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 was mainly written in English and translated into Filipino. Below are both versions. I hope this reaches some young and not-so-young Filipinos and that it would challenge their views if we differ, or reinforce their belief in societal reform that's inclusive and truly unifying.

Credits: Rappler


English Version

Opening

To our esteemed principal, Dr. Roland L. Dela Cruz, the faculty members, parents, and our honorees for today, a beautiful morning to us all.


I am humbled to have been invited to speak to our awardees this morning. It’s been 15 years since I graduated and it is good to be back.


Our theme this morning is “Henerasyon ng Pagkakaisa Kaagapay sa Bagong Pilipinas.” If you would indulge me, what we’ll do this morning is 1) look at different conceptions of “pagkakaisa”  (unity), 2) interrogate what “Bagong Pilipinas” (New Philippines)  means and 3) what a pagkakaisa capable of supporting Bagong Pilipinas looks like.


I’ll be honest with you, as a student and practitioner of the so-called hard sciences I find it challenging to eloquently organize my thoughts when thinking about more abstract, yet important, concepts such as social cohesion and nation building. This is a mistake most science students make when they discount the importance of the arts and humanities. Science advances society, but the humanities remain its beating heart.


But, I digress. The theme is interesting because I built most of my understanding of “pagkakaisa” and “Bagong Pilipinas” as a student here in Manuel A. Roxas High School.

Perspectives on Unity

My years in Roxas High School remain precious to my heart and integral to my being. It was in Roxas High School where I ground my teeth in the formulas and dates and facts - in those science Labs and math classrooms over there. It is where I learned to think for myself, critically reading what’s been assigned in Filipino, English, History, and Values Education. It was even here where I learned about myself - in the spaces of time before, in between, and after classes spent with classmates, some of whom remain friends on whom I rely.


These learnings are the same skills I still use today to put food on the table. It also includes life skills I use to get by in life such as being an engaging date or kabarkada or officemate. 


I recall that around 2008, I think, I trained under the AP department to join the UN quiz. The UN was founded after World War 2, which is estimated to have claimed 70-58 million lives. Its founding was an attempt to maintain international peace and security and to achieve cooperation among nations on economic, social, and humanitarian problems. Unity, for the UN, was a means to an end - peace.


There are many other conceptions of what “unity” is, that can be found in the ideas of different thinkers and societies. 


Looking at the Ancient West, Aristotle believed unity is essential for the stability of a society. In his work Politics, he argued that shared values and mutual interdependence (which I like to translate as pakikipagkapwa) create harmony within the "polis" (city-state), warning that excessive division undermines social cohesion.


Meanwhile, The East has The Dalai Lama (2021) who believes that compassion and leaning on each other are at the heart of unity. He emphasizes that human beings, all being essentially the same, share a common desire for happiness and an aversion to suffering.


Then, Roman Catholicism, under the papacy of Pope Francis emphasizes unity in diversity, urging people to work together despite differences in faith, culture, and perspective. He often calls for global solidarity in addressing issues like climate change and poverty.


Even Africa has its own beautiful take on unity comes from Africa. The concept of "Ubuntu" is often summarized as "I am because we are." It reflects the belief that unity and human dignity come from interconnectedness and mutual care.

Finally, let’s take a quote from social reformer Jane Addams:

The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life.

I take this to mean that Addams believes that social welfare and unity require extending care beyond one’s own circle. This means that a society only thrives when its most vulnerable members are supported and integrated.

What it Means to be Filipino

Now that we’ve laid down some groundwork on what unity means to different people and cultures, let’s look into what it means to be Filipino so we can build a sense of who we are together as one Pilipinas.


According to Vicente Rafael (2018) in his work Colonial Contractions, prior to the arrival of Spanish colonizers in the 16th century, the Philippine archipelago did not possess a unified national identity or a singular concept of "The Philippines" as a nation. During this period, people would agglomerate to form the basic unit of government called the barangay, typically led by a datu, supported by a warrior class of maharlika and timawa (freed men). 


Fun fact: the alipins of the upper-class were different from our conception of Western slaves in that they are debtors rather than chattel. (Could we say that, in a way, the pre-colonial Philippines was more egalitarian than contemporary Western culture?) 


Another fun fact: the Babaylan of the pre-colonial era was an esteemed spiritual leader who is consulted by the datu and may act as interim head of the barangay. (Conaco, n.d.) Women and the transwomen Babaylan were respected and not merely treated as fragile things to behold.


To be clear, these social structures were tenuous and varied. The barangay structure is but a template of the different traditions communities they had. Our communities also had their own unique cultures and customs.


It was only in 1543 when Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos would name us “Las Islas Filipinas”, in honor of Prince Philip, who would later become King Philip II of Spain. This imposition of a single name and the establishment of a centralized administrative structure, though primarily for colonial purposes, laid the initial groundwork for a shared territorial identity that had not existed before. (Lopez, 2021)


The Spanish introduced a centralized government headed by a Governor-General appointed by the Spanish monarch.They also imposed a rigid social hierarchy based on race, with those born in Spain (Peninsulares) occupying the highest positions of power and prestige, followed by Spaniards born in the Philippines (Insulares or Creoles), those of mixed Spanish and indigenous ancestry (Mestizos), and finally the native Filipinos (Indios) at the bottom. The shared experience of discrimination and oppression of our people, who were often subjected to forced labor (ex. Polo y servicio) and denied basic rights, fostered a sense of shared grievance and a collective "us" versus "them" mentality directed at the Spanish colonizers.  While this centralized system was primarily designed to facilitate colonial control and resource extraction, it inadvertently fostered a sense of a single entity encompassing our islands; a proto-nation-state, if you will. (Buhay Batangas, 2018)  (Asuncion, 2023)

These nationalist sentiments and aspirations reached a fever pitch in the Philippine Revolution of 1896. This marked the first nationalist revolution in Asia against Western colonial rule. (Churchill, n.d.) This demonstrates the growing sense of shared identity and the collective will to gain independence from Spain.

I learned something interesting when I brought some foreign guests I was hosting to San Juan to visit the Museo El Deposito and the adjoining Museum of the Katipunan. There, I learned about an interesting example of an attempt to bring together the natives under a non-colonial umbrella which was the Tagalog Republic. This was the name of the open revolutionary government Katipunan had evolved into, with the aim of overthrowing Spanish rule and governing the entire Philippines. Bonifacio deliberately chose to address all the natives as Tagalogs, rather than Filipinos which was what the colonizers called us.

