A Letter from USA
by JanielleDL
Dear Philippines
Still remember me? You probably wouldn’t. We are that populated to know every name of your habitant. I’m Janielle, eighteen years old. We met on fifth of June in the year 1995. I really am pleased to be with you. Though you are not beautiful in the eyes of many, to me you are wonderful. Remember when I first recited your anthem? I really don’t know what it means. I t was just a heavy responsibility whenever I sing that in school. When I was younger, I always mistaken the title as Bayang Magiliw. Silly me. I don’t to fully understand every word of it. Now that I am in another land, I can now sing that with true emotions. How about Panatang Makabayan? Ahem. I also memorized it because my teacher told me so, and because I’m obliged to recite it in the ceremony.
You have lots of treasure. Actually, I left my precious gems there: My quality friends who are hard to find. My land where I found a true God. My principle which I carve by my experiences and learnings. They are so limited edition. I can’t find it elsewhere. But I left them behind with my being Filipino dying away.
You know what? I feel so regretful today. I took you for granted. I even told myself that you are a hopeless case. You are corrupt and selfish. You snatched so much of what I deserve to have. You let me hate you. Little did I know that I am the culprit here. As your citizen, I let everybody else snatched what’s yours. I am a selfish human who migrated to other country to search my own opportunity. I let you die by leaving you behind to greedy alligators. I killed you softly by doing nothing. I never act. I lose my chances on you because I thought there’s no answer to every problem. Never did I know that I am the answer of this crisis. I am the solution.
I learned a lot from you. But looks like I’m using it for the benefits of the country I chose to live in. See how the way I talk now. I learned it from you. I know from the start you will never know me as your people. I use a foreigner’s language. By the looks of it, I am like a traitor now. Looks like I’ve never been proud of our language, huh? No. I don’t think so. Pinagmamalaki ko na Pinoy ako. But people all over the world won’t understand. So I will shout again, I am proud to be Pinoy!
Dear Philippines, will you ever wait for me. Please don’t die away. Don’t lose hope unlike what I did. I will explore this land and see what will make this answer be the best. We will stand and will never fall again.
See you soon!
Very sincerely yours, not theirs,
Janielle Grace De Leon
