Charlz:

The movie “Heneral Luna” is from the story of General Antonio Luna who is the
Brother of Juan Luna, and the Commander of the Philippine Revolutionary Amy The
story began on 1898, the Spain’s 333 rule over of the Philippines has collapsed. But the
Spaniards sell the Archipelago to the United States for 20 million dollars. While the
America prepares to claim the Philippines, the Filipinos start to argued against each
other. While the others are arguing, there’s one person in the Philippine Army struggling
to unite the people to fight against the Americans to regain the Philippines, he is
Heneral Luna
Heneral Luna is a fictional film based on a real event in our history during the
time of the American occupation after more than three hundred years of Spanish
occupation of our motherland, the Republic of the Philippines. Director Jerrold Tarog
adapted Heneral Luna from the letter of Dr. Vivencio Jose whose title is “The Rise and
Fall of Antonio Luna” which discusses the extraordinary qualities of General Luna.
Heneral Luna starts to unite the Philippine Army by sending new uniforms with
one design to the Provinces, the Cavite, Bicol, Batangas and Pampanga which is also
agreed by Emilio Aguinaldo who is the President of that time. The America and the
Spanish have a mock battle to fool the Filipina Revolutionaries: The Spanish surrender
to the Major, General of the America and turnover the City of Intramuros
While the Filipino Armies are patrolling, they meet the American troop patrolling
also in that Area. The American troop shot one of the Filipino until one of Army had
escape and tell Aguinaldo. Aguinaldo let Heneral Luna hold the situation and can do
everything what he can do, and he agreed to the decision

ladylyn:
The Americans start to kill persons and own the properties of other Filipinos
Heneral Luna starts to fight the Americans some of the Filipino troops are killed and
others are moving back. Heneral Luna told one of his men to go to Kawit to get some he
of the troops there, but the captain of the troops there did not follow the Instructions.
Heneral Luna decided to go to Kawit, when he arrive there he caught that the troops are
just playing and wasting their time. Heneral Luna decided to get their weapons and take
their ranks. When he goes back to the battlefield, he sees that some of his mens are
down he decided to go near to the Americans while riding his horse, he got shot and fall
from his horse, he decided to shot his self but his men stop him, he get angry to his men
because he got shot but when he get his pouch from his coat the bullet got stuck on his
coin and he laughed. The Americans thought he is dead but when they see him, and
Luna's troop getting near to them they decide to move back to prepare.
Heneral Luna have a plan to have a pit from Caloocan to Novaliches, but his
mens are not enough to create this very long pit they need atleast two thousand person
so Heneral Luna goes to every town in Manila to get some help and additional troops
when Luna goes back to the camp he brings about a four thousand persons to help him
They start watching what the Americans are doing, and they see one of the captains.
Luna asks someone who is brave and ready to sacrifice his life for the Philippines, one
of his recruits stands and volunteer, on that night his men goes to the camp of the
Americans to shot the captain just to scare not to kill and his men accomplish the
mission

Rizza:
Felipe Buencamino Sr, have discussion with the Americans and he told this to
the President and the other gabinet members. He tell that they have to surrender to the
Americans and let them control the Philippines but Heneral Luna did not agreed to the
decision, so he and Felipe have fight. Luna also have a problem with General
Mascardo, because Mascardo is not following what Luna wants, Mascardo want to have
a battle with Luna, and Luna goes to Guagau bringing a coffin When Luna arrives ho
meet the troops of Mascardo pointing their guns to him, but President Aguinaldo have
decided that Mascardo is going to be arrested. While Luna is in Guagua the Americans
attack the camp and many troops have died but Luna arrives helping and the Americans
move back.
 Mascardo and Aguinaldo have talked Mascardo tell Aguinaldo to kill Luna and
replace because the battle between the Americans and the Filipinos are not after
finished. Aguinaldo give Luna a letter that he is going to build a new Gabinet and Luna
was one to lead Aquinaldo and the other troops leave Cabanatuan leaving small
number of armies. When Luna arrives at Cabanatuan there are no persons around,
Luna entered the building and see's Buencamino, he heard a sound of a gun and goes
out, but when goes out he is stabbed by Captain Janolino and shot by his troops till
Luna's death.

