E. Transforming the Context of Manuel L. Quezon’s Speech into Hypertext
“I want our people to be like a molave tree, strong and resilient, standing on the hillsides, unafraid of the rising tide, lighting and the storm, confident of its strength.” - Manuel L. Quezon in his 1938 Address.
Manuel Luis Quezón y Molina (August 19, 1878 – August 1, 1944) was a Filipino statesman, soldier, and politician who served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. He was the first Filipino to head a government of the entire Philippines (as opposed to the government of previous Philippine states), and is considered to have been the second president of the Philippines, after Emilio Aguinaldo (1897–1901). Quezon was a Spanish Filipino, with both his parents being Filipino mestizos.
Quezon was the first Senate president elected to the presidency, the first president elected through a national election, and the first incumbent to secure re-election (for a partial second term, later extended, due to amendments to the 1935 Constitution). For pushing Commonwealth Act No. 184 that established the National Language Institute and a consequent Philippine national language, Quezon has been tagged as his country’s “Father of the National Language”.
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Cultural aspect of the speech
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Special Traits of Filipinos
https://youtu.be/QyTPLyIU8_Q
1. Hospitality - This is one of the most popular qualities of Filipinos. Filipinos are welcoming, friendly and kind. Foreigners who have gone to the Philippines find themselves falling in love with the warm hospitality they are shown. It’s a different kind of value system, which has existed for thousands of years.
2. Respectful - This is often observed—not just by younger people—but also by people of all ages.
Children respect elders by saying “po” and “opo,” which mean “yes,” when answering their elders.
Children or young adults also show respect by putting their elders’ hands on their foreheads.
Filipinos also show respect at work by making a bow to their employers
3. Strong Family Ties and Religions - Filipinos value their families so much that they tend to keep families intact through the generations.
4. Generosity and Helpfulness - Filipinos are generous people. Even when we have very little, we always share with those around us.
5. Strong Work Ethic - Filipinos are hardworking people to the point that we are willing to work almost the whole day just to feed our families. That’s how Filipinos are.
6. Love and Caring - Filipinos are the sweetest and most loving people in the world.
7. Utang na Loob - A debt of gratitude (utang na loob) is a cultural Filipino trait of repaying special favors given to them, regardless of the moral outcome. It is considered an important “accommodative surface value,” along with hiya (shame) and pakikisama (togetherness). It doesn’t even end with the one-time repayment of debt; most of the time, Filipinos consider this debt as something they should repay over and over, even if it takes a lifetime.
8. ”Bahala na” or “come what may” habit - We could attribute this habit to faith, reasoning out that God will help us become successful. However, as the Christian saying goes, “faith without work is dead”. If we have some goals, then we need to work in order to achieve them.
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Values education in Schools
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“Education is an important element in the struggle to help our children and people rediscover their identity and thereby increase self-respect. Education is our passport to the future.” Malcolm X said.
Values education is ingrained in every tradition of the Filipino culture. Children are taught to respect the elders by saying “po” and “opo” and by putting their elders’ hands on their foreheads. But then, as time passed by, these values are slowly fading away and we tend to become hypocrites. Values Education as a part of the school curriculum is the process by which values are formed in the learner under the guidance of the teacher and as he interacts with this environment. But it involves not just any kind of teaching-learning process.
https://youtu.be/V7uQ3yHgKA0
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Filipino Patriotism
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Filipinos back then considered patriotism as a serious matter. In order to attain a better country, one must show their great patriotism and it means that you are willing to offer everything you have even your precious life for the sake of your own country.
Our patriotism is awakened every time the flag is unfurled and the anthem sung. It is far easier to imagine and feel patriotism whenever we have a struggle, a fight with an enemy, where hundreds of thousands of Filipinos die—such as against the Spaniards in 1896, against the Americans from 1898 to 1902, and against the Japanese from 1941 to 1945.
These days, although it is often said that patriotism is “more words than actions,” it does live still in the hearts and minds of many Filipinos, young and old alike.
References:
Saavedra. (2015). Patriotism is alive in the hearts and minds of Filipinos. Retrieved from http://opinion.inquirer.net/86380/patriotism-is-alive-in-the-hearts-and-minds-of-filipinos#ixzz5BVYFKYYq
Abello, J. (2014). 14 Bad Habits that Filipinos should Break to Achieve Progress. Retrieved December 15, 2016 from http://faq.ph/14-bad-habits-that-filipinos-should-break-to-achieve-progress/
Marte, B. & Marte, N. (2005). THE DECS VALUES EDUCATION PROGRAM. Retrieved December 15, 2016 from http://www.valueseducation.net/vep.htm
Contend. (2015). Struggle for Genuine Sovereignty and Democracy. Retrieved December 15, 2016 from https://contendup.wordpress.com/2015/11/29/
Quezon, M. (August 19, 1938). Address of President Manuel L. Quezon on Policies and Achievements of the Government and Regeneration of the Filipino. Retrieved December 15, 2016 from http://www.gov.ph/1938/08/19/address-of-president-manuel-l-quezon-on-policies-and-achievements-of-the-government-and-regeneration-of-the-filipino/
