Filipino Librarian: August 2008

Talumpati: Raul Manglapus

See also the category "Talumpati."

It used to be that every last Sunday of August was National Heroes Day. But because of the "holiday economics" law, the holiday has been moved to every last Monday of August. So this post is technically late as a tribute to our heroes, but it's still in time for the end of Buwan ng Wika.

"Land of Bondage, Land of the Free" was a speech delivered by Raul Manglapus as a student in 1939. The translation below by Onofre Pagsanghan of an excerpt from this speech was first published in Makabagong Pilipino (1967).

The translation—with a few modifications—is reproduced here with the translator's permission, so that it may be used by students looking for a speech to recite in class. It may not be reproduced, whether in print or online, without the translator's consent. See "An Open Letter to C. S. Canonigo" for possible consequences of unauthorized reproduction.

Lupa ng Alipin, Lupa ng Malaya
Raul Manglapus

Mga ginoo, ang tao ay naparito ngayon... hindi upang hukuman, kundi upang humukom. Pakinggan ninyo ang kanyang pag-uusig at ang kanyang hatol:

Inuusig ko ang Kastilang enkomenderong tumuklas ng mga buwis na di makakayang balikatin!

Inuusig ko ang usurerong nagpataw sa akin ng mga pautang na di makakayang mabayaran!

Inuusig ko ang walang pananagutang mga pinuno at ang kanilang mapanilong pananalumpati na sumisira sa aming pananalig sa ating pamahalaan!

Inuusig ko ang hacenderong mapanlinlang na umagaw ng aking lupa't bumusabos sa akin!

Inuusig ko ang kanyang pagkitil sa marangal na pagsisikap ng marangal na pamahalaan sa dambana ng kanyang walang hangganang kasakiman.

Pinararatangan ninyo ako sa di pagtaguyod ng aking asawa't mga anak. Lagutin ninyo ang tanikala ng aking pagkaalipin, at pabubulaanan ko ang inyong bintang!

Pinararatangan ninyo ako ng kamangmangan. Ngunit ako'y mangmang sapagkat ikinayayaman ng aking panginoong ako'y panatilihing mangmang. Lagutin ninyo ang tanikala ng aking pagkaalipin, at pabubulaanan ko ang inyong bintang!

Pinararatangan ninyo ako ng katamaran. Ngunit ang aking katamara'y bunga hindi ng kawalan ng pagnanasa, kundi ng kawalan ng pag-asa. Bakit ako magsisikap, kung ang lahat ng magiging bunga ng aking pagsisikap ay uuwi lamang sa pagbawas ng utang na di naman mababawasan! Lagutin ninyo ang tanikala ng aking pagkaalipin, at pabubulaanan ko ang inyong bintang!

Bigyan ninyo ako ng lupang masasaka. Lupang magiging akin. Lupang walang kinikilalang hari-harian. Lupang magiging malaya. Ibigay ninyo sa akin sapagkat ako'y nagdarahop. Ibigay ninyo sa akin nang ang aking mga supling ay di mangamatay. Ipagbili ninyo sa akin, ipagbili ninyo sa halagang makatarungan, tulad ng pagbibilihan ng mga taong malaya at di tulad ng pagbibili ng usurero sa alipin. Ako'y maralita. Ngunit ako'y magbabayad. Ako'y magsisikap, magsisikap hanggang sa ako'y manlupaypay, makamtan ko lamang ang aking karangala't karapatang maging malaya!

Ngunit kung hindi ninyo pauunlakan itong aking huling pagsamo, itong aking huling kahilingan, magtayo na kayo ng moog sa paligid ng inyong mga tahanan... pagkataasan ninyo!... pagkatibayan ninyo!... maglagay kayo ng tanod sa bawat sulok!... sapagkat akong nanatiling tahimik ng tatlong daang taon ay darating sa gabi sa gitna ng inyong handaan, kasabay ng aking sigaw at tabak sa inyong pintuan. At kahabagan nawa ng Diyos ang inyong kaluluwa!

"iamninoy"

Labels: The Philippines

Today, August 21, is the 25th death anniversary of Ninoy Aquino. The video above shows Bam Aquino, his nephew, inviting librarians to encourage students to take part in the iamninoy campaign. It seeks to remind all Filipinos not only of Ninoy's heroism but also of each Filipino's capacity to be a hero in his/her own way, wherever they are, whatever age they may be. Visit iamninoy.com for more information.

The video was taken at the Filipinas Heritage Library.

Talumpati: Onofre Pagsanghan
— Ang Makahiya

Labels: Talumpati

See also the category "Talumpati."

August 19—the birth anniversary of Manuel L. Quezon, former president of the Philippines and acknowledged "Father of the National Language"—is a non-working holiday in Quezon City and the provinces of Quezon and Aurora.

"Ang Makahiya" (literally, the shy plant) by Onofre Pagsanghan was first published in Makabagong Pilipino (1967), where the same author's "Sa Kabataan" also first appeared (contrary to what I wrote in that earlier post).

The speech is reproduced here with the author's permission, so that it may be used by students looking for a speech to recite in class. The speech may not be reproduced, whether in print or online, without the author's consent. See "An Open Letter to C. S. Canonigo" for possible consequences of unauthorized reproduction.

