Macario Sakay and the eJeepney
By Kris Pronto, for iCSC
The "Sakay" eJeepney was designed by the distinguished Filipino artist Toym Imao to honor the little known Philippine revolutionary Macario Sakay.
Not much is known of the origins of Sakay. His exact birthday remains unknown, aside from the fact that he was born in 1870 in Tondo, Manila. Sakay was his mother's surname, which suggests, according to noted Philippine historian Dr. Michael Tan, that "he was born out of wedlock." Sakay worked as a tailor, a barber and an actor in the "comedia" and moro-moro", according to Tan. To the few who know the Filipino hero, Sakay is symbolized by the long flowing hair that he and his group sported during their courageous struggle.
Under the leadership of Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto, Sakay was active in organizing revolutionary cells in the area known today as Rizal Province. After the US annexed the Philippines in 1899, Tan writes, "Sakay moved briefly into legal politics as secretary of the Nacionalista Party, but the Americans passed an Anti-Sedition Law that effectively banned such political parties."
An original member of the Katipunan, Macario Sakay continued the struggle for national liberation against American colonial rule. Sakay rose to particular prominence because of his leadership of the Filipino revolutionary movement during the period of the Philippine-American war, which began in 1899 and lasted over an endless decade.
Maligned by US imperial authorities and mainstream history books as a bandit, Sakay was hanged on September 13, 1907, a victim of American treachery and double-cross.
Sakay's death belies the oft-claimed but thoroughly mistaken view that the Philippine-American War ended in 1902, when then-US President Theodore Roosevelet declared the war with Filipino revolutionaries ended. Armed Philippine resistance to US occupation continued from countless points throughout the Philippine archipelago.
Many buildings and highways are still named after American colonial officials and yet to this day not a single street is named after Sakay. Imao's eJeepney "Sakay" series is a contribution to the growing movement seeking to reclaim public spaces for heroes of our times.
The eJeepney "Sakay" series is the second initiative of Makati City to honor Macario Sakay. In 2007, Makati City unveiled the historic public mural "Biyaheng Kasarinlan" rendered by the artist group Tutok. The mural depicts Sakay riding an artist's impression of the first eJeepney fleet version which was launched in July 2007, along with slain youth hero Lean Alejandro and other figures in Philippine history.
A project of the Constantino Foundation with the city government of Makati, the mural is on public display at the Ospital ng Makati in Pembo. Named after Philippine historian Renato Constantino, the Constantino Foundation is among the supporters of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (iCSC), the lead proponent of the eJeepney project. The foundation contributed to the "Sakay" series.
For more information about the artist Toym Imao, the eJeepneys or Macario Sakay, visit www.eJeepney.org
Reference: Michael Tan, "Pinoy Kasi: September's Heroes", Philippine Daily Inquirer, September 21, 2007.
Link to PDI Related Article: http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/breakingnews/breakingnews/view/20070...
