The

ILLINI

Official Publication of the Association of Filipino Physicians in Southern Illinois

Volume IV, Spring-Summer, 2015

Contents (Hyperlinked: Hold Ctrl then click on page number to go directly into article or simply scroll down)

2 AFPSI-PEACE 2015: Choreographed Dances Enliven Event

AFPSIs Spring Balls have never been a dull moment. Delightful dances expertly choreographed made 2015
different. See photos and other highlights inside.

6 An Energizing Weekend- (David Deloso, MD)

AFPSI former VP, now governor, gives his unique perspective.

7 AFPSI Marks 34 years of Science Serving

Each year for 34 years AFPSI holds its Science Quiz Show come rain or shine. One contestant in the last
show dominated all three rounds.

Rizaliana Mania III

See images reflecting love and respect for the national hero. Read original articles that follow.

10 Philippine Pilgrimmage 2015- (Sir Juan Castro, MD, KGCR)

Excerpts of an article on the Knights of Rizal 20th International Asssembly. Photos added.

12 Rizal and the Big Picture- (Dr. Pablo Trillana III)

In this keynote address, Sir Pablo traces Rizals personal development as a multifaceted leader who refined
for Filipinos the meaning of love of country.

16 Huling Paalam ni Laong Laan- (Ramon G. Lopez, MD)

This great grandnephew of Rizal discovers a Tagalog version of the Last Farewell among his inheritance
and posits his Lolo Jose composed it.

18 Huling Paalam- (Tagalog version by Jose P. Rizal?)

Scanned copy of a titled, dated and bylined Tagalog version of Rizals enduring poem.

20 Discovering the Literary Secrets of Rizals Mi Ultimo Adios- (Cosme R. Cagas, KCR)
Be awed and amazed as the author discovers the literary secrets of the poem whose allure and relevance
have withstood the passage of time.

24 Mission Trip 2015. To Tacloban, Ormoc, Digos and Back- (Conrado Abinoja, MD)
Dr. Abinoja relates his experience about a religious, educational and economic mission in three cities, a
segment of a Philippine Trip in February, 2015.

26 Delivered from Certain Death- (Eusebio C.Kho, MD)

27

Only a set of fortuitous circumstances and divine intervention saved the lives of the author and his
family from massacre by the retreating Japanese Army during WWII.
Manong Awi. Chapter 4 of the WWII historical novel, I Shall Return by Cosme R. Cagas
Manong Awi is all pale, yellow skin and bones, unable to speak and dying of fever, shivering and shaking.

30 Silencio- (Lestrino C. Baquiran, MD)

31TwiSTeR -(Cosme R. Cagas, MD) .

Choreographed Dances Enliven AFPSI-PEACE 2015

As a matter of record and tradition, a Spring
Ball under the auspices of the Association of
Filipino Physicians of Southern Illinois is
never a dull moment. What makes then the
2015 combined AFPSI-PEACE gala of May 9,
2015 different? In two words: choreographed
dancing. Three groups, each with their own
age levels, costumes and differing styles, as if
in competition, showed off their terpsichorean

Totoy Bibbo

At the ball, the younger generation called

The Friday Night Dancers under the expert
direction of Arnel Garcia demonstrated how
limber and agile limbs and bodies can sway,
twist and spin in harmony to the beat of
Tayoy Magsayawan, a cha-cha swing. An
elite group led by former professional

Tayoy Magsayawan

prowess to the utter surprise and delight of the

audience.
The night before was a warm up with the
older generation demonstrating they can still
kick, shake and shimmy in the playful Filipino
line dance Totoy Bibbo in cha-cha-cha time.
The younger generation arguably showed
them how to it better and faster with their
version of Uptown Funk.

Uptown Funk

Philippine dancer Ynna Naguit capsulized the

Phantom of the Opera in an emotive,
interpretive and precisely numbered step
performance in red, black and white mask,
cape and all. Newly recycled AFPSI president
Dr. Nick Pineda starred as the Phantom.

Phantom

The older generaton refused to be outdone: what

they lack in mastery of steps and rhythm, they
made up in grace, elegance and dignity as befits

royalty, not to mention the ladies colorful flowing

gowns and stoles. They waltzed away the precious
minutes to the tune of the Blue Danube.

Royal Waltz

Installation of Officers
The official purposes for the May 9 evening
event were the inductions of the new officers.
Installed into office by Dr. Cosme R. Cagas
were the AFPSI officers for 2015-16 led by
Dr. Nicolas Pineda who assumes the office the
second time, and those of its auxiliary with
reelected Mrs. Lily Santos as president (see

the Philippine ILLINI masthead for the

complete list). The officers of the Philippine
Economic and Cultural Endowment for 201517 were sworn into office by Dr. Ramon G.
Lopez, president of the PMA Chicago,
secretary of PEACE and a great grandnephew
of Dr. Jose P. Rizal.

Induction of AFPSI and Auxiliary officers

PEACE officers for 2015-17

Inducting officer Dr. Ramon G. Lopez is at extreme left, and new PEACE president
Dr. Urbano Dauz is second from extreme right.

Other Highlights
We record below some of the other highlights
of the evening as summarized in part by out-

Dr. Evelyn Yu crowned Mrs. AFPSI by

APPA Immed. Past President Dr. Leonor
Pagtakhan-So, assisted by husband Engr. Djien So.

going AFPSI vice president, now governor, Dr.

David Deloso in a related article on page 6.

Admirers pose with Mrs. AFPSI 2015.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

To
CESAR V. REYES, M.D.

Dr. Cesar V. Reyes

receives PEACE
Life Achievement Award.

For his relentless commitment to excellence in medical

education that has pervaded the totality of his professional
endeavors. Consequently, he has amassed laudable accomplishments in the arenas of leadership, teaching, writing and
publishing scientific papers as well as in his chosen discipline
of Pathology which led him to occupy top positions in hospitals
.
and medical
centers. For decades, he has also continued to serve
as editor of several medical publications. Currently he works
gratis as consultant in cytopathology and dermatopathology.

Back to Contents

An Energizing Weekend
David Deloso, MD
It was an energizing weekend. People seemed to walk with an extra bounce in their step as the
members of AFPSI and PEACE congregated for their spring ball. The Hilton Garden Inn at
OFallon, once again playing host with a wonderful and photogenic venue paired with a
wonderful staff, just seems so familiar and homey for members who regularly attend. Masters of
Ceremonies Dr. Macky Sunga and Elcee Conner brought their usual brand of ebullience, comic
relief and chemistry to keep the audience transfixed and entertained.
Ceremonial/Official business of the organization consisted of what may be the largest swearing
in of officers I have ever been a part of. Dr Cosme Cagas graciously accepted a well deserved
lifetime achievement award with much gratitude from the membership.
And lest I forget the lovely Dr. Evelyn Yu was crowned Mrs. AFPSI 2015.
We were honored by the presence of Dr. Necita Roa of UPMASA St. Louis; Dr. Leonor
Pagtakhan-So, immediate past president of the APPA and husband Engr. Djien of Lexington,
KY and friends of still active Dr. Nap and Auring Maminta; and Dr. Ramon G. Lopez and Mrs.
Marylyn Lopez of Chicago. We also welcomed as new member cardiologist Dr. Pahan Saha and
wife Nina of the Prashant and Dolly Shah clan.

