U.S. and Canadian leaders mark Philippine Independence Day

On the occasion of Philippine Independence Day, June 12, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden delivered congratulatory messages to the Philippines' people and praised the contributions of the millions of immigrants from the Philippines.

"This year, our nations are also celebrating two momentous anniversaries. Our 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations and our 70th anniversary of our strong alliance," Biden said on social media.

"The Philippines and the United States share so much history and our people are forever connected through our deep bonds and shared sacrifices of valor, of family and of friendship," Biden said.

The U.S., and the Philippines have enjoyed a close economic, military and cultural relationship. After defeating Spain in the Spanish American War, the Philippines became a U.S. colony until 1946 when the Philippines gained its independence  in 1946.

Biden also praised the over four million Filipinos and Filipino Americans residing in the U.S. “They make invaluable contributions to communities all across our country. They enrich the American character, making our nations stronger and more vibrant,” he said.

"Our people are forever connected through our deep bonds and shared sacrifices of valor, of family, and of friendship.”

Trudeau's statement came as Canada celebrates Filipino Heritage Month. He also made a point of the role Filipino Canadians have played in fighting the pandemic and caring for fellow Canadians.

“From Toronto to Iqaluit, nearly one million people of Filipino descent call Canada home. As we mark Filipino Heritage Month throughout June, I encourage all Canadians to recognize the important contributions Filipino communities have made – and continue to make – to our country," he said.

"As we continue to keep Canadians safe and protected from COVID-19, we recognize the many members of the Filipino community who play essential roles on the frontlines of the pandemic response and continue to work to keep our most vulnerable healthy. Your contributions will not be forgotten."

Trudeau closed his remarks in Tagalog, “Maligayang Araw ng Kalayaan!”

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Prince Charles praises Filipino health care workers for their contributions to the United Kingdom

 

On the eve of Philippine Independence Day, the future king of Great Britain, expressed his gratitude to Filipino healthcare workers in the United Kingdom.

"To these wonderfully selfless people, I wanted to offer my most heartfelt gratitude for the outstanding care and comfort you give to your patients," Prince Charles said in a video message shared by British Ambassador to the Philippines Daniel Pruce on Friday, June 11.

June 12 is recognized as Philippine Independence Day, as the day when Filipinos declared their independence from Spain.

"You have made a truly remarkable contribution to the health and well-being of so many people across the country at such a difficult time," he added.

Prince Charles noted that the friendship between the two nations is “stronger than ever at a time when we have faced the unprecedented challenges of the coronavirus.”

“Those links have provided the foundation for us to work together towards a better future. We are more fortunate than we perhaps realize to have many thousands of nurses and other healthcare workers from the Philippines working in the UK particularly in the National Health Service,” the Prince of Wales said in his statement.

Over 200,000 Filipinos are living in the United Kingdom, many of them already British citizens, and are working in a variety of sectors such as information technology, engineering, aviation, education, health care, and hospitality.

An estimated 19,000 health care professionals of Philippine heritage are working in the National Health Service. About 13,000 are nurses.

Prince Charles added that the UK is "more fortunate than we perhaps realize" to have thousands of Filipino nurses and healthcare workers serving the nation.

#HistoryMatters: The Philippine American War in 4 minutes

The Philippine forces were poorly equipped but they were able to defeat the Spaniards.

Got 4 minutes to spare? June 12 is the day Filipino nationalists declared their independence from Spain who had ruled over the Philippines for about 400 years.

For those of you with short attention spans, ThoughtMonkey put together a quick history lesson on the Philippine American War.

When the US declared war on Spain, the US partnered with the Filipino freedom fighters to defeat the Spaniards surrounded in Manila. The US warships destroyed the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay while Filipino ground forces kept the Spaniards from escaping.



According to the Military Museum at the Golden Gate Regional Park in what was the U.S. Army's historic Presidio: 

"Most Presidio troops got to the islands too late to fight the Spanish in the brief war. However Philippine rebels had been waging guerrilla warfare against Spanish colonialism long before the U.S. became involved. Their exiled leader, Emilio Aquinaldo, quickly made contact with the attacking force already on its way to the Philippines, in the belief that the United States would help the "Insurrectos" gain independence from Spain. But expansionists in the U.S. government had other plans. After the signing of the Treaty of Paris, on December 10, 1898, which ended the war against Spain, the United States opted to give Cuba its independence but keep the Philippines, to the dismay of the Philippine nationalists."

It was not until the Treaty of Paris was signed that the Filipinos realized that instead of the independence that they sought, all they did was change colonial masters .

US media and history books called the war that followed the Philippines Insurrection. Filipinos called it the Philippine American War, a war for independence.

If you have more time, take a look at these earlier posts from Views From the Edge:

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