ON PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE

A friend of mine (a lawyer, educator and urban planner) sent me her thoughts on the changing of the date of Philippine independence from July 4, 1946 to June 12, 1898. She feels that too much weight is put on the date instead of "the nature, scope and meaning of the term."

Is the review and critique of the date of independence more important than deciding on the nature, scope and meaning of this term, and how these in turn impact on the daily lives of not just the decision makers but the majority of the Filipinos?

Independence from what - political and territorial subjugation? does it refer to regaining of sovereignty? liberation from foreign decision-making powers? from lopsided or one-sided international trade and economic agreements?

Interesting...

Is the review and critique of the date of independence more important than deciding on the nature, scope and meaning of this term, and how these in turn impact on the daily lives of not just the decision makers but the majority of the Filipinos?

No it is not. The latter is more important. In making the review and critique of the date, we must not neglect the latter. We must attend to both.

Independence from what - political and territorial subjugation? does it refer to regaining of sovereignty?  liberation from foreign
decision-making powers? from lopsided or one-sided international trade and economic agreements?

Absolutely. It becomes within our power to take advantage of all of the above.

Considering all these dates mentioned -

Did any of the formal and ceremonial formalities that accompanied the changing of the "liberation date" free the Filipinos from the chains of POVERTY (or at least weaken it) which, in turn, has caused their slavery to usurers and loan sharks, to abusive factory and household employers (here and abroad), to child prostitution and drug addiction, mail-order-bride schemes, including marriages for convenience, to political bosses to whom they surrender their ballots and whose bidding they follow blindly?

Absolutely not. That was not the purpose of the former date or the new date.

Among others, Did changing the date improve their quality of life and liberate them from the scourge of malnutrition and life threatening diseases, unwanted pregnancies due to ignorance, street and household violence, joint incarceration of hardened criminals and young offenders, among others...

Absolutely not. That was not the purpose of the former date or the new date.

Did changing the date provide them with more qualified, competent, progressive- minded, honest, altruistic leaders?

Absolutely not. If we did not have these to begin with, we probably did not deserve Independence at the former date or at the new date.

Did changing the dates guarantee (or even just firmly promise) a better future for their children's children?"

Absolutely not. As Rizal said, we need to work to be worthy of independence. And after we achieve it, we have to work to achieve all that we wish to be guaranteed, and then some.

A Filipino

By Roberto Manasan