“Our country should focus on how we can be free from the real problems we are facing now as a nation and as a race,” Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero said in Bacolod City yesterday.

Escudero, who was guest speaker during the 113th commemoration of the Philippine Independence, said “We may be free from the control of foreign countries but until now we are not free from poverty, problems related to graft and corruption, providing the right benefits, support and assistance to our veterans who have sacrificed their time and strength and curved their own history for our country.”

He said the country is also not free from problems confronting the education sector like the lack of classrooms, teachers, books, table, proper salaries and benefits for teachers who are considered its real heroes.

Opening his message with the poem “Mi Ultimo Adios” of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, Escudero said Rizal has likened the country to “paradise lost” since it is rich in resources but it was ruled by foreigners and not by Filipinos.

“What is being celebrated today is not Independence Day as a free country from the Spaniards or foreigners 113 years ago but the declaration of independence by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo,” he said.

HISTORY TO BE WRITTEN

Escudero said “We cannot change our history but what is important is the history we are going to write for the future and for our country.” 

He noted that the country honors its heroes only after they are dead. “I believe we should honor our living heroes like our teachers and Overseas Filipino Workers, while they are still alive and not after they are gone,” he said.

The country also celebrates Holy Week, Easter, Araw nga Kagitingan, the feast of the dead, and the death of Rizal, Escudero said. “Let us stop celebrating the defeats or losses of the country and instead start celebrating its victories,” he said.

CHARTER DAY DEFINED

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia, on the other hand, said he is honored that Escudero chose to come to Bacolod for the Independence Day celebration of the country.

He also said that, for the first time, Bacolod will celebrate its Charter Day on June 18 this year. He said Bacolod actually became a city when its Charter was signed on June 18, 1938, and was inaugurated on October 19. 

However, Leonardia said the MassKara Festival celebration, which is the number one tourist attraction of Bacolod, will continue to be held on the third week of October. It has placed Bacolod in the tourism map of the world, he said.

Also present were historian Modesto Sa-onoy, Sangguniang Panlungsod members led by Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, Bacolod Police Director Ricardo Dela Paz, Army Col. Eulalio Orbase, teachers, government employees, and other sectors.

HUMAN FLAG

Meanwhile, the Independence Day celebration yesterday was capped by a parade featuring a human flag that was participated in by about 1,000 people. Also joining the parade were representatives from the barangays, schools, police, military, business community and other sectors.

DIPLOMACY

On the other hand, Escudero also said he agrees with the government that diplomacy should be extended in matters involving Spratly Islands.

Every time presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda opens his mouth, it is like the President talking, he said. Malacañang should stop talking and allow the Department of Foreign Affairs to say what the President wants to say so it will be more diplomatic and will not create additional misunderstandings, he said.

Escudero said if they cannot stop talking they should talk in Filipino or Ilonggo so the Chinese will have difficulty understanding.

China had warned its neighbors to stop exploiting resources without its permission in the contested region being claimed by Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines.*CGS

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