Sunday, May 8, 2011

EXCERPTS FROM EL FILIBUSTERISMO


Into the midst of the silence the priest's voice broke sad and deliberate, but consoling: "God will forgive you, Señor--Simoun, " he said. "He knows that we are fallible, He has seen that you have suffered, and in ordaining that the chastisement for your faults should come as death from the very ones you have instigated to crime, we can see His infinite mercy. He has frustrated your plans one by one, the best conceived, first by the death of Maria Clara, then by a lack of preparation, then in some mysterious way. Let us bow to His will and render Him thanks!"

"According to you, then," feebly responded the sick man, "His will is that these islands--"

"Should continue in the condition in which they suffer?" finished the priest, seeing that the other hesitated. "I don't know, sir, I can't read the thought of the Inscrutable. I know that He has not abandoned those peoples who in their supreme moments have trusted in Him and made Him the Judge of their cause, I know that His arm has never failed when, justice long trampled upon and every recourse gone, the oppressed have taken up the sword to fight for home and wife and children, for their inalienable rights, which, as the German poet says, shine ever there above, unextinguished and inextinguishable, like the eternal stars themselves. No, God is justice, He cannot abandon His cause, the cause of liberty, without which no justice is possible."

"Why then has He denied me His aid?" asked the sick man in a voice charged with bitter complaint.

"Because you chose means that He could not sanction," was the severe reply. "The glory of saving a country is not for him who has contributed to its ruin. You have believed that what crime and iniquity have defiled and deformed, another crime and another iniquity can purify and redeem. Wrong! Hate never produces anything but monsters and crime criminals! Love alone realizes wonderful works, virtue alone can save! No, if our country has ever to be free, it will not be through vice and crime, it will not be so by corrupting its sons, deceiving some and bribing others, no! Redemption presupposes virtue, virtue sacrifice, and sacrifice love!"

"Well, I accept your explanation, " rejoined the sick man, after a pause. "I have been mistaken, but, because I have been mistaken, will that God deny liberty to a people and yet save many who are much worse criminals than I am? What is my mistake compared to the crimes of our rulers? Why has that God to give more heed to my iniquity than to the cries of so many innocents? Why has He not stricken me down and then made the people triumph? Why does He let so many worthy and just ones suffer and look complacently upon their tortures?"

"The just and the worthy must suffer in order that their ideas may be known and extended! You must shake or shatter the vase to spread its perfume, you must smite the rock to get the spark! There is something providential in the persecutions of tyrants, Señor Simoun!"

"I knew it," murmured the sick man, "and therefore I encouraged the tyranny."

"Yes, my friend, but more corrupt influences than anything else were spread. You fostered the social rottenness without sowing an idea. From this fermentation of vices loathing alone could spring, and if anything were born overnight it would be at best a mushroom, for mushrooms only can spring spontaneously from filth. True it is that the vices of the government are fatal to it, they cause its death, but they kill also the society in whose bosom they are developed. An immoral government presupposes a demoralized people, a conscienceless administration, greedy and servile citizens in the settled parts, outlaws and brigands in the mountains. Like master, like slave! Like government, like country!"

A brief pause ensued, broken at length by the sick man's voice. "Then, what can be done?"

"Suffer and work!"

"Suffer--work!" echoed the sick man bitterly. "Ah, it's easy to say that, when you are not suffering, when the work is rewarded. If your God demands such great sacrifices from man, man who can scarcely count upon the present and doubts the future, if you had seen what I have, the miserable, the wretched, suffering unspeakable tortures for crimes they have not committed, murdered to cover up the faults and incapacity of others, poor fathers of families torn from their homes to work to no purpose upon highways that are destroyed each day and seem only to serve for sinking families into want. Ah, to suffer, to work, is the will of God! Convince them that their murder is their salvation, that their work is the prosperity of the home! To suffer, to work! What God is that?"

