MANILA -- Senator Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday backed President Rodrigo R. Duterte's proposal to rename the country.
Lacson said the name "Philippines" is a constant reminder of King Philip II of Spain and our 300-year colony status.
"I may have to agree with PRRD on the possibility to change our country's name. Philippines will always remind us of King Philip II of Spain, our colonizer for three centuries," Lacson said in a message to reporters.
"While the colonization brought out the best in our ancestors and taught us their valiance and heroism, those 300 years also influenced our culture and attitude as a people and which we cannot claim as originally our own," he added.
Duterte first suggested changing the country’s name on Monday, agreeing with former president Ferdinand Marcos' proposal to rename it into "Maharlika".
“Actually, tama si Marcos. Panahon ni Marcos, tama talaga si Marcos. Gusto niya palitan. Maharlika (Actually, Marcos was right. During Marcos’ time, he was really right. He wanted to change it to Maharlika). The Republic of Maharlika because Maharlika is a Malay word and it means more of a concept of serenity and peace,” Duterte said in a speech in Buluan, Maguindanao.
Lacson said Maharlika, without the politics involved, "sounds like truly ours", noting that he would be "proud to be a Maharlikan."
Senate President Vicente Sotto III, meanwhile, said Duterte might just be expressing an "idea," adding that renaming the country would entail "too many implications." (PNA)
