RizzCents

Today, I finished reading “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” by Paulo Freire.

Freire writes:

“𝘌𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘮.”

I closed the book and stared out the window. My thoughts drifted—not to Brazil—but to the Philippines, where I once dreamt a century ago that education would liberate, enlighten, and empower my people.

In “The Philippines a Century Hence,” I hoped that a Filipino, one day, would:

“𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵.”

Yet in 2025, I see a system still burdened by rote memorization, overcrowded classrooms, and students too hungry to learn. It is not just what we teach, but how we teach—and why—that must be transformed.

We must no longer treat our children as empty vessels to be filled. They are fires waiting to be lit.

The intention is noble—reviving our pre-colonial script and reminding our youth of our rich cultural heritage.

However, I urge caution: Baybayin is not a decorative font—it is a written language born of identity, rhythm, and meaning.

To use it purely for aesthetic without ensuring accuracy and context does not honor our ancestors; it merely stylizes them.

Let us teach it, understand it, and use it with reverence—so that every sign doesn't just look Filipino, but speaks Filipino.

I stumbled upon a song that resonated deeply with me: “Karera” by BINI — a 2023 pop anthem reminding us that life is not a race.

When classrooms test our children’s ability to simply add and subtract, we force them into a sprint they’re not prepared for.

🎵 This song says: “Buhay ay 'di Karera”

I say: Let us give our youth not just lessons, but time—time to learn, to question, to grow.

Education must be a path to freedom, not a relay of burdens.

https://open.spotify.com/track/6xfsvHFXr8GgRzaFAkmjAY?si=KcUhMY_vS3OXnGzrrJv53w

Karera BINI · Karera · Song · 2023

A century ago, I warned of a Philippines shaped by foreign hands. Today, foreign-built AIs write our poems, pick our dates, and even diagnose our health. Are we once again spectators in our own future?

Must we remain mere users in a digital world we did not build?

I dreamed of a nation that governs itself. In this new age, that dream means mastering the code, not just consuming it.

𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙪𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙖. 𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙪𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨.

Mula noon hanggang ngayon, naniniwala ako:
Walang pananakop ang walang hanggan.

Hindi na Espanya ang humahawak sa kapangyarihan, ngunit ang hamon ay nananatili paano natin ginagamit ang ating kalayaan?

Sa panahong ito, ang pagiging malaya ay hindi lamang ang pagkawala ng dayuhang bandila. Ito ay ang malayang pag-iisip, pagdedesisyon, at pagkilos para sa bayan.

Sa bawat halalan, sa bawat protesta, sa bawat pagtindig para sa tama ipinapakita ng Pilipino na ang kalayaan ay buhay na pananagutan.

Kaya’t tandaan:
“Ang pananakop ay lumilipas. Ang diwang malaya, nananatili.”

“I said self-governance, not self-sabotage.”
“I wrote in 1889 that Filipinos could govern themselves.
I didn’t mean elect influencers with zero platform and three brand deals.”

Independence isn’t just waving a flag. It’s choosing leaders who know how to fold it with dignity.

🇵🇭 One Nation, One Dream

Progress is born from unity, not silence. 🛠️ Each honest act, every helping hand, every Filipino who stands for others is building a better tomorrow. Let us rise together for a nation that thrives. ✊

“What shall become of the Philippines a century hence?”
Today, I see the answer before me.

You—the children of my dream, born into the freedom we only dared to imagine—
you are the living proof that our sacrifices were not in vain.

Independence is not a relic to be remembered one day a year.
It is a duty to be lived—daily, bravely, and with honor.

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas.
Mabuhay ang sambayanang malaya, marangal, at mulat.

I gaze upon a nation not under foreign rule, yet still ruled by foreign ways—The battle for freedom did not end with flags and fireworks. It continues in the struggle for truth, dignity, and national soul.

𝓜𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓰𝓪𝔂𝓪𝓷𝓰 𝓐𝓻𝓪𝔀 𝓷𝓰 𝓚𝓪𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓪𝓪𝓷, 𝓶𝓰𝓪 𝓴𝓪𝓫𝓪𝓫𝓪𝔂𝓪𝓷. 🇵🇭

But let me ask you, kalayaan ba talaga ito? O alaala na lamang ng kalayaan?

We wave the flag, we post hashtags, we cheer for freedom once won.
But freedom is not a souvenir. It is not a parade we replay every June 12.
It is a responsibility to think, to act, and to build a nation that serves all Filipinos, not foreign masters.

If our economy is dictated by abroad,
If our culture is consumed more than created,
If our data is mined but our voices are ignored—
Then we are not free. We are managed.
We are still in chains, only now, they are made of code, contracts, and complacency.

Independence is not just about breaking free. It's about standing up every day to stay free.

So I ask you, my fellow Filipinos:
Don’t just remember independence—Reclaim it. Redefine it. Defend it. ✊

📜 RizzCents | Hot Takes from the 1800s
"The Philippines a Century Hence" Edition 🔥

🧠 “To educate is to liberate—but what happens when education becomes just memorization?”

Back in my time, I argued that the future of the Philippines depended on an awakened national consciousness. Education was the key to emancipation, not just from colonizers—but from ignorance, passivity, and fear.

Now?
Too many still treat learning like a checklist: memorize dates, pass the test, move on. 🇵🇭
But where’s the critical thinking? The questioning? The revolution of the mind?

Real education isn’t about high grades. It’s about high awareness.
Not “Who is Rizal?” but “Why did Rizal write this?”
Not “What happened?” but “What does this mean for us now?”

✨ A century later, the tools are here—books, internet, even AI.
But unless the soul awakens, we’re still colonized—by apathy, by systems that teach obedience over curiosity.

✊🏽 Liberation begins in the mind. Revolution starts in the classroom.

Sa pagdaan ng panahon, magigising ang mga anak ng bayan.

Sa bawat libro na binubuklat, sa bawat karanasang dala mula ibang bansa, at sa bawat pagtindig para sa tama unti-unting lumilinaw ang pagkatao ng Pilipino. Hindi tayo isinilang upang maging alipin. Tayo’y may dangal, may talino, at may kakayahang ipaglaban ang ating kinabukasan.

Kung ang pamahalaan ay salamin ng bayan, guguhit tayo ng isang gobyernong marangal mula sa isang sambayanang mulat at nagkakaisa.

🇵🇭 Ika nga: “Like people, like government.”