Old Glory

On August 13.1898, the first American flag was hoisted in the Philippines over Fort San Antonio de Abad, in Manila.  Finally, it was lowered for the last time at Subic on November 24, 1992.

The Philippine Revolution against Spain broke out on Aug. 30, 1896.  The event preceded the Spanish American War on April 25, 1898.  Filipinos thought that the Americans were there to help them kick out the Spaniards.  The first American infantry troops arrived in the Philippines on June 30, 1898 commanded by Brig. Gen. Thomas M. Anderson.  Aguinaldo asked Anderson what the Americans intended to do to the Philippines.  Anderson replied:

"We have lived as a nation 122 years, and have never owned or desired a colony. We consider ourselves a great nation as we are, and I leave you to draw your own inference."

Fast forward to  June 12, 1991 while Filipinos celebrated Independence Day, mother nature’s contribution to end the American adventure came as Mount Pinatubo erupted, overwhelming Subic Bay and Clark Air Base with tons of volcanic ash, forcing American service members and families to flee.  On September 16, 1991, then senator Joseph Estrada, one of the twelve who voted NO to the extention of the US Bases Agreement, said:

“Let this be our finest hour as we face the judgment of history. We have become so dependent on the Americans that we have not learned to be self-sufficient. Our country has been seen as a nation of beggars, a nation of prostitutes, a nation of cheaters, a nation of domestic helpers. And if we do not assert ourselves today, we will also be known as a nation of cowards. This I cannot accept and this, we must not accept.”

The Senate passed Resolution No. 1259 of Non-Concurrence to “A Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Security”. Finally on December 27, President Corazon Aquino issued a formal notice for the U.S. to leave by the end of 1992.

Poor Clares

Butch del Castillo writes of a "medical and dental mission, the likes of which Obando had never seen before" late last month.  The social and community involvement of the companies of Ambassador Antonio Cabangon Chua, which highlights his 77th birthday, was threatened by typhoon Mina. Butch admits to be cynical about the whole event as Mina threatens to rain on the ambassador's parade, pun intended.

Obando is well known for its fiesta, which runs to three days as a result of its having three patron saints: Nuestra Señora de Salambao, San Pascual Baylon and Santa Clara.  An elderly lady of Obando tells Butch that Santa Clara would save the day for the medical mission.   Despite the doubting Thomases, "would you believe it," says Butch "the project was a smashing success."

St. Clare is the foundress of the Poor Clares, a religious order of the Franciscan rule of extreme poverty.  The intercession of St. Clare to petition fair weather by those planning outdoor parties and like activities.  This is usually accompanied by an offerring of eggs which one Poor Clare admits "we are fed up with eating eggs."  Some explanations have been offered as to why St. Clare has been marked as an intercessor for good weather, such as associating her name to the weatherman's "clear skies".  But why eggs? In Spanish, clara is associated to the albumen (egg whites).

Perhaps a more plausible explanation comes from St. Francis of Assisi whose spirituality was adopted by St. Clare.  St. Francis wrote "The Canticle of the Sun", also known as the Laudes Creaturarum (Praise of the Creatures), a religious song praising God for his wonderful creation.  Several renditions of  "The Canticle of the Sun" have been written including the modern version by Marty Haugen.

Franco Zeffirelli directed "Brother Sun Sister Moon" about St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare in 1972, which has gained much acclaim even as it has been criticized transposing a medieval mendicant spirituality with a hippie counter cultural  autobiographical flavour.