When June 12 comes, Filipinos all over the country normally scramble to get to their respective “historical” venues to pay tribute to the men and women who risked their lives so that we may live a peaceful life. During this date, women government employees would wear their baro’t saya while the men would don their nice Barong Tagalog or camisa de chino to better symbolize the commemoration of that momentous event in 1896.
In other places, most especially in Luzon, there are sought-after re-enactments of Aguinaldo waving the Philippine flag from the famous veranda. In some cases, handsome movie personalities are used to take on the different roles of our heroes who made our independence a reality.
Here in Dumaguete, we are more low-key. We are contented with going to the Quezon Park early morning to offer flowers (and other things) at the foot of Dr. Jose Rizal’s monument.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with such a practice. This has been tradition that is worth-continuing, except that this year’s celebration made me think about a lot of other things, and made me ask one more question: What kind of liberation are we really celebrating?
Yes, I am happy that we were liberated from the Spaniards, from the Japanese, and from the Americans.
But while we have been freed from the clutches of foreign domination, we, the contemporary Dumaguetnons have continued to become slaves to garbage and environmental degradation.
Despite our being practicing Christians in this City of Gentle People, moral squalor continues. Traffic remains unresolved, the peace and order situation has worsened. HIV-AIDS cases have escalated, and prostitutes ply the historical boulevard where the distinguished Jose Rizal once treaded on.
Perhaps, the City’s new slogan “DumaGeTmE” is the culprit?
Or perhaps, the acronym of the political party LUPAD has been misinterpreted since the number of mugbog lupad is on the rise? You sit on one of the benches, and in no time, you can be sure a dealer would approach you to transact business.
Have we really achieved genuine independence? Many Dumaguetnons are still caged in the “imported” mentality. We are embarrassed to buy products made by our own people as they are regarded of inferior quality. We seek famous foreign labels, and sometimes, never mind that it’s ‘Made in China’ as long as it came from abroad.
Our garbage problem continues to imprison us. We keep advertising our City as a Retirement Hub, a University Town, a place for the emerging intelligent middle class. Yet, almost everywhere we look, garbage is piled up and overflowing, and some parts in the City already smells like old Manila or the older streets of Cebu. Try making OBT (one big tuyok) around the City, suroy-suroy among the streets, and you will understand what I’m saying.
And what about traffic? It’s another enslavement. I cannot understand why locals are so fond of “double parking“ (in the guise of making just a quick stop at the grocery or the convenience stores). Don’t we realize our roads are narrow, to begin with? Or do we believe we can always get away anyway with violating the law? What’s worse, locals love to park right where there are “No Parking” even “No Waiting” signs.
And whatever happened to the Smoke-Free ordinance? I see pedicab drivers smoking while driving, conveying passengers! People are walking the streets, smoking!
When we talk of real freedom, we are not just referring to independence from local political warlords or extraneous subjugation. We are also talking about liberty from moral filth, environmental decay, and social degeneration.
We are also talking about intellectual self-determination and an educational system that produces future teachers who care about their learners. Not “teachers” who keep on giving a barrage of homework online, without the benefit of discussions in the classroom because she’s too busy moonlighting elsewhere.
Independence Day is not confined to just winning battles in the field, or knowing which battalion has the highest death toll of soldiers.
Independence Day is more about being freed from all types of domination.
We may have been freed from the cruelty of the Spaniards in 1896 but if we are not freed from our indifference to society’s ills that surround us, if we continue to choose to be fence-sitters “to be safe”, then we haven’t achieved any independence at all.
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Author’s email: [email protected]
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