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Carlos Peña Romulo QSC CLH NA
Resident Commissioner to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Philippine Islands
In office August 10, 1944 – July 4, 1946
Personal details
Born	Carlos Peña Romulo 14 January 1898 Camiling, Tarlac, Captaincy General of the Philippines
Died	15 December 1985(1985-12-15) (aged 87) Manila, Philippines
Resting place	Libingan ng mga Bayani Metro Manila, Philippines
Alma mater	University of the Philippines Manila Columbia University
Profession	Diplomat, Parliamentarian
Awards	Purple Heart Silver Star
Website	carlospromulo.org
Military service
Allegiance	Philippines
Branch/service	Armed Forces of the Philippines (Reserve) commissioned to United States Army
Rank	Heneral ng Dibisyon (Major General)
Battles/wars	World War II

Carlos Peña Romulo

Carlos Peña Romulo, QSC CLH NA (14 January 1898 – 15 December 1985) was a Filipino diplomat, statesman, soldier, journalist and author. He was a reporter at 16, a newspaper editor by the age of 20, and a publisher at 32. He was a co-founder of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, a general in the US Army and the Philippine Army, university president, President of the UN General Assembly, was eventually named one of the Philippines' National Artists in Literature, and was the recipient of many other honors and honorary degrees. He was born in Camiling, Tarlac and he studied at the Camiling Central Elementary School during his basic education.

Early Career

Studying in the Philippines and the United States, Dr. Carlos Romulo became a professor of English at the University of the Philippines in 1923. Simultaneously, Romulo served as the secretary to the President of the Senate of the Philippines Manuel Quezon. During the 1930s, Romulo became the publisher and editor of The Philippines Herald, and one of his reporters was Yay Panlilio. At the start of WWII, Major Carlos Romulo served as an aide to General MacArthur, attaining the rank of general by the end of that war.

I am Filipino

I am an Filipino – inheritor of a glorious past, hostage to the uncertain future. As such, I must prove equal to a two-fold task – the task of meeting my responsibility to the past, and the task of performing my obligation to the future.

I am sprung from a hardy race – child many generations removed of ancient Malaya pioneers. Across the centuries, the memory comes rushing back to me: of brown-skinned men putting out to sea in ships that were as frail as their hearts were stout. Over the sea I see them come, borne upon the billowing wave and the whistling wind, carried upon the the mighty swell of hope – hope in the free abundance of the new land that was to be their home and their children forever.

This is the land they sought and found. Every inch of shore that their eyes first set upon, every hill and mountain that beckoned to them with a green and purple invitation, every mile of rolling plain that their view encompassed, every river and lake that promised a plentiful living and the fruitfulness of commerce is a hollowed spot to me.

By the strength of their hearts and hands, by every right of law, human and divine, this land and all the appurtenances thereof – the black and fertile soil, the seas and lakes and rivers teeming with fish, the forests with their inexhaustible wealth in wild and timber, the mountains with their bowels swollen with minerals – the whole of this rich and happy land has been for centuries without number, the land of my fathers. This land I received in trust from them, and in the trust will pass it to my children, and so on until the world is no more.

I am a Filipino. In my blood runs the immortal seed of heroes – a seed that flowered down the centuries in deeds of courage and defiance. In my veins yet pulses the same hot blood that sent Lapulapu to battle against the alien foe, that drove Diego Silang and Dagohoy into rebellion against the foreign oppressor,

That seed is immortal. It is the self-same seed that flowered in the heart of Jose Rizal that morning in Bagumbayan when a volley of shots put an end to all that was mortal of him and made his spirit deathless forever; the same that flowered in the hearts of Bonifacio in Balintawak, of Gregorio del Pilar at Tirad Pass, of Antonio Luna at Calumpit, that bloomed in flowers of frustration in the sad heart of Emilio Aguinaldo at Palanan, and yet burst forth royally again in the proud heart of Manuel L. Quezon when he stood at last on the threshold of ancient Malacanang Palace, in the symbolic act of possession and racial vindication.

The seed I bear within me is an immortal seed. It is the mark of my manhood, the symbol of my dignity as a human being. Like the seeds that were once buried in the tomb of Tutankhamen many thousands of years ago, it shall grow and flower and bear fruit again. It is the insigne of my race, and my generation is but a stage in the unending search of my people for freedom and happiness.

I am a Filipino, child of the marriage of the East and the West. The East, with its languor and mysticism, its passivity and endurance, was my mother, and my sire was the West that came thundering across the seas with the Cross the Sword and the Machine. I am of the East, an eager participant in its struggles for liberation from the imperialist yoke. But I know also that the East must awake from its centuries sleep, shake off the lethargy that has bound its limbs, and start moving where destiny awaits.

