When I visited Manila in January 2006, a city councilor I knew excitedly informed me that his council had just voted to change the name of the Philippines. What? The country would no longer be named after a ruthless Spanish despot? We would finally be rid of this last vestige of colonialism? Hallelujah!
Breathlessly, I asked my friend, Councilor Cassie Sison, to tell me the name that the City Council of Manila had proposed.
“The Philippine Islands,” he replied.
After I recovered from my disappointment and picked up my jaw from the floor, I heard Cassie explain that Manila Mayor Lito Atienza believed that the country would draw more tourists if a more exotic name could replace the staid “Republic of the Philippines.” The proposed name, Cassie said, would conjure dreamy images of palm trees, cool breezes and sandy beaches.
While the country’s name change would be at or near the bottom of the nation’s immediate priorities, it should not be ignored because there is no other country in the world that is named after a mass murderer.
If Ceylon could be changed to Sri Lanka, Mongolia to Ulan Bator, Siam to Thailand, Leningrad to St. Petersburg, Peking to Beijing, why can’t the Philippines change its name?
When Ferdinand Magellan “discovered” the islands on March 16, 1521, he named it the Archipelago de San Lazaro. We would have been called Lazaroans, if Magellan had survived the Battle of Mactan against Lapu-Lapu on April 27, 1521.
Three unsuccessful Spanish expeditions followed Magellan, and all failed to reach San Lazaro. The fourth expedition, led by Capt. Ruy Lopez de Villalobos, reached Sarangani Island off the eastern coast of Mindanao on February 2, 1543. He renamed the islands Felipinas, after Felipe II, the son of Spanish King Carlos V and crown prince of Spain.
Villalobos left Las Islas Felipinas after eight months and sailed to the Moluccas, where he died. The Felipinas islands would not become a colony of the Spanish empire until 1572
By then, the crown prince had become King Felipe II and ruled Spain from 1556 to 1598. He would also rule the Netherlands and Portugal (starting in 1581), as well as the kingdoms of Milan, Naples and Sicily. In his time, Felipe II was the most powerful monarch in the world, and it was said that the sun did not set on his empire.
When he became master of the Netherlands, Felipe II reconstituted the Edict of 1550 that prohibited the printing, copying, keeping, buying or giving of any book written by Luther, Calvin or other “heretics” condemned by the Holy Church or the breaking or defacing of any image of the Holy Virgin or any Vatican-canonized saints. The penalty for those who disobeyed the Edict would be death by the sword for men and burning at the stake for women. Informers against suspects were entitled upon conviction to half the property of the accused.
Before burning his opponents at the stake, this Catholic King insisted on performing an Auto-da-Fe, a religious ceremony that accompanied the sentencing of heretics by the Inquisition. Among the victims of Felipe’s inquisition were more than 10,000 Lutherans and more than 80,000 Andalucian Moriscos, Spanish Moors who had converted to Catholicism but had also violated Felipe’s edict prohibiting the speaking of the Arabic language or retaining of any of their ethnic culture.
While he was still crown prince, Felipe II married his first cousin, Princess Maria of Portugal, who provided him with a son, Don Carlos of Spain (1545-1568). Following Maria’s death in 1546, he married Catholic Queen Mary I of England in 1554 to cement an alliance with England.
After Queen Mary died in 1558, Felipe wanted to marry her successor, the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I, but the plan failed. He blamed his son, Don Carlos, for the failure of the planned marriage and had him imprisoned, where he later died.
Felipe then married his son’s fiancée, Princess Elisabeth of Valois, daughter of Henri II of France. Elisabeth provided him with two daughters. She later gave birth to a son but died a few hours after his birth on the same day. Felipe married Anne, daughter of the Emperor Maximilian II, and provided him with an heir, Felipe III.
While he was engaged in wars with the Dutch, Felipe II summoned the largest Spanish fleet (Armada) ever assembled – more than 100 ships with more than 30,000 men – to invade England in 1588. The pretext was Queen Elizabeth’s execution of Mary, the Catholic Queen of Scots. But English guile and the “Protestant Wind” thwarted Felipe’s ambitions and destroyed the Spanish fleet.
When Felipe died in 1598, Spain was bankrupt and in decline as a European power.
What does it mean then to be named after Felipe, to be called Felipinos (later changed to Filipinos), to be “like Felipe” or to be intolerant of other people and other religions?
Changing the name would end all the confusion about the spelling of the country (Philippines) or the people (Philippinos).
When Andres Bonifacio formed the Katipunan revolutionary organization against Spain in 1896, he refused to use the term Filipinas, preferring Tagalog and Katagalugan for the country.
Others objected on the grounds that Pilipinas sounded too much like Alipinas (land of slaves). Some have proposed Kapatiran (brotherhood) or Katipunan. Others have suggested Luzviminda, a reference to the country’s three major group of islands.
In the late 1970s, the Dictator Ferdinand Marcos (who should have been named after Felipe the despot) seriously attempted to change the name of the country to Maharlika, the “warrior-noble” in pre-colonial Felipinas who, like the Samurai class of Japan, rendered military service to his feudal lord. But his proposal went nowhere.
If countries like Bolivia can be named after its liberators, why can’t the Pilippinos be named after Rizal? We would all be Rizalians.
My personal preference would be to call the country Bayanihan, and we would all be bayanis (heroes), bound together in the “Bayanihan” spirit of working for the common good.
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The “rectification of names” syndrome or “the Chinese fallacy”
This tendency to alter names to cure problems reminds me of the Ming emperor whose solution to a dangerous river was to launch a semantical control project. Instead of constructing dikes and dams, this emperor renamed the river from “The Wild One” to “The Peaceful One.”
The Chinese seems to be fond of solving problems in this way this syndrome is called “the Chinese fallacy.”
The Philippines’ problems are myriad, real, proliferating, and almost beyond solution. Even if we renamed our country “God’s Heaven” I wonder if that will make Gloria automatically the world’s most saintly leader.
You have a good point sir. But in my opinion, the name is also significant. The human species interact with the world and to one another through symbolism–it be verbal, written, or other means of communication. In other words, if our country would still retain the name provided by our colonizers, then we subconsciously continue to allow ourselves to be their “slaves”.
Indeed it is a hard decision to make and very hard to think of… How could we change the name of our country when we are called Filipinos already? I don’t think there is a need for the change of name.
But the people should be change, not the name of the country.
Even the wild Persia has been change to Iran, did the character of the people change? Unfortunately they are still the same! Would you like to check it yourself?
This is just an example. Can you change the mind and thinking of the people if you change the name of your country. Is there any chance that the character of the living people in this country can change.
Jose Rizal has found for this country for the betterment. How about ALL of us countrymen, what can we do to our country to save ourselves from disgrace.
Would it be better if we start from ourselves before the others. How poor are we that even our own character we could not control, how much more those people around us.
Does the name of the country really effects on its people or the people should be the one to effects for their country?
Interesting facts…but they’re so far back in time that they seem to have no connection to me now. They’re just like any story I read. What is real is the corruption in our government that it saddens me to watch the people suffer.
Vicente’s comment had said some of my thoughts better. The politicians are the one in power now and they’re the one that can make the change first. If I thought the name change would be a ‘cure-all’ thing, I would gladly be for it. But, would it?
Phillipines or Filipinas is just the result of History. Colombians are also called after Cristopher Columbus. Americans after Americo Vespucci, an Italian explorer. Venezuela after Venecia (means little Venecia)….
And if we go back, China is named after the Chin Dinasty, a dinasty much more despotic than the Habsbourg Dinasty of Felipe II. Even the “han” Chinese group is named after an aristocratic Han Dinasty….
