From the viewpoint of external control or intervention in the affairs of the state, we could say that we highly regard Independence Day as very important. We are an independent nation. We are free from intervention and oppression of other nations. While a member of the family of nations, we are not to be forced to follow what other nations would like us to do.
But if you go deeper into the issues, it’s more a fallacy that a reality. Whether we like it or not, as a member of the family of nations we allow ourselves to be influenced by other nations. But that is for the greater benefit of our country and people.
There is a symbiotic relationship between our country and other nations. We have entered into agreements with other nations for purpose of improving our economy and of defense. We should be practical and realistic.
So when we say independence, it should not be taken literally. It some ways we are not truly independent, in some other ways we are. – COUNCILOR EDUARDO PEÑAREDONDO, Iloilo City
I think they (millennials) are beginning to wake up to the call to give importance to the significance of Independence Day. I think our Department of Education is doing a good job. – GOV. ARTHUR DEFENSOR SR., Province of Iloilo
We are celebrating 121 years of being independent as a nation. We will be commemorating the day when the first Philippine flag was proudly raised as a symbol of being free from our colonizers.
Our heroes sacrificed their last breath so we could lead our own people. We were given the opportunity to appreciate our own culture, our uniqueness as a noble people of this Maharlika country.
But are we really independent? For me, we are not truly free. Why, we admire imported things more than our own! We are proud to speak foreign languages but we do not even have enough knowledge about our own like “po” and “opo”. We idolize foreign beauties more than our own. We think black is ugly and white is pretty.
The Philippines is not truly free. Our people are still chained to colonial mentality. – SHERLYN JOY MELENDEZ, Barangay Hibao-an, Mandurriao, Iloilo City
As we celebrate our Independence Day today, it is fitting that we remember the heroes who fought for our freedom during the darkest period in our history.
These heroes are not only those encrypted in history books but also those unsung heroes of today who move mountains to realize their rights and to free themselves from the shackles of poverty.
I hope that today we will realize that we need more heroes so that our nation will truly develop. – JEZZA NEPOMOCENO, Iloilo provincial government employee