Following the initial phase of the revolution, leadership shifted to Emilio Aguinaldo, who declared Philippine independence on June 12, 1898, and established the First Philippine Republic in 1899. This republic, though unrecognized by foreign powers and ultimately suppressed by the United States, represented a concrete attempt to establish a sovereign nation-state built on the desires of the Filipino people. (Guerrero, 2003)

Following the Spanish-American War of 1898, Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States. This transition led to the Philippine-American War (1899-1902), as Filipino nationalists, who had just fought for independence from Spain, resisted the imposition of American rule. Despite the eventual American victory, this war further strengthened a sense of shared struggle among Filipinos against yet another colonial power.  

The American colonial period (1898-1946) brought about significant changes that further shaped Filipino identity and the nation-state. One of the most impactful was the introduction of a public education system modeled after that of the United States, with English as the primary language of instruction. This led to the widespread adoption of English as a lingua franca, facilitating communication across different linguistic groups within the Philippines. Alongside language, American education introduced Filipino students to American history, literature, and democratic ideals. However, the long period of colonial rule also fostered what is sometimes referred to as "colonial mentality," where some Filipinos may have internalized a sense of inferiority towards Western cultures and a preference for foreign products and lifestyles. (Rafael, 2018) 

We gained full independence from the United States on July 4, 1946 - a milestone in our journey together as one Pilipinas. The post-independence period was characterized by the need to build a stronger and more cohesive national identity amidst the lingering effects of colonialism and internal divisions.

The political landscape in the post-independence era saw the rise and fall of various political systems and leaders. The establishment of a two-party system eventually gave way to periods of political instability and authoritarian rule, most notably during the martial law era under President Ferdinand Marcos (1972-1986). This period had a profound impact on national consciousness. On the one hand, it led to suppression of dissent; on the other, a re-evaluation of Filipino identity in the face of political repression. (Mulder, 2012)

While Bagong Pilipinas is not a new concept to us, surely many of our senior faculty and parents here have heard about the New Society (Bagong Lipunan) movement of the late Ferdinand Marcos. This was premised on Marcos’ supposition that Bagong Lipunan will replace the old one. The need, allegedly, stems from social inequality brought about by leftists and activism. Hence, the need to rebuild Philippine society. Make the Philippines Great Again, one could say. (Navera, 2019) In Marcos' own words:

The New Society in which Filipinos live today may be described as their emancipation from an old society whose hallmark was injustice, the supreme injustice in which equality of opportunity was withheld from them by an oligarchy that appropriated for itself all power and bounty. The New Society is in fact a revolution of the poor. By means of it, Filipinos today are attempting, through disciplined vision, to make the rewards of their labors and the fruits of their resources available to all. (Marcos, 1977)

Bagong Pilipinas

Having now built some sense of what being Filipino is and how we arrived to the Pilipinas of today, we can get back on track to our program’s theme. Bagong Pilipinas is the current administration’s campaign and guiding communications strategy. Much like his late father, the current president employs the same ideology; according to Malacanan’s memorandum itself, it is the “overarching theme of the Administration’s brand of governance.” Ang panawagan ay malalim na pagbabagong-anyo ng lahat ng sektor ng lipunan at lipunan, na siyang magtataguyod ng reporma at pagbangon ng ekonomiya. It is built on the admin’s 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda:

  • Enhance bureaucratic efficiency and sound fiscal management

  • reinvigorate job creation

  • accelerate poverty reduction

  • establish livable and sustainable communities

  • promote agriculture and ensure food security

  • improve access to affordable and clean energy, and

  • address gaps in education brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic


All those are laudable objectives. How, then, shall we reach those lofty ideals? What roles do unity and the youth play in this? 

Reimagining Bagong Pilipinas 

I propose two perspectives of what a Bagong Pilipinas can be - a New Philippines rising up from a renewed understanding of our history, and a New Philippines achieving success by coming together around reforms that bring about change pagbabago in the form of social democracy. 

Decolonisation and Historical Reframing

We laid out a lot of groundwork to establish what it means to be Filipino and what the Philippines even is. We took quite some time to explore this because I want to expose an important idea: that, in some ways, we have lost the sense of what being a Filipino is, what the Filipino is capable of, and what our nation-state, the Philippines, is and can be. 


Let’s chew on this quote from Mulder’s The Insufficiency of Filipino Nationhood (2012):

Whereas the Indonesians have their Majapahit and the Thai their Sukhothai, American imperialism cheated the Philippines of the glory of being the first Asian nation to defeat, seven years ahead of Japan, a Western power—an event that inspired nationalists from Sun Yat Sen to Sukarno. Unfortunately, the Americans kept the humiliation of being a colony alive at the same time that they were over-eager to denigrate the country’s cultural past and relegate it to the dustbin of irrelevance. It is regrettable to note that already in the days of the successful Revolution against Spain, the nationalist potential of all and sundry imagining to belong together was effectively debilitated. Firstly, through the liquidation of the popular Katipunan leader Andres Bonifacio soon after the petty bourgeois leadership of Aguinaldo had effectively taken over. Then, through the blatant self-serving nature of most members of the leading class. The insufficiency of Filipino nationhood lies in its failure to mould the population into an organic whole or an encompassing moral order in which people imagine that they belong together. In the absence of a shared narrative of collective emancipation that ties private life to an authoritative centre of nationhood, we find two nations in the independent Philippine State, that is to say, the largely mestizo elite and the “common tao.” Since these “nations” cannot articulate, it keeps all and sundry—inclusive of the members of the new middle classes—from identifying with the whole and prevents them from developing into a nation of responsible citizens. As a result, nation building remains a task stretching way into the future.


While Mulder may have had a bleak, pessimistic outlook for Filipino nation building, Dr. Jose Rizal had some optimistic ideas for civic participation and reforms, as embodied in his literary works and cooperation with La Liga Filipina.


Civic education as proposed by Dr. Jose Rizal, influenced by Jean Jacques Rousseau (whom we’ll explore a bit later), can be situated in everyday thinking. To quote Camposano (2019) in his reading of La Liga Filipina’s pedagogy:


The organization’s motto—Unus Instar Omnium or “one is worth all” —was not a celebration of the individual’s pregiven rights but, rather, a recognition of the indispensability of political and social cohesion to the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms at the heart of any liberal reform program.

