Philippines Independence Day

Today, 12 June, is Philippines Independence Day. There are more than 150,000 Filipinos in Hong Kong -- mostly women, mostly domestic workers. Hundreds of thousands more work in Europe, North America, and the Middle East. Many are women. Many are married with children. Husbands and children, all left behind. Money earned is remitted to the Philippines. A few leave the Philippines for adventure, to see the world. Most leave because the country seems to be in perpetual dire straits.
A Spanish colony (1565-1821), a Spanish province (1821-1898), three years as an American colony (1898-1901), 34 years as an American protectorate (1901-1935), then membership of the US Commonwealth until invasion and occupation by the Japanese during world war II.
Nominally independent since 1946. Nominally. A heavy American military presence until the late 1980s, coupled with an on-going neo-colonial presence -- allied with a corrupt and venal political and land-owning class which, along with elements in the Philippines' military, has managed to engineer the country into the economic, financial and political basket-case category.
There is political tension in Manila, again. Tales of corruption swirl around a Filipino president, again.
Perhaps it is time many more of the country's 88 million citizens listened to Jose Maria Sison. And acted accordingly.
Update. Counterpunch review of Sison's At Home In the World.