Liberation
Liberation
Updated 00:53am (Mla time) Oct 20, 2004
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the October 20, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
EUPHORIA and thanksgiving are strange reactions to bombing, shelling and death. This was, however, the reaction of an overwhelming number of Filipinos to the news that Gen. Douglas MacArthur, together with officials of the Commonwealth government in exile, led by President Sergio Osmeña, Carlos P. Romulo and Basilio Valdes, had landed in Leyte province 60 years ago today.
The return of the Americans brought with it hardship: a great path of destruction was created as the Americans took Leyte and then embarked on taking Luzon. The destruction would culminate in the devastation of Manila, the burning and shelling of which dwarfed even the wrecking of other Philippine cities such as Davao, Cebu and Baguio.
The reaction of Filipinos to the destruction of their homes and the killing of so many that had yearned for liberation was not unique. The French, too, saw many killed and many cities ruined because of the Allied invasion of Europe. In the wake of the D-Day anniversary earlier this year, veterans were interviewed who, to this day, marvel at the outpouring of joy, even amid death and destruction, that greeted Allied forces. The same was the case in Belgium, in Holland and many other occupied countries.
What set apart Filipinos was that they welcomed the Allies while so many of our neighbors and fellow Asians viewed their return with suspicion and even fear. The reason for this is that among all the colonized countries in the world, only the Philippines had been promised, and expected, its independence.
It is difficult for the Filipinos of today to appreciate the tremendous prestige and even trust that the Americans, our allies in the war, enjoyed in this part of the world. Even as Filipinos ecstatically welcomed the return of the Americans, many Asian leaders looked to America for sympathy and even help. Mao Zedong came close to undertaking an alliance with the Americans. Ho Chi Minh tried to enlist American aid. The Indians during the war had looked to America to put pressure on Britain in order to exact concessions from their imperial rulers. If for reasons of ideology, Mao and Ho Chi Minh had no great love of the American way of life, they had some respect for it. And, like Indian leaders such as Nehru, whatever misgivings they may have felt were outweighed by their hatred for the fascism that Japan represented.
This is also something difficult for the Filipinos of today to appreciate: that the hatred of the majority of Filipinos for the Japanese would have been such, that they preferred their cities wrecked and so many dead to remaining one minute longer under the Japanese. This is why the generation alive during the war mostly referred -- and still refer -- to the return of the Americans as "liberation."
To us, today, "liberation" sounds hollow, if not downright delusional. And yet it is what Filipinos felt at the time, and we should respect their feelings. With a few exceptions, this is how they genuinely felt, and in this, they were no different from the French, the Dutch, the Chinese, Koreans and even Vietnamese. World War II was the last "good war," it is often said, because the good were so clearly differentiated from the bad: Nazism and Italian and Japanese fascism were so bad that imperialists could look good.
After World War II, the peoples and leaders who had looked to the America of Franklin D. Roosevelt were bitterly disappointed by the America of Harry S. Truman. Disappointment with America after World War II -- its selfishness, its infuriating conviction that it alone knew what was right and wrong, its ruthlessness in getting what it wanted, and its lack of gratitude for the sacrifices of its allies -- was felt not just by Filipinos, but by the French, and actively opposed by the Chinese and Vietnamese. India, too, under Nehru, tried to foster an independence and solidarity among nations that sought security and dignity through a policy of non-alignment.
Still, a survey of the generation that fought in and lived through the war will show that for the most part, they preferred alliance with the Western powers, imperialist or neo-imperialist to aiding or abetting fascists. Indeed, in recalling the anniversary of the Leyte Landing, what should be remembered is not just the enthusiasm and relief that greeted the return of American forces, but the reasons for that feeling of liberation. Freedom and the desire for it are never wrong. Thankfulness for those who make it possible is never misplaced. Fond memories of an older generation are not for a younger generation to disparage. For freedom gains strength from itself. It took liberation in 1944-45, for us to realize that freedom is not just given, it is earned. And that once earned, it must be earned again, and again.
