The Philippine-American War

I would like to ask my fellow Filipino readers if they know anything about the Philippine-American War? Yeah, we have actually battled the superpower more than a hundred years ago. And because of this, they called us niggers, bandits, tulisan and bandido! Isn't it ironic to be called rebels in our own land?

Photo Courtesy of JapanFocus.org

It is also interesting to note that some US universities do not study it as a part of US history. Some say that it is because for almost a decade we have resisted Uncle Sam's offering of democracy but with a little pinch of colonization and imperialism; that still persists up to this day. But some American historians like Paul Kramer are recently bringing up to light that there was once a war that Filipinos waged against the Americans.

And also it is sad to note that this war is called by some academics and scholars of history as "The Philippine Insurrection" when it was these Americans who came to occupy us while we are struggling to become an independent nation. Besides, what are they doing here 10,000 miles away from home? It is clear that they REALLY want us and they want to USE us.

Photo taken from http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Crete/9782/main.htm

Does every Filipino who are queuing up at the doors of US embassy know that they killed more than 1,000,000 Filipinos during the war? And how could I ever forget 'Balangiga Massacre' wherein to avenge their defeat from us 'niggers', they ordered 'to kill everyone over ten.' And for everyone else's information, it was not the Japanese who used water cure as a torture method. It was these Americans who used it extensively during the Philippine-American War. And we should not be surprised that up to now, their 'prisoners of war' from Iraq or Afghanistan are suffering the same treatment in Guantanamo Bay.

Photo Courtesy of HistoricalTextArchive.com

Photo Courtesy of The New Yorker

Well, we should be proud that we are the ONLY country to have risen up to fight these imperialist for almost a decade. But it is very sad to note that public schools here in the Philippines do not take up much of the Philippine-American war. It is merely shown as a 'little incident' that happened and was easily 'eradicted'. Too much emphasis is given on the establishment of the Commonwealth and the 'Independence Missions' where in fact, we should not be begging for it because they are not the ones who own us. Besides, THIS IS OUR LAND. They have just grabbed it away from us.

And it is also interesting to note what William Howard Taft said in 1905 or 103 years ago:

"I have not come to give you (the Philippines) your independence, but to study your welfare. You will have your independence when you are ready for it, which will not be in this generation - no, nor in the next, nor perhaps for a 100 years or more."

And lo and behold, his word indeed came true. We may be 'free and independent' in essence but the Philippines is still held by America: economically and maybe politically. We are a 'neo-colony'. We still look up to Uncle Sam as our protector and giver. And we still allow their soldiers to roam freely in our ports and disguise it as 'military exercises' but in truth they are engaged in our own internal conflicts. We are still beholden by the enormous debt that is crippling our economy and eating up more than 50% of our annual national budget which can be used for delivering basic social services like education and health.

Kailan ba tayo mamumulat sa panloloko ng mga Kano sa atin? Kailan?

And this did not just happened to us: we have seen them invade Cuba, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. They would always say that they are trying to bring world peace yet they are always the one who invade or starts the war. Well, it is not surprising that they would just create a conflict out of nowhere. It is just to use their huge 'military-industrial complex' to boost their economy and of course, power.

They seem to feel that they are the rightful owners of these world. But wake up Joe, THE WORLD IS NOT YOURS. You cannot just meddle into anybody's affairs. You should not say what is right. Because what could be right for you, would not be right for everybody else. Look at what you did to Iraq, the whole country is in total chaos. The situation was a lot better before you came. You did gave them democracy but what happened? You divided the country. Pitting one group against the other.

Anyway, I hope that the Philippine-American War is no longer an "Invisible War" in the minds of my readers.

Share |

Philippine Firsts

First Filipino Priest

In 1590, Martin Lakandula was ordained as an Augustinian priest, becoming the first native Filipino to serve as a friar. In 1906, Jorge Barlin became the first Filipino bishop under the Roman Catholic Church. The first Archbishop was Viviano Gorordo while the First Filipino cardinal wa Rufino Cardinal Santos.
First Filipino

The first man who used Filipino as a title of citizenship was Luis Rodriguez Varela, a Spaniard who was born in Manila. He preferred to be called “El Conde Pilipino” in 1795.

First Philippine Map

The first Philippine map was drawn in 1734 by Nicolas dela Cruz and Francisco Suarez under the instruction of Jesuit historian Pedro Murillo Velarde. The original map was 27 inches and 42 inches long.

First Drugstore

Botica Boie is considered the first drugstore in the country, having been established by Dr. Lorenzo Negrao in 1830.

First Ice Cream Parlor

In December 1899, Clarke’s Ice Cream Parlor became the first ice cream parlor in the Philippines when it opened its store at Plaza Moraga in Binondo, Manila. Metcalf Clarke owned it.

First Inventor

In 1853, the Spanish colonial government awarded a gold medal to Candido Lopez Diaz, a Filipino who invented a machine for Manila hemp or abaka.

First Automobile

In 1900, La Estrella del Norte shipped from France to the Philippines a “George Richard”, the first ever automobile to have landed on the native soil. Its owner was one Dr. Miciano, a rich doctor. The first shipment of automobiles for sale in the country was in 1907, with Bachrach Motors, an affiliate of American firm Ford Motor Co. as the importer.

First Movie Theater

Salon de Pertierra, the country’s first movie theater, was built in Escolta, Manila in 1897. A short French film was first shown in the theater.

First Olympian

David Nepomuceno, a Filipino serving in the US Navy was the first Filipino Olympian. A sprinter, Nepomuceno was the country’s sole representative to the 1924 Olympics, which was held in Paris.

