June 12, 1898: An historical milestone<\/p>\n
On June 12, 1898, General Emilio Aguinaldo, the country's
\nfirst president, unfurled for the first time the official flag of
\nthe Republic of the Philippines and proclaimed its independence
\nfrom Spanish colonial rule. It was the climax of the revolution
\nstarted by Filipino nationalist Andres Bonifacio and inspired by
\nthe martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal.<\/p>\n
That watershed period in the late 19th century bore witness to
\nseveral milestones in Asian historiography and political thought.
\nRizal became the first Asian to proclaim the inalienable rights
\nof man. Almost immediately after Spanish authorities executed him
\nat Bagumbayan, Filipino revolutionaries, roused by his heroism,
\nintensified their resistance against Spain and waged the first
\nsuccessful anticolonial revolution in Asia, giving birth to
\nAsia's first republic.<\/p>\n
The Philippine revolution of 1896-1898 and the life and
\nwritings of Rizal inspired nationalists in Malaysia and Indonesia
\nand other subjugated peoples in Asia in their own struggle for
\nindependence. Rizal, Southeast Asia's homo universalis, and the
\nrevolution against Spain brought the positive aspects of European
\nEnlightenment to Southeast Asia and, at the same time,
\nstrengthened the assertion of a common Filipino-Indo-Malay
\nidentity and consciousness.<\/p>\n
As early as the 19th century, the beginnings of a modern
\nsubregional consciousness were already taking root. Rizal
\nidentified himself with colonized peoples beyond the borders of
\nthe archipelago and considered himself part of the "Malay race".
\nRizal's impact in the region has been such that many Indonesians
\nand Malaysians continue to adopt, until now, his name as their
\nown. Another Filipino nationalist intellectual during Rizal's
\ntime, Apolinario Mabini, saw the Philippine revolution as a model
\nfor the struggle for freedom of other Malay peoples from colonial
\npowers.<\/p>\n
More than a century later, Filipinos around the world
\ncommemorate with pride the founding of the Republic and the birth
\nof the Filipino nation, this time in the invigorating air of
\ndemocracy and a modernizing economy.<\/p>\n
Together with the 3,000-strong Filipino expatriate community
\nin Indonesia, we share with our Indonesian kin this celebration
\nof freedom and the triumph of reason, courage and nationalism
\nover tyranny and oppression. It is still this same impetus, it
\nseems, that has delivered the deathblow to more recent forms of
\ntyranny, and has restored democracy, both in the Philippines and
\nin Indonesia, to its rightful place.<\/p>\n
The striking similarities and parallelisms between Indonesia's
\nown democratic transition and that of the Philippines offer an
\nAsian example of democratic resurgence in the Asia-Pacific this
\ncentury. The Philippines and Indonesia are now the two largest
\ndemocracies in Southeast Asia and the potential for future
\npolitical and economic cooperation seems limitless as the
\npolitical values and systems of our two countries assume a more
\ncommon identity and redefine our role in the region, beyond our
\nrespective borders.<\/p>\n
Together in partnership, the Philippines and Indonesia now
\nform the most important pillars of Nusantara Southeast Asia, a
\nreality that would have made Rizal and Mabini very proud indeed.<\/p>\n
H.E. Mr. Leonides T. Caday<\/p>\n
Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/june-12-1898-an-historical-milestone-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }