Education for the Poor

Project Dimension, a livelihood program which I authored, with partners such as  the Philippine Business for Social Progress, Brother International and National Center for Indigenous Peoples is a three months old project at the Ati Community in Boracay, Island, Aklan, Philippines. The Ati is the aboriginal ethnic group of the Filipino race.  Today, they remained poor, in fact, many have been forgotten through time.

When I started the livelihood project, as in many cases I experienced in the past, one has to be ready to face other challenges other than the main objective to teach the community how to fish for life.

At the Ati Community, I work with housewives as a volunteer. There are some lazy afternoons we chat about life—in most cases, about problems in their lives. Angie, one of our women leaders was with their tribal chieftain Nang Delsa, expressing their wish for help  to the only seven high school kids in their community. While they are now enrolled, they struggle to pay the cost of tuition which to a rich man’s pocket is only so little in equivalent.

Weeks ago, I posted in facebook who may want to help these young people continue their school and I was immediately  blessed with three Filipinos abroad who are going to help. We need more people to help us. A sacrifice for a rich man’s purchase of a pair of shoes will mean  one full semester of their public education.

I believe the wide gap in education between the affluent and those who are of the lowest income bracket in our society is very alarming, if not maddening,  today. I been once a teacher in an exclusive school in Manila, I was appalled how the affluent students pay so much tuition and  do not enter their classes for the whole semester wasting their money on something others may have used in their schooling.

With economic difficulties, many poor parents, specially the jobless aborigines,  can no longer send their children to school. While there may be some social programs, the disparity for the rich and the poor to avail of education is for me seems a contrast of blatant disregard of humanity for the poor to remain poor and improve their lives because they are not educated. In the village, alone, with so many kids,  only six teeners are in high school.

One of my community assistants last summer named Dave, also a native of the community, was a young, hard-working and inspiring teenager who is lucky to study Anthropology on scholarship in an indigenous school in Davao City. He is sharp and I can see him lead the entire community one day. He was doing odd jobs to in Boracay island for him to raise money for the onset of his school. Another girl is also on scholarship taking up entrepreneurship in a college in Iloilo City. The high school students aspire to be like them.

I know it is not really my job to work on this concern, but I feel I can do something like connect the community with those who has the heart to help and try to make a difference in our society.

If you want to help, please email me at pj_aranador@yahoo.com or message me here my facebook https://www.facebook.com/pj.aranador.98 . Your help will be officially processed with an educational organization in the community which we will form for them so that all assistance is properly accounted for with receipts from schools and other documents will be furnished to you. You may select a student to “adopt” you  want to help, just let us know their name/s. We will inform the student of who their sponsors are and will publish your support. You will be able to keep in  touch with the students in the near future by internet or you may visit them one day in the community. It is not the amount, it is your heart. 

A Php 5 donation with so many who could help will be like droplets of water enough to fill up the pail. 

FULL WRITE UP AND PHOTO FEATURES OF PROJECT DIMENSION here soon. 

SUSTAINABILITY programme in Boracay in full swing

Having been a business-owner, professional service provider, events organizer, local tourist and local resident rolled into one in Boracay Island for more than 12 years, I have experienced the transformation of one of the world’s best beach destinations to what it is today.

 

Even as far back as I was a student in Iloilo City, my classmates and I would pack our weekend bags to go to the island just to climb coconut trees and walk in the dark at night under a full moon.

 

The scenario now is the coconut trees have no more fruits having been cropped so they will not hit a sun bathing tourist. And one will have to walk in fancy blazing lights at night instead. But there is nothing wrong with these. Man evolves. So does our man-made environment. The greater problem is how sustainable the island will be because nature has always remained pure.

Today, Boracay is bursting with people and infrastructure. As a businessman myself, we see growth brought about by these burst of numbers as good opportunities for our market. 

Yet as we enter the green and sustainable economy, we need to re-invent our thinking and ways of doing things--- ultimately get our fingers dipped into the salad dressing and licked it with our fingers.  Boracay is just doing that. Like any center of growth it has to manage itself. As lonely planet mantra says “ Just don’t stand there, say something. “ Boracay is saying something today.

