We live and breathe freedom

Here is the song "Bayan Ko" as performed by 
Miss Leah Salonga lipsynched by the vanmont. 
Click this first before you proceed reading the 
blog post.

BAYAN KO. I love this song so much. This song became famous in 1986 during the EDSA Revolution here in the Phlippines. Ask any Filipino if they know how to sing this song they can sing it from the heart. I know the lyrics of this song and I can sing it without any copy infront of me. That is how ingrained the song is to me. That is how I really know the song. From the heart.

What is the song all about? Just in case you didn't know. "Bayan Ko" is a patriotic song of the Filipino people. In only three stanzas and one chorus/refrain the writer of the song has already described the history of the Philippines. This song is considered the unofficial second National Anthem of the Philippines. Bayan Ko is written, originally in spanish by the late Jose Alejandrino. Its original title in Spanish is "Nuestra Patria". The first stanza of the song tells about the beauty of the Philippines likened to a Filipino Woman. 

Here is the first stanza:

In the first stanza the composer is telling us how beautiful the Philippines is. It is a Land of Gold and beautiful flowers that offered beauty and splendor to the Filipino people. Wow. I have lived in this country all my life and I never thought this same Philippines that Jose (the composer) described is the same Philippines that I've known. I never thought of it as a land of Gold. Flowers yes but, gold? Where? Can I have some so I will be rich! Well it is that way that Filipinos think of our country. We are clueless of how beautiful our country is! Only tourist from other countries know of the beauty of the Philippines because they have the money to travel around the country. The Philippines is so beautiful! It has wonderful beaches. Paradise as they always say. We have so many natural resources and natural scenic places that are to die for. This country has so much riches and they may not be physical riches like gold but treasures of good and hospitable people! I think that is what Jose is trying to say. Then in that case I am the treasure of this country so is the millions of Filipinos living here and all the Filipinos around the world.

Here is the second verse:

In the second verse it becomes a little bit dark and sad. because it is in this verse that the composer tells of the sad part of the country's history. The almost 400 years of slavery brought about by the meanest colonizers of this country, The Spaniards. The song says: Because of her refinement and beauty foreigners (the spanish colonizers) were enticed. My country thou wast enslaved, mired in suffering. Oh were we enslaved! The Spaniards did not only took the dignity of the Filipino people then but they also destroyed everything that is Filipino in us. They made the the Filipinos slaves in our own country. How cruel is that. not just for a couple of years or ten years but almost 400 years. And whats worse not only the spaniards were our colonizers but also the Japanese and the Americans. The Japanese were the second most cruel colonizers of the country. They burned the Philippines down to ashes. Raped the Filipino Women and killed the children and the men. It was one of the most painful part of history in the Philippines. But the Japanese were not the end. Here comes the Americans. We thought they were our savior. Our knights in shinning armour. But lo and behold, they helped us cast away the evil Japanese colonizers, but with a price. They saved with a malicious motive. Last thing we know they are our new colonizers. But among the three colonizers were the most convincing because during that time, the americans showered us with chocolates and US made food and clothing. They introduced the American style of Education. Their music. Their culture. Their dances. Their movies. Everything is American. Suddenly we are Americanized!

Everything we knew about ourselves then is that the Americans were our friends. Because of the good things they gave to us. American culture became our culture then. From games. They taught us how to play basketball. From dances. We knew how to dance the boogie. To movies. We were aware of the latest movies of Clark Gable, Elizabeth Taylor and almost all American actors. To music. We knew of Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Matt Monroe and the gang! To education. They taught us the proper way of going to school. They trained Filipino teachers the American Style of Education. Thus the Teacher's camp in Baguio City was built for these teachers, Filipinos and Americans. The good thing about these American Colonizers is that they gave back the Philippines to the Filipinos. And just in 1991 when Mount Pinatubo erupted the last straw of the American presence here in the Philippines was finally pulled. The American Bases here, Clark Air base in Pampanga and Subic Naval Base in Olongapo were pulled out because of the threat of destruction.

Here is the third stanza:

The song is getting deeper here because the composer likened the country to a bird who was caged and wanted to be free. It says that even birds that are used to flying free if you cage them they will cry for freedom. What more a country so beautiful would she yearn to be free. So true. A bird who has only instinct in mind but no intelligence at all would think of freedom when captivated, how much more a people who are freedom lovers would we not shout for freedom? Yes of course! We want our freedom. No dictator or foreigner will ever take away our freedom. That is why in 1986 the People power erupted in the streets of EDSA is because we had enough of colonizers. we had enough of dictators who steal from us. It is enough! We want our freedom back. So we toppled the Marcos rule by a People Power. No bloodshed. Just pure People Power. That was one of the momentous event in modern day Philippines.1986. I am in college then so I was there before, during and after it happened. I am alive now to tell the story. Thank you God!

And here is the last verse:

Now in the last verse of the song the composer ends it by saying how sad he is that his dear country is suffering from these cruel colonizers. And his only dream and aspiration to see the Philippines truly free!

That is also my dream. Which drives me to the question: Is my country and my fellow countrymen really and truly FREE in this day and age? Yes we do not have foreign colonizers anymore. But are we truly free? Well that depends on how each and everyone thinks what is freedom. For me Freedom can only be achieved if each and every Filipino really wants it so badly and work on it 24/7. Just like what we did in EDSA 1986. We wanted it so badly then. We joined together. We united. We faced the odds together. We faced the danger together. WE want it so badly then that God gave it to us. And we got it. That is true freedom.

May freedom be our main intention in everything that we do. Freedom from sin. Freedom from oppression. Freedom from Poverty. Freedom from corruption. FREEDOM. 

Let us live and breath Freedom.