Social Democracy

Now that we've established a need to reframe our history to have a renewed collective consciousness in a mentally New Philippines , let's look at a concrete path towards an economically New Philippines. 


Having seen a bit of the world out there, I’ve grown inspired with the pictures of prosperity I’ve seen in other countries. You have a benevolent dictatorship, the only successful one as some would say, in the form of Singapore where the same party has been in power since 1959. The Middle East boasts global hubs run by monarchies on oil money


And then, there’s the The Nordics - Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland where some of the happiest people on Earth live (despite the, arguably, horrible weather). How did they get there? Besides being oil rich too, the template is described in the so-called Nordic Model - a framework of social welfare and economic systems that combines capitalism with a social safety net.


Let’s look at the numbers - what investments such countries made and what the outcomes were.

  1. Generous, Universal Benefits

    • In Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland—the so‐called “Nordic model”—social spending averages around 27 % of GDP, compared with the OECD average of 20 %.

    • These countries guarantee cradle‐to‐grave healthcare, tuition‐free higher education, robust family leave, and unemployment insurance.

  2. High Life Satisfaction and Trust

    • Swedes report an average life satisfaction of 7.3 out of 10, well above the OECD mean of 6.7.

    • High trust in government and fellow citizens (over 60 % in Nordic polls) reinforces social cohesion and collective problem‐solving.

  1. Social Protection ↔ Life Satisfaction

    • A longitudinal OECD study (Nordheim, 2020) finds that higher public spending on social protection (pensions, health, family benefits) significantly raises individual life satisfaction, even after controlling for income 

  1. Inequality Reduction

    • Countries with more generous transfers and services exhibit lower Gini coefficients (a measure of inequality) post‐tax and transfer, and citizens there report higher subjective well‐being (Fisher, 2009)


Metric

Philippines (2022)

Denmark (2022), Nordic

Finland (2021), Nordic

France (2022), European

Social Spending (% of GDP)

8.2 (2018)

26.2

29

31.6

Poverty Rate (National, % of pop.)

18.10%

12%

0.10%

14.40%

Child Poverty Rate (%)

26.4% (2021)

<4

<4

22.80%

Life Expectancy (Years)

72.19

81.3

81.89

82.3

Tertiary Education Attainment (%)

28.60

42

43

48.8

Social Mobility

Low

High

High

Medium



These pillars of social democracy and the results make the Nordic Model an admirable ideal for Filipinos who want to enjoy a Bagong Pilipinas filled with prosperity.


Expanding our worldview further, The Nordic model ties neatly to the earlier concept of Ubuntu. 

Ubuntu stresses that a society prospers when individuals prioritize community well-being, compassion, and interconnectedness.


Ubuntu recognizes our interdependency and how a society that looks out for one another is one that prospers. Isn't that a beautiful conception of unity? One that is rooted in sharing society's burdens so we can ease them together. 

Reimagining Unity

I submit that unity is not only founded in removing disagreements or thinking the same thing. Unity that is founded in trust in each other and in social cohesion produces political stability and prosperity.


Stepping back a bit, the Enlightenment philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau posited that man is born with a primitive desire for self-love (amour de soi) which is necessary for self-preservation. People came to live peacefully with one another thanks to another built-in of compassion (pitié). However, as society formed and we naturally compared ourselves to others, we grew to develop a different kind of self-love, one that desires to feel esteemed or superior to other people called amour propre.


He, thus, came to say the famous quote “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” 


He means that amour propre infests society and leads to social maladies such as inequality, unhappiness, and violence. It is only in exercising compassion or pitie and submitting to the general will , overly simplified: the collective desire for greater good, where society can prevent such decay. Rousseau very much influenced Dr. Jose Rizal during his time in Europe, as we discussed earlier. (Camposano, 2019)


Practically speaking, what this means for us is that putting compassion and the greater good at the forefront of our personal and national policies, through support for strong social programs, results in greater prosperity, similar to what Bagong Pilipinas seeks. 


Empirical research across three decades in OECD countries shows that every additional percentage point of GDP devoted to social protection correlates with measurable gains in people’s happiness and health. When we invest in each other, we all rise together. If you deem yourself to be in the position to need social protection, vote and campaign for leaders who advocate genuine social programs. Look north: where citizens pay higher taxes, they also receive universal healthcare, free education, and strong safety nets—and as a result report some of the highest life satisfaction in the world. There, unity emerges not from silencing dissent but from knowing your neighbor’s well‐being is tied to your own.


Rizal believed that we had to come together and respect a social contract - one of submitting to the greater good - in order to enjoy a life with rights and freedoms. La Liga Filipina was “an ethical project premised on the acquisition of habits and dispositions that incline a member to act ‘toward the benefit of his community as against purely personal or selfish interests’”. (Camposano, 2019) For Rizal, as early as the 19th century, this was the path from indio to being Filipino even.


If we unite around expanding civil rights—free press, independent courts, the right to organize—we ensure that social programs reflect our priorities, not those of a ruling clique. True unity means building channels for every voice, not muting dissent.


One such way I strive towards unity is in speaking with you today. Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie often speaks to unity through narratives of shared humanity. Her writings emphasize that storytelling fosters empathy, which can bridge divides and create connection. I hope the story I’ve weaved for you today allows you to reflect on this today. And I hope you also feel empowered to pass this story along.

Conclusion


Because we are recognizing today the best students of this school, I purposefully leave you with the difficult task of carving out a Bagong Pilipinas and how you can be a partner in that. Only that now, I hope you’ve gained an understanding of how we arrived at the Philippines of today and the different ideas around what a Bagong Pilipinas could be and how we can unite towards that.


A Bagong Pilipinas should recognize that we are a nation that is capable of greatness, merely stunted by imperialism and in-fighting. (Mulder, 2012) As we discussed earlier, our colonizers suppressed and discredited our historical achievements. The pre-colonial Filipino is progressive in gender affairs and does not keep fellow men as property like a Western slave. I hope you can be of one mind with those of us seeking the decolonization and retelling of our past. Though that road is long, we need to take back that narrative, recognize our historical burdens, and shed them.


Let’s recognize that greatness is still within the Filipino. But we are up against a lot. We need to then recognize who and what our real problems are. Then, we band together, unite, in order to usher in a Bagong Pilipinas.


Filipino Version

Pagbubukas

Sa ating kagalang-galang na punong-guro, Dr. Roland L. Dela Cruz, mga puno ng kagawaran at opisyal ng paaralan, ating mga minamahal na guro, mga magulang, at sa ating mga tampok na mag-aaral na pararangalan sa araw na ito, isang maganda at mapag-palayang umaga sa ating lahat.


