RAIN OF FIRE

Cesar G. Bonilla
A gory massacre

BADOC, Ilocos Norte -- The town of Badoc, Ilocos Norte celebrated recently the birth anniversary of one of its famous sons, the great painter Juan Luna y Novicio. His father was Joaquin Luna de San Pedro y Posada while his mother was Laureana Novicio y Ancheta. His three brothers were Manuel, a violin virtuoso; Jose, a doctor; Joaquin, a governor, congressman and senator; and Antonio, writer and general of the Philippine Revolutionary Army. He obtained the Bachelor of Arts degree from the Ateneo de Manila.

Lured by the sea, he studied navigation and became a sailor. He obtained a license as a ship pilot and sailed to different places and the sceneries of the countries he visited aroused his feelings for beauty and by this, he decided to become a painter. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Manila and then, entered the famous Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid, Spain where he won the admiration and praises of Spanish teachers.

His painting, Daphne and Cleo, elicited the sentimental admiration of Italian critics. At the National Exposition of Fine Arts in Madrid, his canvas, the Death of Cleopatra, was awarded second prize. His masterpiece, the Spolarium, which shows vividly the cruelty and horror of the battle of gladiators in Rome, won for him even greater international fame.

In my own opinion regarding the extraordinary talents endowed by God to Juan Luna, he could be compared with European Titans of the brush like: Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo Bounarotti, Raphael, Titians, and Velasquez. Luna got a commission to paint a mural for the Spanish Senate depicting the Batalla de Lepanto.

The Spanish Queen invited Luna to attend the ceremonies marking the opening of the Senate and made him sit with royalty. The Battle of Lepanto also won first prize in the Barcelona Exposition of 1888. his best known historical painting, El Pacto de Sangre of the Blood Compact, depicts the pledge of friendship between Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, the Spanish explorer and first Civil Governor-General in the Philippines, and Sikatuna, native chief of Bohol.

The models of Juan Luna in this historical painting believed to be Luna’s brother-in-law, Dr. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera (Legaspi) and Dr. Jose Rizal (Sikatuna). Juan Luna married Paz Pardo de Tavera y Gorricho. Out of this union was born Andres Luna. It was Paz who gave Dr. Jose Rizal the alcohol cooking stove as a gift when our hero visited her in France.

Dr.Jose Rizal gave this alcohol cooking stove to his sister, Trinidad, with his Last Farewell being put inside to smuggle the hero’s last and greatest poem. Juan Luna was imprisoned in France because of the tragic deaths of his wife and mother-in-law but the Paris court set him free on grounds of “temporary insanity.”

The Spanish authorities arrested him and his brother Antonio for alleged complicity in the Katipunan uprising on Sept. 16, 1896. Luna decided to leave Spain for the Philippines in 1894 together with his son and brother. He and Antonio after languishing at Fort Santiago were pardoned by King Alfonso XIII on May 27, 1897.

He sailed for Europe after his release and he worked in France as diplomatic agent of President Emilio Aguinaldo when the Filipino-American War broke out. Late in 1899, while in Hongkong, he suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 42. The greatness of Juan Luna is enshrined and always remembered by the people of Badoc under the leadership of Mayor Tom Torralba together with the Presiding officer of the August body of the municipality, Vice-Mayor Den-Den Barlahan. Luna is indeed, the pride of the Malayan race.
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Former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada visited once again Ilocos Norte together with Makati mayor Jejomar Binay, former Senate president Ernesto Maceda, movie personality Rez Cortez, and his political supporters.

This “Lakbay pasasalamat” could have been an activity to test the popularity and support of the Ilocanos to the deposed president if ever there is no contender from the opposition strong enough to beat the candidate of the present administration.

Estrada visited the remains of the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos lying inside a refrigerated crypt in the Marcos mausoleum since 1993 waiting for a decent burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
Together with government officials of Batac City led by Mayor Jeffrey Juval Nalupta, the son of former mayor and elected director of Ilocos Norte Electric Coop. lawyer Jesus Nalupta, the former president delivered a short speech at the Batac City supermarket.

He reminisced the colorful days of President Marcos saying the opposition welcomes Bongbong, the son of the late president as part of their line up if ever he decides to run as senator. Vice-mayor Ronald Allan Nalupta with lawmakers of the Batac City joined Erap at the supermarket. If Erap can unify the opposition, there can be an amazing show of force and popularity in the presidential election come 2010. This could be a vindication for the former president.
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The senseless and tragic deaths of a barangay captain and his two children in the hands of a trusted helper has make people question the recent rash of violence in the province. Barangay Captain Rene C. Ballesteros with two daughters, Eloisa Mae and Maureen Miezl were allegedly helplessly massacred by Rey Dilawen, a Muslim from Agusan City.

This barbaric killing was condemned by the city government under Mayor Jeffrey Juval Nalupta. Police conducted a manhunt for the killer and in the afternoon of Oct. 22, they cornered the suspect with the help of barangay tanods.

With the suspect’s alleged acts of exchanging fire without any intention to surrender compelled the men in uniform to fire on the suspect. Until now, the motive behind the killing remains a mystery as there is no one who had been there to witness the gory scene. When I tried to see the remains of the three victims at the funeral parlor in Batac, I was emotional because the youngest daughter Eloisa Mae, only five years old, was mercilessly stabbed by the criminal and left her with a deep wound on the head.

The fear in her face was evident that she was not yet ready to die from the madness of this man. The father, Baoa West barangay captain Rene Ballesteros was hacked in the upper parts of the body. This kind of ingratitude by a man who was nourished and well-fed in the dwelling place of his master is repugnant to peace-loving Ilocanos. This should make us realize to be vigilant and aware of strangers for we don’t even know if he or she is the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing.
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I would like to greet Pacita M. Verano, retired secondary school head teacher of Ilocos Norte National High School in Laoag City. INNHS is well-known because of its competence in providing quality education to the youth just like the University of the Philippines. Madam Pacita is a religious person with a noble heart.

This writer would like to mention the names of the pharmacists of St. Joseph Pharmacy because of their courtesy and kindness: Remelyn Nidwaza, Mylene Galiza, Lovilla Famorca, Sheryll Esposa and Crisma Lagda. More Power!
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Fr. Melchor Palomares celebrated his first year as a priest of the Roman Catholic Church. His installation as assistant parish priest of the town of San Nicolas gave spiritual enlightenment to Catholic devotees. He is humble, kind, intelligent, and tactful.

With the brilliance of Fr. Danny Laeda, the church and the academe can be more
inclined in following the pathways of Christian virtues. Christian values are seen not only in words but also, in deeds. Some people are frequent church-goers but they are sometimes blinded by self-righteousness, arrogance, and persecution to those who are not like them. May the spirit of Christ be with you always, Fr. Melchor. Many are called but few are chosen.
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All Saint’s Day is a time for us to pray our departed loved ones. This is not a time of merrymaking or pleasure of the senses. Be with them in respecting their memories.