Spotlight
Karganilla on Constantino: Combatant, Journalist, Historian
We present today the Malaya column of UP Manila’s Prof. Bernard Karganilla, whose words one can see prominently on the wall of the Pasts[READ]
Opening Day at Y Space: Pasts Revisited
The opening day of #PastsRevisited was a happy blast. Here's a first batch of photos. Unless indicated otherwise, please credit the images to Giliw/Constantino[READ]
Pasts Revisited at Yuchengco Museum: Art, History, and Legacy
Over a hundred guests at the opening yesterday of #PastsRevisited. So many stories to share. Here's one: featured in the exhibit is original the[READ]
Spotlight
KALOKA-LIKES AND THE IMPORTANCE of CURIOSITY
Pasts Revisited
Pedro Abad Santos
“If freedom is to be preserved, fascism must be destroyed at all costs.”
These are the timeless words of the hero Pedro Abad Santos, born 150 years ago on 31 January 1876. He was a fighter for the welfare of his people even early in his life.
Abad Santos stopped going to school to join the Katipunan, where he eventually held the rank of komandante or major. He fought in 1899 as the aide-de-camp of the great Gen. Maximino Hizon in the war against the invading American forces.
Pedro Abad Santos was “an elderly nationalist lawyer” from a landowning family in Pampanga. He was called “Don Perico” by his clients, “a term of both respect and endearment, the formality of ‘don’ and the familiarity of the nickname.” He offered “his legal expertise pro bono to protect the rights of peasants and workers, which composed a third of all his cases.”
Don Perico founded the Socialist Party of the Philippines. As the history book A Past Revisited tells us, “From 1935 up to the outbreak of the war, the recognized leader of the peasantry in Central Luzon, center of the deepest unrest and the highest militancy, was Pedro Abad Santos.”
Don Perico was the older brother of the patriot Jose Abad Santos who, though not a radical like his kuya, was “the attorney for [the Indonesian communist] Tan Malacca in deportation proceedings” and who, as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and head of the caretaker Philippine government, was executed by Japanese fascists for refusing to cooperate with the occupiers.
Don Perico recoiled at hero worship. “We believe in mass action,” he said, “to secure our end, the welfare of the masses.” The mass action he envisaged did not include armed struggle, which he considered suicidal having witnessed the tragic revolt of the Sakdalistas, which was led by a fascistic demagogue.
“If the masses are to be saved it . . . [should be] “by their own efforts to organize, to unite, and their only weapon is [to] Strike,” said Don Perico. “Every strike must be a school, even if it is lost.”
A longer more detailed version of this post can be read here.
Events
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Student Reflections on A Past Revisited following the 50th Anniversary Launch
These visual essays and testimonials capture how A Past Revisited continues to resonate with a new generation of learners. From critical insights on historical distortion to personal reflections on civic responsibility, each piece affirms the enduring relevance of Renato Constantino and Letizia Roxas Constantino’s work in shaping historical consciousness and public[READ]
Mga Liham ni Letizia
Ni John Iremil Teodoro 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[READ]
From Past to Present: PUP Reflections on The Philippines: A Past Revisited
The enduring influence of The Philippines: A Past Revisited (APR) by Letizia Roxas Constantino and Renato Constantino was celebrated in a special book launch held at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) as part of the Research Colloquium of the PUP Department of History and the PUP Samahan ng Mag-aaral ng Kasaysayan. Nearly 50 years since it was first published, the book continues to resonate with new generations, reaffirming its place as one of the most important works in Philippine historiography.
PAGBABALIK TANAW SA MAKASAYSAYANG “BATTLE OF PINAGLABANAN” – PILIPINO Mirror
September 6, 2025 | PILIPINO Mirror |Riza Zuñiga | Book signing sa Museo El Deposito sa Pinaglabanan Shrine sa San Juan. Kuha ni Riza Zuñiga Ginunita ang “Battle of Pinaglabanan” sa Museo El Deposito sa siyudad ng San Juan, 129 taon na ang nakararaan. Malugod na ibinahagi ni Mayor Francis Zamora[READ]