Isang karangalan po na ako’y naimbitahan upang makapag-salita sa harap ninyong mga mahuhusay na mag-aaral ngayong umaga. 15 years po mula nung ako’y nagtapos dito sa MARHS and it is good to be back.


Ang tema ng ating palatuntunan ngayong umaga ay “Henerasyon ng Pagkakaisa: Kaagapay sa Bagong Pilipinas.” Kung inyo pong mamarapatin, gagamitin natin ang susunod na dalawang oras (joke lang) upang 1) una ay tingnan ang iba’t ibang mga pananaw tungkol sa pagkakaisa, 2) pangalawa, usisain kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng “Bagong Pilipinas” at 3) pangatlo, tingnan kung ano ang hitsura ng pagkakaisa na umaagapay sa nabanggit na Bagong Pilipinas. Kung gusto niyo pong malaman ang mga sanggunian o sources, maari niyo po akong kausapin matapos ang programa o basahin ang transcript nitong talumpati sa aking blog.


Tatapatin ko po kayo, bilang isang mag-aaral at propesyonal ng tinatawag na “hard sciences”, nahihirapan akong ilapat nang maayos aking mga iniisip kapag nasa mga temang abstract na tulad ng social cohesion o pagbubuklod ng bayan at nation-building, bagaman sila ay mahahalagang paksa. Ito ay isang pagkukulang na madalas ay kinahihitnan ng marami sa mga mag-aaral sa agham kapag nababale-wala nila ang kahalagahan ng sining at mga agham panlipunan. Ang agham ang nagsusulong sa lipunan, ngunit sining ang siyang nananatiling tumitibok na puso nito.


Naiba ako ng topic saglit. Bumalik tayo sa tema. Nakakaaliw na eto ang tema natin ngayong umaga dahil nabuo ko ang karamihan ng aking pang-unawa sa “pagkakaisa” at “Bagong Pilipinas” bilang isang mag-aaral dito sa Manuel A. Roxas High School.

Iba’t-ibang Pananaw Tungkol sa Pagkakaisa

Ang mga taon ko sa Roxas High School ay nananatiling mahalaga sa aking puso at mahalaga sa aking pagkatao. Sa Roxas High School ako nagsunog ng kilay sa pag-aaral ng mga pormula at mga petsa at mga  - sa mga science Lab at math na silid-aralan doon. Doon ako natutong mag-isip para sa aking sarili, sa pamamagitan ng mapanuring pagbabasa ng mga libro sa Filipino, English, AP, at Values ​​Education. Dito rin ako natuto tungkol sa aking sarili - sa mga puwang ng oras bago, sa pagitan, at pagkatapos ng mga klase kasama ang mga kaklase ko, ang ilan sa kanila ay nananatiling mga kaibigan kong maasahan hanggang sa ngayon.


Ang mga natutunan kong kaalaman at kasanayan ang siya ring bumubuhay sa akin at sa pamilya ko ngayon. Kasama rin dito ang mga social skills na ginagamit ko upang makamit sa buhay tulad ng pagiging isang nakakaakit na ka-date o kabarkada o ka-opisina. 


Kung tama pagkakaalala ko, 2008 iyon noong ako’y nag-train sa Kagawaran ng AP para maging ating kinatawan sa UN quiz. Itinatag ang UN pagkatapos ng World War 2, na tinatayang kumitil ng 70-58 million na buhay. Ang layon ng pagkakatatag nito ay mapanatili ang pandaigdigang kapayapaan at seguridad, at upang makamit ang kooperasyon sa pagitan ng mga bansa sa mga problemang pang-ekonomiya, panlipunan, at pantao. Ang pagkakaisa, para sa UN, ay siyang daan para sa isang layunin - kapayapaan.


Maraming iba pang mga konsepto kung ano ang "pagkakaisa", na matatagpuan sa mga ideya ng iba't ibang mga pantas at lipunan sa buong mundo. 


Mula sa Sinaunang panahon sa Kanluran, naniniwala si Aristotle na ang pagkakaisa ay mahalaga para sa katatagan ng isang lipunan. Sa kanyang akdang Politics, sinabi niyang ang mga pinagsasaluhang pagpapahalaga (shared values) at mutual interdependence (na gusto kong isalin bilang pakikipagkapwa) ang siyang lumilikha ng pagkakaisa sa loob ng "polis" (o city-state). Siya rin ay nagbabala na ang labis na pagkaka-watak-watak ay siyang sisira sa bukluran ng bayan.


Mula rito naman sa Silangan, sa Asya, ay ang Dalai Lama (2021) na naniniwalang ang pakikiramay at pag-hilig sa isa't-isa ang siyang ugat ng pagkakaisa. Binibigyang-diin niya na ang mga tao, na lahat ay pare-pareho, ay nakikibahagi sa isang nag-iisang pagnanais para sa kaligayahan at pag-ayaw sa pagdurusa.


Ang Katolisismo naman, sa ilalim ng pamumuno ni Pope Francis, ay naniniwala sa pagkakaisa sa kabila ng pagkakaiba-iba. Hinihimok  ng Santo Papa ang mga tao na magtulungan sa kabila ng pagkakaiba sa pananampalataya, kultura, at pananaw. Madalas siyang nananawagan ng pandaigdigang pagkakaisa (world peace) sa pagtugon sa mga isyu tulad ng climate change at kahirapan.


Maging ang Africa ay may sariling magandang palagay tungkol sa pagkakaisa. Ang konsepto ng "Ubuntu" ay madalas na isinasalin sa Ingles sa isang parilala lamang: “I an because we are.” Sa Filipino, "Mayroong ako dahil mayroong tayo." Sinasalamin nito ang paniniwala na ang pagkakaisa at dignidad ng tao ay nagmumula sa pagkakaugnay at pangangalaga sa isa't-isa.

Para isara ang bahagi na ito, kumuha tayo ng isang quote mula sa social reformer na si Jane Addams:

"The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life."

Ang basa ko rito ay: naniniwala si Addams na ang kapakanan ng lipunan at pagkakaisa ay pangangailangan. Yun ay: palawigin natin ang ating pag-aaruga at pagmamahal na ito’y umabot lampas pa sa ating mga pamilya o kaibigan lang. Ang isang lipunan ay umuunlad lamang kapag ang mga pinaka-sawing palad ay sinusuportahan at isinasang-alang-alan.

