September 8: End of war with America and peace with Japan

This week on September 8, one in 1902 and the other in 1951, the Philippines officially ended its war with the United States of America and signed the Treaty of Peace with Japan, respectively.

Every Filipino knows that even though we declared our independence in 1898, the Americans and the Spaniards had brokered an agreement to sell the Philippines to the United States of America. When the Filipinos realized America’s treachery and colonial designs, war broke out thus the Filipino-American War took place from February 4, 1899, to July 2, 1902, although the formal cessation of the armed conflict was made on September 8, 1902.

And while most Cebuanos had embraced the Americans, this still did not stop some Americans from committing the most heinous of crimes, such as attacking barrio dances and killing civilians whom they suspected as insurgents, or burning whole barrios in pursuit of guerillas. All in all, around 12,000 combatants were killed according to one source, though US sources say about 16,000 to 20,000 had died. Between 200,000 to 1,000,000 Filipino civilians died due to famine and disease, especially from cholera.

On the other hand, on the same date but almost 50 years later, a Treaty of Peace with Japan was concluded and signed in the English, French, Spanish, and Japanese languages in the City of San Francisco on September 8, 1951, by authorized representatives of the Allied Powers, including those of the Philippines. On December 8, 1941, the Japanese invaded us, and on January 3, 1942, they imposed their control. General Douglas MacArthur declared the liberation of the Philippines three years later on July 5; Japan conceded defeat on August 15 of the same year.

The Treaty of Peace provided that it shall be ratified by the states which had signed it and that all instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Government of the United States of America. Our Senate ratified the treaty and the instrument of ratification of the Philippines was signed by President Ramon Magsaysay on July 18, 1956, deposited with the Government of the United States of America on July 23, 1956, and came into force and was made public in respect to the Philippines on July 23, 1956.

Just like the war with the Americans, heinous crimes against the Filipinos were also committed by the Japanese during their occupation. They went to barangays to massacre people because of the rumored presence of guerillas in the area. They burned down whole barrios, killed people, and took many residents as prisoners. After our liberation, the Philippines faced enormous problems. The land was devastated by war, the economy destroyed, and the country torn apart by political warfare and guerrilla violence.

Not only were these two events 50 years apart, but we also know it was mainly the presence of the Americans in the Philippines that sucked us into their conflict with the Japanese. Thankfully, the end of the Second World War finally allowed us to run our own affairs as an independent nation, with America finally granting us the independence they stole in 1899.

September 8 is a day of two events that were almost half a century apart, but both brought peace to the Philippines. It is times like these two momentous events that we see how patterns do appear when we study history, and in order for us not to repeat the same mistakes, we should always take heed of the lessons of the past.