Ako ay Pilipino, Ako ay Malaya Summary: Philippines as a democratic country only show that Filipinos are free. Yes.

Filipinos are free to express their emotions, free to achieve what they want to become to their selves and to their country. Before, Filipinos are slaves of other races in their own country and their heroes exchange their lives for the freedom that they are craving for since then. And they did it! Now, Filipinos all have it all, the freedom that they want and the only thing that they should do is to take good care of it. Filipinos are really free; they exercise it in innumerable ways. One is voting, they can choose who they think can handle their country. They can protest to their government. They can even express their emotions even if it is in favour or against. And so this freedom should exercise for the betterment of the country not only for the selfish acts. Filipino todays should be todays Jose Rizal and Andres bonifacio. A close examination of Bonifacios proclamation to the Katipuneros shows how deeply and passionately he felt about their fight for freedom from the hands of the abusive foreign conquerors. Bonifacio reminded the Filipino freedom fighters to remember Rizal and all others who were murdered and whose lives were snuffed by the Spaniards. Bonifacio, inspired by Rizal and his love for the Filipinos and his country urged all to keep the struggle for freedom burning. The revolution of EDSA I sure was real. The original EDSA sought the overhaul of government, not just the ouster of one man. The crowd was defiant but respectful; the religious, meek and prayerful, not derisive nor haughty. February 1986 showcased the "People Power" of a whole nation, which well included the simple masses. It was the culmination of years of Filipinos' yearning and struggle for democracy. EDSA I restored freedom in this country. It is sacred. EDSA II was an impostor People Power. Belatedly renounced by Cory Aquino, the very yellow embodiment of the original EDSA, it was haughty, derisive, bad-mouthed, judgmental, undemocratic, not spontaneous but conspiratorial. The EDSA of January 2001 was a power grab in disguise, which sought nothing but the downfall of a democratically elected President. It showed the power of an educated but gullible, illmannered mob of middle class. It also revealed the guile and the disrespect of political, business and religious elites towards democratic institutions. EDSA II is immoral. Then there's the unsuccessful EDSA 3 of May 2001, a real revolution that aimed to rectify the fallacy of the EDSA 2 power grab, but which pathetically failed because the elites arrogated unto themselves the exclusive claim to EDSA. Buried in history, its

importance was both undermined and misread by the elites and the Left. But that would be another Philippine EDSA story.... Application: Philippines, yes you are free in the hands of the invaders. This is our goal as a citizen of the Philippines. In the blood that came from the veins of our heroes, from there we have a country to possess that we can be proud of. We are more free as a people or tribe. Because of freedom: We are free to reach our dreams and goals in life. We should dedicate our freedom to ensure that our people and country shall always remain free. We shall use our freedom to help other people, in our country or in other parts of the world, gain their own freedom. We are free to express our love in ourselves, in other people and in our country. We are free to travel around the Philippines and tell the others how proud are we to be a Filipino. We are free to respect and honor the elders, the youths, or whatever their gender is and whatever the status of their life is. We are free to comply with laws and rules implemented in our country. We are free to pay our taxes properly. We are free to talk and pray to God. We are free to speak in Filipino. We are free to take good care of our natural resources. We are free the way we want it to be free.

Reaction: The value of freedom is immeasurable. None understand this more than the proud members of the Filipino race, who through countless generations have fought for the right to be, recognized as free men. Yes we are a Filipino .The blood of our heroes that light the path of history stand testament to the continuing struggle of us for independence. Eventually, the western world would catch up to the Philippine Islands. The Spanish would eventually succeed in their quest to colonize our islands. However, the spirit of us could not be dampened or chained into submission. Those times gave rise to our heroes such as Jose Rizal, who through his literary works stirred a sense of nationalism, and Andres Bonifacio, who brought together the first organized revolutionary movement. The course of history identifies many heroes in the fight for our freedom. In the ensuing years of the American occupation, several men rose up to fight for our freedom. Men such as Emilio Aguinaldo, Antonio Luna, Gregorio del Pilar and Miguel Malvar rose up against the colonizers and demanded the independence. Unfortunately, the common dream was not to be achieved in their lifetimes. Eventually, our country was freed from American rule. However, the invasion of the Japanese during the Second World War called forth a new fight for freedom. It took the lives of countless brave men and women before tyranny could be overcome. From the ashes of the Second World War, a new nation was built. The Philippine Republic prospered, pushed forward by the desire for progress. However, a new threat to freedom emerged, the threat of dictatorship. The Marcos Era, and the ensuing years of Martial Law, again threatened to demolish the freedom for which our country's heroes had so eagerly fought past. This new threat was countered by people such as Ninoy Aquino and many political activists who opposed the obvious trampling of civil rights that the Marcos regime perpetrated. The ensuing revolution that deposed Ferdinand Marcos stands as the greatest testament to our desire for freedom. It shows the peoples hunger for independence, a hunger that cannot and would not be threatened, even by death. The fight for freedom continues, from the time of Lapu-lapu to the present. Today we struggle with poverty and various domestic problems that, like the foreign invaders of the past, limit the freedom of the citizenry. However, like our forefathers, we will prevail because of our constant tenacity. The hunger for freedom is insatiable, but the fight must be continued.