we shall have no ruler but our own.
A development entry for Crowned RPG.
I die without seeing dawn's light shining on my country... You, who will see it, welcome it for me...don't forget those who fell during the nighttime.
José Rizal, author of Noli Me Tangere
The scepters of European monarchs have been planted for too long in the lands they have claimed as their own. The Philippines, an archipelagic country of more than 7,000 islands, has known 300 years of Spanish rule, 50 years as an American protectorate, and Japanese occupation during World War II. When Filipinos finally established their independence, they stumbled into the regime of Ferdinand Marcos until the late 80s, and it took the assassination of a political opponent to finally bring upon the waves of change. The concept of Filipino sovereignty still rings as a romantic concept, hearkening back to its pre-colonial times of independent barangays (districts similar to city-states).
During the contested Genovia Convention, the Filipinos protested heavily against the concept of a monarchy. Spanish rule, American intervention, and the strongman regime of Marcos were dominant talking points in the political discourse. What the Philippines needed, argued many, was a democratic society of the people, not a king.
But as all sovereign nations a part of the U.N. began to agree to the terms of the Convention, it appeared to the Filipinos that a monarchy was unavoidable. With the Filipino economy beginning to rely on trade, it was against geopolitical interests to leave the U.N., even if it meant going against the wishes of the Filipino people.
It was rumored that Filipino President Gloria Sotto Ronaldo was looking upon the residence of famed José Rizal, one of the nation’s heroes and first champions of Filipino independence, when she gained inspiration of what would become the current form of Filipino government. The Philippines, she aspired in her speech accepting the Genovia Convention, would be the model of good government that married eternal cultural heritage with the respect and rule of the people.
The Philippines in the wake of the Genovia Convention is what scholars are now referring to as a monarchic republic. A constitution would lay a rule of law across the land, with political representation from each province composing a House and a Senate, but with a royal family presiding as the highest authority figure of the land.
When deciding upon titles, the Filipinos hearkened back to the titles of indigenous rulers before Spanish rule. The term “datu” was resurrected to refer to the new political class, with “lakan,” meaning paramount ruler, was used as the official title of the Filipino monarch.
And with grace, donned in yellow, Lakan Gloria Ronaldo stands, in front of the mural of Corazon Aquino, known as the housewife that started a revolution and ousted the Marcos regime. She speaks to the public after her coronation, and says:
“For many years, we have looked to the crown of Spain and the White House of America for rule. But today, my beloved people, it is time for our country to have a leader of our own. I am honored to be your Lakan, and to show the world what Filipino leadership will be.”
