As I watch Cory Aquino’s funeral procession last Wednesday (Aug. 5) I felt sad that the symbol of democracy is dead. She was one of the reasons why we have democracy right now, a kind of democracy that inspired nations around the world. Her death awakened the sense of patriotism in us Filipinos. There were a lot of videos shown to pay tribute to her. In one interview, Cory said something that is already true to me even before she said it. She said “I thank the Lord for making me a Filipino”. These are the words that I tell others when they are downhearted being in the Philippines or just by being a Filipino.
More than the people power revolution, what made me thankful to be a Filipino was when I started to learn and understand the sovereignty of God. I realized that God didn’t made a mistake when He chose me to be born in the Philippines. We even have a joke in our office that we call the children of our international students VIPs (Vorn In the Philippines) if they were born here. You can never question God when He said in Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I set you apart”. These words made me proud of who I am, on what country I am born in. I became proud of my brown skin and my flat nose. God knew the details of my life including my citizenship, its part of the plan. Working in an international environment made me appreciate the intricacies of different nations. Seeing and knowing other people from all over the world made me appreciate the uniqueness and distinctiveness of being a Filipino and living in the Philippines. Compared to other countries, there are many things that we should be thankful for. God specially made me to be a Filipino because He wants me to live as a Filipino in the Philippines. God has created each one of us specifically for a purpose to carry out on the place where He placed us.
I also had hope for my country because He knows what the Philippines is going through right now despite the economic crisis and everyday struggle. I am not against Filipinos who migrated or working abroad but the sovereignty of God made me stay and believe that in His time the Philippines will rise and overcome hardships. But if ever it will not happen in my lifetime I still trust in Him.
People fear that our nationalism may die as we bury the symbol of our democracy.
Being proud to be a Filipino should not end with Tita Cory, we should always be grateful and recognize the One who thought of it all. As the Bible says in Acts 17:26-27 “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.” We were born in the Philippines for a purpose. God destined us to be a Filipino for us to reach out for him and find him. Unless you do this we can never experience the satisfaction and the whole essence of being a Filipino. I am proud to be a Filipino because God made me a Filipino.