After having tuned their well worn voice boxes the night before Drs. Solomon Apostol and
Carlos Deleste wowed the crowd with their musical numbers. Dr. Ban Dauz member of both
AFPSI and PEACE likewise belted out a few. But for dramatic effect one could ask for nothing
more than the duets from pretty and petite Erica Salarda as Christine and the masked marauder
himself, Dr. Sol Apostol, as the Phantom. Their Broadway quality rendition of the theme song
was later reprised by a stunning dance number led by incoming president Dr. Nick and Kay
Pineda. The Filipino theme dance number was carried by Dr. Arnel Garcia and his gang "The
Friday Night Dancers" who brought back Swing with VST & Co's Tayo'y Magsayawan. But for
sheer pageantry none could top a classical Viennese waltz headed by Elcee Cagas Conner in full
Regalia.
6Truly there was something for everyone in this years AFPSI spring ball but theBack
trueto Contents

exclamatory purpose was the strengthening of our ties both professional and collegial.

The Association of Filipino

Physicians of Southern
Illinois
Officers, 2015-16
Nicolas Pineda, MD- President
Elcee Cagas Conner, RRT- VP
Carlos Deleste, MD, Pres.-elect
Erica Salarda, MD- Secretary
Grace M. Farinas, BSN-Treasurer
Venerio Santos, MD-Auditor
Chris Conner, BFA,MCouns- BM.
Cesar Yu, MD-Exec. Dir.
Emma Sunga, MD, Imm. P. Pres.
Board of Governors
Calixto Aquino, MD
Solomon Apostol, MD
Claravel Criste, MD
David Deloso, MD
Arnel Garcia, MD
Marcos Sunga, MD
Board of Advisers
Albert Butalid, MD
Cosme R. Cagas, MD
Virginia Dauz, MD
Emma Sunga, MD
Jose Villegas, MD
Evelyn Yu, MD
Auxiliary Officers 2015-16
Lily Santos -President
Julie Garcia, Vice Pres.
Arlette Amorado, MD-Secretary
Ynna Naguit-Treasurer
Georgina Zurliene- Auditor 1
Vivian Deloso- Auditor 2
Freddie Salarda- PRO
Board of Governors
Wilma Aquino
Ann Butalid
Linda Cagas
Grace Farinas
Board of Advisers
Wilma Aquino
Elcee Cagas Conner
Mellie Chatto
Grace Pineda
Kay Pineda
Editorial Board
Cosme R. Cagas, MD- Editor
Urbano Dauz, MD
David Deloso, MD
Rebecca Geronimo, BSN
Virgilio R. Pilapil, MD
Associate Editors
Office of the Editor
1 Bunkum Woods Drive
Fairview Heights, IL 62208
Crcagas@aol.com
ccagas2@gmail.com

AFPSI Marks 34 Years of Science Serving

For 34 years, year after year, come rain or shine, this association,
small in numbers but big in heart, has given away science scholarships
to the top three or four high school students in Southern Illinois.
Founded in 1978, the Association held its first Science Scholarship
Quiz Show on December 6, 1981 at the Belleville East Township
High School after one year of planning (Phil ILLINI 1: No.4,
Summer-Fall 1980).

Why Science
The spirit behind the science scholarships maybe gleaned from the
following excerpts from Dr. Cosme R. Cagas valedictory address
before AFPSI in May 1981 (Phil ILLINI 1: No. 5, Summer-Fall,
1981):
Our youth needs to know and sometimes we adults need to be
reminded that this world, through the years, has been made a better
place to live in, not so much because of Broadway or Hollywood, or
even the Super Bowl but because there had been men like Jenner
who listened to an old wives tale about cowpox protecting against
smallpox, men like Benjamin Franklin who tamed the lighting or
von Steinmitz who captured the thunderbolt; because there had been
physicists who unraveled the secret of the atom; and because there
had been biologists who put together the complex jigsaw puzzle of
the genetic codescientists all.
On November 9, 2014, twenty contestants competed at the Carlyle
High School gym, the site of the Quiz Show for the last several years
under the leadership of Dr. Albert and Mrs. Ana Butalid, long time
chairs, AFPSI president Dr. Emma Sunga and Auxiliary president Mrs.
Lily Santos. Drs. Erica and Vanessa Salarda sang the national anthems
and Dr. David Conner served as Quizmaster and assisted by Elcee
Cagas Conner. Members of AFPSI came in droves to serve as judges,
provide assistance or simply to enjoy and soak in science facts.

The scoreboard diligently recorded by Arch.

Freddie Salarda and AFPSI VP Dr. David
Deloso round by round tells part of the story.
The first round saw AJ Digiovani of Althoff
Catholic HS ahead by two points with seven

others tied for second place. AJ also appeared

to dominate the second round tying with
Elizabeth Medlin of Mater Dei Catholic HS at
33 points.

The decisive third round that gave bonuses to

correct answers and penalties to wrong ones
and largely determined by how quick and how
disciplined are the fingers that pressed the
buzzers, found a clear winner in AJ

Digiovanni with 55 points followed by E.

Medlin with 49 and Keshav Kumar of Salem
Community HS with 47, each romping away
with $600 +trophy, $300 +trophy and $150
+trophy, respectively.

From left, Quiz Master Dr. David M. Conner, AFPSI President

Dr. Emma Sunga, second place winner E. Medlin, champion AJ
Digionani, third placer K. Kumar, AFPSI Auxiliary President
Lily Santos, Quiz Show Chairman Dr. Albert Butalid and Dr.
Cosme R. Cagas.

Back to Contents

Back to Contents

PHILIPPINE PILGRIMAGE 2015

20TH International Assembly, Knights of Rizal
(Excerpts of article originally published in the MOKOR Gazette, June 29, 2015. Photos added)

Sir Juan M. Castro, MD, KGOR

The trip to the Philippines in the year 2015 was
made possible by the 20th International Assembly
of the Order of Knights of Rizal, on February 1922, 2015 held in the beautiful and fabulous
Heritage City of Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines.
Before the Spanish Era, Vigan was considered an
important coastal port particularly by the Chinese.
On June 12, 1572, Don Juan de Salcedo , visiting
from Manila, named it Villa Ferdinand de Vigan
after Prince Ferdinand, son of King Philip II of
Spain. By Royal decree in 1758, it became the
Diocese of Nueva Segovia and Ciudad Fernandina

.
During the convention, we, Lady Aida and I, got
to see delegates from the Central Area Command,
Ladies Elena Pilapil, Virgie Abinoja, Alex Manois
and Linda Cagas and her daughter, Elcee Cagas
Conner and grandson, Christopher. The Knights
included Sirs, Eli Faypon, Anong Santos, Clem
Manaois, Rudy Tapalla, Nito Crisostomo, Raul
Fermin, Allan Capati, Gil R. Pilapil and Cosme R.
Cagas from Illinois, Sirs Mel Garraton, Randy
Datu, Lope Lindio and Ben Ongoco from Texas
10

de Vigan, after King Ferdinand VI of Spain. Vigan

City was declared by UNESCO as a Heritage
City in 1999 and as one of the new 7 Wonder
Cities of the World in 2014. The Order, mindful of
its desire to exhibit the cultures of the city, had
selected the site for the International events. It is
also the hometown of our Supreme Commander,
Sir Jeremias Jerry C. Singson, KGCR and the
late Philippine President Elpidio Quirino (18901956), who signed the RA 646 into law in 1951
(Order of the Knights of Rizal).

and Sir Al Katzenberger and Conrad Abinoja from

St. Louis, MO. We had a large delegation from the
US Central Area. We missed our usual lectures.
Apparently this was not carried out due to lack of
time in the announcement and is not legal.
However, we enjoyed a lot of camaraderie and
wise wholesome advices from our leaders
specially Sir Hilario G. Davide, Jr., KGCR, past
Supreme Commander and Chief Justice, Supreme
Court, Philippines.

