Rizal comes to life in Inquirer Read-Along

Over 100 children were thrilled to see Dr. Jose Rizal come to life and urge them to cultivate a passion for learning and love of country in Saturday’s Inquirer Read-Along session.

Actor Cesar Montano, wearing a dark suit and a bowler, channeled the national hero during the read-along’s celebration of Rizal’s 150th birth anniversary.

Also gracing the session were modern-day hero Colonel Raul del Rosario, one of the recent awardees of Metrobank Foundation’s The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers (TOPS), and returning storytellers from Sophia School in Bulacan.

Inquirer columnist John Nery, who is set to launch his book, “Revolutionary Spirit: Jose Rizal in Southeast Asia,” also imparted writing tips to the kids.

Montano kicked off the session with a lively reading of the Filipino translation of the poem, “A La Juventud Filipina (To the Filipino Youth)”  a poem Rizal wrote when he was 18 years old, encouraging the youth to develop themselves and serve the country well.

Acclaimed for his portrayal of Rizal in a 1998 biopic, Montano admitted that he learned to appreciate the hero more while preparing for the film.

“I read a lot of books about him, including his personal diaries.  I was able to understand his life and his passion and I realized that Rizal was a real person and not just some subject you learn about in school,” said Montano, a returning Inquirer Read-Along storyteller.

Montano said he considers Rizal “the guiding light of today’s youth.”

In his heartfelt reading, Montano expounded on certain verses of the poem, and stressed the need for kids to study hard, and care for the country. Montano effectively kept the kids’ attention by asking them to interpret in their own words some lines of the poem.

“A lot of kids now are confused about a lot of things, including our culture and our values and I think that the youth will gain a lot by following his (Rizal’s) example—his love for the country, the importance that he gives to education and his distaste of hypocrisy,” said Montano, who recently finished a documentary on the different kinds of food that were significant in the life of Rizal, called “Piging.”

The documentary, hosted by Montano, will be shown tonight (Sunday) over GMA 7.

‘Courage to write’

Shortly after Montano’s session, Nery shared his experience in writing his book. He said that understanding Rizal’s influence and coming up with a book demanded thorough research. It also required good note-taking skills, and the courage to write—“You should not be afraid of the blank page,” he said.

“But the most important thing I learned from the experience was to set deadlines for yourself,” he added. “Without deadlines, you won’t accomplish anything.”

On the other hand, reading to a group of kids was a new experience for Del Rosario, who read Virgilio Almario’s translation of Jose Rizal’s “Si Pagong at Si Matsing,” which relates how a turtle outwitted a scheming monkey.

“You saw Rizal a while ago, but I’m not the guardia civil,” said Del Rosario, eliciting laughter from the audience.

Sophia School principal Ann Abacan and Sophia School teachers Nerry Denilla and Salie Lorico wrapped up the session with a lively presentation of “Ang Munting Gamugamo,” a story that Rizal learned from his mother. This version was written by Angelita L. Aragon.

The session, hosted by Junior Inquirer writer Ruth Navarra was held in cooperation with Montano’s manager Shirley Pizzaro and Metrobank Foundation’s Jed Angelo. Participants were also organized by St. Anthony of Makati, Virlanie Foundation and the Makati Sporting Association.

The children received copies of “Ang Munting Gamugamo” from Vibal Publishing, as well as copies of “A La Juventud Filipina,” with English and Filipino translations.

The next read-along will be held on June 25 at the Inquirer Library at 1:30 p.m.

Interested participants may call Ellen Caparros or Malou Arboleda at 8978808 ext. 329. Slots are on a first come, first served basis. Schatzi Quodala and Lawrence de Guzman, Inquirer Research; Jessica Santiago and Marz Ragpala, contributors