Updated 00:53am (Mla time) Oct 20, 2004
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the October 20, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
EUPHORIA and thanksgiving are strange reactions to bombing, shelling and death. This was, however, the reaction of an overwhelming number of Filipinos to the news that Gen. Douglas MacArthur, together with officials of the Commonwealth government in exile, led by President Sergio Osmeña, Carlos P. Romulo and Basilio Valdes, had landed in Leyte province 60 years ago today.
The return of the Americans brought with it hardship: a great path of destruction was created as the Americans took Leyte and then embarked on taking Luzon. The destruction would culminate in the devastation of Manila, the burning and shelling of which dwarfed even the wrecking of other Philippine cities such as Davao, Cebu and Baguio.
The reaction of Filipinos to the destruction of their homes and the killing of so many that had yearned for liberation was not unique. The French, too, saw many killed and many cities ruined because of the Allied invasion of Europe. In the wake of the D-Day anniversary earlier this year, veterans were interviewed who, to this day, marvel at the outpouring of joy, even amid death and destruction, that greeted Allied forces. The same was the case in Belgium, in Holland and many other occupied countries.
What set apart Filipinos was that they welcomed the Allies while so many of our neighbors and fellow Asians viewed their return with suspicion and even fear. The reason for this is that among all the colonized countries in the world, only the Philippines had been promised, and expected, its independence.
It is difficult for the Filipinos of today to appreciate the tremendous prestige and even trust that the Americans, our allies in the war, enjoyed in this part of the world. Even as Filipinos ecstatically welcomed the return of the Americans, many Asian leaders looked to America for sympathy and even help. Mao Zedong came close to undertaking an alliance with the Americans. Ho Chi Minh tried to enlist American aid. The Indians during the war had looked to America to put pressure on Britain in order to exact concessions from their imperial rulers. If for reasons of ideology, Mao and Ho Chi Minh had no great love of the American way of life, they had some respect for it. And, like Indian leaders such as Nehru, whatever misgivings they may have felt were outweighed by their hatred for the fascism that Japan represented.
This is also something difficult for the Filipinos of today to appreciate: that the hatred of the majority of Filipinos for the Japanese would have been such, that they preferred their cities wrecked and so many dead to remaining one minute longer under the Japanese. This is why the generation alive during the war mostly referred -- and still refer -- to the return of the Americans as "liberation."
To us, today, "liberation" sounds hollow, if not downright delusional. And yet it is what Filipinos felt at the time, and we should respect their feelings. With a few exceptions, this is how they genuinely felt, and in this, they were no different from the French, the Dutch, the Chinese, Koreans and even Vietnamese. World War II was the last "good war," it is often said, because the good were so clearly differentiated from the bad: Nazism and Italian and Japanese fascism were so bad that imperialists could look good.
After World War II, the peoples and leaders who had looked to the America of Franklin D. Roosevelt were bitterly disappointed by the America of Harry S. Truman. Disappointment with America after World War II -- its selfishness, its infuriating conviction that it alone knew what was right and wrong, its ruthlessness in getting what it wanted, and its lack of gratitude for the sacrifices of its allies -- was felt not just by Filipinos, but by the French, and actively opposed by the Chinese and Vietnamese. India, too, under Nehru, tried to foster an independence and solidarity among nations that sought security and dignity through a policy of non-alignment.
Still, a survey of the generation that fought in and lived through the war will show that for the most part, they preferred alliance with the Western powers, imperialist or neo-imperialist to aiding or abetting fascists. Indeed, in recalling the anniversary of the Leyte Landing, what should be remembered is not just the enthusiasm and relief that greeted the return of American forces, but the reasons for that feeling of liberation. Freedom and the desire for it are never wrong. Thankfulness for those who make it possible is never misplaced. Fond memories of an older generation are not for a younger generation to disparage. For freedom gains strength from itself. It took liberation in 1944-45, for us to realize that freedom is not just given, it is earned. And that once earned, it must be earned again, and again.
posted by Dante at 12:53 AM
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