Part of MO-IL delegation

I only have admiration, joyous affection and

lasting memories for this convention. Since I
joined the Knights of Rizal in 2009, I attended
all the international conventions, at the Manila
Hotel in 2011, in Baguio City in 2013 and now
in Vigan in 2015. I can say honestly and
truthfully that this is the best ever, so fabulously
and glamorously entertaining and hospitable. I

11

With KOR Tagum, Davao del Norte

woke up every morning looking forward to

savoring the delicious breakfast at the Ciudad
Fernandina Hotel of their bibingka, Vigan
longganiza, fried eggs, etc. It was a feast! I
greatly appreciated the accommodation and
hospitality of the owner and staff. I dont mind
coming back someday if I am still around.

Back to Contents

Rizal and the Big Picture

(Keynote speech before the Knights of Rizal 20th International Assembly.
February 19, 2015, Vigan City, Philippines)

Dr. Pablo S. Trillana III

A very long time ago, the aging Emperor of
China felt it was time to choose his successor.
He called his three sons to court. He told them
to go on their separate journeys and find the
most beautiful crown in the world. After one
year, they should return and show their
crowns in court. He would then declare as
Chinas next Emperor the one who could
present the most beautiful crown.
A year later, the Emperor assembled the court
and called for his three sons. The first son
opened his box and, lo and behold, it
contained a very beautiful crown. The second
opened his box and, lo and behold, it also
contained a very beautiful crown. The third
son did the same and, lo and behold, it
contained yet another very beautiful crown.
The murmur of admiration spread throughout
the court. But they knew the decision would
be difficult to make.
In the flow of that moment, the third son took
his crown, placed it on the second crown, and
then placed both on top of the remaining
crown. Then he bowed to the Emperor. The
Emperor stood up, announced it was the most
beautiful crown presented to him, and
declared his third son as the next Emperor of
China.
The story of the crowns is an orienting
paradigm of transcendence and inclusion. The
crowns were separate but not separated,
different nor dissociated. And through their
nesting crest, we are able to see a deeper
meaning the progression of consciousness
towards the big picture that enables us to
perceive the Many in One and the One in
Many much like seeing the numerous trees,
12

raindrops and colors to understand the forest,

the ocean and the rainbow in a riveting rain
dance of transcendence and inclusion.
T. S. Eliot in the Four Quartets said: We
shall never cease from exploration, and the
end of all our exploring will be to arrive where
we started, and know the place for the first
time. More poignantly, Rizal expressed a
similar thought: Ang hindi lumingon sa
pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa
paroroonan.
Rizals story, like yours and mine, is an
exploration that begins and ends with life. We
all fill it with pain and joy, love and rejection.
Its sum total is the evolution of human
consciousness, of human development. What
is important is not so much the map but
walking the terrain to arrive at the conjunction
of the pinanggalingan at paroroonan, the
story we must each complete in life.
Development of Leadership
and the Big Picture
Let us now walk together to recall crucial
events in the human development of Rizal,
particularly on leadership and the big picture,
to empathize with why we are who we are
today.
The qualities of one who can lead can be
perceived even when Rizal was very young.
As a boy, his family often brought him on
boat rides around Laguna Lake. On one such
an outing, as he was getting off the boat, the
tide swept away one of his slippers. Seeing
that there was no way he could retrieve it, he
tossed the other slipper into the lake.

Why did you do that? his mother asked as if

her son had gone mad. He replied, If someone picks up one slipper, it wouldnt do him
any good, which was why he tossed the other
slipper two slippers made a useful pair.
There was method to the boys madness.
We see in the anecdote the workings of high
intelligence. Unbeknown to Rizal, he at a
tender age was already seeing the big picture!
Not an isolated piece of the puzzle, but every
piece congruent to the next, so that, like the
crowns, all the pieces came together to form a
beautiful, unbroken whole.
The slipper anecdote wasnt the first sign of
the young Joses broad vision. Away from
play, he often pondered on what people did
beyond Calamba, of what the world was like
outside the stone house and surrounding rice
fields he grew up in. At 8, he wrote Sa Aking
Mga Kabata where he warned that Ang hindi
magmahal sa sariling wika/masahol sa hayop
at malansang isda. These cerebral exercises
would gradually press him to think out his
entire life and lead him to the biggest picture
he would ever perceivelove of country and
beyond.
The Achieving Leader
His broadening vision was now turning Rizal
into the Achieving Leader, more mature in
valuing and respecting others, rising in
accomplishments with and through them, and
pursuing excellence fairly and decently
(Jaworski).
At 18, he won the first prize for A La Juventud
Filipina, followed, at 19, by another first prize
for El Consejo de los Dioses, both extolling
and arguing for character and self-worth.
Then in 1882, now 21 years old, he wrote El
Amor Patrio: The love of country can never
13

be expunged once it has entered the heart

because it bears a divine mark that makes it
eternal and imperishable. He called for
endurance and sacrifice. Horace, the great
Roman poet who died in 8 BC, eight years
before the birth of Christ, also spoke of such
love: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.
(It is sweet and fitting to die for ones
country!)
To be Filipino became an obsession when
Rizal lived abroad. He wanted Filipinos in the
archipelago to share his pride of race to belie
Spanish insolence that indios were
worthless. He showed them their past, their
present, and their future their complete
story.
He annotated Antonio de Morgas Sucesos de
las Islas Filipinas (1890) to underscore the
honesty and industry of pre-colonial Filipinos.
He wrote his first novel, Noli Me Tangere
(1887), to force Filipinos to confront their
tragic present. Then he followed it with El
Filibusterismo (1891), his incendiary call for
political change through revolution. And to
prime up Filipinos for the future, he penned
the prophetic Las Filipinas Dentro de Cien
Aos, to reveal the emergent possibilities on
the wide road to progress that lay ahead for
Filipinos. His works were years ahead of T. S.
Eliots poetic prognosis: Time present and
time past/Are both perhaps present in time
future/And time future contained in time
past.
In these works, Rizal began creating a new
consciousness, a climate of opinion that
questioned the existing social order. If Spain,
after more than 300 years of rule, had nothing
but continuing slavery to offer, it was time to
break away and be free.
Unfortunately, the road to independence was
not only bumpy, in many instances there was
no road at all. When things didnt pan out,

Rizal looked for alternatives. He couldnt

build his ideal society in the Philippines where
he was branded a filibustero, so he set his
sight on Sandakan, then the capital of North
Borneo. And when circumstances crossed out
Sandakan, he brought his political agenda
underground.
Upon his return to the Philippines from Hong
Kong on June 26, 1892, he secretly established, seven days later, the La Liga Filipina,
his great mission to found the nation. Arrested
for smuggling subversive anti-friar leaflets
into Manila. Spanish authorities banished him
to Dapitan on July 15, 1892. And La Liga
Filipina floundered.
Dapitan then became the microcosm upon
which to build his ideal society. Although an
exile, he found in this faraway Mindanao
pueblo not a prison cell but an instructive
environment that would fill out many details
of Rizals big picture.
The Servant Leader
His leadership qualities now leap significantly
into the role of the Servant Leader, one who
uses influence and power to serve and develop
others. He has a deep awareness of the interconnectedness of all life, a sense of responsibility for the larger social systems, and
thrives in times of turbulence and complexity.
(Jaworski, 2012)
In Dapitan, Rizal had no position of power
and much isolation. Yet he didnt let these
obstacles get in the way. As Goethe would
have advised: Whatever you can do, or
dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius,
power and magic in it.
He developed Dapitan with the authentic
presence of a leader who attracted because he
was unfolding a future full of possibilities.
14

