Content and Contextual Analysis of Selected

Primary Sources in Philippine History (Part 2)

Introduction

In this module, we are going to analyze two primary sources coveting the events marking
the downfall of the Spanish Regime and the onset of American occupation. This particular
historical period will be evaluated using primary sources and its content in terms of historical
value, and examine the context of their production. The primary source that we are going to
analyze is the “Proclamation of the Philippine Independence” and Political Caricature in Alfred
McCoy Philippine Cartoons Political Caricature of the American Era (1900-1941).

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, students should be able to:

1. To determine the contribution of different kinds of primary sources in understanding

Philippine history;
2. To analyze the content and context of different kinds of primary sources; and
3. To develop critical and analytical skills with exposure to primary sources.

44
Lesson 1. Proclamation of the Philippine Independence (1898)

Reading the "Proclamation of the Philippine Independence”. Every year, the country
commemorates the anniversary of the Philippine Independence proclaimed on 12 June 1898 in
the province of Cavite. Indeed such event is a significant turning point in the history of the
country because it signaled the end of the 333 years of Spanish colonization. There have been
numerous studies done on the events leading to the independence of the country but very few
students had the chance to read the actual document of the declaration. This is in spite of the
historical importance of the document and the details that the documents reveal on the rationale
and circumstances of that historical day in Cavite. Interestingly, reading the details of the said
document in hindsight is telling the kind of government that was created under Aguinaldo, and
the forthcoming hand of the United States of America in the next few years of the newly created
republic. The declaration was a short 2,000 word document, which summarized the reason
behind the revolution against Spain, the war for independence, and the future of the new
republic under Emilio Aguinaldo at Library of Congress (2011).

Figure 16. Aguinaldo and the Proclamation of Independence

The proclamation commenced with a characterization of the conditions in the Philippines

during the Spanish colonial period. The document specifically mentioned abuses and
inequalities in the colony. The declaration says:

45
"..taking into consideration, that their inhabitants being already weary
of bearing the ominous yoke of Spanish domination, on account of the
arbitrary arrests and harsh treatment practiced by the Civil Guard to
the extent of causing death with the connivance and even with the
express orders of their commanders, who sometimes went to the
extreme of ordering the shooting of prisoners under the pretext that
they were attempting to escape, in violation of the provisions of the
Regulations of their Corps, which abuses were unpunished and on
account of the unjust deportations, especially those decreed by
General Blanco, of eminent personages and of high social position, at
the instigation of the Archbishop and friars interested in keeping them
out of the way for their own selfish and avaricious purpose,
deportations which are quickly brought about by a method of
procedure more execrable than that of the Inquisition and which every
civilized nation rejects on account of a decision being rendered
without a hearing of the persons accused"

The proclamation mentioned demonstrates the justifications behind the revolution

against Spain. Specifically cited are the abuse by the Civil Guards and the unlawful shooting
of prisoners whom they alleged as attempting to escape. The passage also condemned the
unequal protection of the law between the Filipino people and the eminent personages."
Moreover, the line mentioned the avarice and greed of the clergy like the friars and the
Archbishop himself. Lastly, the passage also condemned what they see as the unjust
deportation and rendering of other decision without proper hearing, expected of any civilized
nation.

It also proceeded with a brief historical overview of the Spanish occupation since
Magellan's arrival in Visayas until the Philippine revolution, with specific details about the latter,
especially after the Pact of Biak-na-Bato has collapsed. The document narrated the spread of
the movement "like an electric spark" through different towns and provinces like Bataan,
Pampanga, Batangas, Bulacan, Laguna, and Morong, and the quick decline of Spanish forces
in the same provinces.

46
The revolt also reached Visayas thus the independence of the country was ensured.
The document also made mention of Rizal's execution, calling it unjust. The execution, as
written in the document, was done to please the greedy body of friars in their insatiable desire
to seek revenge upon and exterminate all those who are opposed to their Machiavellian
purposes, which tramples upon the penal code prescribed for these islands." The document
also narrated the Cavite Mutiny of January 1872 that caused the infamous execution of the
martyred native priests, Mariano Gomez, Jacinto Zamora and Jose Burgos whose innocent
blood was shed through the intrigues of those co-called religious orders" that incited the three
secular priests in the said mutiny.

