By: Monica Sicam-Gutierrez
“I die without seeing the sun rise on my country. You who are to see the dawn, welcome it, and do not forget those who fell during the night.”
These were the dying words uttered by Elias, a revolutionary character in Dr. Jose Rizal’s book, ‘Noli Me Tangere’, which many credit with sparking the revolution against over 300 years of Spanish colonial rule in 1896. For me, this is what Philippine Independence day is all about.
It was a long time coming. After over three centuries of oppressive colonial rule, a huge crowd of Filipinos, led by Emilio Aguinaldo who later became the first President of the Philippines, declared our independence from the tyrannical rule of Spain.
The date was 12 June 1898. Some time between four and five in the afternoon, Aguinaldo stood on the balcony of his home in Kawit, Cavite province, 30 kilometres south of Manila. There he proclaimed our independence, cheered on by an ecstatic crowd. Ninety-seven Filipinos and an American army officer who witnessed the event signed The Philippine Declaration of Independence. It was also on this day that the Philippine flag was first unfurled, and the Philippine National Anthem, Lupang Hinirang, was first performed, played by the San Francisco de Malabon Marching Band. The Filipinos must have been euphoric on that day, as they stood up to the people who had oppressed the nation for three centuries and declared that they would be slaves no longer.
Unfortunately, that euphoria would not last. The Spaniards refused to recognise the Declaration of Independence and continued to treat the Filipinos as subordinates. The Philippine revolutionary forces continued to defy the Spaniards and came close to winning. However, their efforts were curtailed when the United States of America stepped in and grabbed the freedom that was within their reach.
The Spanish-American War broke out less than a year after our forefathers declared their independence. The Spaniards lost the Battle of Manila Bay on 1 May 1899 and the Philippines was handed over to America as one of the spoils of war. The Philippines remained under American rule until the US declared the Philippines a sovereign nation on 4 July 1946. The Americans also declared this as the new date of Philippine Independence. However, on 4 August 1964, President Diosdado Macapagal signed a decree reverting to the original date of 12 June as Philippine Independence Day.
As you can see, the journey to Philippine Independence has been long and hard. June 12 was the culmination of all the efforts of the Filipino revolutionaries who laid down their lives so that the following generations of Filipinos could be free. It is the day we Filipinos decided that we were good enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with other nations, and that we were mature enough to decide our nation’s destiny. We were no longer the meek, powerless indios with our heads bowed down. We stood tall, our heads held high, proud and noble as free people are meant to be. It is the day that the Philippines became a nation.
It is also the day that Filipinos heed Dr. Jose Rizal’s words as we pay tribute to our many heroes who “died without seeing the sun rise”. Philippine Independence Day is also a time to pay our respects to “those who fell during the night”, so that present-day Filipinos could enjoy the freedoms that they know today.
 |
In this balcony, Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the Philippine
Independence on 12 June 1898.
|
As our forefathers did in Cavite over a century ago, the Filipino-Australian community raises the Philippine flag and sings the National Anthem in commemoration of this historic event. In Australia’s culturally-diverse society, the celebration of such national events strengthens solidarity among the different cultures in our community.
No comments:
Post a Comment