In line with the title of this paper, I cannot help but ponder if Ninoy Aquino’s death as well as the sacrifices of our fellow countrymen was worth it. Did it lead to the goals these people wanted to achieve? Was it for a cause or was it all in vain? If it is the latter, are we part of what makes these deaths nothing? Are we hindering the Philippines from being fully sovereign?
The Philippines was a colony of Spain from 1565 to 1898. During this period, the Spanish were able to influence our culture, politics and even economics. Their cultural influence can be observed in our language and religion. Even after the Spanish occupation, Filipinos still show some parts of the culture that was adapted during this period. It was during this time that the feudal system emerged. Unfortunately, the feudal system can still be observed until now. The only difference, which was caused by imperialism, is that the Philippines became semi-feudal.
Imperialism can be defined as any form of external domination, and includes both the imposition of direct political control through colonialism, and economic exploitation in the absence of political rule or neocolonialism (Heywood, 2013, p. 427). Imperialism was rampant during the American colonial period since their main motivations were economic gains. The Philippines served as the port for trade between Asian nations and as a market where imports were sold for a very high price. They also acquired cheap raw materials through exports from the