24 July 2014 - The Philippine Consulate General in New York held a Tertulia on July 17 at the Philippine Center’s Kalayaan Hall to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Apolinario Mabini.
Attended by around 70 participants, the tertulia consisted of a reading of Mabini’s important work, “The True Decalogue”, and a sharing of perspectives on him as the first Secretary of Foreign Affairs, the “Sublime Paralytic” and a Batangueño, and how his work remains relevant today.
Prof. Luis Francia, a Filipino professor at Hunter’s University and author of numerous books including “A History of the Philippines: from Indios Bravos to Filipinos,” gave an overview of Mabini as a person. He highlighted Mabini’s humble beginnings and his important presence during the formative months of the Philippine Republic after the declaration of its independence on 12 June 1898. He depicted Mabini as brilliant and erudite despite his peasant origins, a man who had grand hopes for the republic grounded on strong principles of independence and love of country.
Philippine Consul General Mario L. de Leon Jr. shared his perspective on Mabini’s life as a civil servant and a diplomat, played out in his role as adviser to President Emilio Aguinaldo until his assumption as Secretary of Foreign Affairs. He articulated how he laid down the principles of an independent foreign policy, and how his work focused on diplomacy, marine matters and commerce.
Other resource speakers were Ms. Lorli Villanueva, an actress and person with disability (PWD), who shared her thoughts on Mabini as a paralytic; Ms. Maria Luisa Wallenstein, a lawyer who, speaking in typical Batangas accent, shared snippets of Mabini’s wisdom; and Mr. Mark Densing, a second generation Filipino-American youth who talked about how Mabini’s values and principles remained relevant today. Madame Fe Cabactulan and Ms. Arianne Recto read the True Decalogue in Tagalog and English.
The evening’s entertainment consisted of vocal renditions by Ms. Kay Habana, a classically trained singer who hails from Batangas, and Mr. Geuel Royce Maranan Penalosa, also a Batangas talent who happens to be a direct descendant of Mabini. END