MESSAGE TO FILIPINO AMERICANS ON THE 123RD PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE DAY

 

MESSAGE TO ALL FILIPINO AMERICANS

ON THE 123^RD PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE DAY

The Rev. Canon Dr. Winfred B. Vergara, Missioner for Asiamerica Ministries in the Episcopal Church, Delivered at the Filipino American celebration in Queens, New York.

To all my fellow Kababayans here in the United States, in the Philippines and all around the world. Happy 123^rd Philippine Independence Day.

Here in Queens, New York we are celebrating this event with an Open Air Mass and  Group Picnic here at Flushing Meadows Park. Thank you, Rev. Henry "Bong" Janiola and Gary Labao for organizing this event. Maybe this is a foretaste of more celebratory events, the grandest one being a celebration of the end of COVID pandemic. 

I think it is significant that this celebration is jointly sponsored by the Iglesia Filipina Independiente and the Federation of Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) and Migrante. It is significant because in history, the struggle for Philippine Independence was founded on two dreams: one, an independent Filipino Nation enrolled in the family of free and inter-dependent nations; two, an independent Filipino Church enrolled in the family of free and inter-dependent churches.

The Filipino People were colonized by Spain for over 300 years and while there were positive influences they injected to Filipino culture, such as Christianity, those many years were also oppressive. Our ancestors were enslaved, treated as inferior human beings, denied freedom and human dignity.

And so they yearned to be free, free to govern themselves and to carve their own destiny. That yearning was expressed in the song Bayan Ko. A line says: “Ibon man may layang lumipad, kulungin mo at umiiyak; Bayan pa kayang sakdal dilag ang di magnasang maka-alpas.” (Birds fly freely in the skies, try to cage them and they surely cry; take away a People’s liberty; sons and daughters strive to set them free.)

And so in June 12, 1898 after many martyrdoms, such as the three Filipino priests (Burgos, Gomez and Zamora) and of Jose Rizal and other heroes, the Filipino people finally rose up in a Revolution, put an end to Spanish colonialism, declared independence and established a republic led General Emilio Aguinaldo.

In an unfortunate twist of history, that first Philippine Republic abruptly ended when the Americans arrived and took over the Philippines from Spain. Unknown to the revolutionaries, in the Treaty of Paris, the Spanish government ceded the Philippine territories to the United States to the tune of $20 million dollars! Very cheap.

Kawit City in Cavite is where General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed Philippine Independence from Spain in June 12, 1898

So instead of Philippine Republic, we became a Commonwealth of the United States. It took another 50 years, in 1946 when the Philippines finally became a truly independent nation. The new “Republic of the Philippines,” however, considered July 4, 1946 not as second independence day but “Filipino-American Friendship Day.”

I think it is important to remind ourselves of our history time and time again because it enables us to know ourselves better. As the slogan says, “No history, no self; know history, know self.”

It is also important that we know how to respond appropriately to history. I am reminded of a Pinoy named Juan. He attended a class in Philippine history and was told that the Spaniards maltreated his ancestors, enslaved them and killed many of them. So when he got out of the class, he was furious and he started looking for a Spaniard. Alas, he found a Spanish-looking guy who speaks Spanish. He punched him on the nose. The history professor came out and said, “What are you doing?” Juan replied, “I am avenging my ancestors!” The professor replied, “But that happened long time ago and the guy that you punched is not a Spaniard but a Mexican whose ancestors were also enslaved!”

So in reference to Philippine Independence, how should we as Filipinos here in North America respond to Philippine history and destiny?

First, we should discern our role in our country of origin (the Philippines) and the country we adopted as our second home, the United States.

We are living in paradox. Do you know what is a paradox? “A paradox is a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true. What is our paradox?” (Wikipedia)

We are Filipinos but we live in North America. Some of us are already American citizens. Some of us are even born here. Many of us may even stay here forever or until we die. And so we are living in two worlds. The question we must ask ourselves is: Are we “Filipinos in America” or are we “Filipino Americans?”

If our answer is “Filipinos in America,” then we are only here in body. Our minds and spirits are still in the Philippines. We only look at America as the country we earn our income so we can send some to our families, our churches, our relatives in the Philippines. Our focus, our loyalty and our consciousness are set only on Philippine affairs. We are more interested on Philippine events than on what’s going on in America. We watch the news and drama at The Filipino Channel (TFC) but not the mainstream US media and cable TV. We care nothing about American politics and do not vote even though we are American citizens. Yes, there are still some Filipino who are U.S. citizens that do not exercise their right to vote.

My friends, if we continue to live and behave like that, then we will remain “foreigners forever” in America. We will not make a mark in this country which has helped us to live.

So let me offer a proposal. Why don’t we consider ourselves and treat ourselves as Filipino-Americans? Yes, we are Americans of Filipino ancestry. We come from the Philippines but are carving our future as Americans? We are Americans! No less than the Americans who came from Germany, the Italy, England, Ireland, Africa, Mexico, etc. who have come here and become part of this multiracial, multicultural America?

