Philippine Independence edit
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| Indigenous period (pre-1521) |
| Kingdom of Zabag |
| Luzon Empire (1279 - 1521) |
| Kingdom of Tondo |
| Kingdom of Maynila |
| Kingdom of Namayan |
| Islamic period (1450-1917) |
| Sultanate of Maguindanao |
| Sultanate of Sulu |
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Colonial Philippines |
| Spanish period (1521–1898) |
| Viceroyalty of New Spain |
| Spanish East Indies |
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Philippine Revolution (1896-1898) |
| Katipunan |
| First Philippine Republic |
| American period (1898–1946) |
| Philippine–American War |
| Commonwealth of the Philippines |
| Japanese Occupation (1942–1944) |
| Second Philippine Republic |
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Contemporary Philippines |
| Period of Independence (1946–present) |
| Third Republic |
| Marcos Dictaroship |
| Fifth Republic |
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Military history |
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This article covers the history of the Philippines from the granting of independence in 1946 to the end of the presidency of Diosdado Macapagal.
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On June 12, 1898, prior to the formal conclusion of the Spanish-American war, Filipino revolutionary forces under General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the sovereignty and independence of the Philippine Islands from the colonial rule of Spain. The declaration, however, was not recognized by the United States or Spain, and was not generally recognized by other nations. The Spanish government ceded the Philippines to the United States in the 1898 Treaty of Paris, in consideration for an indemnity for Spanish expenses and assets lost.
On July 4, 1946, representatives of the United States of America and of the Republic of the Philippines signed a Treaty of General relations between the two governments. The treaty provided for the recognition of the independence of the Republic of the Philippines as of July 4, 1946, and the relinquishment of American sovereignty over the Philippine Islands.1
Filipino historians point out that independence in 1946 came with numerous strings attached. The U.S. retained dozens of military bases, including a few major ones, and independence was linked to legislation passed by the U.S. Congress that was designed to ensure that the Philippines would remain an economic ward of the U.S., for the time being.
For example, the Bell Trade Act prohibited the Philippines from manufacturing or selling any products that might "come into substantial competition" with U.S.-made goods, and it required that the Philippine constitution be revised to grant U.S. citizens and corporations equal access to Philippine minerals, forests, and other natural resources. In hearings before the Senate Committee on Finance, Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs William L. Clayton described the law as "clearly inconsistent with the basic foreign economic policy of this country" and b"clearly inconsistent with our promise to grant the Philippines genuine independence."2
But the Philippines had little choice but to accept these terms for independence. The U.S. Congress was threatening to withhold post-World War II rebuilding funds unless the Bell Act was ratified. The Philippine Congress obliged on July 2, 1946.
The Philippines celebrates its Independence Day in recognition of June 12, 1898, when the Philippines declared its independence from Spain, although its independence was only recognized on July 4, 1946, by the United States. From 1946 to 1961, Independence Day was observed on July 4 each year, but then President Diosdado Macapagal, upon the advice of some historians, reverted to the June 12 date, which up to that time had been observed as Flag Day in the Philippines.
| “ | "When I next realized that the Philippines had dropped into our laps I confess I did not know what to do with them... And one night late it came to me this way... 1) That we could not give them back to Spain- that would be cowardly and dishonorable; 2) that we could not turn them over to France and Germany - our commercial rivals in the Orient - that would be bad business and discreditable; 3) that we not leave them to themselves - they are unfit for self-government - and they would soon have anarchy and misrule over there worse than Spain's wars; and 4) that there was nothing left for us to do but to take them all, and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them, and by God's grace do the very best we could by them, as our fellow-men for whom Christ also died."—U.S.President William McKinley.3 | ” |
| “ | Imperialism is the policy of an empire, and an empire is a nation composed of different races living under varying forms of government. A republic cannot be an empire, for a republic rests upon the theory that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and colonialism violate this theory….Our experiment in colonialism has been unfortunate. Instead of profit it has brought loss. Instead of strength it has brought weakness. Instead of glory it has brought humiliation.4 | ” |