Chapter 8 Life and Politics During The American Period
Chapter 8 Life and Politics During The American Period
Chapter 8 Life and Politics During The American Period
Chapter 11
Life and Politics during the American Period
The foundation of our government today can be traced back during the American
period, that is to say that even the ills of our government, the frailties of our politics and the
pestering social issues today can be backtracked from this era. In the design of the Americans
to afford us the apprenticeship for government, we were given more leeway to have a hand on
opportunity to take the reins of government. But it was not just at this time that we amplified
the weaknesses of our society.
Preliminary Activity
Process Question
What do you think are the root causes of these problems or issues?
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Treaty was signed on December 10, 1898, Pres. William McKinley issued his Benevolent
Assimilation policy over the Philippines.
Though the Spaniards did not deprive the Filipinos to be educated for had it been so,
Rizal and the other middle class ilustrados would not have earned the education they had
gained in the Philippines or in Spain. But the problem with the Spanish educational system is
the lack of an overall standard set by one state institution for the curriculum and the standards
were left to the religious orders that established them. Thus the educational system was
highly religious and not scientific and that only the well-to-do could afford the privilege.
While these Christian schools were permitted to operate under the American period, these
schools were subject to the standards and supervision of the Bureau of Instructions. Schools
were also established for free primary to high school education. In 1908, even before the first
students of the free high-school system would have graduated, the University of the
Philippines was established. Thus the state under the American regime organized the central
supervision of the school system.
But even before the wide literacy needed for the people to vote or be voted, the
establishment of a legislature composed of 100% elected Filipinos was already planned under
the Philippine Bill of 1902 enacted in the US Congress. The law provided for the certification
that peace had been attained for the colony had undergone insurrection, for a national census
that will be completed after three years, and for another two year grace period to ensure that
peace had been achieved, totaling a five-year duration before a national election would be
held in order to elect the representatives of every province for the Philippine Assembly. The
first national election for the legislature was held on July 30, 1907 and the Philippine
Assembly was inaugurated on October 16 of the same year. The new government set-up
transformed an entirely unicameral colonial government under the Philippine Commission
into a bicameral system with the Philippine Assembly being the lower chamber and the
Philippine Commission being the upper chamber (Agoncillo and Guerrero 1977:328-332).
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The national election also saw the emergence of political parties and political
stalwarts. The Philippine Assembly was swept by the Nacionalista Party against the
Progressive Party and the Assembly was assumed by Sergio Osmeña (Cebu) as speaker and
Manuel Quezon (Tayabas now Quezon) as majority floor leader. After the appointment of
Taft as Secretary of War with W. Cameron Forbes replacing him, the Republican Party‟s stint
in the US government ended with the election of President Woodrow Wilson in 1912 and the
assumption of the Democratic Party in the US Government. A new governor-general was
appointed in the Philippines in the person of Francis Burton Harrison with a new policy for
the Philippines as embodied in the term Filipinization which would mean to place more
Filipinos in government service both elected and appointed.
True to their thrust, a Democrat congressman William Atkinson Jones authored a law
which would later be known as the Philippine Autonomy Act or the Jones Law of 1916. The
law provided for the organic law or the constitution of the Philippine Islands succeeding that
of the Philippine Bill of 1902. But vivid in the wording of the law‟s perambulatory clause was
the assurance of the United States to grant us our independence:
Whereas, it is, as it has always been, the purpose of the people of the United States to
withdraw their sovereignty over the Philippine Islands and to reorganize their
independence as soon as a stable government can be established, therewith; and
Whereas for the speedy accomplishment of such purpose it is desirable to place in the
hands of the people of the Philippines a large control of their domestic affairs as can
be given them without, in the meantime, impairing the exercise of the right of
sovereignty by the people of the United States, on order that, by mental powers, they
may be the better prepared to fully assume the responsibilities and enjoy all the
privileges of complete independence (Jones 1990:169-170).
The Jones Law was signed into law by Pres. Wilson on August 29, 1916, in time for
the next election for the Philippine Assembly which under the Jones Law will be reorganized.
The law provided for the creation of the Senate which will abolish the function of the
Philippine Commission as the upper chamber, while retaining the Philippine Assembly which
will be named as the House of Representatives acting as the lower chamber. The election was
held on the first Tuesday of October 1916 and the new legislature inaugurated on October 16,
1916. With the two houses of congress now fully in the hands of Filipinos, the executive
department would also have to be reorganized with the creation of the cabinet on January 11,
1917 and an advisory body called the Council of State created on October 16, 1918. With the
legislature now 100% in the hands of Filipinos and with a Philippine Supreme Court also run
completely by Filipinos even during the creation of the First Philippine Commission, what
would then be needed was a change of governor-general into a president elected by Filipinos.
