touchstone

It's a New Year- a new decade- and what better way to start it than by touching base with one of history's greats, Apolinario Mabini. He was known as the Brains of the Revolution and- because at around age 31 he lost the ability to move his lower limbs because of polio- the Sublime Paralytic.

It's great how many role models we have who correspond to the different facets of our own selves. There's Bonifacio, the person of action, and Rizal, the Renaissance man. Mabini would correspond to the lawyer- perhaps also the political scientist- in everyone (his writings, in range and tone, are similar to contemporary essays by MLQ III and Philippine Commentary bloggers).

Mabini has become the inspiration for literature, such as the Rosales Saga of F. Sionil Jose, and for art, such as the 1964 Angel Cacnio painting to the right showing his capture by American soldiers in Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija.

He died at a young age of 39- so many of our national heroes died young, perhaps because they were still passionate and idealistic: the years had not yet altered their pure vision for the country.

I think it's also wonderful how our ancestors make their presence felt everywhere, as ordinary miracles.

After visiting the tomb and looking around the museum of Mabini in Tanauan, Batangas, I joked to my knowledgeable guide that they must be related. And he revealed that indeed they are!

Here is my picture with Mabini shrine caretaker Vergel John Mabini Ceniza, a great-grand nephew of the architect of the revolutionary government- Mabini looks amused at the efforts of his grand-niece (Vergel's aunt) to take our picture using my iPhone. Vergel has an uncanny resemblance to his great grand-uncle (the latter was always single, so they are among his closest living relatives).

More pictures in the Perelandran Frontier blog here.

Below is a short version of Mabini's Decalogue- a sublime set of commandments uniting love of God with love of country- as helpful a life map in the 21st century as in his all-too-brief, but blazing, lifetime:

DEKALOGO

I. IBIGIN ang Diyos at Karangalan higit sa lahat.

II. SAMBAHIN ang DIYOS ayon sa budhi mo.

III. LINANGIN ang sarili mong kakayahan.

IV. MAHALIN ANG BAYAN sunod sa Diyos at Karangalan.

V. PAGPUMILITANG lumigaya ang bansa una kaysa sarili.

VI. SIKAPIN SA BAYAN MO ang Kasarinlan na kagalingan mo rin.

VII. HUWAG KILALANIN ang kapangyarihan ng di-halal ng bayan.

VIII. PAGPUNYAGIANG magtatag ng Republika at di ng Kaharian.

IX. MAHALIN ANG KAPWA gaya ng pagmamahal sa sarili.

X. ANG KABABAYAN ay ipalagay na kaibigan, kapatid at kapalad.