Evening star., 1945-07-01


wealth's population and industry, has at
last been liberated from the Japanese,
would seem to satisfy the military con-
ditions for that nations prompt as
sumption of complete independence.
Some small pockets of Japanese re-
sistance still remain in Luzon and there
are larger ones in Mindanao and some
of the lesser islands. But the back
bone of Japanese resistance has been
broken, and from now on the campaign
will be considered "mopping- OPP
Grafton. In the political field, the Fill
pino Congress has been convened and
a stable government under President
Osmena is functioning in Manila.
But at the very time when the mill
tary and political requirements for in
dependence-firs set for July 4, 1916, in
the Tydings- -McDuffie Act of 1884, which
was later amended to permit the Amer
lean President to proclaim independence
before then if conditions justifled-have
been met, a host of vexing economic
problems have arisen. While both the
American and Commonwealth govern
ments regard independence as set
tied ISSUE" it is obvious that the infant
republic cannot expect to live and
thrive until these problems are solved.
May Delay Proclamation.
At the present time, there seems to be
a wide area of disagreements between
American and Filipino members of the
American Filipino Rehabilitation Com
mission set up by Congress as to how far
the United States shall go in bulwark-
ing the islands economically. And until
these matters can be solved, 1t appears
that the proclamation of independence
may be delayed indefinitely.
President Osmena had tentatively set
August 49, the 47th anniversary of the
American landing in Manila, as inde-
pendence day. That date has now been
abandoned, and no other has been an
nounced. 1t seems likely now that none
will be until the Philippines and the
United States have reached an agree
ment, approved by Congress, on two
economic questions which the Filipinos
consider vital to the future life of their
infant state. These are:
/. The amount of compensation to be
awarded the Philippines by the United
States for the war damage they suffered
during the initial Japanese attack in
1912 and in the battle of liberation
waged by Gen. Macarthur since last
October.
2. The still more important issue of
trade and tariff relations with the
United States which the Fiipinos con-
slider the very bedrock of their future
existence.
Consider Remedy Insufficient.
Both issues were treated in the recent
report made by committee headed by
Chairman Tydings of the Senate Com
mittee on Territories and Insular Af-
fairs, who also is chairman of the
American Filipino Commission which
visited the islands. While Filipino
circles here consider the Tydings re-
port as extremely sympathetic in the
picture it paints of the sufferings of
the Filipinos and the destruction OF
their homeland by the japanese, they
believe that it does not go far enough
in providing a remedy.
According to a report drawn up by
Philippines commission, war damage
there was estimated at approximately
81 ZOO, 100000, of which about $400O00,-
600 represents public buildings and
property and $6oo,00O,000 private busi-
ness and individual property. Much of
the private property was owned by
Americans and other foreigners; so
compensation would not go entirely to
the Filipinos.
According to letter written to Sem
ator Tydings by the War Damage Corp,
a subsidiary of the Reconstruction
Finance Corp, that body holds that it
is morally" though not legally, obli-
gated to compensate the Filipinos for
damage done during the original Jap
anese invasion, the end of which is
placed officially on June 80, 1912.
Heavy Damage, in Manila.
It does not, however, consider itself
bound to pay for noninsured damage
suffered after that date, Including, of
course, that incurred during Gen. Mac
Arthur's campaign of liberation. The
destruction of property, particularly in
the city of Manila, was far greater
In the second than in the first phase of
the war.
The official line of reasoning is un-
derstood to be that while, due to the
sudden and unexpected nature of the
Japanese attack in December, 1941,
property owners could not have been
expected to take out war insurance, they
had adequate time to do this before the
opening of Gen. MacArthur's campaign.
Filipinos answer this by saying that
property owners who were in the is
lands during the japanese occupation
had no chance to take out insurance.
but would have If there had been any
means of contact with the WDC.
While this argument appears plausi-
BILE when applied to property owners
who were in the islands during the oc-
cupation, it appears less so with respect
to the Philippine government itself.
whose plenipotentiary officials were in
the United States, and to American
corporations with home offices in this
country who owned property in the is
lands. American foreign investments
in the Philippines are valued at $685.
100000, or about so per cent of the
total of the entire foreign stake there.
Senator Taft, Republican, of Ohio has
introduced a bill which would indemnify
property owners in the Philippines for
damage during the second as well as
the first chase of the war. 1t has been