The two countries, the Philippines and Spain should strive hard to sustain its bilateral relations and to reconcile the past, at the mind of most Filipinos especially what is taught in the academe, Spain contributed so much of our nations misery as if it were the doing of old Spain in feudal 1900's and most Filipinos mindset stopped there like a suspended picture in air. That's why most Filipinos thought of Spain as feudal, conservative and religious. but the modern Spain changed so much after the civil war as what keko said. It was transformed in a modern European country as what other countries in Europe do. If the Philippines can connect this transformation in mother country, may that's the time a Filipinos may attain progress.
Julius, what is also interesting is that what is taught int he academic curriculum in Philippine History is the Americanized version of Philippine History. We have to understand that prior to the Dufts Act in the early 20th century, the Philippines was administered as a colony, then later as an American Protectorate. But part of the American presence was the negation of the previous ruling power, namely the Spanish Colonial Government.
Strategically and tactically, the Americans dissauded Filipinos from using Spanish (reading, writing) and in place of Spanish, encouraged the learning and use of English as the national language (secondary to Tagalog).
The United States Yellow Journal Policy was to negate the Spanish presence as possible so as much as to facilitate the assimilatory process with the United States and the integration of the two societies as appropriated by the inclusion of the Philippine Islands to the United States as specified in the Treaty of Paris in 1898.
If one reads the old writings by the Spaniards and the Prelates prior to the outbreak of the Revolucion Filipina, the Spaniards also utilized political and religious propaganda to maintain the harmony between the Philippines and the Kingdom.
In this case, one colonial power was replaced by a larger and far more powerful colonial power. The latter colonial power granted the colony independence, and all that was taught, and facilitated by the latter power was kept (in regards to academic teaching) and continues on to this day.
In the words of Dr. Richard Turk, PhD, Professor of American History at Allegheny College,
"The Philippines prior to the Filipino Revolution belonged to Spain; after the Treat of Paris, the Philippines belongs to the United States."
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