(36) Santiago, Benjamin Jeremiah S.

September 2, 2017
1A-MT

Reflective Essay: Museum Visit

Looking back at the 19th century through the museum, I was able to see how the Spanish
ruled the country entirely, and how unfairly they treated the Filipinos. The museum, through
videos, artefacts, augmented reality, and most importantly, the museum guide, displayed
accurately the events that gave birth to the Katipunan.

The pure-blood Filipinos in the 19th century were treated as the lowest class of citizens at
that time. They were not given most of the basic rights of a citizen. Mainly, they were not given
the right to study, which in that time, meant almost everything because without education, it is
unlikely to find a decent line of work. Native Filipinos eventually got fed up with the unfair
treatment, thus the revolution. Hearing about the events and practices during the time of the
rebellion, it gave me a sense of nationalism, a nationalism that was very much on fire with
Bonifacio and the other Katipuneros. They are a shining example of what it means to fight or
even die for the Filipino people. They may have lost the war, however they will always be in the
history books as the people who up to the Spanish regime and paved the way for Filipinos to be
independent.

When I think of the patriotism in our country today, it seems as if the country has lost
that passion and spirit that the Katipuneros displayed in the 19 th century. The youth, especially,
are a major part of this, it is something that even I plead guilty to. Where most of the time, I
don’t have a genuine sense of nationalism, where seeing the current hardships of the Philippines
made me feel more pity than love for the nation. However, the change that we want to see must
be fought for by the people with the same passion as the Katipuneros, and that passion will only
come from the right kind of love. Which is why we have museums such as the Katipunan
Museum to look back to, so we can relive our roots of our nationalism. The museum gave me a
clear picture again of the oneness of the Filipinos, as they drew blood to pledge allegiance to
their people, and died to fight for their freedom. Coming out of the museum, I am reminded of
how I ought to love the Philippines, and I believe the youth should be reminded of it as well.