A few weeks ago, this outsider became involved in an ill-tempered argument with a fellow expatriate Brit over the body-count in the Philippines during the Philippine-American War and World War II. His claim was that more Filipinos had died in the former event than in the latter. As appalling as Filipino losses were during the process of US colonization, however, he was wrong, for while some 600,000 are reckoned to have died during that conflict, most estimates of Filipino deaths due to the Japanese occupation come up with a figure of one million. It was not until some time after our argument that I worked out why my opponent had reacted so intemperately when I disputed his claim. Early on, he had made an equally questionable assertion — that “we” (i.e. the British Empire) had never behaved as atrociously as the Americans had in their conquest of these islands — and I, never happy to be included in this particular “we,” had told him that I would reserve my position. The look he gave me then was that of the military officer who detects the first sign of insubordination (and maybe even “treason”) in a subordinate whose “loyalty” he has hitherto taken for granted. Source: The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100824com5.html |
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29. Alam n'yo kaya na ngayon ang ika-115 na pagdiriwang ng pinakaunang
labanan ng Himagsikan bago pa man ang pangkalahataang pag-aaklas? Ngayon
unang lum...
13 years ago
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