So if China can be named after an old Emperor, the Phillipines also can. Neither Chinese nor Filipinos have any interest in changing the name of who, after all, gave them a distinct identity….because both were formed from dozens of ethnic groups with dozens of languages. Spain, under Felipe II/Phillipe II, united those different communities into one, and also founded Manila (Legaspi) and the first University of the Phillipines.
So, yes, the Philipines were founded by Phillipe II so it is something logical they have his name, the same way China has the name of the Chin Dinasty.
The Philippines should have a name change.
For romantic reasons, having the country named after a foreign conqueror is shameful and an embarrassment, especially in an Asian cultural sense. Colombia and America are countries where the bulk of the population, and particularly the leadership, is not indigenous. Thus, they shouldn’t be excessively offended that their nations are named after non-indigenous Europeans. The majority of Filipinos’ bloodlines were in the Philippines long before the arrival of the Spaniards.
Additionally, the Qin/Chin Dynasty was Chinese/indigenous, not foreign; and China is the Western name of the country–Chinese refer to their nation as zhongguo (Middle Kingdom/Center of the Universe).
Pragmatically, the spelling is an issue. Just in the case of the Internet, to gather information on the Philippines there could be searches for: Philippines, Philippine, Phillippines, Phillipines, Filipines, Filipino, Filipina, Filipinos, Philippino, Philippinos, Phillippinos, Pilipino, not to mention colloquialism such as ‘Pinoy.’ In contrast, just ‘Japan’ and ‘Japanese’ cover the country and people and language of that nation soundly.
‘Philippine Islands’ is also an embarrassment. Makes the country sound as though the Philippines were a Pacific Island country. While Polynesia should not be disrespected, Polynesia doesn’t get that much respect, either. The Philippines is a nation of almost 100 million. Tourism can’t provide for all, and the people of tourist countries generally aren’t greatly admired.
A name change for the Philippines will not suddenly turn the country into a developed state. However, a name change WILL be more beneficial than just being the ‘Philippines’, if only for the greater ease for potential investors looking for information about [the former Philippines]* along with the moral boost from an indigenous name. Tagalog doesn’t even have the ‘f’ phoneme, and as with many East Asian languages, ‘L’ and ‘R’ sound similar and closer to ‘R’. How lame is having a country whose name much of the country cannot properly pronounce?
*
Filipinos should choose a name that is: no more than three syllables; short length in terms of letters (around 5-8); easy to spell and have basically one sensible way to spell; be relevant to the [former Filipinos] especially pre-colonially relevant. Similarly, there should be only one spelling for the people and language (or one for both, i.e. Chinese [people] and Chinese [language]).
There are strong reasons for changing the name of the Philippines; especially more than just quibbles about a Spanish monarch’s morality.
http://htrf-asia.blogspot.com/
Bravo to the poster above (Henri) ~ I absolutely agree.
When I read some of the comments dismissing names or China’s obsession with name changes, I was amazed that anyone could go through life not having been taught or coming to the conclusion on their own, that words and names are some of the most important things in human experience.
I’m not even religious, but even I know that there’s Biblical significance in “word.”
So, having said this – that names are everything, in that philisophical conundrum: do things exist because people have words for them, or do they come into existence because we name them (For example, eskimos having a myriad number of names for ice). In other words, does our consciousness raise and open up when we begin to be able to describe our environments in greater more sophisticated ways?
I have confidence that the people of my ethnic origin (which you would never catch me dead proclaiming that “I’m Spanish,” which so many do so often – - i.e. there is less than 3% european / hispanic DNA in the Philippines) will shed the last vestiges of a very brutal and ugly colonial past. I hope that the Philippines changes its name, and that is never ever ever changes the name to its original colonial monicker: Las Islas Felipinas. It would be laughable and much worse to go back in time and call oneself “island girl” or “island boy.” Do not many Filipinos (< again, a name only given to non-natives at the advent of spanish galleons) realize that "Island," is derogatory in the same way a "dialect" is in contrast to a "language?" One is a shrug-off, while the other is considered prominent.
I hope for positive change, a remake of the past, and the elimination of the colonial tribute monicker which really and truly represents oppression, psychological physical, and spiritual violence.
Maraming Salamat. Mabuhay !!
Mongolia is still named Mongolia. Ulan Bator is its capital.
Yep, I agree. There should be a name change.
Also, thanks for the laugh about naming the PH, “Bayanihan,” so we would all be called heroes. heh That put a smile on my face.
philippines to CORRUPTLAND kasi lahat ng leader kurakot….gaya ng proponent in changing philippines name…
Katipunan (from Kagagalangan, Kataas taasan, Katipunan)
Doesn’t sound good…………. kinda gives a shiver to corrupt leaders…………well, doesn’t it……….
i suggest we rename our country as rizalia it is the most appropriate and majority of public will agree.it is noble idea to name our country after great genius hero rizal.and all citezen will be call rizalian or rizalenyo.very soon our new nation state will be globally known as land of intellectuas,spiritual-religius,healty,happy.prosperous,civilized peple
As far as I can say, Philippines is running with a good name and reputation compare to other nations.
Despite differences, meaningful name of each countries signifies their historical backgrounds that is a result of disputes contrasting with hard works. Why is there a need to change the country’s unique and a not so ordinary name though we know it is already modified and tested by time.
And besides, without our name we will not have such identity. So stop living with the treacherous and sorrowful yesterday and live life with a brighter ideal concept.
“Huwag na natin pakialaman pa ang pangalan ng ating bansa na pinagtibay na nang panahon. Hindi naman ang pangalang ng bansang ito ang gagawa ng pagbabago at pag-unlad sa buhay natin eh. Kundi tayo.”
Are we really so simple that we want to change the name of the country on the grounds that a Spanish king was cruel? To name it after Rizal is divisive — the so-called national hero is not without his flaws, often torn by the contradictions of his heart and mind, not to mention the tiff with the Catholic Church. As for Maharlika, few people are even aware this word exists nor could they translate it. It simply has no significance in the Filipino psyche.
In short, a name change would only serve to divide the country and tear it asunder, and all this for what? Because we do not want to be associated with a figure that died more than 400 years ago? The people will never agree on a single name. The good thing about the Philippines is that it’s unique and holds a tremendous amount of history. The honour of the name depends on the people who have to live with it. Let’s deal with the poverty and political instability first.
Felipe II fue el monarca mas poderoso de su tiempo y el dueño del imperio mas grande de la historia. Luchó contra la pirateria y contra las herejias de Cavino y Lutero que causaron miles de muertos en la hoguera en Inglaterra, Holanda, Francia y la mayor parte de los paises de Europa. Ayudo a los catolicos de Irlanda y Escocia, muchos refugiados en España escapando de la tirania de la cruel reina Elizabeth. Algunos de los mayores artistas de todos los tiempos, como Velazquez, El Greco o Tiziano, trabajaron en la corte de Felipe II.
El nombre de Filipinas es parte orgullosa de la historia de nuestro pais, nos une con nuestros hermanos hispanos de todo el mundo
I like the name of the country. Why do not they change Victoria Falls in Uganda, named after the queen that exploited and make slaves millions of people in Africa?
Felipe II was the most powerfull monarch of his time and ruled the biggest empire in human history that spread over five continents. He fought against piracy and against the sinister Calvin and Luther that send thousands of people to the fire in Europe.
Felipe II made many mistakes in his reign but he was a sensible king that helped scottish an irish catholics, many of them scaping from the tirany of the cruel queen Elizabeth of England. He was concernd with arts and some of the major masters, like Velazquez, El Greco or Tiziano , worked in his court..
The name of Filipinas is part of the spanish legacy, makes the country different from the rest of Asia and remembers that Filipinas is the natural bridge between the continent and South America.
