filipino-american heritage

1. Chapter 20
Our American
Heritage

3. PHILIPPINE LIFE changed tremendously as an American
colony. Before, the Filipinos had priests, pasions, chorizos, and
pabitins. During the American era, we had teachers, Bibles, hot
dogs, cars & basketball. Until now, we are still influenced a lot
by our American heritage.

4. The Bible and Religious Freedom
 This was the greatest legacy of America.
The Filipinos became free to choose their own religion.
They were allowed to have and to read the Bible.
 Other Christian churches were allowed—Methodists, Baptists, Episcopalians,
Pentecostals, etc.
• Another Christian denomination, the Philippine Independent
Church
(Aglipayanism) were started by Isabelo de los Reyes & Gregorio
Aglipay.
Even non-Christians were allowed to freely choose their own religion without being arrested &
persecuted by the government.
• The Muslims & mountain tribes were no longer treated as
enemies of the government, but as friends and true Filipinos also.
New religions and cults that did not believe in Jesus as both man & God were started.
•Iglesia ni Cristo (uses the name of Christ but doesn’t believe in
Jesus as God) was founded by Felix Manalo in 1914.
The most important religious change was the open distribution and reading of the Bible,
Gospel tracts, & Christian literature.

5. Training in Democracy
Democracy “Government of the people, by the people, for the people”.
• The Americans allowed us to practice democracy as a colony under their protection.
• If it weren’t for the Americans, the Philippines might have split up into different nations, with
different governments for Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, the Muslims, and mountain tribes—or, we
could have fallen into the hand of Germany or other colonial powers at that time.
• The Filipinos campaigned for independence in a peaceful and democratic way.
• For the first time, we had free national elections, women voters, many political parties, and religious
freedom.
• The Philippines got its dream for independence in 1946.

6. Free Education
• All children could study in schools. Even the brightest children from poor families could go as far as
university and many of them became professional doctors, nurses, lawyers, engineers, & teachers.
• Boys and girls could study together in the same schools and colleges because Co-Ed/ Co-education was
allowed.
• The first teachers were the soldiers. Soon after the fall of Manila in Aug. 1898, 7 schools were opened in the
city which were run entirely by American soldiers.
• The first batch of professional teachers came from the United States onboard the U.S. army ship “Thomas.”
The first teachers were called the “Thomasites.”
• Hundred of Filipino scholars (pensionados) were sent to the United States on free government pensions.
They studied in American colleges & universities.
Thomas ship

7. Better Health
• The Philippines led other Asian nations in health and sanitation. The Filipinos enjoyed better health &
hygiene then.
• Epidemics of cholera, smallpox, and plague were wiped out. Tuberculosis, malaria, typhoid, leprosy, and
other diseases were also reduced. Hence, the deathratefelland the populationgrew.
•The PhilippineGeneralHospitalin Manila and other hospitals in the provinces were built by the
government.
• Flush toilet was introduced.
• The Philippines became the healthiest country in Asia back then.
PGH

8. English Language
The most important language today.
The only medium used in all schools.
Became the official language of the government and in business.
English names such as John, Bobby, Mary and Lily were adopted.
It became fashionable to know English and Filipinos also began to use English in their
daily lives and in literature.
Many Filipino writers who mastered the English language won recognition abroad.
• Like Jose Garcia Villa, Celso Al Carunungan, & Nick Joaquin.
• Also Carlos P. Romulo, who won the prestigious Pulitizer Prize for
Journalism in 1942.
Filipino writers Carlos P. Romulo

9. Free Press
 Starting in 1902, we began to enjoy more and more freedom. By the 1930’s, the Philippines had the most
free press in Asia.
 Filipino journalists championed independence and reported freely about the government which other
Western colonies and Asian countries could not do.
 Many Filipinos started their own newspapers.
• Manuel Quezon and other leaders founded The Philippine Herald in
1920.
• The Graphic, owned by Ramon Roces, became the most-read weekly
magazine.
 There were also famous newspapers in the dialects and in Spanish.
• Sergio Osmeña founded Nuevo Dia in Cebu in 1900.
• Rafael Palma & Teodoro Kalaw both edited El Renacimiento, the most
controversial newspaper then.
• La Vanguardia, owned by Alejandro Roces Sr., was the most popular
Spanish daily.

10. Diet and Dress
• The Americans brought new types of food—cornflakes, oat meal, ham & egg sandwiches,
hamburgers, hot dogs, mayonnaise,catsup, tomato, beefsteak, ice cream& bubblegum.
• Men began to wear trouserswithbelt& suspenders, poloshirts, & tennisshoes.
• Women wear their hemlines shorter, dressed in fancy hats, shirt & blouse, high-heeled shoes, silk
stockings, & put on make-up.
Diet Dress

11. Democratic Life & Social Classes
• People greeted each other with the short “hi!.”
• People prayed the rosary & the angelus less as it was no longer fashionable to go home when the church
bells pealed at 6 p.m.
• Young people could then go out without a chaperon.
• We began to celebrate American holidays like the Fourth of July, Labor Day (May 1), Thanksgiving Day (Last
Thursday of November), Halloween (Oct. 31), & Valentine’sDay(Feb. 14).
• On Valentine’s, young men & women send Valetine cards to their loved
ones.
• Filipinos learned to treat each other equally.
• Anyone (rich or poor) could vote, enter politics, go to school, & practice profession.
•The Filipinos learned the dignity of labor & respect for the common tao.