 With diverse interests and mind-set topped with ego, to orchestrate people who are in business in Boracay in contrast with transient tourists of various races, income and needs in an island is not an easy job.  Plus, projects in the Philippines are normally co-terminus with a government official or its entities, adds up to the enormous task.

When urbanization has become too big and too fast to be manageable because it was not planned correctly right in the beginning, the work becomes harder. It is more difficult to renovate than to construct. Ask your carpenter.

Boracay Foundation, Inc. (BFI) was organized to synchronize and align multiple directions of minds and actions in the island into consolidation and collaboration. Create a single movement. There will always be businesses in Boracay who will be indifferent though.

The irony in Boracay is that most of the big businesses, there are exceptions,   are the ones who are hard to get and live with. They become hearers than listeners. The small entrepreneurs are more the latter.

 With Sen. Franklin Drilon

 South Korea Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Hyuk

BFI President Jony Salme, South Korea Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Hyuk, BFI Chairman Henry O. Chusuey. Sen. Franklin Drilon, Sen. Cynthia Villar,Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores.

The inductees

At the recent induction of the BFI officers and Board of Trustees, I was a listener. My business in Boracay is miniscule. As I expect,  any developments in tourism business today tucks in its arm the buzz words ---responsibility and sustainability. Boracay is no exception. It was, indeed, the pivotal topic for many who were to speak.

Henry O. Chusuey, Chairman of BFI for so many years of its 16 years in existence talked about the  beach management improvement in the island. Indeed, the report validates the strict rules, among others,  on smoking, garbage collection and segregation at the beach front. This is a foremost positive transformation one will see in the island. 

But of course, it is not yet perfect as the interior land mass has so much garbage just dumped by irresponsible business owners and residents, too, mostly migrants. This is where community training Chusuey said can be helpful..

As a prime mover in Boracay hotel industry, Chusuey has experienced the ups and downs of Boracay including   the coliform crisis in the island. Yet, rain or shine, peak or lean season, he never gave up Boracay according to Sen. Drilon.This is noble. 

We all know, environmental issues are never isolated. Nature is just like that, like a human body system that a mere toothache will paralyze the whole body and one may not be able to function at all. Either one becomes too ill for a long time or recover quickly. Others will just die. Chusuey and his business stayed on and survived.

BFI President Jony Salme reported on the 1.2 million tourists annually in Boracay last year and expected to grow at  1.5 million next year. He said the island is pressured to cope up.

For example, the main road is congested and the new circumferential road is on construction, except there are property owners who will not give the right of way as mentioned by Gov. Joeben Miraflores in his talk. Businessmen who are hearers than listeners.

Salme also shared  the commendations to BFI by the League of Corporate Foundations' (LCF) at the 12th annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Expo when he was invited as guest speaker amongst the Presidents/Chairmen of Aboitiz Foundation, San Miguel Foundation, Shell Pilipinas Foundation, ABS CBN Foundation, Lopez Group of Companies Foundation, Ayala Foundation and  GMA Foundation.

South Korea Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Hyuk was a good choice to induct the officers as South Koreans registers the highest number of tourists in the country. Formerly assigned in Japan and China, he was able to share his experiences with developmental growth in the tourism industry.

After the affair, I had the chance to talk with him about my experiences in South Korea where the marketing, design , development and the manufacturing industry embrace the academe—where the high school and college students partake in creating awareness towards nation building.

He said by all means I have to write him because I asked for idea exchange in the same manner I was invited at the Philippine-South Korean Design forum organized by DTI-CITEM last year. I am establishing  a  community-oriented school  as inspired with what I saw in Daegu, South Korea. The school is now  in full swing construction in Iloilo City.

It will be the first international school for design in the region which will offer courses in green and social design, environmental space planning, heritage interior design and architecture, green resort and urban planning design, community arts and crafts, among others. All for our next generation to get ready for their turn. Sustainability will be a future science when taught at the academe so the so-called "demand generation" will develop systems for all to practice and follow.

Senator Cynthia Villar, whose husband’s father is from Iloilo, was a surprise speaker. She briefly talked about her undertaking with green sustainable projects which is part of the group I work with as designer for the Metro Manila Development Authority livelihood project dubbed as Crafts Ecology as pioneered by DTI-CITEM. It aims to build entrepreneurships in artisanal crafts in urban Manila.

