Euro Filipino Journal

2017: What is in Store for Filipinos in Britain

December 27, 2016 The Mail Man 0

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filipinos in Bristol</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2016 is about to end. There are Filipinos who work and reside in the UK and with the Brexit vote last May 2016, this 2017 may seem to be a year of uncertainty in many aspects. It was an unexpected vote and it turned medium and long term plans awry for Filipinos who reside there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& months have passed and the whole world was witness to the largest companies lost more than US$200 billion in a matter of days.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While they wait for Article 50 to be finalized with uncertainty, Filipinos here and in the UK wait with bated breathe on what 2017 holds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here are several indicators that are crucial:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Remittances</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In 2005, the Peso – Sterling Pound Exchange Rate was Php100 = 1 Sterling Pound. The devaluation impacted immediately and after a day the Sterling Pound lost 10% of its value. It is forecasted that a £500 remittance will now be lower by approximately PHP 4,000. This will translate to around PHP 50,000 over 12 months (assuming exchange rates stay at the current rates).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are 300,000 Filipinos in the UK and the loss of the value of remittances will tell on consumer spending of their dependents here in the Philippines. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cost of vacations</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As with remittances, the cost of vacations by UK based Filipinos would tend to be more expensive for them. A $3,000 trip across the Atlantic to New York will now set them back by almost £300 more. But those planning on visiting Jolly Old England can do it cheaper than before. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Interest rates</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As anticipated by many, the Bank of England has further reduced the base rates to 0.25% (from the previous 0.5%, which has been the standing rate since March 2009). While the continuing low interest environment is great for keeping the monthly mortgage payments low for homeowners, it may still be worth exploring the market for even better deals. The losers from this, as we know, are the savers and the pensioners.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Immigration</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One critical component of Brexit is that of immigration policy. But there are factors such as the points system would favor Filipinos of professional qualifications. But this can also be counteracted by more points being given to EU national.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Economy</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">GDP slowdown is expected but not worse than during the 2008 crisis. This will also affect jobs generation since investor confidence on new businesses and expansion will be greatly affected. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Onwards and upwards</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2017 is still filled with hopeful signs and indicators though. Large corporate transactions are still taking place and others in the pipeline. London launched the #LondonIsOpen social media campaign wherein London is depicted as a city filled with opportunities for investors and visitors. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Trump victory is still a factor to be fully analyzed and assessed.</span></div>
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Events Europe Philippines UK 2017: What is in Store for Filipinos in Britain

Filipinos in Bristol 2016 is about to end. There are Filipinos who work and reside in the UK and with the Brexit vote last May 2016, this 2017 may seem to be a year of uncertainty in many aspects. It was an unexpected vote and it turned medium and l…

‘The Woman Who Left’ by Lav Diaz Wins 73rd Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion

September 11, 2016 Tech Reporter 0

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<span style="font-size: large;">VENICE, Italy — “The Woman Who Left,” a revenge drama by Filipino auteur Lav Diaz about the struggle of a wrongly convicted schoolteacher in the outside world after 30 years behind bars, is the winner of the 73rd Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion.<br /><br />Shot in black and white and lasting nearly four hours “Woman Who Left” was praised by Variety critic Guy Lodge as a “powerful and, by his [Diaz’s] standards, refreshingly contained moral study.”<br /><br />“This is for my country, for the Filipino people; for our struggle and the struggle of humanity,” said Diaz, as he thanked the jury headed by Sam Mendes.<br /><br />“The Woman Who Left,” is also a comeback for Charo Santos-Concio, in a remarkable return to the screen after two decades in the production realm and as media executive, host, occasional actress, television and film producer, and host of <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maalaala_Mo_Kaya" title="Maalaala Mo Kaya">Maalaala Mo Kaya</a></i>, the longest-running television drama anthology in Asia. <br /><br />In the movie, for Horacia (Charo Santos-Concio), the Philippines of the late 1990s is not the same country she knew 30 years before, when she was sentenced to life in a women’s correctional facility for a murder she did not commit. She’s unexpectedly released when fellow inmate and best friend Petra (Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino) suddenly confesses that she, coerced by Horacia’s ex-boyfriend Rodrigo, framed her for the crime all those years ago.<br /><br />Working once more in rich but unromantic black and white, Lav Diaz’s cinematography is the film’s other most constant reward.<br /><br /></span><br />
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Art Events Europe Film Festival-Venice Italy ‘The Woman Who Left’ by Lav Diaz Wins 73rd Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion

