Legacies of November 30

ANDRES Bonifacio celebrates his 155th birthday on November 30. Bonifacio is remembered as the father of the Philippine Revolution and of the Katipunan.

There is so much a mystery surrounding the

Great Plebeian, as he left only a few but significant writings that mirror his passion for the country. There is so much more mystery surrounding his death as his and his brother’s bodies remain missing after their execution.

The tragic ending of Bonifacio still continues in our present scene, in the politics of factionalism, elitism and power play. Historians such as

Constantino and Ocampo reflect on this betrayal of the elites and ilustrados and the legacy it left us. Recent films by Enzo Williams (Bonifacio ang Unang Pangulo) and Jerrod Tarog (Heneral Luna, Goyo) also carry such these theme to this millennial generation with such relevant medium.

Another personality born on this date is Mark Twain (real name Samuel Clemens) in 1835, an American author who wrote about adventures of young runaways and slaves in Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, and the pretentiousness of the American aristocrats. He also wrote essays questioning the American colonization of the Philippines, how America acted to put our country under its heel