First Comic Strip

“Kenkoy” is considered as the first comic strip in the Philippines. Cartoonist Tony Velasquez first published the comic strip in 1929.

Image Source: Komiklopedia

Share |

Ang Hinihingi

Sino kaya iyong humihingi nito? Kailangan daw niya ito. Nagpagawa ba naman sa akin ng isang feature article. Kapal talaga ng mukha.. hehe.. Pero, para sa ikatatahimik ng lahat, hoy ikaw kung sino ka man na humihingi nito, ayan na. Pasalamt ka at hindi ko nilalabas ang identity mo, pero siguro doon sa iba na kakilala ako obvious na kung sino ka.. muhahahaha..

Philippine Trivias

Anything you might don’t know about the Philippines and you have been wanting to know since birth. Well, you are very lucky my dear reader for I would tell you some of the unknown facts that would surely surprise you. Small facts that may not be relevant today but would surely make you feel proud being a Filipino.

Let’s start..

• The exotic jeepney is a post-war creation inspired by the GI jeeps that the American soldiers brought to the country in the 1940s. Enterprising Filipinos salvaged the surplus engines and came out unique vehicles of art.
• The world’s longest underground river system accessible to man can be found at the St. Paul National Park in the province of Palawan.
• The largest Philippine wild animal, the tamaraw, is a species of the buffalo that is similar to the carabao. It is found only in the island of Mindoro.
• Our national hero and writer Jose Rizal could read and write at age 2. He grew up to speak more than 20 languages, including Latin, Greek, German, French, and Chinese. What were his last words? "Consummatum est!" ("It is done!")
• The largest city in the Philippines is Davao City. With an area of 2,211 sq. km., it is about three times the size of the national capital, Metro Manila.
• Negros Occidental has the most cities among Philippine provinces. Start counting now..
• The popular toy, the yoyo, was invented by 16th century hunters in the Philippines. It was only the Americans who popularized it.
• The word "boondocks," which is now a part of the English language, dictionary, and vocabulary, comes from the Tagalog word "bundok," meaning "mountain."
• The antibiotic erythromycin — used to treat a wide variety of bacterial infections, such as respiratory tract infections, middle ear infections, and skin infections — was created by Filipino scientist Abelardo Aguilar, and has earned American drug giant Eli Lilly billions of dollars. Neither Aguilar nor the Philippine government received royalties
• Fernando Amorsolo was officially the first National Artist of the Philippines. He was given the distinction of National Artist for Painting in 1972.
• Philippines Herald war journalist Carlos P. Romulo was the first Asian to win a Pulitzer Prize in Journalism in 1942. He was also aide-de-camp to General Douglas MacArthur in World War II; Philippine resident commissioner in the U.S. Congress from 1944-46; and the first Asian to become UN President in 1949.
• On January 18, 1995, Pope John Paul II offered mass to an estimated 4 to 5 million people at Luneta Park, Manila, Philippines, making it to the Guiness Book of World Records for the Biggest Papal Crowd. (See news article here.)
• Of the eight known species of giant clams in the world, seven are found in the Philippines.
• The largest bell in Asia hangs at the belfry of the 221-year old Panay Church. It is 7 feet in diameter and 7 feet in height, and weighs 10.4 tons. Its tolling can be heard as far as 8 km. away. It was casted from 70 sacks of coins donated by the townspeople as a manifestation of faith and thanksgiving
• Camiguin province holds the distinction of having the most number of volcanoes per square kilometer than any other island on earth. It is also the only place in the Philippines which has more volcanoes (7) than towns (5).
• Angono Petroglyphs – This cultural heritage site dates back to circa 3000 B.C. and is the most ancient Filipino, or more aptly, prehistoric Filipino work of art. Besides being the country’s oldest “work of art” it also offers us an evocative glimpse into the life of our ancestors. The site has been included in the World Inventory of Rock Art under the auspices of UNESCO, ICCROM and ICOMOS and nominated as one of the “100 Most Endangered Sites of the World
• Tagala - the Philippines first Filipino-Spanish dictionary which was printed in 1613, 25 years older than the first book printed in the United States.
• Ilo-Ilo golf and country club is the oldest golf club in the Philippines. It was built at 1908 by Irish Engineers.
• The Philippine Basketball Association is Asia's premier and the world's second oldest professional league.
• Maria Teresa Calderon – A Filipina World champion speed reader as listed in the Guinness Book of World Records
• In the Philippines, Filipinos were introduced to the English language in 1762 by British invaders, not Americans.
• The world's largest pearl was discovered by a Filipino diver in a giant Tridacna (mollusk) under the Palawan Sea in 1934. Known as the "Pearl of Lao-Tzu", the gem weighs 14 pounds and measures 9 1/2 inches long and 5 1/2 inches in diameter. As of May 1984, it was valued at US$42 million. It is believed to be 600 years old.
• The flagpole located in Rizal Park, is where the starts of 0 kilometer reading in measuring all distances from Manila.
• In 1916, in the Philippines, an offensive style of passing the ball in a high trajectory to be struck by another player (the set and spike) were introduced. The Filipinos developed the "bomba" or kill, and called the hitter a "bomberino" (volleyball)

So, are you fascinated by these facts? These are just part of the many unknown facts to us Filipinos. You have just seen the introductory part of these small facts the make you feel proud as a Filipino.

Source: http://www.wowphilippines.com.ph/discover/trivia.asp

Image Source: WackyLodeon

Share |