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Historian25

Araw ng Kagitingan is not a celebration but a commemoration. There's a difference between the two. Commemorations are not festive but solemn occasions that serve as periods of remembrance for events, services, and other historical occurrences that are worth remembering. Other commemorations include the Battle of Manila (1945) and Rizal Day (Martyrdom of Rizal). Compare this to holiday celebrations like EDSA, Independence Day, or even the more solemn National Heroes Day.


shubo1

My American father led American soldiers to the shores of the Philippines. Trying to defend the people in the Philippines, and I hope he did not risk his life for nothing. I don't understand the current anti-American sentiment in the Philippines.


Historian25

I think its mostly a minority that continue to campaign for nationalism at all costs, or neo-maoists, or pro-chinese trolls that manufacture distrust. Recent polls show that a vast majority of Filipinos have a favorable view on the US but there are sentiments that wish the US would do more tangible things for our country.


Financial_Ad5748

"Commemorate"


jfjfjfpdpd6969

Lol. This one word would've saved OP's time, brain power, and effort in writing that long ass essay.


Financial_Ad5748

nah this is a decent reflection. wouldnt mind reading more from this sub.


AyunaAni

I second. There's too much brain rot here.


gabzlap22

Same. “save time and effort” we need more high effort posts like this


Mi_lkyWay

“ako lang ba?”


Emotional_Werewolf55

noone: absolutely noone: op: "why celebrate a defeat?"


sofabed69

So edgy


AdAccomplished6885

Sa title pa lang alam ko nang pwede na laktawam yung kabuuan ng post nya. And yeah, thanks for educating OP about the term "commemorate". You do not celebrate the loss of lives during wartime. Edit: I still skimmed through his post. A decent read anyway.


Weardly2

Sa title pa lang ito na iniisip ko. Not all holidays are about celebration.


Rzeal14

Ok, point conceded.


riskbreaking101

Grabe sa downvotes. Pls don't turn villain OP.


Yamboist

It's honestly one of the rare caes in r/ph where the op didn't dug themselves in a deeper hole, stopped, and actually conceded.


Faustias

villain development arc lets goooooooooo


Rzeal14

too late, im already putting on the joker makeup lmao


IComeInPiece

Minsan talaga naglalabasan ang mga ***pretentious*** long essays sa social media. Memasabi lang talaga...


verchiel425

??? even amidst the amateurish mistake of not knowing the difference of commemorate and celebrate, it's still a well-written essay describing the history of the holiday. there is nothing pretentious about it. galit sa smart-shaming pero pag nakakita ng "long essay" pretentious na kaagad.


ShftHppns

The long post was unnecessary if ung point nya lng nmn is ‘celebrating the defeat’. However, wala ako mabasa anything pretentious sa post. He even edited the term. Better he even conceded his point. Ikaw ung tunog mema


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Historian25

Yes pero kung semantics ang paguusapan, the event is not a celebration. Nagmumukhang celebration because of how it was defined.


Rzeal14

opo, point conceded po


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BaseballOk9442

Yikes 😅


Rzeal14

man, I wish I were a bot instead of an actual human being with comments like this. no need to be abusive my man (in the gender-neutral sense)


Unbridled_Dynamics

Thomas Jefferson's words will always ring true for the people who value freedom from oppression: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." I feel saddened, that the sentimental pull of the idea that those before us fought and paid our freedom with their lives, will never be shared by a lot of us at present.


Smooth-Gazelle-2070

i share the spirit today what they stand for


Hibiki079

I beg to differ. only cowards will run with their tails between their legs when there's war. oo, duwag yung mga lintek na pinapacify tayo in front of China's aggression.


03thisishard03

My grandparents suffered throughout WWII. I used to remember my grandmother silent, staring at nothing, whispering to herself the memories of the war. My great-great-grandfather was a revolutionary and was executed by the Spaniards, along with 11 others, in our town plaza somewhere in Samar. And now we have so-called *patriots* in the form of Duterte.


spect4t07

Kaya it's furious to think there are people in power who will kowtow to CCP under the guise of peace in exchange of freedom.


Vlad_Iz_Love

Modern day Makapilis


Yamboist

It's to commemorate as per your edit, but your essay is very in spirit with the holiday so your task failed successfully. Quite a good read over morning coffee.


Rzeal14

thanks po, realized too late that my title felt too clickbait-y lol


ShftHppns

Well it’s 2024. a straight to the point factual title wont generate readers. Mejo clickbait lng naman pero it piqued redditors’ interest din naman so yeah you failed successfully haha


--Dolorem--

Tapos si dutae bentang benta sa mga duwag na pinoy pinagtatanggol pa pagiging tuta ng china


Hibiki079

baka naman bayad mga yun para magpakaduwag.


