Magallanes and Valderrama spoke in tongues

Speaking in tongues (glossolalia) is a supernatural gift from the Holy Spirit. People generally describe it as the ability to miraculously speak in a foreign language which one did not even study. There is one scene in the Bible (Acts 2:4) wherein the disciples of Jesus Christ were “all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance”. This event is also a part of the Rosary’s third glorious mystery.

When I was in high school, some friends of mine and myself were invited by a family friend to join a Catholic charismatic group. I was then a misbehaved kid and I thought that by joining that group would somehow keep me out of the rut for good. During the three-day indoctrination camp, my gang and I were separated from each other and were made to join other groups to build new camaraderie. Attendees were made to choose at least two out of seven gifts from the Holy Spirit, and that during prayer sessions, we would be able to speak in tongues. I was both awed and frustrated during those sessions because, aside from hearing fellow members pray in tongues, i.e., in gibberish or nonsensical words, I couldn’t do so myself.

I spoke to my friends about that weird experience of mine, but cautiously so as not to receive ridicule that I was the only one who did not receive the Holy Spirit. But I was relieved to find out that they, too, found the experience weird. Aside from the fact that they were not able to speak in tongues with their assigned groups, they also heard nothing but chucklesome gibberish among veteran members they were with.

But speaking in tongues is not supposed to be in this manner. The Catholic Facebook page Hagiografaith has this to say:

The gift of tongues is an extraordinary gift of the Holy Spirit. According to theologians, it is not the ability to speak different languages, rather, it is the ability to be understood in different languages, while speaking another language. This gift is meant to break the language barrier, a reversal of what happened in Babel. So, if someone starts babbling gibberish words without anyone understanding what is being said, it is not the gift of tongues. Aside from the apostles, many saints received this gift, like Saint Luis Beltran and Saint Vincent Ferrer.

Fr. Jojo Zerrudo in his homily this afternoon explained thusly: “speaking in tongues means that the person speaks in his own native tongue, but those who listen to him understand what he is saying in their own tongue.” He then followed it up with a very interesting question: “Have you ever thought how the Philippines was evangelized?”

It was a eureka moment for me.

For years, I have always been baffled with how skillfully the Spanish friars were able to study and master the local languages with the sole purpose of spreading the gospel. They were, in fact, the preservers of our major languages since they published grammar books such as the Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala, Vocabulario de la Lengua Bisaya, Vocabulario de la Lengua Ilocana, etc. (so much for the accusation that they destroyed our culture). More importantly, has anyone thought how it took only a few days for Fernando de Magallanes and Fr. Pedro de Valderrama to convince the Cebuano king and queen (Humabon and Humamay, baptized as Carlos and Juana), alongside their vassals, to embrace Catholicism?

If we say, then, that Humabon et al. were duped into embracing Christianity, do we then admit that our ancestors whom we always take pride of were simpletons? It is not even correct to surmise that Humabon et al. embraced Christianity merely out of necessity, i.e., to form an alliance with the Spaniards to take out his rival Cali Pulaco (Lapu-Lapu). Magallanes, a devout Catholic, would have nothing of that sort. In connection to this, it would be moot and academic to even mention how Fr. Valderrama permitted the baptism to take place.

“I’d like to venture: they must have spoken in tongues in that way,” Fr. Jojo said.

Lapu-lapu and his army of savages killed holy men, but the Filipino government as well as our brainwashed educational system would rather call it “Victory and Humanity”. 🤦‍♂️

True victory and humanity in our history is the coming of Christ to our archipelago. ¡Feliz cumpleaños a la Iglesia Católica! Veni Creator Spiritus!

_{Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.}

500th anniversary of the first baptism in Filipinas

Fernando Amorsolo’s famous painting on the first baptism in Filipinas.

TODAY IN FILIPINO HISTORY — 14 April 1521: The first Christian baptism in Filipinas was officiated in Cebú by Fr. Pedro de Valderama, the chaplain of the expedition led by Fernando de Magallanes (Ferdinand Magellan) and was documented by Antonio Pigafetta. According to Pigafetta, about 800 natives, including Cebú’s chieftain Rajah Humabon and his wife Hara Humamay, were baptized. Humabon and Humamay, who received the Christian names Carlos and Juana, respectively, were said to be the first to embrace Christianity.

In effect, this date is when our indigenous pagan ancestors started to become Filipinos.

¡A Dios sea toda la gloria y la honra! Plus ultra!