Ano ang Kahulugan ng Pagiging Pilipino

Ngayong naglatag na tayo ng ilang pundasyon kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng pagkakaisa sa iba't ibang tao at kultura, tingnan natin kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng pagiging Pilipino upang mabuo natin ang kahulugan ng kung sino tayo bilang isang Pilipinas.


Ayon kay Vicente Rafael sa kanyang akdang Colonial Contractions, bago ang pagdating ng mga mananakop na Espanyol noong ika-labinganim (16) na siglo, ang kapuluan ng Pilipinas ay walang iisang pambansang pagkakakilanlan o iisang konsepto ng "Pilipinas" bilang isang bansa. (Rafael, 2018) Sa panahong ito, ang mga tao ay sama-samang namumuhay sa pangunahing yunit ng pamahalaan na tinatawag na barangay, karaniwang pinamumunuan ng mga datu, na siyang pinaliligiran ng mga uring-mandirigma na tinatawag na maharlika at timawa (sa Ingles, freed men). 


Fun fact: ang konsepto ng alipin sa Pilipinas, actually sa Katagalugan—uripon sa Bisaya—ay naiiba sa konsepto sa mga slave sa Kanluran. Ang alipin ay nagiging alipin dahil sila ay mga may utang, kaya’t babayaran niya ang utang sa pamamagitan ng serbisyo. Sa Kanluran, ang slave ay isang pag-aari. (Masasabi ba natin na, sa isang paraan, ang pre-colonial Philippines ay mas pantay ang tingin sa tao kaysa sa kasabayan nitong kulturang Kanluranin?)


Isa pang fun fact: noong panahon bago ang mga mananakop, ang Babaylan ay isang iginagalang na pinunong espirituwal na kinokonsulta ng datu at maaaring gumanap bilang pansamantalang pinuno ng barangay. (Conaco, n.d.) Ang babae, at minsan ay lalaking nagbibihis babae, ay maaaring magsilbing lider. Sila ay iginagalang at hindi lamang itinuring na mahinang nilalang na dapat sobrang pakaingatan.


Linawin natin, ang mga istrukturang panlipunan na ito ay maaaring magbago o nagkakaiba depende sa lugar. Ang istruktura ng barangay ay isang balangkas lamang ng iba't-ibang tradisyon ng mga komunidad noon. Ang ating mga komunidad ay nagkaroon din ng kani-kaniyang kakaibang kultura at kaugalian.


Noon lamang 1543 nang ang Kastilang manlalayag na si Ruy López de Villalobos ay nagpangalan sa atin na "Las Islas Filipinas", bilang pagpupugay kay Prinsipe Felipe, na kalaunan ay naging Haring Felipe II ng Espanya. Bagama't ang pangunahin layunin sa pagtawag ng kapuluan gamit ang iisang pangalan ay kolonyalismo, ito ay naging pundasyon upang magkaroon ng pinagsasaluhang pagkakakilanlan na wala pa noon. (Lopez, 2021)


Itinayo ng mga Espanyol ang isang pamahalaang sentral na pinamumunuan ng isang Gobernador-Heneral na itinalaga ng hari ng Espanya upang pangasiwaan ang kolonya ng Filipinas. (Buhay Batangas, 2018) 

Nagkaroon din ng mga antas ng lipunan, kung saan ang mga ipinanganak sa Espanya (Peninsulares) ay siayng may pinakamataas na ng kapangyarihan, na sinusundan ng mga Espanyol na ipinanganak sa Pilipinas (Insulares o Creoles), ang mga may halong Espanyol at katutubong ninuno (Mestizos), at panghuli ang mga katutubong Pilipino (Indios) sa ibaba.

Ang sama-samang pagdanas ng diskriminasyon at pang-aapi ng ating mga ninuno, na kadalasang sumailalim sa sapilitang pagtatrabaho (hal. polo y servicio) ay siyang nagpaigting ng nagkakaisang damdaming at isang pag-iisip na ang hubog ng sistema ay "tayo" laban sa "kanila". Bagama't ang sentralisadong sistemang ito ay idinisenyo upang mapadali ang kontrol sa kolonya at pagkuha ng likas na yaman dito, ito ay nagtaguyod ng kaisipan na ang Filipino ay may iisang damdamin. (Asuncion, 2023)

Naabot natin ang rurok ng mga adhikaing rebolusyonaryo noong Himagsikang Pilipino ng 1896. Ito ang kauna-unahang rebolusyon sa Asya laban sa kolonyal na kapangyarihan mula sa Kanluran. (Churchill, n.d.) Ipinapakita nito ang lumalagong nagkakaisang pakiramdam at ang sama-samang paghahangad na magkaroon ng kalayaan mula sa Espanya.

May nakakawili akong natutunan nang magdala ako ng ilang mga dayuhang panauhin ng aming kumpanya sa San Juan upang bisitahin ang Museo El Deposito at ang katabing Museo ng Katipunan. Doon, nalaman ko ang tungkol sa isang halimbawa ng pagpupunyagi na pagsama-samahin ang mga katutubong Pilipino sa ilalim ng isang di-kolonyal na ngalan. Ito ay ang Republikang ng Katagalugan. Ito ang pangalan ng rebolusyonaryong pamahalaan na nagsimula galing sa Katipunan, na may layuning ibagsak ang pamumuno ng mga Espanyol at pamahalaan ang buong Pilipinas. Sinadya ni Gat. Andres Bonifacio na tawagan ang lahat ng mga katutubo bilang Tagalog (mula sa Taga-ilog), sa halip na mga Filipino na siyang tawag sa atin ng mga mananakop. Gayunpaman, si Bonifacio ay nasapawan at ipinaligpit rin ni Aguinaldo matapos.

Kasunod ng Digmaang Espanyol-Amerikano noong 1898, ibinenta ng Espanya ang Pilipinas sa Estados Unidos. Ang transisyon na ito ay humantong sa Digmaang Pilipino-Amerikano (1899-1902), dahil ang mga rebolusyonaryong Pilipino, na nakipaglaban kailan lamang para sa kalayaan mula sa Espanya, ay lumaban sa pagsakop ng mga Amerikano. Sa kabila ng tagumpay ng mga Amerikano, ang digmaang ito ay lalong nagpalakas ng damdamin ng pakikibaka ng mga Pilipino laban sa isa pang mananakop.  

