DavaoPlus: [New post] A crisis of identity

Respond to this post by replying above this line

A crisis of identity

by Pepe Alas

Filipinos who continue hating our Spanish past conveniently forget that the word Filipino is itself Spanish. Even the current name that we use to refer to our country, Philippines, was derived from its Spanish original: Filipinas. Our last names are either Spanish (Alas, Buenavista, Cuadrado, etc.) or Hispanized (Atienza, Balicao, Cadawas, etc.). Our daily fare —adobo, paella, afritada, mechado, etc.— are all Spanish or Spanish derivatives.

Our Spanish past taught us how how to dress up in polo, camiseta, pantalón, saya, medias, zapatos, sombrero, etc. Our music, once rhythmic, became melodic because of Hispanic influences. Book and newspaper culture entered our archipelago because of Spain.

We enjoy fiestas and the Christmas Season, holidays which originated from our Spanish past. We know and celebrate our birthdays because of the calendar, a Spanish heritage.

We are taught to hate the "polo y servicios" yet it is that very system that created roads, bridges, dams, and churches for us, many of which we still use to this very day. Then we cringe whenever we hear news of these Spanish-era heritage structures that are about to be demolished.

We greet each other "Kumusta?" which is derived from the Spanish greeting "¿Cómo está?" Take note that there is no native equivalent for this greeting.

We proudly proclaim the three stars in our flag — Luzón, Visayas, Mindanáo. Yet these three island groups were disunited before the Spanish advent. It was the Spanish Empire that united all of them. They set the boundaries that paved the way for the creation of a state which we now call our country, our nation, our home.

Our foremost national hero wrote primarily in Spanish. His famous novels as well as all his poems, were written in that language.

Hispanophobic Filipinos accuse the Spaniards of enslaving our ancestors. But when pressed for historical evidence, their usual answer is this: "¿Hindí pa ba sapát ang mg̃a novela ni Rizal?!"

These "proud to be Filipinos" must certainly be suffering from a severe crisis of identity. They might as well move to Timbuktu and die there.