Nationalism In The Philippines

Nationalism has had a long history in the Philippines. In their struggle for freedom, there have been periods when strong nationalist feelings fired up people to action and other periods when nationalism seemed to be forgotten. Many Filipino’s from among the masses fought for a decades and their goal was independence. Randolf S. David explained that a national identity is one of many affiliations into which we are involuntarily thrown in the course of our lives. The nation penetrates our consciousness by producing consequences in the way we think, feel or act, and, indeed, in how others treat us. A Filipino may see his identity as both an asset and a liability, according to David. He retold scenarios like: if our country is at war, the government may call on every Filipino to defend the nation, and our conscience may prompt us to come to its defense as a matter of duty. At immigration counters abroad, we may be rudely awakened to the fact of our Filipino identity when we are made to step aside for a closer examination of our travel documents. In foreign lands, we may find solidarity and security in the bosom of fellow Filipinos. But others may experience embarrassment in their company. When the country is praised or criticized by foreigners, or when a Filipino is singled out for adulation or ridicule by the rest of the world, we may grow in self-esteem or wither in shame. Either way, as David also implies, our consciousness of being Filipino is sharpened (David, 2009)