Philippine Nationalism and Patriotism

The words nationalism and patriotism are often used interchangeably, meaning one for the other. There is, however, a wide distinction between nationalism and patriotism as political concepts. Let us consider the following.

Nationalism, etymologically, means love, care for, preservation and patronage of one’s native land and everything in it—the country of birth of a national, whether it be Filipino or otherwise. To be a Filipino nationalist, therefore, the ethnological ramifications of nationalism must all be present in one’s being. This implies a heartfelt dedication for the love, care, and preservation of the Philippines and everything that is identified with it: the Philippine territory, the inhabitants, Philippine sovereignty, its government, all things that represent and symbolize the country; the aspirations, hopes, dreams and needs of the Filipino people.

On the other hand, patriotism is taken from the Latin term pater, which literally means “father”. Patriotism is the willingness and determination to lay down one’s life for the fatherland—the constant resolve to sacrifice one’s life and limb for the preservation of the State. It is the total realization of that love for the country, which is nationalism. In other words, to be patriotic is to be nationalistic. Conversely, one cannot be patriotic without being nationalistic.

In the Philippines, today, we are lacking in patriots largely due to the diffusion of Filipino values, culture, influence of conquistadores, and the confluence of historical bad governance. The Philippine State is in dire need of statesmen who truly understand the basics of politics—politics being defined as the systematic study of the state—the state being defined as having four basic elements: territory (the Philippine archipelago, its waters, subterranean shelves, etc.), people (the Filipino people who are nationalistic and patriotic), sovereignty (freedom from foreign dictates), and government (a body politic composed of delegates who are considered to be representatives of the people to stand and fight for Filipino interests, dreams, aspirations, and hopes).

For as long as our political leaders blind us of these things, for as long as the Filipino people refuse to learn, for as long as we remain mediocre, for as long we could not change our self  inwardly, for as long as we refuse to change, nationalism and patriotism will only be words in the dictionary.