Maj. Gen. Basilio J. Valdes traces history of Philippine-American relationship

Media

Part of Philippines

Title: Maj. Gen. Basilio J. Valdes traces history of Philippine-American relationship
Language: English
Source: Philippines III (4) June 15, 1943
Year: 1943
Subject: Philippines--History; Philippines--History--19th century; Philippines—Foreign relations--United States
Rights
Abstract: Maj. Gen. Basilio J. Valdes. Chief of Scaff of the Philippine Army and Secretory of National Defense, give a comprehensive resume of Philippine·American relations, going as far back as the history of the Philippines, its narive civilization and culture as influenced by Spanish and American occupations, during his talk in Loyola University in New Orlean, Louisiana.
Fulltext: '11 ,.._.~ Philii!\ines PUBLISHED BY THE COMMON· WEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES 1617 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE, N. W., WASHINGTON, D. C. Volume Ill, Number 4 June 15, 1943 l\laj. Gen. Basilio J. Valdes Traces History Of Philippine-American Relationship IN A ree<:nr calk gi\'en before the members of the foudcy .ind srudent body of the Loyola UniYersicy in New Orlcam. Louisiana, Maj. Gen. Basilio J. Valdes. Chief of Scaff of the Philippine Army and Secretory of National Defense. g;1ve a comprehensin: resume of Philippinc·American re· htions. going as far back as the history of the Philippines. its nariv<": civilization and culcure as influenced by Spanish and American occupations. Philippine history, which the General calls replete wirh uprisings and revolcs to throw off the foreign. yoke" was reviewed briefly to show that Filipinos have always loved freedom. He called attention to "the greatest Filipino patriot of all, Dr. Jose Rizal" who. incidentally. w;1s born 82 years ago in Calamba, Laguna on June 19. IN HIS description of the role of the Philippines in this w:J.r, General Valdes paid tribute to the strength of Philippine-American cooperation which is founded on more than forry years of fruitful teamwork. "Wich che improvement of mutual understanding between the Americans and Filipinos," Gen. Valdes said, "There began an adventure in cooperation which was to last fo: forry }'Cars· and which has been hailed as the ideal relationship between a large nation and a smaller one-the sore of relationship which was lacer to become the keystone of the ·Atlantic Charter." In explaining why the Filipinos fought as they did in Bataan and on Corregidor, the General remarked: ~~o UR Filipino soldiers willingly made their sacrifice for liberty-for they were the youth of a people who bad tJsted freedom and were determined never co give it up. Fc.rcy years ago America came to the Philippines with promises of freedom and indeperidence. She had kept those promises by her laws and by her acts. When the Japanese attacked our land in 1941 we Filipinos were one of the few truly free nations in all the Far East, and we were advancing rapidly coward the day when cbe Philippine Republic would be escablished. "A's America had kept faith wich us, so we too were determined co keep faith with America. The heroes of Bataan, and their brothers in the United States and Hawaii, are · rl"'tfeeminp. 111 diur ~L•il: .1L ;..., the plc:d,l.'.1.. 1it llllr hchn·(.·J Prt~idt'nl \1,,hil'h h<: VX\'lfL'...,..,_t:.J tn thc..·"e ,,·nrlb.· \\'c s.un.J with the l :n1rcd St.1te; 1n life .1n.! 111 dt.ith'. · Ccn \'.ddc..;, 1,.]1,,cd h1 ... '>pcnh \\i(h .l hopc-ftd lltl(L' of <:\·cntu.d t\lliul YIUory I le 1..0111..hlllcl~ ·ln on<.· ye.tr \\C h.1,·1..- .lll"W('fl:ll rht...· 1..lulkn,!.!t: of B.tt.l.ln with more f!tlllS. mor1..· c.111k,, more pLHH.:S, ;!rhl .l 1norc dc:tcrmml'J plcd.