It has been 124 years since General Emilio Aguinaldo, on June 12, 1898, proclaimed Philippine independence from his family’s ancestral house in Kawit, Cavite.
More than ending over 300 years of Spanish colonial rule, the historic occasion showed our readiness for sovereignty, replete with our national flag unfurling, our national anthem debuting, and a constitution in the works.
Alas, it was a victory all too brief.
Aware of the American struggle for freedom from the British crown only a century earlier, Aguinaldo and his men sought the kinship of the US for protection against Spain, inviting even Commodore George Dewey to join the proclamation. Dewey was nearby, on board one of the ships of the US Navy’s Asiatic squadron on Manila Bay, but he sent his regrets.
On Dec. 10, 1898, the Treaty of Paris was signed, enabling the US to take possession of the Philippines, as well as Puerto Rico and Guam, from Spain. The revolutionaries carried on with the fight for freedom, but faced defeat in the 1899-1902 Philippine-American War. Our relationship with the US has since proved to be the true test of our eligibility for sovereignty.
Thanks to provisions like the 1934 Philippine Commonwealth and Independence Act, by which running our nation, particularly in matters of finance, defense, and foreign affairs, fell under US jurisdiction, as well as the 1946 Bell Trade Act, the 1947 Military Bases Agreement, and the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement, we have been as linked to the US, as if by an umbilical cord, as we were to Spain.
Fast forward to 2022. We’re celebrating Philippine independence on a theme anchored on a fresh start. This year’s theme, “Pagsuong sa Hamon ng Panibagong Bukas (Rise toward the Challenge of a New Beginning),” is in tune with all that is new, such as the inauguration of a new administration on June 30, with President-elect Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the helm, and the hope of emerging from a crippling global crisis, Covid-19.
In late May, at the Duterte Legacy Summit organized by the Presidential Communications Operations Office, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) summed up the country’s foreign policy under the Duterte administration as “a friend to all, enemy to none.”
Over the past six years, according to the DFA, “the Philippines has been able to strengthen existing ties and forge new partnerships with various traditional and non-traditional allies,” resulting in achievements previously not possible, including the return of the Balangiga Bells from the US, “a step forward in righting the wrongs and injustices of the past.”
Cited also was the revitalized relationship with China that resulted in the signing of 29 bilateral documents and agreements, along with “actively engaged and deepened relations” with other key bilateral partners like Japan, Korea, the European Union, Saudi Arabia, India, Australia, and Israel.
In 1898, in behalf of the Philippine republic, Aguinaldo demanded a “dignified place in the concert of free nations.” With the geo-political shift alone, his prayer may have been answered at last.
The immediate challenge at this junction of our nation’s history, however, is to grow the economy and to increase the defense buildup enough so that we never have to be at the mercy of other nations again.