Looking back and forward

Rizal has so much to give to all of us. I have always found reflecting on him with my students –   his life, his achievements and other thoughts-–very fulfilling and motivating. He was a curious and adventurous child who learned a lot through his individual explorations. Anecdotes about him as a young pupil show that he was an effective learner. Most probably this was because his first teacher was a loving, very principled, learned mother who had a library of a thousand books.

He must have had many good moments with exciting  episodes  of learning and acquiring knowledge because he put such faith in education as  shown in his essays and novels,  especially in  Noli Me Tangere., Even in the symbols, we realize his hope that all Filipinos will benefit from a transformative education.

His joy over the desire of a group of women to be schooled is very striking. He discusses extensively in the Letter to the Women of Malolos the importance of education for those who would rear future Filipinos.

We often viewed Ang Buhay ng Isang Bayani (prepared by Ateneo) and observed how his openness for what life offered resulted in his  developing artistic, athletic, literary and many other talents.
Reading The Anvil Jose Rizal Reader on the Occasion of the Sesquicentennial of His Birth (1861 – 2011), I got many useful reminders for educators. From the essay of Vicente Rafael “The Phantasm of Revenge” we read: “For Rizal, education is the key to reformulating social relations. It places youth in the position of receiving and realizing a future.” Rafael goes on to discuss The Class in Physics. Here we see how the students are taught by making them mechanically memorize the lessons and the laboratory equipment “were never used.” Then he proceeds to point out the relationship of hierarchy between the mentor and the student. Clearly, Rizal opposed that kind of oppressive education for he envisioned it to be a liberating process.

Another essay in the collection, ‘’Remembering Talisay” tells us about how his students enjoyed learning with Rizal because they had a whole variety of learning activities: “frolicking on the sand, fencing with our wooden swords, planting, studying, assisting with the endless patients seeking a cure from Dr. Jose Rizal.”  The teacher needs to be a model.  As this student declares:  “Learning and observing my beloved teacher was my boyhood passion: his demeanor, the way he spoke, his display of love and loyalty for his family and country, his stories, writings and his art works, his sadness upon hearing the death of his childhood sweetheart, Leonor, his forbidden and yet open love for Josephine.  I declared to my family and friends that I would be like Dr. Jose Rizal when I became a grown man.’’

Many had been impressed with what he had done in Dapitan. For his students,  their classroom extended to the forest and the community also became a laboratory. The young boys were not his only students, the community also learned from him, he even taught the fisherfolk. As Austin Coates said in “Living with Rizal,” An Interview of Ambeth Ocampo with Austin Coates: “Yes he was extraordinary wasn’t he? Teaching the people to improve their fishing….And the building in Dapitan I hope they haven’t damaged them. They rebuilt most of the buildings as Rizal built them all…It was absolutely fascinating. They were so artistic, you see beautiful conception.” His life more than his death can be truly a source of renewal as we enter the New Year.

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The year 2016 will be different. Our friend and colleague in gender mainstreaming will no longer be with us, Portia D. Dacalos. Since the beginning of our work as women advocates we were part of a team. Portia was among the first to be trained in Feminist Counseling. She was  among the earliest trained as lead discussant of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Law. So from the beginning practically all  UP Cebu students who were entering on-the-job training always had an orientation from her. She was UP Cebu’s first committee chairperson of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Office and led the first Committee on Decorum and Investigation. This was among the first CODIs in Cebu and the Philippines.  As a leader in the Personnel and Guidance Counselors Association, she made an effort to share gender issues and other guidance services innovations with the members. Whenever a guidance services specialist with expertise from UP Diliman came  to UP Cebu, she organized a seminar-workshop. She, too, was among those trained in debriefing. In the UP System, young volunteers usually have a briefing and debriefing to ensure that trauma is minimized in the volunteering experience and the youth would be volunteers for life.

Portia was eager to try new things so she attempted, with the help of Kathy Rodel and Ligaya Rabago and support from LAW, Inc., to make  music and theatre a healing experience for  women victims who came to  the Legal Alternatives for Women Center.

Sr. Maria Belen, ICM, founder and moving force of Higalang Kababayn-an has also moved on to the next dimension.  Among other things Mabe will be remembered as one always took extra effort to be of help.  She took risks for the sake of sheltering victims of violence. At times, angry husbands hounded her.  To help a victim, she even facilitated the adoption of her child.  She was an earnest searcher. She took time in actually discovering what would be the best way to respond to the call of the times, to the needs of people, but above all to serve the Divine Spirit. An ardent joiner, she participated in the Beijing Conference. She made the most of the trip by going around soliciting aid for Higalang Kababay-an. So she brought home a lot of luggage – the aid she received. There was the fear that this would be a problem upon arrival.  So she confided that she prayed to Mother Marie Louise (foundress of the ICM congregation). A Theresian came to the rescue to smooth the way!

We have been enriched by these lives. Let this bring us greater zeal as we continue the work of asserting women’s rights and empowering women in 2016.