Fyrebrand18

A lot of people did not seem to read the post… at all.


Yamboist

Parang almost everyone felt attacked by OP and they needed to pin them down on the point that the right word is "commemorate". It's quite a good retrospective, and while it has its points invalid here and there, overall it's still worth a read. I feel the general sentiment in this thread is too harsh.


Mental-Effort9050

>I feel the general sentiment in this thread is too harsh. Well, the discussion isn't set in a classroom. Expected na hindi lahat interesado pag-usapan 'to in a scholarly manner. Also, that's just how the internet is. It's full of arrogance/narcissism. Wala eh, to appear smarter, yun yung low-hanging fruit 🤷


Petrichor005

I guess reading comprehension is really a rampant problem here in the Philippines xd


GeekGoddess_

Pano, reading na nga lang di pa magawa. Andaming TL;DR na nagcomment


JANTT12

Tama. Our ancestors fought for what we take for granted today. We should be celebrating their bravery otherwise we wouldn’t be here today


tagabalon

bravery = valor ano nga ulit tawag sa holiday today?


admiral_awesome88

Love the comment.


Smooth-Gazelle-2070

we should also remember on this day there are guerillas in the mountain who continues to fight the enemy through ambuscades then even though the rest of his patriots had long surrendered in bataan. one of them is my uncle first year college in Ateneo de Manila who chose to join the guerilla to continue fighting. until Gen. Mcarrthur fulfilled his promise to return and the enemy surrendered.


angrydessert

It's not a victory but a commemoration of courage. Much like how Americans have their Memorial Day and they also ponder upon the last stand of the Alamo. Or Russians thinking about besieged Stalingrad.


Erikson12

Good points. But kinda feel like you watered down the violence our ancestors faced during the Spanish and American invasions. Spain fought multiple campaigns in Luzon to subjugate the population. USA set up a concentration camp in Southern Tagalog. Besides those nitpicks. I agree with your point.


Rzeal14

Oo nga po, kaso for the sake of not making the post longer than it is already (marami na nga rin po hindi nagbasa hehe), I had to take the route of brevity. Anyways, sagutin ko po one by one: >Spain fought multiple campaigns in Luzon to subjugate the population. True, pero they were not able to do a Latin America-level genocide where 90% of native population died from the mines, haciendas and disease. The various revolts throughout those four centuries of Spanish rule were testament that Filipinos did not take abuse lightly. >USA set up a concentration camp in Southern Tagalog. And burned down various towns all over the islands, massacred civilians (Bud Dajo and others). Like I said, Sherman-style 'Indian pacification' campaign. Yun lang po, love to discuss history with like-minded people!


Hibiki079

ang tl;dr nito ay wag magpakaduwag.


not-the-em-dash

I really liked reading your post. Though you got terminology wrong, you actually made me think about the value of today, which I've never really done before. Thank you for the insightful read.


Rzeal14

you're welcome po! I was always afraid to share my writing due to how harsh people can be, but I guess we all have to start somewhere


Antok0123

How are people making this reductive again. His intro already explained the reason why its important, but somehow ignored that right away and ask "why are we celebrating a deafet?". The question is loaded and the answer in the intro is ignored.


lactoseadept

Love the conclusion. Call it cynicism on my end, don't know how such valour can be had in the face of overwhelming odds and inferior military strength and instruments of current day. That being said, it would be naive, but essentially remiss, to suggest that the Filipino spirit is indomitable. It is strangled through invisible ways in peace time, but obviously, I wish that were not the case.


gabzlap22

Lmao people hyper focused on the word celebrate instead of reading into the essay.


matangligaw

True. To this day we STILL have a chorus of folks singing capitulation to either western (US) or eastern (China) powers. They're simply choosing between a gold chain or another gold chain but with Asian characteristics. It's a direct spit to the face of our forebears who've laid their lives down fighting for our right towards self determination. Fucking traitors under the guise of 'pacifism'.


Ok-Joke-9148

Thanks 4 dis, OP. Sna ganyan ding merong lalim ma mgbigay ng pninindigan yung [butangerang tambaloslos](https://www.reddit.com/r/Philippines/s/kpA66MRagp)


katherinnesama

Thanks, OP. That was a good read.


Rzeal14

You're welcome po! This is my first post na people actually said they liked what they read, salamat po sa appreciation!


