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| photo when I took my oath as dual citizen |
The land of my ancestors, my heritage.
The land where I was raised, where my values were nurtured and at times, shaken.
It is where I first discovered who I am, and began to write the character I would become in the story of my life.
But after living away for nearly two decades, I find myself asking:
Is the Philippines truly free?
Free from turmoil?
Free from exploitation, from harassment especially from foreign interests?
Has the soul of our nation ever really had a chance to breathe freely?
Distance has sharpened my love for my country.
It has deepened my awareness of our struggles, our resilience, and our pain.
I think of the land where I once ran barefoot as a child, innocent of history, unaware of how many times this land was violated, invaded, controlled.
And yet, we remain standing. We remain Filipino.
Living away has made me fall in love with the Philippines all over again not blindly, but with eyes wide open.
I see its beauty. I also see its chaos.
I feel pride. I also feel frustration.
I am proud of our resilience, our warmth, our strength as a people.
Yet I’m also pained by the tangled politics, the erosion of values, the way we sometimes forget who we are.
But no matter how far I go, I do not forget. I do not deny.
The Philippines is my home. It will always be.
On this Independence Day, I honor the land that gave me life. As I took my oath of allegiance to my country, I vowed to never forget my roots, nor turn away from the place where my soul was first shaped.
And I continue to hope, dream, and fight for a freedom that goes beyond celebration…
A freedom that truly lives in the hearts of every Filipino.
I am always a proud Filipina — sa puso, sa salita, at sa diwa.
xo,
Ai
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