Musings on American statehood

It was my daughter's birthday last month and we decided to celebrate it at Anvaya Cove in Subic Bay. My family and friends went ahead. I followed with my driver so I had time alone in the car to let my mind roam.

- ANDREW J. MASIGAN

We passed through Clark and I marveled at the expert planning and infrastructure the Americans left behind. Subic is of the same quality. The airports and seaport, road network, underground electric grid and flood cisterns were of such high quality that they stood the test of time. I lamented at how Filipinos could not make Subic and Clark fly as special economic zones. It's been 24 years since the Americans left and both remain wastefully under-utilized.

I began to recall the institutions the American established for us. There are too many to mention, but among them was a superior educational system that included free public school, the University of the Philippines and the Philippine Normal College. In defense and law enforcement, the Americans founded the Philippine Constabulary and the Armed Forces. In health care, they instituted the Bureau of Health and the Philippine General Hospital.

In economic development, the Americans established the Bureau of Agriculture, the Philippine National Bank and built a network of roads, power plants and public transport systems. They developed multiple industries including sugar, rice, coconut, abaca, textiles and steel. In terms of political governance, they established the framework of a democratic government, the judicial system, local government units and the civil and penal codes, among others.

In short, the Americans built the foundation of a strong republic. In fact, they left us with one of the strongest democracies and economies in the continent with a capital city beautifully planned by Daniel Burnham. After independence, the Philippines rode the inertia left by the Americans. We remained a strong republic until 1965 when everything went downhill.