Wednesday, March 20, 2013

REFLECTION


Gregoria de Jesus was known to be the “Mother of Philippine Revolution”.  She was also the first Filipina to translate or decipher the alphabet of the Katipunan in code. She married AndrĂ©s Bonifacio first, the supremo of the Katipunan, and had a son with him and eight children from Julio Nakpil as his second husband.

Her life was too terrible because at first, she lost her child due to smallpox then later on, she lost her husband Andres because Aguinaldo’s officers captured him and sentenced him to death.  If you would look upon her life, you can conclude that she experienced a lot of depressions and faced a lot of extra-ordinary challenges, but she was able to be a good writer and to establish a lot of creative works. There is this poem of hers that captured my attention and that is her poem about her husband, Andres Bonifacio.  While I was reading the poem, I can actually feel the sadness upon seeing her husband die in front of her.  You will not just enjoy reading the poem but also, you will be emotionally attached to it.  This is one of the reasons why I admire her.  As a writer, it is your responsibility to make your readers interested and not bored on your writings and doing such thing is not as easy as 1 2 3.  It takes a lot of courage and professionalism in order to achieve such things.  If given a chance to be a writer in the future, I want to be like Gregoria de Jesus because she was not just a good writer, but she was also able to serve and help our soldiers in fighting for our freedom against the Spaniards.

As a woman in the Philippine Society, Gregoria De Jesus was one of a kind.  She was very strong and committed in what she was doing.  She was a dedicated and good leader in the Women’s Chapter of Katipunan in the Philippines.  Gregoria was assigned to be the keeper of the important documents and seals during the revolution days.  Gregoria is a very good example to every woman today in our country because despite of being a woman she still made a name in our Philippine History.

She is a symbol of bravery and a woman who values her principles.  I believe it takes a lot of courage and internal strength to do all the things that she has done.  She did not only play a big part in helping the Katipuneros, but I must say that she somewhat founded it as well.  Without her, things that the Katipuneros are fighting for would be a waste and will not set as an awareness to other Filipinos.  She also brought strength to women that time wherein women re always portrayed as weak or that they rarely contribute help in times like this.  She has proved that it every man's success, there is always a strong woman behind him.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

MAGMULA, GILIW, NANG IKA'Y PUMANAW


Magmula,giliw, nang ikaw ay pumanaw,
Katawan at puso ko'y walang paglagyan;
Lakad ng dugo sa ugat ay madalang,
Lalo't magunita ang iyong palayaw.
Lubhang malabis ang aking pagdaramdam
Sa biglang paggayak mo't ako'y panawan,
Alaala ko sa iyong pagdaraanan,
At gayundin naman sa iyong katawan.
Na baka sakaling ikaw ay kapusin,
Lumipas sa iyo oras ng pagkain;
Sakit na mabigat baka ka sumpungin
Na lagi mo na lamang sa aki'y daing.
Saan patutungo yaring kalagayan,
Dalamhating lubos liit ng katawan,
Magsaya't kumain hindi mapalagay,
Maupo't tumindig, alaala' ikaw.
Kalakip ang wikang "magtiis, katawan,
Hindi pa nalulubos sa iyo ang layaw,
Bagong lalaganapang kaginhawaan
Ay biglang nag-isip na ikaw ay iwan."
At kung gumabi na, banig ay ihihiga,
Matang nag-aantok pipikit na bigla,
Sa pagkahimbing panaginip ka, sinta
Sabay ang balon ng hindi mapigil na luha.
Sa pagka-umaga, marahang titindig,
Tutop ng kamay yaring pusong masakit,
Tuloy na dungawan, kasabay ang silip,
Sa paroroonan mong hirap ay mahigpit.
Matapos sumilip, pagdaka'y lalabas,
Sa dulang kakanan agad haharap;
Ang iyong luklukan kung aking mamalas,
Dibdib ko'y puputok, paghinga'y banayad.
Sama ng loob ko'y sa aking mag-isa,
Hindi maipahayag sa mga kasama;
Puso ko ay lubos na pinagdurusa,
Tamis na bilin mo'y "magtiis ka, sinta."
Sa akin ay mahigpit mong tagubilin,
Saya'y hanapin at ang puso'y aliwin;
Naganap sumandali'y biglang titigil,
Alaala ka kung ano ang narating.
Mukhang itutungo, luha'y papatak,
Katawan pipihit, lakad ay banayad;
Pagpasok sa silid, marahang igagayak
Damit na gagamitin sa aking paglakad.
Lilimutin mo yaring kahabag-habag,
Puhunang buhay tatawirin ang dagat;
Pag-alis ay sakit, paroroonan ay hirap,
Masayang palad mo sa huli ang sikat.
Ako'y lalakad, usok ang katulad;
Pagtaas ng puti, agiw ang katulad;
Ang bilin ko lamang, tandaan mo, liyag,
Kalihiman natin huwag ihahayag.
Paalam sa iyo, masarap magmahal,
May-ari ng puso ko't kabiyak ng katawan;
Paalam, giliw ko, sa iyo'y paalam.
Masayang sa iyo'y aking isasangla
Ang sulam pamahid sa mata ng luha,
Kung kapusin palad, buhay mawala,
Bangkay man ako, haharap sa iyong kusa.


