2. Economic progress under America
• The Filipinos enjoyed a better life under America than
as the colony of Spain. The American Yankees taught
us to work harder and be more practical than the lazy
and proud Spaniards. What Spain could not do for the
Philippines in over 300 years, the United States did in
less than 50 years.
3. American economic policy
• In the beginning, American economic policy was unselfish.
• Philippine bill of 1902
• -declared that all public lands and natural resources of the Philippines were for
“the benefits of the inhabitants”.
• William H. Taft
• First American governor general, said that the Philippines was for the Filipinos.
• This meant that our economy would be developed by the Americans for the
benefit of the Filipinos, and not for the benefits of the Americans.
• Naturally our economy then was developed largely by Americans and proAmerican Filipinos. We had to serve the national interests of the United States, our
“mother country” then. We could not yet break loose and make our policy.
4. New prosperity
New prosperity of the Philippines as America was shown in the following ways.
Population
1. Population
• The population was
tripled from 18981939. These statistics
how the population
explosion then:
16,000,303
10,314,310
7,635,426
6,000,000
1898
1903
1918
1939
5. 2. New land policy
3 Ways on how Americans improved land policy in the Philippines.
• Friar lands were resold to Filipino farmers.
• Homestead Act in 1924 allowed any Filipino to own
up 24 hectares of public land.
• All lands had to be registered, and their owners got
Torrens tittles.
6. 3. Agricultural increase
• After the fought in the revolution, they cooperated with the
Americans revive agriculture.
• Bureau of agriculture (1902)
• The first government agency ain the new American colony.
• In 1903, the American congress sent a $3 million emergency
fund to import rice and carabaos from other Asian countries.
Modern farm tools from the United States were introduced.
The agricultural increase during the American era was fantastic.
The statistics are summed up as follows:
8. 4. Free trade with America
Most important economic change in the American
era. Filipino products entered the United States
without paying custom tariffs. There was a limit or
quota to the amount of tax free Filipino products.
However American products were not limited.
9. 5. Business boom
Retail trade inside the Philippines also doubled
from, 1907-1935. Filipinos had more money to
buy different things, however they liked to buy
imported goods.
10. 6. New industries
• The Philippines entered the industrial age during the time of Americans. It
favoured the use of machines and the mass production of goods in big
factories. They bought this modern system to our country.
• Manila: coconut oil, cigars and cigarettes, sugar, rope, textiles.
• Marikina: shoes
• Ilocos: blankets and towels.
• Bulacan, Laguna, Tayabas, Bohol and Pangasinan: hats and mats
• Pampanga, Rizal and Bulacan: Rattan and wood furnitures.
• Albay, Rizal and Laguna: pottery and bricks.
Naturally, the Americans became the new capitalists. They controlled the biggest
industries and large companies.
11. 7. Improvement in transportation and communication
• During the American era, the Philippines became an
Asian leader in transportation and communications.
• Americans developed our railroads in Luzon, Cebu, and
Panay.
• more ports for shipping were opened up.
• Pier 7 in manila was the largest port in Asia.
12. 8. Better budget
The Philippine colonial government under Americans
had one of the best budgets in the world. The
Philippine budget was balanced even during the great
world depression in the 1930’s. Other governments
(including U.S.) had huge deficits and problems. But the
Philippine colonial had a surplus.
13. 9. New banks
New banks opened during the American era. In
1906, the postal savings bank was introduced
and the Philippine national bank was
established.
14. 10. International exhibitions and meetings
The Philippines was projected into the world’s
limelight because of its participation in international
exhibitions, conferences and meetings. The Philippine
army band become world-famous at the golden gate
exposition held at San Francisco, California, in 1939.
Filipino professionals attended international academic
and professional conferences. Filipino athletes were
also able to join the Olympic Games.
15. Economic Problems
The economic problems which started during the American era were
• We sold our raw materials cheap and brought expensive
manufactured goods from America.
• Colonial mentality became worse
• Labor and peasant unrest spread in 1920’s and 1930’s.
The world depression hit the poor masses worst of all.
• American capitalists and businessmen controlled the
new companies.
16. Historical values
From our study of the Philippines during the American colonial era, we learned the following lessons
from the past:
• Our country’s natural resources and wealth was developed by the u.s.
• The Americans benefited from our economic development because we were
not yet independent. The promise of the American to make Philippines for
the Filipinos was not really true.
• There
were
tremendous
progress
then
in
population, agriculture, trade, business, new industries, transportation and
communication government budget banks and international prestige.
Manila was the center of shipping and air travel in Asia. We had the best
telephone and telegraph service, newspapers, radio stations and postal
service in Asia. Our people enjoyed better living standards.
• The new opportunities in our country made our people want independence
even more. We knew that we would never fully developed until we were
free.
