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We were divided, so they conquered us!

A debacle with myself is what I am having. Should I publish this is the vernacular or should I just publish this in English? I'll just let my thoughts flow. If I think of something in the vernacular, then I would just inject it.

When I was a little girl I wondered why we weren't just annexed to the US of A because a lot of my countrymen were dying to get a US Visa anyway.

My formative years were spent in the USA and I memorized "I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag..." first before I learned about the "Panatang Makabayan" so I was one of those who were complaining why we didn't remain a Commonwealth or something.

There was a time that I was even ashamed to be called Filipino. I kept apologizing for her mistakes and all that, not knowing that the main fault of my country's children is the fact that not all of us are nationalistic. The ones that are not nationalistic, which included me for the longest time, contribute to the downfall of our nation alongside the lack of discipline.If we have discipline, like if more of us would just care for the environment and all, then I don't think we should worry about flood and our drainage system.

My being aware of what happened in history sort of changed my views through the years, but nothing opened my eyes more than all the tales of Heneral Luna, most especially this 2015 biopic by Jerrold Tarog.

There was something Heneral Luna said that wrenched my heart when he was reminded that Filipinos put families first, "It's also our downfall(or weakness)." ...sila din ang ating kahinaan.

Heneral Luna's bark is louder and fiercer than his bite. He only kills during battle. If he truly killed just because of a whim, then he would have killed Capt. Janolino et al and whatever happened to him in Nueva Ecija never would have happened.

John Arcilla as Gen. Antonio Luna is perfect for the role. Of course, for cinematic purposes, they added some drama to history, but almost everything that happened in the story has historical basis. Mr. Arcilla delivered his lines well. When I was studying about the legendary General, I had a picture in my mind about his movements and all. It was as if Heneral Antonio Luna possessed John Arcilla making the latter the hero himself. I first admired this thespian when I watched him on stage as Simon and Jose Rizal(Ryan Cayabyab's trilogy---Cynthia Patag was Paulita in El Fili---I was impressed with her too). For me, he was not only handsome, but he played any part so well. He added soul and spirit to his characters. He becomes them. I know, I know, I am indeed repeating myself, but that's just how good he is. I couldn't stop crying when they were beating him(Heneral Luna) to death and I knew that it was just his will to live that made him live a little longer. It was such a brutal scene, but it's written in the annals of our history(redundant again). In the movie my favorite scene was when it was a full moon and he was playing the guitar...it was intense!

Mon Confiado as Pres. Emilio Aguinaldo Yes, Mon Confiado is a very good actor as well. There were times that he didn't even have to say much, but he delivered. His character is the antihero in this biopic(If Antonio Luna is an antihero, does that make him a hero?). A lot of the historians say that his depiction here is very accurate. Of course, our family friends would not want their grandfather or great grandfather(Their great great grandmother's---Trinidad Famy Aguinaldo--- "Ano, humihinga pa ba yan?"was recorded in history books and there were a LOT of scared witnesses) being thought of that way, but... in any case, they could probably reason that it's the part where fiction starts. (It's also written in our history books that he was the one who the Americans "blamed" for Heneral Antonio Luna's death. He denied this until his final breath.) -This portion was updated on September 24, 2015(To be fair, a link to a post of a cousin of our family friends was added.)

Jeffrey "Epi" Quizon as Apolinario Mabini (credited as Epy Quizon) I am not trying to put down or insult all the actors that played the SUBLIME PARALYTIC ahead of him and some of them did great too, but watching Epi on the big screen as the great and wise hero made me and my companions say that the role was tailor-made for Epi(Epy). His eyes were very expressive. He was torn and it was shown. He was able to convey to the audience/spectators what his thoughts were through his eyes.

Arron Villaflor as Joven Hernando- I have followed the career of this young man from the very start. I may not be his biggest fan, but I must say, I know a talented person when I see one. He is versatile. He could be kind, sweet and thoughtful, but he could also be evil to the core. Here he plays one of Heneral Luna's biographers. He got to have several heart-to-heart talks with the General and he even experienced first hand the different battles. Arron Villaflor as Joven had lots of great moments in this biopic. He became the voice of the General even after his death. He knew that the General may be brusque, but he also knew that he did not kill helpless people. If he really wanted to kill the playful leader(Capt. Janolino as played by Ketchup Eusebio)then he would've...

Archie Alemania as Capt. Eduardo Rusca gives his best performance ever(so far). I'm at a loss for words.

Joem Bascon as Col. Paco Roman---this is a person I truly admire for his acting. I guess it's because he lives the life of the character and gets totally immersed in his role. He gets better and better each day and he has proven it here.

Alvin Anson as Gen. Jose Alejandrino (He is more than his sister's brother. He is in a class of his own...he definitely delivered "here")

Nonie Buencamino as Felipe Buencamino---What can I say? Any role suits him to a T. He always gives his best and needless to say, he also gave his best here. You know how effective he was? I wanted to throw my shoes at him at one point, but I also understood his "plight"

Paulo Avelino as Gen. Gregorio "Goyong" /"Goyo" Del Pilar (I can't wait for The Battle of Tirad Pass---I think that's the next one that is going to be shown soon)---How was he? He was good, but I'm sure he was reserving his energy for Tirad Pass. :-) He definitely also a very versatile actor. (Stay until AFTER the credits)

Alex Medina as Capt. Jose Bernal---it runs in the family. They are all great actors(they are great individually too)

Ronnie Lazaro as Lt. Garcia (Hats off!)

Mylene Dizon as Isabel ---I like Mylene Dizon. She's good as a bad girl, she could be sultry too and she could be like a timid lamb. Here, she plays the General's lover quite well.

“Mas malaki ang responsibilidad natin sa digmaang ito kesa sa damdamin natin sa isa’t isa.” – (Nicolasa Pamintuan Dayrit a.k.a. Isabel)

Ketchup Eusebio as Capt. Janolino---I am highlighting his name because he did more than well here. He played a very hateful person as hateful as hateful could be. He made me want to travel in time just to kick Janolino.

Bing Pimentel as Doña Laureana Luna :-D Her short role was very meaningful

Art Acuña as Col. Manuel Bernal (Oh my gosh. I keep on repeating myself, but what can I do? All the major players(the bit players did fine too) are such versatile actors and he's one of them!)

Leo Martinez as Pedro Paterno (He is one of the producers of this film, but he didn't put it in his head. He is a vital member of the cast and he acted well.

Lorenz Martinez as Gen. Tomas Mascardo---is a person you would want to hate. This theater actor/musician/showbiz royalty is a chameleon. Here, he became General Mascardo himself.

Benjamin Alves as Maj. Manuel L. Quezon (cameo)---he will probably have a bigger role in the sequel.

Romcel Musa as Gen. Arthur MacArthur Jr. I really o he was played by Miguel Faustman...are you sure, Wikipedia? Whether he's really Romcel Musa or Miguel Faustman, he did well here.