First, the Marcoses were accused as thieves when they had fled the country, were prosecuted in courts, but were acquitted. The accusers failed to prove their guilt.
Second, not all Filipinos joined the people power revolution, which happened in Quezon City. The Marcoses still had a strong following in many parts of the country.
Those who voted for Imelda were not forgetful or unaware of history. They were the Marcos loyalists who did not believe that their idols were thieves and murderers.
Honasan was elected because of Filipinos’ poor memory? Not all Filipinos voted for him. Those who went for him must have been disenchanted with Aquino’s presidency. They wanted someone who could ease that frustration, and saw Honasan, one who challenged Aquino through coups.
Again, such events are not a matter of history sense, but a matter of arguments.
Conscious. We Filipinos do have a sense of our nation’s history.
The 1998 Philippine Centennial was the country’s biggest and most colorful festivity in the 20th century. It recalled the occasion when General Emilio Aguinaldo, our nation’s first president, proclaimed Philippine independence from Spanish rule (1565-1898) before a huge crowd on the afternoon of June 12, 1898, at his residence in Kawit, Cavite.
Filipinos celebrated it through flags, parades, books, songs, plays, paintings, contests, reenactments, renovations of historical sites, balloons, parties, dances, and concerts.
2.2 million Filipinos voluntarily applied as members of the Philippine Centennial Movement—a project launched by the government to help observe the centenary. For a modest application fee, members received centennial ID cards, shirts, literary items, and souvenirs.
Filipinos bought Filipino flags and displayed them in parks, homes, schools, offices, factories, stores, malls, and markets. They bought commemorative mementos like publications, shirts, caps, bags, stamps, pins, wines, gold and silver coins, and paper bills.
On June 12, 1998, the centennial day, Filipinos watched on their television sets the programs from early morning, where President Fidel Ramos reenacted what happened on June 12, 1898, at Aguinaldo’s residence in Kawit, Cavite, until late night, where the celebrations were capped through a massive fireworks display.
The Grand Centennial Parade in the afternoon in Manila was done through floats, songs, dances, and reenactments. Five million Filipinos witnessed it.
The centennial year ended with the showing in December of Jose Rizal, a film about our national hero. Four million viewers trooped to theaters, where it was played for several weeks. It was a records-breaking movie, and it garnered numerous awards.
Not conscious of history? The Philippine Centennial celebrations disproved it.
About Jon E. Royeca
btw americans stick to this “the need to know” that’s why
they are progressive people. in america it’s a must you know
sports or you’ll be shun upon…or you’ll be labled df. this
is to all levels of society.
when you get a little bit higher … wall street and obama,
forign policy, sarah palin.
if you are 25 and below … new games and movies.
(i spend 90 minutes reading current events before i go to work to be abreast with my co-workers)
all of the above is your story that’s why they call it
…his story or history.
history has lowest punching power in applying for acceptance in colleges in usa … unless history major.
If you think America is progressive because its people are like that, that’s how you appraise them.
My point here is there is no person on earth who is fully aware of his nation’s history, even history majors.
If we Filipinos cannot recall or understand all the events that had happened in our nation’s past, it’s not because we don’t have a sense of history; it’s because of one natural human frailty–inability to fully comprehend what had happened before and those past events’ significance in our present and future lives.