When Time Passed By. . .

For more than three centuries, you held me within your grasp along with many others.  If you hadn't colonized us, I wonder what would have happened.  Would our unique culture still have been the same?  Would our kingdoms still have been divided?  If you and Portugal hadn't found us, would we, the Asian countries be known to the world today?

Right now, we're living our independence after a long history of war, being trade partners with other countries.  You're now one of those.


Philippines couldn't keep still.  Ever since she woke up, she couldn't shake off the feeling that she was forgetting something.  No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember what it was.  Being restless as she is, she walked around her country.

As she walked around the streets and bustling cities, she saw how much her people had improved.  She was happy seeing people do their best and making the best out of the present.

"When did all of it start again?  When did we come to start thinking as one?" Philippines thought.  She looked around and found some children dressed in saya and camisa, perhaps for a specific performance.  "Ah, that's right."

Philippines turned her back to the scene and continued down the street.  "We were quite happy then, trading freely with the others.  Even though we had our own faults, we came to resolutions.  That changed when he came."

In her mind, she remembered the first time she met someone other than her Asian family.  Somebody whose skin color was different and whose eye color was different as well.  That someone had light skin and green eyes.

As the young country continued walking down the street, she noticed a different atmosphere.  Like the people were celebrating an important event.  Just a little further down the road, Philippines came to a stop.  A building was towering over her with its walls washed white, the shining sun in its background.  She put her hand up to cover her eyes from the bright rays of the sun.

Her eyes widened as she came to a realization that she was looking at a church.  This church made the memories come rushing back to her.   As it did, she remembered the reason for her uneasiness since that morning.  She had forgotten something important—an event that had touched her heart.  

"How could I have forgotten—" she said.  "—the siege of Baler."^[1]

"Did you know," a voice said behind her.  Philippines was caught by surprise but she didn't move.  "That there's a person who would come to visit this place every year?"

Philippines relaxed.  Even without turning around, she knew who it was.  "Is that so—Kuya Spain?"

"Si," Spain said as he stood beside his former colony, looking at the old church.^[2]

"How about you?  Do you visit this place every now and then?"

"When I have the time to visit, I do."

Philippines sighs.  "I guess it can't be helped.  It has always been that way hasn't it?  Even before."

Spain shyly smiles but it soon disappears.  "I wasn't able to take care of you as family should have, did I?"

"Well you did leave me in Kuya Mexico's care and you sold me off to America."

Spain fell silent.  In the meantime, at the back of Philippines' mind, she was cursing herself.

"Noooooo!  That wasn't what I was supposed to say!  Why can't I say anything right?  Now what should I do?"

Neither of them spoke and the atmosphere was filled with awkward silence.  Spain had already started thinking, "I shouldn't have come after all.  Maybe I should just leave?"  However—.

"K-kuya Spain," Philippines said.  Spain looked at her but she was looking another way.  Her eyes kept moving from him to another direction, back to him, then to another direction.  Even her hands were fumbling with each other.  "W-would you l-like to be my es-escort for today?  I mean, well, you know—you know what today is."

Caught by surprise, Spain was left speechless.

When he didn't say anything immediately, Philippines felt embarrassment and shyness.  "At least say something," she said, a bit louder than a whisper, blushing.

Spain laughed.  "So cute," he thought.  "She's blushing just like Romano did when he was young."

"Wh-what?" Philippines asked.

"No, it's nothing," Spain said as he finished his laugh.  Then with a smile on his face, he extended his arm to Philippines.  "Then, Filipinas, it shall be my honor to be your escort for this special day."

Philippines slightly pouted but she linked arms with Spain nonetheless and they walked around the town of Baler.  They remembered their history together as they toured the place.  Religion, food, clothes, education, books, craftworks, literature, culture and arts.  They laughed, teased, and smiled together.

"Do you remember, Filipinas, the time when I taught you the Spanish language?" Spain asked.

"You mean the Latin alphabet?" Philippines asked.  "Of course I do.  How can I forget?"