The folks of Dapitan, including eventually the

towns officialdom, sensed this goodness and
came together for the common good. And
Dapitan flourished.
It helped that in September 1892 Rizal won in
a lottery. He sent part of the money to his
father in Manila and repaid his friend Basa in
Hong Kong.
During his first year of exile, Rizal bought an
abandoned 16-hectare farm in the seaside
barrio of Talisay where he built a permanent
home. Subsequently adding more, he planted
his total 70-hectare landholdings with
numerous cacao, coffee, abaca, coconut and
fruit trees.
He introduced modern farming methods using
fertilizers and crop rotation. He encouraged
entrepreneurship by example: he engaged in
the buying-and-selling of copra and hemp, and
in manufacturing bricks. He taught fishermen
scientific fishing methods to increase yield
and formed a cooperative to break the Chinese
trade monopoly in town.
He helped build Dapitans first water systems,
light its streets using coconut oil, dredge its canals
to control malaria, and beautify the town plaza
with flowers and a Mindanao map. All the while,
he continued corresponding with friends and
scientists in Europe, collecting specimens of
reptiles and insects, and writing poetry, a Bisayan
vocabulary and history. Often he would ponder
and reflect and write ceaselessly.
He also built a hospital where he treated the poor
for free. He put up a school for boys, his laboratory for molding his concept of the whole man,
to prepare them for the unpredictable world outside - where wisdom mattered most.

During his exile, Rizal also envisioned

developing sitio Ponot near Sindangan Bay.
Blessed with water, favorable climate and rich
soil, Ponot could thrive with port facilities,
5,000 heads of cattle, 40,000 coconut trees,

and sugar cane, coffee and cacao farms. But

government gave no support. (Quibuyen,
2011).
And, on July 31, 1896, Rizal left Dapitan for Cuba
to join Spanish forces fighting Cuban rebels. He
wanted to prove he was no traitor to Spain. Nearly
the entire town and its marching band saw off the
man who had empowered them to live better lives.
They knew they would never see their beloved
doctor again. And they cried.
Dapitan was a throwback to the last chapter of El
Filibusterismo. Here we find the rebel Simoun and
Padre Florentino huddled over the novels
question: How would Filipinos right the many
wrongs that Spain had let fester for centuries?

What is to be done? asked Simoun. Sufrir y

trabajar (Endure and work), replied Padre
Florentino, adding we must win our
freedom by deserving it, by improving the
mind and enhancing the dignity of the
individual, loving what is just, what is good,
what is great .
We seem to dismiss the power of Padre
Florentinos advise as disconsolate words. Its
power lies however where we refuse to see. The
people of Dapitan followed the advise. They
endured and worked. And the result was a society
that became progressive because its people and
leaders were truthful and loving. That is the
mystique of Dapitan: it was the successful
prototype of La Liga Filipina. And that is why it
should be more critically studied now. Footfalls
echo in the memory, down the passage we did not
take, towards the door we did not open, into the
rose garden. (T. S. Eliot, Burnt Norton, 1935)

The Renewing Leader

This brings us now to Bagumbayan and the
Renewing Leader: this leader embodies the
qualities of the Servant Leader but has
matured into a deeper, more subtle level of
15

consciousness. He exhibits a capacity for tacit

knowing and extraordinary performance,
making him a powerful change agent in the
world. (Jaworski, 2012).
Rizal exhibited it all. He had a tacit knowing of his
dying, dreamt of it on the night of 30 December
1882 in Madrid and, exactly 14 years to the day
thereafter, fulfilled it in Bagumbayan.
He was long prepared, had put in order all that I
must leave behind, he said (Letter to del Pilar, 11
June 1890). His defense during the trial was
dignified, unassailable in an impartial court.
He was ready. His spirit was unbroken, his strong
willpower in control, his appearance spotless, his
countenance serene, his conscience clear. I have
always loved my poor motherland andI shall die
blessing her When the bullets fired that fateful
morning of 30 December 1896, his dying was
impeccable, his face lying up, welcoming the blue
sky.
And in death, Rizal took love of country a rung
higher in consciousness into the realm of the
spiritual. Rizal envisaged a country not simply
strengthened by independence and material
progress but one guided by a moral compass.
He told us where he was going: donde no hay
esclavos, verdugos ni opresores;/ Donde la fe no
mata, donde el que reina es Dios. ( where
there are no slaves, no butchers, nor
oppressorswhere faith does not kill, and where
He who reigns is God).

Love was the X-factor. only love can

work
wonders,
only
virtue
can
redeemRedemption presupposes virtue,
virtue sacrifice and sacrifice love! Rizal said
in El Filibusterismo. From 1882, when he
wrote El Amor Patrio, and up until his death
in 1896 and beyond, Rizal continuously
refined for us Filipinos the meaning of love of
country until we got the big picture and the
nation we desire.
Back to Contents

Huling Paalam ni Laong-Laan

(A Missing Rizal Manuscript Found?)
Ramon G. Lopez, MD
There were many instances of tragedies and
upheavals that had occurred with the Rizal
family during the Spanish colonization of the
Philippines. Among them was the scorchedearth sacking of Calamba on September 6,
1890 wherein thirty families including the
Rizals were banished from their homes,
divested of their property, and with a lot of
their family possessions either confiscated,
dispersed, or lost. Twenty heads of families
it had swelled to forty by March 1891 were
deported to the far-flung island of Mindoro,
and with 300 families eventually being left in
savaged and ravaged ruin.
We as a nation now recognize and give
homage to Dr. Jose Rizal, a foremost
Philippine national hero who was persecuted
and martyred by musketry on December 30,
1896. He was the seventh child of Don
Francisco Mercado, and Doa Teodora
Alonso.
Of a more contemporary event within this century,
was the advent of World War II in the Philippines.
About ten hours after the insidious attack on Pearl
Harbor on December 7, 1941 the siege on the
Philippines started. In great haste and disarray the
Rizal family had started to disband into different
groups and different directions in the provinces of
Luzon. Priceless family possessions and heirloom
were hurriedly apportioned by my Lola Mily
(Doa Emiliana Rizal vda. de Lopez) before they
left for Laguna to seek refuge in Mount Makiling.
She was the widowed mother of my father, the late
Edmundo Rizal Lopez. Lola Mily was the
daughter of General Paciano Rizal and Lola
Severina Decena. She had married her first cousin
Lolo Antonio Rizal Lopez who was one of six
children of Lola Narcisa Rizal and Lolo Antonino
Lopez.
16

To Eugenia, the oldest child and only daughter of

Lola Mily and Lolo Antonio went the wedding
dress of Doa Teodora, and a leather pocketbook
of Dr. Jose Rizal. She had also kept a letter of
Lolo Paciano thanking her for greeting him on his
77th birthday. All these were lost as their house in
Paco burned down during the war. To the second
sibling Francisco, was given for safekeeping the
original and last completed book that Dr. Jose
Rizal had written while in exile in Dapitan. This is
his iconic book of oracles, Haec Est Sibylla
Cumana (sic) (It is This Sibylla Cumana). Sibylla
is a seeress in the ancient Greco-Roman culture.
This playful parlor game complete with a top to
be spun - shows the lilting, humorous, and light
side of the heros persona, probably reflecting his
less-stressed life in Dapitan. This book remains
extant, and is in the possession of the General
Paciano Rizal clan. Replicas are commercially
available. The fourth and youngest among the
siblings is Jose, and was given a wristwatch of Dr.
Jose Rizal, a Rizal family salt cellar, and an
engraved sterling silver teaspoon. These are all
still in existence.

