By: Telly Gonzaga-Ocampo
Remembering the Man from La Mancha
I still remember this very well. In our English Literature class many years ago, when I was in high school, we were told that Don Quijote was the man who fought the windmills. I also remember very well how Miss Candida Vale, our teacher, then, related the story that remains imprinted in our young minds.
That was many years ago at the College of the Holy Spirit, Tagbilaranwhen books were still rented and were fully covered with tender loving care. We had to read the story at home as part of the assignment. And in the following day, the teacher would narrate the story throwing questions, every now and then, to test if we read the assignment the night before. Miss Vale’s narration of the story was so animated that English Literature leaves a space in our hearts. It was only later in my college days that I learned that the author, Don Miguel De Cervantes, was a poet laureate from Spain. I also remember that in those days, we had 24 units of Spanish, and that was a legislated course.
Why have I thought of Don Quijote? It is because I am pained by the suspension of Congressman “meow meow”, Kiko Braganza. He is being suspended for 60 days for telling the truth. The crime? Unethical behavior for telling the truth. “Meow meow meow” is his way of expressing himself and his disgust in the hall of the “honorables”. Imagine, only 5 supported him, eleven abstained, and 259 voted for his suspension. In relation to this, a friend of mine posted on facebook the story of The Emperor’s New Clothes – a very suitable story about what’s happening among our lawmakers.
This reminds me of what happened early this morning. Four students knocked on my door asking permission for the use of our ancestral house, “Karaang Balay ni Tan Akoy” as a setting for a scene in Noli Me Tangere. This activity is a requirement for their final exams in a Rizal course.
I thought they were Architecture or Tourism students. To my surprise, they are would-be teachers. I am one person classified as makulit in a superlative degree. Why? These are the reasons:
1. For this kind of assignment, they should be required to set an appointment.
2. They should be specific on the objective of the activity.
3. The activity should be consistent with the course where they belong.
Yes, they are incoming teachers. My question is: What’s the relevance of the filming of a scene in Noli Me Tangere in the ancestral home? Para sa requirement lang?
Para naho gyud, once a teacher, always a teacher. So I asked them, further. What is the objective of a Rizal course? I simply got a smile. They were amiable girls. There was no doubt about it. I gave them the answer: patriotism. Noli Me Tangere teaches love of country. And this can be translated into its relevance to the present realities.
Upon further Q & A, I realized they don’t even know about Braganza’s suspension as well as the story of Don Quijote whose theme song is “The Impossible Dream” of “The Man from La Mancha”. This was the theme of the famous bloodless Edsa revolution. Are they also aware of the Edsa revolution?
The spirit of Edsa still lives in us. How about among the young? Do they know Don Miguel de Cervantes? Don Quixote? The Impossible Dream? The Edsa revolution? The meow meow parody?
If only I were younger, I could still be joining our brother Boholanos and Filipinos in the streets.
How about you?
