“Ipaghandog-handog ang buong pag-ibig, At hanggang may dugo’y ubusang itigis Kung sa pagtatanggol, buhay ay mapatid Ito’y kapalaran at tunay na langit.” 

Ang Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa, Andres Bonifacio

Today, we mark the celebration of the National Heroes Day and commemoration of all the Filipino heroes who have given this ultimate sacrifice is not and will never be enough. We must honor them and give them tribute for the meaningful life they have lived. The selfless acts they did for our nation’s freedom, independence, democracy, and its people’s rights.

In our ever-changing society, how do we tell if someone is a hero or not? 

Defining a hero

Oxford Dictionary defines the word “hero” as a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. 

Sometimes, heroism is being subjectively defined by individuals and organizations by simply dying for their cause—may it be for the benefit of the people or not, may their death be with courage or none.

With this in mind, we must do everything to bring back the honor of being a hero. Let us not forget that in 2016, the controversial burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in the Libingan ng mga Bayani made headlines across the globe.

‘Marcos no hero’

Hundreds of thousands of protesters in the Philippines marched down the streets, gathered in concert-like events, and aired their sentiments through different social media platforms to fight the decision of the then President Rodrigo Duterte allowing the dictator’s burial in the Libingan ng mga Bayani’.

In a statement released by the faculty members of the UP Department of Political Science in November 2016, Marcos Sr., even beyond his death has a legacy that remains uncharacteristic of a “hero”.

“Throughout his autocratic rule Marcos undermined and even tore down the democratic institutions and processes of the country. His political ambitions and decisions corrupted the political system, leaving a trail of legacies that victimized the Filipino nation for decades beyond his rule,” the statement read.

The strongman’s 20-year long leadership recorded 3,257 extrajudicial killings, 35,000 torture cases, 77 enforced disappearances, and around 70,000 incarcerations.

All these cases were recorded and reported by an Amnesty International Mission in 1975. The same report also noted that 2,520 of the murder victims were tortured and mutilated before their bodies were dumped.

If Marcos is not a hero according to these data and the people who protested his burial to the hero’s cemetery, how do we really define our heroes?

Heroes fight against foreign aggressors, does not serve as a puppet

Philippine history is very rich when it comes to folklores, stories of fighting for freedom, and the long overdue independence. This history of ours is the story of our countless heroes who have sacrificed their lives from the Spanish colonization up to the semi-colonial ruling of the United States in the Philippines.

Our heroes fight differently, while the Katipuneros have fought with guns and bolos, some used their voice, brought placards to the streets, or turned back from their comfortable lives to serve the marginalized sector far away from home.

All these heroes have one thing in common, they exerted all their physical and intellectual strength to serve the people and not the ruling elites.

The heroes of the Philippine Revolution and Struggle

The fight for Philippine independence did not start with the Sigaw ng Pugadlawin and did not end when the last Katipunero was killed by the puppet administrations of the Philippines nor when the Hukbalahap failed to claim the Filipino victory against the Imperial Japanese.

It started with clustered uprisings in different parts of the archipelago and continues up to this day.

Gabriela Silang

As the first recorded female to lead an armed movement in the country, Gabriela Silang paved the way to armed struggle and became one of the inspirations for other factions to fight in the same way.

Sacrificing her life, Silang continued the struggle after his husband’s death— continuing the revolt on her own, together with her people and bolo sword. Being the “Henerala” that she is, she led the rebellion by organizing guerilla attacks against the Spanish garrisons on the coastal towns. 

Her fight continued, but Silang and her troops were captured in September 1763. Up until last, she served the masses and the country.

Her contributions made impacts and has set an inspiration to women in standing up against injustices in today’s society.

Andrés Bonifacio

One of the notable figures of the Philippine Revolution is Gat. Andres Bonifacio who led an insurgency to fight against the Spanish colonizers during the late 1800s. Andres was one of the founders of the Kataastaasang, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan or most commonly known as Katipunan or KKK.

He is considered the Father of the Philippine Revolution. Contrary to public knowledge, Bonifacio is actually highly intellectual and read books about the French Revolution and the 1871 Commune in Paris.

Bonifacio was also part of the secret society founded by Jose Rizal, La Liga Filipina that aims to propagate for the benefit of the reform movement.

Inspired by the books he read and their propaganda he was then able to gather a large mass of members at a young age and was able to launch an attack against the Spanish authorities in different battles.. He lived throughout Philippine history to be symbolized as the embodiment of heroism—having to sacrifice his youth, knowledge, strength, and life in order for the country to be free from the Spaniards.

Bonifacio’s contribution were recognized by the youth of the new generation who followed his footsteps in joining and leading the new type of national democratic revolution and fighting the modern semi-colonial and semi-feudal state of the Philippines.

Liliosa Hilao

Liliosa Rapi Hilao was one of the many activists in the Philippines and recognized as the first prisoner to die in detention during Martial Law under Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s administration.

During her student years, she served as a leader at various organizations at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM). As a student activist, she was prevented from joining rallies. Aside from being an activist, Hilao served as the associate editor of their school paper, she wrote essays that questioned the administration of Marcos Sr. during Martial Law. 

Her love for the country and clamor for justice, she did not let her physical limitations brought by asthma defeat her. She is recognized by many student journalists as a hero for standing up for the rights of the press even during the dark era of Marcos Sr.’s Martial Law.

Alfredo L. Malicay

Coming from the southern part of the Philippines, Alfredo was born in Davao. He was a scholar, a poet, a journalist, and was an active member of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.

