Spotlight
Alas ng Bayan 2.0 Exhibit Opens at Tandang Sora Women’s Museum
Pinangunahan ng Quezon City Tourism Department (QCTD) ang ribbon-cutting ceremony ngayong araw para sa nakatakdang pagbubukas ng Alas ng Bayan 2.0 Exhibit sa Tandang[READ]
NANDITO NA SILAAAA!
???????????????????????????? ???????? ????????????????????????!! Today’s the day! The exhibit opens to the public — Filipinas in history as Superheroes? Oh yes. See them reimagined in[READ]
1 ARAW NA LANG!
???? 1 ARAW NA LANG! The wait is almost over — history comes alive tomorrow! Witness the power, resistance, and legacy of Filipina heroes[READ]
Spotlight
National Artist Virgilio Almario Writes on the Constantinos’ Legacy of Activism
Mabuhay! Mula kay Virgilio Almario, Pambansang Alagad ng Sining: AKTIBISMONG NASYONALISTA, na unang lumabas sa pahayagang Filipino Ngayon, sa loob ng kanyang kolum na Sarì-Samot!
AKTIBISMONG NASYONALISTA
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
The ‘Letizia: A Life in Letters’ exhibit introduces historian Letizia Roxas-Constantino through her personal letters and other curio
By JOSIAH ANTONIO | Published by GMA News Online | April 10, 2025An exhibit of letters penned by writer and historian Letizia Roxas-Constantino, wife of historian Renato Constantino, opened on Wednesday at the Linangan Gallery on Panay Avenue in Quezon City."Letizia: A Life in Letters" has on display Intimate letters spanning eight[READ]
Tagteam for Nationalism: Popular Book Store and the Constantino Foundation
If you are looking for books by Renato Constantino or Letizia Roxas Constantino, Popular Book Store is your main shop. Popular remains the main distributor of the Constantino Foundation, thanks to decades of friendship between the book store’s founder, Joaquin Po, and the historian Renato Constantino [...]
Renato Constantino Jr: The man who ‘apcet’ the world about East Timor
MUCH has been written about the courage, rock-steady principles and tireless activism of Renato Constantino Jr., “RC” to most, since he died on April 5 at the age of 79.He was, after all, present — nay, taking a key role though much of the time behind the scenes unless truly needed — in most of the game-changing campaigns of the last five decades.Think September 1991, when the Philippine Senate voted to end the US bases treaty. [...]
PUP marks 120th founding year with climate, mobility, history ride
The Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) launched Sintang Lakbay today, a pioneering initiative integrating inclusive mobility, culture, and history. The move highlights the school’s resolve to demonstrate the relevance of its academic philosophy in the face of current climate-constrained realities. [...]
