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Looking Back #11
Independence X6
“1898 reminds us that it is one thing to gain independence and quite another to know what to do with that independence.”
– AMBETH R. OCAMPO
from “1898 as reference point”
– AMBETH R. OCAMPO
from “1898 as reference point”
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
100 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2016
About the author
Ambeth R. Ocampo
70 books368 followersLamberto R. Ocampo better known as Ambeth R. Ocampo (b. 1961) is Filipino historian, academic, journalist, cultural administrator and author best known for his writings about Philippines' national hero José Rizal, and for his bi-weekly editorial page column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, "Looking Back." He became the Chairman of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines in 2002 until 2010, and was appointed as Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in 2005 until 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 21, 2016
#BuwanNgMgaAkdangPinoy
Aklat #19: INDEPENDENCE X6 (LOOKING BACK 11) by Ambeth Ocampo
(Anvil Publishing, 2016)
Just like in the previous 10 issues of the "Looking Back" series, the 18 essays here were previously-published newspaper articles. These ones first came out on the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI). So, if you are not a regular PDI reader and you love Philippine history, you may want to buy and read this small and thin book and all the earlier ten. They say that knowing history is knowing who we are. Even if some events seem to be irrelevant to us now, there's always some stories or information in the series that could surprise you.
Why is it important to learn history? Someone says that he who knows the past, controls the future. We learn from the lessons of the past. So, knowing the past can guide us in making our decisions. We adults have the responsibility to teach our kids the wisdom culled from our experiences. A good example of this is what happened during the Martial Law years (1972-1981). As a Martial Law baby, I owe it to my daughter and her fellow millennials to know the atrocities and excesses of the Marcoses during those turbulent and dark times in our history. At one point during the campaign for the national elections this year (2016), I heard my 20-y/o daughter contemplating on voting for Senator Bongbong Marcos. So, I had a long and serious talk with her. I punctuated our talk with this line: "If you vote for BBM, I would consider myself a failure as your father." So, came the election day, she voted for Leni Robledo.
But this book, "Independence X6" has nothing to do with Martial Law and Marcos. The first article here is regarding the six "independence" days. Two of which, June 12 and July 4, are familiar to us. Our independence day used to be July 4 and Former President Diosdado Macapagal changed it to June 12, the date we still know as Araw ng Kalayaan even up to now. The other dates may not be familiar to most of us: the day when Bonifacio wrote "Long Live Philippine Independence" on the walls of Pamitinan Cave in Montalban; during the Cry of Pugad Lawin or Balintawak; when the First Philippine President, Aguinaldo, issued two decrees to the Filipino people asking for support against Spain on October 31, 1896; and when Former President Jose P. Laurel declared independence during the Japanese Occupation on October 14, 1943. Thank God, nobody thought of declaring either February 22 or August 21 as the new Independence Day during the height of the Aquino family's popularity. Or when the American military bases were pulled out. Either one of those could have made this list longer.
There are a few more articles here that are interesting like when the US government forbade the Filipinos to display the Philippine flag or the tale on Sun Yat Sen aiding the Filipino revolutionaries. I was also reminded of the stories I used to hear from my mother, who was 10-12 years old during World War II, about "zona." It was what the Japanese armies would shout on the streets calling people to come out from their houses even in the middle of the night. Then the townfolks would group into two: women and children in one group and men in the other. Then a "makapili," who's head is covered with an inverted bayong, would review the men's queue to identify who among them were guerillas.
Thank you for writing the Looking Back series, Sir Ambeth. Please come up with many books about Martial Law and the Marcos evils. Your books are very popular with the young people so it would be a heroic act in your part to tell them what happened since you were a Martial Law baby yourself. You owe it to the next generations of Filipinos.
Forgive me for putting your photo in this FB post.
