Philippines: Are We Still Fighting the Same Battle?

How are we in the past? The history of the Philippines is the battle of the peoples themselves
against various types of repression, from Spanish conquest (Constantino, 2010) and it is still
fresh in our minds how we waged a struggle for independence during American colonialism, and
how courageously our heroes battled in Bataan, Corregidor, and the mountains and forests as
guerrillas during the Japanese occupation. We shall never forget that even during the darkest
days of the Marcos martial rule dictatorship, there were heroes who gave their lives in order for
us to finally overthrow Marcos and restore democracy to the Philippines (Cruz, 2019). Our
history can be summarized in a single statement as "a struggle for freedom". Are we still fighting
the same battle today?

Even after the colonial period, the Philippine economy has become entirely reliant on the United
States in order to maintain its prosperity. We also lack an economy and defense, so we rely on
other forces. In 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte terminated the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement
with the US (Reyes, 2020). The Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) defined the US military's
rights and responsibilities in the Philippines. With this, some people claim that this was just the
next step in breaking free of the colonial bonds that bind the Philippines to the US. On the other
hand, Blancaflor (2019) said that the Hispanic culture remained after 123 years of being free
from the Spaniards.

Furthermore, the Philippines is Asia's oldest democracy, yet its democratic institutions have been
hijacked by those attempting to impose their will for generations. Under the leadership of
President Rodrigo Duterte, Syjuco (2018) argues that the country is slipping back towards the
authoritarianism that it experienced during the long dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos in the
1960s and 1970s. However, according to some, appearstry appeared to be on a clear upward
trend, with rising economic growth and democratic participation (Overholt, 2017). For the most
part, we are no longer fighting the same battles as we were in the past—there is no longer
oppression, harsh labor, or mistreatment at the hands of colonial masters—but we are still
struggling to become a truly sovereign nation, and we still require sovereign intervention from
our pre-colonial forefathers.

History is irreversible and can not be easily forgotten. Revisiting the past can help us understand
our current civilization's challenges. Many present Philippine problems, features, and qualities
can be traced back to colonial and even pre-colonial culture. As said previously, we are not
fighting the same battle now, but rather one to establish a sovereign nation. Let us look back.
How can we do it? By choosing the right leaders. We can one day be totally free of our pre-
colonial rulers' colonial connections. Baby steps at a time.

AARON JAMES VIZCAYNO

Hist 3 E2F1
 References

Constantino, R. (2010). A History of the Philippines. Monthly Review Press.

Cruz, E. S. (2019, June 8). Remembering the Filipino struggles for freedom. Philstar.Com.

https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2019/06/09/1924821/remembering-filipino-struggles-

freedom

Reyes, V. (2020, February 21). After more than a century, did the Philippines finally break free

from the United States? Washington Post.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/02/21/after-more-than-century-did-

philippines-finally-break-free-united-states/

Blancaflor, S. (2019, April 23). 120 years after Philippine independence from Spain, Hispanic

influence remains. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/120-

years-after-philippine-independence-spain-hispanic-influence-remains-n912916

Syjuco, M. (2018, December 8). Rodrigo Duterte is leading a new kind of dictatorship. The

Globe and Mail. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-rodrigo-duterte-is-

leading-a-new-kind-of-dictatorship/

Overholt, W. H. (2017, February 22). Duterte, democracy, and defense. Brookings.

https://www.brookings.edu/research/duterte-democracy-and-defense/