Opposition to a name change for the Philippines is based on shaky proof. It is indeed true that Felipe II was i a powerful monarch during his time, and there is indeed a Spanish legacy in our history and culture, but it is also true that Felipe was known as one of the most zealous agents of the Spanish Inquisition and that our Islands had their own distinct culture before the arrival of the Spaniards. The argument that a name change would be divisive for us Filipinos (i.e. “subjects of Felipe”) avoids the fact that the reason why many of us accept (if tacitly) the name Philippines is due to our colonial mentality; and “Philippines” is indeed “unique and holds a tremendous amount of history” – “unique” in its colonialist nature and possessing a history of victorious imperialism & failed nationalism. As for the argument that our country’s name has morphed by time into something that we can say is our own, I can only say that it has become our own – a name that is perfectly descriptive of the colonized identity that we still have today.
A name change really does not change our problems. But it is one of the most important steps that we can take to change our country’s situation from bad to good. A good article that discusses this subject of name change can be accessed at this site: http://filipinos4life.faithweb.com/NQUIMPO.htm. As for me personally, I would like the Philippines to be renamed to something that would not have rendered the cause of the Katipunan in vain, one that would surely be contributory to the successful end of our “unfinished revolution”.
We should change the name to Maharlika Islands. And separate from Asia or SE ASIA. We should join our true island brothers and sisters in MICRONESIA or MELANESIA.
it should be not change our countries name is so respectfully respected by other countries and its name is very soundful to other countries and if should be changed it should be rizfacio or bonrizal named after the two major national heroes.
i agree… our country’s name should be changed… it should have been changed a long time ago when we were no longer under Spain… the name Philippines does not suit us. Now that we are free from the oppressors we should not have a name of the one that has done it to us the most…
I agree with Bayanihan or Maharlika but never name our country under a person’s name may it be a hero or not…
if there are movements out there who wishes to have our country’s name changed… i would support it…
Marcus Kambing
-Anino
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Philippines-Name-Change-Now/177922908973960
Please spread the word
Estoy orgulloso del nombre de mi país y de nuestra cultura hispana. Filipinas es un hermoso nombre y hay que trabajar por recuperar el idioma español.
Saludos a todos los FILIPINOS hispanos
Sang-ayon ako sa tinuran mo Andres,…. porque incluso podemos cambiar el nombre de nuestro país, pero si nuestra actitud no va a cambiar, seguiremos siendo un país pobre……Ang mga pulitikong nagpapanukala ng pagpapalit ng pangalan ng ating bansa ay sadya nila…..para demostrar a la gente que están haciendo algo, subalit wala naman at mga kaaliwaswasan ang laging nasa isip…….. Deben presentar a sí mismo en su lugar como ciudadano modelo …….upang tularan sila ng mga mamamayan. Which I think will really catapult us to progress…….
A lot of stories that never been told that school won’t teach us. Before Chinese, Kastilas, Americans, Japanese and so on. There was Itas and if you seek the truth, in fact we came from Africa, and we can trace it all around Asia. Yes Africa, I think 80% of the so-called history came for who? Whites. That’s why we don’t know we’re we came from. From there we can change our selves. Or change the flag color in Red, Gold and Green (Love, Respect and Unity).
Filipinas suena bien y es un nombre atractivo que evoca la historia. En nuestras islas viven muchas etnias diferentes y de alguna manera Filipinas es un nombre neutral que no agrede a ninguna cultura. ¿Por que cambiar las cosas cuando funcionan? No creo que el problema principal del Pais sea que su nombre no gusta a unos cuantos…….
tama, kailangan nating palitan ang pangalan ng pilipinas, hindi ko pinagmamalaki na tayong mga tao ay pinangalan sa putanginang puting tao…ipagmalaki natin na tayo ay dugong Malay at ang mga tao sa ibat ibang pulo sa malaking dagat Pacipiko ay kapatid and kadugo natin…tayong mga tao ay anak ng mga magagaling na taong mandaragat…bakit hindi natin gamitin ang pangalan ng pinamalaking pulo sa bansa natin “Luzon”…tulad ng kapatid nating mga Hawaiino…ang buong kumpol ng mga pulo sa Hawaii ay ibat ibang pangalan pero pinangalan Hawaii ang lahat ng kumpol. Maipagmamalaki ko ang pangalan ng Luzon dahil ito ay sariling atin…maaari din ang pangalan Maharlika…
BURAHIN NA NATIN ANG PANGALANG filipinas SA LUPA NATIN….hind tayo ginagalang sa buong mundo nang ibang mga tao…ang alam nila ay puro tayo katulong at puta…iyong na nga ang nangyari dahil ang putanginang espanyol ang nagsimulang gawing tayong katulong at puta…tapos idiniin pa ang pagka bastos sa atin at pinangalan tayo sa hayop na haring Felipe…DAPAT NATING PANGALANAN ANG LUPA NATING NG SALITANG SARILING ATIN….bakit natin pinabayaan na dayuhang puting tao ang nagpangalan sa atin?
Pagkatapos nating palitan ang pangalan ng lupa natin ay dapat ipagmalaki natin ang ibat ibang wika natin….nagsusulat ako ngayon sa Tagalog pero ang wika ko ay Pangasinan…sa susunod mag susulat ako sa Pangasinan.
Alam ko na kung pag pinalitan na ang pangalan ng lupa natin ay ito na ang simula na pagkaalis ng ugaling “colonial mentality”…at tayong buong mamamayan sa ibat ibang pulo sa bansa natin ay dapat ipagmalaki ang mga pagkakaiba natin sa wika, pero sa puso at damdamin natin tayo ay iisa.
Ngayon, ipinagmamalaki ko…AKO AY LUZUNO!….AKO AY MAHARLIKA.!
I AM LUZONESE!….I AM MAHARLIKAN!
So, let’s get rid of this f present name from our land already….my comment to Sebastian and Andres above…we are not f spanish so stop commenting in spanish
The name Philippines for your great islands is ridiculous.. It should be a native word. A new name for your islands will empower the identities of its peoples. With respect ; your country is named after a moron, when It shouldn’t be .
I think, it is about time for our to country to change it’s name. Peoples of this country was very great and talented geared with so much love for other people. In that note, it shall be named after those people who made it well renowned and respected all around the world. Yes, I do agree that we have our own so why copy and adopt to other races who insulted and degraded us specifically the Spaniards. The name Philippines has made sounds in in different places of the world but it is not for a positive perception and impression. We Filipinos are only known there as “alipins and prostitutes” which is very disappointing on the part of Filipinos who dedicated their whole life for the betterment of their motherland. We have our own so we should be proud of it. LET US STOP IDOLIZING OTHER COUNTRIES FOR WE SHOULD BE IDOLIZED BY THEM!!!!
Let us start the change that we seek for so long… We are the hope of our country…Tayo ang muling bubuhay sa ating bayan…..MABUHAY!!!!!!!!!!
KARAGDAGAN : nais kong palitan o baguhin ang ngalan ng ating bayan sa “Richalea” o “RIZALIA” na nagbibigay pugay sa kagitingan at katapangan ng ating mga bayani maging ng mga taong ipinaglaban ang kanilang bayan umabot man ito sa kasukdulan ng kamatayan.
Nais kong palitan o baguhin ang ngalan ng ating bayan sa “Richalea” o “RIZALIA” na nagbibigay pugay sa kagitingan at katapangan ng ating mga bayani maging ng mga taong ipinaglaban ang kanilang bayan umabot man ito sa kasukdulan ng kamatayan.