VENICE, Italy — “The Woman Who Left,” a revenge drama by Filipino auteur Lav Diaz about the struggle of a wrongly convicted schoolteacher in the outside world after 30 years behind bars, is the winner of the 73rd Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion.S…

Euro Pinoys Part 2

August 26, 2016 The Mail Man 0

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<span style="font-size: large;">Euro Pinoys Part 2</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">By: Dr. Michael Tan</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When one of my graduate students (now a colleague in the faculty) had to attend a conference in Tarragona, Spain, two years ago, she found herself in a bind: Her relatives, who were living in Madrid and Barcelona in Spain and in Rome, Italy, all insisted that she visit them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In last Wednesday’s column I cited statistics from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) reporting that there were some 866,000 Filipinos living in Europe, half of them permanently.  Spain ranks only fifth in the number of Filipino residents, surpassed by Italy, the United Kingdom, Greece, France and Germany.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some of these Filipinos have lived in Europe for many years, with children and even grandchildren and, as my opening report shows, often involve entire clans, if not barangays, who follow the footsteps of an initial pioneer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The migrants are in various professions, sometimes marked by changing demand across time. The fairly large population in Germany goes back to the 1970s when Filipino nurses were in great demand, with another ongoing exodus of nurses and midwives to the United Kingdom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I’ve wondered about our Euro Pinoys leaving an imprint in their host countries. Has the Filipino sweet tooth convinced some Europeans to go for sweet wines or sweet spaghetti sauce, for example?  If we hear occasionally of Filipino-Americans doing well in competitions like “American Idol,” I’ve also heard of Euro Pinoys making it into similar European competitions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">‘Balik Euro Pinoys’</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In recent years we’ve been seeing a growing number of “balik Euro Pinoys,” mostly older ones who have come home to retire, living comfortably off their pensions, which are relatively high because of Europe’s social welfare systems.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps on a smaller scale, we’re also seeing younger Euro Pinoys coming home, usually children of intermarriages who cash in on their Eurasian features to model, or enter the movies. Then there are the Azkals, the football team, the members of which are the result of growing up in countries that appreciate football (soccer) more than the Americans.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I wonder what they bring home in terms of expectations shaped from their life in Europe. Do they imbibe the liberal social attitudes of western Europe toward sex and sexuality, for example? Do they get exasperated, having benefited from the generous national health services of Europe, in contrast to our own which is left pretty much to free market forces—that is, pay out of your own pocket?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I wonder, too, if the Euro Pinoys are watching how Europe is dealing with tribalism and regionalism.  When European friends, usually academics, cite our regional loyalties—national elections are still marked by the “Ilokano vote,” “Bisaya vote,” or “Bikol vote,” for example—as a cause of underdevelopment, I remind them that Europeans have been even more “tribal” than we are: nations emerging within nations, rising, sometimes expanding aggressively and through warfare, only to disintegrate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s not just in Eastern Europe that it’s sometimes hard to keep track of countries; it also happens in Western Europe, where there are threats of secession—the Scots in the United Kingdom, or the Catalonians and the Basques in Spain.  The Italians, although on the surface united with one language, are still marked by a strong regionalism that goes back to the Middle Ages when Italy did not exist and instead there were city-states, maritime republics and papal states.  It was not until the 19th century that one Italian nation-state emerged.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Not surprisingly, ultranationalist ideologies have taken off from the tribalism, and thrived. These ideologies have led to so many conflicts, including the two world wars. The European Union was in fact a response to these ideologies, an attempt to bring the “tribes” together, finding common cause in that vague concept called democracy.  I often hear political scientists saying that Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) will have difficulty surviving because its members are so different from one another. But the European Union brings together even more diverse cultures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Insularity</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The United Kingdom’s decision to exit the European Union should not be surprising either. While it was able to bring together England, Scotland, Wales and part of Ireland, its unity has been tense, Scotland being the most restless in recent years.  Look at the map and you will see how geography may have shaped its national mindset. Great Britain is one huge island about double the size of Luzon, and the entire United Kingdom looks so isolated from continental Europe. Geography does contribute to insularity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And insularity includes a fear of outsiders.  Brexit (Britain Exit) was a reaction to the European Union’s policies on the free movement of Europeans, with UK citizens convinced that they were being too generous with other Europeans—for example, Polish workers.  There’s irony here because it has been relatively easy to become a UK citizen (or subject, given it is still a monarchy), so the faces of the British aren’t quite white anymore.  Who would have thought, 50 years ago, that there would be a mayor of London described as coming from a “British Pakistani” family?  Might we see, in the not too distant future, references to “British Filipinos”? There are a growing number of Filipinos who carry UK passports, including some through same-sex civil unions and marriage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My point is that the political systems and governance of European countries, so different from our own copied from Mother America, just might capture the imagination of Euro Pinoys who, if they return to the Philippines, might want to introduce innovations based on European models, whether in more equitable healthcare coverage, or even more radical changes. Italy’s Parliament, for example, includes seats reserved for Italian citizens living overseas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Those, of course, are macro changes. I think change is happening on the individual level: Euro Pinoys come home with new tastes in food and architecture (with real estate companies trying to cash in, offering subdivisions with an Italian touch). Some aspects of culture are more quick to pick up than others: I don’t know if Filipino-Italians have acquired a taste for classical music and opera, for example. (I was at an affair at UP Diliman last night showcasing our athletes and dance groups, and one presentation—ballet—drew audibly mixed reactions.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I also wonder what happens to Filipinos who study in Europe for a few years and come home. Many are in government service, charting policies and implementing important projects. Does their stay in Europe give them new insights?  Or, even more radically, a different way of looking at issues and problems?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Source: http://opinion.inquirer.net/96806/euro-pinoys-2</span></div>
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Events Europe News People Euro Pinoys Part 2