While the room was filled with Ilonggos, many of whom invested in Boracay, the guest of honor and keynote speaker  Senator Franklin Drilon, also from Iloilo, was the whistle blower.

 

He was in his element with firm words of encouragement to BFI and the local government units. His talk was like painting vivid colors to listeners as he illustrate how Iloilo river in 2011 was stinky and dirty nobody dare to go near the river.

 

Today, Iloilo river is in the running as contender to be cleanest river in the world! And there are only four in the globe. One in the Philippines, mind you. ( My past blog on Iloilo River Click Here http://pjaranador.blogspot.com/2013/06/living-river-in-iloilo-city.html )

 

Vivid pictures of the sparkling Iloilo river created bi-polar images in my mind in comparison to the dying creeks and in-land bodies of water in Boracay. Today, the “dead-forest” of Boracay which was a swampy area is dirty and filled with man-made structures. It stink, too.  Same for the creek behind D’Mall in which water was trapped and can no longer get out of its natural flow into the sea. It also stink.

 

I remember we had a photo shoot with a team of New York based production at the sterling condition of the “dead forest “ swamp of Boracay 10 years ago. It was pristine that it could have been one of Boracay’s attractions. Now, it is gone. It paints only a picture of a destroyed nature in my mind---brown and murky.

 

Sen. Drilon illustrated an example about a barbeque park along the Iloilo river which refused to get out of the river bank. But because of political will, he was able to eject it out.

Iloilo river is a 50 kilometer stretch and was cleaned up in a mean two years. The White Beach, the main tourism beach in Boracay, is about four to six  kilometers long only. So it can be cleaned up easily in comparison to Iloilo river. No question about it, this has been done at the beach with flying colors, except for irresponsible event organizers who leaves the beach filthy, one of those I blogged last summer.

BFI admits, implementation needs more work. While the front beach has been cleaned up, what we do not see are the small bodies of water in-land including miniscule creeks that are dead or deteriorating. Perhaps the reason that the island becomes flooded is because the water tributaries are already blocked by concrete.

Water is important in sustainable tourism. Only 4% of earth’s water is potable. The good news is, Boracay recently opened its multi-million waste water sewage treatment plant, through a public and private partnership with Ayala firm called Boracay Island Water, Co. It increase the island water capacity to 230% which in return advances its environmental compliances.  

But the bodies of in-land water in Boracay need to be examined in its environmental degradation.

Sen. Drilon among the speakers was blunt. He had three points. First, uncontrolled urbanization. Second, squabbles over land ownerships. Third, encroachment in critical/ protected areas. And he challenged those in government that this can be addressed by political will. The young dynamic Malay mayor John Yap was there  and certainly he was listening. So was Vice-Governor Calizo whom I have worked with so many community projects in the past.

Iloilo being a formdidable leader and example in the region, has many models to be shared with its neighbors including Boracay. Sen. Drilon shared inspiration on the 8 billion Jalaur river project in IIoilo which will not only solve the water management problem in the province but will also become one of the future sustainable tourist destination as it will create a 800 hectares of lake up there in the mountain ( I think in Dingle). Still, it will irrigate 300 hectares of rice land. Again, pictures in my mind become as vivid. Here is an image of making the life of business within in communities easier while translating it to sustainable tourism.

As Sen. Drilon was coloring my mind with the Iloilo projects, my other mind was in Coron as the we had a recent forum on conservation, social responsibility, sustainable tourism for Coron and Calamianes Islands.

 

 I was tasked to talk on sustainable design in resorts, hotels and land/waterscape for which I stand firm for  a distinct Filipino point of view for structures with a sense of place and origin based on culture and tradition while fostering Filipino heritage.  Buildings and structures should embrace Filipino sustainable design as well  made of sustainable materials and with renewable energy. There must be restrain to borrow the design of other countries  in our hotels and resorts as we can not borrow our Filipino soul. We say one will know when one is in Bali when he is in Bali. One is in Boracay when he is in Boracay.  

