Fajardo, Karl Ivan L.

Readings in the Philippine History

COM191 September 10, 2019

“Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral”

Critique Paper

It is groundbreaking for our history in paving its way into the

Philippine cinema. “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral”, named after the young
and naïve General Gregorio del Pilar, has been very successful and many
Filipinos appreciated this masterpiece directed by the one and only Jerrold
Tarog. His films have defied the standards of the Philippine mainstream –
where it actually revoked the misconceptions of glorifying the heroes of
the Philippine-American War. It is not the typical, romanticized,
sugarcoated Filipino movie. Goyo revealed the complete opposite of what
we learned in textbooks.
More than half of this film shows how the revolutionary soldiers
prioritized their own leisure and interests instead of preparing and
unifying themselves for the battle against Americans. Five months of
silence and peace turned into bloodshed which dumbfounded our
countrymen. While it was a treatise on one man’s introspection, the film
used a five-month period of false peace as its context. To be honest, at
the very first part of the film, it feels sketchy just like how Joven
Hernandez felt about Goyo. I am truly amazed how the actors and
actresses act naturally to portray their character, its dialogue bordering
on poetry and realistic cinematography showcasing our motherland, which
gives me a picturesque imagination of this era.
The film opens with the words of Apolinario Mabini, contemplating
on how the redemption of Emilio Aguinaldo rests on death in battle,
recounted how Gregorio del Pilar rose to become one of the highest
ranked general of Aguinaldo. A 23-year-old boy, carrying the pressure of
the whole country, making difficult decisions because of the heavy
responsibilities thrust upon him, on his very young age yet still got a lot
of time to flirt and celebrate his greatness. At this point of time, I feel
relentless on how harsh this movie is written but it actually implied its
intent to subvert, abolish lies, idolatry, and martyrdom.
Goyo’s unconditional loyalty to his President Aguinaldo made him
blind to the reality. Revolution died with Antonio Luna. Col. Manuel
Bernal, soldier of Gen. Luna, said “Ang pagkakaiba, ikaw, tapat sa idolo
mo. Kaming mga pinatay at papatayin mo, tapat kami sa isang prinsipyo.
Namatay si Luna na isang sundalong may paninindigan. Ikaw, pumapatay
lang dahil sa utos. Hindi ka sundalo, Goyo. Isa kang... aso.”. This line hit
me so hard as I realized how timely this movie is. History really do
repeats itself. The socio-political issue of Aguinaldo’s fractured regime
clearly reflects our current system now. This film is a study of enduring
societal ills. "Bingi sa katwiran ang taong may iba iniidolo". The real battle
Goyo must be facing is himself. But we shouldn’t deny the fact that he
fearlessly fought for our freedom compared to Aguinaldo who kept on
hiding and running.
Goyo’s strategy on the Battle of Tirad Pass is undeniably brilliant
and clever. They didn’t lack brains; they lack patriotism and unity. “Isang
henerasyon ng mga duwag at sinungaling ang naki-angkas sa labang ito.
Umaasa na lamang ako sa susunod na henerasyon.”, Jose Alejandrino
already foresee what will happen to our sovereignty. It saddens me as I
continue to watch their journey until they reach Tirad Pass. Some soldiers
are not prepared and definitely not willing to die for our country. Jerold
Tarrog has been very explicit in perpetuating negativity in us, but I
perceived this as a mere fact that Filipinos must know. "All we had to do
was sit back and watch them stab each other in the back", Arthur McArtur
said. We are our own enemies, and this is the reality.
Overall, this movie is far different on what we usually see on the big
screen, but this film left me thinking on what’s really behind our history.
It is a great improvement to our film industry, and we need more of this.
The casts and the people behind this film outdid themselves. I don’t have
any negative feedback at all because it is very near to perfection, from
the actors, cinematography, dialogue, and everything.
Some scenes might be contradicting to some sources, but its
importance lies on the message and context of the film. It doesn’t
eradicate the reliability of the film because they based it on facts and
minimal manipulations happened because this is a movie and its purpose
are to entertain the audience. Jerrold and his team started to do their
own research and created a script not just based on Kalaw and Joaquin
but on a host of other primary perspectives.
This period movie has parallels with today’s troubling events. The
American forces, the ascending imperial power then, went land-grabbing
and eventually took over the land. Today’s new Chinese imperial power is
starting with some of our islands, and our breath is bated as to what’s
next. Watching this movie will definitely twist your minds and will give
way to new perspectives.
"Kaya na ba ng mga pilipino na marinig ang katotohanan ng hindi
napipikon?" - Apolinario Mabini