These were the words of President Macapagal who moved the July 4 holiday to June 12 in 1964, because he felt the real Philippine Independence Day was General Emilio Aguinaldo’s proclamation of it in Kawit, Cavite in 1898.
My children asked me about this date because Independence Day means no school. They wanted to know why. I said that people from other places wanted to own the Philippines even if they weren’t Filipino, but Independence Day was when we said "no way" and we celebrate that every year. They asked if there was "away-away" (fighting). It dawned on me then that we have not evolved. We blew it. Today, our Filipino brothers lie, cheat and steal from us. We sit here and grumble but let it happen anyway. Today, the daughter of the man who uttered these words sits in Malacañang spinning a legacy of moral ruin. The "away-away" is just a lot muddier.
Exactly what are we celebrating on June 12? What does freedom mean to the Filipino? Wealth? Economic stability? I wonder. A recent study showed that only courses that lead to jobs abroad are being taken by our youth. No one cares about the social sciences anymore because it doesn’t buy a ticket out of here and towards a better life – a life where you work hard, pay taxes and reap the harvest of your efforts; a life where you can be morally upright and live comfortably, able to provide for your children’s education, future and daily needs. A better life for us is just a regular life for other people. In this country, you get shot and killed if you’re the good guy trying to make your life matter to others. Social sciences? Forget it. Without anyone studying, working and caring about the human aspects of our country and the world, what will we be then? Once the talented youth are gone, our country will be but a membrane of the shell it threatens to be today.
It’s not just a brain drain anymore. The soul of this country is dying. What was that independence our forefathers so valiantly fought for? What does it mean to us today and what have we done with it? It’s not just about independence from outside powers that sought to own us. It’s about the freedom to be true to who we are. That freedom to be on our own should have meant we could live with dignity and in truth. We are such a gifted people but other countries are benefiting from our talents because our own government cannot give us the infrastructure to be the best we can be. Corruption has become a way of life. We fought to be independent but those who promised to protect us only took on the worst traits of those who tried to possess us. Generations later, we have barely our dignity left. We don’t know what honor is, and freedom we have equated with material comfort. So what is Independence Day when we can’t even stand up to fellow Filipinos who keep betraying us, day after day after day?
Our tyrants have simply changed color. Every few years, we are made to believe we are free to choose our leaders, then our votes are ruthlessly bought and stolen. Are we free? We work so hard for what little we get, pay our taxes dutifully, and still the air is dirty, health care is substandard, and every little service costs more than it should because everyone’s trying to make a little more, even if it’s downright stealing. No big deal. Our kids aren’t getting a good enough education because our teachers are taking care of the elderly in other countries. Those who have bravely stayed on aren’t paid enough. How can they enrich their own lives, so that they can give more to the children when they can’t even afford to buy books or take a vacation?
We are not even free to fight for truth. People in government who were courageous enough to stand up against evil have been silenced. Nope. We’re just fighting on our own now. What is changing is the growing apathy that is bringing us all to further ruin.
The only thing I will celebrate tomorrow is fewer cars on the road, which should mean cleaner air for my children, though maybe I will light a candle to signify my undying hope that every Filipino will find in himself again that burning desire to be truly free, to be a productive, responsible, spiritual, socially-engaged individual whose basic human rights are met and respected and supported by a duly elected leadership. When we say no to lying, cheating and corruption, we really are fighting for freedom. We are fighting for our right to be good human beings, worthy of the death on the cross.
For as long as we cannot stand up for truth and goodness, we are not free. Until then, there is no true Independence Day. It is tempting to suggest that a Memorial Day is more fitting, to remind us of what could have been. But that would be the path of least resistance, which is so horribly stained with our politicians’ Ferragamo shoeprints. Tomorrow, it might be good to take a walk on a stretch of rough terrain to remind us of the long road ahead. Now, that’s an authentic commemoration.