History – ellen tordesillas

Aquino, Del Rosario and Gazmin should watch ‘Heneral Luna’

Published by Ellen on September 20, 2015

I watched “Heneral Luna” last Friday at Southmall in Las Pinas and I witnessed something that re-affirmed my faith in the Filipino: after the screening the students in the audience clapped.

I should not be worrying much about the future of our country.

Actress, writer and director Bibeth Orteza, who is a member of the board of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board posted a suggested in Facebook: “I’m saying this in my individual capacity, not as a member of the MTRCB. If I were the producer of “Heneral Luna” I’d bring the film back to the MTRCB, seek a lower audience rating classification, and then bring it around the country for a school tour.”

Heneral Luna is rated R-13, which means only those age 13 and above can watch the movie. It must be because of the violent scene in the movie, which were essential to underscore the intensity of the power struggle at that time. I myself had to close my eyes in the murder scene.

Aquino ignores Bonifacio

Published by Ellen on November 30, 2014

Movie actor Robin Padilla at the Liwasang Bonifacio rally.

Photos courtesy of Renato Reyes, Jr.

Yesterday was the 151st birth anniversary of one of Filipinos’ great heroes, Andres Bonifacio (November 30, 1863 – May 10, 1897).

Today, we are a sovereign nation, independent and free, largely because of Bonifacio.
Bonifacio is considered the “the Father of the Philippine Revolution”. He founded the Katipunan, short for Kataas-taasan, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan, a movement which sought the independence of the Philippines from Spanish colonial rule.

Save for a short message released by Malacañang, there was no other activity led by President Aquino that commemorated the birth of Bonifacio.

Come to think of it, why would Aquino bother with Bonifacio? Remember his reason for not going to the wake of Jennifer Laude, the transgender who was killed by an American serviceman? He doesn’t go to the wake of people he doesn’t know.

Aquino has no affinity with Bonifacio.

Forgotten details from an old story

Published by Ellen on September 22, 2013

By Luz Rimban, VERA Files THE photograph is 30 years old, but it provides startling details to an old, almost forgotten story. Taken by a…

Rizal as member of media

Published by Ellen on June 17, 2012

Tomorrow, we celebrate Jose Rizal’s 151st birth anniversary.

If Rizal were alive today, it is not farfetched that he would be in media.

I would imagine him writing stinging commentaries on the corrupt politicians and self-righteous civil society leaders the way he took on the hypocritical friars and cocky and incompetent Spanish colonial officers in his Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

I would imagine him an advocate of protecting our environment. As noted by an environmental organization EcoWaste Coalition, during his exile in Dapitan, Rizal did various projects such as the construction of an aqueduct that provided people with clean water, draining of swamps to avoid being breeding places of mosquitoes, use of coconut oil lamps to light up streets, beautification of the town plaza, and planting of trees in different parts of the town.

I would imagine him also writing about our state of education because the importance he puts in education was best expressed in his support for the women of Malolos who defied the wrath of Malolos parish priest Fr. Felipe Garcia, who forbade them to attend night school to study Spanish.

When and where was Philippine flag first unfurled?

Published by Ellen on June 12, 2012

A friend who listened to President Aquino’s speech at the 114th Philippine Independence Day celebration at Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan yesterday called me up confused about a historical event he cited.

The President started his speech recalling last year’s Independence Day celebration in Kawit, Cavite:

“Noon pong nakaraang taon, nagtipon tayo sa Kawit, Cavite, sa balkonahe ni Heneral Emilio Aguinaldo kung saan unang iwinagayway ang ating bandila. Doon, unang kumumpas ang martsang Lupang Hinirang, sabay sa pintig ng puso ng mga rebolusyunaryong Pilipinong, sa wakas, ay kalag na sa tanikala ng mga dayuhan. Doon, unang pinasinayaan ang karapatang makapamuhay nang malaya at nagsasarili ang bansang Pilipinas.”

A Galleon museum in Manila

Published by Ellen on November 27, 2011

Presentation of commemorative stamps — Postmaster general Josefina de la Cruz and Sen. Edgardo Angara presenting the Dia del Galleon commemorative stamps to First Lady of Mexico, Margarita Zavala.

There’s a plan to build a galleon museum in Manila that will not only make Filipinos appreciate Philippine historical ties with Latin America but in the words of Mexico’s First Lady Margarita Zavala, “ could serve as an intercultural and globalization research center which will further help in uniting us.”

Madam Zavala, wife of President Felipe Calderon of Mexico, was here on a two-day visit last week.

At the cultural gala in her honor hosted by Sen. Edgardo Angara held at the Philippine International Convention Center last Thursday, Zavala shared her excitement after reading Jose Rizal’s “Ultimo Adios.” “He wrote it in Spanish!,” she said underscoring the affinity of Mexico and the Philippines in the Spanish language.

She said to the mostly English-speaking audience, “”I know you speak in English but your heart is still in Spanish. “

Zavala, a lawyer and was a member of the Mexican parliament, also observed that Philippine handicrafts are very much similar to Mexican handicrafts. “I’m sure the reason for this similarity goes back to the Galleon,” she said.

Researchers discover fossil of human older than Tabon Man

Published by Ellen on August 3, 2010

By Howie G. Severino, GMANews.TV

Move over, Tabon Man. Callao Man is here.

Evidence has emerged that the islands comprising the Philippines could have been inhabited by humans more than a dozen millennia before the so-called Tabon Man of Palawan, long thought to be the archipelago’s earliest human remains.

A team of archaeologists led by Dr. Armand Mijares of the University of the Philippines-Diliman has confirmed that a foot bone they discovered in Callao Cave in Cagayan province was at least 67,000 years old. Tabon Man’s remains were a relatively young 50,000 years old.

The foot bone discovered in Callao Cave was a mere 61 millimeters or 2.4 inches. Photo courtesy of Dr. Armand Mijares.
“So far this could be the earliest human fossil found in the Asia-Pacific region. The presence of humans in Luzon shows these early humans already possessed knowledge of seacraft-making in this early period,” Mijares told GMANews.TV in an exclusive interview conducted by email in between archaeological digs.

Between legend and truth

Published by Ellen on December 27, 2009

by J.B. Baylon
Malaya

This holiday season has allowed me to do something I like doing a lot – and which costs very little.

I refer to my habit of going to a bookstore, and staying there for an hour or two, sometimes even three – while I browse the many books available, taking my own sweet time paring down the purchase options to one, or two, or three, sometimes even five books I would finally go home with.

And so, over the last five days I have visited the different branches of Fully Booked daily, and the National Book Store in Greenbelt 1 twice as well, as a result of which I now have seven books added to my list of “next to read” tomes.

Category: History