The Filipino Balcony Scene
Romeo and Juliet were not the only ones who had a balcony scene where they whispered confessions of love in the dead of night. We had a balcony scene too, but we did not whisper – we screamed. Not confessions – but declarations. Not just of ordinary love, but of something greater – love of country. Also, not in the dead of night, but at 4:20 in the afternoon. We screamed declarations of love of country at 4:20 in the afternoon! – “Mabuhay ang kalayaan ng Pilipinas!” This year, we celebrate the 115th anniversary of the Filipino balcony scene that first happened way back on June 12, 1898, the first time our flag was officially waved. Our freedom and nationalism were openly proclaimed without anyone getting shot, sentenced to garrotte, hanged, tortured, or captured for doing so. Sporting either red trousers, shirts, and the regular staple – wide-brimmed straw hats – or just keeping it formal with ties and dark coats, revolutionists and civilian visitors alike witnessed the occasion in Kawit, Cavite to the sound of Marcha Filipina Magdalo (now Lupang Hinirang). Romeo and Juliet did not have sublime background music during their balcony scene, did they?
Nowadays, we simply commemorate this event with various parades, fireworks displays, TV specials, and re-enactments followed by the reading of the Philippine Declaration of Independence. Actually, as early as May 28, I already spotted the familiar red, white, blue, and yellow colors festooning lampposts, posted out front in hospitals, displayed on every shop I entered, and flown proudly in homes, cars, and other establishments.
The sight of so many flags brought back memories of school, years ago, when we were all assigned to bring flaglets which we would wave endlessly right outside the Multi-Purpose Building while singing the national anthem. It was surreal. The school body formed a sea of Philippine flags; you would not even notice those who forgot to bring one. Moments like those really helped me understand what nationalism meant to me – what the Philippines really meant to me. I also remembered what one of my previous AP teachers said to my class back when I was in grade school, shortly after shushing me. She said that if the Philippines is ever under a state of war, the flag would be flown with the red stripe on top. This was followed by a resonating “whoaaa!” (Back then, it was pretty cool... still is, actually).
So...what does the Filipino balcony scene really mean to us? What does the flag mean to us? What does our Independence Day mean to us? Are these things still relevant nowadays? Do we greet each other with “Happy Independence Day!”? Does our nationalism end when June 12 is over? Can we honestly still feel the beating of nationalism in our mango-shaped hearts? Do we even still care? Or do we need war and oppression to care? Do we need to have issues and misunderstandings with other nations to proclaim that we’re proud to be of this soil? Do we need another dictator? Is our nationalism buried in the past along with our heroes’ graves? Did our sense of country die with Cory? With Ninoy? With Magsaysay? With Quezon? With Aguinaldo? With Rizal? With Bonifacio? With Datu Sumakwel? Has our nationalism merely been reduced to a memory? Or is it still in our midst, hiding and ready to pounce when provoked? It is all up to you.
If there are still leftovers, traces of nationalism and patriotism left, let us not whisper confessions of these in the dead of night or muse about these to ourselves over soliloquies. Instead, scream about it (figuratively, okay). Scream about it in everything you do, all the time (not only at 4:20 pm). Our independence day may be annual, but our nationalism doesn’t have to be. Only time will tell if we will be able to re-invigorate our nationalism enough to push us forward, but not too much as to give reason to have our flag flown with the red stripe on top... – Sari Avedillo