Editorial

Tracing the roots of independence

The Philippines, on June 12, will celebrate its 123rd commemoration of independence from the 333 years of Spanish regime. Though, Filipinos are also familiar with the July 4 celebration of independence from the hands of American colonizers for 48 years, June 12 was formally institutionalized by the late President Diosdado Macapagal in 1962. Until now, the importance of the said event is manifested in festive exposition of the Philippine flag and programs conducted simultaneously in various locations in the country. 

This year’s theme, “Kalayaan 2021: Diwa ng Kalayaan sa Pagkakaisa at Paghilom ng Bayan,” reflects the current health situation in the country and calls for Filipinos to unite once again in the fight against COVID-19 towards social recovery and healing.

At its core, the celebration of Philippine independence is filled with stories of triumphs and defeats. From winning the Spanish-American War to falling under the new rule of the Americans, then the Japanese, the Philippines had endured years of colonization, subjugation, rebellion, and historical injustices. But apart from the dominant narrative written on books about the country’s liberation, independence is also sought by the people of Mindanao by persistently resisting foreign rule.

The Moro people, since the Spanish period, had continuously fought for their freedom and right to self-determination. Their collective aspirations, as reflected on the newly established regional government, which is the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, have been recognized just recently through peace talks and negotiations. At present, the process of rebuilding itself from the traces of historical injustices and wars (wars against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front was declared by then-Presidents Ferdinand Marcos and President Joseph Estrada in the 1970s and 2000), respectively), remains slow and gradual. Under the new regional government, the normalization process serves as a stepping stone towards achieving independence and autonomy for its people.

The Indigenous Peoples, also first inhabitants of Mindanao, are still put at a disadvantaged and marginalized position until now. Most of them suffer from poverty and exclusion, leaving with limited options to achieve human progress and be given access to the formal economy, ample participation in political process and decision-making, and access to justice.

Independence for them remains bleak and uncertain, as structural and social barriers such as food insecurity, lack of formal recognition over their ancestral domains, displacements caused by armed conflicts, among others, make them vulnerable.

Claro M. Recto once said, “Nationalism is nourished by a sense of history. It is of its essence to know profoundly the past, so that we may be in complete openness with the men who made that history and in intimate communion with their thoughts, their deeds, and their noble lives.” With this, a question remains unanswered: Is independence achieved in Mindanao?