 

While many Boracay investors are also putting up resorts in Coron, the Coron house must be set in order first. The town of Coron is in chaos and with the sudden influx of tourism it has to cope up. Then, my mind jumped to Gigantes Island in Iloilo in which I was told, we need to protect the island as well before it becomes a nightmare as tourists come to destroy it than to preserve it.

 

Illegal settlers, like those in Iloilo river, were resettled in impressive relocation sites. That is an incentive. One thousand of them, said Sen. Drilon. One or two hotel which is out of its way in Boracay is not difficult to remove, and so they were done by Mayor John Yap. The senator said, if only we respect boundaries, we have no problems at all. That add a zest of color to my mind when I always say Filipinos are very bad at zoning.

 

Boracay will survive. Perhaps surpass its expectations because it has to set a world standard for having been voted the best beach in the world in 1012 by Travel and Leisure Magazine.

 

When I worked with  El Ministerio de Comercio Exterior y Turismo ( MINCETUR or the Ministry for External Commerce and Tourism  in Peru for  3 years), I had the opportunity to work with people in their government. In the Philippines, we are always whining. Always pointing our fingers to our government when something goes wrong.

 In Peru, I noticed they  believe in the co-existence of the private sector with government. Their tourism industry works well in this mentality. Political will is faith in creating collaboration and harmony in society. It is like the Latinos mimic the flora and fauna in the rainforest, the Amazon and the Cordilleras---each must have a symbiotic relationship so their own kind will survive.

I was able to talk to Senator Drilon quickly, sharing with him my social design projects in Iloilo city and the province for which he said I must go to Mayor Jed Mabilog—which again painted my mind with some bursts of  colorful notes. I shared with him the work I do for the Ati community in Boracay which I mentioned he may visit one day. He smiled. I thought it was just saying yes, one day soon.

By the end of the program, my white canvas in my mind was painted with bright colors of  hope for Boracay and the rest of the islands we have in the Philippines.

The Living River in Iloilo City

I just came across this article in Philippine Star about reasons why it floods in Manila. (http://www.philstar.com/modern-living/2013/06/15/953965/10-reasons-why-it-floods-manila ).

 Having lived in Manila for more than 30 years, what immediately came to my mind without reading the article first, was Manila’s dirty and choked-up river. A river that has been suffocated by the city bursting with dirt and undisciplined people. A river that has been the victim of man’s adulteration of nature. The urban poor lifestyle in Manila just seeking abodes in the waters where the last parcels of  land of the metropolitan are swallowed by more buildings and people squeezing in.   It is only us human beings who are at fault for what nature inflicts us in return. My mother asked me once—“My son, why do most Filipinos love to make their life more difficult?”  Manilans suffer from horrendous floods because it chose to make its life difficult by pushing nature to the edge of death.

What comes from Earth do not leave the Earth. They remain  in our planet. This is what we must instill in our people that we throw on  and  in to  the river, the poor river  will not expel it somewhere out there like a magician. The degradation of the river system in Manila comes from undisciplined people—people who want  to make their life difficult. Even much more difficult to the poor river. 

Blame it to huge informal settlers? Sustainability not taught in Philippine schools? Urban planning is co-terminus with public office rather than co-existing with nature?   Perhaps also political will because as far as we know, the Pasig River rehabilitation started as far back as when  former First Lady Imelda Marcos dipped her polished nails into the murky waters  in the 70’s and yet, 40 decades past, not much have changed, if not nil. Even worse. Many of the past leaders in Manila had diarrhea of the mouth promising to clean up the rivers, yet the rivers have had severe indigestion of their OPM’s ( Oh Promise Me).

Everytime, I pass by Pasay City to go to the airport, the river tributaries are simply  covered with corrugated sheets along the bridges to hide the magnitude  of garbage dumped on the already dried up river. I have lived as well in Pasay for so many years, yet after 30 years, the same corrugated sheets I saw when I first came to Manila  are still  there.   Cosmetic  treatment, a bad habit in Manila for many leaders, never fail to back fire to make the life of its inhabits doubly difficult. Nobody can conceal beyond those corrugated sheets and cement walls the ugly sights, stinky smell, illnesses, chaos, headaches, floods and  shame.  The Pasay City local  government perhaps has the worse act one can imagine with managing its garbage on our natural water eco-system making its rivers the basin of their toilets by just covering them so our eyeballs will not pop out of our eye sockets.   

