The Philippine Story

THE PHILIPPINE STORY THE Philippine Story by David Bernstein Farrar, Straus and Company NEW YORK 1947 O CONTENTS Introduction ix I. Background 3 II. The Filipino People 1 2 III. The Spanish Record 27 IV. The Age of Revolt 50 V. The Experiment Begins 77 VI. Reform from Above 106 VII. Transition 125 VIII. The War Years 152 IX. Government in Exile 174 X. Liberation 200 XI. The Economics of Liberation 217 XII. The Politics of Liberation 237 XIII. The Summing Up 258 Index 271 INTRODUCTION r HEN THE INDEPENDENCE of the Philippines was proclaimed in July, 1946, Americas experiment in the Pacific came out of the laboratory. For the first time in history, a great Western power had acquired a colony, made a promise of ultimate inde pendence, assisted the inhabitants in learning the ways of self government, and then kept the promise without bloodshed. The experiment has not, of course, been perfect. It built upon many mistakes and perpetuated many injustices. It sup ported the principle of political independence but basically ignored the parallel need for economic independence. It per mitted the sugar barons and the wealthy businessmen to prosper mightily while thousands of Filipino tenant farmers lived in virtual peonage. It maneuvered into power, as President of the independent Republic, a leader able and energetic but tainted by collaboration with the enemy during the war. On the other hand, by 1941, it had raised the Philippine stand ard of living above any other in the Orient. It had taken a peo ple crushed by three and a half centuries of Spanish rule and given them widespread literacy, improved public health, expand ing prosperity, and cause for self-respect. To the Filipinos, with ix xIntrodiLction - their mixed Malayan-Spanish heritage, the experiment brought an understanding of civil liberty, of fair play, free speech, political controversy ideas still incomprehensible to most other Orientals. It had also given them a piece of the American legend of opportunity the faith that a man born in a log cabin or a nip a shack can become president, professor, or sugar baron if only he tries hard enough. And the result is the closest thing to political democracy in the Orient. This experiment was not quite out of the laboratory stage when World War II put it to a premature test. It emerged bat tered but triumphant. Alone among the colonial peoples of the Orient, the Filipinos had freely stood up to the Japanese, con ducting enthusiastic guerrilla operations and harrying the enemy constantly and often effectively. Most Filipinos who resisted the Japanese did so because they believed they were fighting for the United States. Fundamen tally, perhaps, they were fighting for a prewar status quo for stable government, material luxuries, libertarian ideas, expanding opportunity which they associated with American policy. When Philippine liberation came, in 1944 and 1945, the ex periment resumed. But it had been set back disastrously. The cities of the Philippines were almost entirely wiped out. Produc tive power was in ruins. Almost two-thirds of the total physical wealth excepting only the land itself was gone. Everything was damaged or destroyed, not least the morale of the people. In such an atmosphere, Philippine independence became a reality. During the war, the United States had made many promises to the Filipinos. Keep your courage up and stand firm, America said, for weshall redeem your freedom and restore all that has been destroyed. With liberation, the Filipinos sought fulfillment of these pledges. They have so far been put off with half measures. But half-measures will not rebuild an economy that is fully destroyed. By the end of 1946, almost two years after liberation and half a year after independence t Manila was still in ruins. There had been virtually no reconstruction. The economy of Introduction xi the country was still shattered. Of the great export crops, only copra was being shipped out in any important quantities...