republic vs democracy

November 5 is a double whammy personally. It is voting day in the USA - my alternative homeland. And back in the island of my birth - Cinco de Noviembre marks a defining time in our nationalistic history. 

A golf buddy of my dad once hilariously claimed, "high tech, low tech - basta abtik!" That is the famous Bisaya mindset encapsulated in a nutshell. Blast them with bravado, coated in self-deprecating charm. Abtik is a Bisaya term that means all of these - agile, nimble, spry, quick. 

historical holiday celebration

Alive, agile, active, audacious. Definitely not one to sit back and be passive or invisible in the background. Bold, brazen, blatant, brave. You get the gist - no need to complete our alphabet. 

In western parlance - we would say, chutzpah. That would come the closest to capturing the feeling of the rebellion that led to our island's liberation from Spanish rule. A powder keg moment that grew into a movement and the Negrense liberation for three glorious months. 

Negros Island history & holiday

Cinco de Noviembre was and remains a significant period in Negros history - the day that hacienderos and sakadas [sugarcane workers] fought together in battle. Its commemoration honors the countless [mostly nameless] sugar workers, heroes nonetheless. The celebration of Al Cinco de Noviembre recollects the ideals of these heroes and remains a proud moment for Negrenses.

The revolution resulted in the establishment of the Republic of Negros - forming the foundation for both the Negros Island Region [excluding Siquijor, which was once part of Negros Oriental] and a future federal district. 

Until American forces landed on February 2, 1899 - and, unopposed, annexed to the rest of the country on April 20, 1901, under American rule. A collaboration that lasted until the nation gained its independence on July 4, 1946. 

voting 2024 in the USA

These countries remain closely connected all these years later - contentious as this collaboration may be. As the world watches we are all invested one way or another in this 2024 USA election. 

We are all witness to a four-year campaign that has degraded trust in the election system and led voters to lose faith in the election process- a real and big concern. There are a number of really excellent election officials who are putting out good information that will walk folks through the process of how their vote gets cast and counted. 

Information that can dispel some of the fear and anxiety that voters may have about this process. Hopefully, American will not need to resort to the cunning subterfuge of history's Negrenses - to hold on to its democracy.