~c t\l L.trry un uncil lin.d viuory i~ ~1chlen:d ·in unl' yc.1r we ,,111 rruchfully s.1y tlut 11J<ltt:J 13;it;un w.1s Ill)t rhl' c:nd. rh.u it w.1s lmly the bt·,~1nning. rhc prelude tt1 ulti1n:1t1:: \'innry -·-our vietory." Pertinenr pnrri<>ns of the General's spe:e:ch follows: NOT SO long agn. Americans were nm very keenly tnrt:rt:sreJ in the Philippines. Ar rhc turn of the century, it is true. e\'ery Americin spoke much of the beautiful i~:,111Js south of Japan. which America had wrested from the control of Spain. The glamorous word "Philippines" was then on every tongue. and chroughour the United States there was unbounded interest in the new bnd which had just come under che American flag. Bue the years passed, and America turned her eyes away irom the Philippines. True, there were teachers and business men and adminisrrators and technicians who came among us. Bm they were only a handful compared to the great mass of Americ'1ns who had nearly forgotten that far. off country over which che Unired Scates still held sovereignty. Bur if only a comparative ha;1dful of Americans .knew very much about the Philippines, there was a greater American force at work than mere numbers alone. That was che living, vibrant American force of democracy, of fair play, of liberry and justice for all. And so, in December, 1941, the American people rediscovered their friends across the sea. They watched the bloody story of heroism wriccen across the foxholes of Bacaan and in the tunnels of Corregidor. There, when the Japanese attacked, the world saw how well democracy had worked. It was no accident chat cwemy thousnnd Filipino soldiers were willing to lay down their lives in defense of American sovereignty over their islands. To!\lGHT I w,1nr f•' refresh ,-our understcinJing of the Filipin<' pe.:iple ,inJ ,,f the hisr~ric •lC<Omplishme;;t in Ct)lt)ni.1? :.1Jminisrr.1til)n which n1ust be credited to the l;nir6.1 $;:.He$ on its rL~(',)tJ in che Philippines thrl'u~h forry-;,J,! ye.irs. 1 h.n·c livcJ thrt'u,,:h that pt:rit)J. 1 s.rn· wl1.1: :\r:>e:ic.1 JiJ in the Philippines :rn,L during the p.1sc nn) ~·c:-.:rs. 1 .:-.OW rhe result of Atncric.1'!' rt~licy. risin~ ;.lbO\'t' the >:c1ch .rn,l blo,"hlsuins of furic)l!S b.lttle. Ltter I will cell yc·t: i~ ..:cr~1il ab0ur some l)f che n1llir:uy opcr.ai1.)11~ .?~ .• 1i!"'.::.: :h:: Japanese. Bu: !lr~r. let us gl.1ncc b.:ick briC'tiy intd the p.1sr. f~)r .1 fuller •.:n.lerst.:nding of rhe hisr,,ric.11 dcwl,,pmenr of th(' Filij,'in<> n.>tion. \\"ith this b:.ckpound dt.1rly in mi11'!. ~\.)U will b:: nu1t.:h bener ~1ble to .1ppn:(i.tte tbt.• signifitancc of th<· his:o:)·-m.1kin5 c1mp.1i,gn whi..:h the Filipino people w;1,~r:2 .lf:.1in~c the J,1p:.1nesc un,!cr rh.u g~1Jbnr commandt:r. Gcncr.1! D,mglJs Mao\rthur. Our original ciYiiizJtion in the Philippines was the M'1i"Y-'"· extending O\'Cr '' l~nd are.1 approximately the size oi the British Isles. \\" e hod nur own culture. our own books :ond literature. our own alpl1.1ber. \\'e haJ our Rajahs. who ::o\'erned their more or kss limited communities From ~hem "·e inherited the cour Jgc to iigh1 for those principle> of freedom which we learned to cherish. In 15~ 1 Ferdinand Magellan brought the flag of Spain to the Philippines. and the Spaniards under Legaspi began to take conrrol in earnest in 1565. The PJ1ilippines remained under Spanish rule until 1898-a pc-rind of about rhree hundred and sevenr:y years. PHILIPPINE history is replete with uprisings and re,olts to throw off the foreign yoke. Spain brought a colonial policy which aroused the hostility of the Filipino people and culminated in the Philippine Revolution of 1896; bur she also broughr many benefits of European civilization to the Philippines. Spain gave us a codified system of European law. She brought the Filipino people a language which opened up to them---<:,·cn if only to a few-the inrellectu•ll vistas of the western world. Finallr, Spain brought Christianity to the Philippines, and today more than 80 per cent of the Filipinos are Roman Catholic. Throughour the years, a long line of Filipino patriots raised their rnices on behalf of reform. In 1861, there was born the greatest Filipino patriot of all, Dr. Jose Rizal. From the age of I 7 onward, Rizal steadfastly trained himself to lead his people to freedom. He studied and wcrked in