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Flight chronicles of the backpacker Tutubi, with travelogues, pictures/photos/videos, travel guides, independent and honest reviews, affordable, recommended resorts and hotels (including inns, guesthouses, pension houses, lodges, hostels, condotels, bed and breakfast and other cheap accommodations), commuting guides, routes (sometimes street maps and GPS coordinates/waypoints) and driving directions to answer "how to get there" questions, information and tips on tourism, budget travel and living in Philippines, Exotic Asia and beyond!

Backpacking, independent travel, and flashpacking are cheaper than the "cheapest package tours" and promotional offers around but you can also use travel information for family vacations, even romantic honeymoon destinations.

More than the usual tourist spots and "places to see," this blog advocates heritage conservation, environmental protection, and history awareness for Filipinos, foreigners, and ex-pats wishing to explore Paradise Philippines and Exotic Asia!
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    Hong Kong: Agoncillo, Emilio Aguinaldo, Josephine Bracken, Jose Maria Basa

    Tutubi, in his Hong Kong journey, also visited other places in the former British colony that once hosted people who played pivotal roles in Philippine history.

    Before going to the two markers commemorating Jose Rizal in Hong Kong, Tutubi, ably guided by the affable Isabel Escoda, visited a playground on Morrison Hill, near Queen Elizabeth Stadium on Queens Road East in Wan Chai, and found this marker:

    hong kong agoncillo flag marker
    "In May 1898, In this vicinity, the first Philippine national flag was sewn by hand by Dona Marcela Agoncillo, wife of Felipe Agoncillo, the first Filipino diplomat, assisted by her daughter Lorenza and Mrs. Delfina Herbosa Natividad, niece of the Philippine National hero Dr. Jose Rizal. This flag, which became the rallying symbol of unity for the Filipino people during the Philippine revolution, was officially unfurled during the proclamation of Philippine independence on June 12, 1898 in Kawit Cavite.

    This marker is installed to commemorate the historical role of Hong Kong in the Filipino people's struggle for independence.

    The Antiquities Authority"

    view of the marker with a perspective of the place with the entrance to Morrison Hill Road playground
    The marker is seen by people and children playing at the playground, maybe even Filipinos working there

    After the brief visit and photo-op of the place, decided to board a bus plus a short walk and came face-to-face with the past and the present Victoria Prison, where overstaying foreigners in Hong Kong, including Filipinos are languishing. Nearby are the classical Central Magistracy building and Central Police station (Hollywood road); the three are already declared monuments and heritage sites of Hong Kong.

    Victoria Prison on Arbuthnot Road, Central, Hong Kong with the typical barbed wire fence and high wall feature of prisons

    Also on Arbuthnot road once stood the residence of Jose Maria Basa, an exile of 1872 (after the three priests Father Gomez, Father Burgos and Father Zamora were summarily tried and sentenced to death by the garrote for the Cavite arsenal revolt of January 20, 1872, an event that was inculcated in the young Rizal's mind. Rizal later dedicated his second novel El Filibusterismo to the three martyred priests).

    Jose Maria Basa hosted Rizal during Rizal's first visit to Hong Kong in 1888, and was responsible for sending copies of the banned Noli Me Tangere to the Philippines. He later acted as disbursement officer for the nationalist movement for procuring arms to be smuggled to the Philippines.

    Further up Arbuthnot road, is the Hong Kong Botanical Garden, where the photo below, one of the most famous snapshotss of Philippine history, was reportedly taken with members of the Comite Central Filipino (aka Hong Kong Junta), led by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo.



    Aguinaldo and his men were granted amnesty and exiled in Hong Kong by the Spanish after signing the pact of Biak-na Bato (in a house, not in cave like the guides in Biak-na-bato are telling their visitors) in exchange for eight hundred thousand pesos. (Four hundred thousand pesos was paid, the rest of the money didn't come, and Aguinaldo and his minions squandered and quarreled over the money and part of it they bought arms to be taken to the Philippines)

    Another significant contribution of Hong Kong to Philippine history was the Hong Kong -born British (and said to be Chinese) woman named Josephine Bracken, who accompanied his stepfather in Dapitan, where Jose Rizal was exiled.

