Juan Dela Cruz
My blogs
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Location | Philippines |
| Introduction | I'm symbolically used in the Philippines to represent the Filipino. I'm usually shown wearing a Salakot, Barong Tagalog, long pants & tsinelas. I'm used when referring to the collective Filipino psyche. Robert McCulloch Dick coined me; a Scottish-born journalist working for the Manila Times in the early 1900s, after learning it was the most common name in blotters. There was, however, a real person by the name of Juan de la Cruz. He was a coxswain; was arrested on suspicion of murdering 2 men on June 7, 1886. I was thrown into the Cavite jail; remained there for 12 years due to neglect of the Spanish colonial government, awaiting a trial which never came. When the Americans came, I was set free on May 1, 1898. I'm often called a victim of American imperialism. My name is Spanish, translating to John of the Cross. Most Filipinos have gained Spanish surnames largely due to more than 300 years of Spanish colonial rule. The Roman Catholic Church played a vital role in the naming of a child, with almost every other baby baptized named after a saint. San Juan de la Cruz was a Spanish mystic & Doctor of the Church; a leading figure in the Catholic Reformation. |
| Favorite music | Ako Ay |
| Favorite books | Noli Me Tangere,El Filibusterismo |