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THE best way to observe June 12 is not to watch the
big parade but to read a good history book on our country.
You will not learn from the
speeches bureaucrats and politicians deliver because they are
usually soaring paeans to the heroes. Instead, read about the lives
of the founding fathers.
You don’t have to attend a
program to take in the spirit of Independence Day, but do take time
to look at a map of the Philippines. Look at its shape, the strand
of islands, the oceans and coastlines, and how the archipelago
relates to the rest of Asia and the Pacific. Make an effort to look
up the first-ever map of the Philippine Islands.
Skip the flag ceremony where an
embarrassment usually takes place (the flag line getting snagged and
the flag bearers gasping to raise the banner) or someone forgets or
garbles the lyrics of the National Anthem.
Sing the anthem with gusto
But when you listen to the
Anthem, anywhere, remember who inspired it and why it must be sung
zestfully in 60 seconds or less. It is, after all, a march. Ask also
why our athletes are unable to keep still when it is being played.
If you respect the Flag, report the government office that flies
tattered ones.
It’s too bad President Gloria
Arroyo moved the Freedom Day public holiday from June 12 to June 9.
Her father President Diosdado Macapagal transferred the observance
from July 4 to June 12. Read his autobiography, A Stone for an
Edifice, to find out why.
Don’t feel sore if June 12
became a simple working day. You observe Freedom Day each time you
pay your tax correctly or vote honestly. Each time you do volunteer
work or do some good to improve your neighborhood, you are doing
exactly what Rizal had in mind about nation building.
Support the National
Historical Institute
Ask your senator to support
Senate Bill 1093, introduced by Sen. Loren Legarda, which protects
historical places and strengthens the National Historical Institute.
Join any rally that seeks to preserve the historic Metropolitan
Theater or protect the Loakan Airport in Baguio City.
Ask why many historians and
public officials are timid about raising Emilio Aguinaldo, our first
president, to the national pantheon that includes Rizal, Bonifacio
and Mabini. Support any initiative that would name or rename a major
street in Metro Manila after Mang Miong.
Pay the Filipino soldier greater
respect. He’s the guy who stands between you and the New
People’s Army. How great is the Filipino soldier anyway? Remember,
the Katipunan fought two world armies in succession—the Spanish
guardia civil during the Great Revolution and the US infantry during
the seven-year Filipino-American War. Aguinaldo led our freedom
fighters in these two wars.
Oppose efforts to name or rename
major streets, bridges and schools after two-bit politicians or
relatives of politicians. Streets named after outstanding Filipinos
deserve respect.
Cheer our centennial
institutions
Do not look down on our great
institutions. The statesman Blas F. Ople wrote his life changed the
day he entered his first Grade One classroom. The public school
system pioneered in correct English and could be rescued from
neglect. The civil service system provides continuity and
consistency amid accidents in leadership. If you despair over some
of the newspapers, think of Marcelo del Pilar and La Solidaridad and
be more sanguine about the press.
The Philippine General Hospital
is 100 years old. The University of the Philippines is marking its
centennial. Age has not withered the fun, sports and music at the
Philippine Columbian. They are refurbishing Teachers Camp in Baguio
City on its centenary. You know of course how The Manila Times
started in 1898.
Today, pick up a history book.
Avoid the popular ones that simply narrate the past in whole or in
parts. Choose one that explains the great events, the motivations of
the actors, the repercussions of the epic battles and the many
controversies in our past. History is not neat.
Read the Noli and the Fili
Read autobiographies—there
aren’t many. But they tell more about the man, his life and work.
Too bad our public leaders don’t have time to write memoirs.
Authoring is part of public life at the White House, where every
presidential aide has a story to tell after leaving 1600 Mass Ave.
But don’t despair: Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye has promised to
write his memoirs.
Read the Constitution and its
forebears. The Malolos Constitution is the first modern constitution
in Asia. The section on human rights was the centerpiece of the 1898
charter, a guide to the rights of the Filipino and why personal
freedom must be protected.
Read good literature. Among the
best are Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Don’t ever think
Rizal was always serious. Pepe had a great sense of humor. Read the
chapter on the Physics Class in Fili. In Noli, there is this famous
exchange between Doña Victorina and Fray Sybilla. It was in the
14th century, the friar tells the dinner guests, that a Franciscan
invented gunpowder. To which Doña Victorina replies, “In the 14th
century? Before or after Christ?”
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