Rizal's Mi Ultimo Adios stirs patriotic fervor

The Instituto Cervantes aimed for at least 150 volunteers to come on El Dia del Español or Spanish Language Day to recite out loud Jose Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios on the eve of the national hero’s 150th Birth Anniversary. Over 250 signed up, organizers said. A few dozen more came as last-minute walk-ins, snatching up what remained of the 300 copies of Rizal’s last literary masterpiece readied for the occasion. "This is our tribute to José Rizal. Many of the great works in Philippine literature were written in the Spanish language during the Spanish period and the first half of the 20th century… Rizal's immortal masterpieces are, definitely, no exception," Instituto Cervantes director José Rodríguez said GMA News’ Rawnna Crisostomo was there for the day-long Rizal tribute and festival of Spanish language and culture. Among the readers were Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teddy Casiño and some youths. They said they deeply felt the nationalist fervor Rizal's last poem stirred in them during the choral reading. After the reading, many chose to linger. Spanish cuisine was served for lunch. Paella and lengua were among the dishes to savor. Some had Spanish wine. Long lines formed for henna tattoos of words in Español. Some chose names of their spouses or beloved. GMA News Online’s Earl Victor Rosero had “Artajo" inked onto his right arm to honor the Spanish blood he got from his maternal grandfather’s grandmother, Maria Artajo. At the Instituto’s reception hall, some, mostly youngsters, enjoyed playing with large sets of alphabet blocks and word puzzle boards. Those who were adept in Spanish posted messages on the walls. Learning Spanish in school In 1987, the study of Spanish was made optional and no longer a requirement for graduation from college. But Spanish was still compulsory for the handful of schools teaching foreign languages. Two decades later, in 2007, Spanish words and phrases appeared on walls of the LRT. The ‘Berso sa Metro’ project of the Instituto Cervantes with the Light Rail Transit Authority got good reception from LRT commuters. Two years later, more Spanish verses cropped up, this time on walls of the MRT. In June 2009, Spanish was re-introduced into the public high school curriculum, but on a selective and elective basis in 15 pilot schools. Months before the launch, the Department of Educaton (DepEd), trained a batch of teachers with the help of the Instituto Cervantes. DepEd now implements the teaching of Spanish in 54 high schools. In 2009, then DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus said, “bringing back the Spanish language in the school curriculum would help us understand and connect with our past. Many of the works of our forefathers, including our national hero, Jose Rizal, which were written in Spanish, remain significant up to this day." The study of Rizal's legacy will have an added dimension soon. "Instituto Cervantes will be republishing this year two of Rizal's most famous novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo in their original Spanish version," director Rodriguez revealed. — TJD, GMA News