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Ever since before, history has always been a favorite subject of mine. Stories of the past

were like fairytales to me, even if it’s tragic, because I always found it fascinating and

interesting. I’ve always loved hearing and reading stories concerning the past of the human race.

Stories like these served as a springboard for my fantasies when I was just a child. It provided

me with the ideas and images I needed every time I fantasized of myself living in the past and

think that I’m a princess, not only when I was a child but also now. It was always interesting for

me to know how the people of the past lived and analyze how the series of events that happened

in the past influenced the present time. Once, I saw a documentary about the Romanov royal

family, I was so amazed by it that I scoured the internet for articles pertaining to this subject and

only when I was finally able to internalize the details that I stopped. However, the way history

was written in textbooks and taught in my elementary and high school years made me lose

interest in history and I wavered in my quest of knowing all there is to know of the past. That is

why when I read Looking Back I found myself once again captivated by the wondrous stories of

humanity that lies in history. Although I love history, I was more focused on the history of other

nations. Topics pertaining to Philippine studies such as its history were always repeated in

discussions during elementary and high school, just like a broken record.

Looking back is the first book in the Looking Back series written by Ambeth R. Ocampo.

He is a certified public historian who focused his study on the art, food, culture and the people

who starred in the birth of the nation of the Philippines during the 19th

century. This book series

that I’m talking about is a compilation of the essays that were originally written in the Philippine

Daily Globe in the late 1980’s (Ocampo, 2010)1. Actually, this is the second out of the five

books from the book series written by Mr. Ocampo that I read. The second of the book series,

Dirty Dancing was the first book I read but when I finally decided which book to review I chose

Looking Back. Just like what the title implies, the book is all about looking back into the past to

see the beauty of the Philippine history. I have never been really interested in Filipino history

before I read it, but this book changed my outlook on this subject and added to my fascination of

history.

1 Ocampo, A. R. (2010). Looking Back . Pasig City: Anvil Publishing, Inc.

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When I first saw the book I was perplexed by how thin it was because I was expecting a

thick book just like any other history book I saw in the past. Although it didn’t took much time to

read the book, every minute of the time I spent reading it was worth it. It was full of witty and

humorous words that gave light to the stories written. I truly enjoyed reading it because it made

me laugh hard and at the same time learn facts about our history that I didn’t knew beforehand.

It’s very obvious that Dr. Ocampo made an arduous research in order to write the articles in the

book. His keen observations, the ability to see small details of our history, things that we often

overlooked, made his books more informative and entertaining than most of the history books

that I’ve encountered in the past. Moreover, in this particular book series he did not only focus

on a single concept or topic. Unlike other historical books, Dr. Ocampo did not limit his articles

with historical, political or social figures like national heroes. The compilation of Dr. Ocampo’s

essays in the Looking Back series contained an array of articles ranging from tragic love stories

to names of Filipinos, Filipino cuss words, personalities of our national heroes and other

overlooked important facts of history. It’s a handy book full of entertaining and informative facts

which is definitely worth the time to read. In the book Looking Back, there are seventeen topics

contained, brimming with details and juicy information. When you get to read the book, prepare

to be shocked and astounded with the things you will learn. It will be just like reading gossip

from a magazine.

The seventeen articles contained in the book were entitled: “Gregorio del Pilar was a

Playboy”, “A song for Quezon’s girlfriend”, “The governor and the feminist”, “MacArthur and

Dimples”, “The Sad Hidalgo-Yrritia Affair”, “Manuel L. Quezon, The Way He Was”, “The Hot-

blooded Antonio Luna”, “Rumors Distort History”, “Lopez Jaena, the Forgotten

Hero”,“Recuerdos de Patay”, “There’s this woman named Circuncision”, “Ay, Monai!”,

“Filipino Cuss Words”, “How much for the Mamon?”, “Did Japan Offer to buy the

Philippines?”, “We could have been a German Colony”, “King of Belgium failed to buy the

Philippines”, “A country that had many names”, “Namese, places, and some changes”, “The last

word on Maynila”, “The “Mala Caña” in Malacañang?”, “Who was Juan Luna’s La

Bulaqueña?”, “Who did Luna pass off as his wife?”, “A king visited RP and Fell in love”, “This

diplomat stood up his fiancée”, “Who is Balagtas’ Celia” and lastly, “Andres Bonifacio’s Brave

Widow”.

