the start

Nakakatuwang isipin ang naging epekto sa akin ng lakbay aral sa Banahaw; ang pagkakakilala ko kay Sir Chua, ang mga nakuha kong aral at impormasyon sa mga taong may sadyang ‘out-of-this-wold’ na idea, prinsipyo at pagiisip, at ang experience ko sa klase ni maam Kat..

            Today, all these ‘heat’ on nationalism and being Filipino started with a single song and a simple ride on an FX. It was surprising that the radio was playing that song and what was more surprising was that the driver didn’t change the station.

            ‘Ako ay isinilang sa isang bayan sa Cotabato…’ The music touched me in a way that a song has never done before. I was happy to listen to the song, I was in love with it. then I did realize one important thing: Filipino music is wonderful. It is light and as I told Ma’am Kat and Sir Chua through text: nakakapagpagaan ng puso at nakakagising ng dugo. The song is able to wake something inside you. for me, it woke up a dream: a Filipino dream. A dream wherein everyone is at peace and everyone has learned to love our motherland.

            The Filipino is a great people. I will never change my mind on that. They are great people but choose to be less. They can be a superpower: just look at our brothers and sisters: they are all over the place, our race is all over the world. If we could only harness this power and be united, we can do wonders. Some Filipinos are even given the job of caring for the sick or raising children. Some of these sick and these children are either powerful or will earn power in the future. They are our leaders or will be leaders. I have heard that one of our neighbor in the place where I grew up who works in Saudi Arabia actually works at the King’s palace. If the Filipinos could only unite and start feeling a sense of nationalism, they might just be able to persuade the world that we are more than just beggars, that we are more than just ‘simple’ ass-wipers. That we an be more than just servants or even prove that we can be the best at what we choose to do. If we would just start being nationalistic. It doesn’t mean we have to remain in our country. It just means that if we do try to work outside of our country, we would choose to make those we work with change their mind about how uncivilized we are. We can be great. The Filipino is a great people. We just have to believe that and do out best to prove that. Instead of just looking at the opportunity of working abroad as a means of earning money, we should look at it as a means of bringing glory back to our nation.

            I am not writing this in order to condemn those who choose to work outside of the Philippines. I am not that stupid not to realize that if they were to stay here, they would probably die of hunger. Working out of the country might be the best way to provide a future for their family. What I condemn is the idea that when they leave the Philippines, they forget who they were or where they came from. What is worse than that is when they choose to belittle their nation. When they start embracing the culture (or lack of it) of their new place and despise the culture they once believed in. What I condemn is then they start believing that whatever is Filipino means it is class C or class D or the lowest class. Which is sad, which is disgusting. Rizal himself among  our other forefathers, realized the need to go out of the country. What makes them different is they did not allow that country to make a slave of them. Instead, they exploited that country and took everything they could from it: be it food, clothing, shelter, education and even women (hehe).

            I am not here to deny how hard times are and how ‘poor’ the rich Philippines have become. I just hope that one day, every Filipino would wake up and realize what I know: that we are a great people. That we can demand respect. That we are of limitless potential and their ticket to a better life.

 

I HAVE A SECRET (we are great)

 

Meron akong secreto. Gusto mo bang malaman kung ano it? Malamang! Lahat ng tao ay may curious na parte na gusting malamang ang mga tsismis at mga bagay-bagay na hindi konektado sa kanila. Maari nating sabihin na lahat tayo ay ipinanganak na tsismoso. Naalala nyo ba ang mga musmos na bigla na lamang nagiging makulit at papansin dahil naramdaman nilang pinaguusapan sila ng kanilang mga inang nagbabantay sa kanila? O ikaw kaya! Naaalala mo pa ba kung pano mo idikit ang ulo mo sa pintong sarado para lamang marinig kung ano ang pinaguusapan ng iyong ama at ina sa loob ng kanilang kwarto? Eh pano iyong pagkalikot mo sa mga gamit ng ate mo? Dahan-dahan mong iniisa-isa ang mga laman ng kanyang bag sa paghangad na makakahanap ka ng love letter o kahit anong bagay na pwede mong magamit sa pagsumbong sa inyong ina. Ang gusto ko lang sabihin ay, sa tingin ko, napakadaling kunin ng atensiyon ng mga tao para makinig sa iyo lalo na kong ang iyong sasabihin ay isang malaking sekreto o di kaya ay tsismis.

