UNCENSORED
By MANUEL L. MORATÓ
Attention: National Bookstore
I’d like to call the attention of the National Bookstore management why it takes them years to report and pay for books consigned to them? I’ve been consigning with them my book on “Jose Rizal – Filipino Doctor and Patriot” which I published in 1981 and released the same year. My office took pains in delivering the books to the different outlets and branches of the National Bookstore within the city, something we had done from way back; and things went well. Some 27 branches we consigned to them since April 2016.
I am curious to find out why the sudden change in the way the National Bookstore, main office, is handling things now. They don’t accept calls to ask simple questions as to when we can pick up the payments for copies sold. Neither are we told what we can do; and when to send my staff to their office. As I was told, everything is centralized to their main office I don’t recall where. Not for anything, I just want to get my books back, sale or no sale. Before I do that, let me thank Mr. Orlando Grullo for finally emailing my office about the status on my books consigned to the National Bookstore. I will write them a letter on how I can withdraw my books on “Jose Rizal” consigned to them since April 2016.
Let me explain about the book written by Dr. Jose Baron-Fernandez, a Spaniard – a medical doctor, historian, researcher, investigator of documents, and author of many books; and a multi awarded author/researcher internationally. For the first time, this book reveals unedited documents found in the classified section of the archives in Spain.
Our former Secretary of the Department of Education during the Marcos regime, Dr. Onofre Corpuz, whom I did not know; an intellectual and an historian, told me in a phone call that he stayed in the Vera Reyes Publishing (the printing press that first published the book in 1981) waiting for the first copy to come out that night in 1981. He was so interested to see the book. He gave me a call a few days after that he was so impressed with the book and told me over the phone: “Mr. Morato, it’s the most documented book on Jose Rizal, the most complete, the most comprehensive and the ultimate book on Jose Rizal.”
I did not know nor have I ever met then Minister Onofre Corpuz of then Ministry of Education, Culture & Sports. After the call he made to me, I received a letter from him that he would make the book the official textbook in school for the books used on Rizal were based on hearsay and portrays Jose Rizal as not a great man for the Dominican priests of the University of Sto. Tomas and Letran wanted the authors to portray Jose Rizal as a womanizer and a lesser man for going against the Spanish friars. Rizal never fought the Catholic Church, but only those bad friars.
Doctor Jose Baron-Fernandez researched on Jose Rizal for 20 years in Mexico, London, Paris, Germany and in the secret archives in Spain; including the documents he found in the secret archives in Spain where he saw a document sealed by the Spanish government about the assassination attempt on Jose Rizal in Dapitan. It came out for the first time. It’s on page 268 where a priest, Padre Gerardo, orders a certain Namanan to kill Jose Rizal in Dapitan. Padre Gerardo was Cebu based and paid Namanan 70 pesos to kill Rizal. But Namanan returned to Cebu and gave back the 70 pesos to Padre Gerardo, (if I remember correctly, a Recolect priest) and told the priest that he could not do it for Jose Rizal was a very good man; fed him and made him stay in his house in Dapitan.
Jose Rizal never denied the existence of God. He died a true Christian believing on the existence of God; but recognized that there were bad friars who were abusing our people and country.
It is a fact that most of the so-called priests sent by Spain to the colonies such as the South American countries including the Philippines, Mexico and Central America were not true priests but most were erring priests from the Northern part of Spain, the Basque region, who were not at all “holy.” Spain sent to the colonies the unwanted erring priests and “deported” them to the colonies to get rid of them.
To sum it up on what the book is all about: One, that Jose Rizal was not a womanizer. He fell in love very easily. But a letter found in the archives in London when Jose Rizal left for Paris that says it all. He fell in love with Gertrude Beckett, an English girl. Jose Rizal left for Paris and wrote her a letter from Paris saying: “I would rather leave you than to destroy your virginal love.”
Jose Rizal had a pact with his only brother Paciano that only one of them would get married while the other will dedicate in fighting for the country. There were only two boys in the family, Paciano and Jose; and nine sisters.
It is very clear that love of country reigned on Jose Rizal that prevented him from getting married for his mission was to save his country first and foremost. Maybe marriage could have come much later had his mission been accomplished. After all, he died at only age 33 years old.
Yes, he easily fell in love with women from different countries he went to. But before the relationship turned serious, he left for another country because his foremost mission was to save his beloved country – Las Islas Filipinas. Getting married would be a violation of the pact with his older brother Paciano; and foremost, would defeat his primary mission of saving this country from the clutches of evil friars, which the King of Spain knew nothing about what was truly going on because of misinformation sent to him; and the distance.
Let me sum it up: This book on Jose Rizal can teach our people love of country; love and respect of parents; honesty and integrity adhering to principles. I bought the intellectual property of this book in 1979 in Spain, including the documents buried in the secret archives in Spain for a hundred years.
I own the book and I could have put my name as its author. But I decided to give credit to its author Dr. Jose Baron-Fernandez because he claimed that his race did Jose Rizal a great injustice in executing Jose Rizal; that he was a greater hero than Lincoln of the United States and a Gandhi of India for he suffered more to save his country.
Jose Rizal never retracted.
P.S. I bought 3 books from Dr. Jose Baron-Fernandez which complete the entire history of the Philippines since 1521: “Cavite Mutiny of 1872”; “Emilio Aguinaldo” and “Jose Rizal – Filipino Doctor and Patriot.”
Because of the years I spent in government service, I was not able to attend to the other two books: “Cavite Mutiny of 1872” has been translated from Spanish to English which, hopefully, I can soon attend to its publication and release. Fully documented and the first book on the Mutiny which we do not know the truth what really happened.
When I find the time, I will attend to the “Emilio Aguinaldo.”
As I said, all the 3 books researched and authored by Dr. Jose Baron-Fernandez are fully supported by documents we never saw nor heard of before.
For comments and suggestions email at mlmorato@yahoo.com