the past is the key to the future

Cholera Epidemic of 1820

2006-10-09T06:34:00.000-07:00

While I was reading the news this morning, I came across an article in the Inquirer that described the cholera epidemic that occured on October 9, 1820 in the city of Manila. This article struck me since i made a paper regarding this topic in one of my masteral subjects in UP. To further expand and clearly explain the cholera epidemic and the events that happened afterwards, a closer examination of this historical episode must be made.

The cholera epidemic of 1820 was one of the worst cholera epidemics that visited the country. To illustrate its gravity, eyewitnesses observed that dead bodies were just left in the streets and walkways since cemeteries were overflowing with corpses. It was also said that a person that will bury someone who died in the morning would in turn be buried in the afternoon. The communities greatly affected by this epidemic are towns and communities located on both banks of the Pasig River. Why did this epidemic spread like wildfire and what was its cause? On the accounts of Peter Dobbel, a Russian Consul to the Philippines, he said that cholera was brought by an English ship named "Merope Captain Nichols" from Bengal. Paul de la Gironiere, a French traveller, meanwhile said that the cholera was from the port city of Madras in India. It would seem that cholera can also be attributed to the unsanitary conditions of Manila and the communities that surrounds it. The Pasig river which is the source of potable water and is used in the daily activities of the suburbs is also the place where garbages, human waste and other trash are dumped. In addition, Manila and its suburbs during this time do not have any systematic collection of garbages. It would therefore safe to argue that these unsanitary conditions existing in Manila aggravated or worsened the cholera.

Another shocking incident that happened during the 1820 cholera epidemic was the massacre of foreigners in Manila. Since the Spanish colonial government did not fully explain the causes and remedies for this disease that devastated the Filipinos, the people turned to rumors and gosssips in order to stop the ravages of cholera. Rumors began circulating among the Filipinos that a French doctor was poisoning the waters of the Pasig river in order to exterminate all Tagalogs. Because of this rumor, people began attacking foreigners, destroying their goods, ransacking their houses while stealing anything. Some foreigners, (39 foreigners and 11 English sailors) both traders and sailors were killed while not one Spaniard was hurt. The Spanish government did not deploy its forces to quell these disturbances. In this massacre, Peter Dobell offered an interesting footnote in history. He stated that the massacre and the rumors against the foreigners in Manila were in fact perpetuated by some Spainiards who were envious of the commercial bounty being reaped by foreign trading companies and traders. To prevent these foreigners from firmly establishing their trade and commerce base in the Philippines while making it appear that they do not have any hand in this massacre, they circulated the rumors that foreigners were spreading the disease.

After the massacre and the ravages of the cholera, the Spanish government implemented some superficial reforms and changes to combat any epidemic. They established another cemetery in the Plaza Dilao while Governor Gen. Folgueras unsuccessfully tried to create a school of medicine, surgery and pharmacy. it would prove that these reforms were not effective since other cholera epidemics occured in the Philippines after 1820 and most of these epidemics claimed many victims. Aside from the inadequacy of the colonial government in implementing meaningful changes that could have prevented succeeding cholera outbreaks, it also failed to punish those responsible for the massacre of foreigners. By not going after the perperators of this crime, the colonial government implicitly recognized that it has no authority in giving justice to the victims of this incident. By remaining silent and immobile while natives started ransacking houses and killing foreigners outside the city of Manila would mean that during those times, Spanish officials had no definite control over the native population. For the natives to be swayed by rumors and gossips that would drive them to kill people and massacre innocent foreigners would also mean that no full explanation was given by the Spaniards with regards to the epidemic thereby pushing the natives to cling and to believe in silly rumors without any concrete proofs.

Epidemics like the one that happened in the Philippines in 1820 does not only declare the state of health and sanitation of a country but it also articulates the inefficiency and incompetence of the government in combating the disease and the misinformations that will be spread to the people

"Mukha sa isang larawan"

2006-09-19T18:07:00.000-07:00

Isa sa mga bagay na nakakaakit sa mga mambabasa ay ang pagkakaroon ng larawan at ilustrasyon ng isang libro. Noong bata pa lamang ako, mas tinitignan ko ang mga pictures na nasa isang aklat kaysa sa mga text. Narooon ang "ooh" at "aah" habang tinitignan ang mga larawang nasa pahina ng libro. Nagkakaroon kasi ng visual stimulus ang ating mga utak kayat naaakit tayong basahin o bilhin ang isang libro.

