John Lloyd De Los Reyes

In the article “A Truly Independent Philippines” written by Pia Roces Morato, she talked about
the value of patriotism and the importance of our country’s independence. It gives light upon the
sacrifices our fellow Filipinos have made for the sake of our country in order to attain the freedom
we have today. It illustrates the way our heroes and martyrs have devoted their own lives with
blood, sweat, and tears to guarantee that our freedom would be honored as histories which are
passed down through generations. The author included the intellectual and open-minded Jose
Rizal, the military strategist Antonio Luna, and the Boy General Gregorio del Pilar. If there was one
factor they all had in common, it was their devotion for nation, which most have doubted, either
ourselves or others, since the First Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898. The author has
shared that “The Whole of Nation Approach” to ending local and communist armed conflict is one of
the finest measures our country has made since 1898. Finally, and as we have known for some
time, the government has taken important steps in confronting long-standing issues by recognizing
the 50-year existence of the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People's Army, and the
National Democratic Front, all of which believe that only a communist revolution can save the
country. From the author’s point of view, our independence serves as a stark reminder of what we
as a people must build on with all of our resources in order to contribute to society's progress. It will
also be heavily influenced by our feelings for our motherland. To achieve a really independent
Philippines, we must be willing to endure both joy and grief in order to maintain our nation free and
safe. In a nutshell, self-interest has no place in nation-building, and servant leaders are essential.
We are in vital times, and the enemy is unlike anything we could have imagined. The spirit of the
Bayanihan must be greater than ever. If we've been pushing beforehand, we need to push even
harder while making sure no one falls behind. It is upsetting, but not surprising, to see structured
organizations ready to wreak even more havoc amid difficult times, and protecting the youth has
become critical since they are a constant target. Our ancestors battled for us to live in affluence and
peace, and in today's globe, heroes for peace are desperately needed. There is power in
togetherness, and the need to unify is more than pressing. It is really essential. We are not without
purpose, even in our trials.

Discuss at least 3 current issues in the Philippines that challenges the country’s freedom

 An arbitration panel in The Hague announced a verdict in the long-running dispute between the
Philippines and China over the South China Sea on July 12, 2016. The panel ruled in the
Philippines' favor. The long-running Spratly Islands dispute, which is part of the wider South
China Sea conflict, is an ongoing territorial dispute over ocean regions and the Spratly Islands
and the Paracel Islands to the north — two island groups claimed wholly or partially in part by a
 number of nations. Hundreds of islands and reefs make up the Spratly Islands. The Spratly
Islands are made up of 750 pieces of land that are mostly uninhabited. However, in an article
written by Betheena Unite on the Manila Bulletin, it states that The United States said it stands
with the Philippines amid the recent incident in Ayungin Shoal where Philippine supply boats
were blocked and water cannoned by Chinese Coast Guard vessels, an act deemed illegal by
the Department of Foreign Affairs. This is a current issue that challenges our freedom since
another country wants to take something that is ours.

 Journalists and publications in the Philippines that have criticized populist President Rodrigo
Duterte have been under escalating attack in the previous year, ranging from insults to state-
initiated legal suits. As a result, trust in the media ranks among the lowest among all countries
in this year's poll. Since his victory in 2016, Duterte has lambasted journalists, pledging to
retaliate against those he claims mistreated him during the election and those who have
criticized his policies, particularly his violent war on drugs. We must make an effort to find hope
and strength in the global unity demonstrated on World Press Freedom Day. This is not an easy
task. The persistent violence spawned by the "gun culture" prevalent in so many sectors of
public life has long cast a shadow over the environment of journalistic freedom. This component
of our national culture should be recognized as a significant impediment to democratic practice.
The latter encourages discourse and debate, as well as chat and conversation. It calls on
individuals involved in arguments, battles, and feuds to sit down and discuss their problems
peacefully. Press freedom is important since it is needed for democracy, as it is one of its
pillars. Without this, the citizens will not be informed on actual happenings and events, whether
good or bad, and cannot make informed, independent choices.