Euro Pinoys Part 2 By: Dr. Michael Tan When one of my graduate students (now a colleague in the faculty) had to attend a conference in Tarragona, Spain, two years ago, she found herself in a bind: Her relatives, who were living in Madrid and Barcelo…

Euro Pinoys

August 24, 2016 The Mail Man 0

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<span style="font-size: large;">Euro Pinoys</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">By: Dr. Michael Tan</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was reading about a meeting of the leaders of Italy, France and Germany—the European Union’s three largest countries—and their optimism that they will continue to move forward even after Brexit (Britain Exit).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That got me thinking about Filipinos in Europe, and of the Philippines and Europe.  We, and the world, think of the Philippines as very Americanized, forgetting that Europe did influence us as well through more than 300 years of Spanish colonialism.  (A three-year British occupation, mainly of Manila, was almost insignificant in terms of cultural or political influence.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We think of the Spanish influence mainly in terms of language. Although Castillan Spanish was spoken only by a minority even during the Spanish colonial period, many words—in areas ranging from food to philosophy—entered our local languages.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then there’s religion, Roman Catholicism specifically, even if we practice it mixed with pre-Hispanic beliefs and practices.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What we tend to overlook is the Spanish influence on political thought and governance. Some of our laws go back to the Spanish Civil Code of the 19th century.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The 19th century was a time of ferment in Spain and Europe as liberalism rose and spread. Spain had several liberal governments and their reforms in government reached the Philippines, such as expanding the educational system in our islands. Rizal and fellow reformers were inspired by these liberal ideas, at first seeking not independence but representation in the Cortes, the Spanish Parliament.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The 20th century was marked by American colonialism, and, many will say, neocolonialism, and we seemed to lose our awareness of Europe. But in the last 50 years or so we have seen a resurgence of ties with Europe through our overseas Filipinos.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">400,000 Euro Pinoys?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To project how our interactions might shape our future, let’s look at some of the statistics from the 2013 survey of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO). These statistics are important for projecting how the Philippines might develop in the future, not just through remittances but through ideas, world views, lifeways. (The statistics are available online and can be downloaded. Search for Stock Estimate of Overseas Filipinos, Commission on Filipinos Overseas.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Let’s get the big picture first. The CFO has figures for overseas Filipinos in every country in the world, broken down to “permanent,” “temporary” and “irregular.” North America still account for the largest percentage of overseas Filipinos, with some 3.5 million Filipinos in the United States and 721,000 in Canada. Together that’s about 40 percent of all overseas Filipinos. More than 90 percent of the Filipinos in the United States and Canada are there permanently.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Europe, which includes Turkey and Russia in the CFO census, is home to about 866,000 Filipinos, or 8 percent of the total population of overseas Filipinos. About half of them are classified as permanent. Many are married to local residents and, needless to say, have “hyphenated” children—Filipino-British, Filipino-Italian, etc. That would mean more than 400,000 “Euro Pinoys,” if we count only the permanent residents.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The European countries with the largest numbers of Filipinos are Italy (271,946), the United Kingdom (218,126), Greece (61,716), France (48,018), Germany (47,214), Spain (42,804), the Netherlands (21,789), Switzerland (20,910), Cyprus (19,948) and Norway (18,088).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It seems all of the European countries have Filipinos, the three tiniest Filipino communities being in Bosnia and Herzegovina (10), Moldova (9) and Montenegro (7).  The Vatican has 3,490 Filipinos, all temporary and, presumably, mostly Catholic priests and nuns.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The kind of interactions overseas Filipinos have with host countries depends on their type of residence and work. Permanent residents would, of course, be much more absorbed into the mainstream of their adopted country, to the point where they might not even intend to return to the Philippines.  While retaining a sense of being Filipino—for example through food—the Filipino identity will fade, even disappear as early as the second generation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Temporary” and “irregular” overseas Filipinos do interact as well with their host cultures, some with hopes that they can become permanent residents and citizens.  As with permanent residents, they will pick up new languages quickly, which facilitates interactions with their hosts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Euro politics</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What I hope we can see in the near future is a research on how “Euro Pinoys”—permanent or temporary—perceive governance and politics in Europe, as well as culture, and how this affects their perceptions of and expectations for the Philippines.