Tama kayo Ginoong Rodis at Ginoong Tonying, marapat lang baguhin ang pangalan ng ating bayan ng isang pangalang lalapat ng tama sa ating tunay na pagkatao. Totoong napakatagal na ang pangalang Pilipinas na ikinapit sa atin, hindi ba kayo nagtataka kung bakit ganito ang ating bayan at ang ating mga kababayan. Isang maka-agham na obserbasyon na kung tatawagin mo palagi halimbawa ang isang bata ng mabait o matalino ay malamang na ito ang kanyang kauwian; kabaligtaran naman, tawagin mong pilyo o salbahe palagi ang isang bata at malamang din na lumaking gayon ang bata.
Mag nagsasabing wala sa pangalan ng ating bayan ang ipagbabago natin, sa biglang tingin ay tama iyon. Pero karanasan ang magpapatunay na hindi nga gayon; ang salita ay kumakatawan sa isang bagay, katangian, o pangyayari. Mayroon samakatwid itong tuwirang relasyon sa bagay, katangian o pangyayari. Ang Pilipinas ay sanhi kung bakit tayo ang itinuturing na pinakamabuting alipin at pinakamasamang panginoon. Si Felipe II ay isang taong masama at mapaghari-harian, kataka-taka bang ang iba nating kababayan ay masama at mapaghari-harian. Tama ang sabi ng isang komentarista, ang Pilipinas ay katunog ng salitang alipinas. Kaya naman, naparami pa rin sa atin ngayon ang mayroong gayong kalikasan, alipin sa isip kung hindi man sa katawan.
Karagdagan: ang salitang Rizalia o Rizal bilang ating pangalan ay napakaganda. Hindi ko tinatanggap bagama’t iginagalang ko ang opinyon ng iba na ito diumano ay magiging sanhi ng pagkakahati-hati ng ating mga kababayan. Ang salitang Pilipinas ay isang insulto at sumpa sa bawa’t isang mamamayan ng bansang ito. Panahon na para baguhin ang ating sarili. Ang lahat ng bagay ay umuunlad. Isama na dito ang pagbabago ng pangalan ng ating bansa at tingnan kung hindi magbago ang dangal ng ating mga kababayan.
Ang salitang Rizalia o Rizal bilang ating pangalan ay napakaganda. Hindi ko tinatanggap bagama’t iginagalang ko ang opinyon ng iba na ito diumano ay magiging sanhi ng pagkakahati-hati ng ating mga kababayan. Ang salitang Pilipinas ay isang insulto at sumpa sa bawa’t isang mamamayan ng bansang ito. Panahon na para baguhin ang ating sarili. Ang lahat ng bagay ay umuunlad. Isama na dito ang pagbabago ng pangalan ng ating bansa at tingnan kung hindi magbago ang dangal ng ating mga kababayan.
I agree change the name already. Philippines is an embarrassing name. It’s a name for people who are in bondage. We are free and the name of the country should represent this. But make sure the name also honors the Muslims of this country. Their contribution is immense if often overlooked. Unconquerable and stubborn even in the face of death. Who proved in battle that the wielders of the Kris is mightier than any conquistador. And the invention of the .45 caliber slug honors their bravery.
I don’t agree with the name change. A name change would mean losing the essence of more than 450 years worth of history. Rizal gave up his life for Filipinas. We all grew up and came to know the Philippines as our country, and ourselves as Filipinos. Nothing else.
And besides, it is impractical. Imagine having to change every building name, letterhead, labels and what have you. That’ll take a great deal of logistics and even diplomacy to get that name change accepted.
By the way, Beijing was the corrected transliteration of Peking. Peking is still widely accepted. Both Beijing and Peking are meant to mean the same thing.
We need name change. No matter how great Philip II was, and that is debatable; it still is deplorable for our country to be named after a king of the country who colonized us and did many bad things to us. These colonialist white people have no right to impose the name to us. Maharlika means noble caste and also the fake guerilla unit of Ferdinand Marcos. Bayanihan is just a trait, though a good one; of our country. What else? Luzonia? Luzviminda? Me, I choose the Rizalline Republic or the Rizalline Islands or the Rizallines. Sounds good and will honor a great man and an accepted genius and Pride of the Malay Race who incidentally is our national hero, too. There maybe issues; like him not being an exemplary Catholic; which I think would serve a purpose as far as acceptance by our Muslim brothers is concerned. I think it would give us our needed national identity and pride.
@ace… why would we lose the essence of 450 years of history by changing our country’s name? It is not as if we will erase all of our history. Changing building names, stationery letterheads, labels,etc. is a really major, major issue? C’mon. Think of Zimbabwe from Rhodesia; Sri Lanka from Ceylon; Myanmar from Burma; Thailand from Siam, etc. Did some cataclysmic events happen to these countries because they changed their names? It’s about time.
I would be overjoyed if the name Philippines was changed, but to what, is the question. The term “Filipino” was originally applied to Spaniards born in the Island Colony, as opposed to those born in the Spanish peninsula. While I am proud to call myself a Filipino in a modern context, I can see how people find it lacking a sense of historical pride. It would certainly be impractical to change the name, but it is also something I have fantasized about since my childhood. It could be a large, galvanizing step toward a national identity, but then it couldn’t be something purely Tagalog, or else wouldn’t there be a risk of further alienating/offending non-Tagalog Pinoys?
I like the “Bayan” idea, though I have next to no knowledge of the other Pinoy regional languages. I wonder if the word Bayan has a recognizable equivalent. It would be nice if such a new name were something common to all Pinoys, while a name like “Katipunan” is pure Tagalog. Perhaps such a “common thread” name simply doesn’t exist.
Also this prospective new name could conceivably start as something only natives use, while keeping the Philippines as the standard exonym. Like China is Zhongguo to the natives, Japan : Nippon, South Korea : Hanguk, India : Bharat, Germany : Deutschland, and so forth. We have basically already done it with the term “Pilipinas,” a name adapted for the patterns of our native languages, but we could do it more aggressively, with a name instead drawn from our native languages, instead of merely tailored for it.
Changing the name of the Philippines is so pointless.
Colonialism is part of our history and culture. We are known as “East meets West,” it’s part of our identity. What’s to be ashamed of?
The name Philippines makes us unique in Asia. It’s an Asian country with Spanish influence. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.
José Palma wrote a poem, Filipinas, which became our National Anthem.
Philippines is part of the Hispanidad – we have a common history with Latin America.
Filipinas, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Puerto Rico – we are part of them, historically and culturally.
Yet Filipinos these days don’t wanna be associated with them.
Vietnam, despite being only a French colony for 100 years, and only having very little French speakers, considers itself part of the Francophone world.
Philippines, which has a Spanish creole language, a name named after a Spanish king, a Spanish colony for 333 years, with over 3 million Spanish speakers, does not want to be associated with the Hispanic world.
I take French class and I always see Vietnam featured as this unique Asian country with a French influnce, and Vietnamese don’t mind.
I have Spanish class, Philippines is nowhere to be found. I would like Philippiens to remain this unique country in Asia, not some country called “Bayan” or “Maharlika.”
First of all, the Philippines has so many problems to deal with, it’s hard enough figuring out where to start. But from my own personal experiences in the Philippines (as well as amongst my fellow countrymen), we as a nation must strengthen our cultural and ethnic ties. Most Filipinos these days are so enamored with people of foreign cultures and nations, that they themselves have no interest learning about their own people’s history and culture; especially amongst the young (hell, even the elderly folks of our country – and they’re supposed to be the role models!). There definitely needs to be a change in the Philippines, first and foremost is the typical “Filipino mindset” – how Filipinos think and view themselves as a nation/people – and their perception towards foreign nations and peoples.