To the third child - my father Edmundo who

is now 2 years passed at age 96, was given a
few relics and some manuscripts. Quite a
number of years ago he had handed them to
me with an injunction that I should take care
of them but, nothing else. With a little bit
more discerning eyes, a few years ago I was
astonished to find that one of these old, fairlypreserved, yellowish manuscripts is an
elegantly-scribed poem in Tagalog entitled
Huling Paalam dated 30 Diciembre 1896
, and signed by Laong Laan! (See copy
exclusively for the Spring-Summer 2015 issue of
the Philippine Illini on page 18).
Laong Laan meaning Ever Prepared, or Laging
Handa in Pilipino was the nom de plume of Dr.
Jose Rizal as he wrote articles for the newspaper

La Solidaridad, an organization founded in 1888

by Filipino students studying in Europe as they
espoused political and social reforms in the
Philippines.
The Farewell poem of Dr. Jose Rizal is the most
translated patriotic pre-martyrdom poem in the
whole world, and is considered as one of the
greatest lyrical poems ever written in the Spanish
language. This iconic poem which has 14 stanzas
with 5 lines each was written on a 15.5 cm. x 9.5
cm. piece of paper. It was made undated,
unsigned, and untitled by the author as to conserve
space. This masterpiece has 46 Pilipino dialect
interpretations, 38 foreign translations, and 35
English transcribed versions.
In January, 1897 in Hongkong, Mariano Ponce
was the first to title this poem as Mi Ultimo
Pensamiento. Father Mariano Dacanay on
September 25, 1898 while incarcerated for
nationalistic activities, published the poem with
the now accepted putative title Mi Ultimo Adios
in the first issue of the La Independencia
newspaper.
In the Huling Paalam ni Laong Laan the first
stanza reads
Paalam na, giliw lupang tinubuan,
bayang masagana sa init nang araw,
maligayang Eden sa amiy pumanaw
at perlas nang dagat sa dakong silangan.
I have researched the known Tagalog translations
of this Farewell poem, and found those of
Andres Bonifacio, Nieves Baens del Rosario, Jose
Villa Panganiban, Pascual H. Poblete, Gullermo E.
Tolentino, and of Antonio B. Valeriano. I could
not locate the translated Tagalog version of Julian
Balmaceda. The following are the titles and the
first lines of the different authors versions
Andres Bonifacio:
Title: Pahimakas ni Dr. Jose Rizal
First line: Pinipintuho kong Bayan ay paalam
Nieves Baens del Rosario:
Title: Huling Paalam
First line: Aalis na ako, baying sinisintang
kahalik ng araw

17

Jose Villa Panganiban:

Title: Pahimakas Ni Rizal
First line: Paalam na, Bayang sintang
hinahalikan ng araw
Pascual H. Poblete:
Title: Huling Caisipan
First line: Paalam na sintang Lupang-Tinubuan
Guillermo E. Tolentino:
Title: Ang huling Paalam Ni Rizal
First line: Paalam na, sintang Bayan, lupang
kasuyo nang araw
Antonio B. Valeriano:
Title: Ang Pahimakas Ni Gat Jose Rizal
First line: Paalam, bayan kong nimumutya,
lupang pinagpala ng araw

The first line of the first stanza of the translated

versions by these renowned and distinguished
authors are different.
The intriguing question is who wrote the Huling
Paalam as dated 30 Diciembre 1896, and
signed by Laong Laan? In my formative years,
I always had that burning question in my mind
why my Lolo would not write his supreme
message to his beloved countrymen in the
language they could understand, when only about
15% of the native population were then fluent in
Spanish. Writing the poem in Tagalog does not
preclude him from doing one in the Castilian
language.
Likewise, while growing up I have heard some
talk among the elders especially from my Lola
Mily that Lolo Paciano have been translating some
of the works of his younger brother Jose. He lived
up to the ripe age of 79.

It is not beyond our great hero - who was

"Ever Prepared" - to have in hand two
versions of his Farewell' poem to his country
and people. The nuances by lens comparative
analysis by me of his handwriting seem to
bear out that "Huling Paalam " by "Laong
Laan " , could be written by Dr. Jose Rizal.
(Wholly written by Ramon G. Lopez, MD, June 21,
2015. Copyright reserved. References available upon
request.
Back to Contents

18

19

Back to Contents

Discovering the Literary Secrets of Rizals Mi Ultimo Adios

(Basis of talk given before the Lincolnland Chapter, Knights of Rizal, Springfield, IL on September 26, 2014)

Cosme R. Cagas, MD, KCR

To begin, lets recite or read aloud Stanza 1 of
Mi ltimo Adis in the original Spanish.
Listen for one particular word that is also
found in Stanza 2, 8, 10 and 13. That word is
the keyword of the poem.
Since early in my youth, I have been
fascinated with Rizals unsigned, untitled and
undated poem, named as Mi ltimo
Pensamiento by Mariano Ponce in 1897, as
Ultimo Adios by Fr. Mariano Dacanay in
1898 and later more popularly by others, as
Mi ltimo Adis or My Last Farewell. I
memorized stanzas of the poem without full
understanding of their meaning despite an
early English translation by Charles
Derbyshire (1911). Through the years there
had been numerous translations in English and
other languages including in Cebuano and
Tagalog that I speak. I also took Spanish
courses in college and try to write and speak
this language from time to time. But it was not
until I began writing the historical novel, I
Shall Return (see Rizal in the Historical
Novel I Shall Return, Philippine ILLINI,
Spring-Summer, 2014), that I gained a deeper
understanding and fuller appreciation of the
poem.
In the novel, I showed how the life and
teachings of Rizal are reflected in the lives
and actions of the principal characters (p.131,
and contrasted how he was treated by the
Spaniards while imprisoned in Fort Santiago
(p.287) and how the members of the resistance
movement in WWII were treated there by the
Japanese (p.288). Furthermore, I translated
into English selected stanzas from my own
understanding of the original Spanish with the
help of Spanish-English dictionaries. In my
translation, I endeavored first, to be as literal
20

as possible inorder to retain the authors original meaning; second, to rhyme the end
words; and third, perhaps uniquely, to have
the same number of syllables in the English
translations as in the Spanish original. Note
that I could not reproduce Rizals rhyme
schemes (see p. 132 and below).
In that article, I explained briefly the
timelessness and present-day allure of Rizals
haunting poetry. In this presentation I would
like to enlarge on what I consider the literary
secrets of his poem. What are secrets to me
may be obvious to others but I make this
presentation in my standpoint, hence I regard
the process as a discovery. I shall therefore
describe how the poem has captivated me.
Today, I memorize all fourteen stanzas by
heart. I will reveal the secrets in the order
that I understand and appreciate the poem, not
necessarily an ideal way of analyzing poetry
in general.
Keyword
Of course the keyword is Patria (fatherland).
Indeed, the poem is about love of country.
There is nothing that Rizal would not give
away including his life for his beloved
Filipinas. Even in death, he consecrates
himself to serve: in Stanza 10, line 5, by
singing (Soy yo, querida Patria que te canto at
ti); in Stanza 11, line 5, by his ashes carpeting
the fields (el polvo de tu alfombra); and in
Stanza 12, line 3, by being a vibrant and clean
note to his fathers ear (Vibrante y limpia nota
ser para tu odo).
Immediately in the first line of the poem,
Rizals bids farewell to his Patria in a manner
as if he is talking to his father who can see,
hear and feel; understand; and do all that a

