In Photos: Americans during their Philippine occupation

MANILA, Philippines – The textbooks in both countries have it, although of slightly different versions: Americans “liberating” Filipinos from Spanish colonial rule in 1898, and the Philippine-American war ensuing the following year.

Human rights abuses were committed by US soldiers against the locals. At least 12,000 to 20,000 revolutionary soldiers and at least 200,000 to 400,000 on the Philippine side were killed in that war.

But what do we know? Americans have left their imprints in the Philippines. English continues to be the second official language of the Philippines. Many streets and parks bear the names of American figures, like Taft Avenue in Manila and Burnham Park in Baguio City. 

Today, what we eat, what we wear, the songs we sing to, and the movies we watch remain largely American – and most of us aren’t ashamed of it. A survey by the Pew Research Center shows that Filipinos like the US even more than Americans do.

So you’d wonder: just what kind of life did Filipinos have with the Americans around during the occupation? Perhaps photographs will best show that.

(All photos in this story are from the John Silva and Jonathan Best Best Collection.)

It was a time when Philippine singers and actors began learning jazz tunes, tap dancing, and other American entertainment forms. The American sailor in this photo, however, looks like he’s enjoying trying the tinikling, the Philippines’ national dance.

Even before waterboarding or water torture became an issue at the United States’ Guantanamo detention facility, it was practiced against Filipinos during the Philippine American War, but Americans described it as “harmless.” This photo was taken around 1899.

Americans came to the Philippines as schoolteachers, nurses, among other professions, during the occupation. Here are some American women posing with Filipino farmworkers. 

This American postcard paints a romantic picture of the US’ only Asian colony. 

Two Army soldiers pose in a studio in Manila around 1899.

– Rappler.com