Robin Padilla and the logo of De La Salle University. Images: Facebook/Robin Padilla, De La Salle University
Robin Padilla has declared that De La Salle University was established “for insulares, peninsulares and mestizos” during the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines. For this, he got called out by a history group who warned the public about misleading information.
The action star’s statement came from his defense of Sen. Bong Go who earlier claimed that Lapulapu was Tausug, another claim that earned criticism from netizens. Padilla attempted to slam a netizen who called him out for his inaccurate claims as well about the Filipino chieftain. This he did by questioning the netizen’s educational background.
“You got to be kidding. Are you from Ateneo? De La Salle? UST? All Spanish established schools for insulares, peninsulares and mestizos. You don’t need to be a doctor of anything to accept reality,” Padilla said through his Facebook page yesterday May 2.
This led the history advocacy group High School Philippine History Movement to correct the actor’s declaration, as it clarified that DLSU is not a school established by Spaniards.
“Ang De La Salle University (DLSU-Manila) ay itinatag noong June 16, 1911 noong panahon ng mga Amerikano,” it stated in a Facebook post, also yesterday. (De La Salle University was established on June 16, 1911 during the American occupation.)
The group noted that the university was established by Americans from the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, also known as the Lasallian Brothers.
“Hindi po ito itinatag noong panahon ng Espanyol o ng mga Kastilang prayle. These are irrefutable historical facts. Walang personalan,” it added. (It was not established during the Spanish colonial era or by Spanish friars. These are irrefutable historical facts. Don’t take this personally.)
The group also reminded people to listen to experts on the country’s history and to avoid listening to “pseudohistorians.”
The facts cited by the group may also be found in De La Salle University’s official website. Accurate information about the university’s roots and detailed history in the Philippines are stated there. JB
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