A vandalized statue of King Leopold II in Brussels. Photo: CNN.com n June 30, the 60th anniversary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, King Philippe of Belgium wrote to its president Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, sending his "deepest regrets" for the pain and suffering inflicted on the Congolese people by the former Belgian ruler, King Leopold II. In 1885 Leopold acquired the rights to a large swath of land in central sub-Saharan Africa, which he named the Congo Free State. It was to be his own personal colony. Although the territory came with certain preconditions, Leopold saw fit to do with it as he pleased. Leopold was a brutal tyrant who used his African colony to enrich himself. He worked the Congolese population to near-death harvesting ivory. Then he switched to rubber when demand for it soared. His henchmen would chop the hands and feet of peasants if they failed to meet their daily quota of harvested rubber. Sometimes they would instead chop off the limbs of children because of the shortcomings of their parents. Leopold's Congo Free State was 76 times the size of Belgium. In fact, according to Wikipedia, it was "slightly greater than the combined areas of Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, and Norway." From Leopold's perspective, this vast land and its millions of inhabitants existed solely to serve him and provide him an ever greater wealth. However, in 1908, even the Belgian parliament had had enough. Bowing to growing international pressure, the country paid hundreds of millions of Francs to acquire the colony from Leopold and his bondholders. Leopold himself personally received 50 million Francs, with an additional 45.5 million Francs to pay for his many building projects in the country. Leopold's 23-year colonial experience proved extremely brutal for the Congolese but extremely lucrative for him. Studies have placed the number killed during that period at ten million. In the wake of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the United States, people worldwide are calling for the removal of statues and symbols of oppression and slavery. In Belgium, statues of Leopold II are being defaced and vandalized. For many, his atrocities in the Congo rise to the level of crimes against humanity and thus merit their removal. Leopold's Link to the Philippines So what does all this about Leopold II have to do with the Philippines? Surprisingly, a lot. It turns out the Belgian king envied European countries with overseas colonies. He also seemed fascinated by the orient in general and the Philippines in particular. In a 2016 article for the Inquirer, Ambeth Ocampo wrote that soon after being crowned king in 1865, "Leopold II planned to enlarge his country's influence to the East and wanted to begin with the Philippines." Ocampo continues, "unfortunately, his government, especially his Parliament, did not share his passion for colonization because it required a well-equipped navy and an army to protect Belgian interests halfway across the globe." Leopold however would not be deterred. A year later, in 1866, Wikipedia notes: "Leopold instructed the Belgian ambassador in Madrid to speak to Queen Isabella II of Spain about ceding the Philippines to Belgium. Knowing the situation fully, the ambassador did nothing. Leopold quickly replaced the ambassador with a more sympathetic individual to carry out his plan." Something about the Philippines must have beguiled this tyrant-to-be because two years later, Leopold tried yet again. Ocampo notes that "in 1868, Spanish Queen Isabel II was deposed. Seeking to take advantage of the situation, Leopold II negotiated with the new government for the outright sale of the Philippines. This did not prosper though because he didn't have the funds." Failing time and again, "Leopold then devised another unsuccessful plan to establish the Philippines as an independent state, which could then be ruled by a Belgian," notes Wikipedia. With that failure, Leopold conceded defeat and "shifted his aspirations of colonization to Africa" instead. The rest is history—a very gruesome history to be exact. One wonders what the Philippines would be like today if Leopold had gotten his way. He would likely have treated Filipinos the same way he treated the Congolese. Would he have succeeded in subjugating the Filipinos, or would the Filipinos have fought back? The Katipunan was formed in 1892. If Leopold succeeded in 1866, there would have been no Katipuneros to oppose him. There can be no doubt that had Leopold II acquired the Philippines; it would have forever altered the Filipino character. We would be very different from what we are today. And while we may want to cheer our good fortune, we must remain cognizant of the fact that tens of millions of Congolese suffered and died in our stead. It is for this reason that Filipinos everywhere should rise up and add our voices to the global chorus and petition the Belgian government to remove all their statues of King Leopold II. There is absolutely no reason for him to be acclaimed or venerated in Belgium or anywhere else. Published 7/4/2020