HOLY TRINITY ACADEMY

Calabash Road, Balic-Balic, Sampaloc, Manila

Senior High School Department
S. Y 2022-2023

Freedom of Speech:
The Hoist of the Glass to Change

Submitted By:
Bolso, Shanley Claudette N.

XI - STEM B

Final Speech in Oral Communication 11

Mrs. Marivic P. Manlincon

Freedom of Speech: The Hoist of the Glass to Change

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 Speak Now: Raising the Glass to Freedom of Speech

“Ang mamatay nang dahil sayo” a line from the Philippine National Anthem, the Lupang
Hinirang unfolds the image of once a country that the Spaniards and Americans have colonized,
and Japanese who proliferated slavery, violence, and injustices against women and the Indios.
As a Filipino citizen in today’s generation, have you ever wondered how we toast the rise to liberty
despite the impediments that hindered our autonomy? The beauty of fighting for our freedom of
speech, and the right of individuals to express themselves in their own unique ways without fear
of legal action paved the way for the society and life we are experiencing right now. However,
there are governments and individuals in positions of authority all over the world who threaten
this right. North Korea is one such example, where it is forbidden for the public or the media to
criticize the government. Hence, the Philippines is not an exception, where the anti-terror
legislation, that allows the government to arrest citizens without warrants, was handed down last
2020. During the martial law epoch (1972-1981), Amnesty International documented extensive
human rights violations which showed a pattern of widespread arrests and detention, enforced
disappearances, killings, and torture of people that were critical of the government or perceived
as political opponents. In light of this, the deprivation of freedom of speech should be ceased in
order to end the killings, injustices, violence, fear, and trauma of every individual which pave the
way for a progressive and sustainable country where human rights are being preserved for I
believe that we should give voice, use our voice, and be the voice.

Freedom of speech is legal as it is protected by law and is a fundamental human right of

every citizen where age, race, status, religion, etc. are not a barrier which asserts that any act of
deprivation is an inhumane venture and should be punishable by law. According to the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) Article 19, all individuals have the right to freedom of
speech, which includes the right to freedom of opinion without interference and the freedom to
seek, receive, and share information and ideas across frontiers through any media. Citizens, not
just journalists must be free to criticize the government and our public institutions without fear of
prosecution – a vital feature of a democratic society. In today’s generation where freedom of
speech is being threatened by individuals and personalities who are afraid of the truth, let us
always remember that it is our right to express our opinions not just on the government but as a
whole. As a teenager and as a woman who’s very vocal when it comes to my feelings and
perception over diversified matters, I always remind myself whenever I encounter barriers to my
freedom of speech and expression that it is my right as a citizen of this country to have a voice
no matter who I am, no matter what my gender, age, race, and status is, I deserve to have a voice
because it is my right and responsibility to do so. That’s why it saddens me how Mabasa, better
known by his professional name, Percy Lapid, spent his 35-year career as a journalist highlighting
corruption among the powerful were murdered last 2022 which demonstrates how media freedom
is being threatened globally due to its crucial function in guaranteeing transparency and
accountability for public and governmental institutions.

Freedom of Speech: The Hoist of the Glass to Change

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 Freedom of speech holds immense benefits that holistically aid in the development and
cognition of society, especially the Youth. During the elections period in the Philippines last May
2022, I was once a victim of discrimination of age and deprivation of freedom of speech not just
by the government, but specifically by the rigorous amount of relatives and family members that
imposed this mindset that the youth and those who are not yet registered as a voter doesn’t have
the liberty and right to speak for what is the truth and what is moral in the eye of humanity. But
did I stop fighting for what is right? No. This doesn’t stop me to have a voice and speak up. I
believe that a society's potential to develop in a healthy way depends on each individual's ability
to obtain knowledge, express their opinions freely on pressing social issues, and hold those in
authority accountable. Manikuze (2023) asserts that a person who gains the right to free
expression tends to grow in responsibility and power changing society, and making it more
progressive over time. Freedom of speech boosts my confidence as it enables me to voice my
concerns verbally, which is crucial in fighting against laws that discriminate against the poor. In
reality, this independence guarantees the promotion of creativity that fosters the growth of our
country, the Philippines, where government and citizen communication is evident. According to
press freedom proposals, media freedoms are intimately related to the growth of democracies as
well as social stability and sociopolitical solutions. How could we fulfill our civic duty as citizens
without the right to free speech? If speaking is still accompanied by fear and threats, how can we
offer advice and thoughts to help resolve problems that impact us all equally?

