Ambeth Ocampo writes something of interest in today’s PDI about Gov. Gen. Francis Burton Harrison. Harrison today is known to us through 1) Harrison street in Pasay and 2) Harrison Plaza, the first of a series of mega malls in Manila. However I learned about FB Harrison from required readings in my freshie class in history. In his book, I recall his assessment that Quezon and Osmena in the campaign for independence were actually de-facto Premiers or co-Prime Ministers. Historians now agree that the political dynamics then was that the government under Harrison was actually a de facto cabinet one rather than what the Jones Law mandated. In the Cabinet crisis of 1923, Harrison’s successor, General Leonard Wood, was unmoved and said that the law had to be followed. (Harrison had it better with a street and mall to his name. Wood only has a road in Baguio!)
Ambeth also mentions the unsettled question about the REAL DATE OF PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE. While the majority of Pinoys accept June 12 (thanks to prez Gloria, weekends nearest June 12), there are some today that say that this is a comical farce and July 4 is really our independence day. For the benefit of young adults, t’was Gloria’s dad Diosdado Macapagal that issued the executive order changing the date of independence. This is what President Diosdado Macapagal will be remembered for.
Nonetheless we had a compromise making July 4 as “Philippine-American Friendship Day’ which was a supreme example of bad timing. If this were established in the 1950s, there was still enough residual goodwill to Mother America. According to my US based uncle (who’s now 87) who welcomed the American Caesar, Pinoy goodwill to America went into its inevitable decline after General Macarthur’s sentimental visit to Manila in 1961.It was the 60s for goodness sakes and even in America, rebellion against authority was the in thing. America was THE AUTHORITY in the Philippines as perceived by many of the young. So there goes Fil-Am friendship day!
We continued to celebrate FilAm day throughout the Marcos years although as we neared the end of these years, it went largely unnoticed. Marcos didn’t do much to revive interest in it probably because he knew Washington DC was about to pull the rug from underneath. In 1986 Cory Aquino was crowned courtesy of People Power and House of Sin. Cory dropped the day from the list of our national holidays soon thereafter.
And so it remained until our gallant FVR (who saved Mrs Aquino from Gringo and the brownouts) came along and on the 50th anniversary of American withdrawal of sovereignty in 1996, Pinoys and some American actors reenacted the July 4, 1946 Luneta ceremony and the day was appropriately called “Republic Day”. I would have watched the ceremony but I was attending an ecology modelling course in Washington DC, US of A. But I got to see on CNN that the Stars and Stripes was entangled with our rising Sun and Stars. It took the actors reenacting the flag raising quite a few moments to disentangle the American flag. This lead one Pinoy to comment according to a friend who was there “Away talagang umalis ng mga walanghiyang mga ‘yan!”. Sharon Delmendo’s essay describes the whole comical scene.
Thus it is too late to salvage Philippine-American Friendship day which is appropriately viewed as a neocolonial artifact . Unlike our Dia de Amistad with Spain, there isn’t a trace of nostalgia with America. Rightly the US Embassy won’t lift a finger on an official celebration although it supports celebrations by private entities. I believe that this again is historical amnesia. We can’t have a Friendship Day with America without remembering the initial duplicity in which America entered our history. We might as well forget it. However, we have to recognize the GOOD THINGS America has left the Philippines such as 1) the University of the Philippines, 2) DepEd and public schools, 3) our science community and of course 4) our constitutional system of government. Only Republic Day can celebrate these legacies.
But I don’t think even the Americans will be interested. We are below radar detection. Perhaps the next President of the Philippines or Prime Minister may revive the whole idea. Imagine we have a Philippine-Japan Friendship Month every February and my uncle who was a medical student in the 1945 Battle of Manila tried to save as many Pinoys bayonetted by the suicidal Japanese!
Were the Americans really that bad?
Popularity: 2% [?]
We had been colonized by these people. Spain and the United States,
and sort term occupation by the British and the Japanese. History
shows that countries were invaded, conquered and subjugated. It
brought these countries some good, some bad. We got from Spain
Catholicism. America gave us Democracy and the English language.
Elvis Presley, Rock and Roll, Michael Jackson, etc…If America
did not occupy us. Gen. Aguilnaldo would had become a Military
Dictator. Or , we would had been occupied by another European
colonizer. Perhaps, the British, or the Dutch, or the French, or
the German.