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The book contains shocking information that allows the readers to see the human side of

the well-known national figures. One of the famous national heroes described is General

Gregorio del Pilar, also called Heneral Goyo. Ocampo reiterated what a playboy Gregorio del

Pilar was and the said “true” story of how he died during the Battle of Tirad Pass. It was said

that GDP had a sweetheart in every town he passed. In addition, evidences show that before

Heneral Goyo died at a young age, he left a trail of broken hearts. Moreover, based on the

Spanish soldier who claimed he was a part of Heneral Goyo’s army, the general did not die

riding a horse as said in the school textbooks instead he died on the ground because he wasn ‘t

listening to his mates when he was told to keep his head down to avoid being shot. Moreover, his

dead body was left to rot in the fields by the Americans but not before they took everything

Gregorio owned. Well, the ending of this story really stinks and it contradicts with the facts I’ve

learned before. From what I’ve learned from the previous years, he died a hero when he fought

to keep the Americans distracted in order to protect Emilio Aguinaldo and because of his heroic

actions the Americans honored him by burying him properly. This just shows how history can be

changed in textbooks in favor of the heroes. Articles divulging the personalities of well-known

national figures like Pres. Manuel L. Quezon, Antonio Luna and Graciano Lopez Jaena were also

featured in the book. Dr. Ocampo shared some information about the human side and

hidden/unknown personalities of these national figures. President Manuel L. Quezon was very

outspoken in a good way and bad way. He speaks cuss words such as “putangina” and “punyeta”

which you don’t really expect from a dignified person like him. Antonio Luna was a hot-blooded

person, a person who is easily angered and will immediately dare a pistol fight from his enemy if

angered. He had a terrible temper and it might possibly be the reason that he was killed. It was

said that his friends would try to accompany him from time to time to make sure that he won’t

get himself into a fight. Lastly, Graciano Lopez Jaena was, in a way, described as a sloppy,

drunkard, and undisciplined writer. It was said that only when he was drunk, more often than not,

that he was able to write mind-awakening speeches and essays but when he was in a sober mood

he loses his capacity as a writer to write significant essays. Dr. Ocampo’s forthright manner of

describing these national figures really makes one see that even heroes are capable of committing

mistakes just like normal people do.

Tragic love stories are also featured in the book such as the love affairs of Hidalgo and

Yrritia and General McArthur and Dimples. I felt sad when I read how, even in death, the love

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story of Felix Hidalgo and Maria Yrritia did not end well. In addition, it was a revelation to me

that the famous General Douglas McArthur (I’m from Leyte so I’m very aware how famous he

is) had a mistress. His and Isabel Rosario Cooper’s affair was a sordid one and it really taints his

image as the person who made the famous line, “I shall return”. These stuffs were never

mentioned in my school textbooks which I think was intently done so that the children will not

be tainted by stories like premarital love/sexual affairs. Moreover, if these facts were printed in

textbooks the public image of those individuals involved would forever be tainted. However, of

stories like these were shared by history-book writers, their books will be no longer boring since

any stories of torrid love affairs and scandal are always appreciated by normal people.

Peculiar facts such as the Recuerdos de Patay which refers to the pictures taken of a dead

person and the family that he/she left behind which was practiced by Filipinos in the previous

centuries was also mentioned in the book. In the book, a picture of a dead Emilio Jacinto, called

the “Brains of the Katipunan”, wearing his best outfit while lying in a bed surrounded by his

family members can be seen. Even from the old black and white picture, one could see how

painful the moment was to the family of Jacinto. Although I find the practice of taking a picture

with the dead creepy and morbid, I still found it fascinating and amazing to learn that stuffs like

these were done. However, I’d rather not take a picture with any dead person. How could I when

I couldn’t look at the face of a dead person without flinching. It sort of creeps me out and I don’t

ever want to have dreams with faces of dead people. In addition, Dr. Ocampo also discussed the

uniqueness of Filipino cuisine and the “unmentionable” food that we cook.

Humorous and witty articles that contributed to the success of this book was about

Filipino cuss words, Filipino cuisine and a little of Filipino names. By the time I was finished

reading this part of the book, I was laughing so hard from mirth. One could learn from the book

that normal Filipino cuss words could have a very different and perverted meaning in Spanish.

Cuss words such as Punyeta and Leche means masturbate and semen in Spanish, respectively.

Ironically, normal Filipino words such as Monai means large breasts, bombo for lesbians while

de lata refer to condoms. Unfortunately, for those who are named Pitoy (for penis), Teta (for

boobs) and Maricon (colloquial of homosexual) they must never share their names with any

Spaniard or they’ll be laughed at. The fact that we were colonized by Spaniards for 333 years but

never truly learned their language just shows that the colonizers didn’t want us to be

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knowledgeable of their language. It emphasizes the fact that they were selfish not only with their

compassion but also their knowledge. They don’t want to be outranked by an Indio because their

pride won’t let them. By putting these articles in the book, Dr. Ocampo allowed us, unknowing

people, that the usual words that we use can mean differently in another language. One must be

aware of this fact so that to prevent embarrassment in front of other people. Also, Dr. Ocampo

pointed out the fact that most of our words are influenced by the Spanish colonization. The

words that we always thought our own possibly came not from us but from foreigners. More

importantly, he shows us that history is everywhere, even in words. If we would just try to open

our eyes and appreciate everything in our path, we would be able find vestiges of the past in

every corner of what we see.

