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Such is common thinking in former colonies ... the recognize that the grass isent necessarily greener.
In 2011 a poll by Jamaica's largest daily newspaper that indicated that 60% of Jamaicans think that Jamaica would have been better off it had a stayed a British colony, and upwards of 70% want to retain the British monarch as head of state despite Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller's calls for a republic.
it wont happen. no right thinking Filipino would want that. that's just a wishful thinking during desperate times. give more time for the economy to grow and the feeling of euphoria they had during the inauguration of the commonwealth in 1935, when they see that independence is finally at hand, will return
it wont happen. no right thinking Filipino would want that. that's just a wishful thinking during desperate times. give more time for the economy to grow and the feeling of euphoria they had during the inauguration of the commonwealth in 1935, when they see that independence is finally at hand, will return
More time? It's been 69 years since independence, that's more than enough time to rule it a failure.
If you wait another 70 years you will be another Tibet.
More time? It's been 69 years since independence, that's more than enough time to rule it a failure.
If you wait another 70 years you will be another Tibet.
as if all countries have the same trajectory of success. China and India with their thousand years of civilization succumb to the West during colonial times. Germany was just a recent country. Poland was divided many times by competing empires. Israel was dispersed for a thousand years. Greece for all its glory just gained its independence from the Turks almost a hundred years ago
i know im impatient too but it will progress. i just wish all the politicians will be hit by lightning at the same time
you mean the Phils to be taken over by the Chinese just like Tibet?
I think the biggest factor was the sugar beat industry in the US and racism.
Sugar industry
- the PH had a vibrant sugar industry back then (this was before the crash of the sugar industry as the HFCS was developed) and sugar beat farmers in the US, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico weren't thrilled. Most owners in Hawaii and PR were whites...as opposed to the Philippines where most were native elite
Racism
- the PH had a huge population especially compared to many US states -- the natives did not suffer the small pox plague as compared to the natives of the Americas. At one point, even white men were pissed off that Filipino "immigrants" to the mainland were marrying white prostitutes.
The question now is, did the Philippines kick the US out or the US kicked out the Philippines? Before the commonweath era, the Philippines was governed by an American Governor General. Until the Washington politburo were not liking the number of Philippine import products and the growing number of Filipino immigrants in the West Coast.
I spoke with an old man who was young during the commonwealth era. He said that only the small native elite of the older generation were pro-independence. Most were content with being a commonwealth. This is exemplified in the Japanese occupation. Many native elites were collaborators of the Japanese, meanwhile many poor Filipinos sheltered Americans despite the second class treatment of Filipinos by Americans. Both Robert Lapham and Ray Hunt writes about this, as well as the post-war treatment of the Philippines by the US in their memoirs (Behind Japanese Lines and Lapham's Raiders)
I think you can compare this to the closure of the bases in 1992. Only a small political elite in Manila wanted the closure. Most didnt esp that jobs were affected -- especially those in Olongapo and Angeles. The US military was the second biggest employer in the Philippines back then (does not yet include the bargirls and prostitutes benefiting from money brought by servicemen). Even Corazon Aquino was not for the closure of bases. When the Senate passed the resolution not renewing the bases, Aquino called for a national referendum. Unfortunately, that didnt happen because Pinatubo happened and the US decided to pull out.
In other words, the bravado of small self serving politicians affect the livelihood of an entire nation
On the flipside, say that the Philippines became a US state, it will have bigger problems as regards to illegal immigration compared to CA, TX, and AZ.
Imagine all those illegals coming from China! Being a 3rd world country, the Philippines is already having a problem with Chinese illegals...what more if it were in better economic position
I think the biggest factor was the sugar beat industry in the US and racism.
Sugar industry
- the PH had a vibrant sugar industry back then (this was before the crash of the sugar industry as the HFCS was developed) and sugar beat farmers in the US, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico weren't thrilled. Most owners in Hawaii and PR were whites...as opposed to the Philippines where most were native elite
Racism
- the PH had a huge population especially compared to many US states -- the natives did not suffer the small pox plague as compared to the natives of the Americas. At one point, even white men were pissed off that Filipino "immigrants" to the mainland were marrying white prostitutes.
