Independence Day, COVID-19, and other crises

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

Today, we mark the 122^nd year of Philippine Independence, at least from physical domination by a foreign power.

Our history is rife with debates on the true essence and meaning of independence. We are a sovereign state but also dependent on Western political and economic thoughts. Filipinos copied and imbibed everything that colonizers rammed down our throats and souls.

Then came the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) which saw our communities placed under lockdown protocols. Businesses grind to a halt and people lose their jobs. Government shells out amelioration monies but not all get ameliorated.

Amid the strict rules against public gatherings, Congress swiftly passes the much maligned anti-terror bill while dilly-dallying on measures that will pump prime the economy.

Bans on mass gatherings gave authorities the excuse to crackdown on dissent, even if protesters are on hallowed academic grounds and observing more than the minimum health rules.

The controversy over ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal has become a zarzuela of sorts, with the inane, the uninformed, the fanatics, and freedom defenders taking top billing in every House hearing.

Because of the lockdowns, policies that were stalled by popular and populists voices were suddenly in motion like the requirement for public transport operators and drivers to become members of a cooperative and corporation.

Amid all these crises, manmade or otherwise, the question of independence has become louder and more relevant.

We went around Iloilo City and even social media to get the thoughts of people from all walks of life on the essence of independence.

Some were pretty straightforward while others waxed poetic and patriotic:

Hilway kita, apang gutom. Kapin pa sang nag-lockdown, grabe gid. Tatlo kami nadula-an ubra, subong mantener lang baligya sa higad kay kulang ang ayuda. Ubra lang ta matarong sang sa mangawat. Next year lang ko ma-celebrate Independence Day. – Nonong Paez, street vendor

***

Independence is still alive. People can still protest if not physically, they can do it online. But online dissent and debates are sometimes more lamentable because people can pretend to be someone else and get away with whatever shenanigans they do like bullying. We thought free speech is alive in social media but sometimes posts are too offensive and callous. – Rey D., government employee

***

Speaking up is our best defense when our public health is endangered and our freedoms threatened — but only if we are well informed. Do research, check your sources, verify stories, look for context, stick to the facts. Every word you say or write must engage those who will hear or read it in discussions that work toward justice, fairness, and truth.

It can be tiring, I understand. You also need to take care of yourself: your needs, your health, your job, your loved ones, your passions. But remember that however many of us live our lives today, we owe it to the freedoms the men and women before us fought for and enshrined in our Constitution. Fighting for these freedoms — by speaking up — is the only way to protect them. – Daryl Lasafin, editor, writer, and digital content strategist

***

Tao of the Revolution

Imperceptible, moving the unmoving

ceaseless Tao of Revolution.

The immovable Law of Motion calls,

“Come Li Ta-Chao, come Azad, come Reds now…”

Victory revealed time, space and causality when burst forth open.

 

War machines spurt foul Operation Plans

But Ho-Chi-Minh’s pond stays Zen.

Still is the tempest waiting, brewing, murmuring,

“Nanay Walingwaling, Kumander Posa, Ka Tingting”.

Foolish are the enemies who spit at the sky.

 

Summons of kubing, drums, gongs call over, over and over.

I glimpse of communist future in dances of Tumandok

where moving fauna totems meld together

in ancient brave colors of their skin apparel.

While navel gazers amongst us are

blind what lays in Eastern Sky ahead.

 

Soundless whirlstorm, fateful mouth

hole widely open and rimless to

bourgeois ego lickers and eaters

of the dead. – UPV Prof. Tomas T. Talledo

***

The State intrudes into our rights and civil liberties in many ways. We comply when we understand the reason/s. For example, the travel restrictions to address the Covid19 pandemic.

But when the State fails and/or refuses to explain, it is normal for us to exercise our right to ask questions and seek answers. Especially when the State, instead of complying with its obligation to provide information, tags us as subversives with trust issues.

The anti-terrorism laws of other countries are allegedly harsher than the State’s proposed anti-terrorism law. So what?

The proper comparison is between how other countries apply their laws, and the way the State applies ours – Dura Lex for us, Dua Lipa (IDGAF) for Mañanita, et al. – Atty. JM Tirol

***

I will celebrate Independence Day by reading books or articles about those who fought and died to gain it. I can now only honor them by remembering them because i do not see or feel that our country has truly been independent especially during the arrival of the Covid 19 pandemic where the “feelings” of foreigners are factored in crafting national welfare policies, and seemingly different treatment of foreign visitors compared to fellow Filipinos.

Now we also have the Anti-Terror Law that has once again divided us even further, as a people, not so much because of the law itself but because of trust issues where the very same laws are applied using selective standards.

What then is the value of Independence or freedom to a people at war with themselves? – Former Iloilo City councilor and Atty. R Leone Boots Gerochi

***

Every year as we celebrate Independence Day and Pride Month in June, we continue to advocate for equal rights and anti-discrimination on members of LGBTQIA+ Community. For us, Independence comes with our practice of our right to freedom of expression, freedom of information, right to equal access to services and right to assembly. Covid-19 knows no gender. The gig economy here in Iloilo City has been severely affected by the economic impacts of Covid-19. Those who are in the gig economy are usually members of our LGBTQIA+ Community such as the make-up artists, musicians, hairdressers and salon workers.” – Justin Bionat, spokesperson of Iloilo Pride Team on Independence Day