PI 10 C 2016

CRUZ, Joana Marie C.

2014-09284, BS Biology, CAS

July 4, 2016
B24

HUNGRY OF THE PAST

Decades ago, there were institutions and societies that were established to start off an
institutional change in our country. They may have been divided by principles but they all shared
one goal - to unite all Filipinos to defend our country against all the violence and injustices. One
of these institutions was La Liga Filipina which was organized by Jose Rizal. But do all Filipinos
know that La Liga Filipina was one of those that started the revolution? Or the story about what
happened in 1892 was easily forgotten just how fast La Liga Filipina died?
It was almost 124 years since La Liga Filipina was established and as years pass, the number
of Filipinos who knows about it becomes less. In this century, I do not often heard random
people discussing our countrys history nor see someone read books about how we attained
freedom yet most of us have time to watch television series and read books which do not tackle
anything related to us or to our country. We are able to connect to things that we do not have
direct relation to but we keep ourselves blinded for the things we must know about the past of
this country.
What happened to La Liga Filipina in 1892 was something that is written as part of our
history, a part of who we are. When La Liga Filipina shut down after Rizal was arrested, all of its
plans suddenly slipped away from the hands of Filipinos. It was as if they werent given a chance
at all. A year after, when Andres Bonifacio and Domingo Franco tried to reestablish La Liga
Filipina, Filipinos were already divided by their principles - one is to follow the original plan and
the other is to start a revolution using weapons. The latter part was known as Katipunan and until
today it was marked as the society that ended it all, the one responsible for the independence of

the Philippines. But was not it the only one?

La Liga Filipina was known as one of those that started the revolution. It aimed to unite all
the Filipinos to fight against cruelty and injustices. But it was not given that much attention
today. Only few teachers discuss the history of La Liga Filipina and only few people want to
know something about it. If I didnt join the seminar conducted for the anniversary of La Liga
Filipina, I wouldnt have known anything about it - the sacrifices made, the details that brought
us freedom, etc.
La Liga Filipina was more than just an institution. It changed the rules of the game right
after it was established. Though it did not last long, it changed the perspective of Filipinos about
whether they can attain freedom or not. It enlightened the Filipinos of the past, that there was
something they can do to fight for their Motherland.
It is not right to treat La Liga Filipina lightly. People should know that it existed before and
that it tried to bring independence to our country. It was part of our history. It was not just made
to fill in the blanks of the past, because somewhere in the middle of it all, someone sacrificed
their lives to continue the legacy it started, like Domingo Franco and Jose Rizal. We should not
let anyone be empty or hungry for the past. After all, we can never escape our history for it is no
longer in our hands to create.