Sa panahon ng mga Amerikano, ipinakilala ng kanilang sistema ng edukasyon ang kasaysayan, panitikan, at wika ng Amerika sa mga estudyanteng Pilipino. Gayunpaman, ang mahabang panahon ng imperyalismo ay nagpaigting din ng tinatawag na "colonial mentality" kung saan ang ilang mga Pilipino ay maaaring magkaroon ng pakiramdam ng pagiging mas mababa sa kulturang Kanluranin at pagtatangi sa mga dayuhang produkto at pamumuhay. (Rafael, 2018) 

Sa panahon matapos ang paglaya mula sa Estados Unidos, nakita natin ang pag-angat at pagbagsak ng iba't ibang sistema at pinuno sa larangan ng pulitika. Ang pagtatatag ng isang two-party na sistema kalaunan ay nagbigay daan sa mga panahon ng political instability at awtoritaryanismo, lalo na noong panahon ng batas militar sa ilalim ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos (1972-1986). Ang panahong ito ay nagkaroon ng malalim na epekto sa pambansang kamalayan. Sa isang banda, humantong ito sa pagsupil sa mga hindi sumasang-ayon sa pamunuan. Sa kabilang, ito rin ay nag-udyok ng muling pagsusuri ng pagkakakilanlang Pilipino sa likod ng panunupil. (Mulder, 2012)

Bagama't hindi bago sa atin ang konsepto ng Bagong Pilipinas, tiyak na marami sa ating mga senior faculty at mga magulang ang nakarinig tungkol dito sa Bagong Lipunan ng yumaong pangulong Ferdinand Marcos. Ito ay nakabatay sa paniniwala ng pangulo na ang Bagong Lipunan ang papalit sa nauna. Ang pangangailangan, diumano, ay nagmumula sa hindi pagkakapantay-pantay sa lipunan na dulot ng mga makakaliwa at aktibismo. Kaya naman, kailangang muling itayo ang lipunang Pilipino. Make the Philippines Great Again, ika nga. (Navera, 2019) Sa kanyang sariling mga salita:

The New Society in which Filipinos live today may be described as their emancipation from an old society whose hallmark was injustice, the supreme injustice in which equality of opportunity was withheld from them by an oligarchy that appropriated for itself all power and bounty. The New Society is in fact a revolution of the poor. By means of it, Filipinos today are attempting, through disciplined vision, to make the rewards of their labors and the fruits of their resources available to all. (Marcos, 1977)

Bagong Pilipinas

Dahil nabuo na natin ngayon kung ano ang pagiging Filipino at kung paano tayo nakarating sa Pilipinas ngayon, makakabalik tayo sa tema ng ating programa. Bagong Pilipinas ay kampanya ng kasalukuyang administrasyon at gabay sa komunikasyon nito. Tulad ng kanyang yumaong ama, ang kasalukuyang pangulo ay gumagamit ng parehong ideolohiya; ayon mismo sa Memorandum Circular No. 24 ng Malacanan, ito “overarching theme of the Administration’s brand of governance.” Ang panawagan ay malalim na pagbabagong-anyo ng lahat ng sektor ng lipunan at lipunan, na siyang magtataguyod ng reporma at pagbangon ng ekonomiya. Ang Bagong Pilipinas ay batay sa 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda ng pangulo:


  • Enhance bureaucratic efficiency and sound fiscal management

  • reinvigorate job creation

  • accelerate poverty reduction

  • establish livable and sustainable communities

  • promote agriculture and ensure food security

  • improve access to affordable and clean energy, and

  • address gaps in education brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic


Lahat ng iyon ay kapuri-puri na mga layunin. Kung gayon, paano natin maaabot ang matayog na mga mithiing iyon? Anong mga tungkulin ang ginagampanan ng pagkakaisa at ng kabataan dito? 

Ibang Pag-iimagine ng Bagong Pilipinas 

Iminumungkahi ko ang dalawang pananaw ng kung ano ang maaaring maging Bagong Pilipinas—una, isang Bagong Pilipinas na nagbubunga mula sa panibagong pag-unawa ng kanyang kasaysayan; pangalawa, isang Bagong Pilipinas na nakakamit ang tagumpay sa pamamagitan ng pagbubuklod para sa mga repormang nagdudulot ng makabuluhang pagbabago sa anyo ng social democracy

Dekolonisasyon at Historical Reframing

Naglatag tayo ng malawak na makasaysayang batayan upang maitatag kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng pagiging Pilipino at kung ano ang Pilipinas. Medyo nagtagal tayong usisin ito dahil gusto kong ilantad ang isang mahalagang ideya: na, sa ilang mga paraan, naligaw mula sa atin ang 1) kahulugan ng pagiging Pilipino, 2) kung ano ang kaya ng Pilipino, at 3) kung ano ngayon at kayang maging ng ating bansang Pilipinas. 


Ating namnamin ang eksaktong sipi mula kay Niels Mulder sa kanyang akdang The Insufficiency of Filipino Nationhood (2012):

Whereas the Indonesians have their Majapahit and the Thai their Sukhothai, American imperialism cheated the Philippines of the glory of being the first Asian nation to defeat, seven years ahead of Japan, a Western power—an event that inspired nationalists from Sun Yat Sen to Sukarno. Unfortunately, the Americans kept the humiliation of being a colony alive at the same time that they were over-eager to denigrate the country’s cultural past and relegate it to the dustbin of irrelevance. 
It is regrettable to note that already in the days of the successful Revolution against Spain, the nationalist potential of all and sundry imagining to belong together was effectively debilitated. Firstly, through the liquidation of the popular Katipunan leader Andres Bonifacio soon after the petty bourgeois leadership of Aguinaldo had effectively taken over. Then, through the blatant self-serving nature of most members of the leading class. 
The insufficiency of Filipino nationhood lies in its failure to mould the population into an organic whole or an encompassing moral order in which people imagine that they belong together. In the absence of a shared narrative of collective emancipation that ties private life to an authoritative centre of nationhood, we find two nations in the independent Philippine State, that is to say, the largely mestizo elite and the “common tao.” Since these “nations” cannot articulate, it keeps all and sundry—inclusive of the members of the new middle classes—from identifying with the whole and prevents them from developing into a nation of responsible citizens. As a result, nation building remains a task stretching way into the future.


