Bullosos, Siera Jade Anne R.

BSN1A Readings in Philippine History

When I was in elementary school, I was chosen to compete for a HeKaSi quiz

bee and that’s where I got my interest in studying the history of the Philippines. I

managed to read and memorize events from the Pre-Colonial Era to the present events

of 2014 and familiarize myself to the events of the present. I was happy to know how my

ancestors survived on their own, saddened by how they were abused by colonizers and

it felt satisfying when they freed themselves from them but it made me think, are we

really free? Does the hardships truly ended after we freed ourselves from them?

Studying Philippine history in such a young age made me realize that it was an

effective tool to open the eyes of a Filipino and open the heart for patriotism. If a person

does values the history, and embraced it wholeheartedly, without a doubt he/she/they

will never forget and neglect the sacrifices of our ancestors.

As the 2022 Presidential Election happened when I was in senior high school, I

realized that the Philippines were only run by the same families over and over again and

it answered the pondering question ringing in my head. We were never free. We

managed to colonize ourselves. We were in this state of crisis because we keep on

electing the grandfather, father and the son of the corrupt families. It occurred to me that

the years of lecturing Philippine history in schools was no use for the Filipinos never

valued their past.