When I vlogged (is that even a word?) about El Presidente, Emilio Aguinaldo’s River Valley Road hotel, where he met with US consul Spencer Pratt, I thought that’s a one-off. Well, I found out that before he left Singapore, he returned the favor. He paid the American a courtesy visit. You see, reading history is like finding something that leads you to a door, open it and you’ll find more doors.
References, where this meeting took place, are not hard to find. The US congress debates (1902) tells us where the US consul was located during the visit. There in the Raffles Hotel. OD Corpuz’s “The Roots of Filipino People,” also mentions the location. So, it’s no big secret.
Thank heavens, Raffles Hotel still stands today. It’s an enduring Singaporean national icon. Some of the popular names of the past that checked in the illustrious hotel were Somerset Maugham, Ava Gardner, John Wayne, Pablo Neruda, Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad, Charlie Chaplin, Ernest Hemingway just to name a few.
Here’s the vlog, the 2nd in a series I plan to produce about Filipino history, often overlooked and underrated, here in this wonderful island state of Singapore.
I recently fell in love with creating videos, which started with editing family films. I found that it’s no different from writing, you’re telling a story.
I think more than anything, it’s the documentation that draws me to the process. If you’re into history, you understand the importance of recording important events, both personal and historical. I like the idea that it’s there (online or somewhere in the ether) when someone takes an interest in it. Sure, Philippine history is not going to be primetime but for those lucky enough to fall in love with it, it brings great joy and pride. They’re the intended audience.
We are living in an increasingly digitized world. While I have been writing blogs for 12 years (I don’t intend to stop BTW) I will make more vlogs—but no gadget reviews, reaction videos, and mukbang for now, I’ll stick with what I know best—Philippine History! What else is there left to do?
