Musings on American statehood

It was my daughter’s birthday last month and we decided to celebrate it at Anvaya Cove in Subic Bay. My family and friends went ahead. I followed with my driver so I had time alone in the car to let my mind roam.

We passed through Clark and I marveled at the expert planning and infrastructure the Americans left behind. Subic is of the same quality. The airports and seaport, road network, underground electric grid and flood cisterns were of such high quality that they stood the test of time. I lamented at how Filipinos could not make Subic and Clark fly as special economic zones. It’s been 24 years since the Americans left and both remain wastefully under-utilized.

I began to recall the institutions the American established for us. There are too many to mention, but among them was a superior educational system that included free public school, the University of the Philippines and the Philippine Normal College. In defense and law enforcement, the Americans founded the Philippine Constabulary and the Armed Forces. In health care, they instituted the Bureau of Health and the Philippine General Hospital.

In economic development, the Americans established the Bureau of Agriculture, the Philippine National Bank and built a network of roads, power plants and public transport systems. They developed multiple industries including sugar, rice, coconut, abaca, textiles and steel. In terms of political governance, they established the framework of a democratic government, the judicial system, local government units and the civil and penal codes, among others.

In short, the Americans built the foundation of a strong republic. In fact, they left us with one of the strongest democracies and economies in the continent with a capital city beautifully planned by Daniel Burnham. After independence, the Philippines rode the inertia left by the Americans. We remained a strong republic until 1965 when everything went downhill.

Independence

Emilio Aguinaldo, Sergio Osmeña, Manuel Roxas and Manuel Quezon were staunch advocates of Philippine independence in various epochs of the American occupation. Through it all, President William Taft resisted, as he believed the Philippines was not ready. His sentiment was echoed by president Woodrow Wilson, who advocated a gradual turnover of administrative powers beginning with the Commonwealth. The Philippines finally gained its independence in 1946.

I remember the words of Manuel L. Quezon. “I would rather have a government run like hell by Filipinos than a government run like heaven by Americans.” Quezon certainly got what he wished for! He would eat his words if he lived long enough to see the damage wrought by Filipino politicians on the nation.

In just 79 years after gaining independence, Filipino politicians destroyed the American legacies, leaving us a nation that is a shadow of its former greatness.

Urban planning was bastardized with cities overcome by chaos, squalor and decay. Agriculture has been so structurally damaged that we are unable to feed ourselves, let alone export agricultural surpluses. The path to industrialization was systematically wrecked by smuggling and short-sighted policies. We lost our capability to manufacture steel, textiles, chemicals and all other core commodities to support a competitive manufacturing sector. Infrastructure development was ignored for decades, leaving us with a backlog we are unable to cope with today.

In defense, the lack of investment in the AFP rendered us incapable of defending ourselves. In education, the present generation of Filipinos are among the least intelligent in the world. Public health care is less than basic, it is irrelevant. The poorest among us exist with no social safety nets. The rule of law and justice system is weak, slow and inefficient.

At the heart of the problem are Filipino politicians and their inability to prioritize public good over self gain. Their inability to forgo immediate gratification for long-term strategic advantages. The proof of the pudding is in the eating and judging from our post-liberation conditions today, one can logically conclude that Filipino political leaders are simply incapable. They are incapable because they are corrupt, incompetent and short-sighted.

What if?

President Donald Trump expressed his intention to make Canada America’s 51st state and take control Greenland and the Panama Canal. I wonder…what if America takes the Philippines back as a state (not a territory) with equal rights as Americans?

I thought about the benefits. In one fell swoop, our problems with China’s aggression disappears. In fact, the entire world will benefit from having an American state in the center of the Indo-Pacific to quash China’s hegemonic ambitions.

Filipino educational systems would be upgraded overnight and our youth would have easy access to American universities. Filipinos would benefit from America’s social security system. The rule of law will become stronger and the bureaucracy will become more efficient.

The Philippines would be the default destination for American enterprises, giving us a windfall of investments, jobs, technologies and economic output. We will be positioned to be a global leader in next-generation technologies, industrial manufacturing and even in agriculture. Overnight, the Filipino will become exponentially prosperous.

Best of all, it will reboot our deeply flawed political system and remove the political dynasties that have consigned the country to failure.

I realize that this is an affront to our patriotic sensibilities. But let’s be real… every Filipino would grab the chance to obtain an American green card if given the chance. And don’t be fooled, the majority of political dynasties have second passports that allow them to leave if and when their corrupt ways catch up with them.

About colonial oppression… would you rather be oppressed by Filipino dynasties and stay poor and dumb or oppressed by Americans and be wealthy and empowered?

No need to panic. These are just musings. President Trump hasn’t expressed any interest – not yet, at least.

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Email: andrew_rs6@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @aj_masigan