Madrid, Vienna, Berlin, Paris, I.ondon, Dresden, and Rome, visiting other places and mastering all the major languages of Europe and Asia. His scientific abilities won him world-wide re-cognition as a physician, biologisr, and engineer. His travels took him to China, Japan, and the United Sraws. His ideas on freedom for the Filipino people found expression in a prolific !low of pamphleis and books-particularly in his novels Noli me T tttlf(cre (The Social Cancer) and El Filib1111erinno (The Reign of Greed). These novels spread like wildfire throughout the Philippines, uniting the people in their common aspiration for freedom. Rizal's thesis was simple: his studies had convinced him that Filipino culture, industry, and general wcl2 Lrl' hod not been lllCJSurably improvl'd by 1hrcc t<:nluries of Sp;mi>h rule He felt the grc:ic nt'ed for reforms By THE 18'!(.l's thl' pl·t1pk h.1d ltJme cu hmk upon R1z.d :is chur pc.<t k.1der and d1.1111pit1n But Riz.il himself """ rnn in f.n·nr of .u1 1mnwdi.1C<.: .1rmcd fC:\'nluti(1u. Th.n \\,ts ld1 for Andrb Bonif.1cio, i.ithcr oi 1hl' J.:.111/1:111,i11. 1bc se ... :rcr Sllt.il'l\' under wh11-..c h.rnner tli<: rc,·nh1c11m 1111.111\' bn.\ke our. li w.1-, Ri1.d .1111J his 1<:.tlhin,t! ..... ho\\T\'CT. 1h.;1 in-;pir('\.l !h{· 1c\·nhn irn11\1..; in 1 ht·1r supreme -...1l rili<.c. Th·~ Sp.1ni~h ,t:.o\·crnnr. in ic.1r .1nJ ,Jc~p<.:r.n1n11. !tired Ri1.d ro l\l.rnil.1 "·ith f.d,c pro1n1,c:-. ul ,,1ft-1y, .11hl {ht·n trl'.h. hcrou~ly Hung cht· ~c\1lt1~ p.1triPt 11u,1 p1 i-...1>11 r\r d.1w11. 011 Dc\..t:rnh.:r )0. 181)f\ rhc tl'.lLk tif ritk·-:. tt.h•it·,! in B.n:,umhn·.in F1d(I, .wlJ .J1 h(' H J/,i I \\ ,1..., (Jc.id .J nl,il'I ~ r 1~ 1 1 hl' t ,;11'.t· r .f .J 1h1. rn Btu the :-.l'trH of FJJ1p1no fJt·cdnm \\.l"> 1111t '" <:.1 ... d~ kilbl. \\"11h illl Ill""' ,.f R11.1(, ,lc.11h. Ila· l""""'l"'"ell 1•i hoslil11y .i,!,!.1i1ht the: Sp.mi..,li rl'.~inw hn.1mc .1 11>.!.11 w.nt· Arn1t:d b.mds ~pr.in.~ 1n10 exi\tL·rn.t· il1rou.t!l~11111 ihc Pl11lq"· pin(·S. a111I Sp.1111sh p•nn:r 1cH1cn.:~J per1!t)11,J~ lxrn .~111 thl· on1bught. Sn1.1"11 wond<.:r th.u. when C.111ntn• )\It irc ( 1t·1~r::( Dt \\<:\ .111d '"' Amuiun Iker .irrin·.I m l\!.1n:l.1 B.11 ;," Jl.l.1r I. 1898. th<:y found the ddc.lt of 1hc ~p.1n"h 1.»rccs .1n ~""! JccomplishmC'nr. For rhe tnnh \\,1\ dur Sp.un w.1-> ilghlin.~ not chc A merit rn~ alone. bu1 ch<: people of thl' Ph1lippin<:' rht:mscl\'es. a people ,ft-rcrmincd nnLC anJ for .ill rn be rid of foreign rule :ind co govern themsel\'CS. Jn helping 10 overthrow the Sp:inish regime, 1he Filipinos looked upon the Amcric.111 forn·s as •llics :rnd liberators . .ind the\' were sure rh:ir rhc day of rhcir delin:-r:rnn· wa.~ ;l! h:wd. . Ho\\'e\·er. the m·crrhrow of the Spanish regime was not destined ro result in immediate indepcndencl' for the Philippines. THE Fil1p1nos immedi.udy tonduJcd rh,n their s1ruggles and sacrifices had been in voin, nnd th•t they had simply delivered themselves from one foreign oppressor only co find themseh-cs burdened with another. Disillusioned by years of Spanish misrrearmenr and betrayal the Filipinos were skeptical of American assurances of friendly intentions at the start. Four bitter years of bloodshed followed before the American armed forces, consisting of over 125,000 well-armed soldiers, finally succeeded in .subduing the last remnants of the Filipino forces, but only after the friendly intcnrions of the United Stares were amply demonstrated to the Filipino people. The American administration of the Philippines marked the beginning of a new era for the Filipino people-an era of hope, of progress, and of self-realization. For, when the Americans came, they brought along with them the basic symbol of democraq•-the schoolbook. No longer was the Filipino narion ro thirst in vain for knowledge. Ar last to them were given such democratic rights as freedom of spet-ch, freedom of the press, universal education, 1hc right to vore, and freedom of religion. The attimde of rhe Filipino people nncl of such leaders