Philippines, My Ties to You

            As I embarked on my adventure to the Philippines I came across two articles; one about an undocumented news reporter and the other about the United States signing a travel warning notifying all U.S citizens to take extreme caution when traveling  to the Philippines. I was excited to read and learn about this country in which I have no direct connection with except that Spain had colonized it as it did to El Salvador and Mexico.

            When I arrived I was surprised to find similarities between the Philippines and El Salvador. The country's  customs and the way of life are similar, both are developing countries. Poverty can be seen   but the happiness of the people transcends the way they live.  To me, it is obvious that the  people of the Philippines have shifted their priorities from focusing on the countries welfare to protecting the country from invaders. I will utilize my experiences in the Philippines and the readings and demonstrate how the Spanish invaders have shaped the country's way of life, beliefs  and religion.

            In 1521 the Spanish  invaded the Philippines bringing new beliefs, a new language and a new religion. In quiz section ( 06/29/2011) we learned that before the Spanish invasion the natives of  the Philippines had their religion where they adored nature. This is very similar to the story of Mexico, the natives praised god and goddess of nature, for example  they had a god of the Earth and maiz (corn) amongst others that related to their surroundings. The Spanish brought Catholicism which is obvious in the number of Catholic churches and cathedrals and their architecture. In my stay here I have noticed the number of Catholic churches that surround the city, some churches and cathedrals directly reflect the Spanish influence by the architecture which resemble those of the Spanish. This same story is similar to that of Mexico, where the Spanish also had an influence in their religion. A vast majority of the people in the country consider themselves Catholic. The country is surrounded by many churches similar to Spanish churches. Zinn talks of how Spain and its missionaries scattered settlements re-concentrated in Spanish style pueblos who were dominated by the church. That method allowed the Spanish to have control but to establish their religion which allowed the church to rule. This technique was also used by the Americans when invading the Philippines. After the American had invaded the Philippines the missionaries found their way to the country and introduced their religion.

            When taking a walk around Balay Internasyonal at the University of Philippines campus we can see the influence that invaders have had in the Philippines. There is two churches directly across from each other, one Catholic which reflects the Spanish influence and the other a Christian church which is directly across from it. In “ American War: Friendship and Forgetting” Ileto informs us that the American commanders  installed themselves as the new padres, representatives of a powerful nation bringing a new religion of  modernity, the new religion of modernity which was Christianity. In “Benevolent Assimilation” Zinn informs us how America used their invasion into the Philippines to send missionaries to introduce Christianity, which they called “educating the Filipinos.” The Americans said “ we have to civilize and Christianize the Filipinos, for whom Christ also died..” The influence of the Americans is reflected in the number of Christian churches that have been established by Americans after their invasion.

 

            Not only is the Spanish and American invasion reflected in the churches around the country but in the language. I have noticed that many words in Tagalog are Spanish words. It is interesting to know that at one point the country's language was Spanish and the words still remain in their language. The language reflects the history of the country although it  many not be a  joyous story to reminisce . During the trip to Baguio City, one of the Tree-Top Zip lining workers asked for my name and then asked if I spoke Tagalog. I told him that I didn't, I only knew Spanish, he quickly responded by saying that he hated Spanish. I didn't understand if he hated the language or people from Spain so I asked him why. He told me that the Spanish had colonized the Philippines and he hated Spanish. I told him that I was not Spanish and that they had colonized where my family is from too I felt the hatred from the way he responded and expressed himself. It reminded me of quiz section when we discussed that some Filipinos do not call themselves Filipinos because as we learned in the Zinn reading the Philippines was named after a king of Spain.

            The Americans also had an influence in the language being that English is spoken and taught in schools. The education system resembles to the one in the United States. When I attended class at the University of the Philippines for the first time I was amazed that the English was being spoken. Before my trip I was nervous because I did not know Tagalog and I thought I was going to hard a difficult time communicating with people, little did I know that the language had to be the least of my worries.

            The invasion of the Spanish and the Americans can be seen and heard in the language that people speak and from their religious beliefs. Filipinos have fought invaders since the arrival of the Spanish which shows how they have shifted their priorities. The Filipinos, like any other citizens have protected their country from allowing invaders to take over. They have concentrated in opposing invasion and left the country's welfare aside. I strongly believe that the Philippines is struggling to become a developed country because at one point they put their welfare aside and concentrated in their opposition of invaders.

            Overall, during my stay here I have been able to connect the religion, the language and the style of living of the Philippines to that of El Salvador and Mexico who Spain also colonized.  The Philippines is a country of a lot of history and the influences of the invaders are present today. It is interesting to see how I have connected to this country even though I have no direct ties. The fact that I can relate to the language and the way people live has become very special to me. I can see how the Spanish have influenced the country which resembles to that of other countries that were also colonized by Spain. The colonization of the Spanish is something that many do not like to recall but it makes part of what the country is today and there is nothing that can be done now but to acknowledge the country's past which contributes to its rich history.

What other Spanish and American influences have you noticed since your stay here?