12/06/2026
Freedom is not merely gained, but restored generation after generation. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป; ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ๐, ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐ท๐๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ.
The Political Science Society echoes the enduring call to break the chains that hinder genuine freedomโto confront complacency and uphold democracy.
As the Philippine commemorates its ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ด๐๐ต ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐, the Political Science Society also turns its collective sentiment into heartfelt art as Mckeily Quilang traces the life of a soldier at the height of the Philippine-American War in a poem titled, ๐ผ ๐๐ค๐ก๐๐๐๐ง'๐จ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ฎ."
I see my fate now, and I will meet
Her. Up on the mountain, deep in my forage.
Wind grazes my skin; death comes. I greet
It without fear for i know the battle's won
With the blotch and the bruise on my face.
I fight until the purple dawn
And lay onto the endless lawn, until
My troops on the hills yell these words past
The rivers, "๐๐ค๐ช ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐ก๐๐จ๐ฉ!"
Dear general, I shall meet my fate;
The bell tolls and the ribbons tied โ
A clump of flowers rise on my hand. The sun is late
In its rising; the moon is not bright.
The wreath's offered where the flowers grow
Have wilted, sir. But c**k your gun
And hear a diff'rent kind of sermon, ye from dust โ
Arise from exile; he returns. Yet the low
And steady chant is their farewell to arms,
Singing, singing, "๐๐ค๐ช ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐ก๐๐จ๐ฉ!"
My capacity to fight is on the brink
Of losing fire. My fleet has won its country back.
Aboard a ship large blocks of Manila's determined
To anchor their frigates on it's state-owned dock.
But the bugle trills for us. The flowers are locked
Within the bier of my fighting life. In history's page โ alas! โ
I am an old, sullen man with
A large bruise and blotch on my face.
In terms of war and strife, in the
Chant's reprise; and
Here in the steady hum, it steadily cries,
"๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐ก๐๐จ๐ฉ!"
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ท๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐น๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐บ. Even then, we in the pursuit of a free land.
One hundred twenty-eight years after independence, the question remains: ๐๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ฎ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ข๐๐ก๐๐ฎ๐?
---
Text by Christy Prejido and Mckeily Quilang
You may also read the full text on Medium:
https://themaroonarchives.medium.com/pss-commemorates-128th-independence-day-with-defiant-words-7a8234c7b7fa
