MINGMING, VELMARIE A.

BSND - 1A
RPH: REACTION PAPER

GOYO: THE BOY GENERAL

The true to life historical film Goyo: The Boy General tells about the American-Philippine War
1899-1902, the accurate insight of Gregorio “Goyo” Del Pilar as the youngest general during the
Revolutionary Government, and how Filipinos fight for the country's freedom.

Glad I am that I have already watched the prequel, Heneral Luna, before jumping to this film. I
watched it a long time ago, but wasn't able to watch Goyo because of the time shortage. Thus,
to watch it as a requirement for our subject delighted me.

In the first part of the movie, I understood the narration. I was impressed that I have not yet
forgotten about Heneral Luna, and how he got murdered by President Emilio Aguinaldo
because of a misunderstanding caused by Aguinaldo's fanatic followers. Filipinos fell a lot of
times during the American Revolution because of the unity crisis. “Hindi dapat malaman ng mga
Americano na hindi tayo nagkaka-isa,” as Mabini said for this will be a great weapon to the
Americans against us, despising our own country men, and later grew hatred that leads to
wrong path - defeat.

Goyo is truly good-looking in the movie, but I do not like how he kept all the love letters in his
pouch knowing that he is flirting with Remedios.
“Tandaan mo kung sino ka,” I believe Goyo could have been a better soldier. Only that he
looked up so much to Aguinaldo, as his president, that he forgot his own principles, he became
a slave of his own faithfulness, and forgot who he really is and what he is fighting for. I'm also
disappointed how he was able to ignore signs of war, and how he is constantly being absorbed
in his own thoughts and fears, causing him to lose grip in the middle of war.

Mabini's and Jovan (fictional character) insights and perspective about our country during
historical-era is first-rate. I like that they continued to look for the country's freedom even after
Luna's death. Luna contributed a great courage to fight for the Philippines' freedom.

I felt sad for the Bernal brothers when they got executed, as I knew they were Luna's men with
principle and passion seeking for the country's freedom.

Goyo's brother, Julian, is also blinded with what they have with Goyo, and leading them to
tragedy, which disappointed me. If only he encourage his younger brother correctly not
constantly reminding Goyo of what he had achieved, of how people look at him, but the right
way such not reminding him as “Goyo the Eagle” but as “Goyo, a great Filipino soldier, with own
principle and view for freedom's progress.”

I despise Aguinaldo. He killed Luna, and he has no principles. He only seeks for survival, he
only cares about his family and his life that he became a useless coward leading Filipinos to
turn their back against him – if only he led the country better, he might have not lost his own
dignity over selfish comfort.

America was plastic during those times, America was cruel like Spain. America acted as
Philippines’ ally during the Spanish colonial period but then behind this was the hidden agenda
of colonizing the Philippines after Spaniards’ years – a plastic friend, if we applied it in real life –
a blessing in disguise. Therefore, because of the film, I was enlightened to be more cautious of
whom I'm trusting to, the Luna-Aguinaldo case is a great example. I should grip my thoughts
well, too, and focus on life to prevent such loss in the middle of struggles. Everyone have their
own perspective and thinking process which they believe to be the best and Goyo was okay that
he choose to consider the point of others but his mistake was that he only considered one
thought, Aguinaldo's, which dropped his own authenticity and his essence as an individual and
I’m so frustrated that only at the end that he was awaken out of his cage of thoughts about his
real essence and goal as a soldier. Accurate it is because when he found his track again and
said “tapusin na natin to-” was also the time he got exiled.