By Adam Leon Guerrero for Just Thinking Aloud, Kandit News & Views
On June 12, the Philippines celebrated its hard-won independence — first from Spain, then from the United States. It’s a powerful reminder of what a people can achieve when they demand self-rule. Here on Guam, we share part of that history — but not its ending.
Both Guam and the Philippines were taken from Spain in 1898. But while Filipinos, led by figures like Andrés Bonifacio and Emilio Aguinaldo, had already begun fighting for freedom — later battling even U.S. forces — we did not. The Philippine-American War was brutal: villages burned, civilians punished, resistance crushed. Though the U.S. held on, the cost was high. Eventually, Washington granted the Philippines independence in 1946.
Guam, by contrast, was never offered a path to nationhood. We became a U.S. territory — and remain one. We are U.S. citizens without a vote for president. We send soldiers to war but have no voting representation in Congress. We are part of America — yet not fully.
The question isn’t whether Guam should be independent. The question is: Do we want the power to decide?
Independence Day in the Philippines is both a celebration and a challenge. It says, “We chose our future.” What will Guam choose?
We don’t need war to claim self-determination. But we do need unity, vision, and courage.
The Philippines reminds us: freedom isn’t given — it’s claimed, by standing together and saying, “We are ready.”
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Adam Leon Guerrero is a resident of Barrigada