Bagama't si Mulder ay may pesimistikong pananaw ukol sa pagbuo at pagtitibay ng estadong Pilipino (nation building), si Dr. Jose Rizal ay may ilang mga optimistikong ideya ukol sa pakikilahok at mga repormang sibiko, na nakapaloob sa kanyang mga akda at sa kontribusyon niya sa La Liga Filipina.


Ang edukasyong sibiko gaya ng iminungkahi ni Dr. Jose Rizal, na naimpluwensyahan ni Jean Jacques Rousseau (na siyang uusisain natin mamaya), ay maaaring ilagay sa pang-araw-araw na pag-iisip. Narito ay isang sipi mula kay Dr. Clement Camposano (2019) sa kanyang pagsusuri ng pedagogy, o pamamaraan ng pagtuturo, ng La Liga Filipina:

The organization’s motto—Unus Instar Omnium or “one is worth all” —was not a celebration of the individual’s pregiven rights but, rather, a recognition of the indispensability of political and social cohesion to the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms at the heart of any liberal reform program.

Social Democracy

Ngayon ay naitatag na natin ang pangangailangan na i-reframe, o muling isipin paano natin tinitingnan, ang ating kasaysayan. Ito ay upang magkaroon ng Bagong Pilipinas sa isip. Upang magkaroon ng Bagong Pilipinas sa gawa tingnan natin ang isang kongkretong daan tungo sa bagong ekonomiya. 


Ngayong nagkaroon na ako ng pagkakataon na makita ang ilang mga bahagi ng mundo, naging inspirasyon ko ang kasaganaan na nakita ko sa ibang mga bansa. Mayroong Singapore na isang benevolent dictatorship (mabait na diktadurya), ang tanging matagumpay na benevolent dictatorship ayon sa iba. Sa Singapore ay pinamumunuan lamang ng isang partido mula 1959. Ipinagmamalaki ng Gitnang Silangan ang mga global hub tulad ng Dubai na pinamamahalaan ng monarkiya na may pera mula sa langis


Nariyan din ang rehiyon na tinatawag ng Nordics. Ito ay kinabibilangan ng Sweden, Denmark, Norway, at Finland kung saan nakatira ang ilan sa mga pinakamasayang tao sa buong mundo (sa kabila ng nakakalungkot na panahon lalo na pag tag-lamig). (maybe some stories here)


Paano sila nakarating doon? Bukod sa pagiging mayaman din sa langis, ang sistema nila ay inilalarawan sa tinatawag na Nordic Model - isang balangkas ng social welfare at mga sistemang pang-ekonomiya na pinagsasama ang kapitalismo sa mga social safety net.


Tingnan natin ang mga numero - kung ano ang mga pamumuhunan na ginawa ng naturang mga bansa at kung ano ang mga kinalabasan.

  1. Mapagbigay at Pang-lahat na Benepisyo

    • Sa Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, at Iceland—ang tinatawag na “Nordic model”—ang mga average na paggasta sa social programs (kabilang ang kalusugan, cash transfers, edukasyon) humigit-kumulang 27% ng GDP, kumpara sa average ng OECD, grupo ng mga maaalwan na bansa, ng 20%.

    • Ang mga bansang ito ay tinitiyak ang healthcare mula sa panganganak hanggang kamatayan, walang tuition kahit hanggang kolehiyo, malawig na pamilya, at unemployment insurance.

  2. Mataas na Kasiyahan sa Buhay at Tiwala sa Lipunan

    • Ang mga taga-Sweden ay nag-uulat ng isang average na kasiyahan sa buhay ng 7.3/10, mas mataas sa ibig sabihin ng OECD ng 6.7.

    • Ang mataas na tiwala sa gobyerno at kapwa mamamayan (mahigit 60% ayon sa Nordic polls) ay nagpapatibay ng pagkakaisa sa lipunan at sama-samang paglutas ng problema.


  1. Proteksyon ng Panlipunan ↔ Kasiyahan sa Buhay

    • Natuklasan ng isang longitudinal study ng OECD (Nordheim, 2020) na ang mas mataas na budget para sa panlipunang proteksyon (mga pensiyon, kalusugan, benepisyo ng pamilya) ay hustong nagpapataas ng kasiyahan sa buhay ng indibidwal, kahit pa isawalang-bahala ang kanilang kita sa pag-aaral 


  1. Pagbabawas ng hindi pagkakapantay-pantay

    • Ang mga bansang may mas mataas na ayuda at serbisyo ay nagpapakita ng mas mababang Gini coefficient (isang sukat ng social inequality), at ang mga mamamayan doon ay nag-uulat ng mas mataas na subjective na pagiging mainam sa buhay (Fisher, 2009)


Ang mga haliging ito ng social democracy at ang mga resulta ay nagpapatotoo na ang Nordic Model na isang katangi-tanging hangarin para sa mga Pilipinong gustong matamasa ang Bagong Pilipinas na puno ng kasaganaan.


Palawakin pa natin ang ating pananaw sa mundo. Ang Nordic Model ay tumpak na nauugnay sa naunang konsepto ng Ubuntu. Binibigyang-diin ng Ubuntu na umuunlad ang isang lipunan kapag inuuna ng mga indibidwal ang kapakanan ng komunidad, pakikiramay, at pag-uugnayan.


Kinikilala ng Ubuntu ang ating pagtutulungan at kung paano umuunlad ang isang lipunang umaagapay sa isa't-isa. Hindi ba't iyon ay isang magandang konsepto ng pagkakaisa? Isang konsepto na nag-uugat sa pagbabahagi ng mga pasanin ng lipunan upang mapagaan natin ang mga ito nang sama-sama. 

Muling Pagiisip ng Pagkakaisa

Kung ako ang tatanungin, ang pagkakaisa ay hindi lamang batay sa pagtanggal ng mga hindi pagkakasundo o pag-iisip ng parehong bagay. Ang pagkakaisa na itinatag sa pagtitiwala sa isa't isa at sa pagkakaisa ng lipunan ay nagbubunga ng katatagan at kaunlaran sa pulitika.


Maiba tayo saglit at tingnan ang isang pilosopo mula sa panahon ng Enlightenment na si Jean Jacques Rousseau. Siya ay nagpahayag na ang tao ay ipinanganak na may kagustuhan sa kaibuturan ng kanyang puso: ang pagmamahal sa sarili (sa Wikang Pranses, amour de soi); ito ay kinakailangan para pangangalagaan ang sarili. Ang mga tao ay namuhay nang mapayapa sa malilit na group dahil sa isa pang damdamin: pagkahabag (sa Pranses, pitié). Gayunpaman, habang nabuo at lumaki ang lipunan , natural nating ikinukumpara ang ating sarili sa iba, at natutunan ang ibang uri ng pagmamahal sa sarili, isa na nagnanais na makaramdam ng pagpapahalaga o siya ay nakatataas kaysa sa ibang tao na tinatawag na amour propre. (pagmamahal sa sarili din ito, pero naiiba)


Kaya, nasabi niya ang sikat na quote na "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." 