12. Women’s Rights
• Filipino women enjoyed greater rights unlike the women in Asia, Latin America & Europe.
• They were free to work in an office, study with men in co-ed schools, and date without chaperones.
• They became doctors, lawyers, and scientists.
• The Filipinas were the firstAsianwomento voteandholdpublicoffice. They won the right in 1937.
• Carmen Planas became the first woman councilor of Manila in
1937.
• Mrs. Elisa R. Ochoa of Butuan became the first congresswoman in
1941.

13. Recreation
 Filipinos became conscious of their physical fitness and active recreation.
 Outdoor sport like baseball, football, volleyball, and calisthenicsbecame popular.
 Physical education became part of the school curriculum.
 Boxing was also introduced and PanchoVilla became first filipino to win Fly-weight boxing
championship of the world.
 Basketballbecame the national sports
 New indoor games were introduced such as bowling, billiards & poker.
 We listened to the radio & went to Carnivals.
• Manila Carnival (1908) became a national event.
Outdoor sports
Boxing & Pancho Villa
Basketball
Indoor games radio & carnival

14. Movies & Vaudeville
 The first moviehouse, CineRizal, was built in 1903 at Tondo.
The Roces brothers pioneered other moviehouses, especially the CineIdeal, at Rizal Avenue.
 Edward Meyer Gross, an American army surgeon, made the first local film in 1912 entitled LaVidade Dr.
Rizalwhich became an instant hit.
 Filipinos began to enjoy going to moviehouses regularly.
 The vodavil (vaudeville) replaced the zarzuela and moro-moro in popularity.
Cine Ideal

15. Music & Dance
 Radiosand movieshelped to spread American songs and dances in the Philippines.
 Filipinos learned to croon popular hit songs from America, to play American jazz, and to dance the
charleston, boogie-woogie, and fox trot.

16. Houses
 The Americans brought new types of houses and constructions.
 Many accesorias(small apartments) catered for workers who flocked to the cities.
 New bungalows, chalets, two-storey concrete houses and earthquake-proof buildings were built.
• Examples of American building that still exist today are the Manila
Post Office Building, the Philippine General Hospital, and the
Philippine Normal College.
houses buildings

17. Art
 During the American era, rural landscapes and scenes from the ordinary life became the new styles of
painting.
 The famous painters for this era were Fabiande la Rosa, FernandoAmorsolo, EmilioAlvero, and VictorioC.
Edades.
 The most famous sculptor then was GuillermoTolentino.
• The Bonifacio Monument at Grace Park, Caloocan and the UP
Oblation was made by him.
painters Guillermo Tolentino

18. Science
 Modern science was introduced by the Americans in the Philippines and Filipinos were trained to
become good scientists.
 Various scientific organizations were established by the government and Filipino scholars were sent
to America to train.
• Among the Filipinos who contributed to the advancement of science
were Dr. Angel Arguelles, the first Filipino Director of the Bureau of
Science; Dr. Eliodoro Merado, leprologist; Dr. Miguel Calizares, noted
surgeon; Dra. Honoria Acosta, first woman doctor; Dr. Eduardo
Quisimbing, orchidologist; Dr. Joaquin Maralon, botanist; and Dr.
Hilario A. Roxas, zoologist.

19. American Blood
 Many AmericansmarriedFilipinowomen, and FilipinosmarriedAmericanwomen. The offspring of
these marriages looked taller, fairer in complexion, and were more energetic, practical, and progressive.
 Good American habits that were adapted by the Filipinos are: frankness, practicality,hardwork,
open-mindedness, and fairness.
 Some bad American habits that were adapted by the Filipinos are: beingmaterialistic, ruthlessness,
rudeness, drunkenness, selfishness, lackof patriotismor having “colonialmentality.”

20. The End

21. Thomas ship

22. Philippine General Hospital

23. Ham& Egg
Hotdog
Hamburger
Oatmeal
Tomato Catsup
Ice cream

24. Fancy hats
Make-up
Polo shirt
high-heeled shoes
Trousers w/
suspenders
blouse & skirt

25. baseball
football
volleyball
calisthenics

26. boxing
boxing
Pancho Villa

27. basketball

28. billiards
bowling

29. radio
carnival

30. Jose Garcia Villa
Celso Al Carunungan

31. Carlos P. Romulo

32. Cine Ideal

33. bungalows
chalets
2-storey concrete house

34. Manila Post Office
Philippine Normal College

35. Fabian de la Rosa
Fernando Amorsolo
Untitled by Victorio
Edades

36. Guillermo Tolentino
UP Oblation
Bonifacio Monument