KALAYAAN: PANININDIGAN NG BAYAN

The theme for this year’s 113th Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence is "Kalayaan: Paninindigan ng Bayan" (Freedom: The People’s Policy Position). Kalayaan literally means freedom: being free; freedom from the control, support or influence of others; independence; liberty; power or opportunity to do something; the right or power to do as one pleases without violating the rights of others … from the root word ‘laya’ or free. Paninindigan means stand or position: choice, decision, preference, way of thinking … from the root word ‘tindig’ or stand. Bayan refers to the people, the public, town, country, fatherland, motherland, native land or nation-state.1/

My suggested English translation of the theme mentions ‘policy’ in the sense of ‘course of action’. This rendering presupposes that in the dynamics of every day personal and national living, and in face of varied situations, the course of action we Filipinos would almost automatically choose, prefer, decide on, take or pursue – in the unfettered exercise of our faculties – would be freedom.

It bodes well that this year’s June 12 independence commemoration coincides with Pentecost Sunday. Christian teaching says that: “On the day of Pentecost when the seven weeks of Easter had come to an end, Christ's Passover is fulfilled in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, manifested, given, and communicated as a divine person: of his fullness, Christ, the Lord, pours out the Spirit in abundance (Cf. Acts 2:33-36). 2/ “Filled with the Holy Spirit the apostles began to proclaim ‘the mighty works of God,’ and Peter declared this outpouring of the Spirit to be the sign of the messianic age. 3/ “Those who believed in the apostolic preaching and were baptized received the gift of the Holy Spirit in their turn.” 4/ We can see - after the Holy Spirit’s arrival on Pentecost – the unsure, hopeless and fear-filled disciples days after the burial of Jesus’ body transformed into the confident, hope-full, fearless and ‘more than conqueror’ evangelists going about teaching the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Because of this happenstance of same day celebration, we might want to choose to use this allegory of ‘liberation from fear’ triggered by the release of the ‘tongues of fire’ as an anchor idea for our day of remembrance.

The proclamation we commemorate is described as follows: 5/ “In the presence of a huge crowd, independence was proclaimed on June 12, 1898 between four and five in the afternoon in Cavite Viejo (now Kawit, Cavite) at the ancestral home of General Emilio Aguinaldo some 30 kilometers south of Manila. The Act of the Declaration of Independence was prepared, written, and read in Spanish by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista (War Counsellor and Special Delegate designated to proclaim and solemnize the Declaration). The event saw the unfurling of the National Flag of the Philippines, made in Hong Kong by Marcela Agoncillo, Lorenza Agoncillo, and Delfina Herboza, and the performance of the Marcha Filipina Magdalo, as the Nation's National Anthem, now known as Lupang Hinirang, which was composed by Julián Felipe and played by the San Francisco de Malabon marching band.”

The declaration, translated into English, 6/ reads in part: “And having as witness to the rectitude of our intentions the Supreme Judge of the Universe, and under the protection of the Powerful and Humanitarian Nation, the United States of America, we do hereby proclaim and declare solemnly in the name and by authority of the people of these Philippine Islands, That they are and have the right to be free and independent; that they have ceased to have any allegiance to the Crown of Spain; that all political ties between them are and should be completely severed and annulled; and that, like other free and independent States, they enjoy the full power to make War and Peace, conclude commercial treaties, enter into alliances, regulate commerce, and do all other acts and things which an Independent State has a right to do, And imbued with firm confidence in Divine Providence, we hereby mutually bind ourselves to support this Declaration with our lives, our fortunes, and with our most sacred possession, our Honor.”

Use of the phrase “under the protection of the Powerful and Humanitarian Nation, the United States of America” drew Apolinario Mabini’s prophetic protest and objection 7/ that the Philippines could be taken (whether by interpretation and/or by force, as history would unfold) as a protectorate of the US, which up to that time had led our leaders to believe they were in the Philippines only to help, not yet revealing the full panoply of their ‘Manifest Destiny’ designs as the new colonizing big kid on the global block.

This American deception (which in hindsight was part of a grand strategy) could remind us of the identity-theft biblically recorded in Genesis as having been committed by Jacob against his older brother Esau, thus misleading their old and blind father Isaac to give Esau’s “first-born blessings” to Jacob. Because their true designs were covered up and initially made to appear benevolent, the Americans tricked Filipinos into trusting them until more than enough armaments had arrived thus rendering further pretence unnecessary. They came as “helping friends” intending to be the new “possessors of territory and of people” or the replacement colonizers and exploiters.

