Spotlight
Friend of the Foundation
A friend of the foundation, historian Michael Charleston “Xiao” Briones Chua, proudly holds his copy of the limited 50th Anniversary Edition of The Philippines:[READ]
Revisiting a past, reclaiming a future By Bernard Karganilla
By Bernard Karganilla August 28, 2025 | Published on Malaya Business Insight ‘We shall create more opportunities to salute the intellectual legacy of Renato[READ]
Museo El Deposito Hosts Launch of A Past Revisited 50th Anniversary Edition -NHCP
The NHCP Museo El Deposito in San Juan City hosted a launching for the 50th anniversary edition of Renato Constantino's 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴: 𝘈 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘵[READ]
Spotlight
Panalangin ng Punyal ni Ramon C. Sunico
Pasts Revisited
Julio Nakpil
We remember today Julio Nakpil, born on 22 May 1897. He was a composer and, as a general in the Philippine Revolution, belongs to the pantheon of giants of the Filipino nation. Nakpil adopted the clandestine name J. Giliw. He led a full and meaningful life serving his people. His letter, dated 28 September 1897, is most interesting. Nakpil wrote the letter as the head of the revolutionary movement’s High Council to raise funds for the Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan four months after assassins carried out the order of Emilio Aguinaldo to execute Andres Bonifacio. According to the historian Jim Richardson, “Nothing in Nakpil’s letter alludes to the ‘Republica Filipina’ of which Aguinaldo had been elected president at the Tejeros convention in March.” Just as interesting, Nakpil was writing from Sta. Ana, which, said RIchardson, was “even closer to the seat of Spanish power” compared to late 1896 when the Sanggunian was based in Pasig. Even more interesting, one might expect the recipient of Nakpil’s fundraising letter to be “a wealthy resident of Sta. Ana, or of another suburb or town nearby.” But the letter’s addressee was Cipriano Ortiz, “the parish priest of Paete, Laguna, a Franciscan friar and, presumably, a Spaniard.” *
Julio Nakpil would eventually marry the Katipunan’s Lakambini, Gregoria de Jesus, the wife of Andres Bonifacio. They had eight children. (Two died in their infancy.) Nakpil would write in his memoirs about Aguinaldo’s orders to assassinate not just Bonifacio but also Gen. Antonio Luna.
Readers are encouraged to listen to Nakpil’s compositions, which are available on Spotify and Apple Music. Just type “Julio Nakpil” and look for his albums. According to BahayNakpil.org, “Several of Nakpil’s compositions were inspired by the revolutionaries’ struggle to regain freedom for the country. An admirer of Jose Rizal . . .” Nakpil wrote Pahimakas (1897), “a funeral march commemorating Rizal’s execution” while the piece Pasig Pantayanin (1898), he dedicated to the revolutionary forces.” Nakpil also wrote Pamitinan (1897), a song for revolutionaries “who went into hiding because of persecution.” Nakpil enlarged his Himno Nacional later into a grand march “to be played at the Rizal Monument, and changed its name to Salve Patria (1896).” Nakpil died on November 2 1960.
(Main image of the hero is from BahayNakpil.org and the poster art and layout is by Rica Dominguez)
Events
Videos
Stories
Acclaimed journalist Ces Drilon visited the Letizia exhibit, took lovely photos, and posted her reflections on what she encountered. Enjoy!
"Letizia: A Life in Letters is an inspiring and moving exhibit at the Linangan Gallery of the Constantino Foundation. Leticia Roxas Constantino’s letters and journals were given life in a multi sensoral showcase of music, personal belongings, video, photos with letters as if floating in the air. A must see - especially[READ]
Journos and photos visit the exhibit
A group of media people visited the exhibit yesterday, led by acclaimed photojournalists Joan Bondoc and Manny Palmero, seen here with their lens on at the entrance. Joining them were Bernard Testa, Michael Varcas, Santino San Juan, Manny Palmero, Riza Zuniga, John Eiron Raymundo Francisco, Robert JA Basilio, and Ann Angala.[READ]
Philippine News Agency at Letizia: A Life in Letters
Red Constantino, grandson of Letizia and Renato Constantino, guides visitors through the immersive exhibit "Letizia: A Life in Letters" at Linangan Gallery in Quezon City on Friday (May 2, 2025). The exhibit until May 30 showcases the preserved writings, personal journal and memorabilia of Letizia, a writer, historian and educator, and[READ]
Sanaysay na nanamnamin!
Mula sa premyadong manunulat na si John Iremil Teodoro, tubong Antique, tumanggap ng S.E.A. WRITE Award noong 2019 mula sa Kaharian ng Thailand, Full Professor ng malikhaing pagsulat, literatura, at pagpapahalaga sa sining sa De La Salle University-Manila. Siya ay Direktor ng Bienvenido N. Santos Creative Writing Center at kasalukuyang direktor nh[READ]
