Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

Today is our National Independence Day but it's a working holiday because we were supposed to 'celebrate' it yesterday. Funny though, I didn't see the usual June 12 festivities that is happens yearly at the Rizal Park or at Kawit, Cavite, where the Philippine independence from Spain was declared on June 12, 1898. Shows you how much we Filipinos care about our freedom. Sad, noh?

Honestly, I think we are still a very young nation in search for our true identity. We've been colonized for too long (377 yrs under the Spanish rule, 48 yrs under the Americans and 3 yrs under the Japanese) that we've forgotten how to stand on our own. It is only now that we are relearning to take our own steps, as guided by our own national leaders. How I wish that someone would push to change our country's name, Philippines, so that we won't have be named after a dead king anymore.

In celebration of being Filipino, I would like to share an article I found in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Here's an excerpt:

Enjoy, be Pinoy; bahala na si Batman
By Gilda Cordero-Fernando

MANILA, Philippines -- Pinoy is what Filipinos call each other, a term of endearment. You’re Pinoy from Pilipino just like you’re tisoy from mestizo or chinoy from chino.

It’s a nickname just as Minoy is from Maximo, Ninoy from Benigno, Tinay from Florentina and Kikay from Francisca. But now they’re Maxi and Ben and Tintin and Cheska.

You’ve been called indio, goo-goo, Negro, flip, noypits. Or Filipino, a biscuit that is brown outside and white inside, or a word stricken from the dictionary which means domestic. Ay, lintik!

You’re Juan de la Cruz or Mang Pandoy. You’re common tao, masa, urban poor but also Cecile Licad and Don Jaime, Jose Rizal and Tony Meloto, Shawie and Pacquiao and Nick Joaquin, galing galing.

Born June 12, 1896, the Republic of the RP is a Gemini, good at connecting, good at loving-loving, good at texting and interpersonal skills.

Filipinos like to yakap, akbay, hawak, kalong, kalabit. We sleep side by side, siping-siping, we go out kabit kabit.

There’s lots of us to go around. Someone always to listen to a sob story, even in a jeepney, to share-a-load or to share a TV.

...

The Filipino is fearless, bahala na si Batman, which actually means Bathala na or “leave all to God.” Okay lang if I die by bitay, okay lang if I live, okay lang if I survive by the skin of my teeth.

Saway ni Inay: Di ka naman Bill Gates, di ka naman French, mahirap nang magbuhat ng sarili mong bench.

Be Pinoy! Enjoy!