CRITIQUE

PAPER OF
GOYO
Monaliza R. Reyes
BT102
THE FIRST THING THAT YOU WITNESS IN WATCHING THE FILM, GOYO: ANG
BATANG HENERAL, IS HOWFLAWED WE FILIPINOS AND OUR LEADERS ARE.
THOUGH MANY OF US ADMIT THAT WE ARE DISAPPOINTED ABOUTHOW OUR
HISTORIC EVENTS TURNED OUT TO BE, MANY HIDDEN MESSAGES WERE
DEPICTED AND ARE TO BE LEARNEDIN THE STORY. I WOULD LIKE TO START
WITH THE CHARACTER OF JOVEN, WHO IS A FICTIONAL CHARACTER THAT
WETHOUGHT WAS ONLY CREATED TO BE THE STORYTELLER WHO WITNESSED
THE WARS. BUT ON A SCENE WHERE HEWAS TALKING WITH HIS UNCLE THE
PHOTOGRAPHER ABOUT NOT KNOWING WHAT HE COULD LEARN FROM THESE
PEOPLE AROUND HIM, HIS UNCLE SIMPLY SAID, “E DI MATUTO KA SA MGA
PAGKAKAMALI NILA.” THIS IS WHAT WE FILIPINOS SHOULD DO AT THIS
MOMENT IN FACING THE ADVERSARIES WE SEE TODAY. I SEE THE ENTIRE
FILIPINO GENERATION TODAY IN JOVEN’S CHARACTER WHO IS JUST WATCHING
EVENTS UNFOLD BEFORE HIS EYESAND GOING WITH THE WINDS WHEREVER IT
TAKES HIM. BEING MERE BYSTANDERS WHILE THE COUNTRY CRUMBLES, HAS
BECOME AN INHERITED TRAIT FROM OUR FOREFATHERS. THIS COULD ALSO BE
SEEN ESPECIALLY WITH OUR PRESIDENT NOWADAYS THAT WHILE OUR
ECONOMY IS DEPRECIATING IN VALUE, HE JUST LETS HIS MANAGERS DOTHE
WORK WHICH CONTRIBUTED NOTHING, WHILE HE SHUTS TRILLANES WITH AN
AMNESTY AND A CONFLICT STARTS BETWEEN THE TWO. THAT INSTEAD OF
FOCUSING ON THE REAL PROBLEMS OF OUR COUNTRY, OUR LEADERS WORRY
MORE ABOUT THE “POLITICS” IN THE HIERARCHICAL SYSTEM, TRYING TO
ELIMINATE PEOPLE THAT DO NOT STANDWITH THE PRESIDENT’S VIEWS AND
PRINCIPLES. RODRIGO DUTERTE IS THE MODERN EMILIO AGUINALDO OF THIS
CENTURY, WHO INSTEAD OF HELPING THE PHILIPPINES RISE UP TO GREATNESS,
HE ATTACKS HIS PEOPLE ESPECIALLYTHE POOR THROUGH HIS ORDER OF
EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS, WHILE THOSE IN POWER WHO ARE REALLY THE
ROOTSTO THE DRUGS STAY UNTOUCHED UNTIL NOW. LIKE EMILIO AGUINALDO,
HE NEVER REALLY TOOK CARE OF HIS PEOPLE AND ONLY CARES ABOUT
MAINTAINING THE PEOPLE’S LOYALTY TO HIM. BECAUSE HE DID NOT CARE
FORHIS PEOPLE, THE PEOPLE WILL ALSO NOT CARE FOR HIM WHO LEADS THE
COUNTRY.