            Ngunit kaibigan, hindi kita niloloko nung sabihin kong meron akong sekretong ibabahagi sa iyo. Hindi ko mamadaliin ang pagsabi nito sa iyo. Hayaan mo muna akong magkwento ng mga bagay-bagay – mga munting sekreto na hindi ko ikakagulat kung alam mo na. makinig kang mabuti sa akin, ha? Para siguradong malaman mo kung ano iyong sekretong nangangati akong ipagsabi sayo.

            Sigurado naman ako na narinig mo na ang pangalang Jose Rizal. Siya ang ating Pambansang Bayani – na katulad ng lahat ng bagay dito sa Pilipinas ay pati ang pwesto niyang iyon ay binabalot pa din ng controbersya. Pero hindi ang mga kontobersyang iyong ang paguusapan natin. Hayaan mong ikwento ko sayo kung ano nga ba ang pagkakakilala ko sa kanya. Tatlumpu’t apat na taong gulang siya nung patayin sa pamamagitan ng firing squad. Maaring itatanong mo sa akin kung hindi mo pa siya lubusang kilala: ‘ganon ba siya kaimportante na kinailangang sa pamamagitan pa ng firing squad siya pataying?’ at sasabihin ko sa iyo kapatid na oo. Noong panahon niya, siya ang isang paraan upang gisingin ang dugo ng mga Pilipino – hindi man sa rebolusyon at pakikibaka kundi sa pagmulat na kaya ng mga Pilipinong pamahalaan ang kanilang sarili. Na meron tayong kakayahang maging higit pa sa magsasakang walang pinag-aralan. Siya ay nagbigay ng ehemplo para maisip ng mga kapwa niya na KAYA NG PILIPINO! Pinatay siya sa pagnanais ng mga Kastila na ang kanyang naestablish na imahe sa mga mamamayan niya ay mabago at sa halip, maitatak sa isip ng mga tao na ang sinumang kumalaban sa Espanya ay tiyak na mamamatay.

Nag-aral si Rizal sa Espanya at sa iba’t ibang lugar ng mundo. Sadyang may ankin siyang katalinuhan at magaling sa pagsusulat. What makes him special is that he has learned to love his country before he even left to face another land – a foreign culture. And on this love,

 

Do you want to know a secret? Of course you do! Everybody wants to know a secret! Everyone has that curious side of their self that thrive on gossips. The scuttlebutt character is innate in us. Remember how you see toddlers suddenly become naughty when they get a hint that their mothers are talking about them? Or you, yourself, do you not remember how you would stick your side of the head on the door hoping that you would hear what your mom and dad are talking about inside their room? Or how you would go through your older sisters things hoping that you would find something that proves he has a boyfriend so that you may rush to your mom and report it. My point here is that it seems to me that the best way to get a person to listen to you is to tell them that the information you are going to discuss are really important, qualified information. Then for sure, you have an avid listener who would hang on every word you say.

            But my friend, I am not bluffing you. I really do have a secret. And I am about to share that to you. I will not spill the beans at once. I will discuss to you minor secrets- things you have probably heard of already – and after which, I will tell you what my tongue is itching to say.

            Anyway, I bet you have heard of Jose Rizal: he happens to be our National Hero. As everything else in our country, even his position as such is still embraced with some controversy. But that is not what we are going to talk about here. Let me tell you what I know about him as a creature that visited the earth. He died at the age of 34 via firing squad, very dramatic. Now you may start questioning: who was he? Why did he

 

OUR HOPES IN PACQUAIO

 

*  The Lupang Hinirang by Kyla – going back to history and respecting the designed national anthem the of the Philippines.