Strings Still
Attached
by: Chelsea Aguilar
The Philippines, as of now, is an independent
country free from colonizers like Spain and Japan,
unlike before. But despite this, we are still controlled by a different country, specifically the
United States. They have an indirect rule of colonial power on us. There are many factors, which
can prove this fact, and one of them is the unequal
treaty between the two countries. First is the Bell
Trade Act of 1946 which implements a treaty that
the US will give $800 million to the Philippines for
the rehabilitation after the World War II in exchange for some provisions like absolute quotas
on Philippine goods and restriction on the Philippine currency. The treaty lasted until 1954 when
the Laurel-Langley Agreement superseded it. Second is the US-RP Military Bases Agreement of
1947 where US jurisdiction will be implemented
on military and naval bases. The treaty was suppose to last for 99 years but eventually expired in
1991. And lastly is the RP Mutual Defense Treaty
of 1951 that is still implemented up to now. It is a
treaty in which a forged military alliance between
the Philippines and the United States of America
will be imposed in case of external aggression or
attack by an outside force. The two countries celebrated its 60th anniversary on November 11,
2011 and reaffirmed the said treaty. Because
of these treaties, the Philippines are still in ties
with the US.
Aside from the unequal treaties, there is also
the colonial mentality instilled in the minds of
the Filipinos that makes us still controlled by
America. Most of the Filipinos today would
rather buy imported products from US such as
chocolates, clothes, and other things from the
United States than the products made locally.
This greatly affects the economy of the Philippines as it competes with the imported products. In order for us not to be controlled by the
US anymore or any other country, we need to
start being patriotic by supporting our own
products and stop the colonial mentality we
are experiencing. Step by step, we will
achieve our true independence.