as Manuel L. Quezon (who had fought as a major against the Americnn occupa( Co11ti1111ed 011 pni;c 9) PHILIPPINl!S Valdes Traces History . . . ( con:inued from p:zRe 2) tion forces), underwenr a profound ~hange as ther realized more and more that America trulr imended to gh·e independence to the Philippines as soon as feasible. The spirit of Filipino hostility and scepticism was gradually replaced by a spirit of cooperation and murual goodwill. THE policy pursued by the United States is drmuticilly illustrated in a ston· told b,· Luther Parker, an American educator sent to th~ Philippines in the e:uly years of rhe American administration. Parker landed at I\hnih on a transport bearing six hundred American school teachers. all of whom had been scnr for the purpose of bringing enlightenment to the great mass of the people among whom ignorance had been encouraged by the Spcrnish regime as an instrument of subservience. Parker arrived at a small village on the island of Luzon, where the children crowded about him crying in their nati,·e language: "Teach us English! Teach us English!" Parker took one of the children on his knee, and the first English words he taught that child were: "I am a Filipino." Here is the epitome of the policy which America set out to accomplish in the Philippines. Parker did nor reach the child to Sa)': "I am an American subject." Instead, he began at once to create in the child's mind the awareness of his own imporrance as President McKinley keynoted the policy which America was t0 follow faithfully for forry years, when he said: '"The Philippines are ours. nor to exploit bur to develop, to civilize, ro educate, ro rr.1in in the science of self·governmenr. This is the path of dury which we must follow or be rtcrcant to ,, mighty trust commirrcd re us."' Everyone in rhe Philippines w,lS subject ro Filipinomade laws. The Amcric.111s maintained no special courts of their own-when they broke Philippine law. they were prosecuted by Filipinos and tried by Philippine courts pre· sided over by Filipino judges. The altruistic attitude expressed by l'residenr .McKinky was reiterated by suC<CSSJ\'c Amcric.•n prcsiden" Mnrc and more filipinos c.unc tt> p.irricip.m· in the .1drnmisrra· tion of the gmcrnmcnr. Fin.1lly. in 191 (>, l\bnucl L. Quezon -then Resident Commissinncr-brou~ht b.tlk co the Phil· ippines rhe Jones bw. signed by \v'o,;drow \'1:'1hnn. gr.1nring increased .1ucono111\· tn rhc· Philippines A PHILIPPINE Sen.uc w;is now dcucu. with Mr. Quezon as the head. 1\r this sr.1gc. most of the members of the Governor Gencr.il"s C1bincr and of the Supreme C:ourr were also Filipinos. Still later. in J 9.>•l, the Amcri<·an Congn·;s passed. and President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed, the Phclcppinc Independence Acr known as the Tydings-l\kDuflie Act. a Filipino and of his own responsibility to prepare himself for citizenship in a free and independent country. Text of tbe address delivered by Maj. Gen. Basilio J. Valdes at Loyola University, New Orleans, Louisiana, on May 10, 1943. This Act. the last step coward follilling every promise made br the United States regarding Philippine independence, With the improvement of mutual understanding between the Americans and the Filipinos, there began an adverirure in cooperation which was to last for ferry years and which has been hailed as the ideal relationship between a large narion and a smaller one-rhe sort of relationship which was later to become rhe keystone of rhe Atlantic Charter. W1TH American. educators Juke Luther Parker came also American doctors, engineers, and administrators. There was much to be done. Centuries of oppression and unrest bad left their mark on the country. The healrh of the people was poor. Epidemics were taking their roll by the hundreds of thousands. Education was a luxury, available only co the privileged few. Philippine economy was disrupted, and the people were impoverished. Medieval means of communication hampered polirical unification. Through