“If Allah finds any goodness in your hearts He will give you that which is better than what has been taken away from you.”
— Quran 8:70
Beginning today, December 23, I enter my 70th year of a fulfilled life, graced by God in His kindness and unending blessings.
To celebrate my birthday yesterday, I had my right forearm tattooed with the Shahadah to profess my faith in the Almighty Father (Allah), who created the world and gave us life to live to the fullest.
Thank you to all those who greeted me, and may the blessings of our God be as plentiful as the sands on the beach and the stars in the evening sky.
Alhamdulillah!
A week from today, we will commemorate the 129th death anniversary of our (so-called) national hero, Dr. Jose Patricio Mercado Rizal, or Pepe, who was executed by musketry on December 30, 1896 at Bagumbayan, now Rizal Park.
But little do we know about others like Rizal who were also executed by musketry for upholding their love for patrimony and their desire for freedom and independence from the tyranny of Spain.
Eleven days after Rizal was killed, thirteen ordinary Filipinos were likewise executed by the Guardia Civil, also in Bagumbayan. Today, only a worn-out marker at the place of their execution reminds us of their bravery and heroism.
I passed by this lonely reminder and felt deep sadness at how our love of country has fallen so low that our leaders are now embroiled in scandals that benefit only themselves, satisfying their greed without thinking of the welfare of every Filipino.
They say Filipinos are a race of warriors and heroes, but in the last century we have become thieves and criminals who know nothing about dying for the Motherland.
The Thirteen Martyrs of Bagumbayan (in Spanish, Trece Mártires de Bagumbayan) were Filipino patriots who, like Rizal, were executed by musketry on January 11, 1897. They were killed on orders of the Spanish authorities for cooperating with the Katipunan during the Philippine Revolution against Spain.
And the martyrdom of our forgotten heroes does not end there.
Before Rizal’s execution, thirteen earlier martyrs were executed by firing squad on September 12, 1896 in what is now the de facto capital of Cavite—Trece Martires City—named in honor of their ultimate sacrifice for freedom.
In Bicol, fifteen patriots were executed on January 4, 1897. In Aklan, nineteen other martyrs sacrificed their lives to advance the cause of the Katipunan.
Remembering these heroes, we are saddened by the reality that many of our current leaders in government have become thieves and criminals.
For comments or suggestions, complaints, or requests, please send a message through email at cipcab2006@yahoo.com, or text 0917-165-6792 or 0917-159-2256 during office hours, Monday to Friday.
Thank you, and mabuhay!
