By Gladys Pino/PNA
KAWIT, Cavite — A 40-minute documentary film meant to address issues, especially the various accusations thrown at Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, is in progress and is expected to be released in time for his 150th birth commemoration on March 22 next year.
The film, “Sa Ngalan ng Katotohanan” (In the Name of Truth), with Pilipinas HD Executive Producer Manolo Chino L. Trinidad managing the production side, will have “Aguinaldo” (played by a theatre actor), as narrator.
A project of the Cavite Studies Center (CSC, for the concept), the provincial government of Cavite through its Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office (PTCAO), Pilipinas HD and Cavite Historical Society, Inc. (CHSI), the film is produced to air Aguinaldo’s side of the various issues shrouding the First Republican President’s life, including his leadership, said De La Salle University-Dasmariñas (DLSU-D) Associate Vice Chancellor for research and Cavite historian, Dr. Emmanuel F. Calairo, who also penned the script.
“Para malaman ang saloobin ng matanda sa mga bagay-bagay (To get the old man’s, [Aguinaldo’s] take on things),” Calairo said in explaining the concept behind the film.
Aguinaldo’s claims will be backed up by various historical publications and data to separate the facts from opinion, he said.
“The academe and various historians bonded together, with the hope that this will finally resolve all issues, once and for all,” he added.
A teaser of the film premiered at the activity center of SM Dasmariñas City on Dec. 20, as part of the build-up of activities leading to Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo’s birth anniversary.
Aside from the film teaser, a 12-song compact disc (CD), titled “Mga Awit ng Himagsikan (Mga Orihinal na Tula na Nilapatan ng Musika)”, which contains a collection of poems written by revolutionaries about heroism, victory, sentiments, loneliness, courtship, dedication to motherland, the freedom they fought for and the leadership of Aguinaldo, was also launched.
The CD project is a collaboration among Cavite’s PTCAO, CSC, DLSU-D and CHSI. Its musical accompaniment was composed by the DLSU faculty under the Religious Education Department led by Frank S. Villanueva.
Listening through the 12 cuts, CSC Director Dr. Pablo R. Iya highlighted the unending praise and the huge admiration of the revolutionaries for Aguinaldo, as reflected in their poems.
“Walang negatibong pananaw at walang kwestyon sa kakayahang mamuno ng unang presidente ng Republika (There was no negative impression and no question on the leadership capabilities of our first republican president),” said Iya.
Done in partnership with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), Department of Education (DepEd) Cavite and SM Malls, the officials who attended last Thursday’s launch include PTCAO officer-in-charge Rozelle S. Sangalang, NHCP Executive Director Ludovico D. Badoy, NHCP Head of Heraldry and Division Research Alvin R. Alcid and SM Dasmariñas Mall Manager Edith R. Tayco, Aguinaldo’s descendants led by Angelo Jarin Aguinaldo, and Kawit Tourism head Dr. Norberto Victa Rayupa and staff Rhouz G. Camposanto.
Former prime minister Caesar A. Virata, concurrent CHSI chair who is also Aguinaldo’s descendant, was the guest-of-honor and speaker.
Born on March 22, 1869 in Kawit, Cavite, Aguinaldo, whose name may be synonymous to a plethora of things – from his eventful and exciting life, his courageous and bold political actions, and the various accusations against him – became president at the young age of 29.
Aguinaldo’s most important role in history was his presidential proclamation of the Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite, which paved the way for the birth of the Philippine Republic on January 23, 1899. The Palace declared March 22, 2019 a holiday, as “Aguinaldo Day”, based on Proclamation No. 621 issued last November.
