Interrogating Bagong Pilipinas and Unity: An Address to High School Awardees
Preface The following was my prepared speech as guest speaker for the 2025 Recognition Ceremony of my alma mater, Manuel A. Roxas High School in Manila. The theme for this year's recognition, moving-up, and graduation programs in the country's public schools is " Henerasyon ng Pagkakaisa: Kaagapay sa Bagong Pilipinas "; in English, "Generation of Unity: Partners for the New Philippines." Not wanting to parrot the same generic political drivel around the Bagong Pilpinas (New Philippines) campaign of the current presidency, I sought to find a different meaning to the slogan. I'd eventually settle on two: one found in reframing our history as a Filipino people, and another in reimagining what we could strive for as a people, economically. Tying these in with ideas of unity different from the generic BS peddled by the Marcos-Duterte presidential campaign, I proposed that we can unite around the right causes in order to usher in a New Philippines. The speech...