It is part of our history. Let us move on as a nation. We hold
our own destiny now. No way to look back.
Slight correction. We know of democracy even before the coming of the white joes.
Were the Americans really that bad?
On their bad days, yes. McKinley was disgusting in his condescending, racist views. In their self-interested ways, Americans were duplicitous, a word you like, playing the Philippines like a pawn in international adventures. In modern terms, seen through the prism of Philippine self-interest, they remain duplicitous in how they crafted the imprisonment clause of the VFA, although Filipinos were in the room when the deal was cast, and as a result, the Philippines benefits by giving its select fighting people the best military schooling on the planet, at US military academies, an honor that is bestowed by the US on precious few other countries.
When you cut away all the crap of viewing things through narrow colored glasses that paint everything of a consistent color that is not the color God gave it, you find that the US is not the enemy, not always duplicitous, and, indeed, does not always put the Philippines first on the agenda . . . but the PEOPLE of the two countries, which is where it counts, share similar desires and ideals.
Get the governments out of the way, and Filipinos and Americans can enjoy themselves as friends, for they share a sense of humor, a passion for partying, the language of English (thank you, for without that, I could not so readily enjoy your great country or this dialogue), and concepts such as free speech and working hard. Oh, the cross-cultural thing is occasionally testy, but it works itself out.
And, yes, for sure, the holiday should be Republic Day instead of PhilAm day. The Philippines needs to rid itself entirely of the yoke of colonialism, chop it up into small pieces, and use it in the dirty kitchen to make humba.
Love the humba.
Joe
Or make it into a sizzling plate of “sisig” and then we can have a round of San Miguel Beer.
Oh yes, I love having Americans as good friends. With Americans we don’t limit our conversations about the weather!
Happy 4th of July to you, Joe.
Thanks.
Happy Republic Day,
and a San Mig back at you.
Joe
Seen from RP perspective, the Phil-Am ties are one-sided not just in the context of the VFA but in other areas as well (How come Thailand gets more aid from us? How come there’s no assurance of US honoring MDT in case of a situation in the Spratlys? How come there’s still limited access in US market for RP sugar? How come the toxic wastes in former bases were not cleaned up?). The Philippines gives more than the US does. (Joint excercises? I bet the Americans learn more from those, considering the US doesn’t have a place to train its troops in rainforest terrain warfare). And this considering the fact that the US needs the Philippines as much as RP need America.
But I never blame the US for all these. It is right for the US to assure that, in any ties with any country, it must meet its national interets. The Philippine government is the one to be blamed. Filipino leaders have consistently failed to realize RP’s importance to the Americans and to bargain harder for more benefits. (Maybe because they can never stand up to the US government because most of them have business and other interests in the US?)
I always think that if the Philippines learns to stand up the Amercians, the Americans will respect the Philippines more and will start to treat the country more as an equal than as a junior partner. This is because, based on my own experience having American friends, the Americans are a people that value fairness.
J,
You ask some really superior questions, and I wish I had the answers. All I could do would be to guess at what motivates the US to do certain things. I certainly would like to focus on that toxic waste thing, as I drive through Subic frequently, and the notion that the US left things in a condition other than how it was found upon arrival is disturbing indeed.
The US has plenty of places to go to train in jungles, so I don’t think that is a reason for “using” the Philippines. I think it is mainly a focus on counter-terrorism, and looking at the Philippines as a “strategic” bastion of capitalism in Asia (a need that is rapidly diminishing, I might add).
I’m glad to see you assigning responsibility to the Philippines for outcomes. Many skip that point.
I don’t think it is necessary to “stand up to” the US as much as stand side-by-side. “Standing up” is still envisioning the Philippines as subservient, a need to knock the US down to build the Philippines up. A confident Philippines has no need to do this.
Americans do value fairness, and generally try to think right. Self-interest sometimes leads them away from Filipino interests. And sometimes human mistakes emerge, that get amplified with the vision of hindsight.
Joe
Boils down to lousy Pinoy negotiators – and we have to blame the Americans for that?
