Imagine if the President of the United States had proposed to change the name of the country after the many years it has gone by The United States of America. It may sound outrageous, but that is exactly what the president of the Philippines has done.
In February, the Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte proposed changing the name of the country to “Maharlika,” which translates to nobility in English from Malay, according to The National.
Maharlika was a term popularized by late-Philippines president, Ferdinand Marcos, who related the word to royalty. It was also Marcos’ name for the guerrilla unit Marcos claimed to lead against the Japanese forces during 1942-1944, according to a 1986 report by the New York Times.
According to CNN Philippines, the idea was not originally his, but he agreed with the late-Philippines president in changing the name of the country.
The reason for the agreement was to “assert [the Philippines’] national identity” and take back the country fully from its Spanish colonizers who named it the “Philippines.”
For some, the name change is a prideful seize of the country back to the people who claimed it from the Spaniards.
However for others, changing the name is a disrespect to the culture and tradition that has been standing for so many years under the name, the Philippines.
Business marketing senior and Filipino-American CeeJay Fangonilo reflected on what he called the rich history the country has gone through since Spanish colonization in the 16th century.
“We were colonized and it was not pretty to say the least, but the beauty of it all is that the name, ‘Philippines,’ has so much history and that’s what it makes it uniquely us,” Fangonilo said. “Our people take so much pride in our country name and when you take that name away, you take everything away.”
Multiple organizations support the representation of Filipino-Americans on campus, including the sorority Alpha Kappa Omicron, which raises its members based on the history, traditions and culture of the Philippines.
Pre-nursing senior and the sorority’s cultural chair, Nessa Diamante, believes that using a Malay word to reclaim the country’s identity from Spanish colonizers is unrepresentative of its roots. So if Duterte were to change the name, he should use a traditional Tagalog word.
“I do not find the proposal disrespectful, but more so unnecessary,” she said. “At this point in history the Philippines was named after King Philip II of Spain for almost half a century.”
There are no formal plans currently to change the name because of an extended process of rewriting the constitution, but Duterte has expressed his interest in revisiting the name, according to The Straits Times.
Akbayan, one of the largest cultural clubs on campus, reminds students of all backgrounds why the Filipino culture should be represented with pride.
According to its Facebook page, the club serves more than 2000 members and hosts numerous events that allow students to get in touch with Filipino culture.
Public health sophomore and Akbayan member Christian John Aurelio pointed out the current state of the Philippines, and how a name change should not be prioritized over the other issues it faces.
“In the Philippines right now they have high poverty rates, unstable agriculture and high levels of difference between the rich and the poor,” Aurelio said, “I would instead educate our youth about it and tell them the struggles of our country’s name.”
