Proceedings of the first Independence congress : held in the city of Manila, Philippine islands, February 22-26, 1930 / Published under the direction of Dean maximo M. Kalaw, executive secretary, University of the Philippines.

156 INDEPENDENCE CONGRESS PROCEEDINGS

people so that its political, social and economic evils can be
exposed for correction. Under the present situation the Filipinos have been justly charged with being over sensitive as to
their defects. There is no campaign of self-criticism, political
or social, for the simple reason that one of the arguments used
by the imperialists against independence is the alleged incapacity
of the people. To support that argument imperialists point
out and expose every defect of the people. The people naturally resent such an attitude. A book that became very unpopular in the Philippines is that of Miss Katherine Mayo
depicting with vile inuendoes and exaggerations the worst of
Philippine life. As a revolt against such attitude the people
have whitewashed their defects and have not made any serious
attempt at social or political reform. Perhaps that attitude
is mistaken in many respects. What the writer wants to say
is that it is the result of the present political situation. It
prevents us from frankly accepting our defects and making
attempts to reform them.
In order, therefore, that the people may cultivate proper
respect and loyalty for the state, in order that they may develop
self-reliance and self-sacrifice, in order that they may follow
their own ideas and establish the forms of government adopted
to their needs, in order that they may discuss freely their own
political problems unmixed with the independence question,
and in order that they might develop a proper attitude of
vigilance and self-criticism towards their political leaders and
social institutions, it becomes necessary that the independence
question be solved and be solved immediately.
The independence of the Philippines will not necessarily,
however, mean a complete divorce from American political
institutions. As I pointed out in the first place, there are
certain American political practices and ideas which have been
gladly adopted by the Filipinos and which under independence
will even grow faster. The democratic ideal, for instance, is
something that America has planted in the bosom of the Filipinos and it will remain there. The American bill of rights
which has safeguarded Filipino life and property for the last
thirty years, now interpreted and enforced by Filipino judges