KAPUNAN, Karlo Angelo R.

KASPIL-2 A60

FINAL EXAM
Based on what I have learned, rediscovered and analyzed thanks to this KASPIL-2 course I have
noticed a number of issues regarding the Philippines as a nation. The Philippines has dealt with a number
of issues such as economic concerns, problems in government being just a few of many but an issue I regard
as one that is most prevalent in Philippine history is the lack of unity within the Philippines. This issue is
more of a cause than it is an effect but I believe this is an issue we have failed to address since the pre-
colonial era.
In pre-colonial times it is understandable that the Philippines wasnt united because we were not
really a country but rather we were a group of territories with different barangays in different geographical
locations and we did not have a true sense of identity yet until the Spanish arrival. For me, the Spanish
colonization of their territory was the point in which we were a nation because these were the territories
governed by the Spaniards. I think that because of us being a state of different ethnicities, we were doomed
not to be united from the very beginning. The Philippines was a group of different provinces which all had
different histories and interests but eventually had a common goal which was to rid themselves of Spanish
rule and the injustices that came along with it.
By the time of American colonization the Filipinos experienced a tremendous gap between the rich
and the poor because of events such as the Friar lands and those such as the provincial rich started to
embrace American rule because they were the ones who were tremendously prospering due to American
trade. The economic gap during this period of time was being wider and wider, and the as the gap between
the rich and poor became more extreme so did their opinion on the American rule. These pre-colonial and
colonial experiences became the foundation of a rocky sense of unity and a wide sense of disparity between
the Filipino people.
During post-colonization and neocolonization, the Filipinos sense of unity was still impaired due
to the aforementioned reasons and sprouted new revolutions that divided the people such as the Hukbalahap
and the communist threat the country was facing. There was a tremendous need for nationalism in the
Philippines due to its lack of unity. Encouraging nationalism post-war was one of the main goals of the
Philippine government and the presidents that ruled it, and was in some way achieved through efforts such
as the Filipino first policy.
In the period of Ferdinand Marcos Martial Law even more divided were the Filipinos due to the
injustices brought upon the period and the further gap between the rich and poor wherein the poverty rate
was rapidly increasing. There was a huge difference in political alliance because some were for the Marcos
regime while others were dedicating to stop it. A communist movement was also a big threat in that era. A
sense of National unity was called upon in order to put an end to the Marcos Era but right after that, in the
Aquino presidency, there began a sense of division in the Philippines once again as not everyone saw
Aquino as the rightful leader of the country to lead us into the new democracy.
A sense of division has always been a key issue in the Philippines, and we are seeing it up to the
present day. Today, 30 years after Martial Law, there is still a huge division prevalent in the Philippines in
the issues such as the burial of Marcos in the LNMB wherein half and half of the Philippines are arguing
with each other. There is still a huge difference in political alliance between the Filipinos and we must work
together to find a sense of unity and a better sense of Nationality.