The proclamation of independence also invoked that the established republic would be
led under the dictatorship of Emilio Aguinaldo. It was first mention was at the very beginning
of the proclamation. It stated:

"In the town of Cavite Viejo, in this province of Cavite, on the twelfth
of June eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, before me, Don Ambrosio
Rianzares Bautista, Auditor of War and Special Commissioner
appointed to proclaim and solemnize this act by the Dictatorial
Government of these Philippine Islands, for the purposes and by virtue
of the circular addressed by the Eminent Dictator of the same Don
Emilio Aguinaldo Y Famy.”

The same was repeated toward the last part of the proclamation. It states:

"We acknowledge, approve and confirm together with the orders

that have been issued there from the Dictatorship established by Don
Emilio Aguinaldo, whom we honor as the Supreme Chief of this
Nation, which this day commences to have a life of its own, in the
belief that he is the instrument selected by God, in spite of his humble
origin, to effect the redemption of this unfortunate people, as foretold
by Doctor Jose Rizal in the magnificent verses which he composed
when he was preparing to be shot. “liberating them from the yoke of
Spanish domination in punishment of the impunity with which their
Government allowed the commission of abuses by its subordinates."
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An additional detail in the proclamation that is worth looking at is its explanation on the
Philippine flag that was first waved on the same day. The flag was made in Hong Kong by
Marcela Agoncillo, Lorenza Agoncillo, and Delfina Herboza. It was accompanied by the Marcha
Filipina Magdalo, as the national anthem, now known as Lupang Hinirang, which was composed
by Julián Felipe and played by the San Francisco de Malabon marching band.

The document explained:

"And finally, it was unanimously resolved that this Nation,

independent from this day, must use the same flag used
heretofore, whose design and colors and described in the
accompanying drawing, with design representing in natural
colors the three arms referred to. The white triangle represent
the distinctive emblem of the famous Katipunan Society, which
by means of its compact of blood urged on the masses of the
people to insurrection, the three stars represent the three
principal Islands of this Archipelago, Luzon, Mindanao and
Panay, in which this insurrectionary movement broke out; the
sun represents the gigantic strides that have been made by the
sons of this land on the road of progress and civilization, its eight
ray symbolizing the eight provinces of Manila, Cavite, Bulacan,
Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Batangas, Laguna.

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Proclamation of Independence Document (1898)

Figure 17. Proclamation of Independence Document (1898)

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Lesson 2. A Glance at Selected Philippine, Political Caricature in Alfred
McCoy Philippine Cartoons Political Caricature of the American Era (1900-
1941)

Political cartoon, according to Knieper (2018) are drawings (often including caricature)
made for the purpose of conveying editorial commentary on politics, politicians, and current
events. Such cartoons play a role in the political discourse of a society that provides for freedom
of speech and of the press. They are a primarily opinion-oriented medium and can generally be
found on the editorial pages of newspapers and other journalistic outlets, whether in print or
electronic form. Their subject matter is usually that of current and newsworthy political issues,
and, in order for them to be understood, they require that readers possess some basic
background knowledge about their subject matter, ideally that provided by the medium in which
they are published.
Philippine political cartoons gained full expression during the American era. Filipino
artists recorded national attitudes toward the coming of the Americans as well as the changing
mores and times. While the 377 cartoons compiled in this book speak for themselves, historian
Alfred McCoy’s extensive research in Philippine and American archives provides a
comprehensive background not only to the cartoons but to the turbulent period as well. Artist-
writer Alfredo Roces, who designed the book, contributes an essay on Philippine graphic satire
of the period.

Figure 18. Cover page of Alfred McCoy’s Philippine Cartoons Political Caricature
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3004055-philippine-cartoons

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McCoy (1985) stated that viewed from the vantage point of half century and more, these
prewar political cartoons are an evocative record of a half forgotten history. The scandals,
struggles and social changes of the American colonial period gain an immediacy in these
graphic images that eludes even the most eloquent historical prose. The four decades of
American colonial rule were a formative period in Philippine history. Under a US colonialism that
was simultaneously brutal and beneficent, grasping and generous, the Philippines moved
forward from an authoritarian Spanish regime to autonomy and independence, In the process,
Filipinos shaped many of the institutions and cultural characteristics which are still central to life
in the modern republic. Under US tutelage, the Philippines experienced a process of
Americanization and modernization that has left a lasting legacy.

