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Mabini Shrine: Reminiscing life, works of 'sublime paralytic'

By Ma. Teresa Montemayor

July 5, 2018, 9:49 pm

MANILA -- Have you ever wondered about the lifestyle of the country's "sublime paralytic"?

The Apolinario Mabini Shrine in Santa Mesa Heights, Quezon City will show you that he led an austere life compared to his classmates in law school.

Rosana Misolas, museum curator, told Philippine News Agency (PNA) that Mabini started living in the Apolinario Mabini Shrine in 1888 as a paying guest together with his brother Agapito.

"Tumira sila sa bahay nang mag-aral si Apolinario ng abogasya sa Univeristy of Santo Tomas. Bumalik siya dito galing sa pagkakatapon niya sa Guam dahil ayaw niyang sumumpa sa mga Amerikano at hanggang 1903 dito siya namatay dahil sa cholera (They lived here when Apolinario studied law at Univeristy of Santo Tomas. He returned here from being exiled to Guam because he did not want to swear allegiance to the Americans until 1903 when he died of cholera)," Misolas said.

Misolas said the bamboo and nipa house was the typical residence of Filipinos belonging to the lower middle class in 1800s.

"Ang orihinal na may-ari ay ang mag-asawang Cecilio at Maxima del Rosario, napangasawa ni Agapito ang anak nilang si Maria, sa kanila pinamana ang bahay na kinalaunan ibinigay sa gobyerno (The original owners are Cecilio and Maxima del Rosario, Agapito married Maria the daughter of the couple, the house was handed down to them then eventually donated to the government)," she said.

It used to be located across the river in Nagtahan, Pandacan. In 1960, it was moved to the south bank in the Presidential Security Group Compound in Malacañan Park to give way for the widening of the Mabini Bridge. There, it was restored under the care of National Artist for Architecture Juan F. Nakpil.

"Ang mga orihinal na parte ng bahay gaya ng sahig, mga haligi ay matatagpuan sa kusina at sa kwarto ni Mabini (The original parts of the house like the floors, the pillars can be found in the kitchen and in Mabini's room)," she said.

In April 2007, the house was relocated to a new site to allow the widening of the river channel and let the current in the Pasig River flow freely.

"Ang pangulo noon ng Polytechnic University of the Philippines na si Dante Guevarra sinabing dito na lang ang ilagak ang Mabini house para hindi na mabawasan pa ang historical value nito. Bale, ito na ang pangatlong site niya (The president of Polytechnic University of the Philippines before who is Dante Guevarra volunteered this place for the Mabini house to preserve its historical value. So, this is its third site)," she said.

The house includes an antesala, a formal dining room, a kitchen, a ‘batalan’ and a guest room also known as Mabini's room. Paintings are hung on the walls of the antesala, Mabini's room and guest room.

"Ito ay entries noong 1964 birth centennial contest paintings, not necessarily nanalo ang topic ng iba't ibang bahagi ng buhay niya. Tulad nito yung pagtakas niya galing sa Bulacan sakay sa duyan dala siya ng mga rebolusyonaryo, dito sa isa hinuli siya ng mga Amerikano sa Nueva Ecija at kwinikestiyon sa pakikilahok niya sa rebolusyon (These are the entries during the 1964 birth centennial contest paintings, not necessarily winning pieces, the topics are the different points of his life. Like this one is his escape from Bulacan in a hammock carried by revolutionaries. In this one, he was caught by the Americans in Nueva Ecija and interrogated for his participation in the revolution)," Milosa said.

Not all the pieces of furniture are the original belongings of Mabini and the del Rosario family.

Milosa shared that some of the things found inside the house are replicas of the original ones like Mabini's convalesa chair and bed and the kitchen utensils.

A few meters from the shrine is the Apolinario Mabini Museum where one can see some of Mabini's writings - original and reproductions. The museum also holds a replica of Mabini's ‘duyan’ or hammock and report cards as a law student.

The shrine and museum are open to the public for free, Tuesdays to Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (PNA)

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