Final answer:
U.S. involvement in the Philippines is considered genocidal due to the brutal tactics and high casualty rates, including deaths from battle, starvation, and disease during the Philippine-American War, leading to a reevaluation of the moral justification of U.S. military interventions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The film's reference to U.S. involvement in the Philippines as being genocidal stems from the brutal tactics used during the Philippine-American War which occurred between 1899 and 1902, also termed the Philippine Insurrection or the Philippine War of Independence. Anti-imperialists and antiwar activists in America, disturbed by the human costs and moral implications, questioned the rationale behind the involvement and the ensuing violence characterized by tactics such as village burning, reconcentration, and torture. The high casualty counts, including deaths from warfare, starvation, and disease, contributed to the view that this was a form of genocide, with reported figures varying from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of Filipino deaths.
Calls for the justification of such acts were made by U.S. leaders like Senator Albert J. Beveridge, who claimed that the English-speaking and Teutonic peoples were chosen to administer government among 'savage and senile peoples'. However, reports of atrocities committed by U.S. forces during the conflict, including the use of 'water cure' (a form of waterboarding) and candid statements from soldiers exhibiting a lack of regard for Filipino lives, painted a starkly different picture. The moral standing of the U.S. was further scrutinized as the narrative shifted from liberators to oppressors, challenging the supposed benevolence of the U.S. intervention.