Freedom of speech is essential to fight for change. Jose Rizal, one of the Filipinos who
fought for our independence as he wanted himself and his fellow countrymen to have a voice and
a vote in opposed to the Spaniards, would always be remembered by the youth and all Filipino
people for his remark that "Kabataan ang Pag-asa ng Bayan." therefore individuals shouldn’t limit
the youth in speaking out for their opinions as he highlighted the necessity for us, as Filipino
citizens, to fight for our freedom of speech without fear because it is crucial to struggle for change
in this society where mass executions and blindness occur. As someone who is very fond of Noli
Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, I want to share this inspiration and motivation of mine in fighting
and raising the glass for our liberty of expression and be free from all the deprivation of speaking
the truth because like Rizal, we, the Youth, and his fellow countrymen should use our voice and
pave the way to be the voice for those people who are afraid and voiceless. These novels became
one of the rationales why I never allow myself to be blinded by all the happenings around me
because imagine if Jose Rizal along with the other heroes and “Bayani” of our country were afraid
to speak out and be the voice, can we still lavish the freedom and democracy that we have in
today’s generation? I think not. Jose Rizal, along with other heroes and heroines fought for a
change using their voice and the art of voicing out.

Maximizing our freedom of speech can be used in our own unique ways such as the form
of literature, art, journaling, and even making a speech! For instance, my professors such as Sir
Kune would always tell me that I am suitable to be a politician because of my ideas and recitations

Freedom of Speech: The Hoist of the Glass to Change

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that commonly revolve around our society and the issues that we are experiencing. It’s flattering
how my professors are fascinated with how I speak because that’s what I am trying to aim for, I
aim to encourage everyone to speak up and use our voice. We, Filipinos should start fighting
against the deprivation of freedom of speech in speaking the truth and for a good cause for it
doesn’t change the reality that there are individuals abusing their freedom of speech that violates
other human rights. We must always remember that Freedom of Speech also has its own
restriction where we cannot utilize our freedom for the purpose of perjury, threats, blackmails,
fake news, and even hate speech that is circulating on the internet. We should keep in mind that
freedom of speech is used with morality and respect for other human rights. We should use our
freedom of speaking, and our voice to perform our role in society by giving opinions, solutions,
and insights that could help our country to grow and develop progressively. How can we end the
deprivation of freedom of speech? By doing this. One example is what I am doing right now. I, as
part of the youth and as a student from Holy Trinity Academy, is now using her voice to spread
the word about ending discrimination and deprivation of freedom of speech because again our
future and success rely on our weapon, our voice. We can end these inhumane acts if we speak
out and afflict the offenders as billions of Filipinos will stand on our grounds, holding hand in hand
for the coming of change.

To conclude, in mitigating the expeditious rate of killings and injustices suffered by every
citizen and paving the road for a progressive, sustainable nation where human rights are upheld,
the restriction of free speech must be halted due to certain rationales: Freedom of Speech is legal
and is in accordance with the law through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights article 19;
It nurtures the development and cognition of society and the Youth; and is essential in fighting for
change and ceasing inhumane acts in the Philippines. However, we must bear in mind that free
speech is used for a good cause and not for the purpose of violating human rights because we
must not rely on the culture of violence just to prove that something is right or to spread false
information. We must start fighting without blood being stained on our hands because a country
with free speech will grow as all people are taking part in the nation’s affairs by giving ideas and
walking the talk. Anyone has the right to challenge all beliefs owing to the liberty of speech for it
serves as the cornerstone for all of our other human rights. If we lose this important freedom, we
will lose much more than just freedom of speech. We will lose our humanity. I, standing in front of
you, challenges everyone to hoist the glass to change by speaking out, acting as the voice, and
giving voice to the voiceless through fighting hand in hand in giving justice to the victims of killings
and murders just to unveil the truth as I leave the line that activism is not terrorism.

Freedom of Speech: The Hoist of the Glass to Change

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References:

Amnesty International. (2022). Five things to know about Martial Law in the
Philippines. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/04/five-things-to-know-about-
martial-law-in-the-philippines/

Filipinas Heritage Library. (2023). Rizal’s Stand on Freedom.

https://www.filipinaslibrary.org.ph/articles/rizals-stand-on-freedom/

Friedrich Naumann Foundation. (2020). Freedom of Expression: “Heartbeat of

Opinion” Rethinking Freedom of Expression.
https://www.freiheit.org/philippines/heartbeat-opinion-rethinking-freedom-expression

Global Freedom of Expression. (2015). United Nations Human Rights System.

https://globalfreedomofexpression.columbia.edu/law-standards/united-nations-human-
rights-system/

Manikuze, J.P. (2023). Why Does Freedom of Speech Matter?

https://www.eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/jean_paul_manikuze_1.pdf

OHCHR. (2023). Freedom of expression and opinion.

https://www.ohchr.org/en/topic/freedom-expression-and-opinion

Ratcliffe, R. (2023). Power, corruption and fury: the killing of Percy Lapid. The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/29/power-corruption-and-fury-the-killing-of-
percy-lapid

Staff, R. (2020). Duterte’s “draconian” anti-terror bill alarms activists in Philippines. U.S.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-rights-idUSKBN2391QN

Freedom of Speech: The Hoist of the Glass to Change

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