SIR IS THE ARCHITECT AND MA’AM IS THE CARPENTER

Post Independence Day post.

Among the work of historians, one of the most towering text that tells of the Philippine struggle to stand on its own two feet was nationalist historian Renato Constantino’s The Philippines: A Past Revisited and the sequel co-written by his wife Letizia Roxas Constantino, The Philippines: A Continuing Past. In my first year in college, Dr. Carlos P. Tatel made it required reading where I learned the concept from Constantino of a “Usable Past.” Because of the college subject Readings in Philippine History, textbooks like these are relagated to supplementary reading.

Laging may speculation, although nirecognize naman ni Tato ang efforts ni Letty sa libro, na yung A Past Revisited ay co-written din. Anyway, may kuwento nga na walang sinusulat si Tato na hindi dumadaan sa mata ni wifey.

Nasagot ang mga tanong ko nang pumunta ako sa Letizia: A Life in Letters exhibit ng Constantino Foundation. Inanyayahan ako ng apo niyang si Renato Redentor Constantino na nagbigay ng makabuluhang annotation ng mga items. Dapat lahat ng magpapagawa ng museo makita ito kasi sobrang creative at interactive. Yung mga sulat ni Letizia mababasa mo lumilipad-lipad. Noong huli akong pumunta sa compound na ito years back, may appointment ako kay Ma’am Letizia.

May bahagi doon na mababasa mo ang pagsasalaysay ni Letty ukol sa writing partnership nila ni Renato, “He reads, I write. He thinks, I organize. His the forest, mine the trees. He’s the skeleton, mine the flesh. He’s the larger dimensions, mine the subsidiary insights (He is inspired; I perspire.)” May komento siya habang nagsusulat na mas malakas pa daw ang kanyang opinyon ukol sa mga collaborators kaysa kay Renato, owing na siya ay pamangkin ni President Manuel Roxas na accused of being a collaborator.

Sabi ni Red hindi pa masyadong confident si Dada Ming (Letizia) na masama sa byline kasama si Renato sa unang bolyum. Mas confident na siya doon sa pangalawa.

Sabi ni Red, hindi raw masyadong palatawa si Renato pero nakikita nilang si Letty lamang nagpapatawa sa kanya.

Punta kayo sa exhibit by appointment at nang makilala ang dakilang babaeng makabayan!

Panoorin ang kanilang love story: https://youtu.be/GM0dMVvybM8?si=Z787rIJMM_tZ9xRi

Xiao Chua

#XiaoChuaDiaryLifeOfAHistorian

#XiaoChuaFanBoi

(All photos and texts are from Historian Xiao Chua’s Facebook Profile page)

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