Changing the name of a country like the Philippines won’t eliminate its colonial legacy system of corruption and cronyism that a name change cannot hide or cover it up. Our country's name ingrained into every nook and cranny of our identity as a nation. The decision to keep it through all these years is to represent the national character that we have built through every colonizing entity we have faced in the past. It represents a country that was never a single entity, but an integrated mix of race and culture, much more harmoniously blended together than any other country in the world.
I understand that the Filipinos want to show the world that we are a free nation. We want to be free of the shackles of our colonizers. But changing the name will not change the fact that we have been colonized for 3 centuries. People will still remember that in history. Name will change but the quality of life will remain the same so why not focus on more important things. It's just an inconvenience that has little benefit for everyone. As much as I want to see a nation going into the future with a newfound identity, people are not quite ready for a name change just yet.
Additionally, It is our responsibility to elevate it as a source of pride rather than as a source of shame. Changing it to any other name would misrepresent who we actually are, the values and culture we have come to take as truly our own, and the history of how we became who we are now as a people.
Nice one ;)