Last year in 2013, the President led Independence Day celebrations in Liwasang Bonifacio (Bonifacio Plaza) in tribute to the nation’s revolutionary leader Andres Bonifacio. A statue of the hero marks this site. The year 2013 also marked Bonifacio's 150th birth anniversary. In 2012, Independence Day was celebrated in Malolos, in far flung Bulacan, a significant site in Philippine history where the country’s first constitutional conference was held in 1898 which heralded the establishment of the First Philippine Republic. The year before that, in 2011, his first Independence Day as president, President Aquino was in Kawit, Cavite, site of the proclamation of Philippine independence in 1898.
This year’s 116th Independence Day, themed "Pagsunod sa Yakap ng mga Dakilang Pilipino, Tungo sa Malawakan at Permanenteng Pagbabago (Following the steps of Filipino heroes, towards permanent and wide-reaching change) was held in far flung Naga City, Camarines Sur, in honour of 15 martyrs, the Quince Martires, who were executed by the colonial Spanish administration and whose deaths led to a civil guard revolt that ended Spanish rule in Camarines Sur. These executions came barely 5 days after the execution of Jose Rizal.
In so doing, the President is keeping to his own tradition of visiting various regions unlike his predecessors. It is reported that Independence Day is not the only day of the year that Aquino has veered away from tradition. Traditionally celebrated at the EDSA Shrine, Aquino celebrated this year’s 28th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution in Cebu, the location where President's mother, former President Corazon Aquino stayed at when the military turned against President Marcos on February 22, 1986.
Maybe Africa needs a ‘PNoy Style’ kind of tradition in shifting presidential-led Independence Day celebrations away from the capital city. The symbolic essence of recognizing the contributions of many heroes, especially those located in areas away from the major urban centres would send a powerful patriotic message and inspire the present and future generation on the value of being an independent nation through efforts of various individuals or groups from various regions of a country. It is an opportune moment to take heed of the tradition set by the Philippine President in making Africans follow in the steps of their respective independence heroes and ‘towards permanent and wide-reaching change’ by emphasizing the role of each province and community in the liberation of their country.
By Satwinder Rehal
Professor, Helena Z. Benitez School of International Relations and Diplomacy,The Philippine Women’s University, Manila, The Philippines.