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111 years ago…
The following is a repost of our statement in 2006. Although it was written 4 years ago, it still remains as relevant then as it does now.
February 4, 2006
Anniversary of the Philippine-America War
On this 107th Anniversary of the Filipino American War, Anakbayan says ‘No!” to continued US Military and Economic influence on the Philippines.
On February 4, 1899, the United States launched a war for occupation and plunder against the Philippines. This war would last for 15 years, kill over a million Filipino men, women and children and have over 7,000 American casualties. This was America’s first “Vietnam” and “Insurgency.”
The Filipino people were celebrating their newly won independence from Spain in early 1899. However, the United States turned their back on their Filipino “allies,” bought the islands for $20 million from Spain and launched a war to crush the Filipino resistance. The tactics used by the US Army included concentration camps for civilians, destroying crops, water torture, hanging suspects and killing anyone over 10 years of age. Those who did not support American colonization and fought for independence were called “bandits” or “insurgents.”
The American president justified this by claiming to “Christianize” the Philippines, a country that was already Catholic. The president sought “Benevolent Assimilation,” but in the process killed a million people. The president sought to bring about democracy to a country that had its own Congress and civil government. America killed more Filipinos than the Spanish did and in a much more brutal fashion.
To further ensure that Filipinos act like “little brown brothers” and stop resisting, they altered the education system. Filipinos were taught to hate Spanish colonization but ignore American Imperialism. Filipinos were taught to revere Jose Rizal, a peaceful reformist who denounced the Philippine Revolution, instead of Andres Bonifacio who led the armed Revolution against Spain. Filipinos were taught to remain an agriculture-export based economy which benefited the US, rather than national industrialization which would benefit the Filipinos. Filipinos were encouraged to continue to admire light skinned Americans rather than being proud of their brown skin. Filipinos were discouraged from actively participating in politics but to rather have faith in their “leaders” to do the thinking for them.
To this day, the Philippines remain under the economic, social, cultural and military control of the United States. US policy continues to influence Philippine government policy and shift economic interests to benefit US companies over the interests of the Filipino people. Currently, there are thousands of US troops in the Philippines under the guise of the “War on Terror” to train the Armed Forces of the Philippines. However the AFP uses this training more often than not on civilian populations who strike for better wages, journalists who dare to criticize the government and investigators into Human Rights abuses. Along with an increased military presence comes increased “R&R” opportunities for US soldiers to buy Filipina’s for sex.
It is against this foreign dominance and lack of sovereignty that a continuing resistance, since 1896, is growing stronger and more advanced against the forces of repression and reaction in the Philippines. As long as the Philippines remain in the hands of American interests, we can never overcome the poverty and misery that besets our people. Reforms that continue to allow foreign control over the country’s resources and finances will never overcome poverty but only increase exploitation and suffering.
The fight for national sovereignty and true democracy in the Philippines continues as Filipinos educate, mobilize and organize ourselves in the proud tradition of Andres Bonifacio, Macario Sakay, Carlos Bulosan, Philip Veracruz, Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes.
JUNK THE VISTITING FORCES AGREEMENT!
FULL EQUITY FOR FILIPINO VETERANS!
UPHOLD HUMAN RIGHTS!
- Anakbayan Seattle
