Legacy of Colonialism in the Nation of the Philippines: Politics, Cultures and

Traditions of the past and present in our society

Histories are documented by historians, as their title suggests they have honed their
expertise through years of academic studies. One important lesson taught in their
field is to document and present information as objectively as possible, biases and
prejudice are ill-advised when it comes to the recording of history. While these
basic requirements are mostly accepted, just how much of it is the truth?
Historians are just people; people can make mistakes and people can have biases or
prejudice in them without them ever knowing it. Try as we might, we cannot stop
ourselves from having different points of views because we as human beings are
able to think. When we’re viewing history, it is definite that we cover both sides of
the story and present the different points of view of the individuals who accounted
for the progress of time.
When the Spaniards arrive in a group of islands now called the Philippines, the
islands where not unified often split into different groups with different cultures
and ethnicity. The islands were unified under the banner of the Spanish Empire, the
islands were now considered part of a whole and people in those islands are now
considered the same under Spanish rule.
As I recalled the Spanish point of view, A Question have appeared in my mind. If a
group of people where suddenly under the control of a foreign power and they
were branded together and called them “Filipino” then could you really call the
group of people Filipinos before the Spaniards arrived? Now let me present the
view of the Philippines.
The portrayal of the Spanish in Philippine history are often viewed as conquerors.
The Spaniards took away their sovereignty and replaced their cultures with their
own. Philippine national heroes who took to the streets and revolt against the
Spanish crown, unifying the people and inciting a revolution against Spain to gain
their independence.
As I finish recalling, it is evident that both viewpoints are different, why?
Propaganda is a tool that could affect anyone, no people is safe. Propaganda instills
ideas in us that could be used to hinder or progress the agendas of different
countries. Both the Philippines and Spain used propaganda to dictate what is true
or not in the people’s minds.

