GomBurZa Reminds Us Who Sparked the Philippine Revolution
GomBurZa was a film that I knew I needed to watch. It was mostly because I expected a lot from its director, Pepe Diokno. GomBurZa is a 2023 Philippine historical biographical film co-written and directed by Pepe Diokno. It stars Dante Rivero, Cedrick Juan, and Enchong Dee. It is a historical film that follows the life of GomBurZa. They are three native Filipino Roman Catholic priests, who were executed during the Spanish Colonial Era. They are known in Philippine history as heroes.
Before this, I used to think that the Philippine revolution began with Jose Rizal writing Noli Me Tangere *(Sorry to my teachers). But the film reminded me that it began with these three priests, who were judged unfairly. They were tried as criminals because of their race and being born in native land, but they had some Spanish Blood! They were innocent men who were executed to scare the natives, or for political reasons. But these three priests, GomBurZa, were the men who inspired our national heroes. Their deaths sparked the Philippine revolution. Without them our ancestors would not have awakened. But I wonder how many times a hero needs to die in order for us to awaken?
The death of Don Pedro made me realize that good people in our history had to go through hardships, so that the next generation could awaken. It is sad that there are people suffering and they don’t know the reason why. It is only later revealed that the next generations would learn from such misfortunes. Padre Gomez quoted Romans 8:18: Our present suffering cannot be compared to glory that will be revealed to us.
It was also repeatedly mentioned in the movie that Filipinos are very unlucky. It was said that those born on this island never experienced swerte or luck. It seems to feel that way before and until now. Now, there is us, living here, waiting for our country to progress. We try our best to be positive but, in the end, it becomes too much that Filipinos leave. I sometimes wonder if there is someone we should blame for our misery? What do politicians say causes us to be poor?
Imagine there was a time when we were second class citizens in our native land. I recall watching General Luna and seeing this scene wherein Filipinos marched to fight. It reminded me that our ancestors fought so that we can be recognized as Filipinos. They wanted to be recognized. Now, here we are and we can call ourselves Filipinos. Even those who leave the country can still call themselves Filipinos. It was said in the film “Filipino is no longer just a word. It is a nation.”
One character and person that I find important is Paciano. He is important in our history. He should be recognized as a hero as well. He loved our country and fought for it. He influenced his brother, Jose Rizal, and he later took part in the revolution. I mean who can say he witnessed the beginning of the revolution and took part until its end.
Our ancestors might have not gotten the victory but over time we have achieved what they had dreamt of. It was a slow process but we got there. There are times a lot of us think it’s not great to be Filipino, but I want to be called one. It’s who I am. I was born Filipino and I believe there’s a reason for me to be one.