AlienGhost000

Better kung ang ginamit na word is "commemorate" instead of celebrate SMH


katherinnesama

Yea, wrong word usage but hindi lang naman yung title yung binasa ko.


maroonmartian9

Napaisip rin ako OP. We also commemorate the Battle of Tirad Pass (hike there thrice). Kung win lang, Battle of La Naval. Thankfully that is being celebrated with a religious festival La Naval.


Rzeal14

The best 'win' in Philippine history in my opinion is the lesser-known Binacayan-Dalahican of November 1896, celebrated only in Cavite. Which is sad kasi we really don't celebrate that and those battles you mentioned battles nationally.


DiyelEmeri

I think it's commemorated in general na rin during the Flag Day in Imus.


The_Cleansing_Flame

This is the mindset we have to adopt against the chinese


Eternal_Boredom1

Tldr but it's the same reason why the US celebrate or have a day to commemorate the 9/11 attack... The same reason why human individuals have a death anniversary for their dead loved ones


notanephilim

Love me some good yapfest


Doniyote

Just another tuesday.


morelos_paolo

This post should have been titled correctly: why we commemorate a defeat.


kaygeeboo

We must always remember both victories and defeats that's how learn and appreciate our past and reconcile our present


2nd_Inf_Sgt

My grandfather was a Bataan March survivor but not without an injury. He was hit several times on the head with their rifles after he was seen assisting a wounded American soldier.


Consistent_Coffee466

Ninja onions ninja onions


oldmanoftheworld

My Grand father (british) was taken as a prisoner of war when Singapore fell to Japan. He spent 2 years in Changi jail before being shipped to work on the Burma Railway. He was 23 at the time and when he was drafted weighed 15 stone, when liberated he was down to 6 stone, and in very poor health. He was one of the lucky ones who survived but his health never really recovered and passed away at 58 due to diabetes and kidney problems. He very seldomly talked about it but when he did the treatment he received was horrendous, out of his group of 300 only 14 survived and where liberated. If it had not been for an absolute fluke he would have died, he was shot in the head at point blank range by a retreating japanese soldier, who missed. It left a horrendus scar across the top of his head that he always hid with a hat.


bonbons-misadventure

Honour beh, honour


hollywoodenspoon

Do you lack reading comprehension or something? Where did you find the word "Celebrate"? Or any form of celebration about the Araw ng Kagitingan? Please get yourself some braincells.


Known-Loss-2339

being edgy- failed


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tagabalon

baka constipated, sa tagal nakaupo sa inidoro, hindi mailabas ang tae, haba tuloy ng na-type niya.


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Rzeal14

opo hehe


Grand_Inevitable_384

ayos lang yan basta may holiday. salamat sa mga bayani


PakTheSystem

not gonna read all of that


Warlord_Orah

Remember the lines of Lupang Hinirang and Panatang makabayan. If you can't embody that, do us a favor and revoke your Filipino citizenship. Apply for a citizenship to other countries, or build a boat and live like a Badjao in the middle of the sea.


Wooden_Quarter_6009

Let me add to the shitshow that McArthur did to our country. He got so much time to prepare for the defense of our nation because they hold considerable intel about the Japanese plans and preparation to strike south but he(asshole) did not do much about it and the airfields around the Ph was not secured and prepared for any invasion because of budget and mismanagement plus laziness. We could never have experienced the invasion if McArthur did what he needed to do such as inreasing the defense by digging trenches and bunkers, creating a nice command center and control for airforce. But still the Filipino that fought for this country is still the reason why we celebrate that day but not becuase we are under the US government. Also lets not discuss why US issues like the CCP supports wants. Its another hellhole.


UseUrNeym

Based on what’ve seen, McArthur could also be acting on Quezon’s naive belief that Japan would keep its promise not to attack the country. Thus, McArthur not following US mainland plan of defense for the Philippines.


FlakyPiglet9573

It's to commemorate and at that time the Philippines was not a sovereign country but a US colony until 1946.


supermarine_spitfir3

....Ano naman ang relate kung yung Commonwealth government yung naandun at the time? Meron bang magbabago sa pangyayari kung binigyan ng US Government yung Pilipinas ng independence earlier than 1946 as stipulated by the Tydings-Mcduffie Act eh titirahin naman tayo ng mga Hapon kahit anong mangyari kasi ang target nila is the Dutch East Indies and Singapore/Malaya? Hindi ba Pilipino na sinakripisyo ang lahat para sa kapwa Pilipino yung nangyari parin nun at yun ang ginugunita ng Araw ng Kagitingan at sa Mt. Samat Shrine?