While Iloilo river, on the other hand, surprised the world with just less than one year and a half  of rehabilitation, there is not much secret except the Ilonggos opted to make their life easier. Ilonggos did their best to cooperate and be disciplined. Also, to  support our  leaders to make ours better, if not the best, because they do not sing OPM’s.

There were river bank settlers in Iloilo river way back then. I remember travelling from Jones bridge crossing the river with shanties in La Paz district fixed to my eyes. They were gone. They were settled somewhere better for their own good.Now, there are only fishermen hobbists lining the bridge enjoying the time of their life catching fish from the beaming river. 

 Here, I present comparative pictures of Manila/ Pasig River with that of Iloilo City River. The pictures will tell a lot of stories.  The Iloilo Metropolitan Times wrote about Iloilo City river as : “….  a recipient of a gold award under the Environmentally Sustainable Project Awards of the International Awards for Liveable Communities (LivCom) in 2010 for its Iloilo River Development Project.” It is not bronze or copper, it is gold! Thanks to our leaders like Sen. Frank Drilon, Congressman Jerry Treñas and Mayor Jed Mabilog and on top of all the Ilonggos who respect the river as sacred as our man-made heritage as well.  It is as precious as our soul as people. In Iloilo city, rich or poor, formal or in-formal settlers, we are reverent to our river like it is our Queen. It is a living legend untouchable to those who will  end its life. ( http://www.iloilometropolitantimes.com/iloilo-river-a-resonating-radiance-of-the-past/ )

In terms of tourism, the First Philippine International River Summit hosted by Iloilo City last May 30 to June 1, 2012 marked as a peak of the development of the Iloilo River. From that time on, the Iloilo River sparkled  like a gem,  the former Regent Queen of Spain, if she is still alive today, will probably give Iloilo City its second title as the Queen’s River of the Philippines.  

There is a great old hotel  by the river bank of Iloilo City called River Queen Hotel---perhaps should be buffed up as it can be a remembrance for old timers because the hotel stood by until today by the much more magnificent river of Iloilo.My thought is perhaps we will can also call our precious Iloilo City river, the River Queen or The Queen's River---say to glorify the status of the river as one of the finest in the world.  

The city has an ambitious plan to make our river a total center point where Ilonggos can converge. preserve and enjoy nature in the middle of the city. Everytime I pass by the river, I have joy in my heart because where can one find lush mangroves within a city? Where can one find herons co-habits with people in a city?Even as far back as when I was at the University of the Philippines Iloilo Campus, which was near the river, my classmates and I would sneak out of our class and jumped into the river in bamboo rafts and just frolick there.Soon there will be visiting folks who can experience the same.

I remember,  I did a fashion show called River! in Iloilo City in 2005.  It was in  celebration of the Second Iloilo Jetski   Competition  in Iloilo River as presented by  the JCIP Metro Iloilo Dinagyang.  Writer Ronelo S. Ladiao wrote: “River… smoothing cascading as it flows, murmuring beyond memory and filling one's journey into the bliss of elemental fashion. This exceptional fashion event was organized to preserve the Iloilo River as one of the cultural and environmental gem of Iloilo City beyond the flickering fad of contemporary vogue. In fact, the fashion show was conceptualized by international Ilonggo lifestyle designer PJ Arañador and in-demand fashion event director Bombette Marin to fuse elemental forces with the latest impression fashion .”

Eight years ago, my visualization of Iloilo city river as an artist came true today. I reckon now that  PJ Aranador’s “River” fashion show, perhaps forecasted the things to come as I wrote its design inspiration from Iloilo City river from which I created sportswear and swimwear in tandem with international brand Nike meant to be used in Iloilo river ( which was unimaginable to be used in Pasig river):

My creative brief for River the Fashion Show was, thus,  written:  “ The Sun represented by the color of yellow clothes symbolizes the eternal energy, shimmering, alive in vibrancy, binding with contrast, giving life to greeneries and reflecting the beauty of the river.