 The Philippines' poverty and unemployment rates will remain high even after President Rodrigo
Duterte steps down from office, as the pandemic scars the labor market. As a result of the
coronavirus pandemic, official economists in the Philippines predict that unemployment will
continue high and that more people would remain poor until 2022. Officials from the National
Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said on February 4, 2021 during the launch of
the updated Philippine Development Plan, that the country's poverty rate is expected to average
between 15.5 percent and 17.5 percent in 2021, likely close to the 16.6 percent recorded in
2018. (PDP). Prior to the pandemic, the government's economic team set a goal of reducing
poverty to 14% of the population by 2022. The Philippines' goal was to be classed as a middle-
income country. Poverty can affect our freedom since it is related to the overall health of the
economy. If our economy would spiral down, we won’t have the capacity to fully stand as a
whole but we would have to depend on other countries.
How do the government and the Filipinos react to the above mentioned issues?
 China has been increasingly aggressive South China Sea claims, and many Filipinos think
Manila should be more assertive in pushing back against Beijing. According to the news, three
Chinese coastguard ships stopped and fired water cannons on two Philippine supply boats in
the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the disputed South China Sea. According to
Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin, the incident occurred on November 16 at Ayungin Shoal
(Second Thomas Shoal), and the Philippine warships, which were transporting food supplies to
military soldiers stationed nearby, were compelled to abort the mission. There were no reported
injuries. President Rodrigo Duterte, who has wanted a stronger connection with China, has
been chastised for not adopting a firmer stance on the Philippines' operations in the South
China Sea. On Thursday, he backed the foreign ministry's prompt response. In a statement,
acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles stated, “We will continue to assert our
sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over our territory,”

 Despite allegations that it has been under attack under his administration, President Rodrigo
Duterte has stated that press freedom is "essential in a nation's dynamic democracy." Duterte
made the remark on the fifth anniversary of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security,
which he established to combat violence against journalists. "The task force plays an important
role in ensuring press freedom, which is essential in a thriving democracy," Duterte said in a
taped statement. "It also helps to guarantee that the press's rights and wellbeing are effectively
safeguarded and respected," he said. The President expressed his hope that the task team will
"continue to accomplish your duty with utmost quality and diligence."

 In a news article published on Inquirer.Net, it exclaims “The government is officially blind on

poverty.” That's because, according to Social Weather Stations (SWS) head Mahar Mangahas,
the government's most recent Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) was not
completed until 2018. New FIES data, which could be used to evaluate poverty across the
country, will not be accessible until 2022 if FIES is conducted during the pandemic, Mangahas
noted in his Inquirer column on July 17. However, the SWS's poverty report for May 2021
revealed a worrisome set of data which shows that half of all households in the country, or 50%,
reported feeling impoverished, one-third of those polled indicated they were on the verge of
being impoverished and only one-sixth of those polled stated they were not impoverished. To
recover from the pandemic-induced recession, Duterte signed the Corporate Recovery and Tax
Incentives for Enterprises Act (CREATE) bill into law. CREATE will cut corporate taxes across
the board and rationalize tax breaks. From Southeast Asia’s highest corporate tax of 30
percent, the rate will drop to 25 percent for large corporations and to 20 percent for smaller
businesses.
How are the issues mentioned above the same or different from the independence-related
issues in our country faced during the Spanish era and Marcos era?

 Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio, who has made a second career of demonizing China as
a bully in the South China Sea, proved his disingenuousness when he devotes only one
sentence in his 90,000-word e-book on the territorial dispute to describing Marcos' audacious
move that got us our properties in the South China Sea. He couldn't even use the name
"Marcos" in the one sentence he composed to clarify why we're in the Spratlys:  “Presidential
Decree No. 1596 dated 11 June 1978 incorporated the Kalayaan Island Group into Philippine
national territory ‘on legal, historical and equitable grounds’.” However, Marcos' effort to seize
the Spratlys for us was far from a routine issue of a presidential proclamation.

 When the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos established Martial Law on September 21, 1972, by
Proclamation 1081, the country's free press and mass media were the first casualties. A free
press is an essential component of a functioning democracy, as the media functions as a
watchdog for the government and a source of information for citizens. Marcos recognized the
importance of the media and made certain that all of their powers and privileges were revoked
the minute he declared Martial Law. Marcos had complete control over people's access and the
type of information they received. He also suppressed public criticism and insisted on having
the last say on what he believed was the truth.

