History Rekindled

Comment from the original author of "Philippine - American History 101":

The writer makes the assumption I'm an American, and my knowledge of Philippine history the product of the U.S. educational system. Half right. I'm indeed a U.S. citizen, U.S. educated, been in the Philippines off and on from 1950 to 1984, the last five years as an resident expat. If my knowledge of Philippine history is flawed, we'll just have to put the blame on the Western Luzon Ag College (not sure of of current name) San Marcelino, which I attended from 1980-84. Until that time, I knew little of Philippine history, which admittedly is little touched on by most U.S. schools at the High School level.

Students of Far Eastern history and politics are likely to stand stark staring astounded at the claim the entire Philippines, except Manila, was in the hands of the Aginaldo forces in May, 1898.
It was the opposition to the power of the clergy that in large measure brought about the rising sentiment for independence. Spanish injustices, bigotry, and economic oppressions fed the movement In 1896 Revolution spread throughout the major islands. Emilio Aguinaldo, achieved considerable success before a peace was patched up with Spain. The peace was short-lived, however, for neither side honored its agreements, and a new revolution was brewing when the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898.

After the U.S. naval victory in Manila Bay on May 1, 1898, Commodore George Dewey supplied Aguinaldo with arms and urged him to rally the Filipinos against the Spanish. By the time U.S. land forces had arrived, the Filipinos had taken the entire island of Luzon, except for the old walled city of Manila, which they were besieging. The Filipinos had also declared their independence and established a republic under the first democratic constitution ever known in Asia. Their dreams of independence were crushed when the Philippines were transferred from Spain to the United States in the Treaty of Paris (1898), which closed the Spanish-American War.

While its true the Spanish were "teetering," its somewhat ludicrous to suggest that the Filipinos had control of the country PRIOR to Dewey's arrival in May, 1898.

The American Government claimed sovereignty over the entire archipelego in December 1898 because that was the terms of the treaty with Spain worked out in Paris. There was no such thing as a Filipino based government to "infring on."

When U.S. forces returned in 1944, the Puppet Government, under Laurel, was indeed an independent Philippine entity, just as long as their leaders did what the Japanese told them to do. The "independent Republic of the Philippines" served at the pleasure of the Imperial Japanese Army. I think the author would be well advised to re-examine his own research of Philippine history. I would suggest he not rely too heavily on the text books referenced, particulary Gerald Anderson's account of Subic Bay history, which is interesting, but certainly not intended to serve as a geo-political reference. (Numerous uncorrected errors in Anderson"s product indicate he was only interested in presenting a thumb nail sketch of Subic history.)

I do not know the background of the one who carps about my input, which was intended to be satirical (so noted by the SB), but for the record, in addition to my studies at WLAC, I was also a political science major at the University of Maryland, specialzing in what was known in 1966-67 as "Recent Far Eastern Politics." That certainly does not make me an "expert" on Philippine history, far from it, but does, I submit, entitle me to speak with as much authority as the auther who would quarrel with my opinions. I would be more than happy to correspond with that person separately and debate the issue to pieces. I don't think the SB forum is the place to engage in ill informed back biting.