There are a lot of issues covered by the book focusing heavily on commentary on politics
and politicians, corruptions, society and many more. Here are some political cartoons which
appeared in the book.

Ang Paisano: Pulis, totoo

nga ba ang balitang
nagbibigay sila riyan ng
karneng kulang sa timbang?

Pulis: Gayon nga ang sabi.

Ang Paisano: Ay saan

naman nagbibigay ng
karneng walang bayad?

Figure 19. Manila: The Corruption of a City

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Figure 20. Manila: The Noisiest City in the World

Figure 21. A New Wrinkle in the Art of Thieving

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Figure 22. The New Democracy

Figure 23. Ang Mga Mapapalad

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Lesson 3. Corazon Aquino's Speech Before the U.S. Congress

Escobar (2018) narrates that when former President Corazon Aquino spoke before a
joint session of the United States Congress in September of 1986, the dust was only beginning
to settle. It was her first visit to America since the dictator Ferdinand Marcos had been deposed
in February of the same year, and the Philippines was reckoning with everything his
administration had inflicted. That included $26 billion in total foreign debt, and a communist
insurgency that grew, throughout the Marcos era, from 500 armed guerillas to 16,000. We were
just at the start of a long road to recovery.

So former President Cory Aquino put up a petition for support. Addressing the House,
she gave a historic address to the US Congress that paved way to sway in our favor the vote for
an emergency $200-million aid appropriation. In the moving speech penned by her speechwriter
Teddy Locsin, Jr., the former first female president of the Philippines safeguarded her stand on
the communist uprising—a delicate issue in the United Stated during that time, given that this
was 1986—and requested for monetary assistance towards rebuilding the country’s economy.

IMAGE RTVMalacanan

Figure 24. Corazon C. Aquino during her speech at the US Congress

54
Speec
h of
Her Excellency Corazon C.
Aquino President of the
Philippines
During the Joint Session of the United States Congress

[Delivered at Washington, D.C., on September 18, 1986]

(Speech taken from the Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1986/09/18/speech-of-president-corazon-aquino-during-the-joint-
session-of-the-u-s-congress-september-18-1986/)

“Three years ago, I left America in grief to bury my husband, Ninoy Aquino. I thought I had
left it also to lay to rest his restless dream of Philippine freedom. Today, I have returned as
the president of a free people.

In burying Ninoy, a whole nation honored him. By that brave and selfless act of giving
honor, a nation in shame recovered its own. A country that had lost faith in its future found it
in a faithless and brazen act of murder. So in giving, we receive, in losing we find, and out
of defeat, we snatched our victory.

For the nation, Ninoy became the pleasing sacrifice that answered their prayers for
freedom. For myself and our children, Ninoy was a loving husband and father. His loss,
three times in our lives, was always a deep and painful one.

Fourteen years ago this month was the first time we lost him. A president-turned-dictator,
and traitor to his oath, suspended the Constitution and shut down the Congress that was
much like this one before which I am honored to speak. He detained my husband along with
thousands of others – senators, publishers and anyone who had spoken up for the
democracy as its end drew near. But for Ninoy, a long and cruel ordeal was reserved. The
dictator already knew that Ninoy was not a body merely to be imprisoned but a spirit he
must break. For even as the dictatorship demolished one by one the institutions of
democracy – the press, the Congress, the independence of the judiciary, the protection of
the Bill of Rights – Ninoy kept their spirit alive in himself.

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The government sought to break him by indignities and terror. They locked him up in a tiny,
nearly airless cell in a military camp in the north. They stripped him naked and held the
threat of sudden midnight execution over his head. Ninoy held up manfully–all of it. I barely
did as well. For 43 days, the authorities would not tell me what had happened to him. This
was the first time my children and I felt we had lost him.

When that didn’t work, they put him on trial for subversion, murder and a host of other
crimes before a military commission. Ninoy challenged its authority and went on a fast. If he
survived it, then, he felt, God intended him for another fate. We had lost him again. For
nothing would hold him back from his determination to see his fast through to the end. He
stopped only when it dawned on him that the government would keep his body alive after
the fast had destroyed his brain. And so, with barely any life in his body, he called off the
fast on the fortieth day. God meant him for other things, he felt. He did not know that an
early death would still be his fate, that only the timing was wrong.