    As you should know, Josephine Bracken was smitten by the sweet speaking doctor in Jose Rizal, and became the hero's last girlfriend.

    One of the quests made by scholars, including Ambeth Ocampo and Isabel Escoda, and history buffs is to find the exact location of poor Josephine Bracken's tomb.

    Sadly, tomb raiders and researchers, still, weren't able to locate it.

    Labels: , , , ,


    posted by GingGoy @ 8:08 PM,

    14 Comments:

    At Sep 12, 2007, 8:09:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Wow! That was some historical tour. I learned a lot from this post. It must have been a great feeling sensing one's history while going around a foreign land.

     
    At Sep 12, 2007, 11:21:00 PM, Blogger Rochelle said...

    What a great post. I love reading about my Filipino history. Great pics!!

     
    At Sep 13, 2007, 6:18:00 AM, Blogger carlotta1924 said...

    i like your hk series. nice piece of interesting history you've shared. =)

    btw, do they allow people to have a peek inside the prison? :D

     
    At Sep 13, 2007, 1:32:00 PM, Blogger sadako said...

    as always, quality pics bro. andnice research on the pinoy side of hong kong history. I thin it is also the place where Aguinaldo sold something, I cant remember... i don't know if it's our country or someone he sold over...

     
    At Sep 14, 2007, 2:39:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Interesting series of posts on Phil history. Never quite knew that Hongkong had quite a relevance to our history.

     
    At Sep 15, 2007, 10:39:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Another interesting bit in history. Shame our text books for not sighting all these information

     
    At Sep 16, 2007, 9:38:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

    interesting place in hongkong where you can learn some of the history of country. hope makapasyal din ako sa hk.

     
    At Sep 17, 2007, 7:03:00 PM, Blogger dodong flores 도동 플로오리스 said...

    Wow. This is history in every step of the way. Your blog can be printed as a guide book for other tourists to follow. Thanx for sharing, Tutubi. Your blog is one of its kind...

     
    At Sep 17, 2007, 7:08:00 PM, Blogger Nick Ballesteros said...

    Grabe this post is really timely for the books I'm reading now which I got from the Book Fair recently.

     
    At Sep 17, 2007, 9:26:00 PM, Blogger MBW said...

    Wonderful blog. Will come back to read more...

     
    At Sep 18, 2007, 10:28:00 AM, Blogger Sidney said...

    Interesting historical facts.
    You always surprise me with your knowledge.

     
    At Sep 18, 2007, 4:09:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

    toe, that's why i find it very interesting to relate places i visit with our own history :)

    rochelle, you've been to historic places too

    carlotta, i don't know about the prison. too high the walls, picture taking is moslt prohibited in places like that

    bluepanjeet, aguinaldo and his gang agreed to give up the struggle for P800k but later reneged on that promise also. am not a fan of the general, btw

    bw, hong kong was a haven of philippine heroes during the struggle for independence. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen also lent a hand to them at that time.

    ferdz, our books, sadly, have too may errors aside from being taught by boring teachers making the subject boring even if it isn't :(

    history teachers should instill pride of place!

    iskoo, makarating ka rin dun

    dodong, thank you for the compliment. plan to cover more historic places again

    watson, finish that book and start visitng the places mentioned. it's such a great experience

    manila bay watch, welcome to my blog

    sidney, how are you? been away for quite a while. were you always surprised by the tutubi looking like a teenager? :)

     
    At Sep 19, 2007, 7:21:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

    wooow! this is very interesting. hmmm. i'm flying there again mid oct, i'd luv to see these places as well! :-)

     
    At Sep 23, 2007, 6:03:00 AM, Blogger -= dave =- said...

    hanep ang posing ng comite! hehe. maybe it's because the camera is still a new thing back then, but the guys in the pic aren't smiling like pinoys are now famous for.

     

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