Eufemio O. Agbayani III
Historic Sites Development Officer II
On the last full week of this month, the nation remembers the famed painter Juan Luna on his 165th birth anniversary. His place in Philippine history is secure, contributing his genius to the Filipino reformists’ assertion that all races are equal and therefore deserving of freedom and basic human rights. Although his reputation was tarnished by the murder of his wife and mother-in-law, he continued using his influence, first in bringing his brother Antonio out of jail and secondly as part of the diplomatic corps of the nascent Philippine Republic.
While his comparatively short but meaningful life is worth revisiting, there is one important detail that needs to be publicly settled: when exactly was he born?
If we were to ask for early secondary sources, it would be 23 October 1857. These sources include Juan Luna’s biography written by José Rizal and published in La Ilustración on 28 February 1886 and a transcript of his murder trial which had been translated in Spanish and made available in the Julian Balmaceda Collection of the National Library of the Philippines.
Excerpt of Juan Luna’s biography by José Rizal
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Even Juan Luna’s niche in San Agustin Church, Manila is marked by a simple tombstone stating that his birth date is 23 October. He was interred there on 28 March 1953 through the effort of his daughter-in-law Grace Luna de San Pedro and at the time, the consensus was that he was born on 23 October.
The remains of Juan Luna at Niche No. 73, San Agustin Church, Manila
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However, his baptismal certificate suggests a different date. A copy of this certificate was recently made available publicly by the National Archives of the Philippines and it reads in part: “On twenty-seven of October of one thousand eight hundred fifty and seven years, the Most Reverend Parish Priest Fr. Sebastian Diez Priest of the town of Sinait with license of Paris Priest of this town of Bádoc, solemnly baptized Juan Luna de San Pedro, boy, three days of age…”
Poster featuring a facsimile of Juan Luna’s baptismal certificate
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If we follow the practice documented by Dr. Luciano P.R. Santiago in which “the priest or parish clerk almost always counted the day the child was born (rather than the following day) as day one,” then the date should be 25 October.
Why then do the NHCP markers state that he was born on 24 October?
Perhaps the baptismal certificate was read in light of another significant document: the record of Juan Luna and Paz Pardo de Tavera’s marriage on 7 December 1886 in Paris, France. Here, he was described as “Juan LUNA DE SAN PEDRO born at Badoc, Philippines, on the 24th of October 1857 [aged 29] painter, 65 boulevard Arago, 75013 Paris …”
Portion of the record of Juan Luna and Paz Pardo de Tavera’s marriage, 7 December 1886
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This document is especially significant as it was signed personally by Luna as required by law at that time. This date was later acknowledged by José Sedano Calonge in Almanaque Manila Galante (1912) and by Jaime C. de Veyra in Efemérides Filipinas, a column published in the Spanish-language magazine Semana on 8 December 1949, where he commemorated the death anniversary of Juan Luna.
However, the earlier date of 23 October persisted (in fact, even today). It was the date when his birth centennial was celebrated in 1957 with a historical marker installed at his birthplace. This date was acknowledged officially until 1978 when President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. issued Proclamation No. 1798 which made 24 October a local special public holiday in the town.
Whatever the actual date is — 23, 24 or 25 October — Juan Luna deserves to be remembered not just in Badoc but in the whole country and, perhaps, the whole world.
Historical marker on the reconstructed birthplace of Juan Luna in Badoc, Ilocos Norte.
(The marker originally stated that he was born on 23 October 1957
but this has been retouched to read 24 October.)
Historical marker on the pedestal of a monument for Juan Luna in Badoc, Ilocos Norte
Historical marker on the pedestal of the Juan Luna National Monument in Intramuros, Manila
References:
Da Silva, Carlos E. Juan Luna y Novicio: First Internationally Known Filipino Painter. Manila: Juan Luna Centennial Commission, 1957.
De Veyra, Jaime C. “Un Filipino de Fama Mundial: Diciembre 7, 1899.” Semana, 8 December 1949. Copy accessed from the University of the Philippines Open Access Repository. https://repository.mainlib.upd.edu.ph/viewpdf.php?id=45391.
El Proceso Luna. Manila: unknown, 1894. Accessed from the digital library of the National Library of the Philippines. https://nlpdl.nlp.gov.ph/JB02/1894/NLPJBBK31929f/home.htm.
Garcia, C. P. “President Garcia’s speech on the Luna Centennial celebration at Badoc, Ilocos Norte, Wednesday, October 23, 1957.” Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines, 53(20), 7223-7227.
Juan Luna: 150th Birth Anniversary 1857-2007. Manila: National Historical Institute, 2007.
National Archives of the Philippines. “Today marks the 163rd Birth Anniversary of Juan Luna.” Featuring a translation by Dr. Teresita R. Ignacio. Facebook, 23 October 2020. Accessed from https://www.facebook.com/NationalArchivesPH/posts/pfbid0YWLX9LVZ8kotj1SQ1BhRs81FKracc3mMFF2gTRU7AfEYzn9kAjK4dPfYssXXAi4al.
Potet, Jean-Paul. “The Marriage of Juan Luna & Paz Pardo de Tavera.” Facebook, 15 June 2017. Accessed from https://www.facebook.com/jeanpaul.potet.3/posts/pfbid02GVcWsPgs1PBBUQPRk1WZyqxkdSRnVxLjXjyAtPRVdmAL7tYy4PiEQCDm1DK2Un1Al.
Proclamation No. 1798. 21 October 1978. Accessed from https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1978/10/21/proclamation-no-1798-s-1978/.
Santiago, Luciano P.R. The Art of Ancestor Hunting in the Philippines. Quezon City: New Day Publishers, 1990.
Sedano Calonge, José. Almanaque Manila Galante dirigido por José Sedano Calonge para el año 1912. Edited by Juan Fajardo. Manila: Imprenta, Litografía y Encuadernación de Juan Fajardo, 1912. Accessed from the University of Michigan, https://quod.lib.umich.edu/p/philamer/adt3550.0001.001/74?q1=Juan+Luna+y+Novicio&view=pdf.
Zafaralla, Paul B. The Legacy of Juan Luna. Badoc: Juan Luna Shrine, 1981.