At any time during his long ordeal, Ninoy could have made a separate peace with the
dictatorship, as so many of his countrymen had done. But the spirit of democracy that
inheres in our race and animates this chamber could not be allowed to die. He held out, in
the loneliness of his cell and the frustration of exile, the democratic alternative to the
insatiable greed and mindless cruelty of the right and the purging holocaust of the left.

And then, we lost him, irrevocably and more painfully than in the past. The news came to us
in Boston. It had to be after the three happiest years of our lives together. But his death was
my country’s resurrection in the courage and faith by which alone they could be free again.
The dictator had called him a nobody. Two million people threw aside their passivity and
escorted him to his grave. And so began the revolution that has brought me to democracy’s
most famous home, the Congress of the United States.

The task had fallen on my shoulders to continue offering the democratic alternative to our
people.

Archibald Macleish had said that democracy must be defended by arms when it is attacked
by arms and by truth when it is attacked by lies. He failed to say how it shall be won.

56
I held fast to Ninoy’s conviction that it must be by the ways of democracy. I held out for
participation in the 1984 election the dictatorship called, even if I knew it would be rigged. I
was warned by the lawyers of the opposition that I ran the grave risk of legitimizing the
foregone results of elections that were clearly going to be fraudulent. But I was not fighting
for lawyers but for the people in whose intelligence I had implicit faith. By the exercise of
democracy, even in a dictatorship, they would be prepared for democracy when it came.
And then, also, it was the only way I knew by which we could measure our power even in
the terms dictated by the dictatorship.

The people vindicated me in an election shamefully marked by government thuggery and

fraud. The opposition swept the elections, garnering a clear majority of the votes, even if
they ended up, thanks to a corrupt Commission on Elections, with barely a third of the seats
in parliament. Now, I knew our power.

Last year, in an excess of arrogance, the dictatorship called for its doom in a snap election.
The people obliged. With over a million signatures, they drafted me to challenge the
dictatorship. And I obliged them. The rest is the history that dramatically unfolded on your
television screen and across the front pages of your newspapers.

You saw a nation, armed with courage and integrity, stand fast by democracy against
threats and corruption. You saw women poll watchers break out in tears as armed goons
crashed the polling places to steal the ballots but, just the same, they tied themselves to the
ballot boxes. You saw a people so committed to the ways of democracy that they were
prepared to give their lives for its pale imitation. At the end of the day, before another wave
of fraud could distort the results, I announced the people’s victory.

The distinguished co-chairman of the United States observer team in his report to your
President described that victory:

“I was witness to an extraordinary manifestation of democracy on the part of the Filipino

people. The ultimate result was the election of Mrs. Corazon C. Aquino as President and
Mr. Salvador Laurel as Vice-President of the Philippines.”

57
Many of you here today played a part in changing the policy of your country towards us.
We, Filipinos, thank each of you for what you did: for, balancing America’s strategic interest
against human concerns, illuminates the American vision of the world.

When a subservient parliament announced my opponent’s victory, the people turned out in
the streets and proclaimed me President. And true to their word, when a handful of military
leaders declared themselves against the dictatorship, the people rallied to their protection.
Surely, the people take care of their own. It is on that faith and the obligation it entails, that I
assumed the presidency.

As I came to power peacefully, so shall I keep it. That is my contract with my people and my
commitment to God. He had willed that the blood drawn with the lash shall not, in my
country, be paid by blood drawn by the sword but by the tearful joy of reconciliation.

We have swept away absolute power by a limited revolution that respected the life and
freedom of every Filipino. Now, we are restoring full constitutional government. Again, as
we restored democracy by the ways of democracy, so are we completing the constitutional
structures of our new democracy under a constitution that already gives full respect to the
Bill of Rights. A jealously independent Constitutional Commission is completing its draft
which will be submitted later this year to a popular referendum. When it is approved, there
will be congressional elections. So within about a year from a peaceful but national
upheaval that overturned a dictatorship, we shall have returned to full constitutional
government. Given the polarization and breakdown we inherited, this is no small achievement.