 Blue apparels replicate ‘Water' as cooling tears from heaven, showering the symphony of nature   and refreshing the   womb of the Earth through the veins of the river.

 Pink and red attires harmonized the vibrant horizon of the ‘Earth', transforming the unique layers of the earth. Black and gray outfits symbolize the warmness of ‘Stones' as the bed of the river where cooling ripples of water run in endless flow and finally the ‘Sky' is seen in white colored wardrobes that ceaselessly roof the river from the translucent mystic of heaven that coincide to the beat of the drums.( http://www.thenewstoday.info/2005/03/15/feature3.htm )

God bless our dear  Iloilo River---a living testimony that it is possible for Filipinos to clean up our rivers and let them live to make our life easier and more enjoyable.

Celebrating Philippine Independence in memory of Graciano Lopez Jaena from Jaro, Iloilo City

Today is our 123^rd independence day of the Republic of the Philippines—a country colonized by Spain for 300 years and the United States for 45 years. We gained the nation’s freedom from the Spanish rule on June 12, 1898. This is the bigger picture.

I have the smaller picture which I can share today. It is a landmark that tells so many bigger picture behind it.  It is just right where I live two houses away from it in Calle Arguelles and Fajardo in Jaro, Iloilo City. Everyday, I pass by it. It is a shrine. It says Graciano Lopez Jaena. A shrine that many folks from Jaro may not notice driving and walking it through  everyday. ( PICTURES AND CAPTIONS OF THE SHRINE, BELOW).

Lopez is always associated a family name with Iloilo. The wealthy Ilonggo family we associate with ABS-CBN empire or the past Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines. The magnificent mansions in Jaro are owned by the Lopezes. Jaena is another Jaro family name. My Jaro landlord is a Jaen. It is interesting in Iloilo because  during the Spanish period, the first letter of one’s town, say Jaro, should have the same letter in one’s family name. Jaro   with letter “J”, ex., Jalandoni, Javelosa, Javellana or Jaena. ( Sta. Barbara town with Santillan, Sucaldito, Sobrepeña, etc.) My great grandfather helped construct the ancient Jaro belfry but his family name was not “J” so it was changed to Jutare.  

Yet many Ilonggos may only know Jaro main street artery as Graciano Lopez Jaena Street. Or perhaps our town plaza is called the same name. Still many, I assume, the young ones may have bleak idea who was Graciano Lopez Jaena.

 I reckon,  the bigger picture from the small picture of an  almost 60 sq meter space of the miniscule shrine is--  Graciano Lopez Jaena was already global during the 19^th century. ( It was in  1879 which was written then as MDCCCLXXXVIII or  19^th century as the first two digits, in case 18, is always one year ahead). It was a period in time that there was no concept of such word “global” existed as we define it today. Somehow global today in Filipino context  means work abroad.

What is interesting is this, according to Wikepedia:” Of these three ilustrados Jose Rizal and Marcelo H. del Pilar, López Jaena was the first to arrive in Spain and may have founded the genesis of the Propaganda Movement.I was blown away. To land first in Spain from Iloilo was amazing.  I remember this was taught to us in high school. But now, the meaning for me became bigger than life itself. While Iloilo is host to many “firsts” in the Philippines, this one dates as far back as the turn of the century.

Because  the shrine has meaning greater than what we see, today, we may have to reflect how we can preserve the sense of pride for Jaro and Iloilo through our own home-grown hero.

Sadly,  the shrine today has no sense of place. It is home to dump trucks and is just an empty lot. Perhaps forgotten by time. But yet history will not forsake itself. Some historical lapses in dates or details may fall into the cracks, but the bigger picture of our memory and sense of connection will linger and should remain nourished.This is when a smaller picture will have meaning to create the whole big picture in our society.

Our fast lane generation today is sometimes lost within  the bigger picture which can be polarized with the smaller pictures around us. What we see everyday is no longer novel to most of us. As a designer, my former Italian mentor always reminded me to look at our sorrounding pictures with our fresh eyes. Memory and inspiration is not too far-fetched, it can just be in one’s neighborhood. In my case, it is just two houses away where I live and I thought I must do something---even just writing it today to celebrate the independence of our dear country, the Philippines.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Graciano López Jaena(December 18, 1856-January 20, 1896) was a journalist, orator, revolutionary, and national hero from Iloilo, the Philippines,  who is well known for his written newspaper, La Solidaridad .