SIMPLY PUT, THE REVOLUTIONIN 1899 - 1902 AGAINST THE AMERICANS FAILED
BECAUSE OF WRONG LEADING OF OUR GOVERNMENT ANDLEADERS. AND WE
MAY FAIL AGAIN AS A COUNTRY BY CHOOSING THE WRONG LEADERS WHO
GOVERN OUR ACTIONS, BLINDLY LISTENING TO OUR OWN PRINCIPLES AND
FORGETTING WHO WE ARE. THERE WAS A SCENE IN THE MOVIE WHEN MANUEL
BERNAL WAS CAPTURED AND TRIES TO BULLY GOYOSAYING THAT HE IS
MERELY A DOG OF THE PRESIDENT. THAT BECAUSE OF HIS LOYALTY TO THE
PRESIDENT HEFORGOT TO FOLLOW HIS OWN THOUGHTS, PRINCIPLES, AND
MORALS. I CONCUR THAT IT IS DEPICTED THAT EMILIOAGUINALDO WAS JUST
AN IDOL TO BE ADMIRED BY HIS PEOPLE. HE BECAME ABOVE THE PEOPLE LIKE
AN IDOLOR A GOD TO BE WORSHIPED, BUT WHAT WE REALLY NEED IS A
LEADER THAT IS EQUAL TO US AND CAN BUILD THECOUNTRY THROUGH
STRONG TEAMWORK WITH HIS FELLOW MEMBERS AND A COMMON GOAL OF
RISING AS ACOUNTRY. SETTING ASIDE THE PERSONAL GAINS AND SACRIFICING
FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF THE COUNTRY. THISWAS THE MISTAKE THAT OUR
HEROES HAVE MADE THAT IS MOST LIKELY TO HAPPEN AGAIN IN THE
PRESENTNATIONAL LEADERSHIP IF WE DO NOT BECOME ONE AS A COUNTRY.
WE SHOULD NOT HIDE FROM THE SHAME WE’VE COMMITTED ON OURSELVES BY
CHOOSING LEADERS THAT ARE MORE “PRIVILEDGED” AND “TOUGH,” AND
IGNORING OR OUSTING THOSE WHO HAVE THE ABILITY TO CHANGE THE
COUNTRY FOR THE BETTER. THROUGHOUT HISTORY, IT WERE FILIPINOS WHO
KILLED THEIR GREATLEADERS THAT COULD LEAD THEM TO FREEDOM AND
INDEPENDENCE BECAUSE OF THE FEAR OF THAT THEIR PASSION, VISION, AND
AMBITION TO MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE HAPPEN IS UNDERSTATED. THAT IS
FREEDOM. THAT BECAUSEOF OUR OWN SELFISH WAYS, IT RESULTED TO THE
HUNDREDS OF YEARS OF SLAVERY AND COLONIZATION. IN THEMOVIE, I
REMEMBER ONE CHARACTER SAYING THAT FILIPINOS MOSTLY CARE ABOUT
THEIR FAMILIES FIRST. BUTSACRIFICING FAMILY FOR THE COUNTRY IS NOT AN
IDEA THAT THE FILIPINOS AGREE WITH. THOUGH IT IS A TRAITTHAT IS TO BE
ADMIRED BY OTHERS, IT HAS ALSO CAUSED OUR DOWNFALL. BUT MAYBE IT
WAS NEVER REALLY ATRAIT OF “FAMILY ORIENTEDNESS,” BUT OF FEAR OF
GOING INTO THE UNKNOWN KNOWING YOUR LIFE IS FRAGILE. EVEN GOYO IS
SEEN AS SCARED MANY TIMES BECAUSE HE REMEMBERS AGAIN AND AGAIN
THAT HIS LIFE IS ONTHE LINE AND HE IS JUST A MORTAL. FEAR WAS GREAT.

AND FILIPINOS WOULD RATHER CHANGE THEIR COSTUMESFROM A PHILIPPINE

SOLDIER TO A LOWLY FILIPINO AND RUN FOR THEIR LIVES. GINHAWA KESA
DIGNIDAD.HISTORY WAS MADE NOT JUST FOR APPRECIATION OR
PRESERVATION BUT AS A GUIDE TO KNOW WHEREWE CAME FROM AND LEARN
FROM THE MISTAKES OF THE PAST. AMERICANS HAVE WON THE PHILIPPINE-
AMERICAN WAR NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE STRONGER AND HAD MORE
WEAPONS, BUT THEY SIMPLY JUST SIT BACKAND WATCH AS WE FILIPINOS STAB
AND KILL EACH OTHER IN THE BACK. THAT BECAUSE WE WERE NOT ONE
WITHALL THE OTHERS, IT CREATED OUR DOOM. GOYO AND HENERAL LUNA
DIED, AND SO WAS THE COURAGE ANDDIGNITY OF THE FILIPINOS.IT WAS ALSO
SEEN IN THE MOVIE THAT BOTH FILIPINOS AND AMERICANS USED MEMBERS OF
THE ETHNICTRIBES ON THE MOUNTAINS AS THEIR GUIDE BUT TREATED THEM
WRONGLY AND TIED THEM. WE SHOULD NOT TREAT
THESE PEOPLE AS IF THEY ARE SOMEONE LOWER THAN WE ARE FOR THEY HAVE
MORE CULTURE AND HEART THANTHE MODERN FILIPINOS. LET US HELP THEM
AS THEY HAVE HELPED US IN MANY WAYS. AND AS FOR THEAMERICANS WHO
MANIPULATED FILIPINOS BY GIVING FALSE PEACE AND FREEDOM, WE SHOULD
LEARN TO TAKECONTROL OF OUR COUNTRY THAN HAVE FOREIGNERS USING
OUR COUNTRY FOR BUSINESS AND DOMINION.WHEN PEOPLE IN THE HIGHER
RANKS DO JUST LITTLE ACTIONS TO HELP THE COUNTRY, IT IS
ALREADYCONSIDERED NEGLIGENCE TO THE PEOPLE. WRONG LEADERSHIP
RESULTS TO A DETERIORATING COUNTRY. MAYBEIT IS TRUE THAT THEY CALL
US CHILDREN, FOR WE GET CONFUSED AND FORGET OUR RESPONSIBILITIES FOR
LIFE PLEASURES. BUT THE THEME OF THE MOVIE WAS NEVER REALLY TO MAKE
FILIPINOS LOOK BAD AND DEFEATED BUT IT REVOLVES AROUND THE QUOTE,
“TANDAAN MO KUNG SINO KA,” WHICH WAS THE PHRASE JULIAN DEL PILAR
ALWAYS REMINDS GOYO WHEN HE IS LOST AND AFRAID. WE TOO SHOULD
REMIND OURSELVES WITH THIS QUOTE.TO COME BACK TO OUR ROOTS.
REMEMBER OUR PURPOSE, NATIONALITY, HISTORY, AND CULTURES. WE
NEEDTIME FOR SELF-REFLECTION, KNOWING WHAT MISTAKES WERE MADE AND
LEARNING FROM THESE. IT IS TIME TOREMEMBER THAT WE ARE FILIPINOS.