Americaʼs Influence in the Philippines

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Rebecca Balinski

America has had a huge influence on the culture of the Philippines. Hereʼs a few
fun facts as well as a few specific ways in which American culture has
influenced Filipino culture.

History of America in the Philippines

In 1898, the United States declared war on Spain, ultimately resulting in what is
called the Treaty of Paris, in which the Spanish agreed to give up the islands of
the Philippines in exchange for $20,000,000. The Philippines had been ruled by
the Spanish for nearly ____ years. During first years, there were some conflicts
between the U.S. and The Philippines. But during World War I, they came
together and the Filipinos fought alongside the Americans. After WWI ended,
the U.S. continued to rule over the Philippines, and gradually their relationship
became much more friendly. In 1934, the Tydings/McDuffie Law was passed,
making the Philippines commonwealth of the U.S. The United States agreed to
give the Philippines 10 years to prepare for their complete independence. But
because of WWII and the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, that promise was
not realized until 1946. On July 4, 1946, the United States declared the
Philippines an independant nation. Now, the relation between Americans and
Filipinos are very friendly and warm. Filipinos love America and Americans. They
often decorate their jeepneys with american flags or “God Bless the USA.” They
also enjoy American music and clothing, while still retaining their own Filipino
way of life.

Here are some cool things you may be interested to know were adopted into the
Filipino culture from America.

Religious Freedom

When the United States took over the Philippines, the people began to be free
to join whatever religion they wanted. (During the Spanish rule, the Catholic
church was established as the national religion and was strongly enforced).
Because of this new found religious freedom, there began to be many different
churches besides Catholicism. Today, itʼs remarkable to see just how many
different Christian churches there are in the Philippines – this religious diversity
has become a big part of the culture.

Free Education

Americans introduced the idea of free education to the Philippine islands. The
United States even sent teachers to help establish schools where the Filipino
children could have a free education. A large group of these teachers were
called “Thomasites,” named after the boat that they came on, called Thomas.

English

During this time, English began to be taught in the schools, and this is the
language that the teachers would use. Even today, most Filipinos canʼt help but
mix in English words when they speak. “Taglish” has literally become part of the
culture. In fact, English is now the 2nd national language. Lots of English words
have made their way into the Tagalog language. Often they are pronounced the
same, but the dictionary spelling is Filipino-ized. Here are a few fun examples:

Cake = Keyk
Cookie = Kukis
Biscuit = Biskwit
Ballpen= Bolpen
Interview = Interbyu
Computer = Kompyuter
X-ray = Eksrey

Clothing

Here are a few types of clothing that America introduced to the Filipino culture:

Belts
Suspenders
Polo shirts
Tennis shoes
Short skirts/dresses
Bonnets/hats
High heels
Pantyhose
Make-up

Food

Here is a list of some of the food that Americans introduced to the Philippines
that have been widely adopted into their lifestyle:

Hamburgers
Sandwiches
Oatmeal
Ketchup
Chewing gum
Apple pie
Mayonnaise
Hot dogs
Steak
Ice cream
Corn flakes
And more. . .

Some American restaurants that have become very popular in the Philippines
are:

McDonaldʼs
KFC
Dunkin Donuts

Other American influences:

Jeepneys, Swing Dance, Democracy, etc.

(Contributed by Rebecca, Philippines Baguio Mission, 2009-2011)

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