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The political systems in Europe are very different from ours, which is practically a duplicate of the American presidential system, complete with electoral circuses. European countries use different parliamentary forms. The French has a hybrid  with a president and prime minister (which President Duterte favors). Italy has a complicated system; it also has a president and prime minister, and allows for an “additional member system” (similar to our partylist), which requires 4 percent of the national vote to earn a seat in parliament.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Political parties in Europe are marked by very real differences that run the spectrum of political philosophies from the extreme right to socialist and communist parties;  and if that’s not enough, there are also powerful Green parties with their platforms based mainly on environmental issues.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some of the parties go back in time, but there are also “upstarts” with new programs, like Podemos (We Can!) in Spain, and other parties reacting to—and blaming—traditional politics for their economic crises.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Living in the Netherlands as a graduate student, I often felt Europe, Western Europe in particular, had reached a “post-State” situation, where government is almost incidental. Politicians are not the powerful VIPs we see here, surrounded by bodyguards and assistants.  In the Netherlands even prime ministers are known to bike, and there was one Scandanivan prime minister who would ride taxis so he could interview the drivers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Western Europeans are also generally more liberal than the Americans (I use the term here to refer to the United States), especially on social issues. The Netherlands is usually stereotyped as the extreme in liberalism, with legalized sex work and marijuana.  Same-sex marriages are legal in 13 European countries, and same-sex civil unions in 12.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Considering the large numbers of Filipinos in Europe, will we see European ideas changing our politics and our social views?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I’ll do a second part to this “Euro Pinoys” column on Friday, with a focus on what we might learn from Europe’s vacillation between narrow nationalism and a broader sense of a European Union.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Source: http://opinion.inquirer.net/96751/euro-pinoys#ixzz4IHktbwbb </span></div>
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People Spain Stories Euro Pinoys

Euro Pinoys By: Dr. Michael Tan I was reading about a meeting of the leaders of Italy, France and Germany—the European Union’s three largest countries—and their optimism that they will continue to move forward even after Brexit (Britain Exit). That …

Marco Polo: An Untold Love Story

July 13, 2016 Admin 0

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<span style="font-size: large;">Marco Polo: An Untold Story heralds the arrival in August 2016 of the first major British-Philippine musical theatre production on the London stage. With words and music composed in their entirety by Roger Saldo Chua, the noted Filipino-Belgian singer-actor, the production has evolved and gained momentum since it was first unveiled to a small audience in New York. Chua’s sentimental attachment to a reimagined episode in the life of the legendary 13th century Venetian explorer has grown into a full-blown lyrique musicale; international preview performances in Manila and Paris during the past year have been warmly received. In London, the show is scheduled to run from 5th August to 4th September 2016 at the Shaw Theatre.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">An East-West romance in the purest sense, Marco Polo: An Untold Story is a tale of heroism in the service of true love, one with timeless, cross-cultural and intergenerational appeal. The international cast, hand-picked by Chua comprises some of the finest musical talents working in the theatre today. The show is well paced and compelling, with a beautiful, memorable score. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Attached are additional information (including photographs taken at the recent Reflections of the Lord Mayor Dinner where we promoted the show),  but the production has been announced widely in the theatre press, including:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Theatre News.com - <a href="http://www.theatre-news.com/news/UK/36088/Marco-Polo-An-Untold-Love-Story-to-premiere-in-London">http://www.theatre-news.com/news/UK/36088/Marco-Polo-An-Untold-Love-Story-to-premiere-in-London</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">TNT Magazine - <a href="http://www.tntmagazine.com/london/london-to-host-world-premiere-of-new-musical-marco-polo">http://www.tntmagazine.com/london/london-to-host-world-premiere-of-new-musical-marco-polo</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Time Out - <a href="http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/marco-polo-an-untold-love-story">http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/marco-polo-an-untold-love-story</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Musical Theatre Review - <a href="http://musicaltheatrereview.com/tag/marco-polo-an-untold-love-story/">http://musicaltheatrereview.com/tag/marco-polo-an-untold-love-story/</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Gina McAdam </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">External Affairs Director</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Marco Polo: An Untold Love Story</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">07879648930</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Linkedin:  <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/gina-mcadam/2/838/7a0">https://www.linkedin.com/pub/gina-mcadam/2/838/7a0</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Gina McAdam is a Freeman of the City of London and the Worshipful Company of Marketors</span>
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Art Articles England Events UK News Marco Polo: An Untold Love Story