_{Sundán acó sa Facebook, Twitter, at Instagram.}

To Hispanize is to Filipinize: the Indio is the enemy of the Filipino (part 2)

© Rasta Livewire

“Spanish friars mercilessly flogged Filipinos!”

This modern concept of the Indio being flogged by a Spanish friar under the hot tropical sun is what keeps the motor of hispanophobia running. There is no more need to expound what an indio means; simply put, indio is a Spanish word for “native”. The so-called “insulares” or Spaniards who were born in Filipinas were the first Filipinos. Through time, however, Hispanization further blurred this. Indios/natives who were Christianized, who started learning and talking in Spanish, and who imbibed the culture from the West began referring to themselves not as indios but Filipinos as well. And this posed not a problem to the insular. As a matter of fact, the insular never considered themselves as “Spaniards” in the strictest sense of the word. They, as well as the Hispanized indios, simply referred to themselves as FILIPINOS. Filipinas is where they were born and where they grew up (patria chica).

To continue, those indios —whether they belonged to the Tagálog race, Ilocano race, Bicolano race, etc.— who were Hispanized in effect lost their “indio” identity (but not completely, of course) when they assimilated themselves to an influx of cultural dissemination coming from the West. There is nothing wrong with this. During those days, it was perfectly normal, as the influx of a foreign culture had no hint of any personal profit and even promoted cultural osmosis in the local scene (contrary to popular belief, Spain NEVER became rich when they founded and colonized our archipelago).

Anyway, because of cultural dissemination, the Hispanized Tagálog ceased to become Tagálog: he became Filipino. The Hispanized Ilocano ceased to become Ilocano: he became Filipino. The Hispanized Bicolano ceased to become Bicolano: he became Filipino. In other words, the term Filipino is not a race but a concept (there is no such thing as a Filipino race because our country is composed of several races). But this concept put a premium over our collective identities, giving us a patriotic “swagger” to refer to ourselves under one homogeneous identity: EL FILIPINO.

To Hispanize, therefore, is to Filipinize. And to put it more bluntly, our “Spanishness” is what makes us Filipino, not our “indio” identity (which is merely a substrate). If we take away our indio identity in us, our Hispanic identity will still continue to flourish. But if we take away our Spanishness, we will go back to becoming savages, and go back to the mountains as “cimarrones“.

Take for example Cali Pulaco, popularly known today as “Lapu-lapu”. This fellow, an indio ruler from Mactán, virtually resisted change. His neighbor, Rajáh Humabon, did not. Humabon accepted change, was baptized into the Christian faith, and received a Christian name: Carlos (named after then Spanish King Carlos I). Remember that culture is not static, should never be static. His men accepted the Santo Niño (and the icon’s culture) as part of their own. Those who were baptized with him died as Christians; Lapu-lapu and his people died as heathens.

And even up to now, Cebuanos celebrate the feast of the Santo Niño with frenzied fervor. Because the Santo Niño has become part of them as Cebuanos, and part of us as Filipinos.

During the Spanish times, there were many other ethnic groups who resisted change — the Ifugáos up north, the Aetas of the mountains, the Mañguianes of Mindoro, the Muslims of the south, etc. And because they resisted change, they missed the opportunity to become “one of us”. Technically, they are not Filipinos. They are Filipinos only by citizenship, most especially if we view them from a socio-historico-cultural perspective. Look at them now: no disrespect, but they look pathetic and backward because they resisted change. The mountain tribes of the Cordilleras still wage against one another. The Aetas continue to be forest dwellers. The Muslims still raid and kidnap Christians for a ransom and to have their turfs seceded from Filipinas. Etc. etc. etc. Because, then as now, their culture remains static. They still remain as INDIO as ever before.

Let us accept the fact that our Spanish past is what made us Filipinos in the first place. it is this identity which removed us from the backwardness of a static culture that refused to accept change. Let us accept that we are Filipinos because we are Christians (Catholic), we use cubiertos whenever we eat, we STILL SPEAK Spanish (uno, dos, tres, lunes,  martes, miércoles, enero, febrero, marzo, silla, mesa, ventana, polo, pantalón, camisa, etc. etc. etc.), we eat adobo and pochero, we have Spanish names, we practice and value “amor propio“, “delicadeza“, “palabra de honor“, our town fiestas are the most festive and lavish in the whole world, we enjoy the “tiangues” of Divisoria, etc.

No soy indio. Porque soy filipino.

Read part 1 here.

 * E * L * F * I * L * I * P * I * N * I * S * M * O *

This blogpost is dedicated to Saint James the Greater, patron saint of Madre España, whose feast day falls today. ¡Viva Santiago Matamoros!