My predecessor set aside democracy to save it from a communist insurgency that

numbered less than 500. Unhampered by respect for human rights, he went at it hammer
and tongs. By the time he fled, that insurgency had grown to more than 16,000. I think there
is a lesson here to be learned about trying to stifle a thing with the means by which it grows.

I don’t think anybody, in or outside our country, concerned for a democratic and open
Philippines, doubts what must be done. Through political initiatives and local reintegration
programs, we must seek to bring the insurgents down from the hills and, by economic
progress and justice, show them that for which the best intentioned among them fight.

58
As President, I will not betray the cause of peace by which I came to power. Yet equally,
and again no friend of Filipino democracy will challenge this, I will not stand by and allow an
insurgent leadership to spurn our offer of peace and kill our young soldiers, and threaten
our new freedom.

Yet, I must explore the path of peace to the utmost for at its end, whatever disappointment I
meet there, is the moral basis for laying down the olive branch of peace and taking up the
sword of war. Still, should it come to that, I will not waver from the course laid down by your
great liberator: “With malice towards none, with charity for all, with firmness in the rights as
God gives us to see the rights, let us finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s
wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and for his
orphans, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves
and with all nations.”

Like Lincoln, I understand that force may be necessary before mercy. Like Lincoln, I don’t
relish it. Yet, I will do whatever it takes to defend the integrity and freedom of my country.

Finally, may I turn to that other slavery: our $26 billion foreign debt. I have said that we shall
honor it. Yet must the means by which we shall be able to do so be kept from us? Many
conditions imposed on the previous government that stole this debt continue to be imposed
on us who never benefited from it. And no assistance or liberality commensurate with the
calamity that was visited on us has been extended. Yet ours must have been the cheapest
revolution ever. With little help from others, we Filipinos fulfilled the first and most difficult
conditions of the debt negotiation the full restoration of democracy and responsible
government. Elsewhere, and in other times of more stringent world economic conditions,
Marshall plans and their like were felt to be necessary companions of returning democracy.

When I met with President Reagan yesterday, we began an important dialogue about
cooperation and the strengthening of the friendship between our two countries. That
meeting was both a confirmation and a new beginning and should lead to positive results in
all areas of common concern.

Today, we face the aspirations of a people who had known so much poverty and massive
unemployment for the past 14 years and yet offered their lives for the abstraction of
59
democracy. Wherever I went in the campaign, slum area or impoverished village, they
came to me with one

60
cry: democracy! Not food, although they clearly needed it, but democracy. Not work,
although they surely wanted it, but democracy. Not money, for they gave what little they
had to my campaign. They didn’t expect me to work a miracle that would instantly put food
into their mouths, clothes on their back, education in their children, and work that will put
dignity in their lives. But I feel the pressing obligation to respond quickly as the leader of a
people so deserving of all these things.

We face a communist insurgency that feeds on economic deterioration, even as we carry a

great share of the free world defenses in the Pacific. These are only two of the many
burdens my people carry even as they try to build a worthy and enduring house for their
new democracy that may serve as well as a redoubt for freedom in Asia. Yet, no sooner is
one stone laid than two are taken away. Half our export earnings, $2 billion out of $4 billion,
which was all we could earn in the restrictive markets of the world, went to pay just the
interest on a debt whose benefit the Filipino people never received.

Still, we fought for honor, and, if only for honor, we shall pay. And yet, should we have to
wring the payments from the sweat of our men’s faces and sink all the wealth piled up by
the bondsman’s two hundred fifty years of unrequited toil?

Yet to all Americans, as the leader of a proud and free people, I address this question: has
there been a greater test of national commitment to the ideals you hold dear than that my
people have gone through? You have spent many lives and much treasure to bring freedom
to many lands that were reluctant to receive it. And here you have a people who won it by
themselves and need only the help to preserve it.

Three years ago, I said thank you, America, for the haven from oppression, and the home
you gave Ninoy, myself and our children, and for the three happiest years of our lives
together. Today, I say, join us, America, as we build a new home for democracy, another
haven for the oppressed, so it may stand as a shining testament of our two nation’s
commitment to freedom.”

