For two straight days, the lights on the Empire State Building in New York City were blue, red and yellow, the colors of the Philippines, as a sign of support for Filipinos and the Philippines during their recovery from Super Typhoon Yolanda. New York City has a very large Filipino-American community, a community which has contributed greatly to the city and state of New York. The relationship between the United States of America and the Philippines has been solidly bonded for more than 100 years.
One of my favorite Americans in history is General Douglas MacArthur, who had a deep love and respect for the Philippines and the Filipino people. In the old Manila Hotel, on the top floor is the General Douglas MacArthur Suite, where the old General lived in Manila in the late 1930s and early 1940s. MacArthur actually retired from the US Army in 1937 and he became the Field Marshall of the Philippine Army. However, he was called back to active duty in the US Army in 1941 and he became the Commander in Chief of the US Army in the Far East. In 1942, when the fall of the Philippines was close at hand, General Douglas MacArthur was ordered by President Roosevelt to flee to Australia. MacArthur delivered his famous words to the Filipinos, “I Shall Return!” When the General and his forces landed in Leyte, Philippines in October of 1944, he had indeed returned to defeat the Japanese Military! That year, a young local beauty queen sang for the General and she was known as the The Rose of Tacloban. The Rose was none other than Imelda Marcos! Today, Imelda Marcos is age 84 and she is an elected Congresswoman representing Ilocos Norte, the home of her late husband, Ferdinand Marcos.
We are Cousins
A famous Philippine politician said a few years ago, “Like it or not, Filipinos and Americans are cousins!” At times, it has been a love-hate relationship, especially when 12 nationalistic senators in the Philippines voted not to renew the US-Philippines Military Bases Agreement in the early 1990s. Cory Aquino was the President of the Philippines at that time and she lobbied to retain the US Bases but the votes of 12 Senators ended the 100 year agreement! To this very day, many Filipinos refer to those 12 Senators, whose votes killed the US Bases, as “The Dirty Dozen!”
There are hired crowds by militant organizations in the Philippines to stage demonstrations in front of the US Embassy in Manila on a regular basis but this protest is not the sentiment of the majority of Filipinos. They like Americans! Many even love Americans!
Typhoon Yolanda Relief
The USA wasted no time in providing military personnel, equipment, relief supplies and aid money to the Philippines after Tacloban and other areas of the country were devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda. Many other countries around the round world also rallied together concerning this terrible disaster, providing much needed emergency disaster aid in various forms.
CNN reporter Anderson Cooper received flak from some locals because he reported the true conditions of Ground Zero in Tacloban and he asked the question, “Who is in charge here?” As in many countries, politics is involved in most everything and some in the Philippines took it personally. Like it or not, things could have been done much differently before and immediately after Super Typhoon Yolanda devastated the Philippines. However, it is time for unity in the country and time for everyone to put aside political affiliations and personal feelings to work together in rebuilding the hard hit areas. We can do it… together!
Enjoyed your article. Keep up the good work !!
Thank you much, Thom and Ronald. I am happy you enjoyed my article.
Have a great day!
~ Gary ~
Well written.. and very meaningful. Thanks, Gary.
Comforting reminders Gary, thank you.
ricardo – Leyte
Thank you much, Ricardo.
Have a great day!
~ Gary ~
While most filipinos like Americans…..they do not want the American military there! I have talked to filipinos of all walks…they got tired of the behavior of the American airmen, sailors, and Marines.
I do think, at some point, that there will be some regularly American forces there but it might take some time.
As far as the response to the typhoon…I will let others talk about that…but I think it is pretty obvious it was not well done in the first week.
Most of the Filipinos I know still say one of the biggest mistakes the Philippines ever made was not renewing the US Bases Agreement in the early 90s.
The US Military has maintained 1,000 or more Special Forces on the ground in the Philippines since after 9/11 to help the war on islamic terrorists in Mindanao. In the past year, the number of US Navy ships making port of calls at Subic has increased greatly.
Those who cried out that the US Military increased prostitution in Subic and in Angeles City cannot back up those words today. Prostitution is alive and kicking and both locations but instead of US military, it is men from all over the world, including foreign investors in Subic, who have increased prostitution.
With the threat of China’s domination in Asia, the goal of the US Pentagon is to increase the presence of US military in the region, with the Philippines at the top of the list. Since China has encroached the Shoals and the Spratley’s, which belong to the Philippines, more in the Philippine Govt are also welcoming a stronger US military presence in the country.
Have a great day!
~ Gary ~
Hi Gary I joined your Expats news letter a few days ago but wanted to write you a personal note also. I am moving to Bacolod City and will Marry a woman who now lives in Sipilay City. She is going to move to Bacolod next week to make things more comfortable for us before my arrival there in July. I am turning 62 this year I am a school teacher/x Army officer so I have to finish this years teaching contract which ends in late June. I should have a pretty good monthly pension with Soc. Sec., teacher retirement and Military. I have read your book and read allot of your information.
I do have some specific questions about moving to Bacolod. Mostly I want to establish personal contacts with other American expats who all ready live there so I can ask for advice if I have questions or run into proceedural problems and don’t know what to do.
I would really appreciate it if you would e-mail back so I can ask you a few of my own personal questions with out invovling others on an open blog.If you don’t feel comfortable doing this maybe you can direct me to someone who is. Thanks so much for all the hard work you put into this, the information you put out there is really good and raises my comfort leavel quite a bit. Thanks,
Steve
Hi Steve,
Thank you for your compliments and kind words. I am happy hearing that Retiring to the Philippines and our books are helpful to you and to others.
There is a large expat community in Bacolod and I know many expats already living here. Some are members of our forum and if you have questions that you do not consider private, you can post them there.
If you have private questions that you do not wish to have on a public forum, you can contact me off list at: gary AT retiringtothephilippines.com
Have a great day!
~ Gary ~