For more than 300 years Spain ruled over the Philippines, until the United States annexed the Philippines in 1898. It wasn’t until July 4, 1946 that “full independence was granted to the Republic of the Philippines by the United States,” according to history.com. In 1962, President Diosdado Macapagal declared the Philippines to celebrate their independence every year on June 12.
Alvin Oldem, a junior from the Philippines studying business management, said, “I enjoy having freedom because we can act as we want. I’m proud to be Filipino because wherever we go we have a bond. If someone is in need, we’re always there to help out.
“Every year there’s an event, and since it’s a national holiday there’s no school.” Oldem said there are monuments commemorating important historical figures and events in cities throughout the Philippines and people pay special attention to them during the holiday. “And in every town the schools would do a parade, waving flags and dancing.”
Rosemae Maagad, a junior from Dumaguete, Philippines who is studying elementary education, said, “For us, it’s just a day off from school and work. When I came here [to the U.S.] I was surprised by how much [Americans] do on Independence Day.
“Christmas, All Saints’ Day, and New Years are bigger holidays we pay attention to. Like for All Saints’ Day, we do karaoke and celebrate family in the cemetery. But, my favorite thing about how we celebrate holidays is there is always a lot of food. We love parties and food.”
Heber Indino, a senior from the Philippines studying graphic design, said, “I think people don’t realize we’re everywhere. If you get rid of Filipinos, the world would not function. There’s a ton of Filipinos everywhere, and we’re multicultural.”
On being proud to be a Filipina, Maagad said, “We value everyone. Even if you’re a stranger, we share our food and we’re always smiling through hard things. We don’t waste food, and we eat exotic foods like balut, a developing bird embryo, isaw, chicken intestine and lechon.”
As for all the Filipinos who have connected at BYU-Hawaii, Oldem said, “The Philippines Chapter is not just a club, it’s a family.”
Writer: Anuhea Chen