Blitzkrieg for diplomatic victory?

Although the word refers to an intense military encounter for a swift victory I am using it in the context of the diplomatic contest between China and the US for the favor of the Philippines. I can also use the metaphor of two suitors vying with each other on who will be favored by the maiden – Philippines.

The visit of President Xi Jinping gave an edge to the Chinese suitor. But even before it was over the US already committed the return of the Balangiga bells which were taken as war booty more than a hundred years ago. It was so unexpected but President Duterte made a strong bat for its return in his second state of the nation speech, the US had to reciprocate.

Soon after its return, the Philippine candidate Catriona Gray, a Filipino Australian, won the Miss Universe title. The contest includes contestants from countries around the world run by Western entrepreneurs for commercial reasons but it is also a plug for the country being courted as news. It has a built-in publicity stunt for Western diplomacy.

The Philippines, a country obsessed with beauty pageants, is celebrating its fourth Miss Universe win, sparking a wave of pride and support online. It is a subtle insult and one that would not merit scrutiny Filipinos should begin to realize what it means. Beauty contests are fine but it should not be regarded as a national event.

While hugely popular, such pageants are often accused of “objectifying women and promoting gender inequality.”

Activists have described Miss Universe as a “display of flesh” which sets “unattainable beauty standards.”

“It was such a runaway event in the Philippines that Miss Gray’s victory in the “pageant  broke the internet.”

“Beauty pageants are a very big deal in the Philippines. Families crowd round TVs to watch. Chat groups are set up to provide a running commentary on costumes and stage blunders,” Howard Johnson, BBC reported.

“If Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao’s fights clear busy streets of traffic, then beauty pageants break the internet.”

“The Philippines inherited beauty contests from former colonizers Spain and America, but it was during the reign of notorious dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his glamorous wife Imelda in the 1970s and 80s when they really took off.”

Thankfully there are feminists in the country, though, who regard such contests as  degrading to women. One artist and activist aptly describe them as a “display of flesh,” that set “unattainable beauty standards” for the majority of women. Changes have been made to tone down these aspects for a more intelligent approach.

The return of the Balangiga Bells is another story.

Although the story behind the bells is disputed between Americans and Filipinos we have not done enough to bolster our side. Why were the soldiers from Wyoming in Balangiga in the first place? Rather than celebrate the return of the bells we should begin to piece together the imperialist background and what happened  at 6 a.m. on Sept. 28, 1901 in Balangiga.

These are some basic facts of the break-out. “The bugler of Company C, Ninth Infantry, sounded the call for breakfast. American soldiers, unarmed, made their way to the mess hall. Outside, the Filipino Chief of Police, Valeriano Abanador, prepared Filipino prisoners for a day of forced labor. Suddenly, Abanador seized Private Adolph Gamlin’s rifle and shot him point blank. The bells of the local church rang – the signal to the men inside armed with traditional Filipino bolo knives to begin their attack. Abanador’s prisoners, now armed with bolos as well, charged from the other direction.

The bolomen maimed dozens of unarmed soldiers. Captain Thomas Connell and the two other officers of the company were killed. Several soldiers finally managed to obtain weapons and gunned down many, but could not overcome the Filipino attackers. In the end, only a few soldiers escaped to Basey where another company was stationed. They returned and killed hundreds of Filipinos that day. It did not end there. Over the next year, American soldiers exacted terrible revenge on all the inhabitants of Samar. They killed and imprisoned masses, burned towns, and turned the island into a wasteland. The events of Sept. 28, 1901 have gone down in American history books as the “Balangiga Massacre,” but many believe the true massacre was the Samar campaign that followed.”

It is important that just about everything else is still disputed. There is no one “true” story of what happened, but history is not just about events that occurred in the past. History depends on its authors and how its events are remembered – and these memories can change over time. An event like the attack at Balangiga was important in America because it justified the war in the Philippines. At home, it read like a gruesome attack on a company of good, wholesome, American men trying to help their “little brown brothers,” as the Filipinos were often called. It was important to Filipinos because the attack was a successful show of resistance to an unwanted imperial power. Furthermore, the Samar campaign and the destruction it caused were a vicious show of the abuses of colonial power.

Historians especially Filipinos should investigate what really happened then. The bells are artifacts, not the essential story.

Here are some wise words:

“History depends on its authors and how its events are remembered – and these memories can change over time. An event like the attack at Balangiga was important in America because it justified the war in the Philippines. At home, it read like a gruesome attack on a company of good, wholesome, American men trying to help their “little brown brothers,” as the Filipinos were often called.

It was important to Filipinos because the attack was a successful show of resistance to an unwanted imperial power. Furthermore, the Samar campaign and the destruction it caused were a vicious show of the abuses of colonial power. So, who was the aggressor? Who inflicted the most pain? Did they deserve it? There are no clear answers to these questions, but there is merit in identifying what parts of the story are contested and what that means for those keeping the memory of Balangiga alive.”