It’s a sad thing, really. I’ve been so jaded with the power play in this country that when I hear “Independence Day,” I readily think of that alien movie rather than June 12. Almost everything

June 12 should be the most important holiday in this “democracy” but let’s face it, it’s not. Christmas is a bigger holiday. All-Saints and All-Souls are bigger holidays. Pacquiao’s match days send the country to a stand still. Never mind if we’ve always claimed that we’re the oldest “democracy” in Asia. Who cares? All of that is bound to change anyway.

“Independence,” with its current semantic load, seems to be an inappropriate word to use to describe our context. We pretty much got screwed back then. Out of Spain’s hold into the US’. Then there’s the Japanese. Then the US again. Internally, the poor man was never free from the clutches of the rich man. So what independence?

Still, I’m a Filipino. I don’t see myself saluting another flag than the red, white, and blue with three stars and a sun. (At least not anytime soon, or will I?)

Check out these other posts:

1. First day of classes and it’s Independence Day
2. Death of EDSA