Why I built this

“No history, no self. Know history, know self.”

You'll hear this phrase in Filipino American classrooms and at community events, and people sometimes credit it to José Rizal. No primary source shows that Rizal wrote or said it. It isn't in his novels, his essays or his letters.

The trail leads to Vallejo, California. Mel Orpilla grew up there, founded the Vallejo chapter of the Filipino American National Historical Society and later became FANHS national president. FANHS credits him with creating “No History, No Self. Know History, Know Self,” one of the earliest presentations its community lecturers gave, and one of the most popular. Few schools taught Filipino American history then, so FANHS lecturers took it to churches, community halls and college campuses.¹

It's easy to see why people connect it to Rizal. In 1890 he published his own annotated edition of Antonio de Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, first printed in 1609. His notes pushed back on colonial accounts that belittled Filipinos and pointed to the culture and trade the islands had before Spain arrived.^2,5

His preface makes the case directly. Rizal wrote that he had been “born and brought up in ignorance of our country's past.” Before readers could judge what three centuries of Spanish rule had produced, he argued, they had to know where they stood in their own history.^2,5

Rizal also gets credit for a proverb that no manuscript or record ties to him: “Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan.” It's a Filipino saying about remembering where you come from so you can move forward.³

He did write something close. In his early work El Consejo de los Dioses: “Con el recuerdo del pasado, entro en el porvenir.” I enter the future with a memory of the past.⁴

So the words belong to Mel Orpilla and FANHS, as a way of teaching our community's history. Rizal would have recognized the idea, though. Knowing our history so we can know ourselves is much of what he spent his life arguing.

References

1. Filipino American National Historical Society–Hampton Roads. “No History, No Self; Know History, Know Self.” fanhs-hr.org/event/no-history-no-self-know-history-know-self/
2. Rafael, Vicente L. “Rizal’s Morga and Views of Philippine History.” Archīum Ateneo, Ateneo de Manila University. archium.ateneo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1033…
3. PressONE.ph. “FACT-CHECK: First Lady Mistakenly Attributes Filipino Proverb to Rizal.” February 24, 2025. pressone.ph/fact-check-first-lady-mistakenly-attributes-filipino-proverb-to-rizal/
4. Ocampo, Ambeth. “Enter the Future with a Memory of the Past.” Philippine Daily Inquirer, January 2, 2019. opinion.inquirer.net/118581/enter-the-future-with-a-memory-of-the-past
5. Rizal, José. Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas by Antonio de Morga, annotated edition, Paris, 1890. Digitized and discussed through scholarly archival materials at Ateneo de Manila University. archium.ateneo.edu/history-faculty-pubs/34/

What I've put together

A year-by-year timeline of KP, our officers, our events, our Pilipino Cultural Nights, set alongside the larger story that gives it meaning: a map of Filipino-American history, the figures who came before us, and the sources I leaned on. I've always believed KP is one chapter in a much older story, and I wanted to show both at once.

Who I am

I'm an alumnus of Kapatirang Pilipino, and I serve as its advisor at UC Santa Barbara. KP shaped who I am. This is my way of giving back to the organization that gave me so much, and of stewarding our history for the kapatid who come after me.

KP was here before me, and it will be here long after I'm gone from UCSB. I don't want its long history, its impact, or the way it intersects with the larger story of Filipino America to be forgotten.

Help me keep it accurate

I've gathered what I could, with care, but I know it isn't complete, and some of it still needs verifying. If you find something I got wrong, or you're holding records (programs, rosters, photographs, or stories) that belong in our history, please reach out. This is a living archive, and it only grows with all of us.

Mabuhay ang Kapatirang Pilipino. Tito Joe Sabado