Double Ten Isn't Taiwan's Birthday

It's often a mistake for people to think that Double Ten is Taiwanese independence day. Actually, it was December 7, 1949, which was when Taipei became the capital of Taiwan. Instead, the real history of Double Ten can be

From the Taiwanese Community Center, we can read this interesting tidbit about Double Ten and why it still matters for Taiwan:

So what is this holiday all about?
October 10th is Taiwan National Day, but it is not Taiwan’s birthday.
Instead, it commemorates October 10, 1911, which was the start of an event called the Wuchang Uprising in China. This uprising led to the Xinhai Revolution which brought about the fall of the Qing (Ching) Dynasty, the end of the Chinese dynasties, and the founding of the Republic of China in 1912.
At this time, Taiwan had been under the rule of the Empire of Japan since 1895, and it was not until the end of World War Two in 1945 that Japan was forced to relinquish control of the island to the Republic of China.
Meanwhile, back on the Mainland, things were not going so well for the government of the Republic of China. They were fighting the Chinese Communist Party in the Chinese Civil War on and off between 1927 and 1949. Eventually, the government of the Republic of China lost control of the mainland and retreated to the island of Taiwan.
October 10th is still observed on the Mainland by the People’s Republic of China as the Anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution, but in Taiwan, it has become National Day — a day where pride in Taiwanese identity is celebrated across the island.

Hare are more details on the Wuchang Uprising and the Xinhai Revolution from OFTaiwan:

Wuchang uprising marks the start of the end of the Chinese dynasties. Unhappy with the Manchu controlled Qing dynasty, revolutionaries in China were gathering to overthrow the Qing dynasty. Amongst these revolutionaries was Dr. Sun Yet-Sen, who helped found the Tongmenghui (同盟會.) Sun Yet-Sen spent much of his time overseas trying to get funding for the uprising. This was also because Sun was exiled from China since a previous Guangzhou uprising (1895.)
After many provinces ceded from the Qing Dynasty, Sun returned to China and was elected the first president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of China on Jan 1, 1912.
The end of the Qing Dynasty was finalized with the last emperor Puyi abdicating his throne on Feb 12, 1912.

The Taiwanese were celebrating the end of the corrupt Qing Dynasty instead of liberation from the Communist Party of China (CPC). The theme of the fall of the Qing Dynasty may be a popular theme in Taiwanese entertainment and Chinese entertainment. It's akin to how Filipinos celebrate June 12 as liberation from Spain day. I guess the Taiwanese have more sentimental value to the fall of the Qing than the fall of the Empire of Japan or independence from the Chinese government.

The 1986 Snap Elections Would Also Disprove the Myth of the "Marcos Parliament"

Anti-charter change proponents love to use Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. among their reasons, to defend their stand. The argument is that "charter change must be evil" because Marcos used it--a fallacy of Guilt by Association . Please, even Atty. Maria Leonor Gerona-Robredo's supporter Andrew James Masigan supports charter change! Now, we must look at Marcos and remember another significant event. It's the 1986 snap elections and why it's also proof that we never had a parliamentary form of government. February 7, 1986, was when Marcos declared snap elections. Two years before the snap election, Marcos even declared that the Philippines was never a parliamentary government under him : The adoption of certain aspects of a parliamentary system in the amended Constitution does not alter its essentially presidential character . Article VII on the Presidency starts with this provision: ‘the President shall be the Head of State and Chief Executive of the Republic of the Ph...

Facts vs. Gossip: The "Chona Mae" Incident is Proof You NEED to Verify What You Hear

It was in 2012 when the Chona Mae incident happened. I remember the panic when people were running the opposite direction while I was working at Downtown, Cebu. The traffic was bad. People were panikcing. But the real twist? It was actually a father looking for his daughter, whose identity we may never know. The Cebu Daily News said this last 2022, which was before entering the post-COVID world: CEBU CITY, Philippines — It has been a decade since the famous “Chona Mae” line was uttered by a father looking for her daughter after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the island of Cebu, February 6, 2012 . From what was a simple call of a father to his daughter turned out to be the biggest tsunami scare in Cebu City. “Ang tubig naa na sa Colon!” ("The Water is already in Colon!") was the line that has gotten everyone running on the street of Cebu looking for shelters up in the mountain parts of Cebu. Today, we remember that frightful yet somehow funny day that w...

Why I Believe So Many Filipinos (Especially Boomers) Misunderstand (and Blindly Oppose) Charter Change

Okay, I'm no political analyst or historian. That doesn't mean I should just shut up and not share my opinion. I felt like I needed to publish this piece. This is where I want to examine another issue. I've noticed some people on Facebook are sharing the quotes of Atty. Hilario G. Davide Jr. Some would try to do Ad Hominem attacks on me because I'm no constitutionalist (which I admit that I'm not). Just because I'm not a constitutionalist, doesn't mean, that I can't quote from the experts . Do I really need a degree in law at one of those prestigious universities in the Philippines? Sadly, some people are supposedly smarter than me but are the ones spreading nonsense. Understanding charter change We need to see the definition first to understand why so many Filipinos, especially boomers , are so against it. The Philippine Star gives this definition of charter change: Charter change, simply, is the process of introducing amendments or revisions to the ...

Learning About Chinese Dialects

As I look back on my college days, I recall learning more about Chinese history in a Chinese Language Class elective. Yes, it was going back to Grade 1 Chinese, but doing Grade 1 Chinese right. I looked at this video and thought of China's many dialects. A dialect is defined by the Oxford dictionary as, "a particular form of a language which is peculiar to a specific region or social group." The subject was taught in English, not requiring students to learn Hokkien first, and it was how the Chinese school system should've been. Most Chinese Filipinos (like myself) are Hokkien speakers. Amoy is known as Xiamen today, a coastal city of the Fujian Province. I was shocked to learn there are many different types of Chinese, such as Cantonese (used in Hong Kong), and I wasn't shocked to learn that Hainan and Hakka are other dialects in China. Similar to Filipino, China has several languages too! In the Philippines, we have Tagalog, Cebuano, Kapampangan, Waray, and Hilig...

A Parliamentary Philippines with Mandatory Weekly Questioning Will Be Better Than Its Mandatory Yearly Presidential SONAs

Rappler I must admit that ignorance of the difference between the parliamentary system vs. the presidential system is there. Some people still insist on the myth that the first Marcos Administration headed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s late father, Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., was really a parliamentary system. In reality. the Marcos "parliamentary" years during the Martial Law era, were still presidential (read why here ). A simple research would show that Cesar Virata was called by the late Lee Kuan Yew, as a non-starter and no leader. LKY would know how a real parliamentary system works. Sure, it's one thing that those who consider themselves Dilawan, voice their criticisms. However, the big problem of the Dilawans is their focus on political idolatry rather than solutions. I can talk with the Dilawans all they want that we do need to shift to the parliamentary system and some of them still cry foul, say that it'll be a repetition of the first Marcos Admi...

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