The Philippines, he's famous! a ROCKSTAR!, all eyes were on him. and that means even his enemies can't do shit.
it was short lived though as he was forced to leave due to safety concern, he stayed for about 6 months.
so what happened that forced him to leave?
- The Noli Me Tangere issue.
- Protesta De Calamba.
Protesta De Calamba is probably the bigger reason why Jose Rizal had to leave.
what happened was, The Dominican Friars wanted to reclaim the lands of the Hacienda de Calamba that had previously been granted to the farmers, they straight up assert ownership and start collecting rents from farmers. And remember, Jose Rizal's family is in Calamba and in is involved in Agricultural sector.
And so a Legal fight between the friars and ensued, and that's why Jose Rizal was forced to flee again.
Traveling again in 1888 to Hongkong and observed the Chinese New Year, cured his mom's left eye, then Macau, then Japan, then United States, back to Europe and even Spain.
He didn't gained much when He went to United States in 1888.
You'd think he would as the abolition of slavery happened 1865.
but no, in 1880s Murica was pretty much ANTI ASIANS.
why?
1840 = MURICA GOLD RUSH.
1839-1860 OPIUM WARS!~
so yeah...a lot of Chinese immigrated to MURICA for work.
to the point that the Murica government even took action.
CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT of 1882.
so yeah.. MURICA? TOTALLY ANTI ASIANS.
- The Propaganda Movement started publishing their newspaper "La Solidaridad" in Barcelona, Spain.
- Rizal's second book. El Filibusterismo.
- Rizal Went back to The Philippines, Established La Liga Filipina, also a newspaper but this time in The Philippines. got arrested for sedition, then exiled to Dapitan.
so From Tondo, Manila, Luzon, he was exiled to Dapitan, Mindanao.
so he lived in Dapitan... away from politics, just enjoy the grass on his feet and the wind on his hair. Taught children, practiced as a doctor and lived the Farmville life.
failed to cure his mom's right eye, must be because of lack of advanced tools.
met his future Live-In partner Josephine Bracken in 1895, didn't married because Catholic Church in The Philippines didn't want to officiate it, Rizal was excommunicated due to his anti-catholic writings.
Josephine got pregnant, Rizal requested to be a combat doctor in Cuba to Governor General Ramon Blanco.
Josephine gave birth to their premature son in 1896, didn't survive...
Jose Rizal was probably very sad. sad as fvck.
Katipunan Revolution AUGUST of 1896.
Jose Rizal, given permission and recommendation from Governor General Ramon Blanco to become a Military doctor left from Dapitan on September of 1896
October 1896 Jose Rizal got arrested in Manila, well you know.. Katipunan, Rockstar Reformist. there must be a connection~
imprisoned in a castle in Spain and awaiting trial.
December 6 of 1896, Trial in Barcelona starts.
Note that Governor General Ramon Blanco recommends Jose Rizal to become a military doctor in Cuba and can attest that Jose Rizal didn't leave exile for Katipunan.
December 10 of 1896, Trial in Barcelona ends, Guilty of rebellion, sedition and conspiracy. IN JUST 5 days! The only time the government took action this fast!~
Jose Rizal was then deported to The Philippines and imprisoned in Fort Santiago.
December 13 of 1896, Ramon Blanco got replaced by Camilio De Polavieja as Governor General of The Philippines.
December 26 of 1986, Military Trial under Philippine colonial government, Governor General Camilio De Polavieja sentenced Jose Rizal to death.
December 29 of 1986, met with family for the last time, secretly gave his last poem "MI ULTIMO ADIOS" to his sister.
December 30, 1986, Jose Rizal and Josephine Bracken got married in a chapel in Fort Santiago, two hours before execution.
December 30, 1986, Jose Rizal was executed by firing squad at Bagumbayan(Luneta Park) in Manila, faced his executioners and his last words were "Consummatum Est", It is finished.
Rizal's remains is first interred in Paco General Cemetery, Manila then later re-interred at the base of Rizal Monument in Luneta.
his Last Poem "Mi Ultimo Adios" was spread throughout, Mariano Ponce distributed the copies and Andres Bonifacio translated it to Tagalog,
Paciano, his older brother, fought in the revolution, Josephine went back to Hong Kong and remarried.
Just a normal guy who wants to live life to the fullest and uplift his fellow Filipinos to have the same opportunity to do so.
Atleast he get to be in Civilzation 7.
that's all from me.
didn't proofread.
Cheers!