Filipinos that are fortunate enough to find out the truth about our nation’s history should know that there was no country in the Southeast Asian region that was so-called “The Philippines” prior to the confrontation between Kaliph Pulaka (Datu Lapu-Lapu) and Ferdinand Magellan (including the encounter with the Spaniards and so forth). In fact, during the times of our pre-colonial past, the indigenous people of our archipelago (Tagalogs, Visayans, Mindanaons, etc.) were never united as a single entity, but instead were separated by ethnic and cultural backgrounds. However, there was some form of “unity” amongst our indigenous ancestors (although perhaps they may have never realized it or acknowledge this) when they experienced and fought against the colonial forces of Spain (for nearly 3½ centuries). Adding to that, it was the Spaniards that founded the nation of Filipinas (Filipinas being coined after a Spaniard king), consisting of Luzon and Visayas, but excluding some areas of Mindanao (correct me if I’m wrong). Now, the term “Philippines” is an English translation or exonym of the Spanish term “Filipinas,” but I won’t elaborate any further pertaining to the history about the definitive meaning of our past and present names; I’m sure readers can study more about the history of the Philippines in order to find out for yourselves. And of course, let’s not forget that after nearly 3½ centuries of Spanish colonialism, our ancestors fought yet another conflict, this time against the Americans during the Filipino-American War, and shortly thereafter, the Imperial Forces of Japan during World War II (ironically, with the cooperation of the Americans).
But even after all the hardships and turmoil that our people and indigenous ancestors have been through, there is still no sense of unity amongst us “Filipino people,” and this is a problem that we must address NOW. By strengthening our ethnic and cultural relations, acknowledging and facing our problems, and creating better solutions for our country, then we can further progress as a nation/people. I’m sure that all Filipinos would love to witness their own country progress from a 3rd World status to a powerful 1st World – a feat that South Koreans accomplished in only about 50 years time (South Koreans were much less fortunate than Filipinos back then, believe it or not). Back in the 1950s – 1960s, the Philippines was a prosperous and progressive nation, well on its way to becoming an economic power, and second only to Japan in terms of development in Asia…. but now it’s the year 2010 and take a look at the situation of the Philippines today – a 3rd World hellhole, with education in decline, overpopulation, people struggling to survive, poverty, war… the list can go on and on. This seems to be true as well for other nations that have experienced Spanish colonialism – Mexico, Honduras, Chile, as well as many other Hispanic nations that the Spaniard pigs have set foot on and bastardized. It’s time for the Filipino people to move on and FORGET the colonial past of Spain and the United States (although I know for a fact that the influences are here to stay), and create a better and brand new future.
As an aspiring Filipino-American (and NO – American is NOT a race and NEITHER is Filipino) from the Philippines (but raised in America), I am concerned about our country’s current situation. To my fellow Filipinos (especially to my fellow Filipino men) from across the world that happen to stumble across this post of mine, I’m calling out to those special individuals who have the same ambitions and dreams that I share, in order to make our country progress to further achieve a greater accomplishment. Let us unite (although we may never meet in person) in order to fulfill a prosperous and wealthy nation – a much better future for our country. Let’s say for example you have a Master’s degree or a Ph.D. in business administration; use that opportunity to establish a business in the Philippines. Our country is ripe for economic development, and you never know… your business might just grow into a multi-million dollar, global conglomerate. Let’s not waste or give that opportunity to a damn foreigner – what a disappointment that would be. Filipinos aspiring to become politicians or political leaders can replace those stupid morons in our current government by actually doing what’s RIGHT, and using their empirical knowledge when it comes to politics. Our country needs strong, ambitious, intelligent leaders who will lead the people in the right direction.
Other than that, there are many other problems that we must face, and I believe that only the intelligent, open-minded Filipinos out there are qualified to resolve those issues. Like I mentioned in the beginning of this post, Filipinos (especially from the homeland) must change their perceptions towards foreign peoples, and especially, amongst themselves. It makes me sick how local Filipinos have little to no respect for their fellow countrymen (let alone themselves), but have the utmost respect towards a foreigner, especially if they’re “white” (and by the way, not all white people are American – a typical ignorant Filipino would think so). You would often hear these “typical Filipinos” addressing these “white people” as “Sir” or “Ma’am,” as if they were like slaves to kings and queens – which is absolutely pathetic. Learn to respect yourself, your country, and your people before you go on showing your respect to others. In fact, Americans are one of the most ignorant groups of people in the world when it comes to other countries (even to their own country); and that might as well be the same for Filipinos, if they intend to stay stupid and uneducated. As a reminder to my Filipino people, the United States of America is NOT the center of the world – we have our own country to worry about.
Now, when it comes to changing our country’s national name and our people’s demonym that should be one of the first things we should do to rid ourselves of our colonial imprint, which I would like to discuss further below.
The term(s) “Philippines/Filipinas/Pilipinas” just sound so out of place in the Southeast Asian region, compared to our neighboring countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Singapore, etc.), and it just doesn’t “fit in” with the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) peoples of our country. In fact, as a further insight about our people as a “race,” we share common genetic and ancestral ties with the aboriginal people of Taiwan (Formosa), the Indonesians, Bruneians, Malaysians, as well as other nations in the Southeast Asian region; even as far out as the Pacific Islands and Madagascar. For additional information about the indigenous peoples of our country and the Southeast Asian region, search “Austronesian” on YouTube or on the web.
In order to come up with a new name for our country in which our people as a whole can truly accept, all ethnic groups in the Philippines must agree on a common term. For example, this term must have a definitive meaning that is mutual and acceptable to all of our ethnic groups; it must be a native word that is evident throughout our languages; and the name should be easy to pronounce and spell. This new name for our country should have a definitive relation with neighboring countries in the Southeast Asian region. Adding to that, this new name must coincide well with the rules of our languages, and also an exonym in which foreign nations can refer to us by.
An example of this would be Japan. In their native language they refer to their country as “Nippon-koku” or “Nihon-koku” (Nippon/Nihon), and as a people, they refer to themselves by their autonym/endonym, “Nihon-jin,” and their language, “Nihongo.” The definition of their nation’s name (Nippon/Nihon) can translate into “the sun’s origin,” and their people (Nihon-jin) as “the people of the sun.” On the other hand, the terms “Japan/Japanese” are English exonyms, which belong to the English language.
Instead of having a name for our country that denotes a foreign king (which is absolutely embarrassing and disgraceful), we should replace our nation’s name and people’s demonym with an indigenous name (autonym/endonym), which again, should be MUTUAL to all present “Filipino” ethnic groups.
Examples of autonyms/endonyms (indigenous/native names):
> Tagalog: Taga- (Taga/From), -log (Ilog/River) — “People of the Rivers”
> Tausug: Tau- (Tau/People), -sug (Sug/Current) — “People of the Current”
> Iloka-non, Sugbua-non, Marana-on, Maguindana-on, Waray-non, Hilagay-non, etc.
Using our languages as a guide, these are just some examples that “Filipinos” can use to form a new national name.
As for our native languages, I believe that with a new national name, we should also create a new national language by merging or fusing our native languages/dialects. For those familiar with the history of the English language, the modern English vernacular has borrowed hundreds of words from various languages throughout Europe, Asia, etc.
Here’s a good example:
> Boondocks – A rural area. Derived from Tagalog, “bundok (mountain).”
> Cootie/Cooties – Louse; another term for germs (usually childish). Derived from Tagalog and Malay, “Kuti/Kuto/Kutu (louse/flea).”
