Are we brave enough to learn? Do we know what it takes to be brave amidst the tense heat that strikes down upon us? The sun rises. For us, it is another day to look forward to, but for those who defended our motherland, it was a scarcity. Do you remember valor, and for what it stood for, more than just a holiday?
The Day of Valor, where the stories of the bravest are inked in history and honored by heart. Beyond being a holiday, it serves as a reminder to every Filipino that resilience lies in our undying commitment to protecting our sovereignty. As a student myself, I only saw its surface during our history classes back then—for it was a symbol of hope for future generations, a day-to-day reminder. But do we possess their valor, even without bearing arms? To that I say: yes. For valor is not only remembered, but it is measured through sacrifice.
Sacrifice goes a long way in how people view it. For most of us, we mention time and how it is sacrificed for something to reap. In the view of the Day of Valor, it was an event depicted through images of starving soldiers, forced marches under the Sun, and the stories we recall from the Battle of Bataan, which led to the suffering that followed. However, no act of sacrifice from the bravest of men can exist without the cost of time.
Time is limited and not always guaranteed, so that one day, we may not see the light of day. What if I don't get to fulfill my dreams? What if my family didn't know I passed? And many more of these 'what ifs.' The same would then go to the soldiers of the past. For many of them, the dreams were similar to ours: a future rich and fulfilling, one filled with vigor.
It may seem bold to compare a journalist like me, who only wields a pen, to a soldier who carries with him a rifle he mustn’t drop. Yet both are called to defend something greater than themselves. The soldier protects the nation’s borders; the journalist protects its truth: both face threats—one in the open battlefield, the other in the shadows of silence. Valor, then, is not confined to war, but it lives wherever courage chooses to reside.
But where our stories part ways is in what each new day brings. For us, the light signals opportunity. It is bright, embodying the boldness of a new day to look forward to. For them, it meant another day to endure—to survive, not simply to live. It was a day not to fight for the country, but to let the day linger for another tomorrow.
It does not take much of our time to read this column, nor would it mean causing havoc. But our insights from this event allow us to analyze the parallels of when our worlds collide. It is not merely about surface-level celebration, but about allowing ourselves to understand how history unravels. A holiday does not require bloodshed nor a grand recognition, but only that of nationalism that refuses to falter amidst all odds. We are brave enough to learn it now, and it should be the case by the end of the day. Now the question remains, not for today, but for every day that follows: Do you remember valor?