The question now is, did the Philippines kick the US out or the US kicked out the Philippines? Before the commonweath era, the Philippines was governed by an American Governor General. Until the Washington politburo were not liking the number of Philippine import products and the growing number of Filipino immigrants in the West Coast.
I spoke with an old man who was young during the commonwealth era. He said that only the small native elite of the older generation were pro-independence. Most were content with being a commonwealth. This is exemplified in the Japanese occupation. Many native elites were collaborators of the Japanese, meanwhile many poor Filipinos sheltered Americans despite the second class treatment of Filipinos by Americans. Both Robert Lapham and Ray Hunt writes about this, as well as the post-war treatment of the Philippines by the US in their memoirs (Behind Japanese Lines and Lapham's Raiders)
I think you can compare this to the closure of the bases in 1992. Only a small political elite in Manila wanted the closure. Most didnt esp that jobs were affected -- especially those in Olongapo and Angeles. The US military was the second biggest employer in the Philippines back then (does not yet include the bargirls and prostitutes benefiting from money brought by servicemen). Even Corazon Aquino was not for the closure of bases. When the Senate passed the resolution not renewing the bases, Aquino called for a national referendum. Unfortunately, that didnt happen because Pinatubo happened and the US decided to pull out.
yes they were contented to just being part of the commonwealth but it doesn't mean they don't want to be independent too
^^ the independence were largely contained on the native elite class + Washington politburos who didnt want more "brown Americans". Why do you think that despite being considered American nationals, citizenship were not extended to the Philippines, even before the legislation of the commonwealth? (as opposed to the sparsely populated American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico). Not to forget that the US did invade Hawai'i.
If there had been referendum of all people living in the Philippines rather than being an exclusive native elite voice, it would be different perspective.
Even Muslim Mindanao and the Cordilleras, after the "pacification", pretty much preferred American governors on their own territories over local Filipinos. I'd say Igorotland is the most pro-American of all regions in the Philippines. I think the US should have not incorporated it with the Philippines but rather held it as a separate territory like Guam. At one point in time, they requested that their governor be an American and not a Filipino lowlander. The pro-Americanism of the Cordilleras is the reason why Russel Volckmann and Donald Blackburn decided to set up their guerilla camps there - escaping from Bataan to way up north.
Most Filipinos who wished the PH hasn't seceded at middle and lower class people. Those who are "fiercely" pro-independence are the native elite(hacienderos) or communists. To this day, that is true...those who wanted to abrogate the VFA and those who voted against the closure of the bases are the native elite and communists whose jobs and economic conditions aren't affected. Most people who do not belong to that group do not mind the Americans being around.
Besides, what history books say about the Quezon era is pretty glossed over. In the account of Robert Lapham, he mentioned that Quezon had cut back the defense spending of the commonwealth but does not hesitate to spend for lavish artifices in public. The same person who lashed on out Washington for the Europe first policy. LOL
Manuel L Quezon is pretty overrated. He was the one who said that he'd rather have a Philippines run like hell by Filipinos rather than like heaven by Americans. He got what he wanted. What do you expect of the native elite, anyway?
Til this day, this is the mentality of the native elite. Rather than allotting money for defense spending in the Philippines, they prefer giving it as lavish and bonuses to themselves and their cronies while expecting donations from Washington. They want to abrogate the VFA yet complain that the US isn't "protecting" the Philippines from Chinese incursions.
I'm pretty sure that if a fair national referendum will be conducted, most would come out as pro-American.
But then, I don't think the US wanted a territory with 100 million population, most subject to extreme poverty with the native elite being almost 100% corrupt
I remember my aunt saying that her father said that before the war, the young people were for statehood. It's usually the older people from elite families that were pro-independence.
But hey, Washington didn't want 17 million brown people to be added to its population back then in addition to competition on agricultural products.
Whether Filipinos were pro statehood or pro independence didn't really matter. In the end, it's Washington's call. I remember reading some articles that the US, before the establishment of the commonwealth wanted to sell the Philippines to Germany or Japan.
The Philippines was really not destined to be part of America because the US didn't really want it. The "colonization" was merely an impulse because of the Philippine-American war/Philippine insurrection. It's not like the Philippines was acquired the Hawai'i way
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