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Thoughts on
the Bonifacio Monument
By Francis Acero
I MAY not have
agreed with what Manila Mayor Lito Atienza has done before, but
his idea to move the Andres Bonifacio monument to Luneta has more
merit than what historical conservationists would have it.
According to
a new understanding of Filipino history (thanks to Renato
Constantino--may his soul rest in peace--and his revisionist work),
our lonely Andres does not get the credit he deserves for whatever
independence we seem to have, a reaction triggered albeit by his
ignominous ending. Luneta is a tomb for the country's most hallowed
leader, and if Atienza has his way, Rizal might not be alone anymore.
But what are
tombs, anyway? They sure aren't final resting places for people.
Tombs will get moved every now and then, not because the dead get
up and walk, but because the living always create this need for
change.
Relatives, spouses, distant relations--they all are going to die
sooner or later, and people are just going to have to find less
space for them just to save them the hassle of traveling on All
Souls Day. Tombs are for the living. Tombs represent how we remember
and dignify people who matter most to us.
Here is where
we come to a head. Bonifacio has no grave. According to legend,
he was buried with his brother in the boondocks of what is now Rizal.
No one knows where he lies. Instead, we erect a monument in the
middle of a roundabout, much like Lord Nelson's Tower in London,
except that our version is surrounded by decrepit and decay.
On the other
hand, Rizal's bones lie ossified underneath that ubiquitous obelisk
in Luneta, a mini-Jefferson monument, an insult to our nationalism
if there ever was one. Sentries guard his monument twenty four hours
a day lest someone (gasp!) defile the monument with declarations
of love or piety (like "Mahal ko si Lourna" -- which may
come either etched or spray painted or both).
If it's any
consolation, both areas are havens for petty thieves, once-glorious
areas now swamped with the seediness of a decaying metropolis. Bonifacio's
monument, unfortunately, just seems the worse among the two. It's
guarded day and night by traffic wardens whose unenvious job it
is to sort out the mess that is Monumento. It's a wet market compared
to the COD Department Store of Rizal.
I don't know
about you, but that's definitely not the way to treat national heroes.
I wonder why the National Historical Institute (NHI) wants to save
such a decrepit non-landmark like Monumento. Is this how we're supposed
to remember Andres Bonifacio? After all, it was he, and not anyone
else on our monetary series, who was responsible for the forming
of the Katipunan. Although Rizal gave the word Filipino, it was
Bonifacio who gave the word meaning because he acted on it.
Once upon a
time, the first thing that visitors to Manila saw was the Bonifacio
monument. It was a sign that said home to weary Manileños.
Today, Manila begins somewhere in Bulacan, and the only thing to
welcome you back after your travels is an onerous toll fee. Bonifacio's
monument is one massive joke, and it's not even funny.
I say, move
the damned thing to Luneta and give it a scrubdown. Give it the
glory it deserves. Take it away from Kalookan and give Kalookan
the development it deserves. Make the Filipino aware of who and
what this an,
together with Rizal, did for our national consciousness. Who knows?
Maybe we'll get infected with nationalism. That won't hurt.
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Francis Acero, a freelance writer, is from UP College of Mass Communication.
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