Philippines

Censoring History Education Goes Hand in Hand with Democratic Backsliding

by Julia Boechat Machado and Ruben Zeeman

Regimes in the Philippines, India and Brazil have recently tried to censor the teaching of history in service of their poltical goals and claims to power. The pushback by scholars in these countries should inspire historians in Florida and elsewhere to resist the political censorship of research and teaching. 

The Forgotten Violence of the US-Philippines Relationship

by Adrian De Leon

By declaring a relationship of "friends, partners, and allies" between the United States and the Philippines, and embracing the regime of Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., the United States concealed its violent conquest of the islands and its ongoing support for authoritarian rule there. 

New Generation Whitewashes History of Marcos Dictatorship in Philippines

Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. is at the brink of winning the presidency in the Philippines, partly because of social media campaigns denying the atrocities committed by his father's regime. 

Making History with Music

by Jason Burt

PFC Richard Burt played the trumpet in a military band tasked with raising morale in the fight to retake the Philippines before a career as a music teacher. His grandson, a history teacher, wants to make him and his bandmates posthumous recording stars.

‘I’ll keep fighting’: Philippine women keep alive memory of sex slave horrors during World War II

More than seven decades after the Japanese Imperial Army invaded the Philippines and raped hundreds of girls, the survivors still want to be heard. 

Ok, We Returned the Stolen Bells to the Philippines

by Brian Shott

But we haven’t yet confronted the awful and complicated history behind the theft.

U.S. Returns Bells Taken as War Booty From Philippines in 1901

American troops took the three church bells after avenging a deadly attack on their fellow soldiers, and the seizure has complicated ties with the Philippines since.

Trump’s Cruel (And Inaccurate) Boast About Pershing Was More Ignorant than You Think

by Ron Briley

Like many Americans he believes the US role in the Philippines was innocent. It wasn’t.

Blowback for American sins in the Philippines

by Stephen Kinzer

Rarely has blowback from an overseas intervention come back to haunt us so long after the shooting stopped.

A Brief History of U.S.-Philippine Relations

The connections between the Philippines and the U.S. run deep, and have sometimes been fraught, but would be very difficult to cut.

Philippines President Compares Himself To Hitler in Anti-Crime Rant

Noting that Hitler had murdered millions of Jews, Duterte said: “There are three million drug addicts (in the Philippines). I’d be happy to slaughter them.

This Is the Moment to Remember that 30 Years Ago People Power Toppled a Dictator in the Philippines

by Tom Clifford

That worked out well. But how will the election of a populist president who brags about killing criminals?

The Nativist Origins of Philippines Independence

by Rick Baldoz

This week marks the 80th anniversary of the passage of the Tydings-McDuffie Act, which established conditions for the United States to grant the Philippines its independence after nearly five decades of American rule. 

Will Typhoon Haiyan Cause Meaningful Political Reform in the Philippines?

by Richard T. Chu

Natural disasters can often spark political reforms, especially in corrupt and nepotistic countries like the Philippines. But here's why that probably won't happen.

Typhoon Puts WWII-Famed Philippine Town in Spotlight

Tacloban was the centerpiece of the World War II campaign to liberate Leyte from the Japanese.

Search for centuries-old galleon off Oregon coast begins anew near Manzanita

MANZANITA -- Somewhere off the coast of Manzanita rest the bones of a galleon from the Philippines, wrecked on the rocks around 1700 as it left Manila laden with goods destined for Mexico.That's the legend told here for centuries, but the saga isn't just empty words. For as long as the tale's circulated, Native Americans, settlers and even modern-day beachcombers have found the beeswax and porcelain to prove it.Now, a volunteer group of students, archaeologists and historians calling themselves the Beeswax Wreck Research Project is hoping to get one step closer to finding the ship when they set out to sea later this month with equipment that may zero in on the galleon's location....

Edwin Ramsey dies at 95; WWII Army cavalry officer in Philippines

Historians have said that losing the Philippines in the early stages of World War II was a defining event in the career of Gen. Douglas MacArthur.The same could be said of Edwin Ramsey. But Ramsey couldn't admit defeat.After MacArthur's retreat in early 1942, Ramsey, an officer in the 26th Cavalry Regiment of the U.S. Army, joined the Philippine resistance. He eventually headed a guerrilla force that grew to 40,000 enlisted men and officers, supplying crucial intelligence that helped lay the foundation for MacArthur's triumphant return more than two years later....

A Primer on America’s Forgotten "Nasty Little War": An Interview with Gregg Jones

by Robin Lindley

An interview about his new book, "Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines, and the Rise and Fall of America’s Imperial Dream."

Stanley Karnow, Historian and Journalist, Dies at 87

Stanley Karnow, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and journalist who produced acclaimed books and television documentaries about Vietnam and the Philippines in the throes of war and upheaval, died on Sunday at his home in Potomac, Md. He was 87.The cause was congestive heart failure, said Mr. Karnow’s son, Michael.For more than three decades Mr. Karnow was a correspondent in Southeast Asia, working for Time, Life, The Saturday Evening Post, The Washington Post, NBC News, The New Republic, King Features Syndicate and the Public Broadcasting Service. But he was best known for his books and documentaries....