#PinoyReadsPinoyBooks
Aklat #19: INDEPENDENCE X6 (LOOKING BACK 11) by Ambeth Ocampo
(Anvil Publishing, 2016)
Just like in the previous 10 issues of the "Looking Back" series, the 18 essays here were previously-published newspaper articles. These ones first came out on the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI). So, if you are not a regular PDI reader and you love Philippine history, you may want to buy and read this small and thin book and all the earlier ten. They say that knowing history is knowing who we are. Even if some events seem to be irrelevant to us now, there's always some stories or information in the series that could surprise you.
Why is it important to learn history? Someone says that he who knows the past, controls the future. We learn from the lessons of the past. So, knowing the past can guide us in making our decisions. We adults have the responsibility to teach our kids the wisdom culled from our experiences. A good example of this is what happened during the Martial Law years (1972-1981). As a Martial Law baby, I owe it to my daughter and her fellow millennials to know the atrocities and excesses of the Marcoses during those turbulent and dark times in our history. At one point during the campaign for the national elections this year (2016), I heard my 20-y/o daughter contemplating on voting for Senator Bongbong Marcos. So, I had a long and serious talk with her. I punctuated our talk with this line: "If you vote for BBM, I would consider myself a failure as your father." So, came the election day, she voted for Leni Robledo.
But this book, "Independence X6" has nothing to do with Martial Law and Marcos. The first article here is regarding the six "independence" days. Two of which, June 12 and July 4, are familiar to us. Our independence day used to be July 4 and Former President Diosdado Macapagal changed it to June 12, the date we still know as Araw ng Kalayaan even up to now. The other dates may not be familiar to most of us: the day when Bonifacio wrote "Long Live Philippine Independence" on the walls of Pamitinan Cave in Montalban; during the Cry of Pugad Lawin or Balintawak; when the First Philippine President, Aguinaldo, issued two decrees to the Filipino people asking for support against Spain on October 31, 1896; and when Former President Jose P. Laurel declared independence during the Japanese Occupation on October 14, 1943. Thank God, nobody thought of declaring either February 22 or August 21 as the new Independence Day during the height of the Aquino family's popularity. Or when the American military bases were pulled out. Either one of those could have made this list longer.
There are a few more articles here that are interesting like when the US government forbade the Filipinos to display the Philippine flag or the tale on Sun Yat Sen aiding the Filipino revolutionaries. I was also reminded of the stories I used to hear from my mother, who was 10-12 years old during World War II, about "zona." It was what the Japanese armies would shout on the streets calling people to come out from their houses even in the middle of the night. Then the townfolks would group into two: women and children in one group and men in the other. Then a "makapili," who's head is covered with an inverted bayong, would review the men's queue to identify who among them were guerillas.
Thank you for writing the Looking Back series, Sir Ambeth. Please come up with many books about Martial Law and the Marcos evils. Your books are very popular with the young people so it would be a heroic act in your part to tell them what happened since you were a Martial Law baby yourself. You owe it to the next generations of Filipinos.
Forgive me for putting your photo in this FB post.
#PinoyReadsPinoyBooks
Read
August 29, 2021a lot of fascinating and sometimes angering info not often found in our history text books. i hope the colonizers are in hell
Read
May 27, 2022Been looking at the works of various historians recently in an attempt to make sense of the recent election results, what it is about the country's past and identity that has led to it. Of course, Ambeth Ocampo, hailed as the one of the most well-regarded public historians of the Philippines, is to whom I inevitably turned to. Obviously, this book isn't about Martial Law nor the post-EDSA climate that followed it, but I still find it instructive to examine the roots of Philippine independence, which has had a say on what cards the Filipino people were later dealt with. Anyway, this was a fun, engaging read with a smattering of memorable anecdotes - occasionally amusing and occasionally horrifying. Devoured this in a single sitting. Can't wait to read Ocampo's other works.