Marco Polo: An Untold Story heralds the arrival in August 2016 of the first major British-Philippine musical theatre production on the London stage. With words and music composed in their entirety by Roger Saldo Chua, the noted Filipino-Belgian sing…

Filipinos Respected in Spain

July 13, 2016 Admin 0

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<span style="font-size: large;">Spain as a country is very much intertwined with the history and culture of the Philippines, having been its colonial master for almost 4 centuries, until the Philippine Revolution of 1898.  It remains an important destination for Filipinos who may want to see places and monuments associated with the country’s national heroes.  Nowadays a vibrant and active Filipino community lives, works and carries on as new Spanish-Filipinos.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ipinagmamalaki ni Consul General Cookie Feria ng Embajada de Filipinas ang Filipino community sa Espanya.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bukod kasi sa kanilang sipag at tiyaga sa trabaho, marami na rin sa kanila ang unti-unting nag-iisip ng negosyo upang umangat ang katatayuan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Malakas din ang impact nila sa mga Kastila na mataas ang tingin sa kanila at humahanga sa kanilang dalang kultura sa bansang ito.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Maging ang matataas na opisyal sa pamahalaan ng Espanya ay mga Pinoy din ang hanap na empleyado kung mga pamilya nila ang pag-uusapan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dagdag niya, “Their employers also are the movers and shakers here, diba? The mga government officials here in Madrid, their employees are Filipinos… when the (city) President’s nurse stepped down, I got a phone call from the secretary of the President asking me to find a Pinay to take care of her parents. Doesn’t that say something great about us, how Spanish think of FIlipinos…”</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tinatayang may mahigit mga 45,000 Pinoy sa buong Espanya at bagama’t marami sa kanila ang nagtatrabaho sa mga bahay-bahay, marami rin ang nagpapatakbo ng mga establishments dito na nagbibigay sa kanila ng idea at experience sa business.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ayon kay Ms Feria – “It is a good indication of Filipinos trying to branch out from being employees to being employers and entrepreneurs, little by little they are growing, it’s a learning experience. You see that the establishments are basically one man operations you know and basically they are actually still catering to the Fil community; it would be nice to see them cater to the local community, the Spanish community, maybe by way of opening up restaurants, maybe other services for instance… A lot of Filipinos here we are the waiters in the restaurants or the cooks — why can’t they be the owners, they are the ones who practically run business… That would be the logical step.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ayon kay Congen Feria ang importante lang dito ay marunong ka ng wikang Kastila upang makapag-business ka at makapag-take advantage sa mga suportang ibinibigay ng Spanish government sa mga migrante.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ang wikang Kastila ay hindi mahirap para sa mga Pinoy dahil sa ating kasaysayan, at dahil mula high school hanggang kolehiyo ay pinag-aaralan natin ito sa Pilipinas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sa totoo lang nakatutuwang marinig na maging ang mga kabataang naglalaro ng basketball sa Madrid, pati ang mga manonood, ay Kastila ang usapan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ang Madrid ay puno rin ng mga bagay-bagay na Pinoy na mabibili halimbawa sa mga antique markets o shops tulad ng paintings, carvings, mga mapa atbp na dala ng mga Kastilang nanggaling sa atin noong unang panahonm nang ang Pilipinas ay nasasakop pa ng Espanya.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mayroon din ditong mga permanent exhibits sa mga museo tungkol sa Pilipinas at ang mayaman nitong kultura.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hindi rin mahirap ma-inspire ang mga Pinoy dito dahil magpunta lang sila sa Avenida de Filipinas, sa metro Islas Filipinas, ay makikita nila doon ang rebulto ni Dr Jose Rizal na replika ng nasa Luneta, at mababasa pa ang kabuuan ng kanyang tulang Mi Ultimo Adios sa Kastila at Filipino, nakaukit sa plakeng bronze.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kinumpirma naman ni Ambassador Joseph Bernardo ang magandang katatayuan ng mga Pinoy sa Espanya.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ayon kay Ambassador Bernardo, “Napakagaling ng community natin dito. Wala tayong problema at iginagalang sila ng mga Kastila at mahal na mahal sila para silang miyembro ng mga pamilya.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Umaasa rin siya na lalong darami ang mga Filipino entrepreneurs sa Espanya pagdating ng araw.</span>
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Articles Contributors Gene Alcantara Heroes History People Philippines Spain Filipinos Respected in Spain