Speech taken from the Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1986/09/18/speech-of-president-corazon-aquino-during-the-
joint-session-of-the-u-s-congress-september-18-1986/

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SUMMARY

Emilio Aguinaldo on June 12, 1898, between four and five in the afternoon, in the
presence of a huge crowd, proclaimed the independence of the Philippines at Cavite el Viejo
(Kawit). The Proclamation document gave significance to the fallen Martyrs of the struggle and
the cruel administration of the Spanish government in the Philippines. The political and social
condition that paved the way to the Philippine revolution and the declaration of Philippine
Independence. It also emphasized the waving of the Philippine flag that symbolized the
Philippine Independence which Act was read by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista. It was
highlighted by the national anthem, now known as Lupang Hinirang, which was composed by
Julián Felipe and played by the San Francisco de Malabon marching band.

McCoy (viewed from the vantage point of half century and more, these prewar political
cartoons are an evocative record of a half forgotten history. The scandals, struggles and social
changes of the American colonial period gain an immediacy in these graphic images that eludes
even the most eloquent historical prose.

President Cory Aquino put up a petition for support. Addressing the House, she gave a
historic address to the US Congress that paved way to sway in our favor the vote for an
emergency $200-million aid appropriation.

62
ASSESSMENT TASK 4-1

NAME: Arlene E. Atractivo

SECTION: BSBA 1- MM

MODULE 4
Analysis of the Proclamation of the Philippine Independence. Write a short analysis on the
following:
(1) Importance of the document.

The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in American history. It
was an official declaration of independence from British control signed by all 13 American colonies.
The war between the colonies and Great Britain was known as the American Revolutionary War
(1775-1783). To proclaim the sovereignty and independence of the Philippines from the colonial rule
of the Spanish Empire

(2) Background of the text author (Aguinaldo).

During the Spanish-American War, Filipino insurgents led by Emilio Aguinaldo declare the
Philippines' independence after 300 years under Spanish control. ... Aguinaldo and his generals
would accept exile in Hong Kong in exchange for financial compensation and a promise of reform in
the Philippines. The Battle of Manila Bay was the Spanish-American War's first hostile battle. The
Filipino insurgents routed the demoralized Spanish army in the provinces and besieged Manila. On
June 12, 1898, Emilio Aguinaldo declared the Philippines' independence from the balcony of his
Cavite home.

63
64
(3) Context of the document.

The Declaration of Independence is the document in which Filipino revolutionary forces led
by General Emilio Aguinaldo (later to become the Philippines' first Republican President) declared
the Philippine Islands' sovereignty and independence from Spanish colonial rule after Spain was
defeated at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War. The declaration, however,
was not recognized by the United States or Spain, as the Spanish government ceded the
Philippines to the United States in exchange for an indemnity for Spanish expenses and assets lost
in the Treaty of Paris in 1898. Independence Day Philippines is one of the most important events
celebrated in the country because after more than 300 years of being under the Spanish rule, the
Pearl of the Orient Seas has been freed.

65
(4) Contribution of the document in understanding Philippine History.

Its objectives were to unite troops, gain foreign friends, and announce the formation of a
new country. The first sentence expresses the Declaration's fundamental objective,
which is to justify the colonists' right to revolution. After meeting with the Malolos
Congress and drafting a constitution for a new republic, Aguinaldo declared Philippine
independence on June 12, 1898. Aguinaldo's proclamation, issued from his hometown
of Kawit, effectively ended four centuries of Spanish colonial persecution in the
Philippines.

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ASSESSMENT TASK 4-2
Analyze the following political cartoon from various sources and answer the questions
below.

wikimedia.org/wiki/File:McKinleyPhilippinesCartoon.jpg http://www.japanfocus.org/data/611-3.jpg

http://www.japanfocus.org/data/611-8.jpg https://fdnbayanihan.org/2016/10/15/14425/

67
Because of those people, Filipinos appear to
How were the Filipinos depicted in the four be poor, weak, and with nothing to do. It
demonstrates that we Filipinos can't do what
political cartoons? Describe their physical we want since we're only doing what they
want, and they perceive us as their followers.
characteristics.

I disagree; first and foremost, we have our

As a Filipino, do you agree with the illustrator rights and freedom. That' should not portray
and depict us as weak, unclean, and followers
as to how we are being described in the of those who do not deserve to be followed.
These illustration have been discriminated
newspapers which are being sold around the
Filipino.
world?

