Human Rights Online Philippines

Historical Distortionism is the Destruction of the Nation’s Foundation

This is a response with Lito B. Zulueta’s Aguinaldo in a fairer light. I do have some serious reservations, not only to the tenor of his questionable narration but also firmly dispute the veracity and truthfulness of the very core of his views.

Mr Zulueta stated that:

Independence Day is less than a month away, so it is auspicious that the man who declared it on June 12, 1898, often vilified for having allegedly assassinated Andres Bonifacio and “Heneral Luna,” if not independence itself, is getting a fair shake from a Philippine historian with no mean international reputation.

Comment:

He talked about Independence Day, the question there is that, had he read the whole document of the said proclamation? According to that auspicious document:

And having as witness to the rectitude of our intentions the Supreme Judge of the Universe, and under the protection of our Powerful and Humanitarian Nation, The United States of America, we do hereby proclaim and declare solemnly in the name by authority of the people of these Philippine Islands,

Is that the Independence that that writer want us to believe? A so-called “independence UNDER THE PROTECTION…” of the US?

In International Law, does he knows the difference and the distinction between Independence and that of a Protectorate?

On the issue of the vilification of the “man” who declares that so-called “Independence Day”, the commenter controversially claims that this is so because of this “man’s” alleged assassination orders on Andres Bonifacio (and his siblings) and Heneral Luna (and his men); the pertinent question here is: are they mere allegations or a generally accepted brutal facts but ironically and generally not taught wholeheartedly to all our people?

Why can’t we be true to ourselves? Why are we trying to hide this bloody, treacherous and utterly dark chapter in our history? Why can’t we face the truth that it was the alleged “revolutionaries” who killed the Father of the Katipunan and the Revolution that led to the counter-revolution?

The writer can cite any “authorities that he wants, he can concoct deviationist tales and he may even succeed to sanitize their deadly and bloody version, but in the end, all these acts of impertinent cleansing, this misplaced process of redescription of the narrative, all these pretensions for a rehabilitation of a notorious criminal will all end in failure. The truth has always a way of coming out.

It is equally not true that, “our problems really began in 1898 with the arrival of the Americans, their betrayal of their ally Aguinaldo, and their destruction of the first republic,” Ileto said. “I have yet to watch a Filipino movie that brings home this truth.”

Our problem begun as early as July 1896, when the Katipunan and its various Councils debated the necessity of the preparation for the coming revolution, the “man” of that “Philippine historian with an international reputation” and his commenter, issued his doubts on its feasibility.

Our problem begun when it was decided by the Katipunan leadership that all the revolutionary forces will simultaneously attack Manila on August 29-30th. We all know what happened. Their “man”, who has no sense of light nor fairness did not show up, so as his men.

Our problem which turn into a national tragedy and eternal shame happened at the Tejeros Convention. Said mockery of the democratic process of the so-called “revolutionaries” culminated to the gruesome murder of the Supremo.

The virus that were unleased in Tejeros and at Maragondon continued up to the Second Phase of the revolution. Sad but true, but the said virus continues up to this day. Just consider the viruses of marcosianism and #Fentanylismo!
Hence, our problem did not begun in 1898. That is idiotic. Our continuing curse and abominable shame started on May 10, 1897.

To claim that that felon, opps I mean fellow is a hero is not only an insult to all those true blue heroes and genuine revolutionaries who fought, struggled and died for us, but also an eternal shame to whatever foundation this nation claims it has.

Therefore, it is incontestable that my views about this mass murderer will not change, for to do so will lead to the bastardization and prostitution of the truth, which I will never ever allow myself to do even if I reach a 100 years old.

Finally to all those who denies historical truth, peddlers of distortionism, script writers of revisionism and spin doctors of political rehabilitation, you all have to be ashamed of yourselves! It is written, fear history for nothing can escape its vengeance.

In the immortal words of Emile Zola: If you shut up truth and bury it under the ground, it will but grow, and gather to itself such explosive power that the day it bursts through it will blow up everything in its way.

Jose Mario D. De Vega
First and Former Director, The Andres Bonifacio Course and the Katipunan Movement, Unibersidad de Manila
PhD Student, Philippine Studies, Asian Center, UP Diliman
Faculty Member, Social Science Department, College of Education and Liberal Arts, Adamson University

Submit your contribution online through HRonlinePH@gmail.com
Include your full name, e-mail address, and contact number.

All submissions are republished and redistributed in the same way that it was originally published online and sent to us. We may edit submission in a way that does not alter or change the original material.

Human Rights Online Philippines does not hold copyright over these materials. Author/s and original source/s of information are retained including the URL contained within the tagline and byline of the articles, news information, photos, etc.