By Atty. Antonio P. Pekas
The other week, the Sentro Rizal was opened in London. Supposedly for those with Filipino blood in the UK and in Ireland to reconnect with their roots and culture. While unsaid, it should also be for these people to appreciate the heroism of Jose Rizal. Well and good.
My only beef against this is that it should have been done first in this country…. Doesn’t charity begin at home? People here should be made to appreciate Jose Rizal’s love of country. Aside from teaching the life of Rizal and his work in schools, which are very theoretical so it does not result in appreciation, much less internalization, there should be real experiences about Rizal or on anything that had something to do with him or his life.
An existing place which could help in this respect was his home in Calamba, Laguna. A visit to that place should be a good experience. It should awaken some feeling of heroism, even if just a minuscule of it. But believe me, a visit to Calamba, Laguna where his home is located would be a big disappointment, if not a nightmare.
So I found out last Holy Week. My first visit there about 50 years ago was better as the place was not yet congested. It was not yet filthy.
But last Holy Week, coming from Los Banos, Laguna where we spent Good Friday, the main road intersection (even if you are coming from Metro Manila) was crowded with people and with vehicles. It is like going to Divisoria or China Town. The closest example in Metro Baguio would be like going to the La Trinidad Trading Post near the munisipyo on a very busy day– the crowd, the bumper to bumper traffic, including the filth.
You go through this in horror due to the disappointment on the state of Calamba. It made me ask, “Where was the brain of Jose Rizal? Didn’t the people of Calamba have also that kind of brain? Why did they destroy their place which used to be a wholesome place. And what did the government do to make a visit to the place of our National Hero a good experience, if not an awakening one?”
In horror, as far as I was concerned, we wended our way throuugh the crowded and polluted streets into the center of town . Then we reached the Spanish era Roman Catholic church. Across the street was the house of Rizal. There was no parking area, you have to park on the side of a very busy street. . The LGU of Calamba during the onslaught of development failed to provide for parking spaces for visitors.
The house of Rizal appears to be well maintained. It is of course a replica, the original having been burned long ago. It stands on a 500 or more square meter lot. Remember, the family owned a hacienda or haciendas so the wide residential lot in the center of town. The “garage” for their horse drawn carriage was rebuilt also on the side of the house and the back was a wide space with trees. It is a luxurious residence even by today’s standards. In contrasst, the other houses or buildings in the vicinity are small and congested if not dilapidated.
Last Good Friday, the house or shrine was closed so we just gawked outside of the gates (from the front and back) and the iron and concrete fence. If only the surroundings were wholesome and taken care of to awaken some feeling of nationalism, then a visit there would be worthwhile. As things are, forget it.
Similarly, the Pinaglabanan in San Juan City (ruled by the Estradas since time immemorial)—where the first encounter that sparked the revolution by Andres Bonifacio’s ragtag and untrained group against the Spaniards occurred, never evoked a feeling of nationalism in me. The shrine which I passed countless times was never made to attract passersby and to awaken some feeling of nationalism.
If important places of our national heroes and especially our corrupt and inept leaders don’t engender a feeling of nationalism, what will?**