SOURCE:

Anonymous. "Magmula, giliw, nang ika'y pumanaw." Ravenfox's Haven. 12 April 2010. 17 March 2013. <http://ravenfoxhaven.blogspot.com/2010/04/magmula-giliw-nang-ikay-pumanaw.html>

Monday, March 18, 2013

TULA NI ORIANG



Magmula Giliw ng ikaw ay pumanaw
Katawan at puso ko'y walang paglagyan
Lakad ng dugo sa ugat ay madalang
Lalo't magunita ang iyong palayaw.
Lubhang malabis ang aking pagdaramdam
Sa biglang paggayak mo't ako'y panawan
Alaala ko sa iyong padaraanan
at gayun din naman sa iyong Katawan.
Na baka sakaling ikaw ay kapusin
Lumipas sa iyo oras ng pagkain
Sakit na mabigat baka ka sumpungin
Na lagi mo na lamang sa aki'y daing.-
Saan patutungo yaring kalagayan
Dalanhating lubos liit ng katawan
Magsaya't kumain hindi mapalagay
Maupo't tumindik alaala'y ikaw.
"Kalakip ang wikang magtiis katawan
"Di pa na lulubos sa iyo ang layaw
"Bagong lalaganap ang kaginhawahan
"Ay biglang nagisip na ikaw ay iwan."-
At kung gumabi na sa banik ay hihiga
Matang nagaantok pipikit na bigla
Sa pagka himbing panaginip ka sinta
Sabay ang balong di mapigil na luha.-
Sa pagka umaga marahan titindik
Tutob ng kamay yaring pusong masakit
Tuloy sa dungawan kasabay ang silip
Sa pinaroonan mong hirap ay mahigpit-
Matapos sumilip pagdaka'y lalabas
Sa dulang kakanan agad haharap
Ang iyong luglukan kung aking mamalas
Dibdib ko'y puputok paghinga'y banayad-
Sama ng loob ko'y aking magisa
Di maipahayag sa mga kasama
Puso ko ay lubos na pinagdurusa
Tamis na bilin mo'y "magtiis ka sinta."


SOURCE:

Anonymous. "Tula ni Oriang." Poems from Filipino Poets. 8 January 2008. 17 March 2013. <http://filipinopoets.blogspot.com/2008/01/tula-ni-oriang.html>

Monday, March 4, 2013

BIOGRAPHY

Gregoria de Jesus was one of the heroine of the Philippine revolution of 1986.  She was born on May 9, 1875, a native of Kalookan, then a town north of Manila.  Her father was Nicolas de Jesus.  He was a land owner, a master mason and carpenter by occupation.  He also held the hollowing offices in the Spanish colonial bureaucracy: "teniente segundo" (second lieutenant), "teniente mayor" (vice mayor) and "gobernadorcillo" (town mayor).  Her mother, Baltazara Alvarez Francisco, was a native of Novelata, Cavite and a niece of General Mariano Alvarez, the leader of Magdiwang Council in Cavite and one of the local politicians in the said province.

When she was eighteen years old, a young widower named Andres Bonifacio began to visit her.  Andres and Gregoria secretly fell in love.  Her parents disapproved their relationship because Andres Bonifacio was a Freemason.  She was hidden and kept prisoner by her parents in a house in Binondo, Manila.  In deference to her parents, she married Andres in the Catholic Church of Binondo in 1893.  In the evening of the same day, they were united in the Katipunan wedding ceremony.  She was initiated in the Katipunan Woman Chapter headed by Josefa Rizal.  She took the Katipunan symbolic name, "Lakambini" (Princess).  She was entrusted the delicate job of custodian of Katipunan documents, seals, paraphernalia and revolvers.  Gregoria and Benita Javier sewed the first Katipunan flag which consists of red cloth with three white horizontal Ks.

On May 1897, Andres Bonifacio and his brother was executed and Gregoria was set free.  After some time, Gregoria married Julio Nakpil, a talented musician, jeweler and a trusted aide of Bonifacio in Quiapo Church, Manila.  By her second husband, she had eight children.  She died on March 15, 1943 during the dark days of the Japanese occupation in the Philippines.


SOURCE: (Article)

Donor, Danilo. "LAKAMBINI: The Life of Gregoria de Jesus." Filipino Journal. February 2013. 4 March 2013. <http://filipinojournal.com/alberta/our-columnnist/philippine-history/lakambini-the-life-of-gregoria-de-jesus.html>

SOURCE: (Image)

http://en.wikipilipinas.org/images/thumb/6/6e/Gregoria_de_Jesus.jpg/150px-Gregoria_de_Jesus.jpg