The Knights of Rizal Chapter Commander, Sir Jess Sunga,
has a distinctive way of demonstrating his loyalty. Perched on his head was a jaunty black hat adorned with a shining KOR pin as he sauntered off the Gare du Nord platform as I arrived via Thalys train from Brussels on 20 October 2012.
It was a classic
act and it surely caught my attention!
In the meantime,
Sir Leo Mojica was outside on the curb with his car precariously inviting a
Paris gendarme to issue him a traffic violation ticket. We arrived just on
time.
I was whisked off and shown several apartment doors where Rizal lived, the
clinic where he trained as an ophthalmologist with Professor Dr. Louis Wecker, Valentin Ventura's apartment, the Luna art studio, and finally the park spot where a forthcoming Rizal bust is supposed to be installed sometime soon. I tried to fish an invitation for the 2013 event, but I’m getting ahead
of myself.
It was Oktober in
Germany and I enjoyed the time with several Knights of Rizal (Sir Rainer J.
Weber, Heidelberg-Wilhelmsfeld chapter and Sir Lucien Spittael, El Filbusterismo chapter) as I traced the footsteps of my ancestor, Dr.
Maximo Viola, who traveled with Rizal that month of May 1887. However, a month traversing Berlin.
Leipzig, Dresden, Munich, Bavarian Alps, Schönau, River Rhine (from Rudesheim to Cologne) and
then on to Belgium, made me long for a different Rizal.
My Paris Dr. José
Rizal's Retracing trip was unsurpassed due to three convergences.
First, Sir Choy
Arnaldo notified very responsible KOR officers of my Paris arrival. This was
primarily why a reception line at my hotel formed as I arrived composed of Sir
Bernard Pot, Sir Jean Claude Perrichon, Sir Leo Mojica, Sir Jess Sunga, Professor Esteban Magannon and Mrs.
Maria Pilar (Boots) Magannon (my old-time friend). Boots remarked: It took a Dr José Rizal Studies to get us
finally together again after so many years.
Second, I was able to speak and exchange thoughts on the Rizal-Viola special friendship, after
which we had a formal dinner at a cozy and delightful restaurant where we exchanged more ideas and
more Rizal stories with KOR members and the Las Damas over the best Parisen gourmet dinner specials accompanied by sparkling wine.
Third, and most
importantly, I was invited as the Guest of Honor to the installation of new
officers and induction of new members of the Knights of Rizal. I could feel the
Rizal spirit emanating from the audience composed of the KOR members and
officers.
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| Penelope V. Flores, author, presents the Knights of Rizal Paris chapter Commanders a copy of her book: |
For example, Jeepneys have pasada lines like: Dimasalang, Avenida
Rizal, Blumentritt. How fitting! These are the actual names of some Knights
of Rizal chapters.
In front of a jeep
is always found a slogan like, Nasaan ka
Irog? Mr. Guapo. Similarly, the
Knights of Rizal always have a slogan:
Non omnis moriar.
Inside the jeep,
one finds the names of the driver’s children spelled out in birth ordert. In
the KOR. there is always listed a hierarchy of names when one receives email
transmissions.
Most often, the
jeepney drivers are men, but guess who are the real managers? Yeah the “Missus.” Similarly, within KOR, the wives who have formed into
Kababaihan or the Damas auxiliaries most often back up the KOR activities.
I noted Sir Jhun
Oabel, Jr. nod his head in amusement when I said, “The passengers in a crowded
jeep always hang out on the “estribo”
in a form called in Pilipino “Sabit.” I said, this is similar to members who are
either half in or half out. Naka-sabit. So, I exhorted members to get in for the jeepney
ride and pay their dues like the
jeepney passenger.
What a superb way
to end my Rizal October 2012. But, to our Knights of Shining Armour, the KOR, I
raise my hand and say,
I salute you and
many thanks.
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