America Returns To The Philippines

Quiet sunset looking toward the "sleeping beauty" silhouette of Mt Bullagao across the Abra River towards Taiwan to the north.

From where I sit near the northern side of the island of Luzon, Taiwan is only a few hundred miles away and the tensions in the ocean are just offshore. Sitting on the edge of one of the most tense areas on the planet it is quiet for now. 

     

One only has to look around the town of Bangued to see the American imprint. There is Mckinley Street and Taft Avenue with an ironic McDonald's on the corner. There is the historic Gabaldon building (pictured above) designed by famed American architect William Parsons on the University of Abra campus where my wife used teach. Look a little further and there is the 1929 Sinalang bridge on the Abra to Ilocos Sur road that leads to the main north-south route on Luzon: the MacArthur Highway. A less flattering layer are the remnants of an 80 year old American bombing of Japanese and everyone else here during the war that destroyed what was once a beautiful town with its blend of Spanish and Filipino architecture. Why this happened and why it was never rebuilt with American money are good questions. The old enemies are now allied together with their former battleground as a bulwark against China. There is still a lament here for what was lost in that war. The American layer is blended in with all the other layers here in this land of layers.

Taft and McKinley were the two Americans who spearheaded the American colonization here and I love the irony of Mcdonald's sitting at their intersection. This most international of restaurants has the usual local twist on its food. I actually never go to "Macdough" as they call it here when I'm in the states, but enjoy trying different countries spins on it. My favorite burger so far is Hong Kong Mcdonald's while France actually does real potatoes for its "french fries" and has great espresso.

In addition to the ironic location of Mcdonald's, the Jollibee, the Philippines successful global spin on burgers and Filipino style fast food sits at the corner of Taft and Rizal streets. Jose Rizal being the famed national intellectual and hero who opposed the Spanish. Wherever he is, he must be smiling that his people are taking the colonizers idea and spinning their own superior version of it; colonizing the colonizer with something better.

 

Over three decades ago, the U.S. got out of the Philippines at the request of Filipinos who had enough of our meddling in their affairs. While the feeling among many is pro-American, there remains a fear that America will again meddle in internal affairs to the detriment of the people.

 Many people we visited had spent time in the U.S. recently visting family or working. My wife and I just spent time with Filipino American relatives in Europe who serve in the U.S. military, an old and strong tradition that dates back more than a century. There is a strong connection between our countries, but it only goes so far.

Ever since the colonial period, the U.S. has supported dictators and coddled the oligarchy that plagues the country to this day. Most of the wealth and political power are held by a handful of the population making Americas inequality look mild by comparison. Our record in the Philippines as colonizer and friend is a mixed one. While we built roads and schools, we allowed an old corrupt power structure that still plagues the country today to remain and played the racist colonizer card that put us on top.

Much to the chagrin of commentators of the time, like Mark Twain, instead of supporting a budding democracy, that probably would have done well, especially with our support, we fought a bloody, needless war to make sure Philippine democracy was under our boot and not independent until we were ready. Some North Dakota units fought in that war near Manila and one day I hope to visit those place where they fought.

After independence, we weren't yet done and the Philippines remained a neo-colonial satellite swayed by U.S. companies, the military and money to support things not always in the best interest of the Filipinos.

So what does the future hold for America in the Philippines?  Will this again become a battleground of two powerful nations with the Filipinos getting caught in the middle? Can we work to maximize help and minimize hurt as a new cold war makes where I sit a new front line? I hope so.