Filipinos have over a hundred different languages and dialects from various different ethnic groups across the Philippines, and with all that, we can form a new language. For example, there are words in Tagalog that cannot be found in Sugbuanon (Cebuano/Visayan); there are words in Waray that cannot be found in Maranaon, Maguindanaon, Ilokano, etc., and vice versa. Creating a new language is a daunting new task (primarly due to our various languages and differences), but this can be a possible proposition to resolve the language problem in the Philippines, since no one seems to be in favor of “Tagalog imperialism,” we might as well merge our languages into ONE; and besides, Tagalog is a difficult and tedious language to learn and use. We must create a common language that is easy to use and mutually intelligible amongst the inhabitants of our “New Nation,” but however, this does NOT mean that we should destroy or forget about our original languages and dialects. We will preserve our ancestral vernaculars and rid our languages of Spanish vocabulary, while developing a new common tongue. This is in somewhat what our neighboring country (Indonesia) did to solve their language problem, and Indonesia has more than over 300 different languages and dialects that are still in use today, along with the use of their common language – Bahasa Indonesia. If our Indonesian brothers and sisters can create a common language for themselves, then we can as well – and we SHOULD.
We “Filipinos” should get rid of our colonial names, and take a name change into consideration, as well as a truly new beginning for the entire nation.
name change seems to me a necessity..same as scrapping of cedula..abolition of barangay captain, barangay tanod. I think we need to change so much things in the Philippines. Changing our countrys name just for a start. Our heroes fight to the end, for us to live as we are now, having sufferred enough.
Call our nation TAO
for we are human.
yes! mas mabuti palitan natin pangalan ng bansa natin ksi tingin ko naknonekta pa rin ang pilipinas sa mapagsamantalang bansang espanya..halimbawa na lang sa indonesia at malaysia napanatili nila ang kultura nilang tradisyonal na sa tingin ko ay nalalapasan na tayo sa kaunlaran.alam ko youn ksi nagtrabaho ako sa mga bansang ito na isang taon..minsan hindi ko 2loy maiwasan ikumpara ang bansa natin sa kanila..ibalik ang dating pangalan na maharlika upang ang totoong pagkatao natin at pinagmulan ay maiwasto..saludo ako kay unknown!
Never heard of this one not until i visited this article. The Philippine Island sounds cool to me though. At least the name is not “raped.”
haaay mga kababayaan.. Yung iba dyan… gusto palitaan ang pangalan ng pilipinas sa kadahilanang itoy hindi likas na atin… kaso puro naman english yung commento? hehehe!
Bakit hindi kaya … para maging likas na maka atin yung pangalan ng ating bansa at angkop sa damdamin makabayan… palitan natin ng Bansang MALAYA” land of the free” ibalik ang dating tawag sa atin malay peninsula bago pa makarating ang mga dayuhan sa atin. itoy naging proposisyon din ng dating pangulo Diosdado Macapagal noong January 1963.
tangapin na natin ang katotohanan, hindi tayo asian, kundi Malay “Malay race”. at hindi tayo pacific islanders hindi rin asian.. parte tayo ng malay archiepelago.
sana mapalitan na ang pangalan natin… Malayan… free men sa english.
isa sa mga katagingang pinoy ay… turo! itinuturo sa iba yung sariling mali… mali daw ito at mali din yun… tulad ko! hehehe! Pag lokal, hindi magaling… pag imported polido! hehehe! nasa isip yan mga brod.. hehehe! turo nyo sa iba, apat na daliri sa inyo!! i mean, bakit hindi kaya umaksyon tayo at ituwid yung mali, kesa pabayaan na lang at magbunganga… hehehe!
Ang sabi natin, corrupt yung mga politiko? e bakit dagdag tayo ng dagdag ng pwesto… dati si mayor lang ang kurakot, ngayon pati na si Kapitan na din, Dati si District Representative lang ang may pork barrel ngayon pati si Brother Edi na din..Dati si Probisyal Governor lang, ngayon may Regional Governor na din. haayyy! nagkaproblema sa Kuryente… imbis magpatayo ng power plant… gess what, itinayo ang department of energy… e di lumaki ang salary grade ni Secretary nyan.. at may bago pang opisina… galing naman! hahaha!
Ang Stados Unidos, may dalawang senator sa bawat state( ang kada state kasing laki ng pilipinas) yung iba mas malaki pah! ngayon ilan na ba yung senator natin? 24? bakit ang amerika 100 senators lang? meron din silang 435 US congressmen, tayo merong 311 congressmen… wow ang yaman talaga ng pilipinas!!!
I think the people of the Philippines should work harder on changing the country then changing the name of their country.
Considering the name, I think its a great name for many reasons, First of all The Philippines is the only country in asia with a majority of catholic people, and who brought the catholic religion to the Philippines? Thats right it were the Spannish. The catholic religion is prolly the biggest influence the Spannish had on the Philippines, THe Philipinian people choosed to convert themselves to become catholic and even with the Spannish gone now the majority of the population is still catholic. The Philippinian people seem happy with this religion and without the Spannish invaders they might never have become so close to catholic church. Defently not the majority of the Philipinian population.
So yea thats an example of what the Spannish gave themajority of the Philippinian population so cuz the Philippinian couldn’t think a life without the catholic religion its not all so bad that the Spannish came to the Philippines.
Ofcourse the Spannish did alot of bad things but so did all European countries which occupied countries around the world. England, Holland, French etc arent any better really. At least the Spannish didn’t kill all the Filipinos. The native Americans weren’t so happy, around 200 milion of them were killed by the American colinists and they don’t have a country for themselves anymore that the Filipinos do. And the Americans today left the native americans in poverty and in reservations. So yea my point being is that the Filipinos could have it way worse.
Anyway like I said the Filipino’s should work harder on their country then changing their name. The country is oh so democratic but that is just a cover to show America that the Philippines have civilised so much. Well the Philippines is no democracy right now for those who live in a dreamworld. Political murders are an every day happening, people in the Philippines try very hard to protest I give you that and people try to organize themselves against the corrupt Politics but the government is watching and when they have a chance they assassinate an protester or people that try to fight the corruption. A good example was the slaughter in Mindanao last year and powerfull people getting away with it cuz they belong to a powerful clan with political connections.
Anyway this is supposed to be about the name but yea my point is get your country in order and restore the chaos in it before thinking about dreamy names of ancient heroes.
However like I mentioned instead of thinking of all the bad things the Spannish brought with them you could also consider the good things like their religion that made the Philippines unique int he sense that it is the only catholic nation in asia. Further more I think a name will be impossible to come up with, because you can’t just ignore the 450 years of occupation by the Spannish and also the Americans. The language has changed alot then before those 450 years, they used a more Thai-like lettertype before that time, since the Spannish came the Spannish introduced a Roman-like lettertype. So it will be hard to really think of a name that is really ancient before the Spannish occupation not to mention is has to represent the muslims and all the native groups that had originally a diffrent language and still often have diffrent languages or dialects.
Changing the name of your country is not impossible and I am not against it, I am just saying it is very hard to do so, And I say first things first. Changing your name is a very nationalistic idea if many Philipinian people feel they lost their connection with the native filipinos before the Spannish occupations. But it would be more nationalistic in my view to kick the corrupt government out which are not nationalistic at all. After all how nationalistic is it that the Philippines are still used by the US army, Clarkfield was used by the Blackwater mercenaries which killed alot of innocent Iraqis while there was excelly a law that said the US army was not allowed to use Clarkfield and other places anymore. If people want to be nationalistic then also cut connection with the US who use the Philippines as base when they invade some country in asia.
My advice, first make sure the power returns to the people and not the the few very wealthy ones, then when that is all done you can all sit around a table and discuss about a proper new name for the Philippines if that is what your country really needs. But defently not before because right now the politicians wont listen to you anyway even if you have the most awesome name thinkable.