True to his oath of doing his best to help people at all times, he went above and beyond and served the people. During his college years in University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), he became an activist under the Kabataang Makabayan (Patriotic Youth) where he became one of its organizers.

Malicay primary area of organizing covered key schools in the Southern Tagalog Region and in communities around the UPLB. He chose the path seldomly taken by being a full-time organizer after graduation. When he returned to school in 1972, it was cut short by the declaration of the Martial Law.

Using his skills in literature and organizing, he formed anti-dictatorship groups to join fights and overthrow the dictatorship of Marcos Sr. 

On October 24, 1973, the hideout of Alfredo’s troop was raided and three were arrested including the beauty queen Nelia Sancho. He was later killed by state forces.

As a full-pledged Scout, he used his skills to encourage the youth back then to fight for democracy and freedom and fulfill his duties to serve his country and its people until the very end.

The youth’s interest in the revolution and fighting for the masses did not end with the Martial Law as even without arms, the younger generation stood and sacrificed their lives for the benefit of the oppressed.

Chad Booc

Chad to his friends and fellow activists, he was known as a vocal activist against the late President Benigno Aquino III and former President Duterte. After graduating college, he chose to become a full-time volunteer teacher in Mindanao to teach the Lumad children.

Aside from being an advocate of free education, he was also a known environmental activist. In February 2022, his team was stopped at a checkpoint setup by state forces and killed.

The government immediately released a statement tagging him and his companions as members of the New People’s Army which was denied by several organizations including the Save Our Schools Network which he is a part of.

According to a statement by University of the Philippines Diliman University Council honored Chad by heeding to the call of serving the people.

“Yet, instead of using his credentials to attain a life of material comfort, he answered the call to serve the Lumad as a teacher, recognizing their plight as one of the most marginalized and exploited groups in the country,” the statement said.

He was also recognized as the embodiment of the core values and engagement to serve the public according to the council.

Even if the lives of the youth were at risk constantly to the harm caused by the authorities, they still chose to give their energy and love to those that were oppressed. The youth showed that fighting for freedom is a continuous process, and it will always be continued by the next generation.

The Youth is the hope of the future; serve the people

Hilao, Bonifacio, Malicay, and Booc dedicated their youth to freedom and the rights of the oppressed, giving their life and the could be comfortable life as their sacrifice.They are the manifestation of the youth being the hope of the future, they will surely inspire more youth to become a hero of their own means.

These heroes had one goal in mind, they may have differences in the way they fought but definitely, their goal is for the benefit of the basic masses and the oppressed and not for the ruling elites.

The ruling elites have the privilege of further protecting their personal interest, while those who are a part of the basic masses are exploited by the same ruling elites in their daily lives denying them of their basic rights.

As a Scout, how can we be a hero of our own?

The ideals of Scouting

Scout Law: To help other people at all times.

As Scouts, we pledged to do a good turn daily by helping other people. However, this has been contained in a narrow definition of helping the people. Scouts frequently romanticize bare minimum deeds as something heroic like helping elders cross the streets, giving food to homeless people, and doing relief operations.

But are these acts really acts of heroism? There are many unsung heroes in the Philippine Scouting movement who have sacrificed their lives for the benefit of the many. 

A Scout is reverent.

“For even the son of man came, not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Mark 10:45

One of the points of the Scout Law is a Scout being reverent. Reverence cannot be measured by how many times we go to church in a year or how frequently we pray in a day but by how dedicated we are in following the teachings of the bible.

A Scout must follow Christ by loving their neighbor and serving the people. We should change our mindset just like what our founder said from a ‘what can we get’ to a ‘what can we give’ attitude.

We came to Earth not to be served but to serve and offer our life as a sacrifice for many. We must go down with the people of God, just like Jesus. We must live with the masses, just like Jesus. And must offer our life to fight oppression, just like Jesus.

All of these must be faced by us prepared.

Is simply being a Scout being a hero?

We were inculcated with the idea of ‘community service’ as merely doing projects as a requirement for our advancement or our campaign to be awarded as an ‘outstanding Scout.’ 

Many Scouts initiate these community service projects actively and leave the beneficiaries and all the people who have helped them after they won or lost the competition. Now, are these the true embodiment of a hero?

Outreach, out of reach

Given that outreach programs only cover the immediate help needed by the beneficiaries, and don’t fully solve the root cause of the struggles of the people, they cannot be categorized as a part of the change in society or as revolutionary and heroic acts.

Most of the projects also lack concrete analysis of the concrete situation of their beneficiaries that result in lack of knowledge of what their target beneficiaries really need. With the ‘method’, it is just essentially dole out programs and are just band aid solutions to a deep wound caused by the oppression and exploitation of the ruling class.

These ‘solutions’ are elitist’s approach and bring us farther away from the masses. If we really want to help the marginalized and the oppressed, we need to know their plights by living with them, struggling with them, and empowering them. 

By being one of the masses, that is when Scouts can truly be considered Scouts ‘for the people’.

With the current state of the Philippines, where cases of exploitation, human rights violations, and corruption, we must act by loving our nation and doing actions powered by this radical love.

To fight is to love is to sacrifice 

Our love for our country is conditional, but our love for its people must be unconditional. Our loyalty lies to its people, not to its government nor the name of our country.

We must understand, just like our notable and unsung heroes, that in order to fight for our freedom, we must learn how to love the people we are freeing and we must embrace all the sacrifices we need to make in order to achieve the independence we have been longing for for hundreds of years.

Let us honor all our heroes, the true heroes of the Filipino people by being one of them, being a Scout for the people, and by the people.