widespread education, the American administration sec out co reverse the usual colonial policy of '"divide and conquer." Many institutions of higher learning, like the University of the Philippines were founded. The lireracy of rhe Filipinos increased by leaps and bounds. The circulation of newspapers and magazines rapidly multiplied, with the faising of che educational level. The political development of the Islands ~as equally remarkable. }UNB 15, 194!5 provided that the people of the Philippines should draft a constitution and ser up ;1 democratic governmenr capable of assuming all of the functions of an independenr republic at the end of a ten-year transition period. Under the Tydings-McDuffie Act, the Filipino people proceeded ar once to draft a conscirution and ro esrnblish the transitional Commonwealth Governmenr. On November 15, 1935, rhe Commonwealth of the Philippines was inaugurated, with two longtime leaders of Filipino participation in the American regime, Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio Osmeiia, as Presidenr and vice-president respectively. In rhe second Commonwealth national election, on November 11, 1941, President Quezon and Vice Presidenr Osmeiia were re-elected by an overwhelming majority. Then came December 7, 1941. Without warning-at Pearl Harbor, Midway and in the Philippines-Japan attacked. The Japanese expected the conquest of the Philippines would be an easy task. They counted upon resistance only by the 14,000 American troops stationed in rht Islands under the command of General MacArthur. But ro the eternal surprise of the Japanese, the 17,000,000 Filipinos instantly sprang to the defense of their country and of rhe American flag. Under the leadership of President Que:zon, 92,000 Filipino soldiers took their place beside their American comrades, ready ro light and die as allies. 9 The,· knew from the record of the Amcric.rn administration. of their country that the destiny of rhc Filipino people lay with dcmo-:ratic Americ1-nor wirh the Japanese empire. In the battles rhat followed. 20.000 of them S;Krificed their li\·es. EvE:-.: now. though much of the terrirory of rhe Philippine Commonwe;ilth is occupied by the enemy. in the mountains of Luzon and Mindanao. elements of che Philippine Army which c\·aded capture are resisting and har.lssing the im-.1ders. by J;ipan·s own admission. Among the civili.rn popubtion of the Commonwe;11th. Japanese efforts ro win supporc are met with defonce. In the United States. rhous;rnds oi Filipino soldiers-such as the U. S. Army"s First and Second Filipino Regiments in California-train in prep.1r.uion for the orders which will hunch them into combat with the enemy. And in Washingron. President Quezon-undaunted by the ordeals through which he and his nation have passed-tirelessly directs the continuing srruggle of the Commonwealth against the invader. The Japanese. meanwhile, outdo themselves-though unsuccessfully-ro persuade the people of the Philippines thar Japan has no designs on their country and will give the Filipinos "independence" as a partner in "Greater Easr Asia" (Japan·s phrase for "Japanese-dominated slavestares"). The reason for rhe failure of the Japanese to make any real impression upon the Filipino people wich the "independence" argument is clear enough. The Filipinos. schooled in the democraric tradition, know how to apply common sense ro rhe dissection of propaganda. THE Philippine Armr, though barely five years old and composed almosr exclusively of young men in rheir twenties, proved its worrh against Japanese soldiers many of whom were veterans of former battles in China. The magnificent showing of our boys proved that our program of National Defense, planned by General MacArrhur, approved by President Quezon. and successfully carried out by the Unired States Military Mission and rhe General Scaff of the Philippine Army, has been sound. The gallantry of the Filipino soldiers in Luwn, Baraan, and Corregidor has earned for the Commonwealth of the