Ang Mamatay ng Dahil sa Iyo

ANG MAMATAY NG DAHIL SA IYO

by Antonio C. Antonio

May 18, 2014

The last stanza of the Philippine National Anthem, “Lupang Hinirang” (Chosen Land), reads:

Lupa ng araw, ng luwalhati't pagsinta, (Beautiful land of love, oh land of light,)
Buhay ay langit sa piling mo; (In thine embrace 'tis rapture to lie;)
Aming ligaya, na pag may mang-aapi (But it is glory ever when thou art wronged)
Ang mamatay ng dahil sa iyo. (For us thy sons to suffer and die.)

I could almost hear our nine brave Philippine Marines sing these last lines of Lupang Hinirang with nationalistic fervor while raising our colors on board the BRP Sierra Madre.  The BRP Sierra Madre, stripped of all weaponry and rusting away, is presently marooned at Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea.  These nine Marines, armed only with rifles, are our first line of defense in case of any foreign invasion along the western seaboard of the Philippine archipelago.  It is a foregone conclusion that these nine Marines can easily be overpowered by a modern foreign navy.

US Army General George S. Patton once said: “No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country.  He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.”  If this statement should be taken seriously, it simply means that there is no way we could repel an invasion with this defensive set up.  Perhaps, given our antiquated armament, it also means we are bound to lose a war.  But General Patton was perhaps not too familiar with Philippine history.  He probably never heard of Lapu-Lapu, Andres Bonifacio and a long line of patriots who fiercely fought for our freedom.  These national heroes fought the Spanish and American guns using very inferior weapons… kris and bolos.  And General Patton never saw the brand of collective bravery in the EDSA Revolution where Filipinos were willing to use their mortal bodies as barricades to stop military tanks.  It takes awhile but the Filipino spirit always triumphed.

Yes, our nine brave Marines and the BRP Sierra Madre could easily be blown out of Ayungin Shoal with a well-placed missile but this will only kill Filipino soldiers but not the Filipino spirit.  The Filipino’s willingness to sacrifice and die for his country is a time-proven fact… enshrined in our National Anthem no less.  And he has managed to eventually become victorious even when the odds were against him.  Spain, the United States and Japan tried to test what the Filipino fighting spirit is all about and all of them learned bitter lessons.  So… who’s next?

Just my little thoughts…