For I, too, am of the West, and the vigorous peoples of the West have destroyed forever the peace and quiet that once were ours. I can no longer live, a being apart from those whose world now trembles to the roar of bomb and cannon shot. For no man and no nation is an island, but a part of the main, and there is no longer any East and West – only individuals and nations making those momentous choices that are the hinges upon which history revolves.

At the vanguard of progress in this part of the world, I stand – a forlorn figure in the eyes of some, but not one defeated and lost. For through the thick, interlacing branches of habit and custom above me I have seen the light of the sun, and I know that it is good. I have seen the light of justice and equality and freedom, my heart has been lifted by the vision of democracy, and I shall not rest until my land and my people shall have been blessed by these, beyond the power of any man or nation to subvert or destroy.

I am a Filipino, and this is my inheritance. What pledge shall I give that I may prove worthy of my inheritance? I shall give the pledge that has come ringing down the corridors of the centuries and its hall be compounded of the joyous cries of my Malayan forebears when they first saw the contours of this land loom before their eyes, of the battle cries that have resounded in every field of combat from Mactan to Tirad Pass, of the voices of my people when they sing:

Land of the morning.

Child of the sun returning . . .

Ne’er shall invaders

Trample thy sacred shore.

Out of the lush green of these seven thousand isles, out of the heart-strings of sixteen million people all vibrating to one song, I shall weave the mighty fabric of my pledge. Out of the songs of the farmers at sunrise when they go to labor in the fields; out the sweat of the hard-bitten pioneers in Mal-ig and Koronadal; out of the silent endurance of stevedores at the piers and the ominous grumbling of peasants in Pampanga; out of the first cries of babies newly born and the lullabies that mothers sing; out of crashing of gears and the whine of turbines in the factories; out of the crunch of ploughs upturning the earth; out of the limitless patience of teachers in the classrooms and doctors in the clinics; out of the tramp of soldiers marching, I shall make the pattern of my pledge: I am a Filipino born of freedom, and I shall not rest until freedom shall have been added unto my inheritance – for myself and my children’s – forever.
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Historical Context

According to the work of Romulo, we are the successor of the past that our national heroes fought for centuries ago that became a part of our history. The history of the Philippines is made up of different events that are essential in understanding the present-day of the Philippines as a nation. "I am a Filipino inheritor of a glorious past."

Battle of Mactan

On April 27, 1521, the Battle of Mactan was fought in the Philippines. The warriors of Lapulapu, a native chieftain of Mactan Island, overpowered and defeated a Spanish force fighting for Rajah Humabon of Cebu under the command of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who was killed in the battle. The aftermath of the war resulted in the departure from the archipelago of the Spanish crew and postponed the Spanish colonization of the Philippines by 44 years before the conquest by Miguel López de Legazpi in 1564–65.

The Battle of Bangkusay

The battle of Bangkusay Channel in Tondo, Manila, the Philippines on June 3, 1571, said to be the last resistance by the natives to the Spanish Empire's occupation and colonization of Pasig River delta, which is considered to be the site of the local regulations of Rajahnate of Maynila and Tondo. The battle where the Spanish triumphs, Tondo became the territory under the Spanish era.

Rebellion of Dagohoy

The Dagohoy rebellion is the longest in the history of the Philippines. Led by Francisco Dagohoy or Fransisco Sendrijas the rebellion took roughly 85 years in the Island of Bohol.

The Revolt of Diego Silang

The Revolt of Diego Silang left an impact on Philippine history. Revel leader with a high level of bravery, Diego Silang who was contained of hatred from the Spanish taxation and abuses. Together with the British forces to invalidate the Spanish rule in the Northern Philippines and planned an independent Ilocano State.

Battle of Tirad Pass

On December 2, 1899, the Battle of Tirad Pass is the battle between Filipino and American Soldiers. President Emilio Aguinaldo ordered General Gregorio del Pilar to lead the defense of Tirad Pass. General del Pilar commanded 60 Filipino soldiers to conditioned themselves on top of the mountain and fired all American Soldiers who coming nearer. This caused the American Soldiers to delay their actions, but this didn’t stop them. The American Soldiers stationed themselves on a nearby range and started firing on Filipino soldiers. In the aftermath of this, a lot of Filipino soldiers died during the battle, and only a few American soldiers suffered. But still, the Filipino soldiers were able to accomplish their purpose of letting President Aguinaldo escape safely towards the north.

The Death of Jose Rizal in Bagumabayan

On December 30, 1896, Dr. Jose P. Rizal was convicted to death and executed by firing squad. He was shot in the back near his heart, as he requested, by Native or the Filipino soldiers at Bagumbayan, also known as the Luneta or Rizal Park in Manila, because of the rebellion against the Spanish government in the Philippines and the accusation on the political conspiracy and sedition.

