"They have done us proud."
The column that I wrote in furtherance of this year’s observance of National Heroes Day—“Heroes of the Republic,” dated September 24—had to be cut due to limitations of space. By virtue of the contribution to the development of their country and the progress of the Filipino people —through service in government and through endeavors—and the gratuities of leadership, integrity and devotion to duty that they have displayed, 31 Filipinos and Filipinas merit, in my view, the title Heroes (or Heroines) of the Republic.
The thirty-one are, in alphabetical order, Eleuterio Adevoso, Fernando Amorsolo, Cayetano Arellano, Juan Arellano, Carlos Arguelles, Helena Benitez, Joaquin Bernas, Lino Brocka, George Canseco, Onofre Corpuz, Pilita Corrales, Horacio de la Costa, John Gokongwei Jr., Rafael Ileto, Ruperto Kangleon, Cecile Licad, Vicente Lim, Lilia de Lima, Leandro Locsin, Carlos Loyzaga, Francisco Mañosa, Rafael Nepomuceno, Manny Pacquiao, Cecilia Muñoz Palma, Jesse Robredo, Lea Salonga, Henry Sy, Sr., Tony Tancaktiong, Claudio Teehankee, Dioscoro Umali and Napoleon Valeriano.
Five members of the above group came from the ranks of the Armed Forces. They served the Motherland with great gallantry during World War II and in the subsequent campaign against the Hukbalahaps (Huks for short). A graduate of the PMA (Philippine Military Academy) and the US Military Academy, Vicente Lim served with distinction against the Japanese invaders. Rafael “Rocky” Ileto likewise attended the US Military Academy. The Hunters guerilla group headed by Eleuterio “Terry” Adevoso and Ruperto Kangleon’s Visayas guerilla outfit were very effective against the Japanese. Napoleon Valeriano showed his mettle as a soldier in the anti-Huk campaign of the 1950s.
This country’s judiciary and legal profession produced three great Filipinos and a great Filipina. Cayetano Arellano and Claudio Teehankee were Chief Justices of the Supreme Court. Arellano served in the pre-Commonwealth Supreme Court and Teehankee was President Corazon Aquino’s first Chief Justice. Teehankee and Associate Justice Cecilia Muñoz Palma were the perennial dissenters in the docile martial-law Supreme Court. Joaquin Bernas, the retired dean of the Ateneo Law School, is widely regarded as this country’s foremost authority on constitutional law.
The world of fine arts produced five practitioners with outstanding creative instincts. Fernando Amorsolo is regarded as the dean of post-colonial Filipino painters. Many of the architectural landmarks of the pre-World War II were designed by Juan Arellano. Carlos Arguelles, Francisco Mañosa and Leandro Locsin were to distinguish themselves in the architectural scene of the postwar era.
Horacio de la Costa, S.J., and Onofre Corpuz were, and remain, standouts in the worlds of philosophy and history. Corpuz’s “History of the Filipino People” is a highly regarded account of the origins, traditions, and development of the Filipino race.
The world of film and the theater has given this countrymen and women of international caliber. Lea Salonga is a national treasure, and Lino Brocka’s films were acclaimed abroad.
The love of music is second-nature to Filipinos, and this fact has manifested itself in such composers and performers as Cecile Licad, Pilita Corrales and George Canseco. Cecile Licad has firmly established herself in the world’s concert houses, Pilita Corrales is Asia’s Queen of Song and George Canseco is undoubtedly this country’s counterpart of America’s Cole Porter.
Whatever be his shortcomings as a legislator, there is no denying the enormous prestige that Manny Pacquiao’s championship in seven boxing divisions has brought to the Philippines. So have Rafael Nepomuceno in bowling and the late, great Carlos Loyzaga in basketball.
Certainly no less heroic are the achievements of the captains of industry and business. Three captains stand out: Henry Sy Sr., John Gokongwei Jr. and Tony Tan Caktiong. From humble beginnings, these men have placed the Philippines on the economic map of the world.
Excellence in public service is no less heroic than service in the private sector. Indeed, outstanding civil servants are the stuff of which a nation’s rapid economic development is made. Helena Benitez oversaw the development of Philippine Women’s University into the premier learning institution for Filipino women. Dioscoro Umali in agriculture, Jesse Robredo in local governance, and Lilia de Lima in public corporate management exemplify the best that Filipinos should and can expect from civil servants.
The 31 men and women cited above have brought our Republic—Asia’s first—to where it is today. They have done us proud. They truly deserve to be called Heroes and Heroines of the Republic.