When Commonwealth president Manuel Quezon uttered his famous line, “I prefer a government run like hell by Filipinos to a government run like heaven by Americans,” in the early 1920s, he probably never imagined that roughly a century later, his idea would become a reality; many Filipinos would invoke it to describe the state of our politics.
We don’t have to look far. A Senate in turmoil over the past three weeks says it all.
What Quezon actually said, as published in his grandson Manuel Quezon III’s website quezon.ph, was, “I prefer a government run like hell by Filipinos to one run like heaven by Americans because no matter how bad, a Filipino government might be improved.”
But at the rate things are going now, obviously, the Senate crisis is testing the second half of Quezon’s statement – that a bad Filipino government can still be corrected by Filipinos themselves.
This is not what’s happening. Our duly-elected senators have turned the once esteemed chamber into a battleground for their own vested interests. We have a king who has lost his kingdom yet refuses to give up the throne. Allies boycott the sessions and are challenging each other’s legitimacy.
Now the more relevant question is whether the chamber still possesses the self-correcting capacity that Quezon believed Filipinos could do.
Would the Alan Peter Cayetano-led faction finally accept its defeat and give way to the new majority?
As we commemorate the country’s 128th Independence Day tomorrow, I think of how much the Senate has spiraled downward into jaw-dropping gutter levels.
And we only have ourselves to blame. We have put into power ex-convicts, trapos and lawmakers with bad record. Oh how easily we have forgotten that this is the same Cayetano who refused to step down as House Speaker once upon a time.
Independence Day
Philippine Independence Day is officially celebrated on June 12, commemorating the date in 1898 when General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the country’s sovereignty – that we are free from the clutches of the Spanish colonial rule.
But the biggest irony is this: while our forefathers shed blood, sweat and tears to fight colonial powers, in the end, the greatest threats to our independence today are within – we Filipinos, the leaders we choose and we who choose them.
‘Five Senses’ and many more
Speaking of the Philippines’ 128th independence anniversary, a selection of artworks and historically important artifacts have resurfaced after being unseen for decades and hidden from the public.
Each of these pieces has a story to tell – mostly about the Filipino people’s enduring dignity and resiliency, and the courageous efforts and valiant history that granted us our independence.
Take for example Anita Magsaysay-Ho’s 1950 painting “Five Senses” which resurfaced after more than seven decades since its last showing in the country. Anita’s other work, titled “In the Farm/Digging Camotes” is a rare 1944 wartime piece that captures her wartime experience in Montalban, Rizal, where her family escaped from Manila as the war was nearing its violent climax.
There are also the sunlit works of the “Grand Old Man” of Philippine art, Fernando Amorsolo, from the collection of Hon. George Arthur Malcolm, the 17th associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines and founder of the UP College of Law.
“Amorsolo’s 1954 and 1955 versions of ‘Planting Rice’ showcase diligent farmers working under the sun; ‘Lavandera’ exemplifies the artist’s penchant for portraying the Filipina beauty and ‘Baguio Trail’ demonstrates the maestro’s genius in light and shadow. These works not only immortalize the glory of the Philippine landscape and present Amorsolo’s perennial artistry, but they also serve as a commemoration of Hon. Malcolm’s contributions to nation-building,” according to León Gallery, which is bringing to the public these artworks and more through its post-Independence Day auction on June 13, 2026.
There is also a rare original woodblock impression of the Ramusio-Gastaldi Map, which contains the earliest known appearance of the name “Filipina” on any European map.
“‘La Independencia (Periodico Filipino)’ and ‘La Patria (Diario Filipino)’ are two important newspapers that encapsulate the story of a nation in a relentless crusade to safeguard its new sovereignty amid impending invasion from a new colonial power,” the gallery also said in a statement.
History enthusiasts can also get hold of the relics from the Malolos Congress which have also resurfaced, including an official edition of the Malolos Constitution.
Broken dreams
I read with a heavy heart the devastating news about two basketball players who died during an activity conducted by the Ateneo Blue Eagles in Aurora.
My condolences and prayers go out to the families, friends and loved ones of 19-year-old Rene Baterbonia and 21-year-old Divine Adili.
With their deaths came the shattering of hopes and dreams – not only for Rene and Divine, but also for their families.
Rene, for instance, said he wanted to lift his family out of poverty, a dream shared by many Filipino children. Many of us can relate to that aspiration, pursuing our own dreams with the hope of giving our families a better life.
And it’s what makes the accident all the more heartbreaking. May we all learn from this tragedy, and may the families find comfort, answers and justice.
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