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[av_heading heading=’INTERNATIONAL ILONGGO | The point of independence’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY JED JALECO DEL ROSARIO
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Sunday, June 11, 2017
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AS WE celebrate Independence Day, it’s important to remember the point behind Philippine independence and why it matters. The kneejerk response is simple tribalism.
Right or wrong, the tribe must be free; the tribe must be powerful; the tribe must win. That is the essence of nationalism however you might feel about it.
The only difference between our situation and the small proto-Filipino kingdoms in the pre-colonial era is that our tribe is bigger and more sophisticated than those of our predecessors.
However, there is also an element to nationalism that goes beyond simple tribalism. What we recognize today as the Republic of the Philippines is ultimately a product of enlightenment thought, which itself is a subset of European philosophy.
These ideas, which were transmitted to the Philippines via overseas Filipinos studying abroad, did not simply espouse the importance of independence and nationhood. It also emphasized the importance of liberal democratic values. Perhaps one of the best examples of such values is a passage from Apolinario Mabini’s “The True Decalouge” where he stated:
“Strive that your country be constituted as a republic, and never as a monarchy: a monarchy empowers one or several families and lays the foundation for a dynasty; a republic ennobles and dignifies a country based on reason, it is great because of its freedom, and is made prosperous and brilliant by dint of work.”
This sort of passage could easily have been written by a French Revolutionary. It is anti-monarchist and it is rooted in the ideas of individualism/liberalism, both of which are enlightenment ideals.
Thus, for the revolutionaries of yesteryears, Philippine independence was more than just about Philippine independence. It was also about liberalization, the idea of individual liberty and modernization. All of these ideas were bound up together.
Today, however, liberalism has mutated into globalism. Whereas in the past, liberal individualist values were identified with the nation state and bourgeois values, today liberalism is best associated with globalism and cosmopolitanism.
And how do we define globalization? It is the elimination of all barriers to trade, immigration and the flow of goods and services.
The relationship between globalization and liberalism is that both seek to maximize individual liberties. Classical liberalism dismantled social and political norms which infringed upon an individual’s liberty, but globalization takes it one step further by eliminating the limitations imposed by state and nationhood, which are seen as restrictions on the individual.
If you don’t find this persuasive then consider a situation where a Filipino is not permitted to immigrate to the United States or Europe. A globalist will see that as an infringement on his or her rights. Likewise, if Filipinos do the same to a foreign national then we – as a nation – are infringing upon that foreigner’s individual rights to immigrate to our own.
In contrast, a nationalist will say: Our country’s borders are important than any individual’s rights.
And thus, we arrive at the crux of the issue. As a society that is somewhat based on liberal values, we must recognize the ongoing conflict between nationalism and globalist-liberalism, because it affects us in more ways than most of us think.
Consider, for example, our dependence on overseas Filipino workers or our aspirations for economic prosperity. The conflict between nationalism and globalist-liberalism applies to such issues.
Furthermore, a lot of the arguments about trade policy, terrorism, immigration, human rights and many other issues can be traced to this conflict, which is really the conflict between having more or less barriers to one’s tribe.
On the one hand, most Filipinos are either nationalistic or want to be nationalist, but on the other hand, many Filipinos also want to work and immigrate abroad. And if you want nothing more than to leave your country to go to someone else’s then what’s the point of nationalism at all?
So as we celebrate our Independence Day, let us think about why that independence is important to us in our messy and complicated globalized world./PN
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