Nathaniel Marcelo

Histo 166 AC

“Transformation of Filipino culture through the American educational system”

It is common knowledge to say that the Philippine culture for hundreds of years has been

shaped by so many different countries through colonization. Although, it is not enough to say that

it was because of pure colonial brutality that contributed to our demise for centuries to come. In

the Spanish era, religion was not just a lifestyle that the colonizers wanted to instill for the Filipinos

because of “God’s plan,” it was a strategic way in which they can properly place and institutionalize

systems in which civilians would participate in without much coercion. Without having to delve

deep too much, Kristine Fitzpatrick’s research on the Spanish religion’s influence on Philippine

culture illustrates this point. Churches being placed in the middle of cities were not thought out of

the blue, it was a way to centralize and show the importance of the religion. Priests were the highest

in power, and holidays/celebrations were used as a way for the Filipinos to engage with the

culture.1 This paper aims to show how Americans also used this strategy, but with the use of the

education system.

The education act of 1901

Before the Americans, schools were only available to the elite. The goal of the education

act of 1901 period was to promote democratic ideals and way of life; formation of good citizens,

including the rights and responsibilities of people. The priority of course was to make schools

public and available to everyone. This was patterned parallel to the American education system in

which there were 3 main levels: elementary, high school, and college. Initially, they encountered

problems because the teachers then were just soldiers. Not only were they limited in quantity, but

it was hard for them to communicate because only very few Filipinos understood the English

language. This prompted the colonial authorities to import more professionals from their country.

1
Kristine Fitzpatrick, “Religion and Spanish Colonialism in the Philippines,” Wisconsin: University of
Wisconsin-La Crosse, 2013, 20.
Roughly 600 teachers arrived by way of the USS Thomas, which ultimately coined their name as

the “Thomasites.”2

Impact of the education act

It was immediately evident that there was an agenda that the Americans wanted to achieve.

They wanted to transition the Filipinos from a Spanish rooted culture into an American one.

Napoleon Casambre’s “The impact of American education in the Philippines” discussed many

aspects in which our way of living changed through this 1901 act.

First, as mentioned, the Thomasites were the pioneer teachers assigned to various

elementary and secondary schools. Yet, that was not their only contribution. Proper transitioning

and continuation of their teaching practices were vital. Casambre points it out as follows:

“But, aside from teaching school children, they were also made

to train Filipino teachers. These pioneer American teachers, indeed,

played a very important role in the development of the Filipino

educational system; they are well remembered in the history of

Philippine education.”

In terms of what was being taught, religion was not included in the curriculum of the

schools. Normal, vocational, agricultural, and business schools were also opened. English was now

the medium for communication. The transformation was immediate. What was mentioned here

can still be seen in our current society, most notably, the English language. According to the

Philippine National statistics Office, 63.7 % of Filipinos above the age of 5 already have the ability

speak the English language.

The colonial mindset

Education was also very impactful in terms of the way we think of ourselves and how we

perceive the cultures aside from ours. Ralf Rivas of Rappler reported that Filipinos still prefer

2
Napoleon Casambre, “The Impact of American Education in the Philippines,” Quezon City : University of the
Philippines, 7.
global brands over local brands. Only 28% of local brands owned the Philippine spend shares,

compared to 72% by imported brands. Every Filipino has heard his/her mom say “Oy, maganda

yan kasi imported yan, galing sa Amerika.”3 This very mindset of having a higher outlook on

imported brands compared to our own is attributed to what values the schools were teaching that

time. Casambre points out how pop culture was frequently used as examples in schools. Be it

about movies, TV shows, music, and just generally the American lifestyle, Filipinos grew

accustomed to wanting the same things. We had an inclination to American products and was

disinclined with our own.4

Social mobility acquired from education

The socio-economic landscape also changed drastically because of the opportunities after

education had been attained. Social mobility was not prominent in the Spanish times, aside from

the likes of the principalia and ilustrados, it was very hard for majority of the citizens to improve

their way of living. Through proper training and education, there came a boom in different

professions and jobs. This coincided with the time of the industrial revolution where there was a

need for higher levels of thinking. These professions were geared towards science, industries, and

the development of entrepreneurship. As mentioned by Casambre, this did not mean that whoever

attained education would also attain financial prosperity.5 However, this was a far cry from the

previous governance, just solely on social mobility. This educational system gave a chance for

people to not only improve their lifestyle, but to revamp family his/her wealth for generations to

come.

Religion after education

The US occupation had opened up the gateways for some other religions to be extensively

introduced to the Philippines, most particularly the many brands of Protestantism. These

3
Ralf Rivas, “Filipinos still prefer global brands over local,” Pasig City: Rappler, May 2018.
https://www.rappler.com/business/203559-filipinos-prefer-global-over-local-brands
4
Napoleon Casambre, “The Impact of American Education in the Philippines,” Quezon City : University of the
Philippines, 12.
5
Ibid., 11.
protestants coincidently arrived also in 1901. The significance of education was that most of the

teachers that arrived in the country were Protestant ministers, and because they handled teaching,

this had a a great impact and influence on the Filipinos as well.6 This started the rise in the number

of protestants in the country. According to the Religious literacy project, the religion makes up

over 11 percent of the total population.7 This might seem small, but doing a bit of math, this would

equate to eleven million five hundred thirty-nine thousand people. All of which was rooted and

made possible by the ministers-turned-teachers during the American period.

Conclusion

Education is only one of many instruments (or weapons) that our colonizers used

to influence our culture. I would not go as far as to say that this is the sole reason why our culture

is like this, but I believe that it was an integral part of our evolution. There is a notion that our

national identity has been blurred because of things like this. Can we actually pinpoint a tangible

thing that shows what a truly Filipino culture is? A society is not just a simple math that just adds

to what is already existing. We cannot say that American culture was just added on top of our

Spanish heritage. A society that is affected by different cultures is a chemistry. When one culture

is added on top a another, it creates a new mixture, a new identity of people. Some would say that

it’s a negative thing to have so many things mixed in our history because we no longer know what

being a native Filipino is. In my opinion, I would disagree because this is exactly what makes us

Filipino, it is the rich heritage of different cultures that makes us so unique compared to any other

place in the world,

6
Agoncillo, Teodoro. “A Short History of the Philippines,” New York: Mentor Books, 1969.
7
"Protestant Christianity in the Philippines". Religious Literacy Project. Harvard Divinity School. Retrieved
May 8, 2018.