In Search of the Filipino Messiah
“y ab actu ad posse valet illation (what happened before can happen again)!” ---Padre Sibyla, El Filibusterismo. Sibyla spelling alternatives sibylla,sibila Sibylla-(Latin)-prophetess, sibyl,prophet
I remember during my high school days when I asked my history teacher with the question, “Mam, bakit ang layo ng translation ng Lupang Hinirang sa English National
Anthem natin?
Bayang Magiliw Perlas ng Silanganan Land of the Morning Child of the Sun Returning. (Ma’am why is it our Filipino National Anthem is translated differently in the English Version?
My teacher replied, “Our subject is World History not the Philippines.” But I quickly answered, “Philippine History is part of World History!” “Silence, Barnabas! You always ask foolish question and that describes you.” My classmates laughed and teased me. “We want Barabbas!” They shouted like the Jews in uproarious sneer.
But it didn’t matter to me. I was really curious and hungered for an answer at that time. My imagination and wonder wandered at that time for an explanation. But as I remembered the way my teacher answered me, I, in some way, somewhat always then became ashamed to ask the same question to different people. But then there were some to whom I confided this question only then to find out that it didn’t amaze them at all or mattered to them at least.
That unanswerable question was left in my mind floating like a cloud hoping for a wind of change to blow it and erase it in my mind; besides nobody cares at least to know why. Filipino historians are silent about it. The facts of “why” is their only region; only metaphysicians and fools like me like to know the ‘why.’ But somewhere I read about a scientist, if I’m not mistaken that was Einstein when he said, “Something had to be behind things.” My foolish imagination was again kindled, as if a tiny dying flame flickered to life itself. I began to read about Dr. Jose Rizal. For what he did is still unsurpassable. Never has been an equal to him up to now. But there was Ninoy Aquino who fought and died for the country. If Rizal fought against the tyranny of Spain, Ninoy fought against the tyranny of one man. If you see it there is really no difference between the times of Spain and the present government. Once was the fight against the shackled forces whose source was outside. Now the enemy is within. She sits there enthroned like the great mother harlot of Babel “drunken with the blood of the desaparecidos, and with the blood of the displaced Juans out of their own land.” But then if I compare the second line of the National Anthem in the English version which is “Child of the Sun Returning” for these two great men the word ‘return’ defines similarly the words of Gen. McArthur’s “I shall return.” It means that he had been here before. Now if we are singing our National Anthem (we are more like praying it because we are placing our right hand in our heart) we are like summoning him to come again. But we ask who the “Child of the sun returning” is? Was Ninoy Rizal? If we have a bit of Gematria an ancient Hebrew method used for reincarnational computation by the rabbis we have BENIGNO 2 5 14 9 7 14 16 =66
RIZAL 18 9 26 1 12 =66
Rizal was executed by the foreign enemy. For Ninoy it was more tragic. It was by his own countrymen. Rizal fought against the bloodless friars; but nowadays, priests and nuns fight alongside with the filibusteros. Was Ninoy Rizal? Again I hear the words of my beloved teacher…But then in the second book of Dr. Rizal we have the cloaked infamous hero Simoun the jeweler. And Ninoy was Benigno Simeon Aquino, Jr.!
Was Ninoy Rizal? If Ninoy was Rizal then the line “Child of the sun returning” is history. He already returned and saved once again the Filipino soul from tyranny. But the present state of the Philippines now is much worse than during the Marcos era. If the late Pres. Macapagal before Marcos tried to
eradicate corruption now Philippines is a top-lister. We need more of him (the one who is to come) now much more to eradicate the evils in the motherland and the evil men.
I believe that “The child of the sun returning” has not yet come. Our National Anthem sings out the future. But the future is not a some distant mirage floating over the horizon. The future starts now. Now is the future and History starts now. Every present is a future that waits for the emergence of the one who is to come. In search of the one who is to come I tried to review across the past presidents. History records their deeds and sins. But instead of giving you their accomplishments I will show you their last names in order of their service. We have 1. Marcos 2. Aquino 3. Ramos 4. Estrada 5. Arroyo Look closely if we get the first letter of their last names we have MAREA. Again in a foolish and surreptitious way I tried to find what this could mean. In Spanish there is also a word marea which means tide, an ebb and flow of water. Again in a superstitious way this is an explanation for the rise and fall of the Motherland by the unscrupulous Filipino opportunist. But on the other hand the word marea could mean the name Maria which signifies the mother of Christ. Then these presidents who already had come personified the mother of Christ. And thus when we sing “Child of the sun returning” we are waiting for the child to be reborn metaphorically speaking.
The child of the sun returning is the Filipino Messiah. The Filipino Messiah has a deep sense of commitment in alleviating the burden of the Filipino people. Like the Son of Man when he said “Come to me all of you who are tired…” He is also a political Messiah the hope of the Motherland to its greater state. Yet his mission goes beyond that of service to the Filipino people. The Filipino Messiah will open the spiritual insight of the Filipinos to their true identity and their sacred mission to the world.
“The Filipino is worth dying for…” dear and Holy…”
Because Philippines is the “Land
“Where are the youth who will consecrate their golden hours, their illusions, and enthusiasm for the welfare of their country? Where are they who would generously shed their blood to wash away so much shame, so much crime, so much abomination? Pure and spotless the victim has to be for the holocaust to be acceptable!...Where are you, youth who will incarnate in yourselves the vigor of life that has fled form our veins, the purity of ideas that have been soiled in our minds and the fire of enthusiasm that has been extinguished in our hearts?... We wait for you, O youth! Come, for we await you!” --Jose Rizal, Filibustero.