Hey Joe,
There are plenty of tropical rainforests outside American territory for the US to train, but I could not think of a country who lets the US train in such a terrain with as much ease as what the Philippines offer. Not in Southeast Asia. Singapore? Too small, no jungles. Thailand? The cost of US forces there is expensive (they never allowed a VFA, just a simple non-binding foreign-minister declaration of troop presence. They also took over all hard ionfrastructure the US built there during the Cold War, and the Amercians couldn’t do anything. And they get more than RP receieves.) Not in Latin Amercia either. Too many Leftists. Even staunch ally Uribe could not withstand anti-US domestic pressure I think. So there. In case of training, the Americans benefit a lot as well. True, Filipinos get to use your gadgets, but only during trainings. The US never give the AFP those advanced gizmos. What Uncle Sam gives are just second hand hardwares that, if only there is less corruption, the Philippines can afford in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, I agree with you that counter-terrorism is also another important aspect of US presence here. Also, I believe the long term geopolitical goal of checking China is also a reason (The Philippines being situated in the sea lane where 70 per cent of oil exports from the Middle East of South Korea and Japan, economies that are important to the US, pass through).
I also disagree on one point. The Philippines do neet to stand up to the US, especially in the context of the obviously one-sided nature of the two countries relationship. You see, never did any post-Marcos president use the Philippines’ leverage on the questions I posted above. Not even one. Unfortunately, the Philippines isn’t a confident international actor yet.
The American people value fairness. But the US government is pragmatic enough to do away with fairness in order to get more than it gives. But should the Philippines finally become confident enough to remind the US government of the need to balance the relationship, I believe the US government will fix the ties and respect the Philippines more.
In the final analysis, everything boils down to the leaders of the Philippines.
BongV,
Exactly my point.
J,
You are blowing patriotic Philippine smoke. The US does not need the Philippines for jungles.
The VFA imprisonment clause is believed, in the PHilippines, to be unbalanced and representative of all the historical “useage” of the Philippines in the past. So everyone gets upset.
All the VFA does is provide rules to give the US military some latitude to operate without visas, etc. The true VALUE SHARING is outside this agreement. That is where one should look to see if the Philippines is getting good value, NOT to the imprisonment clause.
I suggest you go first to Defense Secretary Teodoro and ask what he thinks.
As an American, I see NO VALUE accruing to the US, because terrorism in the Philippines is a Philippine problem, and the Philippines is no longer needed as a bulwark of democracy (bent though it is) in Asia.
So scrap it.
If I were a Filipino, I would wonder where my army is going to get advanced training, like learning how to call air support in . . . when there are no jets in the Philippine air force.
I suggest putting your patriotic hackles down and look at the real value sharing.
Joe
Dear Joe,
I didn’t say you need our jungles badly. I only said that you probably get more from the joint excercises because you get to train in a tropical rainforest terrain, which you can use in your overseas excursions as a global police, while we only get to try out gizmos that we will never acquire anyway because you don’t give some to us (you only give second hand materials).
I also didn’t complain about the imprisonment clauses of VFA. I only said that the Philippines gave a lot of concessions in that VFA (like liberal visa procedures for US personnel and indefinite US military presence)but didn’t get equally heavy concessions in return (like the unanswered questions I posted in the first comment). As I said, the ties between the two countries are one-sided NOT JUT in the context of the VFA. So I don’t know where you are coming from when you imploed that I was looking only at the imprisonment clause.
As a student of international relations, I believe that the US needs the Philippines not just as a symbolic democratic bulwark in Asia (that’s Japan already) but in strategic counter-terror and even long-term geopolitical power play among thie powers of this part of the world, and I have explained why in my previous comment already. I absolutely can’t see where you are coming from when you accused me of “blowing patriotic smoke.”
J,
My apology for the blowing smoke comment. It was not necessary.
When the VFA was signed, it was considered fair to both sides. Because a rape occurred, front page for three years, regardless of the many unpublicized rapes in the Philippines, the contract was suddenly deemed unfair, and the accusation is made that the US purposely tried to screw the Philippines. It was and is a reasonable contract, and the benefits — outside the VFA significantly benefit the Philippines.
Even if the Philippines does not have equipment, I can envision a situation in Mindanao with Philippine troops on the ground supported by US air. How nice that they ground troops know how to use that support.
Also, the Philippines has selected military people attending the Military Academies in the US. What is the US gain there?
My thinking is, you are right, the US needs a strategic friend in the Philippines. I think the Philippines needs the same thing in the US.
I believe the intent of the VFA was good when it was signed, and remains good. Fair. Balanced. Both sides gain.