Philippines the priceless right co be recognized on its own merit as an equal in the brotherhood of arms in the nations of the world. Today as our rhoughcs go back a year ago to that bloo<lsrained bit of land on the other side of the Pacific, we see in perspective, long srrides that have been rnken since:, toward keeping faith with chose who fought and died in the Philippines. The young Filipinos and Americans who fought and died in Bataan and elsewhere were brothers-in-arms in a baccle that will live forever in the annals of gallantry. Their courage and their sacrifice will shine the brighter in the course of the years as we realize more and more how much they meanr to us who have been left behind to carry on; especially when we chink that they were fighting for such rhings as democracy, peace, and tranquility of existenced:ings which, in their desperate plight, they could never hope co enjoy again. 10 I s;1w those men fighc. I was with chem through their terrible ordeal. I saw umrained filipino soldiers, hardly our of cheir ceens, rum into veteran soldiers overnighc. I saw your Americ10 boys, mosc of whom had never been under lire, fighring like heroes. I saw rhe wounded suffering quiet!)'. and the Japanese bombs dropping viciously on the Jidd hospitals clearly marked with the red cross of mercy. I s.1w the Jap;rnese planes roaring continuously ovcrhc.1J. and the shells from rhe Japanese .1nilleq cr.1shing everywhere. anJ the snipers' bullets whipping through rhe underbrush. T \'\'ENT\' THOl.;SAND Filipim» .ind three thousand Americ.111s died for freedom on B1u.1.1n and oilier Philippine battleticlds. One docs nnt >1x-.1k nftcn of .1lwrau ide.1ls under fire. bur I know th.it 1n their he.in' burnc,l the li,·in;.: memory of che1r homt'' .111d tht'ir kiniolk .111J tht"1r lo\'C' of freedom. Our Filipino soldiers willingly m.1Jt" tlll'ir .s.1tritice for liberty-for they were the youch of a people who h.1d raste<l freedom and were determined nev('r to 1;i"e it up; Forty years ago. Americ.1 cime m th<· l'hilippmes with promises of freedom and inJq,cndencc. She h.1d kept those promises, by hC'r law' .rnd by her .1us. \\'hen till' .J.1p.rnesc· attacked our land. in 19-i I. we l'ilip1no> were <>IW of the few rruly free iutions in all the Far List. '1nd we were advancing r,1pidly ww.1rJ che d.1y when the l'hil1ppinl' Republic would be established. As America had kepc faith with us. so \\ c coo wc·rc derermined ro keep faich wirh AnKrica. The heroes of Bataan, and their brochers in the UnireJ Sra1es .rnd H.1waii, are redeeming in rheir d.lily aces rhe pledge of our beloved President which he expressed in chese words: '"\\'e swnd wirh rhe United States in life and in de.uh.'" About a year ago, I lud ocrnsion to say that n.uaan should nor gee lost in the mists of legcnJs. For Bataan belongs co hisrory. Ir belongs to us. Filipinos and Americans alike. Then Baraan had jusr fallen-and many were the words of praise lavished on rhe heroes of the Philippines. And I said, "Words become feeble in the needs of the moment, in rhe crying challenge for acrion."' For Bataan was not only a symbol: It was a challenge. }N ONE YEAR, I am happy to say, chat challenge has been answered wherever democracy is still a living symbol --our in the factories that run full blast twenty-four hours a <lay; on the fields where busy hands coil all day long producing the foods chat the allied nations at war need; in rhe seas where our boys keep consrant vigil, fighting, suffering, and dying; in the sheltered quiet of many a home where, daily, prayers are lifrc<l for those of their youth who are now on the many battle fronts of rhe world, or are reported missing or dead. In one year we have answered the challenge of Bataan with more guns, more ranks, more planes, and a more determined pledge to carry on until final victory is achieved. In one year, we can truthfully say that indeed Bataan was nor che end, that ic was only che beginning, the prelude co ultimarc victory-Our Victory. PHILIPPINES
pages: 1-2+