One of the main arguments used by the Philippines against Spain was that under
the Spanish rule, they subjugated the Philippines and replaced their previous
cultures and tradition when in fact the notion of being an independent country with
its own identity did not materialize until the later periods of the Spanish rule.
Though that is not to say that what the Spanish did was not wrong but different
viewpoints in history can be used to further a countries agenda. The indigenous
people of the islands were conquered and brought together by the Spanish then
forming a new identity and then wanting independence, the traditions and cultures
of those indigenous people are forgotten to time. The Spaniards did not think of us
as equals, to them the Philippines is just a colony to increase their prestige in the
world stage. Treatment of the Spanish to the Filipino people was not equal and just,
this is one of the factors that flourished a revolution and cement the attitude that
the Philippines has on the Spanish regarding its colonial period.
When the revolution was undergoing, the seeds of distrust within the people spread
like wildfire. There are those who sided with the revolution and those who sided
with the Spanish. Corruption, bribery and espionage affected both sides.
Revolutionary leaders such as Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Aguinaldo often
disagree with each other. The Tejeros Convention was started to resolve current
issues within the group (KKK or Kataastaasan Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng
mga Anak ng Bayan) and to form a new government. However, nothing came out
of this because Bonifacio disagreed with the outcome of the meeting calling it
invalid and Mariano Alvarez (A lawyer) did not want a person that is not from
Cavite to govern Cavite. Andres Bonifacio then accused leaders of the revolution
to be traitors and later Andres Bonifacio was killed because of treason.
The influence of the Spaniards can be found in our names, cultures, religions,
traditions, foods and language. A lot of Filipinos have a Spanish last name (Dela
Cruz, Villanueva… etc.) Spanish loan words can be seen in Tagalog, Fiesta
(Festival) came from the Spanish, Catholicism came from the Spanish. The legacy
of the Spanish Colonialism have a big impact on the lives of Filipino to this day.
The Spanish were not the only one to colonize the Philippines, however. Soon
came the Americans, after the incident in Cuba in which an American ship was
destroyed, The United States soon declared war with Spain. The United States won
and in the Treaty of Paris (1898) Spain sold the Philippines to the Americans. First
viewed as a friend against the Spanish then realizing the true intentions, the
Philippine-American war was about to begin. In the war both sides committed
atrocities against each other. The United States did an exhibition of the Igorot
people in which people from the America came to see Igorot people in cages like
animals at a zoo. Antonio Luna (Filipino General) was killed by the hands of
Filipinos.
Though in paper the Filipino people seem unified that was not the truth however,
infighting and corruption ultimately led to the defeat of the Filipino revolutionaries
in the Philippine-American war.
Under American rule the people were treated much better than in the Spanish rule
however it is still far below what I would consider a humane way to occupy
another nation. Still under American rule many changes were being made, Firstly
English is now the primary language, second education is more accessible (still
majority is mostly wealthy Filipino could afford education), third is culture and
tradition became westernized, fourth is new sports (basketball), fifth is a new
modernized and westernized form of government that closely resembled the
American government system.
The Tydings-McDuffie (1934) Act provided a 10 year long transitional period
where the Philippines must follow and meet the criteria and guidelines that was
given before the United States would grant the Philippines independence. Though
this would not take effect entirely because in 1941 the Empire of Japan invaded the
Philippines.
Both American and Filipino fought side by side to fight the Japanese, however,
they did not stop the invasion, forcing the Americans to retreat and the Philippines
to be subjected to Japanese occupation. A declaration of his return was made by
MacArthur following the withdrawal of American troops.
Under the occupation of Japan, the Philippines suffered the most, multiple war
crimes were committed by the Japanese people. Almost all form of western related
products (media, tradition, cultures and sports) were removed from the Philippines.
Inflation was so high that the value of the money has decreased significantly, many
people refer to it as “Mickey Mouse Money”. One of the most famous atrocities
that was committed was the “Bataan Death March” in which American and
Filipino prisoners were forced to march 66 miles without stop.
Though the occupation is short term the effect is gigantic as combined with both
Spanish and American occupation instills a mentality in the Filipino people.
Known as Colonial Mentality, it is the attitude of ethnic or cultural inferiority felt
by the people as a result of colonialization.
In 1946, America granted the Philippines independence. For the first time it has
achieved to be a sovereign country free from colonizers but what other problems
could lie about. As the Philippines becomes an independent country it will have to
overcome the obstacle that independence brings.
On December 30, 1965, Ferdinand Marcos was elected as the 10th President of the
Philippines. Marcos gained political success by falsely claiming he was a war hero.
He was to put in simply a dictator who runs a constitutional authoritarianism. He
ruled under martial law (1972-1981) and abused his power until he was deposed in
1986. During martial law, the Philippine Constitution was revised, the media was
silenced, and he oppressed political opponents, Muslims, and ordinary citizen.
Though the Philippines benefited from the infrastructures that he ordered to build it
led the Philippines into an economic collapse that begun in 1983. The public
assassination of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr (Leader of opposition party, also a
senator) along with allegations of mass cheating and political turmoil and scandals
and human rights abuses led to the people power revolution of February 1986,
which then removed him from power. Ninoy Aquino’s wife, Corazon “Cory”
Aquino succeeded him as the 11th President of the Philippines.
This has a significant effect in the political side and the cultural side of the
Philippines. Most people in the Philippines associates martial law with the events
that happened back then. Still to this date, the debate is still ongoing and
continuous about Ferdinand Marcos and his presidential terms.
In the present day, the political side of things is as it is back then having learned
little to nothing, In the 2022 election the Filipino people voted for a man without
proper credentials to be the president of the Philippines. This is due to the fact that
the education of the majority of the Filipino people are lacking and the educational
system in the Philippines is inefficient.
The use of mass misinformation in media outlets have affected the decisions of
many, instead of thinking for themselves and researching about the candidates in
who to vote for, many are contented to follow the words of others blindly.
In the economic side of things, the Philippines is leaning towards tourism as
another way of income in the country. Tourism is highly profitable in the
Philippines, the tropical summer, the warm beaches, the (mostly) friendly locals
and the lower cost of living makes it a perfect destination of foreign travelers.
According to the Department of Tourism in September 2023, the Philippines
generated 316.billion pesos in revenue of tourist.
In the cultural side of things, more western media has a massive following in the
country. Korean pop culture is also very popular in the Philippines such as (BTS,
skincare products, plastic surgery) as more new cultures are integrated to the
Philippines, old traditions are fading away. Some traditions are not seen as required
anymore. The power of the church is being separated from politics.
In summary the legacy of colonialism in the Philippines affected a lot of varying
ingredients that formed the Philippines of today. Every country that occupied the
Philippines brought with it some positive things but also some negative
experiences that stayed with the Philippines after they were gone.
Some cultures and traditions stayed while others fade away. Though as things
change it seems that a lot of us have not truly learned from it.
Corruption and infighting are still a common problems with the Philippines.
Unified in paper but different groups with different ethnical and cultural
backgrounds have a hard time coming to terms with one another. The three main
island is varied in terms of cultures and traditions, making it hard to believe if the
government can even impose control on some province in the Philippines. Our
society has grown since its birth with positive and negative changes with each step
we as a society take. It is in the individual, in the people to make changes for
tomorrow, for the greater good or for the despicably bad.

REFERENCES
Dr. Zeus A. Salazar (1991) A legacy of the Propaganda: The Tripartite View
of Philippine History, 1-8
Reynaldo C. Ileto, Vincent L. Rafael and Floro C. Quibuyen (2004) Philippine
Historiography and Colonial Discourse, 1-25
 Personally, I believe that understanding different philosophical world
views can help us better understand our own faith, and the challenges we
face in the world. Existentialism is a philosophical movement that
emphasizes individual freedom, choice and responsibility. It argues that
existence precedes essence, meaning that humans must create their own
purpose and meaning in life.
Life is an intricate dance of triumph and despair, and the road to success
is seldom a straight path, fraught with obstacles and setbacks. We will
often stumble and falter, but it is through these trials that we learn the
most valuable lesson in life, the importance of sacrifice.
Trade your cards, trade it well. Becareful not to lose the aspect of you of
which that you hold dear. For us to move forward we must lose
something in exchange. Choose the one that will bring the least
grievances, choose the one that will bring you closer to your dreams