Sa aking pagtratrabaho sa Filipiniana.net madalas akong makakita ng mga larawan sa mga librong binabasa ko. Isa sa mga librong ito ay may pamagat na "Aguinaldo: A Narrative of Filipino Ambitions" na sinulat ni Edwin Wildman. Sa mga pahina ng libro, nakita ko ang larawang ito na may caption na "Aguinaldo reviewing the revolutionary forces: from the capitol at Malolos, January 23, 1899"

Makikita sa ibabang bandang kanan ng larawa ang isang lalaking nakasombrero na bahagyang tumingin sa kamera. May mga ilang tanong na bumabagabag sa aking isip habang timitignan ang larawan ng lalaking ito.

Hindi man lamang ba sumagi sa kanyang isip na isa siyang manonood at tauhan sa isang makasaysayang pangyayaring ito?

Naisip ba ng lalaking na makikita ng susunod generasyong ang kanyang mukha?

Ano kaya ang iniisip ng lalaking ito? Siya ba'y natutuwa dahil "malaya" na ang Pilipinas o alam ba niya ang tunay na kahulugan ng "kalayaan"? Maaari ring nag-iisip lamang ang lalaking ito kung saan niya kukunin ang ipapakain niya sa kanyang pamilya.

Ano kaya ang ating magiging damdamin at pananaw kung tayo ang nasa katayuan ng lalaking ito ngunit alam na natin ang susunod na mangyayari. Matutuwa ba tayo? maiinis, magagalit o kaya nama'y manghihinayang sa mga masasayang na buhay at ari-arian

Tungkol sa "anonymous face" na ito, ano ang nangyari sa kanya? Siya ba'y nakipaglaban sa mga sundalong Amerikano nang magsimula ang digmaan o kaya'y isa siya sa mga indibidwal noon na naging kimi at tumangkilik sa isang "wait and see policy".

Kung siya'y nakipaglaban at nabuhay matapos ang digmaan, naikwento ba niya sa kanyang mga anak at apo ang kanyang kabayanihan at katapangan na ginawa para sa bayan. Namangha ba ang kanyang mga apo at anak na lumaban siya sa mga Amerikano at nakita niya ng personal si Aguinaldo. Ipinagmalaki ba siya ng kanyang mga anak at apo dahil sa kanyang ginawa?

Kung sumama siya sa hukbo ni Aguinaldo, isa ba siya sa mga tahimik na bayaning nailibing na lamang sa isang mababaw na hukay makalipas ang isang labanan, isa ba siya sa mga namatay na sundalong Pilipino na hindi man lamang alam ng kanyang mga kamag-anak ang kanyang puntod? Naging isa ba siya sa mga sundalong namatay na hindi alam ang kanyang ipinaglalaban? Isa ba siya sa mga sundalong magtatanong ngayon kung may halaga ang ibinuwis niyang hirap, pawis, dugo at buhay para sa bayan? O siya ba'y isa sa mga unsung, unrecognized, unhonored at inarticulate na puwersa ng lipunan na sumali at bumago ng kasaysayan na walang hinihinging kapalit o benepisyo

"The hero is commonly the simplest and obscurest of men."
---Henry David Thoreau

Crocodiles and wild animals in the 19th Century Philippines

2006-09-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

During the 1820's a Frenchman by the name of Paul de la Gironiere went to Manila. After being left by his ship, he decided to be an eye doctor in the Philippines. He was also instrumental in founding a colony in the town of Jala-Jala near the shores of the Laguna Lake. Because he spent twenty years of his life in the Philippines, we can say that his book entitled "Twenty Years in the Philippines" can shed a colorful insight into the 19th century Philippine society.

For example, Gironiere describes the abundance of wildllife in the forests that surrounds Laguna Lake. Readers will be amazed that animals such as huge bats, wild buffaloes, pigeons, wild ducks and iguanas freely roamed the areas around the lake. Because of the abundance of these animals, Gironiere and his friends frequently conducted hunting parties. Hunting parties were also organized by Gironiere to eradicate the monkeys that preyed on his plantation. Sadly, because of urbanization, pollution and human intervention during the past century, these animals have disappeared from their natural habitat

Filipinos would also be amazed that the areas surrounding the Laguna lake is teeming with crocodiles. In one part of the of the book, Gironiere describes his successful plan in capturing a large crocodile that infested his plantation. Readers can therefore see that unlike the crocodiles of today that inhabits every nook and cranny of Philippine society/government, crocodiles during the 19th century can only be found in the rivers, waterways and areas around the lake. The crocodiles during the time of Gironiere can devour an unfortunate individual who happens to stray in their path while the "crocodiles" of today devours and weakens the whole society by inflicting slow, agonizing and painful death to all Filipinos

"Omnia Vincit Amor"