human being can do, not to a thing made of

soil, trees, water and air. In line 2 of Stanza
13, Rizal specifies the name of his Patria
Filipinas, as if she is a mother, again a
sensing human being who can hear his last
farewell (oye mi postrer adis). Both Patria
and Filipinas are rhetorical devices called
personification. When the poet in Stanza 7,
line 1 asks, dj a la luna verme con luz,
he is giving the moon eyes to see, therefore
another example of personification. In all
stanzas but the last, Rizal, the poet, is talking
to his father, a man.
Rich Imagery
Mi ltimo Adis portrays rich imagery by the
effective use of metaphor and other tropes or
figures of speech like personification. In
metaphor two unlike things that actually have
something important in common are compared
by implication. This is particularly useful in
poetry where condensation or economy of
words is the rule. After the personification of
Patria, smack in lines 1 and 2 are the
metaphors, regin del sol, Perla and Edn! In
a few words, Rizal describes his country as
tropical with the connotations of easy life,
warm temperature, lush vegetation, and
diverse forms of life; compares it to a
beautiful and precious object adored and
sometimes worshipped (as in a pearl is a
temple); and gives it the ultimate epithet,
Edn, that conjures images of purity, primal
beauty and prelapsarian innocence. But alas,
Rizals Edn, he sadly notes, has become a
paradise lost (shades of John Milton)! Joya
(jewel) (Stanza 4, line 3), another beautiful
metaphor echoes Perla of the opening stanza.
Since Patria is identified with the masculine
gender and Perla and joya with the feminine,
the comparison may be called a mixed
metaphor. In the same sense, Patria
(masculine) and Filipinas (feminine) are also
mixed. The above mentioned metaphors are
21

the obvious ones, among others, by their early

placement in the poem. But if one looks
closely, he will find rich imageries and
metaphors throughout the poem such as the
breaking of dawn into day (Stanza 3, lines 1
and 2) (que el cielo se colora anuncia el da
tras lbrego capuz), which is echoed in Stanza
7, line 2 (Dj que el alba enve su resplandor
fugaz) and the evaporation of rain by a blazing
sun (Dj que el sol, ardiendo las lluvias
evapore/ Y al cielo torment puras...) (Stanza 8,
line 1 and 2). The breaking of dawn from a
dark night into bright day can be a metaphor
for the coming of a new era of peace, freedom
and prosperity and the evaporation of the rain
by the sun can be metaphor for the cleansing
of what ills the country. Was there something
wrong with Filipinas during Rizals time that
needs cleansing? How about today?
The poem was probably written shortly before
Rizal faced death by a firing squad and
therefore the tone is understandably and
appropriately sad, grave, and sentimental,
more so than Juliets words to Romeo (first
balcony scene in Shakespeares celebrated
work), parting is such a sweet sorrow.
Rhymes
The use of rhymes and other sound devices
make Mi Ultimo Adios a musical poetry. The
end rhymes that appear in every stanza have
the same schema of ABAAB. Thus in Stanza
1, the da in querida (line 1) rhymes with da in
vida (line 3) and da in florida (line 4) and the
en in eden (line 2) rhymes with en in bien
(line 5). And note further that Rizals end
rhyming has a minimum of two letters as in
the en in eden and bien; has three letters as in
ida in querida, vida and florida; has four
letters as in rida in querida and florida. and
has a maximum of five letters as in lirio in
delirio (Stanza 2, line1) and lirio (line 3) and
as in terio in cementerio, misterio and
salterio (Stanza 10) . Note these are all per-

fect rhymes (as opposed to near rhymes)!

They dont only sound the same, they are also
spelled the same!
Now that I have pointed out all these, arent
you amazed as I am? If you are, be awed and
be amazed again if I point out that Rizals
rhyming genius does not end with end
rhymes. Be awed as well with his internal
rhymes: in Stanza 1 for example, Patria
rhymes with adorada and querida (line 1), the
endings of darte, triste, alegre (line 3) sound
similarly and count for yourself how many
words are repeated or have similar sounds in
line 5 and be astounded! Be astounded still by
reading aloud and hear the controlling o
sounds in line 4 of the Stanza 2 starting with
the word Cadalso and in line 1 of Stanza 3
starting with the word Yo.
In fairness, it is not all genius. The Romance
languages and so do the Malayo- polynesian
languages like Cebuano, Boholano and
Tagalog that I speak, lend themselves to
rhyming, Spanish and Italian especially so in
part because these languages usually employ
the ending o for masculine words as in
barbero (Spanish ) and e as in barbiere
(Italian) and a (with exceptions such as those
ending in ma) for feminine words and many
words in these languages end with non-silent
vowels.
Other Tropes
The use of repetition and sound devices
underlie the musicality of poetry. End and
internal rhymes are of course the obvious
examples. Anaphora refers to the repetition
of the same word or phrase at the beginning of
successive clauses (in prose) or verses (in
poetry). In Stanza 1, the word ms appears
three times and por two times; in Stanza 4 the
opening phrase Mis sueos cuando (line1) is
repeated in the line 2 and the first word sin in
line 5 is repeated twice in the same line; in
22

Stanzas 7 and 8 six lines begin with dj or

dj que. Epiphora or epitrope refers to
similar repetition but occurring at the end of
successive clauses or verses. In Stanza 1,
diera repeats itself in line 5. Alliteration is
the repetition of an initial consonant sound.
The mere repetition of an initial consonant can
be also called this. In Stanza 1, per in Perla is
echoed in perdido (line 2) and the letter f
starts the words fuera, fresca and florida (line
4). Consonance is the repetitive usage of
consonant sounds frequently but not
exclusively at the end of sentences or verses.
Note the predominant r sound in line 2 of
Stanza 1. In the Stanza 2 hear the hissing s
sounds (in campos, otros, sus vidas, sin dudas,
sin pesar, sitio, ciprs, cadalso, mismo, es
and si. In assonance two or more words close
to one another repeat the same vowel sound
but with different consonant sounds. In line1
alone of the poem, assonance can be heard in
the words regin, del and querida.
The sound devices mentioned above are all
tropes or figures of speech. Others in the poem
that have caught my attention are:
Chiasmus, a speech pattern (a type of
antithesis) in which the second half of an
expression is balanced against the first with
the parts reversed: Tambin for ti la diera, la
diera for tu bien (Stanza 1, line 5).
Oxymoron where two contradictory terms are
used together: perdido Edn Stanza 1, line 2),
eternidad dormir (Stanza 5, line 5).
Paradox, a proposition or statement that
seems absurd or contradictory but in reality
expresses a possible truth, as in caer por darte
vuelo and Morir por darte vida (Stanza 5,
lines 3 and 4).
Understatement in line 4 of Stanza 1 when
Rizal states, si fuera ms brillante, ms fresca,
ms florida referring to his life, because at this

