Horacio Luis de la Costa, SJ, an outstanding historian particularly on Philippine

history and culture, graduated from the Ateneo of Manila in 1935, and entered the
Jesuit Novitiate at Novaliches. He returned later to the Ateneo to teach philosophy
and history and became known also as a writer and radio figure. In 1946 he was
awarded the Medal of Freedom by the US government for his role in helping
American escapees from Japanese prison camps. In 1951 he received his doctoral
degree in history from Harvard University. Two years later he rejoined the faculty of
the Ateneo teaching history, and later became its first Filipino dean and in 1969 the
first Filipino Jesuit Provincial Superior in the Philippines. In 1971 he became General
Assistant and Consultant to the newly elected Jesuit Father General Pedro Arrupe.
During all this time he authored many books and articles, played key roles in a
variety of organizations, and received many honors for his accomplishments. A key
document of the Jesuits' 32nd General Congregation, Jesuits Today, was entrusted
to him to prepare and was accepted by the Fathers of the Congregation virtually as
presented. Fr. de la Costa died of cancer in 1977

Macario Ofilada

Finished his doctorate in philosophy, with highest honors, at the Universidad de

Salamaca, Spain 1996. He wrote his dissertation on St. John the Cross and his
studies on the Mystical Doctor form Avila are acclaimed internationally. He has
published extensively in the Philippines and European journals on topics related to
philosophy, theology, spirituality, contemporary Spanish thought, east-west
mysticism, and phenomenology of religions. He is the author of San Juan Dela Cruz:
El Sentido experencial del concimiento de Dios (Avila-Burgos: Centro Inernacional
Tersiano-Sanjuanista-Editorial Monte Cramelo,2002). He first head of Jospehine
Bracken from his grandmother. Ma. Dolores and mother Ma. Sagrario. Since then his
interest on Josephine Bracken has note wavered. The present publication is his first
synthesis on Rizals Errante Golondrina.

Dr. Severina Luna-Orosa

She is quite simply a model Filipina. She embodies the ideal that rizal, whose spirit
has guided her life, set for the Filipina: a woman who is intelligent courageous and
creatively devoted to family and country. Dr. Orosa has equisitely and dynamically
combines the roles of wife, mother, professional, scholar, civic leader, and as he
volume show, writer.

Together win her husband sixto, she went to sulu as a young doctor to serve among
Muslims. She was one of our first doctors to call attention to the need for sex
education, at the same time when the very mention of sex was generally taboo. A
serious study of the life of teachings of rizal and co-founded the kababaihang Rizal
lista organization. A nationalist she was one of woman leaders to speak publicly
against alien control of our economy and advocate the development of local
industries to minimize dependence on imported products. Now 88, Dr. Severina
Luna Orsa lives with her husband. Dr. Sixto Y. Orosa, who is himself a fervent Rizalist
and nationalist.

Wenceslao Emilio Retana is well known to Philippines readers at the author of the
biography of Rizal which has best stood the test of time. In 1905 he obtained
permission to transcribe the official documents of Rizals trial. The file was sent for
from the Sergovia Archives and the Under-secretary of Was, Don Julio Domingo
Bazan,allowed Retana to copy it out long-hand at the Ministry.

The transcript had been requested of Retana by the Filipino scholar, at one time
Director of the National Library,Don Epifanio de los Santos. Don Epifanio published it
to gather with related documents, 1913; this edition has long been out of print. In
1931 Don Epifanios son, Jose P. Santos, presented Ratanas manuscript to Professor
Gabriel A. Bernardo; Professor Bernardo, in turn presented it to the Ateneo de
Manila Archives early this year.

In its present state the manuscript is volume bound in boards consisting of 190
leaves irregularly paginated. The first three and the last three leaves are blank. The
laves measure 15 by 22 cm. Retana wrote in a large, flowing, legible hand, in black
ink, on one side of the leaf only.

The spanish text is followed by an English translation. Retanas summaries of the

less important document, for instance embodied in the running commentary which
is printed in italics. The publications is under the joint sponsorhip of the Ateneo De
Manila University alumni asscociation. They offer it as their contribution to the
celebration of the Rizal centennial.

The Jose Rizal National Centennial Commision

Is charged by law with the preparation for a fitting and dignified celebrations of the
first centenary of the national hero of the Philippines, Dr. Jose Rizal. The objectives
set for the commsion to meet include among other publication of all the works of
the hero in the original languages in which they were written as well as their
translations into english and the principal languages of the Philippines. The Jose
Rizal National Centennial Commision takes pleasure to present to reading public- to
from his own works who Jose Rizal was and to evaluate appreciate his contributions
to welfare of his country and mankind. There is no better way of paying homage to
be constructed in his honor, than to collect all his works, and those about him by
others and prepare them for easy understanding of the people for whose cause he
chose to die.