Most Americans believed that they should

Based on the political cartoon, what can you have the right to control other countries
without their agreement because these
say about the treatment the Americans countries, such as the Philippines and other
Caribbean islands, were not worthy of self-
gave us?
government. Because the United States
began to develop its dominance after Europe,
they attempted to catch up to them and
impress them by taking over the Philippines in
particular. Despite the fact that some
Americans believed they should not intervene
in everything and for everyone, they did not
prevail in this circumstance.

In the Treaty of Paris, Spain relinquished its

Explain further: Under a US colonialism that long-standing colony of the Philippines to the
United States following its defeat in the
was simultaneously brutal and beneficent, Spanish-American War of 1898. On February
4, 1899, only two days before the birth of the
grasping and generous
U.S. After the pact was confirmed by the
Senate, fighting erupted between American
soldiers and Filipino nationalists led by Emilio
Aguinaldo, who sought independence rather
than a change in colonial rulers. The
subsequent Philippine-American War lasted
three years and killed over 4,200 American
and 20,000 Filipino combatants. Violence,
starvation, and disease killed up to 200,000
Filipino civilians.

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ASSESSMENT TASK 4-3

Based on the speech delivered by the former President Corazan C. Aquino on the joint
session of the US Congress, what part of the speech do you think caught the attention and move
the American Lawmakers to grant the country the financial aid we are requesting? Highlight the
sentence or paragraph and explain why. (10 points)

My predecessor set aside democracy to save it from a communist insurgency that

numbered less than 500. Unhampered by respect for human rights, he went at it
hammer and tongs. By the time he fled, that insurgency had grown to more than
16,000. I think there is a lesson here to be learned about trying to stifle a thing with
the means by which it grows.

I don’t think anybody, in or outside our country, concerned for a democratic and
open Philippines, doubts what must be done. Through political initiatives and local
reintegration programs, we must seek to bring the insurgents down from the hills
and, by economic progress and justice, show them that for which the best
intentioned among them fight.

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As President, I will not betray the cause of peace by which I came to power. Yet
equally, and again no friend of Filipino democracy will challenge this, I will not stand
by and allow an insurgent leadership to spurn our offer of peace and kill our young
soldiers, and threaten our new freedom.

Corazon C. Aquino holds the torch in her hand and scans the horizon for refugees in search
of freedom. We hold a torch that shines as bright in our hearts as we seek ways and means to
make that freedom more meaningful for masses of Filipinos still huddled in poverty. In
Washington her main purpose was to reaffirm official contacts with the political leadership of
your nation. This evening I’m back to doing what I enjoy doing most – she’s campaigning. This
time not for the votes of the Filipino people, but for the confidence and support of the
American business and banking community. There is no question about the strength of the
relationship between the governments of the United States and Philippines. The two nations
have forged a new partnership, but it must be fueled by the contributions of the American
private sector.

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REFERENCES

Agoncillo, T. (1990) History of the Filipino People, Quezon City, Garotech Publishing.
Escobar, Miguel (2018), Revisit Cory Aquino’s Historic 1986 Speech Before The US
Congress, Esquire Magazine, Retrieved August 30,
2020 from https://www.esquiremag.ph/politics/news/revisit-cory-
aquino-s-historic-1986-speech- before-the-us-congress-a00207-20180125
Gripaldo, Rolando M. (2009) Jacinto’s Libertarian Philosophy of Revolution Filipino
philosophy: Traditional Approach. Part I, Sec. 1. Quezon City: C & E Publishing,
Inc.,
Knieper, Thomas (2018) Political cartoon, Encyclopædia Britannica Retrieved
August 30, 2020 from https://www.britannica.com/topic/political-cartoon
McCoy, A. W., & Roces, A. R. (1985). Philippine cartoons: Political caricature of the
American era, 1900-1941. Quezon City, Philippines: Vera-Reyes.
Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines (1986) Speech of President
Corazon Aquino during the Joint Session of the U.S. Congress,
September 18, 1986 Retrieved August 30, 2020 from
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1986/09/18/speech-of- president-
corazon-aquino-during-the-joint-session-of-the-u-s-congress-september-
18- 1986/
The Editorial Team (n.d.) Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricature of the American
Era, 1900-41 Retrieved August 30, 2020 from
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3004055- philippine-cartoons
Library of Congress (2011) The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War Retrieved August
30, 2020 from https://loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/aguinaldo.

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