I agree that the name should also be changed. I fully respect Marcos’s idea to rename the country Maharlika and also like the idea of using what was something like our original name, Katagalugan. However I think it would be a good idea to also keep the name short, original, and with a gentle sound. I would support any movement to rename the country with a more appropriate name.
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A few name suggestions:
Corostronesia (means “Heart of Austronesia” from 2 Latin words “Cor” which means heart and “Austronesia” which totally defines our peoples)
I can agree with the author’s post of suggesting “Bayanihan” which means the essence of a hero, with the locals being called “bayani” which is gender-neutral.
I’m not sure with “Rizalia” because he was pro-Spain. Using a pro-Spanish person will not help our identity. Neither will I agree with “Katagalugan” for it will justify the might of the already powerful Tagalogs, causing a severe power imbalance. Bonifacio could have restored Malay heritage for he looked romantically into it…probably more than Rizal.
“Maharlika” corresponds more to the English knight position than that of a nobleman. “Maginoo” corresponds more to the nobleman, therefore “Kaginuohan” might be a good one. However, a gender change will be difficult, and foreigners will bot be familiar with how to make the name “Ginoo” to “Ginang” and make their mistake of regularizing their way of calling the natives of that country.
If that will be the case, Filipinos must have a new naming system, where all the men carry their male surnames, and girls carry their surnames.
The mother cannot pass her surname to her son but can pass it on to her daughter. The father cannot pass on his surname to his daughter but can pass it on to his son.
Also, all Austronesian natives must reverse the Claveria decree. Women will trace their surnames down to their ancestors to show power equality to men, which was present before the Spaniards came in.
Replace Spanish surnames with the equivalent in the native language. If the Spanish surname is untranslatable, find a new surname. If there is a direct Chinese paternal ancestry, replace it with the original Chinese surname.
Exceptions to the rule:
Those with Chinese surnames or Chinese compound surnames
All those with direct paternal/maernal foreign ancestry (Spanish or American)
Lets Begin with Who?
Talking and Discussion is very Healthy way to open up. BUT Whos who to begin with? who will be to Initiate this? ok lets start from the CHED to start with the teacher to teach our new generation.. 2nd from the Political or Government side who will be to push it further to make it amend? the rest will support of course. we plan and do it now so the process will begin. or never….. who ever in this site knows something from the government or to start from the bottom up to the supreme, please make a proposal as to say this and to be done…. or never again…. if your willing and i am very willing to called by original ancestral name land and people. i am Proud to be without question.
So far, this is my stance of my own history.
http://allicanhandle.blogspot.com/2007/10/zamboanga-city-asias-latin-city.html
http://www.pinoyblogosphere.com/2007/08/26/revisiting-my-past/
I would prefer that these foreigners get their ghetto and get a certain foreigner’s tax, done in a humiliating way.
Nais kong palitan o baguhin ang ngalan ng ating bayan sa “Richalea” na nagbibigay pugay sa kagitingan at katapangan ng ating mga bayani maging ng mga taong ipinaglaban ang kanilang bayan umabot man ito sa kasukdulan ng kamatayan.
Change the name of our country to “Malaya” o “Mariwasa”..
I think it sounds great kasi eh..
If we change the name of our country, we would have to start creating yet another identity that should go with the new name. That means that we should change many things in being who we are as a country because our ways and culture today belong to the country “Philippines” and the “Filipinos”…If our leaders think that changing the name of our country is more important than solving the problems we have, i think that we made a mistake in putting them in position.
Changing the name of the country will not solve anything.
I delight in, lead to I found exactly what I used to be taking a look for. You’ve ended my four day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye
go to Philippines Name Change Now on facebook, a discussion forum, which will eventually lead to a petition.
So, “tagala”, what name do you suggest that’ll bring change for the archipelago known today as the “Philippines”?
And there is no need for a petition; for your information, the current 1987 Constitution of the Philippine Republic already acknowledges the idea of “name change” for the Philippines — “Article XVI: General Provisions | Section 2. The Congress may, by law, adopt a new name for the country, a national anthem, or a national seal, which shall all be truly reflective and symbolic of the ideals, history, and traditions of the people. Such law shall take effect only upon its ratification by the people in a national referendum.”
What are the people of the Philippines waiting for? Your current constitution gives the opportunity for “change”. To have this Southeast Asian archipelago be named after a foreign king is disgraceful, so act now.
I agree a name change is definitely not “necessary” but it certainly will uplift the nation’s morale (that is, for those who care) because we will have the feeling of having a new identitiy, as we will no longer be “The People of King Philip”. As we all know morale is important in all battles.
While it is true that the people of the Philippines are suffering, and that there are better things to prioritize, it is also true that the rest of the world is no different; everybody is going through some kind of economic disaster, even Europe’s crisis is pasted all over international news. Europe, a continent which most Filipinos would look up to as socially privileged.
Another reason I think it would help is that, just like anything, once something is “socially acceptable” it becomes the norm. For example, we used to dislike our local products (well most still do), but now through the help of people encouraging other people it has been thought of as high in quality (expensive, even), and at one point people did not want anything “Made in Japan” because at that time the Japanese Economy has reached rock bottom, but now if something is Made in Japan it’s automatically regarded as high-tech, high-quality. Long ago, the Filipinos just allowed Mestizos and Spaniards to call them “Indio” whereas now you can get hurt for doing that.
So what if, just what if, being renamed would make at least a small fraction of us start to realize that we are no longer inferior, we no longer have colonizers, white/black/any other foreign tourists are not “richer”, “more sosyal”, and that their country’s products are not “of better quality” than ours?…
It’s a start, right?
I would suggest “Malaya” for the name-change.
And we will be called, “malay” (in short) or “malaya”
With the native definition of “free men”.
I think the name change is necessary and timely.
It might also boost our nationalism which I think is lacking.
The name of the country will be changed to something with the initials “SM” because Henry Sy will buy that right. There has been a lot of places whose names have been changed in “honor” of politicians in power. Take the town in Pangasinan called Narciso Ramos. When was it changed? When Fidel Ramos was President. Clark Field airport was changed to Diosdado Macapagal International Airport when GMA was in power. There’s a town in Bulacan called Dona Remedios Trinidad. Huh? Montalban town’s name was changed to Rodriguez. Baylen, Cavite to Emilio Aguinaldo. See, even Bonifacio’s killer has been honored.
Henry Sy will have the country’s name changed. San Miguel. SM.
We have San Miguel beer already, so why not?
I like “MALAY”. I believe it is our PEDIGREE. I would strongly support and agree.
And its OK to use english, taglish, tagalog, as you wish. It don’t bother me. I am free.
We are a great nation of achievers, not make believers.
We have an abundance of talent to other nations lament.
So I say, don’t be wondering fools, and start acting on your tools.
I am proud of who I am, and who I will be, and who will my children’s children will be because they have a Malay PEDIGREE like no other tree. I am a MALAY. I AM PROUD. I AM FREEDOM.
And that is the point. The word “Philippines” don’t have it. Its empty. No depth, No soul. No Charisma. It just a wondering name with a rubbish history of colonial slavery. Its not us.
But who are we?. I take reference and pride when I look at our flag. Many nations envy it. It has Soul, Charisma like no other flag in the world. I have deep respect to our flag. Its Fresh and full of Energy. Its Vibrant and Robust. It is Intelligent. I am madly in love. And when you are in love, comes respect.
Even in 2012, there’s still support for this notion.
The name of the Philippines should be changed. I’ve always believed that there was a continuation of empirialistic hegemony in the west (via the media, school, etc.) to confuse filipino americans of their identity. It’s sad and a little frustrating how some filipinos and non-filipinos here in the states think that filipinos are pacific islanders or they think that filipinos are “mixed” in their DNA with european and chinese blood. Less than 1% of filipinos have any spanish dna, and many chinese families are very aware of their chinese ancestry. The true “reality” is – (in comparison to other countries and cultures that had been invaded for thousands of years) that the philippines and quote unquote filipinos are ethnically and genetically intact.
