Philippine Flag proposed by President Fidel Ramos
If flags are symbolic of nationhood and identity that seeks to represents the history and future of a country, then the current Philippine Flag fails dismally in representing the Bangsamoro's seven hundred years of existence and contribution to the Philippine history.
According to Wikipedia:
Each ray represents one of the first eight provinces that started the 1896 Philippine Revolution against Spain. Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, who wrote the Philippine Declaration of Independence and who read it on the occasion of its proclamation on June 12, 1898, has listed the eight provinces as Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga,Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Laguna, and Batangas.As you can see none of these listed provinces were in Mindanao which left me wondering 'wait a minute, didn't the moros fight Spain for over three hundred years?' I know there weren't twitter and facebook during Emilio Aguinaldo's time, but as the designer of the flag, it's too unreasonable to think that he didn't know the moros in the south fighting the spaniards. It is as though that the history of the Philippines only started in 1898 when these eight provinces revolted.
The reality is, Aguinaldo wasn't making a flag for a country that includes the Moros so we can excuse him for limiting the sun's rays to only eight. The Pilipinas of Aguinaldo is not the same of Philippines of today with its 'mula Apari hanggang Jolo' connotation.
But history has it that the Bangsamoros were illegally and immorally annexed to the Philippine islands by the Americans and you already know what happened.
The Philippine Flag has undergone evolution to accomodate symbolisms appropriate to its history but to this day I find it revolting that the Bangsamoro narrative is ever so absent in the very symbol of Philippine nationhood. We can excuse Aguinaldo but not the recent Philippine law makers and guardians of the Philippine narrative.
This can be explained by the policy of assimilation rather than accomodation where three centuries of untold sacrifices and heroism of moros to preserve their identity and religion are just ignored in several levels of Philippine scheme of things.
One can say that, yes, we have moved in history by signing of the Comprehensive Agreement for the Bangsamoro, but we have miles to go. In the meantime, don't expect me to raise the Philippine Flag soon in my balcony to celebrate Philippine Independence when I know that this very flag reminds me that I'm still not represented in it.
4 comments:
1. Well, for one, Moros did fight and quell the Spaniards
to the point that Moros were not conscripted for polo (forced labor)
and were not subjected to tax; instead, the Spaniards paid tributary tax
to the Sulu Sultanate;
2. Well, they know the Moros too well enough to understand fully that Moros are freedom
fighters and not merely Katipuneros; there lies the critical difference!
3. You and I knew what happened but tragically qadarullaahi most of the netbies aka selfies
are strangers to their own history; may they join the legion of SELFIES for PEACE as Citizens Journalist
in shaa ALLAH!
4. It was destined that even HISTORY want to RECTIFY the FALSEHOOD
by PRESERVING the TRUTH; and HISTORY alhamdulillaah did this
successfully by WRITING US OFF from Philippine history because
we are not and were not intrinsically part of it;
the deletion is a blessing!
5. A simulation of assimilation; and it cannot accommodate because it is not
a host but the destructive parasite, so to speak :(
6. Me neither! "...don't expect me to raise the Philippine Flag soon in my balcony to celebrate Philippine Independence simply....because I DO NOT HAVE A BALCONY!
Nonetheless, thank you so much alhamdulillaah for connecting the dots... it is timely and relevant!
Commenting in behalf of Warina. I accidentally deleted her comments.
Here's my pyrotechnic display:
1. Well, for one, Moros did fight and quell the Spaniards
to the point that Moros were not conscripted for polo (forced labor)
and were not subjected to tax (encomienda); instead, the Spaniards paid tributary tax to the Sulu Sultanate;
2. Well, they know the Moros too well enough to understand fully that Moros are freedom fighters and not merely Katipuneros; there lies the critical difference! Unlike the 8 provinces symbolized by the 8 rays in the Philippine flag, the Moro revolution against the Spaniards did not start in 1896; thus, the Bangsamoro cannot be represented by a 9th ray.
3. You and I knew what happened but tragically qadarullaahi most of the netbies aka selfies are strangers to their own history; may they join the legion of SELFIES for PEACE as Citizens Journalist
in shaa ALLAH!
4. It was destined that even HISTORY want to RECTIFY the FALSEHOOD
by PRESERVING the TRUTH; and HISTORY alhamdulillaah did this
successfully by WRITING US OFF from Philippine history because
we are not and were not intrinsically part of it;
the deletion is a blessing!
5. A simulation of assimilation; and it cannot accommodate because it is not a host but the destructive parasite, so to speak.
6. Me neither! "...don't expect me to raise the Philippine Flag soon in my balcony to celebrate Philippine Independence simply....because I DO NOT HAVE A BALCONY!
salaam
i deleted one of the doubled comments.
Kindly just delete your post on my behalf.
magsukul :)
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