Independence from political tyranny!

June 12 is the 116 anniversary of Philippine Independence which actually replaced the original Independence Day that my generation used to celebrate and that’s on July 4, 1946 when the United States of America brought down the American Flag at the Luneta Park and the Philippine Flag was raised and the whole United Nations (UN) recognized Philippine sovereignty. So what happened? Why was this piece of history changed?

If you want to know why this moment in Philippine history was moved from July 4 to June 12, it was due to President Diosdado Macapagal who signed Republic Act No. 4166 designating June 12 as the country’s Independence Day. And for what reason? President Macapagal was sore at the Americans and he felt that resurrecting Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo was the right thing to do to spite America? Good heavens! What a flimsy and sorry excuse to change our dates in history! For those faithful readers of mine, they already know this story as every time June 12 comes, I always remind our youth that history should never be changed by our politicians.

If at all, Gen. Aguinaldo did not get his place of honor in our history books and it is due to the fact that early in their struggle against our Spanish colonizers, Gen. Aguinaldo had a rival in Gat Andres Bonifacio. So that so-called First Philippine Republic was marred by ugly political rivalry that resulted in the mockery of Justice with the conviction of the Bonifacio brothers in a kangaroo court filled with Gen. Aguinaldo’s men. Gen. Aguinaldo’s political legacy continues on today, where service to the Filipino nation is relegated to the backburner as politicians only serve themselves. Indeed time or should I say politicians have changed very little in  116 years.

To the eyes of many Filipinos, the politician Gen. Aguinaldo got away with his crime and I dare say that it was wrong for President Macapagal to resurrect him and make June 12 our Independence Day. Take a good look at today’s Independence Day celebration, it has turned into a nationwide protest against the ruling political elite by an angry and indignant Filipino people. Will these suspected Senators and Congressmen also get away with their crime just like Gen. Aguinaldo? I certainly hope not! Even President Aquino is so scared he is celebrating Independence Day is faraway Naga City. This means he can’t use that P7 million flagpole at the Luneta Park!

Someday, we Filipinos would find a truly suitable date to celebrate a day of national independence, not just from the tyranny of our Spanish or American colonizers, but from the tyranny of our political elite that continues to rule this nation ever so badly since the 1986 EDSA Revolt. EDSA was supposedly our Independence Day from the conjugal Marcos Dictatorship, but instead of moving forward to a better Philippines, we ended up with 28 years ruled by a political elite that cared only for their political class at the expense of the Filipino people who continue to live in poverty today.

This is why whenever Independence Day comes many pundits always ask… have we Filipinos been truly independent? As my mentor, the late Sir Max Soliven would often describe our nation’s history as “We had 400 years in the convent and 50 years of Hollywood, but now we are under the control of one ethnic group called Tagalogs.”

Today inclusivity is the byword, yet the Philippines fails miserably in allowing all the spoken Filipino languages as our national language. Ultra nationalists believe that the Filipino is a Tagalog speaking person, which means those who were not born speaking the Tagalog language are excluded in this nation called the Philippines. Why do you think people say that we are a failed state? Why don’t you read the book of Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson entitled “Why Nations Fail” and you’ll understand what I am talking about.

Now is a good time to ask whether or not we have truly gotten free from the clutches of America’s influence. Under the Aquino regime all the more are we dependent on the Americans especially when he had the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) signed. I hope that the Supreme Court would rule EDCA as unconstitutional!

Meanwhile, I gathered that today there will be a massive anti-pork barrel rally at the Fuente Osmeña and a bigger one at the Luneta Park. I was asked to join the meetings for this rally, but I decided to shy away from the group because of the bad incident that happened during the Aug. 26, 2013 rally, which was originally slated to be held at the Fuente Osmeña.

But as I wrote on Aug. 27, 2013, that that rally was hijacked by the pro-Aquino groups and moved to the Plaza Independencia so that it would seem only a few people were against the pork barrel. Let’s hope that this time around… the Filipino people would be able to express their indignation against the political elite who have figured in this heinous crime!

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