Spain's rich legacy to the Philippines

By ISABEL CARO WILSON

Much has been said and written on the historical distortions in the "Light and Sound" exhibit at Intramuros. I had to see for myself. After viewing the show and listening to the text, replete with half-truths and falsehoods, I was disturbed by the slanted views which could only foment hate and denigrate our heritage. Why must we destroy our past? To correct this anomaly I would like to present a light-hearted reading of history from one who loves her country deeply. When I was ambassador to Spain I was often asked, "Embajadora, que se queda de España en Filipinas?" Literally the question is: "What remains of Spain in the Philippines?" It is a question worth thinking about, and it is good to remind ourselves of the legacy Spain has left in our country. Filipinos are blessed with a symbiosis of two worlds -- Oriental and Occidental -- which has resulted in a country with a unique personality worthy of serious study. A brief analysis of what is a Filipino, as a country and as an individual, will reveal a historical perspective which is both interesting and admirable. Our predominantly Asian roots, three and half centuries of Spanish rule and 50 years of American tutelage have influenced and shaped our Filipino identity. Someone has said that the Filipino is a product of three and a half centuries in a convent and 50 years in Hollywood. This has resulted in a mix of cultures that has produced characteristics which make the Filipino different from other Asians. The Filipino is not wholly Oriental nor totally Occidental. I like to think of the Filipino psyche as a triangle: the base is essentially Asian while the two sides represent Spain and America. Somewhere in between there are Chinese influences. I would explain that our Spanish heritage is evident in our customs, religion, music, dance, cuisine and way of life. To our Spanish friends who lament that the Spanish language has been lost in the Philippines, I explained that Spanish has never been the language spoken by the majority of Filipinos. The idiom was spoken by a minority: the government, the church and Filipino elite. Because of distance, there were relatively few Spaniards who emigrated to the Philippines. However, the friars learned our languages and dialects in order to evangelize our people. These erstwhile missionaries succeeded in preserving our language and to them we owe numerous books and dictionaries on Hispano-Tagalog, bisaya, pampango, bicolano and more. It is estimated that 20 percent of our vocabulary derives from the language of Cervantes. For instance there are common words and expressions we use

daily: kotse, tasa, sepilyo, baso, problema, libro, grabe, kumusta, sige, etc. On the other hand, although we are not aware of it, we have also enriched the Spanish language. Listed in the dictionary edited by the Real Academia are words such as pantalan, baguio, batalan, nipis, jusi, bata, nipa and more. Best known by Spaniards is paypay. Americans taught us English but modern usage has incorporated "taglish" in our spoken and written communications in English. We have also Filipinized a lot of Spanish words. Spaniards find this quite amusing. Our mental process is Filipino, which is then transported in another tongue. This mutation of t he language is also done in Iberoamerican countries: Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Chile and so on. "Filipino-speak" goes: "Tu ya cuidao," a literal translation of "Bahala ka na." "No se contigo" -- "Ewan ko sa iyo." "Ellos de Pedro vienen mañana" --

"Darating sila ni Pedro bukas." "Llama na'mas a Juan" -- "Pakitawag lang si Juan." We use "seguro" to say maybe when the word actually means certainly. In the same way, the telephone operator answers "for a while" in English to mean "sandali lang" when the correct phrase should be "just a moment" or "hold on." Aside from linguistics, the Spanish influence is deeply inculcated and through the centuries has become so much a part of us. There are many facets to our culture which derive from our Hispanic tradition. Most of our music and dances have Spanish roots. Our kundiman, romantic and sentimental, is like the Spanish habanera. However, our rendition is sweeter with an Asian orientation. Our rondalla is exactly the same as the Spanish rondalla with the difference being that our instruments are old-fashioned and need modernizing. In some ways time has stood still. There are so many similarities between Spanish and Filipino folk dances. Ours is marked by a softer grace and style, while Spaniards dance with high energy and vigor. A glance at our telephone directory shows an interminable list of Spanish surnames. There is an explanation for this. In 1846, Governor and Captain General Narciso Claveria decided that Filipinos needed surnames. Whenever the priests baptized Filipinos, the new converts were given Christian names; thus, there were Pedros, Juans, Marias, Consuelos and so on -- first names only. The good governor had a list of 66,000 Spanish surnames prepared which were distributed to all the municipios and heads of families selected their surnames. Suddenly there were Garcias, Ramirezes, Molinas and Muñozes, none of whom had a drop of Castilian blood. This heritage of our Spanish past remains today. Our Catholic religion (we are the only Catholic nation in Asia) is probably the most lasting legacy of Spain. Faith is ingrained in our people and this was clearly evident in our bloodless revolution in February 1986. A call from Cardinal Jaime Sin resulted in nearly one million Filipinos massed at EDSA to defend democracy. Spain brought us Christianity, we have embraced it and our religiosity pervades our daily lives. In our quest for liberty, there were many liberal Spaniards who supported our aspirations. The Filipino Propaganda Reform Movement was born in Barcelona and Madrid during the last century. The Katipunan -- clandestine, pro-independent movement -- patterned its manifesto after that of the Spanish masonry. The Philippine Republic of 1898, the first in Asia, adopted the Spanish Constitution of 1876. Spanish was the official language of the new government. A Congress was convened following the practice of the Spanish Cortes. In addition to culture our educational system was started by the Spaniards. Institutions founded by religious orders continue to this day developing and training our youth. Many of our leaders, intellectuals, scientists, etc. are products of the Spanish educational system: University of Santo Tomas, Ateneo de Manila, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, San Beda College, San Sebastian College and the women's colleges, La Concordia, Santa Isabel, Santa Rita, La Consolacion, etc. Our monuments, forts, churches, town plazas, streets and infrastructure were built and designed by Spaniards. We have Fort Santiago, a 16th-century fortress circling the Intramuros; there is Fort San Pedro in Cebu and in Zamboanga, Nuestra Señor del Pilar. These forts are typically Spanish and the only ones of its kind in the Orient. Fortunately we still retain vestiges of our past: street names such as Rosario and Escolta, San Francisco del Monte and Santa Cruz, although our government is doing its best to erase the past and rename these streets; churches of San Agustin, San Sebastian and many more in Manila and all over the Philippines; monuments to Simon de Anda y Salazar, Legaspi and Urdaneta. The bamboo organ of Las Piñas, unique in the world; miraculous images of the Virgen del Rosario, Jesus Nazareno of Quiapo, Santo Sepulcro de Paco, La Virgen de Paz y Buen Viaje (the virgin of Antipolo) and much more. The "Light and Sound" show at Intramuros, which reportedly cost P170 million, is a great disservice to Filipinos past and present. History must be presented objectively and truthfully. Historians and responsible citizens should work together to rectify this very biased presentation. We have a saying: "Ang hindi lumingon sa pinangalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan."