Words and photos by Dionesio C. Grava

It may be said that the U.S. engagement with the Philippines can be traced to the Treaty of Paris of 1898. At 8:50 pm on December 10 of that year, just two days short of six months since revolutionary forces under Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed our sovereignty and independence from Spain, that same European colonizer ceded the Philippines to the U.S. for the measly sum of 20 million dollars. That effectively ended the U.S. vs. Spain conflict. That also started a hate-love relationship between the Americans and their new possession until 1942 when another colonizer, Japan, subjugated the Philippines again.

For sure irritants existed then and continue to exist now between the U.S. and the Philippines. There are still those who harbor grudges for the inequities of that long ago years such as whether or not the well-armed Americans were justified in perpetrating massacres of Filipino people such as happened in Balangiga in Samar, Mabitac in Laguna Province, Bud Bagsak in Sulu and others. Why was it that the supposed gift of independence in 1946 had to bestow U.S. sovereignty over dozens of military bases? Why did the Bell Trade Act dictated what the Philippines could and couldn’t produce and granted U.S. citizens and corporations equal access to Philippine minerals, forests and other natural resources. Worse, it was inflicted at a time when much of the country was laid to waste, the nation’s coffers were empty and the people agonizing as a result of the just concluded war.

And other questions persist: Was the U.S. colonial domination of the Philippines really a “civilizing mission,” which presupposes that we were not civilized in the first place? Was it a matter of brute-force subordination or, as harped, the furtherance of a “Benevolent Assimilation” policy? Why was it that the US, being the colonizing country, wanted to be called the Motherland but at the same time did not want to bestow citizenship on the inhabitants?

At this time of our nationhood we may have the luxury of sitting back and reflect that, yes, history is replete with conflicts and injustices of all kinds and that trying to divine the thread and intricacies of every fine web that enmeshed civilization from the beginning of time would be an endless pursuit. It is in this context that people of discernment had deemed fit to craft a term to denote a relationship that takes into account esteem, respect and affection for each other: Friendship.

Thus, Filipino-American friendship — a comradeship molded out of the crucible of many wars in the defense of righteousness and freedom, the fight against terrorism and a sharing of democratic ideals. It is a strong relationship of mutual confidence, trade ties and security arrangements. These were some of the points highlighted by Austin Baul, president of the Filipino American Community of LA (FACLA) when that premier Filipino organization celebrated Philippine American Friendship Day on July 4.

Baul said that it is because of that relationship and friendship between the two countries forged by the sweats and blood of our people that we, Filipinos who since called the U.S. home, should endeavor to foster understanding and harmony.

“Let’s show America that we can always maintain that delicate balance of loyalty to the Philippine and U.S.; that, we can be as Filipinos as anyone can and we can be as Americans as anyone can,” said Baul.

A large number of Filipinos and American friends also celebrated at FACLA the 114th Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence on June 13. It is a yearly observance and photos are likewise included here.

July 4th, U.S. Independence Day, used to be celebrated also in the Philippines as our Independence Day. It was moved to June 12 during President Diosdado Macapagal’s administration to coincide with the proclamation of independence from Spain in June 12, 1898. Filipino-American Friendship Day was created to fill the resulting void. It was also intended to commemorate the liberation of the country by joint Filipino and American forces at the end of World War II.