REVIEW: Bonifacio, ang Unang Pangulo The story revolves around the heroism and tragic end of Andres Bonifacio (Robin Padilla). As the subtitle explicitly states, Bonifacio is the first president of our country. The movie declares that this happened during the “Cry of Balintawak” in August 1896 when Bonifacio as Supremo led the tearing of cedulas, the symbol of the people’s subjugation to Spanish rule, and was thus a declaration of independence. To affirm this conclusion even further, the Katipunan had earlier established “Haring Bayan ng Katagalugan” (also called “Tagalog Republic” by some foreign journalists) (“Tagalog,” referring to the people of the river where most “indio” communities were located), with Andres Bonifacio being elected as its first President. The “Cry of Balintawak” was an emergency general meet because of the onslaught of arbitrary arrests and executions of the Spanish colonial regime. At this meeting, the presidency of Bonifacio was affirmed, and the supreme council voted to start the armed confrontation (on the eve of Aug 29) rather than die without fighting. The movie rightfully debunks anti-Bonifacio interpretation of history-- that he was impulsive, hot-headed, and was a bad military strategist. Bonifacio was first a member of La Liga Filipina, a reformist group (headed by Rizal of whom he was a fan), before becoming a revolutionist. Even as he spearheaded the organizing of the Katipunan, the Supremo position was first held by Deodato Arellano, then Ramon Basa before him. He was consultative, with Emilio Jacinto and Dr. Pio Valenzuela in his first core group. He in fact chose Jacinto’s Kartilla to be the official mandate on conduct of the Katipunan over the Decalogo, which he formulated, humbly admitting that Jacinto’s was the better one. At the fateful Tejeros (Cavite) elections, Emilio Aguinaldo was elected President but Aguinaldo’s allies opposed the election of Bonifacio as Minister of Interior. It was at this juncture that Bonifacio, as facilitator and Supremo, voided the election results. Earlier, Bonifacio received reports of pre-filled ballots and unqualified voters. Bonifacio’s military-strategy weakness could be no other than black propaganda. While he and his men meted “defeats” in their encounters, they waged their battles in Manila, the bastion of enemy strength. Noteworthy to mention was that in the major battle planned to seize the citadel of the Spanish colonial power, the forces from Cavite failed to show up at the designated time and place. After the execution of the Bonifacio brothers (Andres and Procopio) on May 10, 1897 by the Aguinaldo-led Magdalo faction, the Spaniards focused their attacks on Cavite. Within a week, Magdalo generals started to surrender one after the other, while Aguinaldo retreated to Biak na Bato (Bulacan). After only seven months (Dec. 1897), Aguinaldo surrendered to Spanish forces in exchange for money and exile to Hong Kong, and called on the revolutionaries to lay down their arms lest they be called bandits. Bonifacio’s comrades, not descendants but witnesses to his courage and righteousness, asserted that a monument be erected to honor the heroes of the 1896 Revolution. This landmark was unveiled in 1933, with Andres Bonifacio as the central figure. The area since then and up to now is called Monumento, as if to imply that it is the only monument in Manila. Maybe not, but it is indeed the grandest so far in form and theme. The movie presents the grief of Gregoria de Jesus (Vina Morales), wife of Andres, as he laid seriously wounded and imprisoned by Aguinaldo’s forces. Her sorrows would not end at his execution as she had to scour Mt. Buntis for a month in her futile search for the remains of her husband. Equal or perhaps even more than de Jesus’ anguish was that of Espiridiona’s, sister of Andres. In 1896, she lost her husband Teodoro Plata, a founding member of the Katipunan, when he was executed by Spanish colonial forces. Painful as it would be, there could have been honorable consolation as her husband died a martyr of the revolution. In the Magdalo’s operation to capture Andres (1897), brother Ciriaco was killed. Brothers Andres and Procopio were held captive and killed two weeks later. The torment of Espiridiona is unimaginable as she looked up to her elder brothers for guidance and security, the siblings being orphaned in their youths. The story was woven by three student’s trip to the Katipunan Museum. This is a testament of the important role that museums play to link the past to the present. Heroes’ memorabilia give a glimpse of their personality and humanity, amidst stories of their legendary exploits. The visual exhibits help in recall or reinforcement of knowledge and aim to spur interest on the subject matter for further reading and study. The museum scenes also affirm the vital role of curators as guides to the meaning and significance of the exhibits. Notable was the curator’s (Eddie Garcia) comment that Bonifacio led the revolution not for himself or his family, but for the country. At the end, he challenged the audience with the question: what have you done for the country? As the credits roll, the song “Hindi Pa Tapos ang Rebolusyon” plays. The lyrics call on the youths to open their hearts and minds to the core of Bonifacio’s revolution (land reform) because the struggle continues. Andres Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo garnered MMFF 2014’s awards as Best Picture, Best Musical Scorer, Best Theme Song, Best Cinematographer, and Best Sound Engineer; the FPJ Memorial Award for Excellence, the Youth Choice Film Award, and the Gatpuno Antonio Villegas Cultural Award. The appreciation of films like this seems to make Bonifacio’s chosen nom-de-guerre “May Pag-asa” prophetic.### JLP/LKP 2015Jan7
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 07:34:24 +0000
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