time the author was already well known and

famous principally for his two novels, the Noli
and the Fili.
Litotes, an understatement in which an
affirmative is expressed by negating its
opposite, when the poet looks forward to his
eventual destination, Voy donde no hay
esclavos, verdugos ni opresores/ Donde la fe
no mata, donde el que reina es Dios (Stanza
13, lines 4 and 5). By these negative (and
positive) statements, the poet is actually
saying that where he is now, there are slaves,
executioners, oppressors, where faith kills and
he who reigns is not God.
Metaphor for Rizal
Let me ask you this question: what is a word or
phrase that can serve as a metaphor for Rizal or
his life and works? (Answers from the audience:
Patriot and Beloved Infidel. Patriot, of course is
patently applicable because of his intense love of
country but Rizal did not have a monopoly of it.
Monument comes to mind because there are so
many statues of him all over the world and every
town or city or even barangay in the Philippines
but the word can mean anything. Genius, Polyglot
and Polymath are true about Rizal but there are
many others like him in this respect. Noli or Fili
seems most appropriate because these novels made
him famous and aroused the Filipinos to rise
against Spain. But consider this: the novels had
served their purpose and had many readers in the
decades following Rizals death but they are not in
many readers list today, even in the Philippines.
Another thing: while the novels have been
translated in many languages, the total number of
world language and Philippine language
translations cannot compare with those of the
poem. There are only four English, two French,
one Dutch, one Italian and one German
translations of the Noli Me Tangere. By

contrast, Mi ltimo Adis has at least 36

23

English translations, has been translated in

world languages, in 46 Philippine dialects and in
one sign language in Filipino. I suggest therefore
that the metaphor for Rizal should be ltimo
Adis, the title that Fr. Mariano Dacanay gave to
the poem in 1898. But perhaps Dr. Jose P. Rizal
does not need a metaphor because when one utters
or writes Rizal without any qualification, he
undoubtedly refers to and the hearer or reader
immediately knows to whom he is referring to,
namely, the Filipino who was gifted with genius
and many talents and who above all is best
remembered for his love of country and for his
undying poem, Mi ltimo Adis.

Conclusion
I would like to restate what I said earlier: that
in all but the last stanza, the poet is talking to
his father by the rhetorical device of
personification. This way, he spoke to the
Filipinos of his generation and by extension he
speaks to us, Filipinos of today, and he will
speak to Filipinos of the future and by further
extension, perhaps to all humanity.
In Stanza 14 (last stanza), Rizal speaks to
different people. In line1, Rizal bids farewell
to his padres y hermanos. Because Rizal had
only one brother (Paciano), clues us in to the
fact that here he employs yet another trope
called synecdoche in which case a part is used
to represent a whole, meaning that padres
does not just refer to his father and mother but
to all older than himself, and hermanos not
only to his siblings but to all brother and sister
Filipinos, if not to all brothers and sisters in
the world; in line 2 to his childhood friends; in
line 4 to his common law wife Josephine, the
only one in the entire poem specifically named
as dulce extrangera, mi amiga, mi alegria; and
finally, in the last line to friends of the future,
which includes us today, his noble Knights.

Back to Contents

Mission Trip 2015: To Tacloban, Ormoc, Digos and Back

Conrado Abinoja, MD
Last February 2015, my wife and I joined
Dr. Cosme and Linda Cagas, together with
their daughter Elcee Conner and grandson
Christopher on a Religious, Educational and
Economic Mission to Tacloban, Ormoc, Leyte
and Digos, Davao del Sur. We were glad to
leave the wintry weather of St. Louis,

Missouri.

We proceeded to Ormoc and attended a

Methodist service in a small church together
with some elementary small children dressed
casually but deeply committed in singing
their church songs led by a couple of girls who
sang with hand and body gestures followed
by everybody including us. Diva, representing
us in a song-prayer, offered a wonderful
rendition of Ave Maria. With the service

ongoing inside the church, some elder

members of the parish were busy cooking
pansit and roasting a pig in full view of
everybody. After the service, student scholars
were given awards by Dr. Cosme Cagas. My
prayer was granted when I joined the
missionaries-- I partook of the sumptuous
luncheon!

24

At the Manila airport, we were joined by Drs.

Romy and Isabel Perez and Mrs. Diva de
Lara. We saw the devastation of Tacloban that
extended beyond the city limits but also saw
the beautiful and historic sites.

From Ormoc, we went back to Tacloban where we

saw a repeat performance of activities and a
presentation by school children and teenage girls
in an unfinished small church. Not to be outdone,

our friend Diva reprised her Ave Maria. We gladly

joined in later. Chris took pictures of the Tacloban
students newly enrolled into the Christ Philippine
Missions scholarship program.

From Tacloban, we took the plane to Davao City

via Mactan. In Digos, we visited two feeding and
dental health sites where the children entertained
us with songs and artful dances. We helped
distribute the dental kits. We also visited the local
jail, interacted with some prisoners. The ladies
bought quite a lot of handicrafts-- hats, belts,
bracelets and especially handbags-- all made by

the inmates.

On a side trip, we saw how bananas were

processed for export and how the workers
lived. They seem to be happy and well
provided.

With ample time to rest and relax, overall, it

was a satisfying and rewarding experience for
me and my companions.

25

The church performances were presented in a

bigger scale. When called by the Pastor to give a
short message, I told the children that I was like
them before, poor and hungry but somehow the
grace of God helped my family climb up the
ladder. Then I told them about Jose Rizal.

Back to Contents

Delivered from Certain Death

Eusebio C. Kho, MD
During the last days of World War II in the
Philippines, we were up in the low mountains of
the town of Jimalalud, Negros Oriental, a province
located in the central part of the country. We had
evacuated there, about 6 kms. inland, to be away
from the poblacion or town center, which was
occupied by the Japanese soldiers. Most of the
other civilians had gone up into the higher
mountains, to be farther away and be safer.
There were six of us siblings, from a few months
old baby to age 14 years. Our parents had invited a
homeless man who was sickly to stay with us; and
we supported him, since he had no relatives or any
means of livelihood at all. We subsisted mainly on
kangkong, corn that we had gleaned, chicken that
we raised, and tiny crabs that we caught on the
riverbed behind our rented bamboo house.
Over the skies, we could tell the Americans were
coming because there were many US war planes,
specially the double-bodied planes (later, we knew
them as the Lightning Fighters). Early one
morning, while still dark, we could hear loud
poundings on our bamboo door. The Japanese
soldiers were ordering us to open the door. Once
opened, they entered our living room and ordered
all of us to go down the stairs and squat on the
ground. I was very scared, seeing that the four
soldiers all had their bayonets fixed on their rifles.
My knees were knocking as I walked. I knew they
were going to massacre us with bayonets, instead
of gunshots, to save precious bullets intended for
later fighting. My memory of that day was seared
into my brain forever--it seems like only
yesterday.
My Dad was from Fukien, China. He took a piece
of paper and pencil and wrote in scripts that the
Jap sergeant could understand. (Japanese and
Chinese written words or "characters" have a
common root, and the same meanings, although
pronounced differently.) My father pleaded that

26

we be spared since we were civilians; we were

harmless to them; and had no intention to fight
them. The sergeant also wrote on that paper his
reply. He waved off the three other soldiers to
leave us alone, and they left. They were going to
regroup somewhere else in anticipation of the
invading American forces. Our Dad told us later
that the sergeant was from Formosa (or Taiwan), a
former part of China, which was annexed by
Japan, way before the war. All residents of that
island were forced to serve in the Japanese
military. That detachment head, being a former
Chinese, took pity on us, and decided not to kill
us.
In the poblacion, an old man, Tio Basilio, then
70+ years old, lived by himself. He was the only
civilian who dared to live there because he was
old, had health problems, and was harmless to the
invaders. After the Japanese left, curious people
found him lying lifeless inside his small hut with
arms tied by barb wire behind his back; he had a
gunshot wound to the back of his neck.
Had that sergeant been from mainland Japan, we
all would have been killed. It was the practice of
the Japanese army to leave no one alive including
working animals, especially carabaos when they
leave a place; they also burned all dwellings --a
scorched-earth policy. In the Bisayan dialect, we
call that practice juez de kutsillo (justice by the
sword). We were spared certain death, because
somehow, a Formosan was the head of that Jap
detachment on that particular day. I truly believed
that God purposely placed that Formosan as leader
of that detachment, to spare us from the massacre.
From that day onward, all our family, individually
and collectively, have thanked the God Almighty
constantly for our deliverance from painful death.
It was, and still is, a miracle that through God's
merciful help, we were give another lease on life

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Manong Awi
(Chapter 4 of the WWWII historical novel, I Shall Return by Cosme R. Cagas)

President Manuel L. Quezon and MacArthur declared Manila an

open city on December 12 to save it from attack. Huge signs that
read, Open City and No Shooting were posted at strategic
locations. The banner headlines of two Spanish newspapers
screamed, Manila Es Ciudad Abierta!