It is a “globalist” empirialist ploy to “mix” everyone’s cultural, genetic, and geographic ancestry. Yes. This is true. Look around. Look around at all of the economic and social interdependency that “globalization” is creating around the world. The end goal is to erase the unique “ethnic and cultural” identities of all peoples on the earth.
I’ll emphasize again, lest the brain-washed masses think otherwise. The philippines is extremely well – intact for the small blip on the face of time that it was colonized by Spain. The 99% of quote unquote “filipinos” are not mixed. We are not “chinese and spanish” (roll eyes, make me laugh). Repeat: “the 99% of quote unquote “filipinos” are not mixed. We are NOT a mixed race. Sorry to bust your bubble.
The name “Philippines” is a tribute to a man that has no connection to your culture – and filipinos (meaning – the indigenous conquered people, not the spanish conquistadores living in the pilipinas) were never taught the language openly and freely like any other colony (THANK GOD).
Dear God in heaven, drop the idolatry of the Spanish White Man. Drop the name. Drop the enslavement. Drop the “i’m chinese and spanish.” “east asian” indigenous people living in the area named for a white european conquerer are NOT MIXED, not Pacific Islanders, not Chinese and Spanish.
Adopt your roots – be “southeast asian,” — it’s ok to be who you “REALLY ARE.”
Most of the people would tend to reason out that subconsciously, we instill our status of being “slaves” towards Spain. Yes, we have once became slaves, pity to them our ancestors. But, nowadays, what does it mean to become a “Slave”? I assume that, whatever definitions present, sovereignty resides on the ruling state, which is on our case, the Spain.
But the question for that is “Are we really hitherto slaves to them?”, and if we are, what guarantee can we get that we will be free from their binding sovereignty once we have changed our state’s name? You might say, “At least, we have shown them that we are revolting up until the end”, Well We Are, by keeping the name and imposing to them what they have done.
If my memory serves me right, there was a proposition to change the name of the Philippines into “Maharlika”. Why did the people rejected such name then?
Sang ayon ako sa pagpalit ng pangalan ng bansa natin! T^T Maraming nagsabi that changing the name would only result to more confusion and that changing it doesn’t change the country’s status… YEAH WE KNOW. Of course changing the name doesn’t change a thing…. pero look at it this way… it’s an identity. Some of you think that the Philippines already has such a ‘wonderful’ and honourable history… WELL IT’S NOT. OKAY? being colonized thrice? being named after the King of Spain? Wala lang… it doesn’t sound appropriate does it? Hindi naman ‘to mababaw e… na gusto lang paltan ang pangalan ng bansa dahil lang pinangalanan sa hari ng Espanya… it’s about the identity… May masama ba sa pagpalit ng pangalan? wala naman diba? (at least for me i don’t see anything BAD about it!)
ang punto naman ng iba ay dahil dito na rin tayong mga “PILIPino” nakilala, at dito sa salitang PHILIPpines naging sentimental ang pagiging makabayan natin…. i understand what you mean.. pero i somewhat disagree because my countrymen, we are LOYAL and SENTIMENTAL about our COUNTRY… not the name… some say na the name is the symbol na rin… WELL EXACTLY! T____T huhuhu. i thank God that i found this site… akala ko ako lang ang gustong palitan ang pangalan ng bansa. mangyari nga sana…
kung mapaltan man, edi astig! diba?? We’ve got our own name! My question is, if one of you guys said that it’s impossible that the people would agree in one name, how come we’ve already embraced the name Philippines? wouldn’t it also be a form of agreeing that the name PHILIPines is okay? WAAAAAAHHH!!! just thinking about living my life here in my country not named after the king of spain is such a relief!! *sigh. I want my identity… my identity as a person who lives in and FOR the country. (that is not named after a murderer)
I like the Luzviminda though :B kaso wala naman tayong “z” and “v”… Lusbiminda dapat! =))))
sana mangyari nga sana mangyari nga sana mangyari nga sana mangyari nga sana mangyari nga sana mangyari nga sana mangyari nga sana mangyari nga sana mangyari nga sana mangyari nga sana mangyari nga sana mangyari nga sana mangyari nga !!!!!
LIKE! hindi naman tayo espanyol.
Yes !!!!! Name Change !!! Name Change !!!!
I think that the word Rizal is Hispanicized ~ so Ixnay on that.
Maharlika, if anyone has heard, was advised to Marcos that the name referred to male genitalia.
I do not mind the name Bayanihan. I like it I like it – - -
B-A-Y-A-N-I-H-A-N !!!!!
Salamat. Mabuhay !!
Nooo !!!!
Maharlika would have been fine, but word etymologists say it refers to the male genitalia, and apparently Marcos was advised of this.
B-A-Y-A-N-I-H-A-N !!!!
(For example, a word like Katipunan sounds too much like Putang . . . and believe me, immature people would say “Kitty Poonland” all the live long day – - – too many Poon jokes would abound. We can’t go from Maharlika (male genitalia) to Kitty Poontang, so word geeks please advise . . . be vigilant of foreign impressions. For example, many of us know the demise of the Nova car? because in Spanish it meant “no Va” (meaning -no go).
B-A-Y-A-N-I-H-A-N !!!!
I like it !!!
)
I support a Name Change !!!!! I love my ethnic heritage. I support this. I support this. See my other posts to be careful about pitfalls of cultural translations of possible names.
A name change is a step in a very positive direction. I would love to see this in my lifetime.
Words are not small in significance. They are everything. I am not religious by any stretch, but doesn’t a bible start with “Word.” It’s discussed religiously, the value (strength and power) that words have.
Pens are mightier than swords – - – meaning that words hold so much power to do good and to destroy.
Let’s do good and destroy the old bloody violent vestiges of european colonialism. No spanish names . . .
B-A-Y-A-N-I-H-A-N or something else . . .
Salamat. Mabuhay !!!!
Tama kailangan talagang palitan na ang pangalang ”Pilipinas” hinding hindi bagay sa atin to. Sinasabi ng bansa natin na mahalin ang Pilipinas pero paano ko mamahalin ang pangalang nagpapatunay na hindi pa tayo malaya. Bakit si Philip II na inapi ang ating mga kababayan mabuti pa ang rizalia na namatay para sa ating kalayaan at sinasabi pa ng iba na hindi rin tayo magbabago kung papalitan eh bakit napalitan na ba?
At hindi naman maalis ang 400 taon na ating history mapapaganda pa nga eh kaysa naman sa mapagaliping pangalang Pilipinas kaya ang ibang nasyon di tayo ginagalang alipin ang tingin sa atin at ang dahilan na rin ng iba nating kababayan na hustuhin ang kultura ng ibang bansa.
Kahit anong pangalan (bonifacian, rizalian, katagalugan, etc) na nagsasaad talaga sa atin wag lang ang Hari pa ng GUNGONG na espanya na yan ang maging pangalan natin.
Atsaka Bayanihan magandang magandang pangalan at bayani ang tawag sa atin. astig
Sorry, I used to try if i can post here, by the way. straight to the point, I would like to change it to “Maharlikan Republic”, original, way to simple, and acknowledged from our cultural history. Humans are not humans without culture. the name Philippines is not ours. its just another derived meaning from other country or name. Are we really independent!? which our name is also another pirated word from strangers? then, the etymology of this country is awful. practically, economy must be intrigued and cure first via politics (which possesses WRONG structure) then the defense! look at us! our territories begun to crumble down!