BICOL UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND PHILOSOPHY

REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS ON
ANG PAGHIRAYA SA
NASYON

Submitted by:

Aculan, Omar L.
AB Political Science – 1B
Reflection on Ang Paghiraya sa Nasyon

By Professor Michael Xiao B. Chua

The Independence Day is one of the most important times of the year. It is when a country
unites as one to commemorate and celebrate the freedom and sovereignty they enjoy, which saw its
rough and tough journey in the past four centuries. Contrary to its lavish and extravagant
ceremonies decades ago, people seem to have taken things for granted, since they no longer care
and set aside some time to reminisce and remember the past. Aside from it being a nationwide
holiday, the only indication of this monumental event is the plenitude of Philippine flags in the
streets, edifices, and infrastructures of the government. If an ordinary person is to be asked of his
personal knowledge regarding the day of independence, he would only give a very limited
information. On the other hand, the annual State of the Nation Address rendered by the President is
the most-awaited occasion of all. This is when the leader of the state lays out his accomplishment
report for the past year, thus, receiving greater attention from the citizens as they are directly
affected by the policies and programs implemented by the republic. In this discussion, Chua aims to
analyze and examine the means of celebration of the Commonwealth Anniversary and how the
important elements embedded therein provided us with a deeper perspective of the government
regarding its concept of an imagined nation.

If one were to look at a different angle, perhaps the absence of a strong relationship
between the government and its citizens is rooted on the lack of opportunies for the two to unite
together as one. At present, during the delivery of the state’s address to its constituents, there is no
direct participation of the people and only the president can be seen speaking in front. This is in
contrast to the Commonwealth fete, which solicited the involvement of the Filipinos. However, it
also had a disadvantage, for it exhibited the wide gap between the ruling elite and the ordinary
masses. The government leaders wore lavish clothing and did all the “work”, while the average Juan
dela Cruz became a prop for entertainment. Meanwhile, the benefit that I can see from this type of
affair is the strength it provides to both parties in order that they may build a healthy rapport.
There is the tangibility and existing proof of being teamplayers in this endeavor. During the early
years of the Commonwealth, the positive results of the celebration could be easily seen. The
government was successful in instilling the minds of the people their ambitions and aspirations for
a great nation. This is also what I believe the ace that Quezon made use in order to keep himself in
the position.

The first anniversary of the Commonwealth saw great and positive results. It was an
emblem of a new morrow, the first of many opportunities to show and remind the people that they
are more than prepared and ready to be independent. The celebration was also utilized as an
instrument to inculcate in the Filipino mind the necessity of their engagement, for it is in the people
that the government derives its power and strength to implement and carry out its plans and
programs for change. Through this, they became inclined to participate and involved themselves in
this ceremonious affair. They had hopes and faith with their Great Leader Manuel Quezon to govern
their country. The first year was indeed a critical time for Quezon to lay out his ambitions of his
imagined nation. He subsequently saw it fitting to introduce his concept of a nation to his people,
which shall ulteriorly become the basis of his vision: A country wherein its people, while protecting,
preserving, and advancing their own rights and freedom, must also share what they possess with
others who belong to the same community he is in. He saw a nation where greed and oppression
shall not pester. On the other side of the spectrum, if we were to consider Quezon’s personal
interests over his power, the annual commemoration is a good strategy to engrave in the minds of
the people that a nation could not exist and prosper without him. The administration and
organization of the government will not be effective if his ideologies and philosophies will not be
utilized.

Comparing the second year with the first year of governance, the truth became evident to
everyone. The administration accepted that it was difficult to realize their plans for the country.
The citizens perceived the slow progress made by the government and posed challenging questions
regarding their capabilities for the years to come. In addition to that, the country confronted
serious issues with regards to laws being implemented, one of them was the Tydings-McDuffie Act.
This law hindered the development of our national economy, for it meant that we had no choice but
to rely on American-produced commodities and services. Quezon also proposed the reduction of
eight years from the original ten-year period of transition to bequeath the governance to the
Filipinos. One can only imagine Quezon’s reasons why he was in such hurry to achieve
independence. It is hard for me to accept that he was already losing trust and support to the
American government, because the level of his allegiance was strong enough to make one think he
did not want to be set free. He never failed to mention the greatness of America and how we are
forever indebted to them. Every year, he would promise that the Filipino people are always by their
side, willing to risk their own lives for her liberty. It was indeed our duty and obligation to serve the
United States, having pledged our allegiance to them. Howbeit, it did not become clear to Quezon
that the Americans had hidden agenda when they opted to help us through their reforms and
promises of a good future for the country. He was not able to foresee that in the end, he will be
forsaken by his best friend and closest ally, who prioritized other nations over his. At the end of the
day, the Filipinos had to suffer the most as a consequence of their wrong decisions.

