In light of the UP Sesquicentennial Commemoration of the GomBurZa martyrdom, the University of the Philippines Manila organized a four-part webinar series held on Aug. 19 and 26, and Sept 2 and 9, 2022.
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Cavite mutiny and martyrdom of priests Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora. Their execution by garroting last February 17, 1872 was crucial to Philippine history because it sparked a stronger campaign against the abuses of the Spanish friars and the writings of Dr. Jose Rizal that eventually provoked a national revolution that led to independence from the Spanish regime.
Dr. Celestina Boncan, historian and faculty of the UP Manila College of Arts and Sciences Department of Social Sciences, opened the webinar series with two overarching themes: (1) presentation of the historical contexts of the GomBurZa martyrdom [first and second webinar] and (2) application of the GomBurZa legacy to the present [third and fourth webinar]. Overall, there were 12 speakers for the event spread across the four webinars.
Ngayong laganap ang disinformation, misinformation, cancel culture, at iba pang pwersang nagmamaliit o hayagang pinapalitan ang mahahalagang yugto ng ating pambansang kasaysayan, gamitin natin ang paggunita sa kabayanihan ng GomBurZa upang labanan ang mga pwersang nabanggit.
The Historical GomBurZa
The first webinar, held August 19, was entitled GomBurZa Martyrdom: Triumph of the Native Clergy. The concept of the episode was to retell the role of GomBurZa in the secularization movement – a struggle marked by the desire “to place Filipino priests in [Philippine] parishes instead of Spanish friars”.
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Introductions were made by Ms. Kiveli Venz Paneda, former coordinator of the Area Studies Program, for guest speakers Dr. Wensley M. Reyes from UP Manila, History Researcher Ernestine Aurea T. Quijano from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and Dr. Jose Rhommel B. Hernandez from the De La Salle University. They shared valuable insights on the 19th century secularization movement, the landscape of the GomBurZa commemoration within a century, and the relevance of the GomBurZa revolution in Philippine history.
In the second webinar, Dr. Kristoffer R. Esquejo, UP Diliman College of Social Sciences and Philosophy; Dr. Emmanuel Jeric A. Albela, University of Sto. Tomas; and Dr. Jose Victor Z. Torres, De La Salle University College of Liberal Arts, tackled the theme, GomBurZa Sites of Memory in Manila. They presented, respectively, the role of Fort Santiago in igniting Filipino Nationalism in the 19th century; how the University of Sto. Tomas (one of the oldest universities in the Philippines) took part in the education of patriots and nationalists; and the extensive historical transformation of the Bagumbayan, Luneta, or Rizal Park today.
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“Ngayong laganap ang disinformation, misinformation, cancel culture, at iba pang pwersang nagmamaliit o hayagang pinapalitan ang mahahalagang yugto ng ating pambansang kasaysayan, gamitin natin ang paggunita sa kabayanihan ng GomBurZa upang labanan ang mga pwersang nabanggit. Nawa’y maging inspirasyon ang GomBurZa sa ating pagpapaigting ng kamalayan, pusong makabayan, at patuloy na pakikibaka ng ating mga mamamayan tungo sa isang tunay na makatarungang Pilipinas na minimithi ng ating mga martyr,” Chancellor Carmencita Padilla remarked.
The GomBurZa Ideals
The third webinar was themed GomBurZa Ideal Today: Service and Commitment. In this episode, UP Manila CAS Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Mary Dorothy Jose encouraged everyone to continue mirroring the legacy and passion of the garroted martyrs today, in the contemporary times. The lecturers of the day shared specific efforts in which UP Manila commits to serve the Filipinos like them—Dir. Eric S. Talens on the volunteer works of UP Pahinungod, Dir. Shelly Dela Vega on the efforts of the National Institutes of Health Institute of Aging to extend excellent geriatric care in the community, and UP Manila Community Health Development Program Dir. Anthony GH Cordero on the role of the grassroots community in advancing health perspectives and outcomes in UP Manila. Cordero emphasized that the masses should be the center, drivers, and overseers of every health development program in the university. People-centeredness, according to him, is a key component that largely reflects the GomBurZa ideals.
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In the final webinar, GomBurza Ideals: Equality for All, Dr. Leileni Apostol-Nicodemus, the director of UP Manila Center for Gender and Women Studies expounded on how women empowerment can also spark nation empowerment (an ideal also distinct in the GomBurZa principles). Meanwhile, Prof. Carolina M. Pulumbarit, director of UP Manila Sentro ng Wikang Filipino, delved into the role of the intellectualization of the Filipino language in the decolonization of the Philippines. “Habang ang Kastila at Ingles ang naging opisyal na lenggwahe ng katatagan, karunungan, kapangyarihan, at ng mga kagalang-galang sa mataas na lipunan, katutubong wika naman ang naging sagisag ng mga bandido, tulisan, rebolusyonaryo, kolorum, at mga samahang lumusob sa kapitolyo ng kolonyalismo,” highlighting the relevance of the Filipino language in our previous and constant struggle to fight for our rights and freedom.
The last speaker of the webinar was Dr. Filedito Tandinco, dean of UP Manila School of Health Sciences who propounded how the current SHS step ladder curriculum emulates the principle of social equity, a concept also pursued by the three martyrs. The said curriculum is designed to align training in midwifery, nursing, and community medicine to the realities, needs, and health practices in the community.
The series was capped with a speech delivered by Prof. Bernard Leo M. Karganilla from the UPM-CAS.
Francis Nicole Maga
