Many months ago, on a Monday, Senator Francis Joseph Escudero, better known as Chiz, went to the Freedom Triangle of the Manila City Hall, upon the invitation of Mayor Alfredo Lim, to give a talk after the flag ceremony. The youthful senator had not yet turned forty and his colleague, Noynoy Aquino, was still completely opaqued by his dazzling celebrity sister.
The only thing I remember of what Senator Chiz Escudero said had something to do with Dr. Jose Rizal. He declared that Rizal was wrong to have said that the youth are the hope ( ang pagasa) of the country (bayan).Coming from a youth icon, that unexpected assertion raised quite a few eyebrows, including mine.
Chiz said that the youth of the land should not just standby, nonchalantly with folded arms, waiting for the future to happen; implying that that was what Jose Rizal meant. He said the youth should act now and be involved now and not wait for a future time . What a baffling interpretation of Jose Rizal lwho had consciously and relelntlessly lived his life for Filipinas and who faced death before he had turned forty.
In fact, the majority of our heroes and heroines, our "best and brightest", were young people who did not wait; in their 20s and 30s they had put their lives at stake so that in future Filipinos may have an independent and sovereign republic. Many of them were inspired by Jose Rizal's appeal (through Padre Florentino in EL FILIBUSTERISMO) so they did not just standby idly waiting for the future to happen.
I believe Senator Escudero misinterpretted Jose Rizal; he should either read the hero's works more carefully or fire his speech writer.#
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4 comments:
Hi, I don't know when you are going to read this or what, but I am a graduating nursing student, currently taking up Rizal Course. We were given the task to accomplish a worksheet on Rizal's family tree. I am almost done with it, however, I cannot find anywhere the name of your daughter's(Fatima) husband and their son. I hope that you don't see me as freaky or something, but I was really fascinated in finishing this worksheet. I just need your daughter's husband's full name and just the first name of your grandson. I hope you could help me. THANK YOU and God bless!
Not being there to hear Mr. Escudero's speech, you captured the event enough for me to experience that I was there. I would have been also baffled but would later conclude that the dangers of extemporaneously written speeches, and with the style of a balagtasan, has its pitfalls. Your notes reminded me of the youthful character of Basilio of the Fili who was responsible in implementing Simoun's plan to end Spanish rule in the Philippines, by lighting up the fuse that will end the lives of all the major political, military and religious personalities of Spanish Philippines. But Basilio, who was so in love with the bride decided not to, a chance of the youth to contribute to the the end of imperialism in Manila - in the fictional story of Rizal. I believe, each time Mr. Escudero speaks, he has fallen to a habit of a speech that is expected of him - poetic jargon that lately lacks some basic reading - in this case - our National Hero's writings. I enjoyed this essay - gave me a grin in the end - indeed, if there was a writer - he should resign.
Dear Ms Araneta
Chiz apparently slept through his Espanol 20 class in UP's Palma Hall.
Los jovenes son "bella esperanza de la Patria Mia"
According to the young Rizal.
Senador Escudero must have read Rizal in a very, very, very bad translation, or maybe Senador is a bad person or stupid
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