Jose Rizal, in his essay Filipinas Dentro de Cien Años, expressed firm belief in the innate capacity of Filipinos to bring about meaningful change.  Thus, he challenged the Spanish authorities for autonomy or risk revolution which, he indicated, will bring us towards achieving the change we all desire.  Rizal’s keen understanding of his time made many of his prognostications almost accurate to the point.  But a hundred years is too long even for a talented man like him to predict with the same accuracy.   What has happened a hundred years since?

In 1872, the execution of the three priests Gomez, Burgos and Zamora silenced the burgeoning secularization movement.  The event, however, helped sow the seed of political dissent especially among the ranks of the middle and intelligentsia class.   A hundred years after, in 1972, Ferdinand Marcos put a lid on the democratic processes in our society by declaring Martial Law.  This drove the Filipinos into the pit of underdevelopment, and galvanized people’s opposition against autocratic rule.

The 1896 revolt of the masses saw the culmination of the long march for emancipation from Spanish oppression, while the People Power of 1986 overthrew dictatorship and marked the return of democracy.  Both the Katipunan and People Power, however, fell short of realizing the objectives and ideals of these movements.

On June 12, 1898, the Philippine Revolutionary Government of Emilio Aguinaldo took a bold step by declaring independence amidst the uncertainties prevalent that time.  A hundred years later, the Filipino electorate broke from tradition and voted into the highest office of the land a man perceived by the intelligentsia class as unsuited for the position, but loved by the masa for championing their cause.   Several months after the declaration of independence in 1898, the Filipino-American War broke out, causing years of hardship for the people.  After two and a half years into office, the “man of the masa” elected in 1998 was ousted in another ‘people power’, followed by periods of political tumult and controversies which caused much instability to our nation.

Successive tactical defeats of the Filipino army in 1899 heralded the beginning of American rule in the archipelago at the turn of the 20th century.   In the years 1901-1910, American colonial government exerted much effort in re-engineering our society by creating a solid framework for an American brand of colonialism in this part of the world.  It was specifically designed to make ‘good colonials’ out of the Filipinos.  The process altered our perception and behavior, privileging everything that is ‘stateside’ to the detriment of our own identity and welfare as a people.

During the years 2001 to 2010, little did we know that the ‘little woman’ the people chose to replace a disgraced leader would do greater harm to the nation.  She imposed her imperious brand of governance – bending the laws to suit her whims, destroying institutions to perpetuate her position in power, and corrupting the system to the core – bringing graft and corruption to a higher notch.

A hundred years since and we find ourselves in worse shape as a nation.   For a hundred years we were caught between struggling for change to better our nation and shooting our foot when we were about to achieve it.  We have not gone as far as Rizal predicted.  We remain saddled by the same social and ethical issues he had confronted during his time.  Like the Olympic gold, our dream for real change has become elusive.  Fortunately, the spirit of revolutionary change has not deserted our people.  This burning desire has repeatedly manifested itself many times in our history, and, even recently.

It is in this context that I would like to look at the public excitement generated by the automated 2010 elections. Once again our people’s deep commitment to the democratic process was demonstrated, and in heroic proportions.   The euphoria over the quick count and the subsequent results is, perhaps, an indication of the people’s ‘hundred years’ of yearning for that elusive revolutionary change.

The automated election, with all its imperfections, is a step in the right direction.  From all indications it has achieved for our people the legitimation of one of the cornerstones of democracy – a credible electoral exercise genuinely expressing the will of the people.  We have crossed our electoral Rubicon.  It is now up to us to conquer or be conquered by the petty issues that have attended our every post-election.

The just concluded electoral exercise has liberated us from long days of anxiety arising from glacial-pace counting; from massive electoral fraud; from election violence; and, from the malicious manipulations of the Garcis in our electoral system.  The results of the election also hold the promise of releasing this nation from the stranglehold of the cultures of corruption, impunity, and scandal.

There is much to hope for, and hope is what holds this nation together.  If we are to put meaning in the celebration of the 112th anniversary of our independence this year, we must start by breaking free from the vicious cycle of social regeneration and collapse, and from repeating history’s past mistakes.

Armed with a clear and genuine mandate from the people, the incoming president-elect is in an enviable position to bring to its logical conclusion the revolution our fathers fostered a hundred years ago.

Efren Isorena is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of History. He taught in UP Diliman, UP Manila and De La Salle University prior to his current position.   He is specializes in Maritime History and Pre-History. He also handled courses on Philippine History, Rizal, History of East Asia, and History of Southeast Asia.