The forgotten war: A Filipino view

What is history? The obvious answer may be that it is a study of the past. But it is not as simple as that. I agree with scholars and philosophers who have said that history is the study of the past in order to find out the truth about it.

The ancient Greek historian, Thucydides, said: “Different eyewitnesses give different accounts of the same events, speaking out of partiality for one side or the other or else from imperfect memories.”

A full appreciation of Philippine history requires us to read books that go beyond just naming dates and events. There is one such book I would highly recommend to my readers.

KNOWLEDGE AND PACIFICATION: On the U.S. Conquest and the Writing of Philippine History by Reynaldo Clemena Ileto, published 2017

I pride myself on having a very extensive collection of Filipiniana books focusing primarily on history and biographies. This is a book that I will rate as one of the best books ever written about the Philippines. The book is about the Filipino American War and its continuing influence on our contemporary history. The author has labelled this as the forgotten war. But today the Filipino American war is back in the public eye. Here are excerpts from the blurb of the book:

“US conquest was packaged as benevolent and humanitarian. Distribution of food and medicine, free public education and the teaching of English, and even toilet building were carried out to transform a bloody conquest into benevolent assimilation. By the 1920s, American scholar officials had spun the war as a ‘great misunderstanding’ and the leaders of that ‘insurrection’ were stigmatized as ‘caciques’ and strongmen who deceived the masses into resisting progress.

The book gives us a different view of the American century in the Philippines. It relates how the “special relationship” between the United States and the Philippines was developed. But it also talks of how this relationship has been challenged and may even be irrelevant today.

The book’s 12 chapters is divided into three main parts. The first part relates the story of the actual Filipino-American War. Ileto writes that the US colonial government wanted to suppress the meaning of the coming of the Americans in 1898 as another foreign invasion similar to the Spanish conquest. The American colonial government took the following steps:

“First, it recognized the liberal aspirations of the leaders of 1896 war of independence against Spain. The Americans promoted a selective reading of Rizal as the nationalist who preferred a gradualist road to self rule through education of the populace ... B on if ac io was downplayed because he had led a secret society that advocated armed struggle and social transformation..”

Second, the American regime recognized the aspirations of Aguinaldo and the educated class to form a republican state. However it insisted that Filipinos in 1898 were not prepared for democracy and self rule... as an act of benevolent assimilation, the Americans would stay for as long as was needed to help prepare the Filipinos for democracy and responsible self government.

Third, the American government decreed that anyone who continued to oppose it would be arrested for sedition and that armed groups that attacked government forces would be treated as bandit gangs, religious fanatics and remnants of the defeated guerrilla armies...the period would be remembered not as a time of continued resistance to foreign occupation, but as one of banditry, religious fanaticism, disorder and dislocation.”

The second part of the book is entitled Memory, History, and Politics. There are two chapters contrasting the life experience of the author and his father. Rey Ileto studied in the United States in the 1960s and has specialized in Southeast Asian studies. He has written several award winning books on aspects of Philippine history. He is Honorary Professor at the Australian Nation University and lecturer at Nanyang University. He has been an activist and his political views have been very different from his father, General Rafael Ileto, who graduated from West Point; founded the Philippine Scout Rangers and was Secretary of Defense.

Another fascinating story in the book is the war between two versions of Philippine history as exemplified by the battle over the Rizal Bill in 1956. The bill would require Jose Rizal’s two novels – Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo – to be read in their unexpurgated forms by students in both private and public schools. The bill was sponsored by two nationalist senators – Jose Laurel, Jr. and Claro M. Recto. It may be hard to believe now but it was a deeply passionate and divisive topic at that time. The story of that national debate alone makes this book worth reading.

An incisive thread running across the entire book is the author’s description of the Philippine political landscape as being historically dominated by the provincial elite or the local “boss.” The original boss was the Datu. Under Spanish rule he became the gobernardorcillo of the pueblo. Under the Americans they became the mayors of the towns and cities. He has a chapter he calls Bossism in the Philippines.

Whether the reader will agree with Ileto’s historical perspective or not, the most important thing about the book is that it shows us “how the past is actively working in the past” and that recent turn of events including Duterte’s “rhetoric” is actually far from being an aberration in Philippine history.

Young Writers’ Hangout for Kids & Teens on May 20, 27 and June 3 (1:30-3 pm/independent sessions). Creative Writing Workshop for Adults with award winning fictionist Susan Lara will be on June 17 (1:30-4:30 pm). Ongoing is the Wonder of Words workshop which just had fictionist Sarge Lacuesta and journalist Pam Pastor as well-received guests. All sessions are at Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street. For registration and fee details text 0917-6240196 or email writethingsph@gmail.com.

* * * Email: elfrencruz@gmail.com H