Cholera and American Colonial Rule in the Philippines

Cholera and American Colonial Rule in the Philippines

Introduction

• Even nationalist writers in the Philippines find it hard to question the idea that American colonial rule brought a beneficial sanitary regime that saved Filipino lives.
• Historians like Teodoro A. Agoncillo and Milagros C. Guerrero acknowledge the Filipino struggle for independence but praise American efforts to improve public health.

Conflicting Perspectives on History

• Agoncillo and Guerrero highlight the Philippine-American War (1899-1902) and the Filipino resistance.
• They also discuss the educational system as a tool for pacification.
• However, when discussing health and welfare, they credit the Americans with minimizing diseases through the Quarantine Service.
• They note that Filipinos were