Susmariosep! Manang Acay, the mother of

the house, exclaimed when she first saw us.
The word is a contraction of Jesus, Mary and
Joseph.
Dayon (Come in)! she greeted as she
ushered us into the living room.
Lola Imang hesitated, calling her attention to
the water dripping from our clothes.
No matter, no matter, Manang Acay assured
us. Come in all!
She bid us sit down, excused herself and
quickly disappeared. Shortly she was back
with towels to dry ourselves.
Impatient and unable to contain herself, Lola
told her that we came to see Manong Awi.
I know, I know, but by and by. Good that
hes able to sleep. First, we should get you
changed and comfortable.
She took Lola Imang to her room and came
back with clothes for the rest of us. Mine were
brown short pants and a white shirt, both too
big but appreciated very much nevertheless
and Julians was a blue coverall. Lola
emerged with a blouse and matching saya, a
colorful skirt.
By now it was definitely morning. Manang
Acay ordered the maid to cook rice. Lola,
ignoring her objection, gave money to Julian
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and Fermin to buy fresh and salted fish,

vegetables and panakot (spices) from the
market saying, Since we have the car anyway
and we need to buy provisions also for our
use She instructed them, Be sure to buy
katambak (her favorite fish). The tinola (fish
and vegetable soup) will be good for Awis
fever.
I must have dozed off on the sofa because the
next thing I remembered was hearing Manang
Acay call my grandparents from Manong
Awis room. I followed.
Manong Awis deep sunken eyes under bushy
eyebrows, prominent forehead, and high cheek
bones immediately caught my attention. The
cheeks caved in under a pale skin with a
yellowish tinge. His big ears stood out. His
long frame bulged under a layer of blankets-it virtually occupied the whole length of the
wooden bed. I figured he was taller than my
father or even my uncle Titoy.
He seemed out of it, moaning. He appeared to
recognize my grandparents as he let out his
left hand as if in a greeting, the index finger as
if pointing to a plaid shirt hanging on a hook
on the wall beside the dresser. He could not
speak understandably.
Lola sat on the side of the bed, calling his
name. He could only respond with a groan.
Lola felt his forehead. No fever, she gladly
announced.
Has he eaten or drunk anything? Lola asked.

Yes, last night in bed.

Did you send for Dr. Tambal? Lolo butted
in.
Yes Itong but we were told he is out of town
tending to Don Luis Villanueva in Calamba.
He is not expected to be back until tonight,
Manang Acay despaired.
How about Dr. Kuan-- whats his name?
The word Kuan means anyone, anything, or
whatever, used in place of the actual word
when it evades the speaker.
No Itong. We are told he cant walk far
anymore, too old plus the gout, they say. All
he does is play mahjong these days.

pockets. Theyre empty Papa, Fermin

reported.
Take it off the hook and feel for anything
hidden.
Nothing I could feel Papa.
Shake it!
Nothing.
Wave it hard!
Still nothing fell off the shirt. Fermin replaced
it on the hook as Lolo shook his head,
perplexed.

Hes hardly here. We hear hes now in Iligan

as chief medical officer

That evening Manong Awi turned for the

worse. His temperature rose high. Beads of
sweat exuded from his forehead. He shivered.
Teeth rapidly clattered against teeth as he
shook all over.

Manang Acay propped up Manong Awi with

two pillows and fed him the tinola broth
spoon by spoon. Most fortunately he also
tolerated linugao (rice porridge) a little at a
time but choked when she let him drink water
from a glass.

Manang Acay became distraught and panicky.

Lolo looked at Lola and then towards the
direction of Manang Acay but avoided eye
contact with her. When Lolo nodded looking
at the door, Lola understood and led Manang
Acay out of the room.

The food made Manong Awi better. He was

no longer moaning and not as restless. But still
he could not talk.

Weeping, Manang Acay obliged but not

before she told Lolo, Theres coconut oil in
the top drawer.

The adults took turns watching him all day.

One time when Lolo and Fermin were
watching over him, Manong Awi opened his
eyes seemingly recognizing Lolo. He pointed
a finger to the plaid shirt. But that lasted only
fleeting seconds. Thereafter he was groaning
and moaning again, thrashing about.

Lolo didnt use the coconut oil. Instead he

took off Manong Awis pajamas that were
soaked with sweat. He dried him off with a
couple of cotton undershirts that Fermin found
inside the dresser.

How about Dr. Antonio Montalban?

Lolo asked Fermin to check the shirts

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Manong Awi frightened me. His long arms

and legs looked like sticks! He was all pale,
yellowish skin and bones. His stomach caved
in worse than his cheeks. His ribs stuck out.
I saw last Lolo with Fermins help putting on

him fresh pajamas. They did not replace the

layers of blankets. No longer able to bear the
sight of him looking ghastly, shivering and
shaking, I left the room and went outside.
After a while, Fermin joined me on the street.
We played catch, sipa (kick) using an old and
withered coconut, and takyang, in which a
weighted feather is kept afloat on air by
repeatedly kicking it up with the medial aspect
of the heel. We could kick up the feather only
once or at most twice because the wind kept
blowing it away.
Soon the world was black except for a solitary
light in the distance, like a beacon in a sea of

darkness, perhaps coming from a church. The

wind continued to blow and howl.
After supper, Lolo directed Julian and Fermin
to see if Dr. Tambal was back. He
emphasized, Be sure to let him know, it is
your Manong Ruperto requesting urgently that
he come. Also offer to give him a ride.
When Lolo and I were alone in the sala, I
asked him what was wrong with Manong Awi.
He didnt know for sure but added that while
in Salug, he and his twin, Antoy, saw a similar
case not as badly afflicted as Awi. I asked
what happened to the man. Lolo said he died.

He was sure she would come back to him

And he would be ready
With massive chairs, tables, bathtub, kitchen
And for their expected children,

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Silencio

There is a provincial Cuban song

Admonishing silence
If April flowers should hear your tormented cry
The gardenias, the daffodils,
The lilies would surely die

But, silence is not enough

Flowers have vision and touch for soft and tough
If they see the sorrow lines of your face
The tulips will not sprout when due
If they feel the fine tremors of your hands
The irises will give up some of their hue

Let your overworked angels do the writhing

Let your trained Lazaruses do the trembling
Stay numb, welcome unfeeling
Convince yourself this not permanent doom
And all the flowers will fully bloom.

-- Lestrino C. Baquiran, M.D.

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TwISteR
like a GIANT Black Bird
from nowhere comes
whirling whirling
fast faster fastest
whistling rushing
close closer
closest
then
sw
oo
ps
d
o
w
n
a TOWN

and goes

(Leaving A Number Dead Gnarled Remnants Debris Everywhere)

--Cosme R. Cagas, MD

(A revision of the original poem TORNADO which appeard in the Phil-Am Med Bull, July, 1987 )

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