The Lit Critter

Episode 10: Maria Ylagan Orosa - Maria Orosa’s Letter to Her Mother

Maria Ylagan Orosa was a pioneering Filipino scientist and a heroine who dedicated her life in nourishing a nation. She was among a handful of Filipinos who studied in the United States as government scholars during the American occupation of the Philippines. In the US, Maria obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in pharmaceutical chemistry, and another master’s degree in food chemistry. Apart from studying full-time, Maria also worked in a laboratory where she conducted tests and experiments to assess the quality of food samples. During her stay in the US, Maria was a sponge who absorbed as much learnings as she could in her dream of eradicated hunger and malnutrition in the Philippines. Upon her return to the Philippines in 1922, Maria immediately set to work in developing innovative solutions in order to address the Philippines’ food supply problem. She took advantage of the Philippines’ rich and abundant natural resources to bring good, healthy food on every Filipino family’s table. One of the products she is best known for today is banana ketchup, which she developed as a substitute for tomato ketchup. Maria played an active role in fighting for freedom during World War II. She joined Marking’s Guerillas and developed new kinds of food and packaging techniques to keep the fighters well-fed. In her lifetime, Maria developed around 700 recipes, which literally saved lives. Maria died tragically after being hit by a shrapnel in her office during an American bombing raid. Here is a Lit Critter English translation of one of Maria’s letters to her mother whilst she was in Seattle. The letter was originally written in Tagalog. She was 26 at the time she wrote the letter and was already working in a laboratory and finishing her second master’s degree in food chemistry from the University of Washington. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://thelitcritter.com/2021/05/09/maria-orosas-letter-to-her-mother/

Episode 9: José Rizal’s Homage to the Filipino Painters

In 1884, the Filipino community in Madrid was abuzz with excitement after two Filipino painters garnered some of the coveted awards during the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes de Madrid (Madrid National Exhibition of Fine Arts). Juan Luna won one of the gold medals for his painting “El Expoliarium”, while Félix Resurreción Hidalgo won one of the silver medals for his painting “Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho.” It was a bittersweet win since the highest honours were neither conferred on Luna or Hidalgo, however, a victory still considering the important commissions they garnered after. Filipino nationalist José Rizal delivered a toast at a banquet in the Restaurant Ingles in Madrid in honour of both painters. This is one of his most iconic speeches meant not only to celebrate both painters but to put across an important point that resonates among all people of colour to this day. The speech was originally delivered in Spanish and was first published in the magazine, Ambos Mundos, Madrid on the same year it was delivered. It later reprinted in a brochure called Homage to Luna, published by José Rodón y Abella in 1888. One of the most widely-accepted English translations was done by Filipino historial Encarnación Alzona for the Rizal Centennial Commission. I thought of revisiting the original Spanish version to work on a Lit Critter English translation of this iconic speech. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://thelitcritter.com/2021/05/05/an-homage-to-the-filipino-painters/

Episode 7: Dayang Sima - No One is Above the Law

Dayang Sima is known in history as one of the formidable leaders of Kalang or Dj-Apo, an area known today as the lower region of Cotabato in Mindanao. People feared and respected her for her unwavering sense of justice and the rule of law. She was known to play no favourites. Willem Pieter Groeneveldt’s Notes on the Malay Archipelago and Malacca quoted a passage from the Chinese dynastic annals dated 674 A.D. depicting an interesting anecdote involving Dayang Sima. It was said that an Arab merchant decided to put the queen’s and her people’s character to the test by asking a courtier to leave a bag of gold on the ground to see if anyone would touch it. The bag of gold remained where it was left for three years until Dayang Sima’s son decided to poke it with his toe. This infuriated and disappointment the queen. Even if the young man who touched the bag of gold was her son, she decided he should be punished. Dayang Sima’s admonishment to her son is the English translation that appears in both Groeneveldt’s work as well as Austin Craig’s collection. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://thelitcritter.com/2021/04/11/honesty-and-the-rule-of-law/

Episode 8: Rosa Sevilla-Alvero - The Filipino Woman in War and Peace

Rosa Sevilla-Alvero was one of the most outspoken women of her time. She was a prominent figure in the Philippine suffragist movement and dedicated much of her life towards advocating for women’s greater participation in civic and political life. From an early age, Rosa knew that women had a bigger role to play in society. Her perspectives on women’s rights were shaped by the electrifying debates and discussions that took place in the Tolentino household, where she spent much of her time. At 21, Rosa founded the Instituto Mujeres, one of the first schools for women in the Philippines. The curriculum of Instituto Mujeres was considered revolutionary at that time and provided women an alternative to the widely implemented American-style education during the American colonisation of the Philippines. In the school she established, students were prepared to build a nation and to learn indigenous languages, which were consigned solely within the four walls of one’s house. Rosa was also a journalist. She wrote vociferously for Antonio Luna’s newspaper, La Independencia. She would later on become the editor of La Vanguardia, a Spanish newspaper, and eventually establish a magazine called The Woman’s Outlook. Rosa was only in her 30s when she founded the Liga Nacional de Damas Filipinas, a movement that advocated for women’s right to vote. It was during the inauguration of this movement in 11 February 1922 when she delivered this speech on the role of Filipino women during critical junctures in history. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://thelitcritter.com/2021/04/21/the-filipino-woman-in-war-and-peace/

Episode 06: Jose Rizal - To the Flowers of Heidelberg

To the Flowers of Heidelberg is poem of loneliness, longing, and homesickness written by Filipino nationalist José Rizal when he was in Heidelberg, Germany to complete his studies in ophthalmology. He wrote this poem in April 1886, when the winter snow had melted to give way to another glorious spring. Rizal was fascinated by the explosion of flowers in Heidelberg. Yet, among all the blooms competing for attention, he was drawn to the forget-me-not, which reminded him of the equally beautiful flowers in his hometown, Calamba, Laguna. Forget-me-nots were known to fringe the banks of the Neckar River in Heidelberg. This poem perfectly captures the feeling of longing and homesickness among those whose work or studies take them oceans and time zones away from home. In the rare quiet times afforded by short breaks in regular mad rush of activity, those of us who now live and work in foreign countries find our minds and hearts drifting back to the familiar and comforting scents and scenes of home. The poem was originally written in Spanish as ‘A las flores del Heidelberg’ and has been translated in English by many. One of the most famous and widely-accepted translations was in fact done by Philippine National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin. The version you are about to listen to is a LIT CRITTER translation of Rizal’s poem. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://thelitcritter.com/2021/04/10/to-the-flowers-of-heidelberg/