Constantino Foundation – Page 13 – Dedicated to a usable history, where lessons from the past are used to shape the future.

Spotlight

Honoring the Power of Words: KC Constantino-Torres and Kara David pay tribute to their lola in ‘Her Life in Letters,’ as featured by spot.ph

Honoring the Power of Words: KC Constantino-Torres and Kara David pay tribute to their lola in 'Her Life in Letters,' as featured by spot.ph[READ]

A student’s take on Letizia: A Life in Letters — written from the heart, not for a grade

When a student takes the initiative to reflect on history, you know it made an impact. Here is Colleen Joy’s sincere take on Letizia:[READ]

A moving letter from Letizia on Mother’s Day in 1992, to her daughter in-law

A moving letter from Letizia on Mother's Day in 1992, to her daughter in-law, Lourdes "Dudi" Balderrama Constantino, seems perfect today. Letizia Roxas Constantino[READ]

Three Letizias!

Three Letizias! Jika, youngest of Letizia and Renato's 8 grandchildren, with husband Brice Jaulneau-Labarre, flew in recently from Singapore with their kids Xavier and[READ]

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GUSTO kong magsulat muli ng mga liham—sulat-kamay sa papel—kagaya ng ginagawa ko noong nasa kolehiyo ako, noong madalang pa ang kompiyuter, at ang cellphone ay pinag-uusapan pa lamang na para bang nasa malayong hinaharap pa ito mangyayari. Ito ang nararamdaman ko kahapon, Setyembre 8, habang pinapanood ko ang exhibit na “Letizia: A Life in Letters” sa Linangan Museum ng Constantino Foundation sa Panay Avenue, Lungsod Quezon.

Noong nakaraang linggo kasi ay nakita sa ilang Facebook post na inilunsad ang 50th year special edition ng librong The Philippines: A Past Revisited ni Renato Constantino ng Constantino Foundation. Hardbound edition[READ]

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Pasts Revisited

Remedios “Kumander Liwayway” Gomez-Paraiso

We remember today the 11th death anniversary of one of our country’s finest, Remedios Gomez-Paraiso, #HUKBALAHAP, Kumander Liwayway (July 12, 1918 – May 15, 2014) who would wear lipstick and makeup before battle with Japanese fascists. She wanted to look beautiful before she slayed the enemy, an expression, she said, of her femininity. #HukbongMapagpalayaNgBayan #HMB #Bayani

With thanks again to the artist, Johnny Guarin, who made the original Alas ng Bayan paintings in the tradition of tarot cards, five aces in all even if there should only be four in any deck. Because women do not have to abide by society’s often men-imposed restrictions.

May 15, 2025|

Events

Videos

Stories

Three Letizias!

RENATO2025-09-04T14:57:05+08:00May 9, 2025|

Three Letizias! Jika, youngest of Letizia and Renato's 8 grandchildren, with husband Brice Jaulneau-Labarre, flew in recently from Singapore with their kids Xavier and Lila Letizia on April 24. Jika and her cousin, Karmina, both named their daughters after the woman the exhibit is honoring. Xavier is 13, Lila Letizia is[READ]

A couple from Antipolo explores the exhibit

RENATO2025-09-04T14:56:59+08:00May 8, 2025|

Marvin and Sarry Hernandez, a couple from Antipolo, drop by to view the exhibit, Letizia: A Life in Letters. Hope it was worth the long trip, Marvin and Sarry!

Remembering a dear friend of the Foundation, Roberto Verzola

RENATO2025-06-09T17:59:47+08:00May 7, 2025|

A lot happened on May 7 many years ago. We remember a dear friend of the Foundation, cherished in particular by one of our founders, Letizia Roxas Constantino. Roberto “Obet” Verzola, in memoriam 07 May 2020| Renato Redentor Constantino, 7 May 2020 As we step through the portal created by[READ]

Manila Bulletin takes a closer look at the immersive ‘Letizia: A Life in Letters’ exhibit!

RENATO2025-09-04T14:55:30+08:00May 6, 2025|

"LOOK: People visit the immersive exhibit "Letizia: A Life in Letters," which showcases the preserved writings, personal journals, and memorabilia of Letizia Roxas Constantino; a tribute to Constantino’s legacy as a writer, historian, and educator, the exhibit offers an intimate look at the archival materials that reflect her influence on Filipino[READ]

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“Thank you very much, Constantino Foundation! It was a lovely afternoon spent learning about history, poetry, art, climate change, street names, the bicycles in revolution, kickass heroines, and much more! Renato Redentor Constantino’s talk and Renato Senior’s book A Past Revisited really got under my skin. Maraming salamat!”

Gege Cruz Sugue
Flips Flipping Books book club, 12 August 2024
“Mabuhay ka RC. Patuloy namin ikaw inaalala at ipinagdadasal sa lakbay mo ngayon. We will continue our conversations with family, even while you have left us. You will forever live in our hearts and we celebrate your life fully!”

Loretta Ann Rosales
Former member, House of Representatives
and former chair of the Commission on Human Rights
“Good read. At aliw. Ito ang kahapon na masarap balikan!”

Cherylle Lara Raguini
Subic civic leader, commenting on the foundation essay in ABS-CBN,
“Street names and the persistence of memory,” June 2024
“A Past Revisited was both a revelation and a challenge. It made us see the familiar narratives of Philippine history in new and unsettling ways. It invited us to ask deeper questions—about power, about colonial legacies, about the struggles and aspirations of our people. And it also gave us a sense of responsibility: to carry history forward not just as memory, but as a guide for action and transformation.”