Personal notes (things I found interesting/want to remember):
1. Mark Twain, an anti-imperialist
2. The water "cure" - painted as "humane"
3. Sanitation as a brutal form of conquest
4. Six independence dates
5. Diosdado Macapagal changing it to June 12
6. Criteria to call one a national hero, according to Teodoro Agoncillio: "(1) the extent of a person's sacrifices for the welfare of the country; (2) motive and methods employed in the attainment of the ideal, did the person concerned sacrifice purely and exclusively for the welfare of the country or was there any selfish or ulterior motive in making such sacrifices? Were the methods employed in the attainment of the ideal morally valid?; (3) moral character of the person concerned. [If] there was any immorality, how far did it affect his work for society or the ideal?; (4) the influence of the person concerned on his age and/or the succeeding age."
Personal notes (things I found interesting/want to remember):
1. Mark Twain, an anti-imperialist
2. The water "cure" - painted as "humane"
3. Sanitation as a brutal form of conquest
4. Six independence dates
5. Diosdado Macapagal changing it to June 12
6. Criteria to call one a national hero, according to Teodoro Agoncillio: "(1) the extent of a person's sacrifices for the welfare of the country; (2) motive and methods employed in the attainment of the ideal, did the person concerned sacrifice purely and exclusively for the welfare of the country or was there any selfish or ulterior motive in making such sacrifices? Were the methods employed in the attainment of the ideal morally valid?; (3) moral character of the person concerned. [If] there was any immorality, how far did it affect his work for society or the ideal?; (4) the influence of the person concerned on his age and/or the succeeding age."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2017
"History? Fun? Yes! History, after all, is a collection of stories, complete with characters, settings and plots. History, in Filipino, is “kasaysayan,” which means “salaysay na may saysay.” That translates to 'meaningful stories.' People like stories, right? More so if they bring meaning to them. Some of these stories can be found in the Looking Back series by Ambeth Ocampo." Continue reading our post here.
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Please note: We don't use ratings but for this purpose, we tag books with three stars by default.
Would like to be a reviewer/contributor to Bookbed? Sign up here!
We also accept review requests. More info here.
July 9, 2020
Ambeth Ocampo's Looking Back Part 11 mainly tackles the Phiippines' quest for independence and offers 6 dates which academics think should be the country's Independence Day. It is another must read which details circumstances of the fateful day of June 12 1898 and Macapagal's changing of the national day from July 4 to June 12. It also gives me insights on President Theodore Roosevelt which is very timely as I am a Filipino American myself. Lastly, this book also mentions about international personalities like Mark Twain, Sun Yat Sen and Dewey, even a narrative of how the pandemic of cholera in the Philippines was handled by the Americans. Again, a must read!
December 13, 2020
If you want to refresh your PH independence knowledge in a quick way, this Looking Back book might be for you. I have to say, though, that this has the most academic approach so far, with plenty mentions of dates, names, treaties, etc. There's also a bit of Emilio Aguinaldo here, and the bits are both amusing and side-eye worthy
Everything I read in 2020 here :)
Everything I read in 2020 here :)
November 17, 2021
Beautiful, compassionate, and brave Filipinos, willing to die for his country and fellowmen. The heroes of the Independence were the sole reason why we are enjoying the republic today, and the democracy it upholds. We should be eternally grateful that we are experiencing it in the present, for those poor souls died to give us this one treasure.
January 8, 2024
An easy and fun read full of important historical information that you probably haven't learned at school. Books like these actually makes history more interesting and they are very accessible as they are always available at our local bookstores.
September 5, 2017
Great essays on Philippine independence and nationalism.
August 15, 2018
Looking Back is always a fun read, as it occasionally awakens my interests in history. And this volume, which centers on independence, leaves much for thought and reflection.
September 17, 2018
hhhH I HAVE NEVER READ ANY BETTER TAKE ON PH HISTORY IN MY LIFE
August 22, 2020
An excellent compilation of Ambeth Ocampo's Philippine star column. Reading it can really make one feel a sense of nationalism. Gentle reminder: the enemy is always the colonizers.
September 27, 2016
Always a delight to read especially for information I haven't come across before.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews