KOR Commemoration of DAPITAN DAY

Youth is the hope of the Philippines . . . not tomorrow, but today!

By Carlos A. Arnaldo
Manila
July 19, 2015



Latest population projections show that the under 15 years youth and the 15 to 30 years young adult population will reach 50,000,000 by the end of 2015, or almost half the population. Underlying this figure is the fact that the new young adults will also enter the 50 million voter population in large numbers, and will very likely effect major changes in voting patterns all over the country.

The youth, leaving behind the oldies and traditional parties, already have a close affection with the younger presidential hopefuls Senators Grace Poe and Chiz Escudero and  this could pose a serious threat to the thieving misuse of PCOS voting machines and the traditional vote buying now pegged at 1,000 pesos per voter.  Vote buyers will likely have to up the ante to beat the younger hopefuls!

It is this same phalanx of young students that also showed their colorful presence and dynamic participation at the Knights of Rizal Ceremonial commemoration of Dapitan Day, July 17, 1892, the day  Rizal landed in Dapitan, off the shores of northern Mindanao to carry out the mission of the Liga Filipina: to create a new ‘state’ that professes self-protection among its members, and fulfills its mandate to secure personal health and livelihood, education and business based agriculture—in a word,  a community of service!

There, in view of the Torre de Manila, was another Torre de Manila built up from Styrofoam on a plain table, a miniature of the Rizal monument before it. Amidst the shouts of ‘Babain ang Torre de Manila, bagsakin!” the Supreme Commander of the Knights of Rizal, Sir Jeremias “Jerry” C. Singson, KGCR ceremoniously brought down the hammer on the Styrofoam effigy of the Torre until it was smashed to ground level. The monument of Rizal still stood firm, unshaken, more beautiful than ever!


Citing Pope Francis latest encyclical, Laudato Si,  Supremo Sir Jerry asked the young audience, “What need does the earth have of us? It is no longer enough, then, simply to state that we should be concerned for future generations. We need to see that what is at stake, is our own dignity. Leaving an inhabitable planet to future generations is, first and foremost, up to us!”

And that is why the hammer of demolition was brought down with our young people as witnesses.

On September 12, 2014, declared the Supremo, the Order of the Knights of Rizal “filed before the Supreme Court a Petition for Injunction with Application for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) which the Court later converted into a mandamus. DMCI’s Torre of Manila got its first deferral of work operation last January 5, 2015 from a Cease and Desist Order (CDO) issued by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCAA). However, DMCI were just disrespectful with the law and did not comply with the order. And furthermore, they have the guts to charge NCAA for damages with the CDO that they never complied with! . . . Two days prior to Rizal’s birth anniversary, the Supreme Court has finally issued a TRO. Diligently, DMCI followed this order. This is an initial victory for the Order.”

As a further, international support, the International Council on Monuments Sites (ICOMOS) in its 18^th General Assembly last November 2014, in Resolution 18GA2014/31 declared the Jose Rizal monument as one of the world’s threatened heritage site in relation to real estate development.

Recalling Pope Francis’ words, what kind of world do we leave to our children? Is it to be a visual corridor swamped in the concrete jungle of condominiums? Our cultural heritage buried in the debris of concrete real estate whose owners and managers can only seek excessive profit. A pity if this is the only motif and justification of DMCI! “I pity DMCI for this objective!”

“May I now formally re-launch an online petition initiate by cultural activist Carlos Celdran who favorably turned over to the Order of the Knights of Rizal the ownership of then change.org/torre. With this, the Order conveys its most sincere gratitude.”

Go to the new website: change.org/demolishtorredemanila
And sign the petition.

I call upon all Knights, all over the workl, all our partners, KAPARIZ, Damas de Rizal, Kababaihang  Rizalista, Squires and Sweethearts of Rizal, sign the  petition, demolish Torre de Manila!

“Ultimately, I post a challenge to the foremost official of the land, the President of the Republic of the Philippines to sign in and make his stand on this issue. Mr President, if you recall, during the 18th International Assembly of the Order of the Knights of Rizal, you received the honorary rank, Knight Grand Cross of Rizal. In your speech, you have mentioned that the Order had formed the honor guard in Rizal’s burial in 1912 and continue to form the honor guard of his memory. Needless to say, you have mentioned that our ranks and insignia are recognized by the Honor Code of the Philippines as official awards of the Republic. Furthermore, you have reiterated our mandate to defend the patriotism of Rizal. Finally  you have advised us not to waver and not to stray from the straight and righteous.

“Hence, Sir Benigno Simeon Aquino III, KGCR, we challenge you to fulfill your statement to the Order, of which you are an honorary member of the highest rank. Will you?”