This lecture presentation will serve first, as a general introduction to the Philippines in terms of its land and people, and a short overview of its long history as a part of Asia but having been colonized by two Western countries, Spain and the US. The Philippines thus developed as a country in Asia but with both Western and Eastern features. The Philippines was occupied in World War II by the Japanese, bringing into sharp focus the differences - and confluences - of both East and West. Secondly, the lecture will discuss the Filipino identity, grounded in indigenous traditions but shaped and developed through various historical experiences. The Filipino is a very resilient and open-minded person, able to mix with different persons and cultures. But the Filipino is also proud and nationalistic, well aware of his/her being.  Finally, this presentation shall highlight the relationship of the Philippine Republic with Europe and in particular, Switzerland. The Philippines became independent in 1946 and established diplomatic relations with many European countries, including Switzerland, at that time. This year marks the 60th anniversary of formal relations between the two countries, but as will be shown, the relationship goes back much farther than those 60 years.

Dr. Ricardo T. Jose is the country’s preeminent scholar on the Second World War in the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific. He is also an expert in Japan-Philippine relations and the United States’s colonial rule of the Philippines.