"A very just God, Señor Simoun," replied the priest. "A God who chastises our lack of faith, our vices, the little esteem in which we hold dignity and the civic virtues. We tolerate vice, we make ourselves its accomplices, at times we applaud it, and it is just, very just that we suffer the consequences, that our children suffer them. It is the God of liberty, Señor Simoun, who obliges us to love it, by making the yoke heavy for us--a God of mercy, of equity, who while He chastises us, betters us and only grants prosperity to him who has merited it through his efforts. The school of suffering tempers, the arena of combat strengthens the soul.

"I do not mean to say that our liberty will be secured at the sword's point, for the sword plays but little part in modern affairs, but that we must secure it by making ourselves worthy of it, by exalting the intelligence and the dignity of the individual, by loving justice, right, and greatness, even to the extent of dying for them,--and when a people reaches that height God will provide a weapon, the idols will be shattered, the tyranny will crumble like a house of cards and liberty will shine out like the first dawn.

"Our ills we owe to ourselves alone, so let us blame no one. If Spain should see that we were less complaisant with tyranny and more disposed to struggle and suffer for our rights, Spain would be the first to grant us liberty, because when the fruit of the womb reaches maturity woe unto the mother who would stifle it! So, while the Filipino people has not sufficient energy to proclaim, with head erect and bosom bared, its rights to social life, and to guarantee it with its sacrifices, with its own blood; while we see our countrymen in private life ashamed within themselves, hear the voice of conscience roar in rebellion and protest, yet in public life keep silence or even echo the words of him who abuses them in order to mock the abused; while we see them wrap themselves up in their egotism and with a forced smile praise the most iniquitous actions, begging with their eyes a portion of the booty--why grant them liberty? With Spain or without Spain they would always be the same, and perhaps worse! Why independence, if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow? And that they will be such is not to be doubted, for he who submits to tyranny loves it.

"Señor Simoun, when our people is unprepared, when it enters the fight through fraud and force, without a clear understanding of what it is doing, the wisest attempts will fail, and better that they do fail, since why commit the wife to the husband if he does not sufficiently love her, if he is not ready to die for her?"

Excerpts from El Filibusterismo, by Dr. Jose Rizal


Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Sir Michel Poitevin, KOR Deputy Commander of Dimasalang île de France Chapter

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a very emotional moment for me, and a great honour to receive this fourth degree of knighthood, Knight Grand Officer of Rizal, KGOR. To my knowledge, I am the first Frenchman to be conferred this degree. I hope that I shall not be the only one.

I know that my exaltation does not please everyone. There are many who would also like to have the rank of KGOR. But I must inform you, that my elevation to the fourth degree of knighthood comes with the election of a new Supreme Commander and a new Supreme Council, who together have militated for very strict qualifications for this rank.

It is therefore not just a question of simply organizing a chapter or donating money or being a member of several associations. It is an accumulation of works and services to the community and it is expression of Rizalian values in one's life and dealing with others.

Nor is it the influence of any one single person. Nine members of Supreme Council voted unanimously and nine members of Council of Elders also voted unanimously. Never have I asked for any advantages or any awards, but always for others. I must also say, and very honestly so, I would never have deserved this honour without the support of our own Knights.

Now, on this special occasion, I would like to share with you my personal reflections. In France, the Order of the Knights de Rizal is often confused with the numerous other Philippine associations. Some of our own former Officers and Knights have led to this confusion by not appreciating the specific distinction of the Order of the Knights of Rizal, that it is not just another association like all the rest. These persons took advantage of their position within our Order to commit errors, some even criminal, and break away from the ideals of Rizal. The reputation of our Order was sullied and lost its respect.

Within the Dimasalang île de France Chapter, the Knights tried extra hard to be rigorous, firm and determined in their actions and in the application of the statutes. Paris Chapter has done the same. By doing so, they both have restored dignity to our Order.

The Knights of Rizal is not at all like any other association. The Order of the Knights of Rizal is a civic and patriotic Order and its statutes are enshrined in Republic Act 646.

To become a member is like receiving a distinction of honour. We should not disgrace this honour. I consider the Order of the Knights of Rizal like the French Orders, like the Legion of Honour or the National Order of Merit, though with the added philosophical perspective of Rizal.

It is therefore an honour and a privilege to be a member of the Order of the Knights of Rizal. And we should work hard to deserve membership in this prestigious Order, by our acts, by our example, by our irreproachable behaviour. The value of our own example is the greatest thing we can legate to our children, as José Rizal did during his short life.

