“Nationalism may not be easy to attain, but it is the ultimate key to a rising nation.”


Each day, so much Filipinos ask, “Why is it that the government can’t pull us up from the economy we have today? Why can’t we improve as efficient as China, Japan or Singapore?” I believe that there is only one answer to this problem. It is that Nationalism’s presence nowadays isn’t as strong and powerful as it was during the past.

First of all, nationalism is the heart of a nation. Without nationalism, a nation would not really be a nation. It is what keeps a nation alive and maturing. Unfortunately though, nationalism isn’t just as present as before due to so much other things in the political and economic government ruining it. Poverty is very much president in our lives, and when you think it can’t get any worse, corruption tags along. How can a nation’s economy grow when it is burdened with so much of these? Furthermore, why do the us, Filipinos even allow these to weaken our nationalism? Why is it that we don’t strengthen our nationalism and just prevent poverty, corruption, and other unlawful acts to occur?

Nationalism may come from several acts, but all of them do a big help to the entire nation. All of us has the capacity to show nationalism. All of us can show true devotion to our nation. It is just that others don’t get to live it out as much yet.
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Nowadays, people tend to underestimate the Philippines. Even Filipinos sometimes think that the Philippines would always be how it is now. Those who think this way are WRONG. Our nation can still improve and it will if only all the citizens would show their nationalism to lift our economy. As Filipinos, we should always think of our nation and how to help it get rid of the current problems it is facing. We should always keep in mind that all sorts of actions can affect our nation. Whether it is something we notice or not, lots of acts could be hurting our own nation. An example of this would be littering, stealing, and more. There are so much cases of tourists losing their possessions here in the Philippines. Do we really want that? These actions actually play a big role on the reputation of our country, and at this rate, we may even lose a number of tourists coming to the Philippines. Do we want all the foreigners to think that the Filipinos are thefts especially that our country relies a lot on our tourism. A lot of our actions can affect our tourism. It just depends on whether we choose to improve it or not. We should all try to improve our country and keep in mind that whatever we do, may affect our country and its state. Proper disposing of waste may be a simple act, but it can really boost our tourism. What more if all the Filipinos would unite and together, take our tourism to a whole new level?​

In the present times, there are also so much graduates who chooses to work abroad. Even worse, usually these are the ones who are really skilled in their specialties. This is usually because most believe that their life would be better in other countries. But then, what if they believed that they could bring the “better life” here in the Philippines? Just imagine how much improvement there could be if all those who are not working abroad used their skills for the Philippines. If all our good doctors, engineers, etc. would just go to another country when they graduate, how will our own economy improve? This is why nationalism is vital for our country to progress nowadays. These people need nationalism for them to be able to give everything they could to help the Philippines progress. They must believe that the Philippines could give its citizens this “better life”. They must learn nationalism so that they could realize that their nation has the capacity to be just as good as the others in the world if they all really try. If all Filipinos would choose to work in the same nation where they grew up, developed their own values and culture, the Philippines may soon attain the level and respect our fellow Asian nations such as Japan, and Singapore currently have.

Nationalism isn’t also only the actions you do for your nation, it’s also the spirit and support you give. When all the Filipinos get to find that love for the Philippines deep inside their hearts, our nation will soon be a nation efficiently rising. Filipinos would be proud of their nation’s culture and values that stand out among the other people in the world. We will all be able to brag about our Jeepneys, Festivals, Cuisine, and more. Instead of being shy to be Filipinos, our fellow countrymen may be able to shout to the world that they are proud to be Filipinos. With this, us Filipinos may also regain that strong unity and bond that we have. If before, the Filipinos had the single goal of receiving freedom, today we may have that single goal of rising together without whole nation.

If we really strive to be one with our nation and to stick by it whatever happens, surely our economy will improve. If so much Filipinos become willing to sacrifice for our nation putting our nation first always, our economy will grow with no doubt. The Philippines with such a nice environment full of wonderful natural resources being taken cared of, a lively city wherein you may enjoy both day and night without rest and incredible varieties of food pleasing everyone who are lucky to get a taste of them will surely attract so much investors from other countries. The Philippines may soon be recognized by countries half across the world. The Philippines may be able to welcome different well known companies willing to build a business in our nation. With this, Philippines may not only be seen as a nation with amazing local brands, but also as a nation with the most popular international brands. Also, the local brands may use these international brands to give them inspiration to improve their own products or better yet, try to aim for other countries just like the international brands. The welcoming of international brands to the Philippines may look like replacing our local brands, but actually, it may help our local brands to improve. If the local brands really do get to improve, the foreigners might even consider their products just as good as the international brands. With this, they may also realize that their are other products in the Philippines that are worthy of being in the “international level”. These include our different varieties of fruits such as mangoes, durians, etc. Here, we could see how far a nation could really go just because of the nationalism of its people.

Yes, it may be really hard to have pure devotion and love to our nation, but it is still very possible. Everyone has the ability to influence and to share their knowledge about how nationalism may be the one that’s lacking for us to efficiently improve the economy of the Philippines. It may take time for most Filipinos to finally find that love for the Philippines, but it’ll surely pay off. Anyone can start the change and inspire others. Any Filipino will bring a big help in achieving this ultimate goal of improving our nation.

Be proud, for you come from the rising nation, the Philippines.