Spain as a country is very much intertwined with the history and culture of the Philippines, having been its colonial master for almost 4 centuries, until the Philippine Revolution of 1898. It remains an important destination for Filipinos who may …

War in the Philippines 1898

July 13, 2016 Admin 0

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Battle of Alapan</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Diary of Lieut X.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Reviewed by Jun Terra</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Spontaneous</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">He tried to see the events through the eyes of others, one of them, the pilot of one of the Spanish ships that sank. He interviewed participants as well as observers like the Frenchman, known as the Commander, who lived between Cavite and Manila, a long-time resident of the Philippines. More importantly he went on fact-finding missions. One of these occasions was when he and a party of nine went on board one of the American ships to survey the aftermath of the naval battle: “Each brought his own equipment for expedition, binoculars, cameras, pencils, note pads, etc. I am determined to scrutinize every detail..” he said.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On May 30, he wrote:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">“We visited the markets of Binondo and San Miguel. There is an enormous crowd of Tagals and Chinese. Baskets full of fish and delicious fruits are everywhere…there is an abundance of lively colours and movements…people discussing among themselves…and yet fighting began this morning. very early, at Las Pinas, at the very threshold of Manila..”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">On June 7, our intrepid diarist observes: “Martial law is declared…there are a few speedy executions without trial…the atmosphere in the city is tense. The Tagals are not threatening the merchants, bankers and businessmen who are all foreigners…Aguinaldo could have benefitted from this bold coup de force if Admiral Dewey had not officially prevented him from doing so…Manila is no longer recognizable as the city it used to be. Escolta is sad almost desolate. The Chinese have fled, the shops are closed, there are no more strollers, no more buyers, no more coquettish ladies…and the off-key piercing voices of the Tagals, the mandolins the guitars.”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Philippines’ central role in the Pacific</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Manglapus could not be more mistaken when he says that Lieut X “could not be expected to perceive through the mote in the eye of the Frenchman.” Far from it, throughout the diary, Ernest Motsch shows very sharp powers of analysis and strong sense of geopolitics. He looked at events beyond narrow French interests in the Philippines and the region. He saw the impotence of France to influence events in the Philippines with sadness, even as he noted the strategic importance of the country:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">“An incomparable situation now exists. Manila is the key to the Far East, being the geometric center from which all places radiate where colonies are of utmost importance to the powers with interests in the Pacific. With Manila at the center, having a radius equal to five days at sea, one can establish a circumference consisting of all the important commercial routes and all the trade between the north of Asia and the South of Europe, the Far East, Australia and the United States…The strategic importance of the Philippines in the Pacific is superior to that of the Azores in the European context. Besides this, the Philippines has a bigger surface area, a larger population and countless natural resources. These islands and Cuba are Spain’s most beautiful colonies…these fertile lands feed some 10 million and can sustain easily some three or four times that number.”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">And he analysed events in the Philippines within the wider context of the emergence of the vast Pacific Basin as one of the most important areas in the future history of the world. In another prophetic observation Lieut X could well have been speaking of today’s Pacific Basin where the whole of the world is once again rushing to control or at least be a significant participant in the enormous tradeopportunities in the area and partake of its riches, when he wrote:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">“Today, we are witnessing the creation of a new sphere of commerce in the Pacific. The immense basin which lies between the Russian part of Asia, China and Australia, on one side, ad the two Americas, on the other, is destined to be an area of immense wealth. From now on, the future is assured for those who settle in these areas, and power is assured to those who will rule over them. Europe in its blindness, does not realise that if England and the United States agree to dominate both the west and the western pacific, there will soon be no place left for other countries.”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Does this not echo Seward’s panegyric, sans the rhetoric on America’s manifest destiny to rule the area, quoted earlier?