Comments on: Philippine History

By: Klaus

Klaus — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 04:59:49 +0000

Hi Gerry, thanks for your comment and your interesting explanation. I should confess, that I have several publications in my personal library about Philippine history. And? I found indeed YOUR and Dr. Long’s formulation. Maybe we all need further explanations… Anyway Gerry, THANKS A LOT for stopping by… .

By: Gerry

Gerry — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:51:49 +0000

Hello,

Just a comment specifically from S. Long’s comment. The US did not liberate the Phil from Spain… they took over the Phil after the Treaty of Paris, the Katipuneros continued their struggle toward independence and over a million Filipinos got killed during the Philippine-American War.

By: Klaus

Klaus — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:30:23 +0000

Hi Richard, I like tot hank you again for this additional comment. I am pretty sure, that this is a very welcome addition to your first comment. Sure, I also agree with you, that Dr. Rizal was the ‘greatest’ and Quezon the ‘most important’ Filipino. Thanks for your historical lecture… take care…

By: Klaus

Klaus — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:24:00 +0000

Hi Martin, I strongly agree with you. Some important glimpses of one’s history will do. Btw, I also enjoy reading Villalon’s columns in PDI. Unfortunately I don’t take enough time to do so. Anyway, thanks for stopping by… cheers!!!

By: richard

richard — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:07:37 +0000

Klaus,
Thanks for your answer to my post. I chose William Howard Taft as the greatest American in Philippine history because he was selected by President William McKinley to be the first governor general of the Philippines and he and Mckinley agreed that American policy would be “the Philippines for the Filipinos” meaning that the purpose of American governance would be to improve the lives of the average filipino and move the Philippines toward independence. Other Americans who might be considered ,in my opinion, would be Dean Worchester, Cameron Forbes and Douglas MacArthur. I agree with you that Dr. Rizal was probably the ” greatest” Filipino, but the reason I chose Quezon as the “most important” Filipino was because he became the leading Filipino politician from 1898 on, formed the Nationalist Party, and persuaded the Filipino people to choose independence over continued commonwealth status with the United States like PueroRico still has to this day.

Dr. Spock, thanks for your information about the history of Visca , now VSU. I was not aware of that. Yes I will look forward to those Baybay sunsets. Thanks to all who read this long post. didn’tmean to turn this into a history lecture Guess I just can’t help myself. LOL!

By: Martin

Martin — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:53:58 +0000

Hi Klaus,

I believe that in order for one to really understand a people, one must try to understand their history. While it is true you don’t need to be defined solely by your history, it does shed light onto why you or a people are where you are today. For this reason I really applaud the work of people involved in historic preservation efforts here in the Philippines and elsewhere. Preserving the past provides us all with tangible reminders of where we came from as a nation, now in the present, and into the future. I especially like reading the columns of Augusto Villalon in the Philippine Dily Inquirer.

Cheers!

By: Klaus

Klaus — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:48:31 +0000

Hi Dr. Sponk Long, thanks for your very interesting comment…

Richard, indeed Baybay is a wonderful place. Good luck to you and your asawa. I am sure it would be a unforgettable event, if we all could meet one day… Stay safe…

By: Dr. Sponk Long

Dr. Sponk Long — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:44:51 +0000

Hi Richard. I tried to borrow an old biography book on William Howard Taft. It was a two volume work. Unfortunately, the local public library only had the second volume. The first volume is where the years about the Philippines was. I will still try to look for that volume.

I agree that William Howard Taft indeed made a lot of difference for the Philippines. It was in his time that he made steps to prepare the Philippines for self-rule. If I remember right it was him who sent U.S. teachers, civil servants, bureacrats, goverment technicians, etc to train Filipinos. Schools were set up all over the archipelago.

One of these schools was a trade school. Kids were taught the three R’s. They were taught agriculture, animal husbandry and elementary civil engineering (Architecture, etc.). At the 12th grade they graduated and became teachers themeslves and then sent all over the country. That school was Baybay Preparatory School. It subsequently became a college- Baybay Agricultural College (BAC). Then it became Visayas College of Agriculture (VISCA). Then, Leyte State University (LSU). Now, it’s Visayas State University (VSU).

Indeed the 27th President of the U.S. and the 10th Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court William Howard Taft was a big benefactor of the Philippines.

Good luck on your move to Baybay—one of the best places to live in the Philippines….and enjoy the spectacular Baybay sunset.

By: Klaus

Klaus — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:06:42 +0000

Hi Richard, thanks a lot for your really interesting comment. No wonder you are so much interested also in Philippine history. Wow, almost 40 years. Amazing… – Regarding Legaspi, Taft and Quezon I would strongly agree with you, although it would be interesting to read your explanation. Personally I would also to add the Philippine National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal.
Not only because of being a big part of the Philippine-German relations… .

By: richard

richard — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:50:02 +0000

Klaus
I enjoyed your post. I also have a long time interest in history , which I guess would be natural since I have been teaching history here in the U.S for close to 40 years. One of my primary historical interests is thee American period in Philippine history. (1898-1946). I realize the U.S still plays a role but I mean when they played the major role. I think that the main ethnic, national forces in Philippine history have been Malasian, Chinese, Spanish( I agree with Dr. Long that the Spanish contributions are more complicated than the usual treatment) and American.

Let me give an opinion and hope for some feedback. I think that the most inportant Spaniard in Philippine history was Legaspi, the most important American was William Howard Taft and the most important Malasian(Filipino) was Manuel Quezon. I’ll be happy to explain why I reached those conclusions if anyone is interested. I would certainly be interested in any comments from you Klaus or any of your readers on my opinions

Thanks again . Klaus, I hope to meet you, Bob , Dr. Long and other readers when my Asawa and I retire to Baybay Leyte next year.