Editor's corner/ Over a cup of tea
Heidi M. Pascual*
Publisher & Editor
* 2006 Journalist of the
Year for the State of
Wisconsin (U.S.-SBA)
   June 12, 1898 marked the day the Philippines declared its freedom from the Spanish colonial rule.
After more than 300 years as a Spanish property, the Philippines was free at last! The celebration of
Filipinos at the time was immediately cut short by the results of the Treaty of Paris between Spain and
the United States of America. When Spain lost the Spanish-American War of 1898, it was forced to
cede possession of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the U.S.
   The short-lived Philippine Independence, however, brought to international attention the Filipinos’
struggle to be free and the heroes who gave up their lives for it. The struggle did not stop, even during
the American occupation, although it eventually calmed down when the U.S. introduced its system of
government, allowing Filipinos to be elected to the Philippine Assembly and appointed to many
decision-making positions. The educational system provided the much-needed learning of the locals,
including the use of English as the medium of instruction and the language of government and power.
Filipinos gradually became “Americanized” while learning the meaning of democracy and freedom.
   When World War II erupted, the Philippines was “occupied” by the Japanese Imperial Army. Filipinos
joined  the Americans, providing local intelligence and armed units against the Japanese forces. My
late grandfather, an engineer, joined the guerilla fighters in Rizal Province and died shortly after his
release from Fort Santiago in Intramuros as a prisoner of war. Thousands like him perished during and
right after the war. Thousands more children, men and women, lost their lives simply because they
were caught in the crossfire. And how could we forget the Bataan Death March of 1942 when more
than 10,000 Filipino and American POWS died through various means, notably by bayonet stabbing,
and lack of water and food? This war created a special bond between Filipinos and Americans.
   When the war ended, the United States granted the Philippines its “independence” on July 4, 1946.
Filipinos celebrated this event every year until the early 1960s when the late President Diosdado
Macapagal changed it back to June 12. I was in the elementary grades then, and I remember waving
the Philippine flag that day while watching a street parade. I also remember Neil Sedaka’s “Choo-choo
Train” was playing from a jukebox at a nearby eatery.
   PAMANA, the local Filipino organization, will celebrate Philippine Independence Day on July 19 at
Monona Terrace.
Philippine Independence Day