'Ako ay Pilipino: Noon at Ngayon' advocates patriotism with substance by looking back at the country's history and distinct characteristics and practices (left).

In the middle of 2009, while standing in front of the historic Magellan’s Cross in Cebu City, Lorna Macadangdang Joannes would come upon a realization.

“They were in Cebu and during that trip they had a conversation with a person about the history of the Philippines.

They wondered about how in our generation, history is not really known anymore. Wala na tayong masyadong alam sa pagka-Pilipino,” recalls Lani Suarez, Lorna’s sister. “Her heart was stirred to write a book, of putting up not a history book but a collection of stories behind the history of the Philippines – the inspirations, the defeats, and finding the true identity
of the Filipino and their destiny. It all started from there.”

In less than a year, Lorna would see that dream slowly come to life as she and her American husband David Joannes started to put together the coffeetable book “Ako ay Pilipino: Noon at Ngayon”, along with the help of 25 volunteers from all over the world.

Completed in 13 weeks, the end product is a 350-page volume that chronicles the best of Juan dela Cruz’s race, all done in cutting edge design and creative, non-conventional writing style.

The vision that the Joannes couple had for the book was simple – turn it into a daily devotional centered on various events in Philippine history and on distinctly Filipino characteristics.

UNIQUE DESIGN AND WRITING STYLE

Each page had to be unique, with just a sample page spread distributed among the designers involved as something they could anchor their layouts on.

“We want Filipinos all over the world to have a copy of it. We believe that the country has a destiny, and if we could make a small spark from this book, we believe a small spark can create a big fire. For years and years parang masyado tayong minamaliit, pero kung tutuusin God has blessed us so much. ‘Yun ang gusto namin ipakita, na hindi tayo underdogs and we are destined for greatness,” says Suarez.

Getting people to work together for the book was not going to be a problem. Riza Olaguer, one of the contributors, said that passing on the word about the project was enough to convince people – young professionals, students, foreigners – to take part. Some submitted narratives, others sent in poetry.

But while their intentions may have been noble, the journey towards making it all come together would not prove to be easy. If it were not for the grace of God, remarks one of the people behind “Ako ay Pilipino”, the book may not have even seen the light of day. “Yung mga volunteers namin nasa iba’t ibang parte ng Pilipinas at mundo. Mahirap ang communication. The Lord connected us. Even though we didn’t meet a lot, by e-mail, by chat, by Skype lang, nagkakaintindihan kami,” recalls Jane Odulio, one of the book’s writers.

Freedom in design was encouraged. With nine designers and 14 writers, the book came out really distinctive. “Some were minimalist, others used a lot of colors. We appreciated that we were not given limitations on what to do and what not to do,’’ says Odulio.

The book is even interactive. “History books are so detailed so we presented it in a way that it can be easily understood. There is poetry, even ‘journal entries’ of Diego Silang,” explains Odulio. “We also divided and color coded the country’s history into seven eras, so there are time keys and color codes on the pages to guide the readers.’’

But the group was much more serious when it came to historical details. The group consulted the works of historian Gregorio Zaide, and urged volunteers to visit the National Museum and the National Library to ensure that they had all their facts right.

PATRIOTISM WITH SUBSTANCE

Suarez, Odulio, and Olaguer are aware that the book comes out at a time when patriotism and national imagery and iconography are at a peak. But the three say that while a lot of known lifestyle brands are coming out with items with Philippine icons, this project is not an attempt to join the bandwagon.

Olaguer even says that perhaps the upsurge in patriotic merchandise merely reflects the desire of young Filipinos to go back to who we are as a people.

“There is this desire to uplift the Filipino spirit. But what sets us apart is because we have faith. This is not just another patriotic activity or movement, because everything is grounded in our faith in God and that he created our nation for a purpose and a destiny,” explains Olaguer. “It’s not just patriotism, but patriotism with substance. All these things have been placed there by God because it points to our destiny as a nation.”

“If every Filipino has patriotism with substance rooted in the word of God, then makikita natin ulit ‘yung Pilipinas sa itaas,” ends Suarez.

('Ako ay Pilipino: Noon at Ngayon' is available at Fully Booked, Bibliarch, St. Francis Bookstore, and Popular Bookstore.)