Lacking a sense of local history
Crossposted from my weblog.
MUCH has been said about the Filipinos’ weak sense of history, a topic that usually becomes a flavor of the month in June. Or more specifically, flavor of the week where June 12 falls as the country celebrates its annual Independence Day.
The spartan celebration of its 109th edition last Tuesday at Naga city hall — which had Juan Dialino, Camarines Sur 2nd district commander of the Veterans Federation of the Philippines, as guest of honor — brought to the fore another glaring deficiency: we sorely lack a sense of local history as well.
Dialino’s address — where he took the Arroyo administration to task for neglecting its promises, including the basic social benefits our aging veterans richly deserve in their twilight years — might sound like an old refrain.
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.
Independence or In-Dependence?
“oh yeah! a parade is going on in the city with all these majorettes in micro shorts, a band behind them with the government officials and workers beaming gladly probably becuase of the day off.”
other than that, there’s nothing more. the day ended as a usual, plain, nothing so special, holiday of the sort.
honestly, what do i expect? i don’t even know what sort of freedom we’re truly celebrating. is there really something to celebrate about.
true, that our country is free from the influence of foreign land, that’s if ever you consider colonial mentality as an exemption which is undeniably at large. admit it or not we live with products made from other lands, not ours. Our economy’s growth is on and off dependent on chinese businessmen and tourism.
most of our women tend to marry foreigners for money, not realizing that these foreigners marry them to gain authority over a piece of land that should have been ours. (believe me there’s quite a lot of this out there, and i am emphasizing on the word ‘most’).
many of our youth, or better yet our people, plan to work abroad, doubtful of the income they’d get from here… and so i ask, is that independence? or in dependence?
we are free from other land’s influence but we allow the American’s to handle our country’s terrorism problem.
we are free from foreign influence but our government silences the freedom of speech of many of our journalists, activists, all of which still has open cases left unsolved and not a clue or sign of progress.
so in reality, i came to ponder and make the world wonder the same thoughts that i am bothered with. “what are we celebrating really? if it’s freedom, tell me: from where are we free?
simply by looking around us, nothing seems to be free.
we are not free… not yet. and that’s the hard reality.
Freedomacallit
Freedom comes in three facets. There’s freedom seekers/fighters, there’s
freedom artists/writers, and then there are freedom wreckers. Which one
are you?
The Freedom seekers/fighters:
They are those who march to the streets under the scorching heat of the sun.
They brave the heat, rain, dust, hunger, sweat and threats. They cry war to
those who trample their rights to the ground. They fight for freedom boldly
with shouts, taunts and banners. They fight not just for their own rights
but for everyone’s. They are a sore to the eyes of the businessmen, the
police, the Government, and those people who think their rights supercede
others. They are the common vendors selling yosi, bibingka, buko juice,
inasal, balot, bulaklak etcetera. They are our teachers, students, store
clerks, katulong, the environmentalists, the farmers, priests and nuns.
They are our Lolo, Lola, Tito, Tita, cousins, friends, brothers, sisters,
Ninong, Ninang etcetera. The common tao. They are the invisibles. I call
them that because the people who trample them cannot see or hear their cries
They are the agents of change. And oh, there’s also you. Me? I am not
brave enough to join this club. What a shame.
The Freedom Artists and Writers:
They are those who use pen, keyboard, canvass, and any other form of
materials they use to express their opinion. They are the newscasters,
reporters, the journalists, photographers, the painters and the latest
members of the community, the bloggers. Our very own national hero, Jose
Mercado Rizal was a freedom writer and those of his kind dead or alive
amazes me. Oh how they braved the persecution and threats. Do I belong here?
No. I’m just a lowly, trying hard blogger who even at the thought of the
word politics irritates me. I am not as passionate writer as them to be in
this club. I cringe to the thought of corruption but cannot muster enough
courage to blog about what’s on my mind. Talk about playing it safe. What a
shame.
The freedom wreckers:
Ah, you know them. If not, lemme give you a hint. As I’ve mentioned above,
they are those who think their rights supercede others. They may or may not
be in the Government. They are those who manipulate those who they think are
lesser human than they are just because they have the money, power and
resources. They judge you by the brand of clothes you wear, the house you
live in, the school you’re into, and the amount of money you have in your
pocket. They are those who think of themselves as untouchables and
invincibles. They wreck every good thing that they perceive as a threat to
their power and position. They are blinded by their egos. Am I in this club?
I hope not. I’d be a hypocrite if I say I hadn’t broken a law in my life. A
sin however small is still a crime. I had my moments. Like when I went to
the bank when I was young and working as a clerk. To beat the long line, I’d
just go directly to a cashier friend of mine and I’d be served right away,
no sweat. I had been a freedom wrecker too at one time or two. In that
occassion, I manipulated a friend to serve me first before others thus
trampling his/ her rights and I had been blind to the plight of other people
there who patiently waited for their turn to be served. What a shame.
Okey. Okey. I had been a freedom wrecker. You can smirk all you want. Call
me pathetic etcetera. One thing I’m not gonna do, is to blame others for my
actions. I am not gonna rationalize the mistake I had done before. We are so
accustomed to blaming other people of our misfortunes and misdeeds. We say,
it’s natural because we’re human. When the truth is, blaming others and
rationalizing the wrong does not make a person any more human. It brings
the inhuman out of us. I could not bring back time and change the scenario.
All I could do now is tell you the story and say “Huwag itong tularan.” Take
responsibility for our actions. Only then everybody will ever enjoy and
cherish freedom. I only have one wish to our beloved Philippines and fellow
Filipino people: “Let there be peace and freedom, and let it begin with ME.”
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Makita kang sakdal laya!
 
The Philippine flag, symbol of valor, purity and peace, has earned its own place under the sun, because it has been upheld by the Filipino people since the Philippine Revolution of 1898. Stout-hearted brown men carried it fighting side by side with the Americans in the battlefields of Bataan and Corregidor, in the underground movement during the occupation, and for the Liberation of the Philippines.
The tasks ahead for an independent Philippines are tremendous and will require the wisdom, unity, courage, faith and self-respect of free men. With God’s help, we Filipinos will not falter or fail. As President Manuel A. Roxas said… “let us build in this our land a monument to freedom and justice, a beacon to all mankind.”
Independence Day: Are We Really Free?
Today marks our country’s Independence Day. But are we really free?
I know I should be proud that our country has been liberated from the chains of oppression from foreigners but I think we may have been liberated but we are not totally free.
And so you may ask me why do I say that we have been liberated but not exactly free. Well, just take a look around you. Do you still see foreigners taking over our land and saying that this country is theirs? No. Because they are no longer here. Literally. But if you do stop and reflect, you would notice that their presence is very much still around. Keep in mind that the forces of foreigners (especially the Americans) still are here. Do you remember the war in Iraq? GMA has decided to send our troops there when in fact it is not our war. So how come our soldiers went there? The Americans needed more power and had Filipino soldiers helping them take their claim over Iraq.
