While the Vietnam and Korean Wars remain fresh in the

American historical conscience, one of the most brutal

wars in American history remains ignored, belittled,

and even in some cases denied. Today, Filipino youth

and students around the world join in solidarity to

observe the 105th anniversary of the beginning of

imperialist U.S. aggression in the Philippines. On

February 4, 1899 the United States fired the first

shots against the Filipino people at San Juan del

Monte, beginning the long and brutal Philippine-U.S.

war. Over 125,000 U.S. troops were sent to ?pacify?

the Filipino people, leading to the massacre of 1.4

million Filipino men, women and children from

1899-1913.

After more than two years of revolution led by the

Katipunan from 1896-1898, the Filipino people had

established their own government and declared

independence from Spain. However, Spain had subverted

the will of the Filipino people by "selling? the

Philippines for million to the United States

following its defeat in the Spanish-American war. The

United States, claiming to have ?liberated? the

Filipinos from their former colonizers, promised

independence and cooperation with the Filipino people,

all the while planning to simply replace Spain as the

new nation?s replacement colonizer.

The American takeover catalyzed Filipino

out-migration, which continues to this day. Seeking to

escape the poverty wrought by U.S. imperialism and

government corruption, Filipinos now leave the

Philippines at a rate of 1,000 a day for overseas

work, in search of the wealth stolen from them. One

out of every eight Filipinos on the planet lives

outside the Philippines, and Filipinos rank 2nd behind

Mexicans in yearly immigration to the U.S. Upon

arriving in their host countries, these Filipino

immigrants in search of the American dream encounter

the harsh realities of working class exploitation,

racism, poverty, exclusion from mainstream society,

etc.

U.S. interest in occupying the Philippines were

numerous ? regional economic and military dominance, a

market for U.S. surplus, and a source of raw materials

and cheap labor. These motives were as evident then as

they are today in the war against Iraq. In addition,

the Philippine-U.S. war exposed the racism inherent in

Western imperialism ? firsthand accounts of U.S.

soldiers in the Philippines compared combat to

?killing injuns and niggers.? Subsequently, many Black

American soldiers deserted the U.S. army to join the

Filipino resistance.

All Filipino people, particularly youth and students

as well as friends and allies, are called upon to

critically study this suppressed history, as its

historical legacy continues to impact the Philippines

and the Filipino diaspora worldwide. Furthermore, the

interests and jargon that propelled the U.S. into the

Philippines draws similar parallels to the current

imperialist war in Iraq.

Today, 105 years later, the Philippines remains a

neocolony of the U.S. ? an ?independent? country only

on paper, whose political and economic policies remain

subject to U.S. dictates. Although the Filipino people

fought to remove U.S. military bases from their

country in 1991, the puppet Philippine government

continues to allow over 3,000 U.S. troops to engage in

?war exercises? under the guise of anti-terrorism.

Last year, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo accepted

6 million in military aid from the U.S., further

jeopardizing what little sovereignty the Philippines

currently has.

As Filipinos in the United States, it remains urgent

as ever that we not forsake this inherited struggle.

As citizens of the very country that has ravaged our

homeland, we embrace the task of educating, organizing

and mobilizing support for Philippine

self-determination here in the belly of the beast.

Just as anti-imperialist Americans such as Mark Twain

voiced opposition to the Philippine war, we speak out

today to oppose all wars of imperialist aggression, as

well as the ongoing plunder and oppression of third

world countries such as the Philippines.