The second anniversary’s theme was still in congruence with that of the previous year.
Their concept of a state and its governance revolved around securing the trust and confidence of
their people—indeed a poor man’s epoch. Quezon probably wanted to entice not only the ruling
class, but most importantly the people who comprised majority of his constituents, thus, a year for
the poor and marginalized. Frankly and fairly enough, one must also commend the works of Quezon
for his rather ambitious quality brought advantages to our country. Once again, the administration
emphasized the need to have a good relationship between those who govern and the ones
governed. The people must not solely depend on the government to provide them with all their
needs if they will not support the latter in its endeavors. There has to be a reciprocity in order that
the good will of the people may be realized. I can compare this to the present situation in our
society. Majority of the Filipinos are facing difficulties and challenges under the enhanced
community quarantine due to the proliferation of the corona virus disease. It is not to say that the
government is perfect and has done its best to respond to every problem we are currently facing,
because if we were to enumerate their incompetencies the list will never cease. What I am trying to
pinpoint is that we have forgotten that it is not only the government who is obliged to give us a
good standard of living. We, the citizens of this country, must also do our part and contribute to the
general welfare by becoming law-abiding individuals. Due to the intransigence of some, who
continuously go against the rules and regulations without justifiable reason, our plight to
reorganize the community is impeded. Ordinances are not implemented properly and the peace and
order of the society is compromised because of these individuals. Being a citizen of a state is not
only a right. It also has a corresponding obligation and duty to fulfill in order that change and
growth may be achieved.
The third commemoration of the Commonwealth government featured the importance of
work to ensure an incessant and ascending growth in our economy. Again, this is a means of
consolidating the people and inviting them to continue supporting the government, because this
year has been dedicated to them. The working sector comprises the majority of the population in
the country and is considered the driving force of our economy. Conversely, there was a decline of
trust and confidence of the administration from the people. The government had a hard time
employing its optimism because the masses were no longer blind, deaf, and mute with regards to
their situation. Another essential element of the Commonwealth, which was still evident in this
year’s celebration, was the exhibition of the armed forces and national defense program of the
Philippines. They claim that they have perfected its organization and mobilization in times of war
or emergency, which would later be proven to be untrue and far from reality. Despite that, they
never failed to demonstrate the troops’ excellent stance and vigor, which nevertheless screamed
“This is how strong our nation is.”

The fourth year of the Commonwealth was all about the Filipinization of business and
industry. This was met with heaps of mixed emotions and reactions. Many of the Filipino
businessmen were delighted to hear this progress, while foreign establishments and enterprises
raised their negative opinions. Even the local patrons of these alien businessmen were worried that
the new system will fail to cater to their needs. On one side, this is a great opportunity for our
fellow countrymen. They must have the upper hand and advantage when it comes to our trade and
economy, for the foreigners have no right to exploit and abuse our resources. Local businesses and
establishments shall flourish, which will ultimately give them a better life. But if we were to look
into the sentiments of the non-Filipinos, it is indeed unfair and discriminatory. This is perhaps one
of the reasons why at present, we follow the 40-60% sharing in terms of business ownership and
no one other than a Filipino has the right to acquire sole ownership of businesses.

In the following year, the threat of the Second World War became more and more apparent.
In spite of the danger posed by the war, it seemed that the government had no intention to address
the issue and create concrete contingency plans for when the conflict arises. Ironically, part of this
year’s theme is the celebration of the National Defense Program of the Commonwealth. It only saw
it fitting to launch the program this year to remind the people how great the armed forces are. It
was their reassurance that the government is capable to protect its citizens.

Subsequently, Quezon proved in the sixth year of the government that he regards his
presidency as an advantage to pursue his plans and ambitions, be it public or personally-motivated.
How else could one explain his change of hearts when he decided to run again and accepted the
amendments to the Constitution that would secure his tenure? This is a reflection of his success in
instilling his relevance and significance to the creation of a nation, for he was still elected and
chosen by the people to serve them.

Generally, I believe that the Commonwealth was not fully prepared to face inevitable
challenges. The annual military parade, the lavish festivities, and the repeated promises of
greatness were undermined because of the advent of the war. And in spite of Quezon’s head over
heels faith and extraordinary loyalty to America and its ability to defend our freedom, the latter still
betrayed its colony. Every year, Quezon would ask the support of the Filipinos to help the United
States. However, our expectations were met with the harsh reality that we were left alone to starve
and die due to the lack of resources and reinforcements. On the contrary, the commemoration of
the Commonwealth government brought significant benefits to the Filipinos. We were able to look
back at the accomplishments of the administration and improvements that must be done. It also
showed our solidarity as one nation. This is a factor as to why most of the platforms of the
government were implemented. Indeed, there is a need for a symbiotic relationship and mutual
understanding between the people and the administration to achieve its aspirations. Not only that,
the Filipinos were also able to show their culture, tradition, and identity. They also demonstrated
their talents and creativity through the means of celebrating the Commonwealth. The element of
optimism was only effective during the early years of the administration and proved to be helpless
in the latter part, especially during the time when threats to national security evolved. It was also
through these grandiose celebrations that Manuel Quezon rose to a pedestal and became the Icon of
the Filipino People. He was wise enough to use it as his advantage to remain in power. Finally,
although the government failed to establish its imagined nation, it did not do so in preventing the
total destruction of our country. I find that the main reason to this is due to the concept not being of
Filipino origin, and so the ordinary people found it difficult to grasp such foreign ideology in
contrast to the concept of pag-ampon sa bayan by Bonifacio.