Yesterday, we celebrated the 116th independence anniversary of our motherland.
A month after the return of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, to buy war material in Hong Kong and confer with the Americans who were on their way to destroy the Spanish navy in the Philippines, Aguinaldo thought it was time to declare independence.
From the establishment of the Philippine government in Malolos, Bulacan or the first Philippine Republic, Aguinaldo signed on June 5, 1898 the decree that would set June 12, 1898 as the day for the proclamation of Philippine independence.
Aguinaldo thought the declaration would embolden Filipinos to rally behind the revolution and throw off more than 300 years of Spanish colonial rule. According to the historian Agoncillo, Apolinario Mabini c did not fully agree with the early declaration of independence. For Mabini, it was more important to first “reorganize the government in such a manner as to convince foreign powers of the competence and stability of the new government”
Mabini’s objection can be viewed as a call for democracy and one of the earliest assertions of good governance.
Mabini envisioned transforming the dictatorial nature of the Malolos Republic into a real democracy. He wanted Aguinaldo to be surrounded by representatives close to the people. He already thought of local governments in the provinces.
But the first Philippine republic was short-lived as the Americans, after the mock battle of Manila Bay, declared war on the Filipinos.
The seeds planted on June 12 left an indelible mark on Filipinos.
The journey of independence is replete with challenges up to today.
As a political concept, independence “is a condition of a nation, country, or state” in which its residents and population exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over the territory.
We need not enumerate the challenges to our independence.
We need only to be reminded that our patriotic duty means never-ending vigilance to protect the motherland.
Freedom usually follows independence.
This includes the freedom to exercise the right of self-determination as a people.
As a work in progress, the country still labors to be free of exploitation and poverty. That’s a tall order for nation building.
Thus 116 years after Aguinaldo’s decree, our independence is a historic fact but the struggle for full freedom continues.
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