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Archive for June, 2008

Red pants for farming?

June 23, 2008 By: whatsuplb Category: Alumni, UPLB, UPLB campus 6 Comments →

One of the alumni sent me this. I do agree with his assertion.

“can you imagine the oblation sporting a maroon and green speedo or the statue of liberty wearing a red, white and blue garb? should statues wear a color other than its material as the patina-coated bronze or white marble or wooden as christ on the cross? concrete statues are made to look bronzy or ebony or marbly but not like this monstrosity at the uplb plaza.  whoever sponsored this “artistic” aberration should be crucified by paul zafaralla.”

This reminds me of Ambeth Ocampo’s article Red pants for revolution? (Philippine Daily Inquirer) and I quote:

“I recall an interview with a descendant of a revolucionario that shattered my stereotype image of him in the camisa and red pants. This descendant asked me five times for the color of Bonifacio’s pants (“Ano’ng kulay ng pantalon ni Bonifacio?”). Five times, in between stories, I answered that red was the color of Bonifacio’s pants. I felt the interview was useless and that my informant was probably senile, and yet this repeated query was meant to establish a point. Asked the same questions for the sixth time, I answered politely “Pula po. Why do you keep asking a question I have answered five times already?”

Then she asked the P1-million question that changed my life. Looking me in the eye, she asked, “Ikaw, Ambeth, kung lalaban ka sa rebolusyon, magsusuot ka ba ng pulang pantalon?” [“You, Ambeth, if you were to fight in a revolution, would you wear red pants?”] Would I wear red pants to the revolution? I resisted the urge to answer, “Bakit hindi?” [“Why not?”]

She explained that the battles were fought in wooded areas, so it was logical to wear something that would blend with the foliage: green, brown, even black. But wearing those screaming red pants would make Bonifacio an easy target. He would have gotten shot during the first encounter and would not have survived to fight another day.

This made me realize that even in historical representation, common sense is not common.”