I’M saying this as we are experiencing one of the most politically divisive periods in decades, with mighty China just watching and many of us wondering if there will ever be a time when all of us, regardless of political views and even temporarily will unite to fight a mighty enemy.

This bring me to again to that thing called ‘patriotism’ which really must be enthusiastically embraced by Filipinos of all colors, religion, age and stature. It’s time for all of us to know and embrace what real patriotism is amid the challenging times.

Patriotism has been described as the love and respect for one’s country, the feeling of attachment and commitment to the motherland. Patriotism and ‘nationalism’ which is loyalty to one’s nation’ are often taken to be synonymous with each other although the latter is said to have had its origins some 2,000 years prior to the rise of nationalism in the 19th century.

Filipinos really have always been obsessed with the idea of heroism, nationalism and patriotism but do we know the so-called ’politics of patriotism,’? Do we need to be like any hero in the past like the martyred Jose Rizal or the brave Andres Bonifacio just to be a patriot?

Thru this piece, I would like to cite many things to show patriotism. As they always say, true patriotism lies not only when you love The Philippines but when you also actively work to uplift and empower other people, when you become a catalyst of positive change and really make a difference to leave a lasting impact on everybody.

Patriotism means embodying its spirit in thoughts, words and actions so that the future generations will have a much brighter future. But again, it will depend on how ever Filipino defines patriotism? Questions i would like to ask are the following: Do we really know our country’s real history? Second, are we really interested on various issues that affect our motherland and are willing to stand up for those issues?

In his popular booklet “12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country,’ Alexander Lacson, a poet-lawyer, businessman and civil society leader enumerated 12 small things every Filipino needs to follow to change our country.

1st is about simply following the traffic rules and the law since thru it, we show our love for others. 2nd is asking for a receipt whenever we buy anything as it means more funds for the government and helps strengthen the value of peso.

3rd is by buying local products, buying Filipino and not the smuggled one. 4th is by speaking positively about us and our country among other nations. In short, we speak of how proud we are as Filipinos.

5th is by respecting public servants, our men in uniform. By treating and looking at them with dignity, our public servants will also look at themselves with dignity. 6th is by simply being sensitive to our environment, by properly disposing our garbage, by not littering and seeing to it that we help keep our country beautiful and clean, not turning our streets, rivers and canals into big trash bins.

7th is by supporting our churches since by doing so, we also repay the Lord Almighty for all the blessing He is giving us. 8th is by doing our solemn duty during elections which means voting wisely all the time and choosing our right leaders and not depending on popularity and promises alone.

9th is paying the employees well since they deserve to receive the right salary. 10th is paying taxes properly and on time to help the government and the people., 11th is by adopting a scholar or a poor child if we can afford it. By doing so, we help provide them a much better future.

And 12th and last but not the least, by seeing to it that all of us will be good parents to our kids who we refer to as our ‘nation’s hope.’ By doing so, we really help change our country’s future.

I also read another article about how to be a Filipino patriot. It is basically the same as that of Lacson’s tips but merely enumerated seven things: Respect the Philippine flag and value the Filipino. identity. Be a productive citizen. Be aware of issues in our country. Stand proud for every Filipino achievement. Patronize and support our own products. Preserve the Filipino culture. Respect everyone and value our traditions. Speak out our own language.

For me, patriotism also means showing affection, embracing others in times of needs. If we can do small acts of kindness every day, why not?

However, other well-intentioned government officials have told me patriotism also means having the willingness to sacrifice for the good of the country and to oppose those who would threaten it, whether they are foreign or domestic.

We can also show our patriotism to our country by keeping our government informed of illegal activities in our communities. While writing this piece, it has been a common knowledge that Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro had already said his warning about China’s intrusions in the country.

“If we don’t stop [them], China is going to creep and creep into what is within our sovereign jurisdiction, our sovereign rights, and within our territory,” says an electronic billboard along EDSA which Teodoro said was paid for by a Filipino-Chinese supporter.

The Defense chief said he “does not owe any explanation to “foreign entities.” “This a country that prides itself and cherishes freedom of speech. What I said was the truth, and if the truth hurts, so be it,” said the official who has unleashed a salvo of attacks against China over its actions in the West Philippine Sea which it insist it its own, citing a 10-dash line which used to be a nine-dash line.

There lies our problems. Note the presence of numerous Chinese mainlanders who can’t speak English and Filipino but were discovered to be already carrying Philippine passports they have acquired by paying rogue government contacts to get genuine clearances and registration papers. Their presence were discovered amid a widely-read post of former Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Raffy Alunan regarding the alleged presence of ‘Chinese sleeper cells’ in the country.

Add to it the never-ending CPP/NPA problem in the country. The over 5-decades old leftist insurgency in the country which has left tens of thousands of people dead, many of them soldiers and policemen and innocent civilians and armed rebels alike has also sparked calls for more Filipino ‘patriots’ in the real sense of the word or we end up in the doldrums like other impoverished and war-torn countries in Asia and Africa.