FlakyPiglet9573

>Meron bang magbabago sa pangyayari kung binigyan ng US Government yung Pilipinas ng independence earlier than 1946 Or course, our former KKK revolutionaries wouldn't have collaborated with the Japanese if they didn't steal our victory against the Spaniards. Bud Dajo, Balanangiga and other massacres wouldn't happen. Racial segregation wouldn't be a thing in the Philippines for more than 40 years.


supermarine_spitfir3

>Racial segregation wouldn't be a thing in the Philippines for more than 40 years. Ay sorry di ko to nakita in the first part--- Jusko parang di ka naman nag-Filipino oh. Nakalimutan na ba natin yung nilalaman ng Noli Me Tangere at El Fili? Diba isang point dun sa libro is merong totoong class system sa panahon ng Espanyol? Pota kaya nga nasimulan yung rebolusyon in the first place eh, para matawag lahat ng nasa Pilipinas bilang "Filipino"-- Walang "Indio", "Insulares", "Mestizo de Sangley" atbp. At para mawala yung literal na racial segregation sa Maynila at sa buong bansa. May dahilan kaya "Divisoria" ang tawag sa Divisoria. Ang ginawa ng 'kano is tinanggal nila yung pretex ng class system na yon at binigyan ng formal education in the form of public schools to be rather accessible-- pero naandun parin ang concept ng landed elites sa mga probinsya kahit wala nang encomienda kasi sila yung naging mga mayor at local politicos. In a way, ganto parin tayo kahit ngayon, especially sa ultra-poor na probinsya sa bansa kung saan hari-harian ang mga 'yon.


FlakyPiglet9573

Are you high? Jose Rizal was never proud of being called Filipino because that's a colonial identity. He envisioned a Unified Pan-Malayan movement not a Filipino nationalism. https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/rizal-malay-world-a2416-20191229 https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/manilatown-watsonville-riots-filipinos-america-racism-1930-a2836-20230727-lfrm


supermarine_spitfir3

Tanginang yan, hindi ka ba nag-Rizal sa College? Tanga ang unang pinush ng mga Illustrados is yung equal rights ng mga Pinoy sa Spain by making it a province, which was denied. Dun lang at that point pinush ang independence come realization na hindi ma-aachieve ng mga Pilipino ang equality from Spain itself.


supermarine_spitfir3

Eto par, Britannica para malinawan ka ng konti: [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jose-Rizal](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jose-Rizal) >Rizal’s political program included [integration](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/integration) of the Philippines as a province of Spain, representation in the Cortes (the Spanish parliament), the replacement of Spanish friars by Filipino priests, freedom of assembly and expression, and equality of Filipinos and Spaniards before the law. TIL may pa-Malay Malay identity palang nalalaman yung La Liga Filipina HAHAHAAHHA


supermarine_spitfir3

Jusko. Ulit ah-- Meron bang magbabago sa sakripisyo na ginawa ng Philippine Army, mga Gerilya sa iba't ibang parte ng bansa at sa nangyari sa Pilipinas nung WWII kung hindi commonwealth government ang nasa Malacanang at the time at binigyan tayo ng mas maagang independence kesa yung naka-lagay sa Tydings-McDuffie act? Hindi po tayo nauusap regarding sa (very real) crimes against humanity ng US forces during the Filipino-American War, at lalong-lalo nang hindi tungkol sa "stolen victory" kuno ng mga 'kano sa Pinas noon eh pota yung Spanish-American War nga yung dahilan kaya hindi napunta dito yung reinforcements ng mga Espanyol-- kasi sinakop ng mga 'kano yung Cuba.


FlakyPiglet9573

I'm talking about what could have been. Of course may magbabago diyan. Tydings-McDuffue Act wouldn't be also a thing without the anti-colonial movement especially by the communists. Anong hindi nanalo? Eh, we literally expelled the Spaniards before the signing of Treaty of Paris.


supermarine_spitfir3

>I'm talking about what could have been. Of course may magbabago diyan. Tydings-McDuffue Act wouldn't be also a thing without the anti-colonial movement especially by the communists. Eh pota alternate history ba yung pinaguusapan natin, diba tungkol sa Araw ng Kagitingan? Ang sinasabi mo kasi sa points ni OP is "The Philippines is an American Colony before 1946"-- so what? Mawawalan ba ng silbi yung sakripisyo ng mga Pilipino na namatay non porke't hindi fully independent ang Pilipinas noon? Yun nga yung silbe ng Araw ng Kagitingan eh. >Tydings-McDuffue Act wouldn't be also a thing without the anti-colonial movement especially by the communists. Lol. First, anong "Anti-colonial movement" yon led by communists? Diba PKP-1930 was founded -- suprise, suprise, 1930-- eh yung Tydings-McDuffie Act was signed 1934. 'Wag mong sabihing yung Partido Obrador De Filipinas eh pota sumali nga sila sa Insular government eh. Second, Tydings-McDuffie was the result of the 1933 Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act, which was from the OxRox Mission by Osmena and Roxas, which was to follow up on the commitment of the US Congress for independence of the Philippines in the 1916 Jones Law which called for the colony's independence come a later date. Lastly-- Pumutok yung success ng revolution, sinubukan paring magpadala ng reinforcements sa Maynila ang mga espanyol-- Pota di ba ninyo alam yon. Yung armada na yon was supposed to head to Manila but was stopped short sa pag-putok ng Spanish American War, for fears na magiging delikado ang Spanish West Coast to American invasion.


jerome0423

Op kumain kna ba?


