It is being buried even further by young historians like Nicole Del Rosario Cuunjieng who questions the motivations of revolutionary nationalists like Gen. This is especially so because nationalism is at its lowest point in our history, or even, I’m afraid, on the verge of extinction.”
It should be viewed by every single Filipino, especially the youth, whether here or abroad.
On horseback.”Īs Rigoberto Tiglao wrote in his Manila Times review of the movie, “(it) is a remarkable film that should fuel the embers of nationalism in this country. ‘He must be the bravest man I’ve ever seen or the looniest lunatic this side of Frisco!’ an American general proclaims after Luna single-handedly charges the front line. There’s frequent grandstanding and staring off into the distance as the movie aspires to epicness. Jaworowski writes further: “The film, directed by Jerrold Tarog, portrays the general as a Patton-esque figure, bucking authority and doubters, all for love of country. “General Luna, you may be a military genius, but you do not understand politics,” one of those skeptics whines.” “Battles are waged, speeches are made and foreign enemies soon become the least of Luna’s problems: Bureaucrats, cowards and other homegrown spoilsports continually try to sabotage his unconventional plans. The New York Times’ Ken Jaworowski, described “Heneral Luna” as “a patriotic biopic” about a general who led the Philippine Revolutionary Army during the Philippine-American War. A product of modern education, Luna used cutting-edge military tactics against the West, trying to beat them in their own game.” Luna was jailed in Fort Santiago for “participating” in the revolution and was then exiled to Spain in 1897, where he was imprisoned at the Cárcel Modelo de Madrid.Īfter the insurrection charge against him was dismissed in 1897, Luna studied field fortifications, guerrilla warfare, organization and other aspects of military science under Gerard Leman, who would later be the Belgian commanding general who defended the fortress at Liège against the German Army in 1914.īecause of his military training, Luna was appointed Commander of the Philippine Army by Emilio Aguinaldo in 1898 when he returned to Manila just as the Americans were beginning their military occupation of the Philippines.Īs Richard Javad Heydarian wrote in his review of the Philippine Oscar entry for best foreign language film, “Heneral Luna,” in Huffington Post (“Philippines’ Forgotten Revolution: General Luna and the Quest for Independence,” ), “(i)t was his military genius that, in the initial stages of the war, inspired some sense of panic among invading Americans, who weren’t expecting a sophisticated resistance by the indigenous population. Though he was not a member of the Katipunan, Luna was arrested by the Spanish authorities in 1896 when the existence of the revolutionary organization was exposed. In 1894, he returned to Manila to become the chief chemist of the Municipal Laboratory of Manila. He went on to live in Paris with his painter brother, Juan Luna, while working as assistant to Dr. Luna likely knew the words of La Marseillaise as he was fluent in French as well as Spanish after studying chemistry at the Universidad de Barcelona in 1890 and obtaining his doctorate in chemistry at the Universidad Central de Madrid in 1893 where he published a scientific treatise on malaria.
Luna is addressing a cabinet filled with collaborators like Felipe Buencamino, Pedro Paterno and Emilio Aguinaldo, who either do not understand exactly what the American invaders intend to do with the Philippines or understand them all too well and seek commercial and political accommodation. Luna may as well have used the words of this French song to warn his countrymen: “Listen to the sound in the fields, the howling of these fearsome soldiers, they are coming into our midst, to cut the throats of your sons and consorts… What! These foreign cohorts! They would make laws in our courts! What! These mercenary phalanxes would cut down our warrior sons.”īut Gen. Antonio Luna, as the military commander of the Philippine Army, is imploring the members of the cabinet of President Emilio Aguinaldo to reject compromise and prepare to fight the invading American forces who were massacring Philippine villagers around Manila in 1899. The words of the song remind me of a scene in the movie, “Heneral Luna,” when Gen. The vile despots would have themselves be