Tylor's 4th Blog Post

            The Philippine-American relationship has been plagued with racism since the America’s “liberation” of the archipelago from Spanish rule. This can be seen in the American’s “Benevolent Assimilation” and tutelage for self-government policies towards the Christian population. This is also seen in the use of hierarchies between Christian and non-Christian groups for controlling the South, something the Spanish were unable to do. Also the use of African-American soldiers to supplement their forces in the military during a time of lynching and segregation back home in the U.S. when many had no other options for employment. Some of the racial issues in the Philippines today can be traced back to these racial policies of the Americans. Through studying and incorporating these stories into the mainstream history, we can better understand the current state of American and Philippine policies.

            The Americans were able to exploit the resources of the South because they learned from Spain’s inability to fully incorporate the Mindanao region of the Philippines because of their hostility towards Islam and the unifying force of Islam between the diverse tribes. The region had major economic potential through hemp, lumber, and rubber (Abinales 99). The peoples of the south were divided into four districts (Davao, Gotabato, Lanao and Zamboanga), which had smaller divisions creating Christian and non-Christian majorities in each region. The Christian regions were treated as more civilized regions like the Luzon region. However, the Americans felt that the Muslims could not have the same level of independence: “These wards, together with the tribal courts, were also envisioned to assist provincial authorities in making possible the transition mainly by the Muslim groups from religious (i.e., Islamic) savagery to "Western" civilization” (Abinales 93). The Americans also treated these Islamic regions as being more difficult to civilize because of their more “savage” and “tribal-like” tendencies because they could be seen as uncooperative and even violent: “The army was thus seen as the only institution with the personnel to undertake this dual responsibility” (Abinales 94).  The military leaders who agreed to take part in the pacification of the region: “were impelled by a determined sense of responsibility and a crusade-like drive to fulfill their racist-paternal role as civilizers of the uncivilized” (Abinales 94). In order to avoid the issues that the Spanish faced when dealing with the South, they gave local datus (tribal leaders) full control over religious issues to keep the tribes disunited and also played tribal groups against each other and also Christian and non Christian groups against each other (Abinales 96). Through having the Datus on their side because of the American created racial hierarchies, America was able to keep the region under relative control and exploit the resources.

            The military which made up this governing body consisted of many African-American Soldiers who saw the racial nature of these policies and some like Fagen opted to join the Filipinos in the fight against America and the racism back home. The Philippine-American war took place during a high point of violence against African-Americans back home. America was asking men who were discriminated against to join in the fight to bring the same form of democracy that hampered African-American freedom back home. Many who joined in on this fight were like Fagen, a famous detractor from the American Army: “[Single], drawn to military life by the higher-than-average salary as well as the respect and affection showered on Black soldiers by African-American civilians. Lithograph portraits of local men serving in the army were a common feature in Black homes” (Ontal 120). When Fagen detracted to the Filipino side it was under the logic that people of color around the world should unite to oppose American Imperialism, racism, and exploitation of resources; people like Fagen believed that the Philippine resistance should be emulated back home (Ontal 122). If these idea of intersectionality would have grown larger and spread around the colonial state would America have been able to control the southern region and the Philippines in general? It is highly unlikely if the elites of the Philippines had not assisted the Americans that America would have been as successful as they were.

            The Philippines still has many issues surrounding race that were encouraged through America’s racial policies. Today there is a large market for skin whitening creams because of the educational policies of the Americans which made a connection between Whiteness and “civilization” and darker skin with “savagery.” Also the continued dominance of Hollywood in the Filipino film industry has created increased belief in whiteness as beautiful and spread American racial treatment of African-Americans to the Philippines:

“Between 1899 and 1999, Filipinos learned to call Blacks "niggers." The social engineering of U.S. colonialism—a mandatory schooling system which excluded Black histories, and featured derogatory portrayals of African-Americans in Hollywood films—had altered the racial psyche of Filipinos by the time the Black soldiers' daughters and sons were born. The hierarchy of color, introduced during the Spaniards' reign, was institutionalized under the Americans. Bleaching creams and skin whiteners continue to be top-selling items in present-day Manila and other cities (Fagen 130).

Although African-American soldiers helped resist American imperialism in the Philippines, American influence has prevented a true flowering of intersectionality today. Our group has experienced this through our struggles to find soaps that do not contain skin whitening agents and hearing people we meet criticizing darker skin and praising lighter skin. We also saw the impact of American media when a young boy unrealizingly used a racial slur to refer to a member of our group. Filipinos should take steps towards unraveling these racial divisions and thinking in order to make a better society. The teaching of history is also important for a better understanding of the conflict in Mindanao.

Bibliography

Abinales, P. (2002) An American colonial state: Authority and structure in Southern Mindanao. In A.V. Shaw & L.H Francia, Vestiges of war. (pp. 89-117). New York: New York

Press.

Ontal, R.G., (2002). Fagen and other ghosts: African-Americans and the Philippine-Americanwar. In A.V. Shaw & L.H Francia, Vestiges of war. (pp. 118-133). New York: New York Press.