A special Independence day buffet

The invitation came from January Leron, Marketing and Communications Officer  of Waterfront Airport Hotel and Casino Mactan (phone 340-4888, e-mail www. waterfronthotels.com.ph) for a select group of media personalities to celebrate Philippine Independence Day or the Araw ng Kalayaan.

I belong to a generation of Filipinos who used to celebrate Independence Day on July 4 until August 4, 1964 when Republic Act no. 4166 “proclaimed the 12th day of June as the Philippine Independence Day and enjoined all citizens of the Philippines to observe 12 June with rites befitting Independence Day”.

When should we celebrate our Independence Day? This has been a topic of debate during our History class as a freshman student in the University of the Philippines (excuse me, in Diliman, Quezon City). Never mind if it was ages ago but I was one of the very few Cebuanos who made it to the State University and we were so few that we formed a group called “Panaghiusa” because we felt lonely out there.

 During that time, there was no cell phone, no computer, no debit/credit cards, not even a calculator. Even a wristwatch was a valuable gift because it could only come from Switzerland.   Today, according to my secretary, even the mangenginhas (shellfish gatherer) and mananaggot (coconut pilot) from their town in Mindanao, na ka Facebook na!

   At the special Independence Day buffet, I tried the Kinilaw or Fish Ceviche (both use raw fish, kinilaw in vinegar, while ceviche in lime juice) and the Sinigang labelled as Pork Trotters Soup (nice!) while I remembered the History class. We were nearly divided into two groups, one favoring June 12 and the other (my group) July 4. Tasting the Ensaladang Talong and the Banana Blossom Salad, I recalled that we reasoned that neither Spain nor the United States of America recognized our declaration of independence. Nobody acknowledge our existence including the League of Nations (1920-1945, 63 members).

 But we were among the 49 nations who signed the United Nations charter in San Francisco (1945) even before the United States granted independence to the Republic of the Philippines on July 4, 1946 in the Treaty of Manila.

 For the main dishes, I sampled the Pan Fried Fish with Sweet Soya Sauce, Stir fry Flat Rice Noodles, Beef with Gravy Sauce and the Crispy Pork Pata (very crispy) and a slice of the Roast Whole Chicken. Then I recalled that we had a classmate who argued that it have been better if the Philippines did not declare independence (1898) or given independence by the U.S.A. We could be like Guam or Puerto Rico, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States; or like Hawaii, perhaps to become the 51st state of the U.S.A. This was the ultimate paradigm shift in a school with very strong nationalist sentiments.

At the live cooking station, your favorite food columnist made a special request for sisig (comparable to the Kapangpangan version) and that brought the thought to what could have happened if indeed we were declared as American citizens. No visa required and if the Philippines were a state of the U.S.A., we would have more electors (Electoral College) to choose the president and the vice president compared to California (population, 37 million and 55 electoral votes).

 Later, I learned that January Leron is also a graduate of the State University and though there was a generation gap of nearly four decades, it can easily be bridged by updates through digital information. She and I belong to the post war crowd that have always benefited from the concepts of civil liberties and human rights and with Divine Providence, we Filipinos will continue to do so until the next century.