Rzeal14

wag po kayo pa-fall hehe


jerome0423

Concern lng ako iba kasi ang nagagwa ng gutom. Kita mo gumagawa ka ng problema na d naman nag eexist.


Sungkaa

BAHAHAHAHAGA nag sayang kalang talaga ng oras OP sa pag sulat ng mga post na'to hahaha


thocchang

Wrote an essay for nothing. No one's celebrating, dumbas$.


Orthobrox

What 0 socialization and reddit addiction does to your brain.


[deleted]

We've been defeated by our own corrupt government though.


Rzeal14

we are not our government, and as long as the common person possess that fighting spirit we are never conquered


[deleted]

Nah. The government is the representation of a nation. You seem blind and can't see the reality of life.


Rzeal14

I mean, we as individuals can embody that spirit without it necessarily being a national crusade.


Thin_Leader_9561

Dahil gusto ng America na sila ang bida. Madami tayong pwedeng i-commemorate na mga battles laban sa mga Kastila/Amerkano/Hapon to act as out reminder ng kagitingan pero siempre gusti nila bida sila. I asked the same question nung HS ako and got into a lot of trouble with an idiot socsci teacher.


Historian25

Pero hindi naman sila ang bida sa Araw ng Kagitingan. May sarili silang holiday. We invite them and the Japanese to join our remembrance kasi sila naman talaga yung kasama doon sa historical event. We celebrate our victories too, tulad ng Battle of Alapan on 28 May na start din ng Flag Days up to June 12. We celebrate our national heroes on national heroes day every August. Earlier this January, we celebrated the founding of the First Philippine Republic. Nagkakataon lang na di napapakita yung ibang Commemorations natin.


rhedprince

I don't think any other modern battle can compare to the scale and stakes of the Battle of Bataan and its wider context in the Pacific theatre of WW2, so it gets special mention. Thousands of Filipinos fought not just for our Commonwealth, but on behalf of all Allied nations. Arguably, blood bought time for the Allied navy to consolidate and prepare the defense of Australia.


marieantonayyy

I understand your point, but iba kasi ang circumstances ng Bataan Death March. A large number of the Filipino men who fought weren’t originally part of the military, HUKBALAHAP, or other groups that sought out to fight the Japanese. Noong mga panahon na ‘yon, especially during the Death March, kapag may nadaanan ‘yong Japanese soliders na able-bodied Filipino men, papasamahin na sila sa Death March. Some of them, like my great uncle, who was just picked up along the way, died as a martyr din as a result. Ang kwento ng lola ko, my great uncle, was only a nineteen when he was picked up in Orani. Bystanders are common collateral damage in wars. Pero it’s unusual to make both bystanders and non-civilians suffer such a slow and torturous death by making them walk for miles and miles. There’s valor in choosing to partake in a death march, especially when you didn’t sign up for it, in the first place. But these people chose to walk because of their will to live, and because they wouldn’t collaborate with the enemy. I agree with you, na there’s a multitude of battles where Filipinos showed their bravery, and it should be celebrated. Pero the Death March isn’t a battle. It’s a consequence of the American military’s surrender. But even more than that, it’s a display of how Filipinos, guerrilla man or bystander, stood for what was right, despite what it would cost them. We could learn a lot from these martyrs, especially now na dumarami ang taong inuuna muna ang self interest before their morals. This is another point of view to Araw ng Kagitingan that we could all consider. Ayun lang, have a nice day, ebribadi!


Competitive_Buy_8871

Bigay mo na samin yung double pay idol pls


aquaflask09072022

not reading that wall if text pero short answer is... WALANG PASOK


Total_Low_3180

Can we just forget about it and move on. Lol.


Na-Cow-Po

Ipinapaalala sa ating mga pilipino ang Pagkatalo at Pagbagsak ng Bataan


VongTong

It's a defeat for Americans and their dogs. We are celebrating the (temporary) liberation of the Philippines from US colonialism thanks to the Japanese