Ang ibig niyang sabihin ay ang amour propre (o ang kagustuhan na maka-angat sa iba) ay namumuo sa lipunan at humahantong sa mga pagka-bulok sa lipunan tulad ng hindi pagkakapantay-pantay, kalungkutan, at karahasan. Ito ay matutugunan lamang sa pagpapairal ng pagkahabag (pitié) at pagsuko sa pangkalahatang kalooban (general will).


Kung sobrang pasisimplehin: ang general will ang sama-samang pagnanais para sa higit na kapakanan ng lahat, kung saan mapipigilan ng lipunan ang kanyang pagka-bulok. Lubos na naimpluwensyahan ni Rousseau si Dr. Jose Rizal noong panahon niya sa Europa, gaya ng tinalakay natin kanina. (Camposano, 2019)


Ang praktikal na ibig sabihin nito para sa atin ay: (at makinig na kayo ngayon kung na-bore ko na kayo) ang pagtatangi ng habag sa kapwa at ang kapakanan ng buong lipunan, higit sa sarili lang, ang nagbubunga ng higit na kaunlaran, tulad ng hinahanap ng Bagong Pilipinas. Ito ay mailalarawan sa pamamagitan ng suporta para sa malawig na mga programang panlipunan tulad ng mga bansang Nordic.


Ayon sa pananaliksik sa loob ng tatlong dekada sa mga bansa ng OECD, ang bawat karagdagang porsyento ng GDP na nakatuon sa mga proyekto para sa mga nasa laylayan (ayuda at social programs, kumbaga) ay nauugnay sa pag-angat sa kaligayahan at kalusugan ng mga tao. Kapag namuhunan tayo sa isa't isa, lahat tayo ay sama-samang babangon. Kung sa tingin mo ay ikaw ay bahagi ng mga nasa laylayan na kailangan ng ganitong programa, suriin maigi at iboto ang mga lider na tapat na nagsusulong ng nga ganitong uri ng programa.

Tumingin sa Nordics: kung saan nagbabayad ang mga mamamayan ng mas mataas na buwis, nakakatanggap din sila ng libreng healthcare, libreng edukasyon, at matibay na mga proteksyon para sa nasa laylayan—at bilang resulta sila ay nag-uulat na sila’y ilan sa pinakamasasaya sa mundo. Doon, lumilitaw ang pagkakaisa hindi sa pagpapatahimik ng mga hindi katulad ng pag-iisip, kundi sa pagkilala na ang kapakanan ng iyong kapwa ay nakatali sa iyong sariling kapakanan.


Naniniwala si Rizal na kailangan nating magsama-sama at igalang ang isang kontratang panlipunan - yaong pagpapasakop sa kapakanan ng buong lipunan - upang matamasa ang isang buhay na may mga karapatan at kalayaan. Ang La Liga Filipina ay, ayon sa mga historyador ukol kay Rizal, "isang etikal na proyekto na nakabatay sa pagkakaroon ng mga gawi at disposisyon na nag-uudyok sa isang miyembro na kumilos 'para sa kapakinabangan ng kanyang komunidad bilang laban sa mga personal o makasariling interes'". (Camposano, 2019) Para kay Rizal, kahit noong ika-labingsiyam na siglo pa, ito ang daan mula sa pagiging indio tungo sa pagiging Pilipino—o ang bagong Pilipino ng panahon na iton.


Kung tayo ay magkakaisa sa pagpapalawak ng mga karapatang sibil—malayang pamamahayag, mga malayang korte, ang karapatang mag-organisa—tinitiyak natin na ang mga programang panlipunan ay sumasalamin sa ating mga priyoridad, hindi ng isang naghaharing pangkatin. Ang tunay na pagkakaisa ay nangangahulugan ng pagbuo ng mga lugar para sa bawat boses, hindi ang pag-supil ng hindi ibang pananaw.


Ang isang paraan na ako’y nagsisikap tungo sa pagkakaisa ay ang pakikipag-usap sa inyo ngayon. Ang Nigerian na manunulat na si Chima-manda Ngo-zi Adichie ay madalas na naglalarawan ng pagkakaisa sa pamamagitan ng mga kuwento tungkol sa ating sama-samang pagpapakatao. Sana ang kwentong hinabi ko para sa inyo ngayong araw ay magbigay-daan sa iyo na pagnilayan ito. At sana’y kayo rin ay maganahan na magbahagi sa iba.


Konklusyon


Bilang pangwakas, dahil kinikilala natin ngayon ang pinakamahuhusay na mag-aaral ng paaralang ito, sinadya kong iwan kayo ng mahirap na gawain na alamin anong nais mong Bagong Pilipinas at paano ka magiging kaagapay dito. Ang inaasahan ko lamang  ay naunawaan niyo na kung paano tayo nakarating sa Pilipinas ngayon at ang iba't ibang ideya sa kung ano ang maaaring maging Bagong Pilipinas.


Para sa akin, dapat kilalanin ng Bagong Pilipinas na tayo ay isang bansang may kakayahan at kadakilaan, na siyang nasugpo lamang ng imperyalismo at mga away ng ilang Pilipino laban sa Pilipino. (Mulder, 2012) Gaya ng napag-usapan natin kanina, tinakpan at siniraan ng ating mga mananakop ang ating mga dating tagumpay. Umaasa ako na ikaw, tampok na mag-aaral, ay maging isa sa mga naghahangad ng dekolonisasyon at muling pagsasalaysay ng ating kasaysayan. Kahit na ang daan na iyon ay mahaba, kailangan nating bawiin ang ating naratibo, kilalanin ang ating mga pasanin mula sa nakaraan, at pakawalan ang mga ito.


Kilalanin natin na ang kadakilaan ay nasa loob pa rin ng Pilipino—kahit marami pa tayong labang kahaharapin. Kailangan nating kilalanin kung sino at ano ang tunay na hamon sa Pilipino. At matapos, magsama-sama, maging kaagapay sa pagbuo ng Bagong Pilipinas.


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