To criticize the US as “using” the Philippines is nothing but hindsight used to justify . . . um, well, you tell me . . .
Joe
Lookin to the day when BHO addresses the Bangsa Moro as he addressed Palestine and Israel – two state solution. Go BHO!
Joe,
I disagree. When the VFA was first signed- even before the rape case- there were already sectors thinking it is unfair. And these are not just the Leftist sectors. Former IAEA Governor and DFA diplomat Rey Arcilla, for instance, wrote a position paper for then candidate Estrada saying that, like Thailand, the Philippines need not sign a VFA with the US for training. He argued that, if indeed signing the VFA could not be helped, the Philippines must push for more concessions in return, which it did not do.
Also, the Americans can not provide air support for Filipino troops in its anti-insurgency operations in Mindanao. It is against the constitution.
I have to concede that the training of Filipino men in US military institutions is a good thing. It is something to be thankful for.
We have no arguments about how the Philippines and America needs each other. And it is true for me that America uses the Philippines for its interests. This is pragmatic reality. Nothing wrong there. But the Philippines also must do better in using the United States.
BongV,
I agree with Obama on his Palestine popsition. But I would never agree with him if he pushes for the same formula in Mindanao.
J,
Thanks for the brief. I think the US should not be held responsible for political bickering within the Philippines, and the Philippines needs to hold itself responsible for the agreement that was signed by the Philippine Government. Furthermore, the Philippines should structure a straight and true course that has them working with (or not working at all with . . . that’s fine too) the US. The US is not the enemy, and this “they abuse us” mentality needs to end. Stand up, stand up.
The constitution would change quicker than my wife’s hairdo if Muslims started overrunning Mindanao.
Who is the “we” in your last paragraph? The whole Philippines, or you and your friends? I can only speak for myself. Do you speak for the Philippines?
Joe
Joe,
I never held the Americans responsible for the mess of the Philippines’ foreign policy. I think I made that clear in my very first comment.
If Estrada was able to overran the insurgents’ camps and reduce them to guerrilla warfare, I see no reason why the Philippines can’t overrun the insurgency with or without America’s air support. The problem is, many powerful Filipinos benefit from the conflict there, hence the lack in political will in solving the issue.
The “we” in the last paragraph refers to the two of us. What I meant was there is no argument that the Philippines and America needs each other.
J,
Okay, I misread. I think we are actually not very far apart on things. I agree, US engagement should not be necessary in Mindanao. For me, I don’t care much one way or another about the VFA. My main objection is to Filipinos who pretend the VFA was forced on the nation by the US. It is the whole Nichole victimization thing. It is a contract, it was signed by two parties who felt it was balanced and it can be amended constructively or done away with.
I also think it is not necessary to smack a friend upside the head because you want to be independent. One never knows when one might need that friend (thinking, to counterbalance the weight of China on the Spratlys).
There is a kind of “I’ll show you” belligerence and there is diplomacy. I have no idea what the former gets for the Philippines.
Joe
J,
am not surprised at the historical myopia and the hypocrisy
BongV,
J’s, mine, or both?
Joe
Joe:
You have some slack considering you are a newcomer to the islands.
Bong,
Smooth answer, which I appreciate, as I am still in the high growth part of the learning curve. Soon I will expect no such consideration.
Joe
BongV,
As always, your opinion is noted.
Here’s a visual historical flashback:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY4c7sx-vO4
And a message from MLQ:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N2RcJgmefg&feature=channel_page
If I look at the past, we can look at the Philippine-American War as a predecessor of Vietnam, the first ever American “dirty war” in Southeast Asia. But even then, the Filipinos were divided as to who to side with – some were revolutionaries, some would accept whoever’s there. So America won, and became our friend in the end. But what of the “dirty war?”
Let it go. Holding on to the wounds of the past is deadly. Spain, Japan and America have been our occupiers, but now they are our friends. Time to move on, yes.
Another thing: if Spain left us Catholicism, America left us Protestantism, which I like better, hehe.
Happy 4th of July, and Phil Republic Day, and Fil-American Friendship Day, or whatever good meaning you put to it.
The Philippines should reduce the number of public holidays.
Now what are the chances of a senatorial candidate winning with a platform of removing two or three public holidays?
Only the idiotic Philippine Left celebrates FilAm friendship day on Roxas Blvd.