12/06/2026
๐๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ | ๐๐ป๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ
Are we truly free? Every June 12, the entire Nation celebrates โ raising flags and commemorating the day the nation broke free from colonial rule. But, 127 years after the independence was declared by General Emilio Aguinaldo on June 12, 1898, a lingering question flickers: "Are Filipinos truly free?"
While foreign powers no longer dictate our communities and our futures, corruption, poverty, and inequality continues to chain our people, depriving them of a life far from the promise of "liberty." Though Independence may have been proclaimed in 1898, true freedom remains a work in progress. With the numbers also revealing an uncomfortable reality: according to the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA), 17.54 Filipinos, about 15.5% of the population, live below the poverty line.
Moreover, corruption further pushes the wounds deeper. Funds intended for education? Reduced to "confidential funds.โ And Flood Control Projects? Ghosted. As if they never existed. Every peso stolen is a stain to the pride of our independence and liberty, and an insult to our very own heroes who gave their life for our freedom.
Some might argue, Filipinos are already "free" in the sense that they enjoy democratic rights such as elections and constitutional "protection." After all, unlike our ancestors, we possess the power to choose the leaders of our Nation. In that sense, we also are no longer ostracized for being the citizens of our very homeland.
Yet, freedom means little when barriers exist. A citizen may have the right to vote, but can they truly be free when corruption, poverty, and inequality limit their opportunities from birth? How can you call a nation "Independent" when its people are chained by the very system that was supposed to protect them. True freedom loses its meaning when survival becomes a struggle rather than a right. Freedom is not merely the absence of foreign rule โ it is the presence of justice, accountability, and equal opportunity.
Overall, as the Nation celebrates the Day of Independence, Filipinos must remember that freedom is not a "reward" nor an "inheritance" โ but a responsibility to be upheld and defended. The fight for freedom did not end when the revolution did decades ago. It's a continuous battle where Filipinos fight corruption, challenge the system and uplift the marginalized sector. The greatest tribute we can offer our Nation is not remembrance alone, but the courage to complete the freedom our Heroes envisioned.
Happy 128th Independence Day! ๐ต๐ญ
Illustrated by: Gabriel Martin Esguerra
