Possible Filipino Statehood?
- Thread starter Mr. BoJangles
- Start date
MarshalBraginsky
Banned
Actually, I reside in the Great White North, not the USA. Where we are often mistaken for Americans and we love maple syrup.
Other than that, wasn't there a plan where the Christian portion of the Philippines will get statehood, but Muslim Mindanao either becomes an independent nation, joins Malaysia, or joins Indonesia?
The Philippines did not always have a large population. That came about due to poverty and the Catholic Church's stance against contraceptives and abortion.
If the Philippines was part of the USA, it would likely be wealthier and SCOTUS decisions like Griswald and Roe v. Wade would apply to them. Thus, the population would be smaller. The islands could therefore be one state.
If the Philippines was part of the USA, it would likely be wealthier and SCOTUS decisions like Griswald and Roe v. Wade would apply to them. Thus, the population would be smaller. The islands could therefore be one state.
Over what time period? You don't go from 100 million to, say, 42 million in a decade or two.
Anyway, the possibility of the US doing a bit of empire building is unlikely. Seen by way too many as the first step in real and lasting global domination it would be the cause of serious/dangerous problems for the US without number. What, opponents would ask, is next? Statehood for S Korea? Java? Viet Nam? Australia, Greenland, Cuba? This proposed step would be a gigantic red flag waved in the face of some very large bulls.
Are American taxpayers willing to see a drastic rise in taxes and/or drastic cuts in Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, etc? Remember some of these places have a per capita GDP of 5% of the US levels.
Some population numbers from Wiki:
1903: 7,635,426
1939: 16,000,303
1960: 27,087,685
1970: 36,684,948
1980: 48,098,460
1990: 60,703,206
2000: 76,504,077
2010: 92,337,852
I don't think the Philippines would grow this fast if it was wealthier.
Even in 1920 the population of the Philippines was more than 12 million, 2 million more than the the most populated state, New York. And yes, cultural and economic factors have played a role the population growth of the Philippines, but it still seems a stretch to me to think that an American Philippines would have a population remaining below 30 to 40 million. Of course, emigration to the mainland might change things around - just look at the situation with Puerto Ricans - but still, breaking up the Philippines into at least three states seems more realistic to me.
It might work the other way round, with Philippine congressmen and senators helping to keep the United States on a more conservative track in regards to abortion and the like than OTL.
Even though the Filipinos are nowhere close to ethnic homogeneity, it may really scare the white population of the mainland that the Filipinos would be approaching a near plurality (complete with threats that white people would be a new "minority". Although there would still be twice as many white people as Filipinos. However, they would outnumber "Hispanics" 2:1, and Blacks nearly 2.5:1
There is absolutely no way the USA would want the PI as a state or states. Two big issues: one is the anti-imperialist camp that wanted nothing to do with the PI even as a dependency, and the second is racism as no way the USA would want a state or states that would be sending non-white representatives to congress. Another factor was money, bringing the PI up to even "poor" US standards would be expensive, By the early 1920s the USA was totally committed to cutting the PI loose.
Even those locals who were relatively OK with the US taking over the PI from Spain were looking towards independence.
One reason the USA did not have more direct governance of Cuba (like PI & Puerto Rico) was they did not want to acquire a "dusky" (and Catholic) population the same sort the PI has.
Even those locals who were relatively OK with the US taking over the PI from Spain were looking towards independence.
One reason the USA did not have more direct governance of Cuba (like PI & Puerto Rico) was they did not want to acquire a "dusky" (and Catholic) population the same sort the PI has.
Split Luzon into two states, make Mindanao one state, and make the rest one state.
Tallest Skil
Banned
Oh, come off it. We're not racist.
No, it's because some stupid treaty made us promise we wouldn't make it a state.
I doubt that the majority of the population would actually be able to vote if the Philippines were a state. The measures used in the South to disenfranchise blacks could and probably would be copied over to the philippines so I highly doubt that you would see filipino representatives to Congress.
Also, why do people have a problem with two senators representing the whole of the Philippines?
Also, why do people have a problem with two senators representing the whole of the Philippines?
Tallest Skil
Banned
2 senators for 100,000,000 people; we covered that.
Unless you're talking historical, in which case it's still a problem of balance due to its early population height.
What you're thinking of is the Teller Amendment which was a joint resolution of Congress that prevented McKinley from annexing Cuba after the war with Spain.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teller_Amendment
Let me rephrase; why is 2 senators for 100,000,000 people a problem?
Yes - and the reason the amendment got passed was a desire NOT to have the potential for a state full of Catholic "greasers". The Jim Crow laws that disenfranchised blacks in the USA would not work in Cuba or the PI - even if you had literacy/property requirements there simply were not enough "whites" to run things, even the wealthy and educated were outside the "WASP" mainstream. In the south blacks were a minority, except on a local basis, and therefore even in "honest" elections could not overturn these laws.
If it really is true that Filipinos really would rather be a US state than remain independent, then I have to say, that makes me a bit concerned about the future of that country since it would indicate a serious lack of faith in their own nation's capacity to improve living standards. If you ask me, simply joining the US shouldn't have to be the solution to a country's problems.
Last edited:
UrbanRedneck
Banned
My neighbors are from the Phillipines and they say most Filipinos would support it.
Plus look around you. How many Filipinos are already living here in the US? My Filipino neighbor just took the citizenship test today.
As for eliminating Filipino poverty, I dont think it would take that long. They just need a better tax structure and leadership. The country has money but its in the hands of the top 1%.
Plus look around you. How many Filipinos are already living here in the US? My Filipino neighbor just took the citizenship test today.
As for eliminating Filipino poverty, I dont think it would take that long. They just need a better tax structure and leadership. The country has money but its in the hands of the top 1%.
I did not say that was a vast majority of Filipinos as a whole. Just those that I have met and talked to. Out of roughly 100 that I have met, nearly 85 of them have discussed statehood favorably.
As for the reasons why they are in South Korea, it has to do with the situation in the Philippines. Because of the poverty, many of them come here for work, and either end up staying here, or wedding an American service member and move to the states. Many of them are also not here willingly. But that is an issue in and of itself, as a result of poverty.