Cry of Pugad Lawin

On August 23, 1896, Supremo Andres Bonifacio commanded his men to bring out their cedulas (community tax certificate) and tear it into pieces to show and symbolized their defiance against the colonizers. The troops of Supremo obediently tore up their cedulas and shouted the words, "Long live the Philippines!" And it was the start of the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonization that called the Cry of Pugad Lawin or the Cry of Balintawak.

The Capture of Aguinaldo in Palanan, Isabela

March 23, 1901, in Philippine history, General Emilio Aguinaldo was captured by the Americans. Led by General Frederick Funston with the help of macabebe scouts, in the Palanan, Isabela.

POLITICAL CONTEXT

Political Context from Romulo’s literature constitutes historical acts of Filipinos as proof of their patriotism to the country. Part of them is the government reorganization of Manuel L. Quezon, which provided full independence for the Philippines 10 years after the creation of a constitution and the establishment of a Commonwealth government that would be the forerunner of an independent republic. "Manuel L. Quezon stood at last on the threshold of ancient Malacañan Palace, in the symbolic act of possession and racial vindication."

According to a political rival, Quezon possessed ability and persistence that are rare and creditable to any representative in any parliament in the world. Quezon was wary of instant democracy wherefore he worked diligently in the United Stated to secure his country a greater degree of autonomy from the House of Representatives.

Quezon privately faced the President and powerful committee chairman alike, assessing the issues and crafting legislative solutions, which culminated in his political victory, the Jones Act of 1916. “Considering the time I have been here, the character of the subject, and the influences I had to fight, I feel inclined to say that I am almost surprised that I have secured so much,”

CULTURAL CONTEXT

There are a lot of things that are unique about Filipinos. For one thing, it is about our culture. In the work of Romulo, it mentioned several Filipino cultures that make us different from the rest of the world.

Courage and defiance

"I am a Filipino. In my blood runs the immortal seed of heroes the seed that flowered down the centuries in deeds of courage and defiance. In my veins yet pulses the same hot blood that sent Lapulapu to battle against the first invader of this land, that nerved Lakandula in the combat against the alien foe, that drove Diego Silang and Dagohoy into rebellion against the foreign oppressor."

Courage and defiance lie within the core of Filipino values. This quality that Carlos P. Romulo described is visible within his work. As Filipino heroes fight for their land, as Lapu-Lapu fought against the first invaders on this land, their sense of Freedom nerved them to fight for the Philippines.

Filipino resiliency

"Out of the lush green of these seven thousand isles, out of the heartstrings of sixteen million people all vibrating to one song, I shall weave the mighty fabric of my pledge. Out of the songs of the farmers at sunrise when they go to labor in the fields, out of the sweat of the hard-bitten pioneers in Mallig and Koronadal, out of the silent endurance of stevedores at the piers and the ominous grumbling of peasants in Pampanga, out of the first cries of babies newly born and the lullabies that mothers sing, out of the crashing of gears and the whine of turbines in the factories, out of the crunch of plough-shares upturning the earth, out of the limitless patience of teachers in the classrooms and doctors in the clinics, out of the tramp of soldiers marching"

Filipinos are known as the most resilient people in the world. Filipinos have the exceeding ability to survive from all sorts of challenges despite being ruled under a foreign power.

Rich in Natural Resources

"This is the land they sought and found. Every inch of shore that their eyes first set upon, every hill and mountain that beckoned to them with a green-and-purple invitation, every mile of rolling plain that their view encompassed, every river and lake that promised a plentiful living and the fruitfulness of commerce, is a hallowed spot to me."

The Philippines is full of many valuable materials. Also a land of rich natural resources that help to sustain the nation and make it an important economy in the region. Those natural resources are the pride of our country and it is where most of the population of Filipino people depends on.

Bravery

"That seed is immortal. It is the self-same seed that flowered in the heart of Jose Rizal that morning in Bagumbayan when a volley of shots put an end to all that was mortal of him and made his spirit deathless forever; the same that flowered in the hearts of Bonifacio in Balintawak, of Gregorio del Pilar at Tirad Pass, of Antonio Luna at Calumpit, that bloomed in flowers of frustration in the sad heart of Emilio Aguinaldo at Palanan"

The bravery of Filipinos will always be the most significant Filipino culture that most Filipinos conform to as we all know how our fellow Filipino heroes fought for our freedom against the foreign. Being brave enough to fight without thinking about their own lives just to free our land from the hands of foreign oppressors. After centuries, we were able to call our land our own country and that is all because the national heroes of this nation wholeheartedly fought for our country with bravery. Their bravery gave us independence and freedom.