Philippines was Part of the United States Territory
The Philippines was a part of the United States as a territory until 1946 when by a majority vote the Filipino people decided to become a nation among nations. Up until 1946 Filipinos were United States citizens. The United States considered Filipinos character as of unquestionable integrity after they achieved nationhood and afforded the Filipinos the right to enter the American military directly from the Philippines although they were no longer American citizens.
This American thought process of our Filipino brothers goes back to World War 2 where their courage was show during and after the Bataan Death March where Filipino men, women, and children who were subject to death, threw both food and medical supplies over the Japanese POW fences for the American and Filipino prisoners. They fought side by side with Americans until General Douglas MacArthur returned. The United States minted Filipino money up until this date.
Because the United States of America was the “Mother Country” from which they were afforded independence, the Filipino Constitution is literally the United States Constitution with the “Philippines” replacing the United States of America. In effect, every American who comes to the Philippines already knows their Constitutional rights because the Constitutions are the same. Many forget that although the majority of Filipinos voted for nationhood, not all of the Filipino wanted to break from being an American territory.
In today’s world, with China making claims on Filipino territory such as Scarborough Shoals, which was the former United States Naval target range, we as Americans must recognize that the Philippines inherited their nation from the United States of America, who in turn won the Philippines in the Spanish-American war. So when we transferred our territory to the new nation – and gave them title to their lands, it may come into question, just what right China has in making a claim based on their territory claimed over 2,000 years ago?
The United States and the Philippines have a Mutual Defense Treaty where this nation called the Philippines is the only secular Christian value nation in all of Asia. This means as an American, we already know how they think, their values of right and wrong, and their concepts of freedoms, as we gave them their Constitution. And in doing this, we added a very small footnote in their right to become an independent nation – “so long as they can defend themselves”.
There is no other nation on Earth that is as close to the United States as the Philippines. And, no other nation on Earth – not even Britain was afforded the right for their people to volunteer directly from their nation and be accepted without question into the United States Armed Forces. The Philippines is our ONLY NATURAL ALLY in all of Asia. Many think that Japan is, but they are wrong. Japan is our ally because we went to war and to prevail we used atomic weapons. That is not a natural ally. And if ever we are to help any nation in any part of the world to succeed, should it not be a nation that we, the United States of America gave birth to? I think the Philippines should be our top priority in all aspects of allowing a nation to grow, succeed, and without a doubt they are our only Natural ally on this beautiful planet named Earth.