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">His analysis of foreign contention over the Philippines uncannily confirms Mabini’s view that the Americans, the Spaniards and the Europeans coveted the Philippines. It is as though they read each other’s mind. Lieut X writes: “the struggle for the possession of the islands (July 26) has assumed such proportions that the United States would not know how to accept the loss of the spoils of war.” In the meantime, the various interests were waiting in the wings, ready to pounce should there be any mistake on the side of one of the principal protagonists: “the unstable situation is responsible for the feverish activities and nervousness of the Germans. This is also the reason for the friendship, colored with envy, shown by the British towards the Americans from whom they are still awaiting compensation for their services. Then there are the contrite and watchful Japanese. The appetites of all are whetted by the prey. Each one wants to take his bite and remove his piece but dares not, since each is fearful of the other.”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">He did not look at events only from one point of view , from that of the French, but from all the contending forces, giving a particularly sympathetic attention to the point of view of the Filipinos or Tagals as he calls them.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Ameican Duplicity</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">More pointedly, he saw that the Americans did not really come to help the natives but to replace the Spaniards:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">“I have been observing these Filipinos for almost a year. Once again they find themselves being oppressed, a state from which they thought they had been freed…they had not conquered the Spaniards but rather they found themselves once again beneath the yoke, except that this time their chains were riveted by the Americans…the Americans, desirous of becoming masters of the Philippines, are beginning to behave as the Spaniards did. They too are convinced that there is barely any difference between the natives and monkeys..”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Anticipating Dewey’s testimony to the US Congress, Motsch says: “the Filipinos are only a pretext for securing a stronger position in the country. There certainly has never been a question of returning the islands to them.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In fact, from early on in his diary, he voiced out his doubts several times about American sincerity and intention, almost shadowing Mabini’s prophesies. On the other hand he also rebukes the Spaniards who “prefer vengeance to the most noble of interests.” “Spain,” he continued,”would rather deliver the Filipinos to the United States than recognize them as a nation born of her colonization. In spite of high-sounding words, the narrow-mindedness of the Spaniard is evident.” Each event, as it developed, convinced him of American hegemonic intent and European impotence before the advancing American juggernaut.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Aguinaldo dithers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">His analysis of Aguinaldo’s actuations during this period and the direction which the events were taking should be another confirmation to scholars and historians of the need to re-examine more closely Aguinaldo’s role in the ultimate defeat of the revolution in the hands of the US, the new coloniser:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">“June 2, Aguinaldo has not lost time. Within a few days he has established a revolutionary government in Cavite…The American squadron is in no position to attack Manila. It has exhausted its ammunition and is waiting for new supplies…Asiatic cunning is not evident in Aguinaldo. He appears to have implicit faith in the ability of the Americans to bring independence to his country which shows a limited knowledge of history. One must hold to what one has, and if this is not done from the start, one eventually loses one’s rights to his possessions. As long as the American soldiers have not landed, Aguinaldo remains master of ths situation. With the arrival of each American regiment from San Francisco the threats to the young republic increase…the provinces around Manila are all in a state of rebellion… If Aguinaldo has or pretends to have, such confidence in the Americans, this is not shared by the Tagals. Actually they are neither for the United States nor the Spaniards, they hope to use one against the other.”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">In an earlier entry dated May 29 long before the American reinforcements arrived Lieut X underlined the revolutionary forces’ dominant position: “Essentially, the insurgents are at the moment the masters of the situation. It is their word that prevails on land.”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Aguinaldo’s failure to analyse the situation properly and push on for the capture of Manila and the surrender of the Spanish authorities – when American reinforcements had not yet arrived, while they were short of ammunition, and while the enthusiasm of the revolutionary forces was at its peak, flushed by victories in the provinces and at the gates of Manila is an area that historians ought to study in detail.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Why did he trust the Americans so much, despite being rebuffed by Dewey on several occasions? Why was he so obedient to Dewey ( “He was most obedient, he did what I told him to do,” said Dewey)? Did he enter into some secret deal, or was he just naive? Why did he not listen to the wise counsel of Mabini, and the demands of his own fighters who were in control of the situation and were ready to enter Manila? Had the revolutionary forces captured Manila and demanded surrender from the Spanish authorities, they would have been in a stronger negotiating position vis-a-vis the Americans and the international community. Why did Aguinaldo allow himself to be dictated by Dewey not to enter the city at this point when the revolutionaries had the upper hand? Capturing the city could have prevented the Spanish authorities from surrendering to the Americans and giving them the rights of a victor to occupy the city, and gain a foothold in the country.