June 12th has come and gone and with it the celebration of fake Philippine Independence Day. I have written about this before and so have others but perhaps one might come away thinking, so what? Who cares if the day is celebrated on June 12th or July 4th or perhaps both? Well, this article from June 12th, 2021 shows that celebrating a historical lie leads to a wrong understanding of history.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1143419 |
Armed Forces of the Philippine (AFP) chief-of-staff, Gen. Cirilito Sobejana on Friday called on Filipinos to remember all the heroes who put their lives on the line for the country's independence from colonizers.
"(We remember this day not only because we attain our freedom from the invaders but for the reason for this victory --- our heroes who have sacrificed their lives for the love of country. Their heroism and bravery in fighting in various forms be it in principle, wisdom, words and works, are the reasons why the Filipinos are enjoying their freedom)," Sobejana said in his message, ahead of the commemoration of the country's 123rd Independence Day on Saturday.
Sobejana also assured the public that this freedom will be further strengthened by the efforts of the nation's soldiers and defenders.
"(This is why I am asking all members of the Armed Forces to continue with their efforts to safeguard the nation's freedom which have been fought for our ancestors so that the independence being enjoyed by today's generation which will be experienced by the next generation. Things may change and the nation may experience a lot of adversity in the coming days, but we remain committed to fighting for a free, peaceful, and progressive Philippines)," he added.
All of that nonsense is an outright lie and the only reason AFP Chief-of-Staff Sobejana is repeating it is because, like all Filipinos, he has been exposed to the lie of June 12th being Independence Day year after year since 1962.
The fact is the Philippines did not attain its freedom because of military victories by the forces of Aguinaldo and his men. The First Republic was never recognized by any foreign government and eventually succumbed to American forces. It was not until 1946 that the Philippines attained independence and that was due to a plebiscite on the issue in 1934.
In 1962, because the American Senate denied a payment of $70 million to the Philippines, President Macapagal threw a fit and changed the date of independence from July 4th to June 12th. This change was made permanent in 1964. Ever since then the Philippines has celebrated June 12th as Independence Day. But note what Macapagal had to say about the First Republic.
It is noteworthy that no one among the half-dozen great heroes of our history, Rizal, Aguinaldo, Bonifacio, Lapu-Lapu, Abad Santos and Quezon, has played a role in the Republic that we administer today. This fact emphasizes the responsibility which devolves upon us to whom they bequeathed the fruits of their heroic labors to fashion this Republic as an instrument for the welfare and happiness of our people.
If "no one among the half-dozen great heroes of our history" had anything to do with the current Republic then who did? The people did. It was Manuel Quezon and others who lobbied the American government for independence. It was decided that Filipinos should vote on the matter. If they voted "yes" then the Americans would transition authority to Filipinos over a span of ten years. That is the essence of the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934.
Sec. 4 ...If a majority of the votes cast shall be for the constitution, such vote shall be deemed an expression of the will of the people of the Philippine Islands in favor of Philippine independence, and the Governor-General shall, within thirty days after receipt of the certification from the Philippine Legislature, issue a proclamation for the election of officers of the government of the Commonwealth of the Philippine Islands provided for in the constitution.
https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2019/07/a-brief-and-true-history-of-philippines.html
Philippine independence remains a manifestation of the will of the people. To celebrate June 12th as Independence Day is to forget that fact and to bury it in history. And that plebiscite is very important because it is not the first time that the will of the people in regards to who would rule them was held. The first such plebiscite was held in 1599 when the inhabitants of these islands voluntarily voted to be submitted to the rule of Spain. To call the Spaniards "invaders" is completely wrong.
It can be said with historical accuracy that Spain's legitimate sovereignty over the Philippines began with a popular referendum in 1599 and ended with a popular revolution in 1898.
Here is just one voice from those who voluntarily submitted to the Spanish crown.
“We answer that we wish the king of España to be our king and sovereign, for he has sent Castilians to us, who are freeing us from the tyranny and domination of our chiefs, as well as fathers who aid us against the same Castilians and protect us from them”
This man says the king of Spain freed them "from the tyranny and domination of our chiefs!" So much for being unwanted invaders. Before the arrival of the Spanish these islands were not even united. Each island was its own dominion.
Later on there was the Spanish Constitution of 1812 which was ratified in Spain with Filipino delegates in attendance.
In fact, the constitutional process experienced in Cádiz, and the later ratification of the Constitution of 1812, meant for the Philippines and other parts of the empire the birth of the public sphere in the Hispanic world. It ushered in the transformation of the overseas territories into provinces with parliamentary representation, and the theoretical right to participate in political life with civil and political equality of Spaniards in both hemispheres. All of these ideals were greatly desired and the urge to truly put them into practice would continue to drive the political demands of the Philippines throughout the nineteenth century.
Thus, in the first decades of the nineteenth century, following the participation of Reyes in the Cortes de Cádiz, in the Philippines a process was commenced that would take shape over the course of the entire century and prove vitally important in the forging of an independent Philippine nation. As Nick Joaquin (2005) has argued, these initial political struggles undertaken at the beginning of the nineteenth century can be considered important antecedents to the Propaganda Movement founded by José Rizal and those other notable ilustrados who inspired the Revolution of 1896.
https://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/165907/3/philippines_cortes_cadiz.pdf
This constitution leads directly to the revolution of 1896 as well as the plebiscite of 1934 and the current Philippine Republic which was born on July 4th, 1946. Contrary to what the AFP is saying the Philippines has a proud historical tradition of Filipinos expressing their political will by voting rather than by through force of arms. Celebrating Independence Day on June 12th obscures all of those events and keeps the people ignorant of their history.
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