He showed us the example to follow and he set out for us an ideal. Let us therefore show ourselves worthy. Let us avoid becoming pale copies, fake imitations, counterfeit Knights.

Let us not be satisfied with mediocrity. Neither should we confuse our roles by slipping into ‘ambiguous identities.’ Even if we organise cultural manifestations, and we appreciate Philippine culture and history, we are not a cultural association. And we should distinguish ourselves from them. There are hundreds of thousands of these associations, in the Philippines and in France. Nor are we a humanitarian association, even if we have the moral obligation to participate actively to improve the situation of those hit by disaster or catastrophe. We have an ideal to hand down, and it is not just any kind of ideal.

Finally, I shall want to thank for the bottom of my heart, the persons who are dear to my heart, some are here present, the others have only visited France, others are far off.

Sir Virgilio Esguerra, KGCR, former Supreme Commander, now Member of the Council of Elders and recently bestowed the Pro Patria award. He agreed to write the foreword of my book on José Rizal in French and thus he has been a strong pillar and defence of our ideals.

Sir Pablo Trillana III, KGCR, our present Supreme Commander, who through this conferral shows his trust in me. And he agreed also to write the foreword of my book on José Rizal in its English version.

Sir Choy Arnaldo, KGOR, Supreme Archivist, but also co-founder member of the Dimasalang île de France Chapter and former Deputy Area Commander of France. He is my very close friend. I discovered a man profoundly kind, thoughtful, generous, helpful and with a great culture. Thanks to you, Choy, for your friendship.

I cannot fail to bring to mind those whom I call the 3 Belgian musketeers, but as you know, the 3 musketeers of Alexandre Dumas, the writer, were actually 4 :

Sir Tony Guansing, KGOR, Regional Commander Europe.

Sir Lino Paras, KGOR, Council of Advisers Europe and former Regional Commander

Sir Rudy Nollas, KGOR, Area Commander of Belgium and Special Assistant of Regional Commander Europe

Sir Bhoy Alcoba, KGOR, Council of Advisers Europe

All four are my friends. They took the defence of Dimasalang île de France Chapter each time we were in need. I discovered in them good and generous men and also a true brotherhood.

Doctor Esteban Magannon, cultural Anthropologist, our Filipino—oh excuse me, he is not Filipino, for historically, a Filipino is a Spaniard born in the Philippines, he is our Kalinga Professor in the French University of INALCO. He is my very close friend for almost 20 years and I include his wife, Boots. He was my mentor in cultural anthropology and in history on the Philippine studies. His thirst to pass on his knowledge is big and hundreds of students are indebted him. Thanks, Esteban, for all that you gave me.

Doctor Pierre Le Roux, cultural Anthropologist. Now that makes almost 20 years that we are friends. We have the same conceptions and the same thoughts on the breadth and height of things. It is what moved us closer.

Denis Guillo, called Druid Lanon, he is my friend for more than 20 years and my training officer in the Druidic Religion which is the religion of our Celtic Ancestors.

Sir Leo Mojica, KCR, co-founder and member of the Dimasalang île de France Chapter. He too became my friend. Because of the injustice inflicted upon him, in the spirit of brotherhood of our Order which José Rizal passed on to us, several Brother Knights took his defence.

Sir Catalino Oabel, KCR, also co-founder and member of the Dimasalang île de France Chapter. He also became my friend. His sense of righteousness and kindness made him also take the defence of our Brother Leo. And lot of the others but the list would be too long.

I end the thanks with my family. My Filipina wife Leilani. She gave me her love and 2 beautiful children: my daughter Anna Claire and my son Guillaume. There are also my 2 sons of my first nuptial: Jean-Marie and Frédéric and my granddaughter Eloïse.

Thanks to the members of Supreme Council for their trust. Maraming salamat pô sa inyong lahat sa inyong pagtulong sa akin.

Non Omnis Moriar!

Je ne mourrai pas tout entier !

Hindi lahat sa akin ay papanaw !

Not everything in me will die !


Thanks for your attention !