Dr. Chas M. Navarro
Commissioner, National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP)
On his remarks at the launch of the 50th Anniversary Special Edition of The Philippines: A Past Revisited
2025 Aug 29
“We have been so wonderfully blessed in the past week by the presence of tremendously inspiring people, one of them, the one who likes to “shake trees”, is Sir Renato Redentor Constantino who moved the entire plenary to feel, think, and act… people couldn’t help but share and talk about the presentation. I told Sir Red that by the second day of the event, people realized there were ‘deeper commitments than professionalism.’”

Floraime Pantaleta
Executive Director, Ateneo Zamboanga-Mindanao Institute
“At a low point in my life, I received a note from Letizia Constantino, unsolicited advice that encouraged me to keep writing. I never got to thank her personally for that pat on the back; this column is belated gratitude.”

Ambeth R. Ocampo
Historian, An excerpt from his column in Philippine Daily Inquirer
"Letizia Roxas Constantino, historian", 2025 June 06
“Yes, third time [sila/Inang Laya] pumunta at kumanta sa rally sa Dasmarinas town plaza, sa parish church sa our Lady of Perpetual Help sa Dasmariñas Bagong Bayan and sa martsa rali ng mga maralitang lunsod from Dasmariñas to Bacoor na hinarang sumama at di sya [Karina Constantino-David] umalis hanggang kinabukasan.”

Ian Yaun
March 19, 2024
“Frequented the area in the early ’80s because of Popular Bookstore (small door, beside the gate of Mapua High School), the only one that carried engineering books required for our course. It was still Martial Law… One buys … dangerous reading materials afraid of the Secret Marshals who were then infamous for salvaging (tokhang in the time of tatay digong) petty criminals and activists. Across Mapua High then was a parking lot of mini buses – now the Manila Grand Opera.”

Melvin Purzuelo
Iloilo environmentalist, commenting on the foundation’s history article in BusinessMirror,
“Cycling through the fabled history of an opera house, now a hotel,” June 2024.
“Taos pusong pagpapasalamat ng angkang Orosa for your inclusion of our Beloved Maria Y. Orosa in this PUP mural. Renato Redentor Constantino, we are ever grateful for this honor and recognition. Our forebears knew each other. Mine spoke highly of the Constantinos!”

Evelyn Orosa del Rosario Garcia
Great grand niece of Maria Y. Orosa and author of National Book Award winner
Appetite for Freedom: The Recipes of Maria Y. Orosa, with Essays on Her Life and Work.
"Thank you for having us ... We truly enjoyed ourselves. The exhibit was very inspiring, beautifully presented and so insightful. We were all so impressed. Hope we can use some of the material in our Women’s Museum. ❤️"

Mayor Joy Belmonte
Quezon City Governor, On her visit at Letizia: A Life in Letters Exhibit
2025 July 30
"... A Past Revisited sparked a different kind of revolution, one that urged Filipinos to view history through our own eyes and experiences. Thank you very much to our dear friend, ABS-CBN’s Karmina Constantino, a resident of San Juan, for inviting me to be part of this historic occasion."

Mayor Francis Zamora
San Juan City Governor , On his speech at APR 50th anniversary edition launch at NHCP Museo El Deposito
2025 August 29
“One of the most towering texts of nationalist historiography — co-authored by Letizia Constantino, whose voice carried the struggle for true independence into classrooms and beyond.”

Michael “Xiao” Chua
Historian , On his column at The Manila Times
“Letizia Constantino: Nationalist historian, wife and mother” 2025 June 17

Spotlight

The Foundation

Our Partners

Teacher Support

Spotlight

The Foundation

Our Partners

Teacher Support

Pasts Revisited

Remedios “Kumander Liwayway” Gomez-Paraiso

Events

Videos

Stories

“Mabuhay ka RC. Patuloy namin ikaw inaalala at ipinagdadasal sa lakbay mo ngayon. We will continue our conversations with family, even while you have left us. You will forever live in our hearts and we celebrate your life fully!”

“Good read. At aliw. Ito ang kahapon na masarap balikan!”

“At a low point in my life, I received a note from Letizia Constantino, unsolicited advice that encouraged me to keep writing. I never got to thank her personally for that pat on the back; this column is belated gratitude.”

“Taos pusong pagpapasalamat ng angkang Orosa for your inclusion of our Beloved Maria Y. Orosa in this PUP mural. Renato Redentor Constantino, we are ever grateful for this honor and recognition. Our forebears knew each other. Mine spoke highly of the Constantinos!”​

"Thank you for having us ... We truly enjoyed ourselves. The exhibit was very inspiring, beautifully presented and so insightful. We were all so impressed. Hope we can use some of the material in our Women’s Museum. ❤️"

"... A Past Revisited sparked a different kind of revolution, one that urged Filipinos to view history through our own eyes and experiences. Thank you very much to our dear friend, ABS-CBN’s Karmina Constantino, a resident of San Juan, for inviting me to be part of this historic occasion."

“One of the most towering texts of nationalist historiography — co-authored by Letizia Constantino, whose voice carried the struggle for true independence into classrooms and beyond.”

“Taos pusong pagpapasalamat ng angkang Orosa for your inclusion of our Beloved Maria Y. Orosa in this PUP mural. Renato Redentor Constantino, we are ever grateful for this honor and recognition. Our forebears knew each other. Mine spoke highly of the Constantinos!”