Ang Makahiya
Onofre Pagsanghan

May damong ligaw sa ating bayan na kung tawagin nati'y "Makahiya." Huwag mong makanti ang damong ito't dagling iikom. At kapag ito'y nakaikom na'y mahirap mo na uling mapabukadkad. Ang Makahiya ay maraming tinik. Kapag nagkamali ka nang tangan ay dagli kang magagalusan. Ang Makahiya ay walang bunga, walang katuturan -- hindi gamot, hindi rin gulay. Ang "Makahiya" ay balakid sa paglaki ng ibang tanim na napapakinabangan. Kung kaya't ang "Makahiya" ay binubunot, tinatapon, at sinisigan; sapagka't kapag napabayaan kay bilis nitong kakalat at maghahari-harian sa buong halamanan.

Carlos Celdran—Filipino Performance Artist

Labels: The Philippines

The video above was taken at the Ortigas Foundation Library, where I listened to Carlos Celdran talk about how he came to do what he does. In case you didn't know, Celdran is probably the best known "tour guide" in the Philippines. The phrase is in quotes because Celdran does not think of himself as a tour guide, but as a performance artist.

Celdran has been featured in international and local publications (see "Small Change," where you will see how this blog's "mission" came to be). He appeared in a Nescafe commercial last year, but this, I believe, is the first time part of his performance has been captured on video.

The State of Library Hub

Labels: Library Hub

In "70 Library Hubs and still counting," Neni Sta. Romana Cruz (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 9 August 2008) summarizes the latest developments regarding Library Hub. Perhaps the most interesting news—especially for unemployed librarians—is that, "after two years of discussions, the licensed librarian post was finally approved by the Department of Education." This could mean that as many as 70 licensed librarians may be needed across the country as soon as the approval becomes reality.

Right now, most of the 70 hubs are still not operational, and Cruz expresses hope that, "between the preparation of the required physical space and the delivery of books, the public support will remain constant and unwavering." I, too, hope that the dream turns into reality, but I wonder about the "public support" to which she refers. As far as I can tell, there is no tangible support from the public for the establishment and operation of libraries. What we have are a few good men and women—including Cruz, who keeps on writing about Library Hub—working within their spheres of influence to promote the idea that libraries are necessary.

"Rey Ileto and the Filipino Librarian
visit Filipiniana.net"

Labels: About Filipino Librarian, About Vonjobi

From left: Alfred Ursua, me, Rocky Gocuyo,
Rey Ileto, Tin Mandigma, Richard Grimaldo.

The title of this post and the photo above were taken from the Vibal Foundation Blog. What is not mentioned in the post is that I had been invited to look at the Vibal Foundation's collection of rare books only, and that I accepted because it was also my chance to spend more time with Reynaldo Ileto, author of Pasyon and Revolution, which will be an important part of the dissertation I'm working on.

And so, the invitation to talk to the staff about blogging—the day before the scheduled visit!—caused me some anxiety. It's a good thing that I remembered a previous paper on "What I Learned Through Blogging" that I could adapt easily. But what was more significant, in my opinion, was the desire to learn more about blogging that the invitation implied, and the revitalization of Filipiniana.net that I sensed from my interaction with the people afterward.

I still have reservations about being referred to as the Filipino Librarian—I prefer "owner of the blog Filipino Librarian"—but I guess I just have to live with it. While it's flattering to think that the post title implies that I am worth mentioning in the same breath as Rey Ileto, it also places a heavy responsibility on me to think that I represent all Filipino librarians. Then again, I did make the decision to use "Filipino Librarian" as the title of my blog, and so have only myself to blame =)

1st LibraryLink Conference: Connect to Evolve!

Labels: About Vonjobi, Events

Click on the image above to read the text.

When I posted the announcement regarding the "1st LibraryLink Conference," I thought that it would be an interesting event to attend. But since I knew by then that I was going to be at four conferences (presenting at three of them) in four different countries on three continents, and flying across two oceans in less than two months—whew!—I also knew that I wouldn't have any money to pay for the registration fee for a fifth conference.

Then I met one of the organizers... and got invited to be a speaker! For only the second time in my very short "career" as an invited speaker—this time right before the Board for Librarians (last time, I preceded the Director of the National Library)—I'll be talking about leadership. So check out the program (pdf), and see if it's something that will be helpful to you. The image above, incidentally, shows the only men making presentations at the 3-day, 12-speaker event. Here's hoping we won't be the only men there =)

Buwan ng Wika 2008

Labels: Buwan ng Wika

August is Buwan ng Wika (Language Month). This year, the theme is "Wika Mo, Wikang Filipino, Wika ng Mundo, Mahalaga!" I'm not quite sure I understand what it means, but here's my translation: "Your language, Filipino, language of the world, is important."

The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) is holding two contests this year. One is the Gawad Komisyon sa Sanaysay-Gantimpalang Collantes (doc), an essay-writing contest in Filipino. Its deadline has been extended to August 15. The other is the Gawad Komisyon 2008 (pdf), which is for poems and short stories written in the following major languages: Ilokano, Sebwano, Tagalog, Bikol, Hiligaynon, Samar-Leyte, Pangasinan, Kapampangan, Meranaw. The deadline for this one is September 30. The prizes range from P2,000 to P20,000 for winners in both contests.