Roger Bantiles
MAPHILINDO stood for Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia the seeds of the idea for MAPHILINDO and the homeland of the Malayan race were planted by Wenceslao Vinzons during the Comonwealth period. Pres. Manuel Quezon helped to nurture and developed it further by elaborating his vision of Malaya Irredenta in consonance with Jose Rizal’s Dream of a Unified Malay Race. Quezon envisioned Malaya Irredenta as the take-off and touch-down point for a greater Malay Nation developed with the participation of the Malay Race and dedicated to their welfare and wellbeing as common masses, as individuals and as a race. Pres. Diosdado Macapagal later convened in July 1963 a summit of the heads of State of MAPHILINDO in Manila. A nmber of agreements were signed that created IMAPHIINDO as a nonpolitical confederation. It became moribund due to the policy of confrontation or konfrontasi pursued by then Indonesian President Sukarno against Malaysia But MAPHILINDO kicked off a trend of alphabet soup alliances all over the world
a nonpolitical confederation for Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia, Maphilindo, was proposed as a realization of José Rizal’s dream of bringing a summit meeting in Manila, which artificially divided by colonial frontiers, the Malay peoples, as seen In July 1963 by President Macapagal
At the risk of belaboring the point, I think it bears repeating that President Manuel L. Quezon wanted to mould the group inyo a pan-Malayan nation in the region. He envisioned a better state in the region which would represent a united race that would pave the way to develop the Malay Race. In due time time he hoped that the union of Malaya Irredenta would lead to the creaton of a unified Malay race. Quezon wanted that the united state representing the Malay Race would be achieved by the contribution of the people living in the region. Towards this end Quezon was determined to make his intentions known to the people so that the vision could be shared and easily achieved with mass participation . He wanted to involve the common masses of the Malay Race so thAt it would be their state and of their own making and dedicated to their interest identity and wellbeing as a race and as individuals.
At first glance the dream seemed to have died due to konfrontasi but not quite because there now exists BIMP EAGA which stands for Brunei Darussalam Indonesia Malaysia and Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area created by all countries serving as home to the people of Malay extraction.
The Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-
Yours truly shares the dream for a Unified Malayan Race and fervently hopes that the vision of President Quezon and Dr.Jose Rizal for a Unified Malayan Race and Qezon’s for a greater Malaya nonpolitical confederation to come into full fruition.. Who knows, tHrough BIMP EAGA, the seed may grow IF nurtured by solidarity and cooperation. One Chinese wise man had described it aptly, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, does BIMP EAGA constitute the single step towards the realization of Dr Jose Rizal’s dream of a unified Malayan Race? (Roger Bantiles)