Philippine historians regard López Jaena, along with Marcelo H. del Pilar and José Rizal, as the triumvirate of Filipino propagandists. Of these three ilustrados, López Jaena was the first to arrive in Spain and may have founded the genesis of the Propaganda Movement.

His parents sent López Jaena to Jaro which had been opened under the administration of Governor General Carlos María de la Torre y Nava Cerrada. While studying at St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary in Jaro, López Jaena served as a secretary to an uncle named Claudio López who was the honorary vice consul of Portugal in Iloilo. His ambition of becoming a physician, convinced his parents that this was the better course of action.

López Jaena sought enrollment at the University of Santo Tomas but was denied admission because the required Bachelor of Arts degree was not offered at the seminary in Jaro. Instead he was appointed to the San Juan de Dios Hospital as an apprentice. Unfortunately, due to financial problems, he dropped out and returned to Iloilo to practice medicine.

During this period, his visits with the poor and the common people began to stir feelings about the injustices that were common. At the age of 18 he wrote the satirical story "Fray Botod" which depicted a fat and lecherous priest. Botod’s false piety "always had the Virgin and God on his lips no matter how unjust and underhanded his acts are." This incurred the fury of the friars. Although the story was not published, a copy circulated in Iloilo but the friars could not prove that López Jaena was the author.

He got into trouble for refusing to testify that certain prisoners died of natural causes when it was obvious that they had died at the hands of the mayor of Pototan. López Jaena continued to agitate for justice and finally went to Spain when threats were made on his life. López Jaena sailed for Spain in 1879. There he was to become a leading literary and oratorical spokesman for Philippine reform.

López Jaena pursued his medical studies at the University of Valencia but did not finish the course. Once Rizal reproached Lopéz Jaena for not finishing his medical studies. Graciano replied, "On the shoulders of slaves should not rest a doctor's cape." Rizal countermanded, "The shoulders do not honor the doctor's cape, but the doctor's cape honors the shoulders."

He then moved to the field of journalism. Losing interest in politics and academic life, he soon enjoyed his life in Barcelona and Madrid. However, his friends would forgive him these indiscretions due to his appeal with words and oratory. Mariano Ponce who was another of the Filipino propagandists in Spain observed, "... a deafening ovation followed the close of the peroration, the ladies waved their kerchiefs wildly, and the men applauded frantically as they stood up from their seats in order to embrace the speaker."

Rizal noted, "His great love is politics and literature. I do not know for sure whether he loves politics in order to deliver speeches or he loves literature to be a politician."

La Solidaridad

In addition he is remembered for his literary contributions to the propaganda movement. López Jaena founded the fortnightly newspaper, La Solidaridad. When the publication office moved from Barcelona to Madrid, the editorship was succeeded to Marcelo H. del Pilar. A student will discover his talent in the publication Discursos y Artículos Varios(Speeches and Various Articles).

López Jaena died of tuberculosis on January 20, 1896, eleven months short of his 40th birthday. The following day, he was buried in unmarked grave at the Cementerio del Sub-Oeste of Barcelona. His death was followed on July 4 by Marcelo H. del Pilar and on December 30 of José Rizal by firing squad, thus ending the great triumvirate of propagandists. He died in poverty just shy of two and a half years before the declaration of independence from Spain byEmilio Aguinaldo. His remains were never brought back to the Philippines.

In his honor, the Jaro Plaza has been renamed the Graciano López Jaena Park, where there is also a statue of him.

The Graciano Lopez Jaena Foundation Inc works to continue his legacy and supports various public recognition of his life and works, such as the Dr. Graciano Lopez Jaena Poetry Contest.

An Order of DeMolay Chapter, a youth fraternal group for young men originating in freemasonry, was founded around 1965 in Jaro, and named Graciano Lopez-Jaena Chapter because Lopez Jaena was the first and foremost Freemason from Jaro.