The Philippines in World War II

World War II had a great impact on the world and still has effects on today’s people. For the people of the Philippines, it has the impact of Death March across Bataan, more than a million Filipinos dead, and Rescission Act. The Philippines had a role in World War II fighting on the side of the United States, but they suffered many losses to the war. They fought to help the Americans with an American base on their land, but many people will forget about the Filipinos in the effort to stop World War II.

Many numbers of troops where station in the Philippines at the start of World War II and after the United States forces where defeated it became a goal for General MacArthur to gain in back. The Japanese had started to invade the Philippines in 1941 to 1942. Japanese would quickly take of the Philippines even with the Americans and Filipino forces fighting side by side. When the Japanese where fully occupying the Philippines, it became a fight between the Japanese and the Guerrilla resistance as the United States would have evacuated at this time. In 1945 Americans and Filipino forces would recapture important cities such as Manila which would become an entrepôt (a city that is center where goods are brought for import and export). Fighting would be non-stopped for the Filipino people (Gray). 

President Roosevelt in August 1943 gave his word that when the Japanese were driven out the Philippines would become their own and that happen on July 4, 1946, as the American Flag was replaced with the newly independent Philippine’s flag. This happens would not last as Roosevelt has promised annually benefits to the veterans and family members of the war, but Rescission Act would be passes to take that from the people. The President of the Philippines Harry Truman would sign the legislation as he saw that they fought as American nationals (Klein). This would have an effect to the people of future as many Filipins where hopping for money and citizenship in the United States. Around 250,000 Filipinos Fought in World War II with the Americans. Roosevelt signed an order to bring all military forces in the US and the Philippines as US control. The creating the Rescission Act giving nothing to the Filipino people in return. Hardly any effort has been made by the United States government with this issue. George HW Bush would be one who would try to help the Filipinos by offering some citizenship and then Obama proving one-time payments. These efforts did not to just to the Filipinos because many Filipinos did not qualify for the efforts (Merina).

The fight and the effort put into World War II had a great impact on the United States and the people of the Philippines. War would take over the land and create the conflict of not just the impactful war but the relations with America and the US. To move from being people of guerrilla war to their own independent country shows the strength of the people. Even if the Filipino people couldn’t get what they wanted they are still moving forward today as a people and for themselves.

I was interested when we go to southeast Asia because I would be able to talk about the Philippines, as I am half. The topic of World War II is because I’m a history major and is a part in history that I find interesting. I was able to learn more about the Philippines and Americans together in this war. I never knew how much involvement President Roosevelt had with the Philippines. I also have family involvement in the Philippines in World War II as my grandfather was there because he was a Filipino citizen at the time. My father would tell me the story of how my grandfather during the war had to hide in the jungle to survive from the Japanese soldiers. This would always be fascinated with this time in history as I had a connection to it. Recently I watched a documentary on the Philippines in World War II, and I talk about how many new ghost stories came out of the war. Animism (Beliefs and cultural ideas that spirits and supernatural is real) was a perfect description of the ghost stories of the past especially from the Death March. This made me realize how much was affected during the war such as the mangrove forest (trees that a grouped together that live in coastal intertidal zone) that stretch for a while, or the food culture. One day I hope to visit the Philippines to see the culture but as the history that time forgot.

Grey, Jack. “Philippines Battles in WW2.” Pacific Atrocities Education, 18 July 2018, https://www.pacificatrocities.org/blog/philippines-battles-in-world-war-ii.

Klein, Christopher. “Filipino Americans Fought with Us in WWII, Then Had to Fight for Veterans' Benefits.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 11 Nov. 2019, https://www.history.com/news/filipino-americans-veterans-day.

Merina, Dorian. “Their Last Fight: Filipino Veterans Make a Final Push for Recognition.” The American Homefront Project, 17 May 2021, https://americanhomefront.wunc.org/2018-07-30/their-last-fight-filipino-veterans-make-a-final-push-for-recognition.