REFLECTION:
Danica: As we reflect on the movie Heneral luna we found out that the movie very is
interesting and informative. The director did a good job in making the viewers know
what it felt like during 1898. Appreciation is also given to the cast for completely
embodying their own characters. We felt like we have travelled to that significant period
of time, and I was able to fully comprehend the situation at certain time.
As we further reflected on the movie, we realized that Heneral Luna carried a
very hefty responsibility as one of the best generals in the country. The burden on his
back is so heavy that failure to secure victory is a huge downfall for him and the nation.
For Us, his most frustrating part of being a general was that he had to quarrel with his
fellow compatriots to prove that his thoughts and insights would gain them more
capability to conquer the foreign invaders. If only his fellow Filipinos conformed to his
harsh yet clever plans, they could have won the war.
Also, one scene made us have thoughts running on my mind: the never-ending
argument of the members of the Presidential Cabinet on whether to accept the
Americans or declare a war between them. One of the members sided with Paterno’s
belief that the foreigners have good intentions. He said, “Kapag nakipaglaban kami,
babagsak ang ekonomiya! Papaano naming mapapakain ang aming mga pamilya?”
Luna fired back one of his remarkable lines: “Negosyo o kalayaan? Bayan o sarili?
Pumili ka!” This symbolizes one of the Filipinos’ traits: putting family first. Luna has
proven that it is not just a trait but also a disadvantage, for it makes people forget that
we are also slaves in our own country. If we were Luna, we would also refuse to
withstand people who have the audacity to put business and family first before claiming
back the sovereignty of the nation. It made Us realize that if everyone would choose
family over freedom, there will be no spark of hope.

Claire:
One of the most infuriating scenes during the movie was when the President set
Mascardo, Buencamino, and Patemo free from being imprisoned. He believed in their
words of pure betrayal and treason. He became blinded by the sugarcoated words of
the Americans. Luna’s gross killing was the biggest mistake Aguinaldo has done as the
head of the nation. As he killed Luna, he also killed the only hope for the Philippines’
freedom. As he rejected the ideas of his most brilliant general, he also rejected the only
solution to the humongous problem of the country. To be frankly honest, this scene
made us believe that Aguinaldo should not be considered as one of our heroes because
of his actions.
The latter part was the most impactful part of the movie. It started when Luna and
Heneral Tomas Mascardo had a brawl, until how the general faced his inevitable death.
The scenes embody one of Luna’s most memorable lines: “Kalaban ang kalaban.
Kalaban ang kakampi." It shows that it wasn't the lack of weapons or modern
technology that made them less strong; it was the fact that instead of focusing on
defeating the Americans, the Filipinos focused on fighting against their fellow
countrymen. Crab mentality was existent during the time; it was the reason why
Janolino and Mascardo grew hatred on Luna. This toxic mentality has sadly led us to
the loss of the general who had sufficient intelligence in battling: the general that could
have brought success to the nation.
Jane
Heneral Luna was deemed as the most brilliant general under Emilio Aguinaldo's
regime, for he used his strategies instead of technology in planning to fight against the
enemies. And though many of his allies despised him for his arrogant claims, the movie
shows that Heneral Luna stood faithful and determined to reach his goal to win the war
against the Americans. His undying love for his motherland fueled him to continue the
battle until his last breath.
The life of Heneral Luna has truly made a significant mark on the history of how
the Filipinos fought for freedom from the colonization of the Americans. His death was
surely one of the country's biggest losses, for it was not only him that the country lost
but also the chance to meet triumph over the war. Despite Luna's intolerable arrogance,
it cannot be denied that he was the only real general that could spearhead the country's
army in battling against the forces of the Americans.
Overall, the movie has become an eye-opener for the new generations in gaining
knowledge about the history of the Philippines' battle against foreign invaders. It has
taught me numerous lessons and principles that should be applied in the real life. It has
also taught me that the most selfless act of love for one's motherland is not just verbal
declaration but a personal sacrifice that requires courage, passion, and determination.