"You were so good at it that I was afraid I would have nothing more to teach you.  You learned it so quickly—unlike Romano—that I was scared you'd be better than me."

Philippines laughed and sighed.  "Oh Romano, he'd use the language in unbelievable times.  But believe it or not, I learned quite some words from him." After a pause, she added, "When you left, I thought that the Spanish language would be useless.  Who knew that it is what would enrich our national language."

"Oh, right.  I didn't really make Spanish the national language here, did I?"

"Nope, you did not.  In fact, you studied our native languages and used it in your missionary activities.  That is why we have not lost our native languages." Philippines looked up at Spain with a smile.^[3]

At that time, they had already reached the beach, with the sun almost setting behind the horizon.  They admired the view and watched it set.  As the last rays of the sun were vanishing, words echoed in Spain's thoughts.  "The sun will never set.^[4]  Spain clenched his hands and looked down at the ground.

"Felipinas," he said.  "Do you hate me?"

Philippines was surprised at this question.  She looked at Spain with a confused face. "Wh-what are you saying, Kuya Spain?"  

"Don't you still hold a grudge against my people?" Spain continued, his voice wavering.  "We abused, discriminated, cheated, tortured, and forced work on your people. Aren't you angry at me?   Even I was so busy that I wasn't able to—. " Spain couldn't continue.  His voice broke.  

Philippines remembered everything that he said and it honestly hurt to be reminded of such things.  When she closed her eyes, she saw her past where she and her people suffered.  

"We employed the 'divide and conquer strategy' on your people.^[5] Wasn't that why you rose up in different revolts."

Philippines looked away.  "What did you expect?  That I would just watch the sufferings of my people?  I couldn’t possibly do that.  Besides, I also wanted my freedom.  You were so busy that you couldn't hear my pleas to release us from bondage.  We had no choice.” She paused.  “Actually—," Philippines looked at Spain.  "—if I am to be honest here, I was angered and embittered.  Especially because of the executions of my dearest friends.  Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora, you remember them right?  They were executed at the garrote. And I am sure that you remember very well Jose Rizal."

Spain flinched at the name.  

"He was killed by the firing squad.  They were executed although they were innocent." ^[6]  

Spain couldn't look at Philippines in the eye anymore.  "Jose Rizal," he said the name softly.  “His execution was one of my greatest blunders.”

Silence once again envelopes the two under the dark sky.  Then Philippines breaks it.

"However, you are hardly the only colonizer that was cruel," Philippines said as she looked at the sea.  "I’d like to remind you that it is impossible to forget the horrors of the past.  However, it is very much possible to move forward." She looked back at Spain and smiled.  "Isn't that right, Kuya Spain?  For you are one who has also suffered so much losses.  Losses among your former colonies and— in your own kingdom.  You know how it is to move on just like I do."

Spain was speechless, unable to make a reply.

“You know what?” Philippines said.  She took Spain’s hand and started running, dragging him along. “Let me show you something.”

Spain wondered what Philippines would show him.  When Philippines stopped dragging him and looked around, he found himself in front of the church.  Back to where they first met that day.

“This was the last Spanish post you had here.  The Spanish soldiers were cornered here and they fought valiantly no matter how much we attacked.  When the war was over, they still refused to surrender despite our messages to them.”

“They thought that it was all an act,” Spain said.

“They were so stubborn," Philippines puffed her cheeks.  "It irritated me how much they refused to try and listen to us." But then she moved forward and touched the door.  Her voice softened.  "They were so stubborn that it actually touched my heart.  They showed so much loyalty and courage for their country.”

Spain smiled, starting to understand what Philippines was trying to tell him.  “But they wouldn’t have been able to make it back home if it weren’t for you and Aguinaldo.  They are very thankful to the people of Baler for their kindness.  It is even believed that you allowed carabaos to wander near the church for them to capture.”^[7]

Philippines smiled, looking at where she and her people were once posted to hold positions.  “Who knows.”

