On the 125th death anniversary of Dr. Jose P. Rizal, I am reminded about the story of our national hero and his physics professor at the Ateneo de Manila in the late 1800s, Fr. Federico Faura SJ.
Padre Faura was the Philippines’ first meteorologist who would be remembered for his work as the first Director of the Manila Observatory on the street in Ermita district that now bears his name. Before leaving for Europe in 1888, Rizal visited Ateneo and bumped into Padre Faura, who reacted to his publication of Noli Me Tangere. The Jesuit priest berated Rizal for having painted a dark picture of the country in his novel, and warned him of the consequences if he did not desist.
Their next and final meeting was in 1896 on the eve of Rizal’s execution. Padre Faura was one of the very few who were allowed to see Rizal in his detention cell at Fort Santiago. The story goes that Rizal said to his former teacher: “Do you remember what you told me, Father, when we last saw each other? You proved yourself a prophet.”
In the stillness of the early morning of Dec. 30, 1896, Padre Faura asked to be led to the Ateneo rooftop despite his nursing a high fever. He heard the shots that ended the life of his cherished student at Bagumbayan Field, the original name of Luneta Park (now the Rizal Park). The gunshots not only reached his ears, but also “tore into his heart.” Three weeks later, a heartbroken Padre Faura would follow Rizal into the great beyond.
This story has since become part of Filipino Jesuit lore and a footnote of Philippine history. The late Fr. Miguel Bernad SJ wrote about Padre Faura (the priest and the street) in one of his regular columns for another daily.
There’s another touching account of Rizal’s favorite teacher, Padre Faura, about how the great Jesuit scientist was so adversely affected by the martyr’s death. This can be found in Fr. Jose Arcilla SJ’s “150: The Ateneo Way” published by Media Wise Communications in 2009 during the sesquicentennial anniversary of Ateneo de Manila University.
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I wonder how our national hero would react to current developments if he were alive today. Who among the five major presidential candidates would he endorse for 2022? What advocacies could he have been passionate about in the 21st century? We can only speculate at this point.
J. Albert Gamboa is a Life Member of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX). He is the Editor-in-Chief of the quarterly FINEX Digest magazine and the monthly FINEX Focus newsletter. The opinion expressed herein does not necessarily reflect the views of these institutions and the Manila Bulletin.
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