Herbert Adams Gibbons
In the early 1930s, Gibbons argued that an American withdrawal from the Philippines would be futile, because Japan would immediately colonize the country if the United States were to pull out. In 1931, in a speech in Manila, Gibbons referred to the Philippine calls for independence as "claptrap." He said that if the United States were to withdraw, then it might as well negotiate with the League of Nations to hand the Philippines over to Japan as a mandate. The American business community roundly praised Gibbons' speech. However, Philippine nationalist leaders attacked Gibbons, saying that he was raising the "Japanese bogy" as a hurdle to Philippine independence. (Ultimately, the United States did not grant Philippine independence until 1946, after Japan was no longer a military threat to the former colony.)
Pamitinan Cave
On April 12, 1895, Andres Bonifacio along with eight other katipuneros declared the Philippines independence from the Spanish empire inside of this cave. The walls still bear inscriptions of ""Viva la Independencia Filipina"" from the time of the Philippine Revolution. On June 21, 1996, Pamitinan cave was declared a historic site by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.