Spain sighed.  “This is the history that made this day our friendship day.”  

“And it is a fitting end to our relationship as colonizer and colony,” Philippines added.

 “That's right.”

"Kuya Spain," Philippines said after quite some time of silence.  "I’ve wanted to ask—but, why didn't you abandon me?"

Spain looked at Philippines, shocked, thinking that question had an obvious answer.

Philippines looked at Spain.  "Why didn't you abandon me?" she repeated.  "Wasn't I a financial burden to you?  I mean, I didn't have much gold and silver to give.  Wasn't that why you made Mexico give us subsidy every year?"^[8]

Still, Spain continued to stare, but he soon realized that although it was a question with an obvious answer, it was a question with a deeper meaning.  He saw this by how she wanted to know the answer.

"You could have just left us because of that," Philippines continued.  "So why didn't you?"

Spain looked back and he remembered why it was that he didn't give up on her.  He remembered how his king rejected his advisors recommendation, saying that he would gladly spend ‘all the riches of the Indies.’^[9]

Philippines looked at Spain for an answer, but he just smiled.

“So it’s a secret, huh?” she said, but she didn’t mind.  “You know, thinking about it now.  I realize that there are things that I should thank you for.”

“Really, what for?”

“I should thank you for bringing the different tribes of my people together to form the Filipino nation, although it was in an unexpected way.  Because of the unsuccessful revolts, we realized that we had to unite.  We forgot our tribal differences and regional barriers and fought for a common cause. ^[10]

"Not only that," Philippines continued.  "But you also freed my people from slavery.  Because of that, they were able to go back home."^[11]

Spain smiled and looked back to the town.  "You know, there are also some things that I want to thank you for, besides from the conclusion of the Siege of Baler."

"And what would that be?"

"Renewing ties with me."

"Huh?"

"And for declaring this day as Philippine-Spanish friendship day."^[12] Spain heaved a sigh and turned to leave. "I better go now.  It's getting late."  

"Ah, wa-wait, Kuya Spain." Philippines pulled him by the hand, making him turn back to face her.

"I—I wasn't able to say this before but—but before you came, I was just a country with plenty of nicknames but I did not have one to call my own.  I-I just—I want to thank you—for being the one who gave me my name."^[13]

“But you changed it just the same,” Spain commented.

“That’s because I finally know who I am.”

Spain smiled.  "You've really grown.  You no longer are like the young girl I once knew who was stubborn and clueless."

"Did you really expect me to stay the same?"

Spain shook his head. "I guess I only wished for it to be that way; but time won't let it be."

"Kuya Spain," Philippines said, suddenly sensing a different aura from him.

"Philippines, allow me to say this now.  From now on, I'll look to you as an older brother should."

"But don't you have your own problems?"

"Don't worry.  Despite our economic situation," Spain said as he smiled and patted her head.  "I'll still turn a fraternal eye to you."^[14]

"Kuya Spain," Philippines said.  "I appreciate it and—uh, you’re kind of ruining my hair."

Spain retracted his hand as if he was electrocuted.  "S-sorry.  Here, let me fix it for you," he said as he started redoing Philippines' hair.

"Ah, stop.  You'll make it messier," Philippines remarked, trying to shove his hand away.

"Oh come on," Spain persisted.  "Who had been fixing your hair for you before?"

Philippines looked away, reluctant to say the answer.  "You," she said in a whisper.

Spain heard what she said but decided to tease her some more.  "What? I didn't hear you?"  

Philippines puffed her cheeks, blushing.  "You did," she said clearly.

The older country laughed and continued to fix Philippines' hair.  As he did, she smiled.

"You've changed, Kuya Spain," she thought.  "But it's like you haven't."

FIN.