In relation to the previous topic, first names and surnames of Filipinos were also greatly

influenced by the Spaniards. In this book, Dr. Ocampo states that first names were patterned

according to ecclesiastical celebrations or from names of saints. Names such as Epifanio,

Natividad, Maria and Asuncion are nice names compared to Circuncision which can be very

embarrassing to the one bearing the name. On the other hand, surnames of the natives were taken

from the Catalogo de Apellidos. Inside the Catalogo is a list of fascinating, meaningful and

ridiculous surnames taken from Spanish words and native words such as Baboy, Balimbing,

Bagonggahasa, Fernandez, Macapagal and Perez. The ambiguity of Filipino names reflects the

way the Spaniards ruled and bullied us. Instead of having a choice of having a nice surname, the

natives were forced to accept what is being given to them even if it will embarrass them.

In addition, Dr. Ocampo also included information about the planned colonization of the

Philippines that Japan and Germany failed to do. These articles convey that things could have

been different for us if the things that didn’t happen happened. In this part of the book, Dr.

Ocampo points out some “what ifs” which supports the purpose of the book that of looking back.

Moreover, he also discussed the labels or names of our country before it became Philippines. It

was once identified as the Isles Barusses, Archipel de Saint Lazare, Lusong, Liu-si, and Vall Seu

Parigne by Chinese merchants and voyagers. When Magellan discovered the country, he named

it Archipielago de San Lazaro in commemoration of the Feast of Saint Lazarus. Later on it was

called by the Spaniards Islas del Poniente while the Portuguese called it Islas de Oriente.

However, when Ruy Lopez de Villalobos came to the island, he changed its name into Felipinas

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in honor of the Spanish crown. Philippines is just the anglicized Filipinas. It illustrates that the

Philippines had different identities before it was colonized by Spain and officially became

Philippines. Furthermore, it reflects the fact that other nations see the Philippines as something to

be coveted and owned. By naming something, one is claiming possession of the thing and in this

case, the Philippines.

Dr. Ocampo rightfully ended this book by placing the article entitled, “Andres

Bonifacio’s Brave Widow” at the last. The article is about Gregoria de Jesus who is not only

known as the wife of the famous national hero Andres Bonifacio but also as a brave woman who

fought in the struggle for the freedom of the Philippine nation just like what Gabriela Silang,

Melchora Aquino and other women of revolution did. She took an active part of protecting

Katipunan documents and other important things by keeping it on her person. Even though she

knew that the risks are high when it comes to matters of revolution, she didn’t waver in her faith

that Philippines was worth dying for. Her courage and faith really makes her a good match for

Andres Bonifacio. Although her love story with Andres did not end well since Andres Bonifacio

was killed, she remained strong and faithful to the memory of Andres Bonifacio up to day that

she died. Aling Oriang’s story is one the reason why we should appreciate our history. This part

of the book certainly conveys the purpose of the book which is to look back into the history of

the Philippines and appreciate everything related it because even minute details such as these

articles written in the book give more color to our history.

Overall, I give Ambeth Ocampo a perfect 100. The way he conveyed his purpose in each

article makes the significance of the book clear to the readers. I definitely approve his writing

technique which gave me a better understanding of what I was reading. He did not use flowery

words to describe a subject instead he made use of wit and humorous words to convey the

relevance of history and at the same time, entertain his readers. Moreover, he teaches the reader

the importance of learning things by heart and not by the mind. Aside from his great writing

technique, I also agree on his choice of articles to be compiled in the book especially the ones

with the national figures. The refreshing way he pointed out the love life, terrible temper,

addiction or hobbies of those famous heroic figures making them seem more like real people,

made those heroes more interesting to me. He made me appreciate more the people who fought

in the struggle for the freedom that I now exercise. There was never a mind-boggling or dull

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article in his book because he made sure that all articles contain warmth that only an avid

historian like him could give.

I think the only recommendation that I could give to improve this book is that it would be

better if the articles are correlated with each other. It would be much easier to understand,

especially for those readers who are not much a fan of history, if the events are connected with

each other so it will be easier to see a bigger visual of our nation’s history and appreciate it.

For those who are planning to read or complete the Looking Back book series, they must

open their hearts and minds to the facts that they will learn and be prepared to accept the

unvarnished truth. Before reading the book, readers must change their attitude and perception of

history or else they will really find themselves disappointed. They must let go of any bias to

understand the author’s message in every article in the book. If only history is taught in school

like how Dr. Ocampo has written about it, then students would find it easy to appreciate our

history and be more nationalistic.

By looking back into the past, one could see clearly how time connects everything that is

happening. In accepting the things that happened in the past we learn from our mistakes and we

could look at the future with a strong mind and heart. By reading this book, I remembered to be

thankful to all those heroes who fought for our freedom and to be proud of my identity and the

roots from where I came from. I learned to appreciate the present because now would after all,

become a part of the past. As the saying goes, “The past is history, tomorrow is a mystery and

today is a gift that is why it is called present.”