Kalayaan: Bayan, Bayani, Bayanihan

Kalayaan 2007 : Bayan (nationalism), Bayani (heroism), Bayanihan (community spirit) is the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation’s (PCVC) response to our country’s 109th procalamation of Philippine Independence. It showcased & honored top-caliber Pinoys from different disciplines.



The event made me feel very proud and at the same time utterly sad. There we were, witnessing & celebrating some of the greatest talents the Philippines has… yet outside the four walls of CCP, people were clueless as to what is happening inside. The event could have made a greater impact if more people came. Politicaldivide is clearly tearing up and hurting the country. It’s about time that we Filipinos take a stand and work for a better Philippines.

ZsaZsa Zaturnah – in the being of Eula Valdez – said (not the exact words), “lahat tayo ay superhero na may kanya-kanyang labang dapat ipanalo” after their performance of “Ikaw ang Superhero ng Buhay Ko”.

Indeed, we all have roles to perform that’s why I am more than proud of the artists who came to perform in the event as FILIPINOs representing the PHILIPPINES. They truly deserve the loud cheering and enthusiastic clapping of the crowd who all came to see them that night for one reason – to celebrate the country’s rich history and culture that continuously evolve with time. They may have reservations and second thoughts, but they still came and performed in the spirit of bayanihan and maybe a bit of heroism as well.

I truly pray for our country and our countrymen… we are a great nation. In Tony Meloto’s words, “let us move towards greatness”. And that is not an empty statement. Let us stop blaming and pin-pointing. Whatever the state of our country is now, it didn’t take just one person to bring this about. If you will look and observe closely, maybe then you will realize that we all brought this to ourselves, to our country; by living in mediocrity and in indulging too much in democracy… Have you ever tried asking yourself what have you done or given so far to improve the state of our nation aside from the compulsary (heart/pocket-breaking) taxes you pay?

I came in that event because I don’t want DOT & PCVC’s effort to go to waste. I came there as a Filipino who supports other Filipinos. I came there as a Filipino, who believes in my fellow citizens’ talents, skills, & capabilities to do GREAT things, because we are after all a great nation from great ancestors. Our generation just have to completely believe in it for us to see that.

I dream for the day when all Filipinos celebrate our country’s Independence Day with pride. Even in our own silent ways I hope that we can all give each other the reason to be inspired and be proud to be a part of this nation. Maybe then those who refuse to see Philippines’ reality, can finally open their eyes and contribute something to finally bring about independence to our people in its truest sense. Let’s all set aside our differences, let these differences be our strength and not weakness not just as individuals dealing with other individuals, but more importantly as a country, building a nation.