“And Esau said to his father, Do you have but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. And Isaac his father answered and said to him, ‘Behold, your dwelling will be the fatness of the earth and of the dew of heaven from above. And by your sword you shall live, and shall serve your brother; and it shall come to pass you will have the dominion, when you break his yoke from off your neck’”. 8/

There is a teaching on this scripture that leads to true freedom. 9/ In essence, it points to every one’s inner breakthrough from the yoke of fear, dependence and misplaced priorities by judicious use of the power to choose: “It's very clear that Esau lost his inheritance to his brother Jacob not because it went missing but because he was willing to give it away. When Esau was hungry he placed the value of the soup above the value of the inheritance and replaced what was worth millions for what was worth a few cents. Esau then lost the blessing of the first born by trickery to none other than Jacob again. Esau never lost these by virtue of disappearance but by virtue of placement. His prioritizing was out of order and he was slow to recognize the true value of what he possessed. xxx

“What have you lost because you gave it the wrong priority? How many things have you classified as stolen which were simply given away because you didn't deem it valuable at the time? Many are the valuables that have been entrusted to your care. Plenty are the blessings that have been bestowed upon you. Great is your inheritance in God. I ask you today, are you closer to achieving your goals and living your dreams? Or, have you lost your way?

“Like Esau who didn't need a hand out, I submit to you that you don't need to wait around for a blessing. What you need is a break through. This most needful breakthrough needs to take place in you and not outside of you. The prophecy Esau received from his father revealed that the time of his blessing (dominion) would be when He stopped allowing outside influences (Jacob) to dominate him. The prophecy revealed the power of his own will to choose to be free and blessed.

“In other words Esau, your blessing is not in the hands of another. … "STOP" expecting God to do what He has empowered you to do. You need to break the thing that is seeking to break you. It's time to change your attitude, your disposition and your complaints. Away with the blame game! What you think you've lost is hiding in plain sight. It's time to exercise your authority and exert your power. Your blessings are not far from you. Reach out and grab them!”

Indeed, in the spirit of Pentecost whence “that strange boldness had come upon the disciples”, 10/ we can but be bold in the assertion of our inexorable stand for freedom. After all, “(L)iberty”, as Dr. Rizal wrote, “is a woman who grants her favors only to the brave. Enslaved peoples have to suffer much to win her and those who abuse her lose her. Liberty is not obtained bobilis bobilis (without pain or merit), nor is it granted gratis et amore.11/

The stance of being bold and brave in the continuing choice for freedom was encouraged by Thomas Jefferson through asking questions: “Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.”12/

Truly, by breaking the yoke of fear it shall come to pass we, Filipinos, will have dominion in our own nation. Let us boldly confront and rebuke the spirit of fear and its characteristic expectations of negative results, panicky thoughts, sense of being frozen and sheer inability to take action; its accompanying bad and negative or doom and gloom ideas, pictures and images that routinely come rushing in; its automatic worst case scenarios and frightened can’t-do-any-thing thoughts/feelings; it’s-too-difficult/too-dangerous-therefore-I-give-up mind games; and its tricky impersonation as false evidence appearing real conveying nothing but the most horrible of possibilities …

Let us then operate from the core of Spirit and in that citadel stay cool, calm, collected and confident while living in this realm of constant change where fear serves as smokescreen to rampant greed and covetousness for power over people and for possession of things. Let’s look to the Holy Spirit’s light and listen to His promptings; then take bold action. 13/

Aptly, it has been said: 14/ “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”
____________________
* Edwin D. Bael is the Managing Principal of Bael Consulting, LLC, based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is a lawyer and was career Philippine diplomat for twenty years.

1/ See online Filipino-English translations or dictionaries
2/ Para. 731: Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)
3/ Acts 2:11; Cf. 2:17-18.
4/ Cf. Acts 2:38.
5/ Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine Declaration of_Independence
6/ Translation by Sulpicio Guevarra; source –
http://filipinolibrarian.blogspot.com/2006/07/philippine-declaration-of-independence_05.html
7/ Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Declaration_of_Independence
8/ see Genesis 27:38-40
9/ Source - Live Inspired! A Devotional Moment with SANDRA LUGO,
insync@propheticcenter.net
10/ Quote from Alfred Noyes
Source - http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/boldness_2.html
11/ Letter to members of “La Solidaridad”, Epistolario Rizalino, II, No. 250, p. 158.
12/ Quote from Thomas Jefferson
Source - http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/boldness_2.html#ixzz1OyD050ZO
13/ Because God is with us as we are in Him, no one can be against us with any effectiveness. (Cf Romans 8:31) And indeed, we can do all things in, with and through Jesus who strengthens us. (Cf Philippians 4:13)
14/ Quote from W. H. Murray
Source - http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/boldness_2.html#ixzz1OyT5yC6G