AMERICA AND THE PHILIPPINES:
America has always been a major influence and contributor to the outcomes of the Philippines. America, after it successfully helped remove Spain from the Philippines, would annex the Philippines which would halt true independence for the Philippines. The Philippine-American war erupted in February 4, 1899, utilizing Guerrilla Warfare in order to prevent being part of a world superpower. No longer did the Filipinos want to be ruled by outside powers. Even though general Emilio Aguinaldo was captured in 1901, America was slowly preparing independence for the Philippines. President Woodrow Wilson promised independence, slowly by entrusting Filipino leaders with the creation of the Philippine commonwealth, and in 1935 allowing self-government through the Tydings-McDuffie Act. While this did not allow total autonomy, it was a step towards independence.
However progress was halted as the invasion of the Japanese would affect both the Philippines and America. After the war and invasion (Check Japanese Invasion and occupation for more info), Manuel Roxas became the president in April 1946. Thus, America lowered its flag in Luneta, Manila and raised the Filipino Flag (Lets gooo!) and full Independence was granted on July 4, 1946.
WHY DID THE US NOT ANNEX PHILIPPINES:?
Even though the US fought incredibly hard while in the Philippines and had the power to take control, the US granted independence to the Philippines. This can start from the fact that the US had taken Philippines in the first place as part of the deal from the Spanish-American War with no real need for the Philippines. However, since it was their territory before independence, the US needed to protect the Philippines from outside powers. The relations between the US and Philippines are also well enough as they fought together. Since the Spanish left, the Philippines had always advocated independence versus statehood. The Philippines after being educated have shared the values of being free and independent. The United States would recognize their hunger for freedom and their intense nationalism and would grant them their freedom. Even if they tried to annex them, the Filipinos were known for their guerilla warfare and patriotism, qualities that the US respected.
Migration: why many leave the philippines each year
One of the main reason many leave the Philippines is because of the quality of life. In many areas of the Philippines, life is incredibly hard, poor, and dangerous. The economy of the Philippines is very poor, as the country struggles to pay its workers. People realize that they may not be able to sustain their family as the income is barely enough to support themselves. The jobs that are available to the majority usually only include low pay, with little to no benefits for them or their children. Furthermore, the Philippines is incredibly crowded. Manila, the city’s capital is the densest city in the world, with roughly 46,000 people per square mile, twice the density of New York.
Early migration was to the US, since the Philippines used to be a colony. Even before independence, many Filipinos arrived to Hawaii as early as 1906 to work on plantations. These workers would then migrate to states such as a California, Washington, and Oregon. Many Filipinos would work low-wage jobs such as being a waiter or busy work. Around 120,000 Filipinos migrated to America between 1906 and 1934. Constant immigration would be seen as internal, and thus the Filipino people were nationals, not citizens. However, once the Tydel-McDuffie's Law was passed, the Philippines would finally be subject to immigration quotas. This law limited the amount of visas to only 50 per year, thus greatly lowering migration at the time. Hawaii however allowed Filipino workers to enter if there was a shortage of workers. This allowed Filipinos to enter the United States and Philippines freely.
Once WWII came, migration would slowly drop once again. Only about 10,000 to 12,000 immigrants would come to Hawaii at the time. Luckily, in 1965 the Immigration and Nationality Act struck down nationality based restrictions and allowed Philippine immigration. America would not only be the country receiving Filipinos, as other countries removed their pro European Immigration policies in the 1960’s and 70’s. These countries included Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
This migration would be fueled even more as the Philippines would grow incredibly in population size, while the economy itself could not sustain the people. Around the 1970s another large scale migration would occur. The pay was low and the labor was hard, prompting many to leave the country for a better life.
Around this time, oil-rich gulf countries would also require more labor in order to complete their infrastructure and other projects. For this, Marcos government (ruled by the dictator Ferdinand Marcos under martial law from 1972-1981) would realize this trend and establish the Labor Code of the Philippines in 1974. This code was supposed to be temporary, and would be needed until the country could recover from its economical problems. However migration would flourish as these countries would continue to require more workers.
Even today, thousands of Filipinos leave the country for the same reasons. In 2004, about 3.2 million permanent settlers would migrate, with the majority in America. 3.6 million temporary immigrants would migrate to Saudi Arabia, while about 1.3 million immigrants are unauthorized. The top location for these temporary immigrants would be Hong Kong, Kuwait, Singapore, Italy, UAE, Japan, and Taiwan.
While millions of Filipinos have migrated for work, there is without a doubt some problems to occur. These problems include issues such as irregular recruitment agencies, excessive placement fees, incomplete payment, and poor living conditions. Luckily, Filipino immigrants compared to other national groups are better protected due to their ability to speak english, better organization, and most importantly the Philippines themselves advocates migrant’s rights. The Philippines has introduced many laws and ordinances in order to protect its people as much as possible. These laws include the Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003 and the Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act of 2003 which allows dual citizenship.
When migrants travel abroad for work, a majority of their goals is to send remittances back to the Philippines. In 2004, about $8.5 billion dollars of remittances went through the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and is expected to keep growing. It has been recognized that remittances has been a big factor in keeping the Philippine government afloat. However, this does not mean it has only contributed positive outcome to the Philippines. The government and economy greatly depends on remittances, which could affect it greatly if migration laws were to change. However, migration continues to boom even without the government's involvement thanks to social capital and social networks.
Why do most Filipinos speak English?
Most Filipinos understand and even speak english. Many advertisements, products, and street signs are mostly in english. English is the Philippines second language, and is even the first for many children growing up.
Even though Spain ruled the Philippine longer than the US, the only real influence they left was their religion of Catholicism. Furthermore, the Spanish were greatly disliked due to their unfair government and treatment of the Philippines and its people. While the US did have its quarrels with the Philippines for Independence, the United States would quickly befriend the Philippines.
Filipinos would adopt America’s form of government, and also give mass education to the country. They would adopt their language, education, and would even be called “little brown Americans”. The Philippines would then have a strong connection with the US, as the English language is what would help in keeping the countries close. Furthermore, since the Philippines was once controlled by the US for a short time, this would allow many in the country to learn English. Children growing up would learn English from their parents, with important small phrases meant to keep the attention of children. Some may even relate these phrases as commands in order to keep the attention of their kids. Even if some people may not fully understand it, they try to utilize it. For the most part, if one in the Philippines can speak English successfully this means they are usually part of the middle or higher class.
Another reason many know or learn the language is its usefulness and its applications. As stated before, many Filipinos migrate to other countries abroad. A majority migrate to America in which utilizing the English language will only be beneficial. It will allow those an upper hand in order to find a job, and allows for a better career path. Even in the Philippines it is beneficial to know the language as many business and overseas clients require it. Furthermore, many educational book and teachings would be spoken in english in order to be as effective as possible.
However, this does not mean English is “invading” the main language of the Philippines which is Tagalog. Tagalog is still greatly used for speaking around the town or city, in movies and entertainment, as many Filipinos take pride in their country.