FOOTNOTES:
[1] The Siege of Baler is a battle in the Spanish-American War fought in Philippine soil. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of…)  
[2]“The “adopted son” of Baler has kept coming back to Aurora every June 30, Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day, to keep alive the cultural and historical ties between the two countries.” (globalnation.inquirer.net/7993…)
[3] The Spanish friars did not preach Christianity in Spanish.  They learned the native languages instead.  By using these languages to propagate the faith, the friars incidentally preserved the Philippine native languages.
[4] Spain was the first European country to rise as a great colonizing power in modern times and King Philip II was the first monarch to justly boast that the sun never set on his realm.
[5] This is one of the reasons why the Filipinos served Spain instead of serving their own countrymen.  The Filipinos were not united and did not think of themselves as one nation.  So the Spaniards divided and conquered them, playing one tribe against the other.
[6] Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora were falsely accused of instigating the Cavite Mutiny of 1872.  There was no positive evidence of their guilt.  The Spanish authorities pushed charges on the Gom-Bur-Za fathers and other Filipino leaders because it gave them justification to persecute Filipino patriots who advocated reforms.  Fathers Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora were executed at Luneta on February 17, 1872.
Jose Rizal, on the other hand, was tried by a military court on the charge of “rebellion, sedition, and illicit associations”.  On December 28, 1896, he wrote his last letter to his best friend Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt declaring his innocence as follows: “I am innocent of the crime of rebellion.  I am going to die with a tranquil conscience.”  At exactly 7:03 a.m., the firing squad shot him at the back in Luneta.  Rizal turned his bullet-riddled body and fell dead to the ground—his face turned upward to the rising sun.  His execution was one of Spain’s greatest blunders in the Philippines.  The Filipinos acclaimed him as a martyr of freedom so that he has become the national hero of the Philippines.
[7][12] June 30 is declared as Philippine-Spanish friendship day.  (www.senate.gov.ph/press_releas…)  
[8] The Philippines was a financial burden to the Spanish Crown and it did not yield much gold and silver like Mexico and Peru.  The annual income of the colonial government was not enough to meet the expenditures so the King of Spain directed the Mexican viceroy to send a subsidy to Manila every year.  The funds for the subsidy were taken from the Mexican treasury and the galleon trade.
[9] The advisors of King Philip II recommended that the Philippines be abandoned because it was a financial burden.  The king rejected this and told them that the chief objective of the Spanish colonization was the propagation of Christianity, and that for the conversion of the Filipino people he would gladly spend “all the riches of the Indies.”
In 1619, the question of abandoning the Philippines was revived by the court advisers.  Fr. Fernando Moraga, who was aged and had poor health went back to Spain and threw himself at the feet of King Philip III, requesting him not to abandon the Philippines for the sake of Christianity.  The king was deeply touched and assured him that he would not give up what his father had conquered and left him.
[10] One reason why the Filipino revolts failed was because the Filipino people were divided.  However, the failures of their uprisings taught them a bitter lesson that they would never be free from Spanish rule by struggling separately as separate tribes, but that they had to unite and fight the common welfare of their land.
The execution of Fathers Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora were deeply resented by the Filipino people.  In their indignation, the people forgot their tribal differences and regional barriers and joined together as one people to fight for their common cause.  
[11] The early Spanish missionaries urged the king to abolish slavery in the Philippines.  On October 17, 1581, Bishop Domingo Salazar and the heads of different religious orders met and signed a document denouncing to King Philip II the Spaniards in the Philippines who kept slaves contrary to the law of God and in violation of the Laws of the Indies.  King Philip II heeded the complaint and issued the Royal Decree of August 9, 1589 emancipating all native slaves.  Pope Gregory XIV reinforced the king’s decree by promulgating the Papal Bull of April 18, 1591 threatening to excommunicate those who would not liberate their slaves.
[13] Spain gave the Philippines its identity as a nation.  Because of the three centuries of colonization, the country came to be known to the world as the Philippines (Filipinas) and the people, the Filipinos.  Prior to Spain’s coming, the country was a nameless archipelago.
[14] “Despite being in a recession, Spain will continue to turn a “fraternal eye” on its former colony, the Philippines.” (globalnation.inquirer.net/6297…)