The Nation, the Heroes and the People; Unity and Fight for Freedom

HIST 1 - A                                                                Prof. David Dwight Diestro

The Nation, the Heroes and the People; Unity and Fight for Freedom

        We attended a forum about “Wenceslao Q. Vinzons: the Hero the Nation Forgot” by Efren M. Yambot. The topic was interesting and knowledgable, especially because I have no idea about it. Jose Rizal if very famous, while Wenceslao Q. Vinzons is not as famous as Jose Rizal is. Wenceslao Q. Vinzons was a Filipino politician and was a leader of a guerrilla group against the Japanese during World War II. He was one of the people who organized and started to first resistance group against the Japanese Imperial Army. And even thought he is not as famous as Rizal is, Vinzons was still a hero for everything that he sacrificed and do for his country. Vinzons is a talented person. He was a writer. He wrote stories like Bontoc, it was about a young man who has a conflict to his father, and the story of Bayang Manase. He was a valedictorian in a local school. He went to Manila to study in the University of the Philippines Diliman. He was a member of a fraternity called, Upsilon Sigma Phi.. As Mr. Yambot said, “He was one of the most colorful, storied, legendary student activist during his time.” He became a leader and was an editor in chief of the Philippine Collegian. He was also the first president of the college of editor’s guild. He was a captain of the debating team of the University of the Philippines and he was the most victorious. He was awarded with a gold medal award by Manuel L. Quezon because of his intelligence.

        The speaker, Mr. Efren M. Yambot, hypothesized that, “what Vinzons started is not the guerilla's war, but the people's war against Japanese.” It was the people's war for independence. Also, Mr. Efren said that, “Every citizen is a soldier.” I believe that this line is meaningful. I believe that it tells about the unity of the people of a country. This means that if people would unify, we can protect our country and each other. We can win the war of independence and freedom. Vinzons is a hero and he is different from other heroes. What he started was great, the guerrilla movement set ablaze to become the FIlipino People’s War against the Japanese. He helped a lot for us to have our freedom and for the Filipino citizens to become united.