Here in the Philippines, members of the leftist intelligentsia like to debate about the role of the United States in the formation and development of the Philippines after it became an independent country. Taking into consideration the fact that American economic and social influence obviously existed in the Philippines because we were an American colony, lots of people still see the Americans as at least partially responsible for things like the Marcos regime and the intense repression of leftism.
This is my first response to a question in r/AskHistorians, so I hope I can provide a helpful response.
In my World War II in the Pacific course last semester, I was assigned to a group that covered the Philippines before, during, and after the war. Several sources that my group and I consulted for the presentation pointed to a lasting American influence on political affairs; the example that our group focused on was the counter-insurgency against the Hukbalahap, which was a group of leftist guerilla insurgents that sought land reform. The United States, in an attempt to prevent more nations from adopting Communist doctrines and (perhaps) to preserve its strategic allies in the Pacific, sent Edward G. Lansdale to assist Ramon Magsaysay in the counter-insurgency efforts in 1950. Magsaysay was eventually elected president in 1953 as a result of the successes in these campaigns and his close relationship with Lansdale and the CIA, and the Hukbalahap Rebellion ended in 1954 due in large part to the successful reforms and arrests of key Huk figures. Sources for Lansdale and Huk Counter-Insurgency:
Here are some other background readings that I used to prepare for the presentation we gave. They may help understand American policies towards the Philippines.
edited: formatting