 The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has the oldest official poverty data for 1985, the year
before the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was deposed. It reveals that the poverty rate in
households that year was 44.2 percent – 4.3 percentage points more than when Corazon
Aquino was president in 1991. Every three years, the PSA collects poverty data. While these
two series are not identical, they do demonstrate that poverty was widespread during Marcos.
According to a World Bank assessment from 1995, poverty incidence was already high when
Marcos came to power, but it scarcely altered throughout his first half-term, with more than half
of the population classified as poor. Contrary to Blessed Be Philippines' article,
underemployment, which adds to poverty, increased under Martial Law and the rest of Marcos'
reign. This suggests that under the Marcos administration, working conditions in the nation
worsened even more.
As an individual, do you feel free?
Freedom is a feeling you may have in your heart. It is knowing that you have the option to walk
away from any scenario. It is knowing that you can go into any circumstance. The potential to create
anything and everything you can think of is defined as freedom. It is also understanding that you
must be prepared to pay the cost of every decision you make, as well as understanding the cost of
staying uncertain. Freedom is a beautiful song that draws you in and leads you to understand,
embrace, discover, develop, and cherish. In its complexity, depth, and execution of the will, freedom
is immensely individual. I can truly say that I am free since I am able to do what I want.

Can we proudly say we are truly an independent at the present time?

On June 12, 1998, Filipinos all over the world commemorated the first centennial of Philippine
independence, based on the establishment of the Philippine Republic by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo on
June 12, 1898 from the balcony of his home in Kawit, Cavite. Since then, numerous events had
occured, with one president after another, it truly made the Philippines into a country it is today. By
altering our perspective, we Filipinos can contribute to progress. By believing in our hearts and
thoughts that we are a wonderful nation. Such a positive outlook has the potential to liberate millions
of Filipinos from the shackles of poverty. We are driven to learn new skills, improve our latent
abilities, find a better career, or invest in a business. We can gradually reduce or perhaps eliminate
poverty and corruption if we are conscious of our possibilities. In this way, we may contribute, even
if only in a tiny measure, to a really free Philippines.
REFERENCES:
 ABS-CBN News. (2021, October 13). Duterte says press freedom vital to democracy.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/13/21/duterte-says-press-freedom-vital-to-democracy
 Al Jazeera. (2021, November 18). Philippines tells China to ‘back off’ after South China Sea
clash. South China Sea News | Al Jazeera.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/18/philippines-tells-china-to-back-off-after-south-
china-sea-clash
 Baclig, C. E. (2021, July 25). As poverty worsens, Duterte admin parades increments of good
news. INQUIRER.Net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1463525/as-poverty-worsens-duterte-
admin-parades-increments-of-good-news
 De Jesus, M. Q. (2021, May 5). 2021 State of Press Freedom in the Philippines. Philippine
Center for Investigative Journalism. https://pcij.org/article/5208/2021-state-of-press-freedom-in-
the-philippines House, A. (2019, July 4). The South China Sea: The Spratly Islands dispute.
Asia House. https://asiahouse.org/news-and-views/the-south-china-sea-the-spratly-islands-
dispute/
 Elemia, C. (2020, September 19). FAST FACTS: How Marcos silenced, controlled the media
during Martial Law. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/how-marcos-silenced-
media-press-freedom-martial-law
 Newman, N. (2020, June 18). Philippines: Media under increased attack from populist president
and allies. Reuters Institute Digital News Report.
https://www.digitalnewsreport.org/survey/2020/philippines-2020/
 Rappler. (2020, April 25). FALSE: “No poor Filipino” during Martial Law, only during the
Aquinos’ terms. https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/no-poor-filipino-martial-law-
only-aquinos-terms
 Rivas, R. (2021, February 4). Pandemic scars: More Filipinos to remain poor, unemployed even
by 2022. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/business/more-poor-unemployed-filipinos-even-by-
2022
 Tiglao, R. D. (2018, August 12). Revealed: Marcos’ secret operations to take over entire Spratly
archipelago. The Manila Times.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2018/08/13/opinion/columnists/topanalysis/revealed-marcos-
secret-operations-to-take-over-entire-spratly-archipelago/429769
 Unite, B. (2021, November 19). US stands with PH over Ayungin Shoal incident involving
Chinese vessels. Manila Bulletin. https://mb.com.ph/2021/11/19/us-stands-with-ph-over-
ayungin-shoal-incident-involving-chinese-vessels/