Erispe, Isabela G.

Eng 4-2

To free oneself is to educate oneself. As a part of our Filipino culture, we grew up

with our parents saying that "Wala na kaming mapapamana sa inyo kundi ang

edukasyon." As we grow old we repeat the exact words with our children. This scenario

is commonly shared with Filipino families with rural life. We tend to see education as

something that frees us from the chain of poverty that envelopes us. It serves to be our

key to success and assist our family. However, this glorious outlook that we had for

education is way different on how education in the Philippines was established.

Education in the Philippines can be rooted into a different perspective. Education in the

lens as a manipulative weapon used during the American occupation.

Let's begin with how we perceived education and how we value it. We conceptualize

education like gold, as something to be treasured and boast with other people. We looked

up to the persons we know who are graduated. Seeing them makes us feel that we are not

able to attain what they already attained. However, this prestige outlook on education is a

wreck with the root it had. During the occupation of Americans in the Philippines, the

Americans used the idea of introducing formal education to the Filipinos. The Filipinos

absorb this and later on view the Americans as their saviour. That's how history exactly

views it and taught to us. However, hidden to the Filipinos, it is just one of their witty

ways to colonize the Filipinos. "The moulding of men's minds is the best means of

conquest." The Americans used education to monopolize the minds of the Filipinos.
They conquer our way of thinking and we eventually let them because we thought we are

never able to stand on our own. They feed us with the lies of freedom and democracy.

Where we never been free and never learn what is a democracy. They eventually replace

our beliefs with theirs. We become a living mimicry of American's way of living. We

begin to be foreign with our own country. We become one of them instead of creating a

new identity. We adapt to their culture and we swallow ours with willingness.

Furthermore, it all begins with the use of language. We always value learning the

English language as above to our own mother tongue. We disregard the natural beauty of

our mother tongue. Learning English made us a hypocrite of our own language. We used

language as a level of intelligence. If you are able to speak in English disregard with the

accent you are above everyone else. We forgot to strengthen our own language instead

we weaken it. This leads us to forget our identity. We are never been able to construct an

identity inclined with our roots. We are just shadows of our colonizers and never been

able to break the chain of colonization which is wrapped around our necks.

The everlasting and permanent power of education as a weapon for colonization

remains. Through education, they feed the minds of our ancestors with lies. In order to

survive, we need to be like them. Forget ourselves as Filipinos. They manipulate us and

believe that we are nothing without them. They condition us to be dependent on them.

The Americans limit us on how we can develop our country by insisting that we are just

an agricultural country. They made us see this blessing as a hindrance for us to grow as a

country. They made us export the raw materials that we can develop inside or country

and we import their goods which all made with our natural resources. They strengthen
their power by holding the Filipinos without directly playing the villain role. They are

successful when it comes to colonizing the Filipinos and manipulate them on the palm of

their hand. They set our thinking that we must think like an American and think as a

Filipino will make us less to other nature. They may not be physically around us to say

they are invading us. It is enough to be conscious to feel and observe the debris of their

occupation that continues haunting our freedom.

Through this, we Filipinos became apathetic. We grow as a willing prey to different

predators. We become numb with the pain we had inside. We are deaf to the screams of

other people because we are comfortable with what we have. We are blind with the

sufferance of others which is just right in front of us. We don't simply care with one

another. And, as long as we and our loved ones are safe and warm, we remain in our safe

place. We never bow our heads to see the drastic situation of other Filipinos. As much

that these changes have not directly affected us, we don't bother caring at all. The

Americans jeopardize our thinking as Filipinos. We let them hijacked our way of

thinking which is reflected in our way of living. We forgot to value ourselves as Filipinos

and admire the other nationality. We give more importance if we are acknowledged by

other countries. We much care to them that we bury our value as a Filipino. The

Americans educate us to become ignorant to ourselves. The Americans convince us that

we must be one of them in order to be a successful nation.

It is surprisingly drastic how are we miseducated our entire life. This miseducation

we had has a domino effect. It indeed becomes true if we just let ourselves ignorant and
if we let our miseducation rust our life as Filipinos. We must begin to educate ourselves

in the Filipino way. In the way that all of us understand each of us. We must begin to

value our being as a Filipino. No better teacher can teach us this but us. We must build a

nation with members of the society that are compassionate. We must establish an

education that will make us aware of our environment and other people. Education that

strengthens our nationalism. Education that produces Filipinos who are able to be

globally competitive without compromising our nationalism. Education that saves us

from the ignorance that fed to us. Education that gives assurance of survival. Education

that preserves the essence of being a Filipino. We may be still in the shadow of our

colonizers but with an education that will make us free and learn what democracy is, we

will learn to stand on our own as a nation.