As Filipino Americans, how shall we pray, think and act?

First, we must pray for the country in which we live. It’s future is our future and its life our life. The Bible says in Jeremiah 29:7 “Seek the peace and prosperity of the country to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."

Second, we must offer our gifts to the betterment of this country. It’s not only “when you are in Rome, do what the Romans do.” It’s also contributing your Filipino gifts, your Filipino talent, your Filipino culture to American life.

Maybe one of the gifts we can offer to the American Society in building a new and better world is the ideal of Family. The Filipino concept of family is extended. It goes beyond bloodlines. It goes beyond nationality.

In the Bible, Jesus was told that his mother and brothers were outside the Temple and looking for him. The response of Jesus was “Who are my brothers and my mother?” Then he pointed to all those around him and saying, “these are my brothers and my mother; whoever does the will of God are my brothers and my sisters and my mothers.” It is not that Jesus was rejecting his own biological family; it is that He was adding members to His family---beyond his bloodlines. .

From my experience of Filipino culture, we understand what the Christian Family is all about. My wife and I are missionaries and have been to many parts of the world. We do not have children of our own but we have many spiritual children and have found families in the cities that we have lived and in the churches that we have served. Essentially, home is where you are loved and accepted, home is where you find welcome and friendship.

Third, we must get involved in the affairs of this country. Let us get education, involve in the local church and community, and if you have a calling and opportunity, get into politics. I pray for more Filipino Americans to shine in the political arena in the United States. My friend, Mayor Jose Esteves of Milpitas, California often say that “politics, along with education, is an equalizer in American society.”

These are some of the notable Filipino American politicians. In New York, we are hoping for Steven Raga to win as Councilman for District 26 in Queens, New York City.

America is a beacon of democracy, freedom and equal opportunity. We must pray that it continues to be that way. Let us be in solidarity with those who are in fighting against racism, social injustice, prejudice and bigotry. Let us find allies from all cultures to solve the problem of Asian Hate and join forces with all races for equal protection under the law and respect for the dignity of every human being.

The success of our advocacy in our adopted country, will also help our advocacy in our own country of origin.

In October 3, 2006 Bishop Alberto Ramento, the 9^th Obispo Maximo of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente was murdered for speaking against social injustice and extrajudicial killing in the Philippines. After his death, several other priests were also targeted by malevolent forces in the para-military and so the IFI sought assistance from the Episcopal Church.

The Most Rev. Alberto Ramento became so committed to the issue of social justice

 and the church advocacy against "extrajudicial killing" in the Philippines following the murder of one of his clergy, the Rev. William Tadena. Bishop Ramento would later become a victim of extrajudicial killing himself.

Canon Brian Grieves of the Peace and Justice Office and I as Asiamerica Missioner were sent by Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold to deliver our protest (Statement of Concern) to the Philippine Ambassador in Washington DC which we did.* 

With the help of the TEC Office of Government Relations (OGR), we proceeded to the U.S. State Department** and asked their help to request President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to provide security to our Philippine clergy who were in danger, which they did. That advocacy was followed by the visit of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to the Philippines and advocacy with then U.S. Ambassador to Philippines Kristie Kenney.

L-R: Canon Peter Ng (Partnership Office for Asia & the Pacific); the late Prime Bishop Edward Malecdan of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines; former TEC Presiding Bishop Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori; U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines, Hon. Kristie Kenney; former Obispo Maximo of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente Most Rev. Godofredo David and Rev. Canon Dr. Winfred Vergara, Missioner for Asiamerica Ministries of the Episcopal Church. 

What made the U.S. State Department convinced was what Canon Brian Grieves and I said to them, “It is in the interest of the United States government to help protect and preserve the integrity of the Philippines as a beacon of social justice and human rights because the Philippine government is the mirror of American democracy in Asia. The failure of the Philippine democracy is a failure of American democracy.”

One of the annual conferences of the Mission to End Modern Slavery or MEMS (formerly AMEMS or  Asiamerica Mission to End Modern Slavery). MEMS is an interfaith, international organization, a survivor-led non-profit organization advocacy against human trafficking, co-founded by the Rev. Fred Vergara and Bernadette Ellorin in 2014 in Queens, New York.

My friends, as we celebrate let us not forget the historical reasons of Philippine Independence. The reasons are freedom, justice, equal rights, human dignity, self-determination. We are all destined by our Creator to be free, free to worship God without fear, free to be happy and to live in peace and harmony with all of God’s creation.

HAPPY PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE DAY! MABUHAY ANG PILIPINO. GOD BLESS FILIPINO AMERICANS!

NOTES:

* The Philippines Ambassador to the US at that time was the late Hon. Willy Gaa, who incidentally has family background in the Iglesia Filipina Independiente.

**The U.S. Department of State manages America's relationships with foreign governments, international organizations, and the people of other countries. The management of all of these relationships is called diplomacy. The Episcopal Church has an Office of Government Relations (OGR) in Washington DC.