Of flag and pride and pride for flag

A short history lesson

Here in the Philippines, we have festivities every day of the year, for almost everything- from festivals for suckling pigs, to fruits to slippers. We have capitals for all seasons and occasions- from New Year (Bulacan), to Summer (Baguio), to Christmas (Pampanga). Because we like showbusiness so much, we try to get fame and recognition for our small towns and provinces.

The province of Cavite is known as the Philippines’ History Capital because it cradled the revolutionaries who fought for the country’s independence from 300 years of Spanish colonization. It has been the place known for being the home-province of the Philippines’ first president- Emilio Aguinaldo and the venue of many little-known battles that have been pivotal for the success of the revolution.

One such battle is the Battle of Imus, dubbed as the ‘first major victory of the Philippine rebels’. In his memoirs, Aguinaldo recounted how the town was recaptured from the Spanish forces after the Philippine rebels ambushed the force led by Gen. Ernesto de Aguirre at the trenches of the Imus River. It was then that Gen. Aguirre, fleeting for his life, lost his sword of command- the sword which later became Aguinaldo’s personal sword. 

Another is the Battle of Alapan which, again, happened in Imus, Cavite, where the first fight of the Philippine Revolution of 1898 (also known as the second chapter of the Philippine Revolution) took place. Aguinaldo had just returned from his exile in Hong Kong, bringing with him artillery for the rebels, when they defeated the 270 Spanish soldiers in Miguel Santo, Alapan. A few days later, the Philippine independence was proclaimed.

Today marks the 114^th Anniversary of that said battle, and is also the National Flag Day as proclaimed by Proclamation No. 374 made by former President Diosdado Macapagal.

Now, the weird part

The said proclamation states, “Our flags was (sic) first raised and received its baptism and victory in the Battle of Alapan, Imus, Cavite on May 28, 1898.”

I don’t know about you but when I was in grade school, all I knew was that the Philippine flag was first raised in Kawit, Cavite. Apparently, there are distinctions.

The flag was officially raised in Kawit when Aguinaldo declared the Philippine independence in June 12, but was officially unfurled in – according to the historical records- not Imus.

In 2008, shortly after then Mayor Emmanuel Maliksi proclaimed Imus as the country’s flag capital, the head historical researcher of the National Historical Institute, Mr. Augusto de Viana, published an article saying that the flag was actually first unfurled in Cavite Nuevo (now called Cavite City) when Aguinaldo and his troops docked in its port after his exile in Hong Kong.

For such a proud nation, we have a funny way of showing it

I truly believe that only people from Cavite, and not even that many, would care about the distinctions of where in Cavite the flag was raised and where it was unfurled. I mean, not even that many people know that we have a day dedicated to appreciating the Philippine Flag.

In a mini-study I conducted for one of my undergraduate classes, I also found that a surprising percentage of the respondents said they did not even study about their home towns in school, let alone it’s little-known historical significance.

This saddens me.

The flag is a symbol of our sovereignty as a nation. While it waves true, it proclaims and declares our freedom. It is to be respected, loved and honored. And yet, some people fail to see this. It’s like we, of the present generation, are all inflicted with what my former Environmental Science teacher called the Anna Karenina syndrome- that is we reap the benefits of those before us but we fail to appreciate it because we weren’t with them when they fought the hard fights (you have to explain yourself on that reference, sir).

The flag is more than a symbol, it’s a challenge. It’s our forefathers challenging us to surpass their achievements. It’s our flag challenging us to live up to and rightly use our independence. It’s our flag saying, “You say you’re proud of me, but what have you done to make me proud of you?”

I dare you to say challenge accepted.