CHARACTERS:

Monica:
This people makes the movie more realistic and give life to our history during the time of
America. First is
1. HENERAL LUNA (JOHN ARCILLA)
He is a Filipino army general who fought in the Philippine-American War. The
hot-headed General fight for the freedom of his country the Philippines against
the Americans. But he didn't die in the battle flied he died in the hands of his
countrymen who became his enemies.
2. EMILIO AGUINALDO (MON CONFIADO)
He is a Filipino revolutionary, politician, and military leader who is officially
recognized as the first and the youngest President of the Philippines. Thiers a
person that claims to be him sent a Telegram to Luna that also caused the death
of Andres Bonifacio and Gen. Antonio Luna
3. GEN. TOMAS MASCARDO (LORENZ MARTINEZ)
He was a Filipino general during the Philippine Revolution and Philippine-
American War. He joined the fight against the Spaniards since the start of the
revolution. He later became a one-term governor of Cavite from 1910 to 1912.
Him and heneral Luna pointed a guns at each other along with their respective
soldeirs at Guagua, Pampanga.
4. FELIPE BUENCAMINO (NONIE BUENCAMINO)
During the Philippine Revolution, lawyer Felipe Buencamino, Sr. was one of
those who sided with the Spaniards until the conquistadors imprisoned him. He
later joined the Filipino camp and even became Aguinaldo’s cabinet member.
When the Americans came to our shores, Buencamino joined the Filipino
revolutionaries as he switched sides again.
Regine:
5. PEDRO PATERNO (LEO MARTINEZ)
He was a Filipino politician, novelist, and poet who mediated the signing of the
Biak-na-Bato Pact between Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo and Spanish Governor-
General Fernando Primo de Rivera. Pedro Paterno is the first and “original”
balimbing in the Philippines, says historian Ambeth Ocampo.
6. COL. FRANCISCO “PACO” ROMAN (JOEM BASCON)
He's a Filipino-Spanish soldier and became a Revolutionary during Philippine-
American War. He also one of the closest aides of Antonio Luna and one of the
most loyal soldiers of the General. He died after he try to save Luna after
Aguinaldo's guard assassinate the General.
 7. JOVEN HERNANDO (ARRON VILLAFLOR)
Joven Hernando was a student and young patriot who idolized General Luna. He
was a journalist, writer, and narrator of Antonio Luna's life. The general shared
his secrets to the young journalist before his treacherous death by his fellow
countrymen.
8. CAPT. EDUARDO RUSCA (ARCHIE ALEMANIA)
He’s also a one of the closest and loyal aides of Luna, He surrender and
captured by Aguinaldo’s guard after they killed Luna and Paco Roman at
Cabanatuan. He tells to Joven how he tried to fight for his self after Luna and
Roman killed.

Kath: as we watch the movie heneral luna, we can now answer the given guide
question, fist is

