“…The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple…” –Proverbs 19:7
Who is Pedro Bucaneg? That question came to mind while looking for something to write about. It came after seeing a tweet showing various national artists holding copies of a book written by another national artist, Virgilio Almario. The book, entitled “Bakit Kailangan Natin si Pedro Bucaneg?” (Why do we need Pedro Bucaneg?) got me thinking about the aforementioned question. Why would a giant of Philippine literature like Virgilio Almario write such a book?
I have yet to get a copy of the book but I did some research and found out Bucaneg was a great poet of the Ilocano language despite being born blind. He authored one of two great folk epic stories of the Philippines, which was printed during the Spanish era, “Life Story of Lam-Ang.”
As I see it, Bucaneg played an extremely important role in the history of the Philippines – not only in literature and art. His life and literary creations showed the high caliber status of Philippine culture and arts, especially in relation to poetry, music, and written and oral stories – all before any foreign colonizer, like the Spaniards, ever set foot in the country.
Bucaneg’s life was an eloquent and resounding affirmation of the innate intelligence of Filipino natives. Filipinos became civilized and refined not because of the influence of foreign masters but by their innate talent and intellect.
Bucaneg is evidence that we, native Filipinos, were already a civilized nation before foreign invaders arrived with their malevolent designs. Since we were undoubtedly civilized already, it wouldn’t be fair and truthful to say we were “discovered” when foreigners came to our shores.
Looking closely at “Life Story of Lam-Ang,” it is easily understood the Filipino race was, in reality, already possessed with heart-filled love for our parents, vibrant courage, and overflowing wisdom.
“Life Story of Lam-Ang,” as Bucaneg wrote, teaches us that Filipinos, even before being introduced to the Bible, were already vested with stories – fiction or otherwise – that paralleled stories from the Bible.
Present-day Filipinos need Bucaneg and his literary masterpieces to realize their true worth and nature as empowered citizens from the very beginning of our race. Filipinos are a truly formed great race whose greatness was destroyed foreign invaders for their own selfish interests.
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