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PILIPINO EXPRESS
OCTOBER 1 - 15, 2015
Thoughts on Heneral Luna The runaway hit of the year in the Philippines is undoubtedly Heneral Luna, the historical biopic directed by the young and talented Jerrold Tarog. Hopefully it will be available for (legal) download soon so that Filipinos in other countries can see it, because it’s hard to describe in words how well made it is, especially when one considers that it was made with a relatively small budget of 70 million pesos (about two million Canadian dollars). The tight budget actually showed in how the battle scenes were filmed. They were not expansive in the way big-budget war movies are made but showed only little pockets of fighting. But instead of looking cheap, those scenes give the feeling of actually being in the trenches with the soldiers. I felt a kind of claustrophobia as I watched, and I had the urge to stand up and run away — no doubt what the real soldiers felt as they fought the better-equipped Americans. One unfortunate thing about the movie, however, is that the makers chose a 49-year-old actor to portray Heneral Antonio Luna. Don’t get me wrong: John Arcilla is a great actor and he gave a wonderful performance. I last saw him in the 2013 indy film Metro Manila where he played a security officer with a dark and ultimately tragic plan, and before that, he was a security guard in the Hollywood movie The Bourne Legacy. (He was also the guy in the Purefoods Honeycure Bacon commercial who kept telling his wife, “Coffee na lang, dear,” a phrase that has stuck with Filipinos up to now.) He has been awarded numerous times for his acting, and in a very real sense only he could have pulled off the role of Heneral
Luna. Unfortunately, casting Arcilla gives the viewers, especially those who don’t know Philippine history that well, the impression that the real Heneral Antonio Luna was a middle-aged man when he led the Philippine Army against the Americans. In reality, Luna was in his early 30s during the time. When he was assassinated, he was only 32. In fact, most of those who were leading the country at the time were young: President Emilio Aguinaldo was also in his early 30s, and his Prime Minister Apolinario Mabini was in his mid-30s. The revolutionary government was standing on the shoulders of men and women who, if they had been living today, would be dismissed as young upstarts. A lot of people express surprise when I tell them this. A wellknown businessman in Davao City, one who graduated from the University of the Philippines, told me that he had thought all along that Luna and the others were much older. Many of us lose sight of the fact that our national heroes were mostly young people; those who were not only idealistic but also still had the fire and energy to act on them. Of course, the life expectancy at the time was probably a little shorter. (I couldn’t find data on the Philippines, but in the US, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institute on Aging, “most babies born in 1900 did not live past age 50,” and we can infer that it was at least the same for the Philippines, although it was probably lower.) Few people would have been older than Luna and the others to boss them around. But that is immaterial; the fact is that young
E-mail: info@pilipino-express.com www.pilipino-express.com Publisher
THE PILIPINO EXPRESS INC. Editor-in-Chief
EMMIE Z. JOAQUIN Associate Editor
PAUL MORROW Art Director
REY-AR REYES JP SUMBILLO
Heneral Luna has been selected as the Philippines’ official entry to the 2016 Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film Category as they were, they — not just Luna but all the other Filipinos who fought foreign aggression — committed themselves to a cause that was much bigger and would ultimately take their lives. And then I look at our generation and I begin to wonder if we really are our forefathers’ children. Luna was a doctor and military genius by the time he was 30; many of today’s young people don’t even know basic history. For example, the actor who portrayed Mabini, Epy Quizon, said he has been asked several times by college students why he never stood up in the movie. Of course we could look at this two ways. On the one hand, our youth are probably just displaying the current “politically correct” mentality that tells them that Mabini’s being a “paralytic” (a word that has fallen out of PC fashion)
did not define him. Perhaps this is why the fact that he couldn’t walk is inconsequential to them and therefore slipped their minds during their Philippine history classes. On the other hand, there should also be an appreciation of the fact that Mabini excelled and fought despite his disability because he knew that fighting for the country was everybody’s task, no matter his or her condition. And that’s the bottom line. In this day and age when we are bombarded with messages to “be yourself,” “love yourself,” and “don’t mind what the others are thinking,” where does love and sacrifice for country fit in? Can we still sing, Ang mamatay nang dahil sa ‘yo, and actually mean it? Jon Joaquin is the Associate Editor of EDGE Davao, the newest daily newspaper in Mindanao. E-mail Jon at jonjoaquin@gmail.com.
Health is wealth
Well-being in the school setting
The division I work in has begun initiatives, including in the publications sent to staff members, surrounding and encouraging health. Health goes beyond portion control and physical activity. We now understand that health collectively encompasses your emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being as well. It’s easy for early service educators (five years and under) to prioritize tasks over their own health, perhaps without realizing it. Now in my fourth year, I remember how I would come to school an hour before the bell rang, and would stay another half hour after dismissal – preparing for the next day, setting up for
lessons, doing my lesson plans. While working hard is not a crime, you have to remember that working hard comes at the exchange of something that is possibly of more value in terms of your overall well-being. Do those extra hours keep you away from loved ones? Does it keep you away from getting your daily dose of exercise? Does it take away from meditation and unwinding? Like all things in life, the key is moderation. You cannot do your job well if your job is the only thing you do. Remember to find a healthy work-life balance. When I do put in my extra hours for school-related tasks or projects, it’s with a refreshed state of mind,
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making sure to schedule activity or social breaks in between. Parent tip: Balance! We have to remember that, as adult learners, we have needs for balance – to socialize and take activity breaks. The same can be said for our youth! Ensure that your scholars are given time to unwind after they come home from school. Most students may say that this will be their time for video games – and while video games do develop certain critical thinking skills, encourage the flow of endorphins by suggesting an active game they can play. One game console we have in our school is the Nintendo Wii because of the fact that it is controlled with the remote and most of its games involve physical movement to play. This can also be said for the Xbox Kinect. These consoles combine
the best of both worlds – fun and keeping fit, especially for athletic kids. Another way to promote that balance for students is to simply have them reflect on their day. This could be done through conversation, or, for some students who are more introverted, getting them to write in a journal. If your child is more musical or artistic, help them set up their art station, or ask to hear the latest song they have learned. Don’t forget that children learn best from their role models. Take time out of your day to balance your work life and share this experience with your children! Until next time, remember that your health is wealth. Best of luck, and stay balanced! Judianne Jayme is an educator teaching sixth grade in the Winnipeg School Division.
Graphic Designer/Photographer ••••••••• Columnists/Contributors DALE BURGOS JB CASARES YVANNE DANDAN DENNIS FLORES ETHEL CLEMENTE FERNANDEZ BRO. GERRY GAMUROT NORMAN ACERON GARCIA MIDAS GONZALES MICHELE MAJUL-IBARRA PERLA JAVATE JUDIANNE JAYME PASTOR JUNIE JOSUE NOEL LAPUZ JON MALEK ALONA MERCADO LUCILLE NOLASCO CST. REY OLAZO PAQUITO REY PACHECO DR. REY PAGTAKHAN AMALIA PEMPENGCO CHERYL DIZON REYNANTE MICHAEL SCOTT ROLDAN SEVILLANO, JR. RON URBANO VALEN VERGARA KATHRYN WEBER SHERYLL D. ZAMORA Youth Contributors Aksyon Ng Ating Kabataan (ANAK) Philippine Correspondents NESTOR S. BARCO CRISTY FERMIN RICKY GALLARDO JON JOAQUIN AMBETH R. OCAMPO
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