1. Why is the film about Heneral Luna important to Philippine history? Explain.
- Heneral Luna is a film that not only entertains but also educates about the
Filipino’s fight against imperial rule in their country. General Luna is a
symbol of patriotism and fights passionately for the liberation of his
country from imperialism. It also important in the Philippines history
because it pay tribute to the heroic military commander spearheading the
Philippine struggle for nationhood at the end of the 19th Century. The
movie made the people view the details our country once had. With the
presence of the heroic concept, it cleared our vision towards the faith of
those who believed that Philippines can bounce back. By the creation of
this movie, Filipinos once again have gathered to witness and reminisce
what did the fallen heroes have done to our country. It was shown in the
film that our heroes were all thirsty for such victory, the faithful ones fought
and the weaklings crumpled.
Mary Ann
2. There are two historical perspectives presented in the film – the pro-Luna side,
and the anti-Luna side. Describe how each perspective views Luna’s personality
and what each perspective thinks about the assassination of General Luna. Who
would you side with and why?
- Anti-luna’s believe that luna is not a hero and a leader he never fought the
Spaniards and never won In battle. While pro luna believes that Heneral
Luna was obviously assassinated because Aguinaldo knew that his power
won't take long. It wasn't just because of the Philippine revolutionary
treasure, not just because of Philippine independence but also because of
his political will. He was then captured by the Americans by such reasons.
We will side with pro luna because of his bravery, unusual style of fighting,
and strict discipline also he chose to undertake the journey because he
intentionally set out to fight with our country’s.
Ashley
3. Do you think the film was a truthful depiction of the life of General Luna? Why or
why not? Cite reliable historical sources to support your answer.
- We should not take the film as a documentary of life of general luna
because its a work of FICTION, as stated in the movie, based on historical
accounts (not necessarily truths). “Heneral Luna” stirred a hornet’s nest
and may have opened a can of worms. But it is a thought-provoking
quality production that should challenge the youth especially to dig deeper
into our history, to know and learn more from it. Like jove Hernanado is a
fictional character who was used by Jerald Tarog as the film's framing
device who also served as the audience's perspective in movie. The
newspaper journalist's series of conversations during interviews with
Heneral Luna provides the viewers with valuable insights into the general's
personality and helps the audience keep track of the events and the
characters in the movie. The story of Luna is not a mainstream in history
classes. That is why some even consider Aguinaldo as a hero because
 only a few is aware that Aguinaldo together with other supposed leaders
of our nation had time to plot the death of an outstanding general while we
were at war with the enemy. And these so-called patriots would even go
as far as washing their hands in order to prove their innocence of the
crime. Let’s look closely and dispassionately into our true history. Let us
be proud of all of our forefathers’ heroism. They were young, learned and
full of idealism. They were mostly only in their 20s and 30s when they
offered and risked their lives, out of love for our motherland.
Jocel:
4. Both “Heneral Luna” and “Lapu Lapu” were movies that demonstrated the
problem of regional conflict and betrayal in the Philippines. Describe how this is
shown in both films and whether or not you think the problem still exists today.
- Lapu lapu movie show’s how the Filipinos were fearless in fighting against
the foreigners who conquered the country. Filipinos helped one another in
defending their country from the invaders and Lapu-lapu was the one who
killed Magellan. Like in the present day Filipino is were fearless in fighting
the west Philippine sea against chain. While Heneral luna is a wake up
call against our worst enemy. We Filipinos are lack of unity but full of self-
interests. Example of this is the pronouncement of Heneral Luna “mga
kapatid, mayroon tayong mas malaking kaaway kaysa mga amerikano:
ang ating sarili” however cliché, is a wake-up call to see ourselves for who
we really are. For what fate could be worse than a hero who died not in
the hands of his enemy but in the treachery of his own ally. The movie
depicts that politicians have different sides and beliefs. With this, people
on the government tend to have conflicts and different stands on a certain
issue that is similar to what we are currently experiencing these days.
Ladylyn:
5. “Negosyo o kalayaan bayan o sarili pumili ka”. is a quotation by General Luna in
the film. Do you think this quote is relevant today? Why or why not? Explain.
- Yes! This quote of Heneral Luna Strikes very hard, and it slaps the faces
of the people on the Congress in that film, because those Congresses
only thinks in their personal interests, they think that having an alliance to
the Americans will benefit,and will solved the war, and they think our
economy will arise, but no, they would just make us an "Alipin" or slave in
our country, and that is why Heneral Antonio Luna was really frustrated
delivering that line. They hold opposing viewpoints, have different
interests, and adhere to different values. Filipinos are their own worst
enemy. People are unable to take such steps toward true freedom for fear
that it would influence other aspects of their lives. As a result, rather than
battling to the death, they compromised. One of the Filipinos’ traits is
putting family first. Luna has proven that it is not just a trait but also a
disadvantage, for it makes people forget that we are also slaves in our
own country. If we were Luna, we would also refuse to withstand people
who have the audacity to put business and family first before claiming
back the sovereignty of the nation. It made Us realize that if everyone
would choose family over freedom, there will be no spark of hope.
Charlz:
6. Do you think the film is important to us today? Why or why not? Explain.
- The life of Heneral Luna has truly made a significant mark on the history of
how the Filipinos fought for freedom from the colonization of the
Americans. His death was surely one of the country’s biggest losses, for it
was not only him that the country lost but also the chance to meet triumph
over the war. Despite Luna’s intolerable arrogance, it cannot be denied
that he was the only real general that could spearhead the country’s army
in battling against the forces of the Americans.
It is also important to note down the influence of Americans on
Filipinos. American influences on Filipinos’ cultures, traditions, values and
so forth can still be seen in the system of education, literature, art,
architecture, religion and so on. One example of the influenced of
Americans to Filipino culture is having colonial mentality in which it caused
Philippines to not be able to progress economically because of there are
more imported goods than our own local goods consumed. The
Philippines is unable to preserve the culture because of being westernized
and new norms being developed. As well as move towards modernization
because of how primitive still the agriculture that unable to extract natural
resources. The American’s invasion to the Philippines also results the
English language to be more favored by the government, elite and middle
class than the national language.
Overall, the movie has become an eye-opener for the new
generations in gaining knowledge about the history of the Philippines’
battle against foreign invaders. It has taught me numerous lessons and
principles that should be applied in the real life. It has also taught me that
the most selfless act of love for one’s motherland is not just verbal
declaration but a personal sacrifice that requires courage, passion, and
determination.