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Lieut X admiringly observes the loftiness of spirit that propelled the Philippine revolution and how well the Filipinos understood it:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">“In their manifestos and their proclamations, as well as their gatherings, it is remarkable that the Filipino leaders are haunted by the French revolution. Added to this is a religious undertone which recalls the American independence. Whether one likes it or not, these Indians are talking of a republic, of liberty, equality, fraternity, of a natural law reminiscent of western concepts. All revolutions resemble one another, based on the vindication of an ideal and of human dignity. It says a great deal for the Filipinos that this sublime symbol is recognised.”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">“Prelude to the Fil-American War”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">In anticipation of things to come Lieut X observes the behaviour of the Yanks when they landed:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">“A considerable number of American troops seen at close range show no sign of order or discipline. It is obvious why the Germans look down disdainfully on them. They look like an army organised for manhunts…The American soldiers are hefty and tall but appear narrow in the chest in relation to their height….. It seems their Achilles heel is tuberculosis. These men who exude self-confidence are more comfortable wearing cowboy outfits than military uniform…they all wear gaiters and belts of cartridges. During the day they are in their best behaviour and pay for all their purchases. At night they rid themselves of their inhibitions, drink excessively and, when quite drunk on whisky, become unbearable savages, killing at the slightest provocation. They do not unleash their brutish behaviour on each other but on the natives. As soon as they see one, the manhunt begins. This sport enjoyed by these who champion humanity was inherited from their forefathers, who pursued the redskins and the negroes. This war has certainly given Americans the opportunity for magnificent manhunts in the Philippines and Cuba at very little cost.”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">In contrast he notes how in the areas controlled by the Filipino revolutionaries:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">“Order reigns in most areas in spite of the war and that a high level of discipline is observed. Some excesses, naturally, have been committed, but which war has ever been exempt from them? In any event, there have been no massacres or shedding of blood.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Retaliations have been limited to certain forms of vengeance directed mainly towards the monks…A certain method is evident in this revolution. Their troops are not very different from the regular troops, and they handle their arms rather well…Neither does the discipline of the Tagals suffer by comparison with the mediocre standards of the Americans.”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">In another entry Lieutenant Aime Motsch notes that the Filipinos would not easily accept subjugation, since they were aware, after all, that they defeated the Spaniard forces in actual combat. He writes sagely:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">“The real wealth of a country lies in the people themselves. They represent the work force, the land, the culture, the enterprises all of which cannot be sustained without them…A Filipino rebellion is not simply a political movement, it has the capacity to stop life itself. This is why exploiting the Filipinos could be a grave error on the part of the Americans. If it is their intention to make the Philippines their private fiefdom, they will have to eliminate the Filipinos or reduce them to slaves.”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">With the Americans gaining the Philippines through duplicity and not wanting to relinquish this prize; given Spain’s unbending pride dictating it to cede the Philippines to the US at the Treaty of Paris, rather than recognise defeat in the hands of its former colony; and given furthermore that the Filipinos would not allow themselves to be enslaved once more so soon after they had freed themselves at great sacrifice, the stage was set for the Filipino-American war.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">In his last entry dated August 31, 1898, Lieut X prophetically writes: “If the Filipinos deserve freedom, all they need to do is to have a mass uprising.” The following year, war between the Filipinos and the Americans would erupt.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">This war that would determine the shape and direction of Philippine history in the 20th century broke out in February 1899. Towards the end of the first decade of the century when the war petered out, more than 250,000 Filipinos had died in a terrible war defending their revolution and brief independence. The Americans, on the other hand, gained the piece they needed for their grand design on the Pacific, and a rich colony whose economy, politics and culture they still largely dominate with the help of their native collaborators long after they have relinquished direct political control.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The Diary of a French Officer on the War in the Philippines, 1898 by Lieutenant X, Translated from the original French by Marietta Enriquez de la Haye Jousselin, Published by the National Historical Institute, T.M. Kalaw St., Ermita, Manila, Philippines, 1994</span>
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