Today, July 4, marks the Philippine Republic Day, also known as the Philippine-American Friendship celebration; only a few weeks shy from our very own Independence Day.
A global superpower and a rising commonwealth seem to be an unlikely pairing, but this accounts for a cultural and historical tie borne more than a century ago. The United States is considered our closest western ally after colonizing the country during the end of the 300-year rule of the Spaniards in 1898, which then followed the short-lived but bloody Philippine-American War from 1899 to 1902. Since then, both of our countries have basked in the bilateral benefits of trade, assistance, and industrialization.
