Why not a new name for the Philippines?

Our country was named after King Philip II of Spain. Hence, we are called Filipinos in honor of the king of Spain.

I personally believe we should aspire to eliminate the last symbol of servitude and oppression that our national hero, Jose Rizal, had chronicled in his writings.

If we review our history, we would know that we belong to the Malay race, like our Asian neighbors Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

Malaysia has even accorded honor to Rizal, describing him as the pride of the Malay race.

To eradicate the last symbol of bondage to Spain, we should replace the name Philippines with a name that truly represents our real race as Malays.

The Thai people have named their country Thailand.

We could name our country “Malayaland,” which means “free land.” Or we could adopt the word “united,” similar to the United Arab Emirates, and be known as “United Malayaland,” since we are an archipelago.

This way, the name of the king of Spain, whose expeditionary force had colonized our country and oppressed our ancestors for over 300 years, will be expunged from our race and nation.

ILDEFONSO G. FALLA, [email protected]