By the end of Pres. Wilson‟s term in 1921, 96% of Filipinos were already in
government posts. Before Pres. Wilson‟s term expired, he wrote the US Congress about his
recommendation of granting independence to the Philippines (Wilson 1990 191).
But the series of elections and administrations were not without intrigues and issues.
These issues were mirrored from editorial cartoons which Alfred McCoy analyzed in order to
depict the political, social and economic issues during the American period. He compiled
these cartoons and wrote a book which Alfredo Roces co-authored entitled Philippine
Cartoons: Caricatures of the American Era, 1900-1941. The newspaper cartoons that
accompany the editorials of three publications: the weekly newspapers The Independent
founded and edited by the hard-hitting critic Vicente Sotto of Cebu, the Bag-ong Kusog (New
Force) was a Cebuano newspaper that drew the pre-war social life and criticized the
degradation of morals, and the investigative magazine Philippines Free Press founded by
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Judge W.A. Kincaid and taken over by Dick McCullough because of bankruptcy. These
publications were among the sources that depicted these intriguing issues.
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Political Caricatures
1
Editorial Cartoon 11.1
The Independent (April 14, 1917) – The First World War commenced on June 28,
1914 upon the assassination of Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist,
Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzogovina. Though the US is a friend of Great
Britain and France in the Triple Entente together with Russia against the Central Powers
composed of Germany, Austria and Ottoman Turkey, the US maintained an isolationist policy
of keeping its hands off the war in Europe. It was only on April 6, 1917 that the US decided
to enter the war in order to tip the balance of its friends and allies to their advantage. In this
cartoon drawn by Fernando Amorsolo, it is shown Uncle Sam taking Little Juan by the hand.
It was published on April 14, eight days after the US joined the war. But where is Uncle Sam
taking Little Juan. Why is the US which is an occupier taking the occupied in a war to liberate
other countries? Why shouldn‟t the Philippines be liberated first? Notice the faces of Uncle
Sam and Little Juan.
1
Taken from the book of Alfred McCoy and Alfredo Roces Philippine Cartoons: Caricatures of the
American Era 1900-1941, Quezon City: Vera Reyes, Inc., 1985, p. 181.
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2
Editorial Cartoon 11.2
2
Ibid., p. 32.
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3
Editorial Cartoon 11.3
Lording it Over Us
The Philippines Free Press (February 12, 1921) – The Philippine Assembly passed a
law in 1921, authorizing legislators whether incumbent or retired to bear firearms. Now it
would be easy to strut around their arrogance. What would be the effects as the cartoon
shows?
3
Ibid., p. 41.
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4
Editorial Cartoon 11.4
4
Ibid., p. 138.
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5
Editorial Cartoon 11.5
5
Ibid., p. 42.
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6
Editorial Cartoon 11.6
6
Ibid., p. 67.
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7
Editorial Cartoon 11.7
Colorum Express
7
Ibid., p. 53.
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8
Editorial Cartoon 11.8
8
Ibid., p. 217.
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9
Editorial Cartoon 11.9
******
9
Ibid., p. 106.
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Economic Caricatures
10
Editorial Cartoon 11.10
10
Ibid., p. 117.
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11
Editorial Cartoon 11.11
“After a month and half I received… my first monthly check of ninety pesos
(₱90.00). I thought that was low pay; ₱1,080 a year, after graduating from Columbia
University and qualifying in a high civil service examination. It was not pleasant to receive
only ₱1,080 when Americans who were only Normal graduate… were paid ₱4,000 a
year”…(McCoy and Roces 1985: 120)
How is the Filipino teacher pictured in the caricature compared to the American
teacher? Where is the Filipino teacher‟s shoulder beam tilted? How is this different from the
American teacher? What does this mean?
11
Ibid., p. 120.
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12
Editorial Cartoon 11.12
12
Ibid. p. 92.
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13
Editorial Cartoon 11.13
The Independent (January 17, 1920) – As the population in Manila surged, rented
space was also becoming scarce and rent was escalating without limits. The high prices of
rent were propelled to the office of governor-general who was persuaded to craft a law that
would set the rent to 12% of the assessed value of the property as suggested by the Director-
General of Civil Services (McCoy and Roces 1985: 34). But this does not solve the lack of
housing. What was Governor-general doing in the caricature?
13
Ibid., p. 34.
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14
Editorial Cartoon 11.14
14
Ibid., p. 96.
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15
Editorial Cartoon 11.15
15
Ibid., p. 92.
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16
Editorial Cartoon 11.16
16
Ibid., p. 4.
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17
Editorial Cartoon 11.17
******
17
Ibid., p. 121.
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Social Caricatures
18
Editorial Cartoon 11.18
A Congesting City
The Independent (May 1, 1920) – Manila was getting crowded with the lack of space
for resident and even offices. But who was pictured to be enjoying spacious buildings which
they should have relinquished since friar lands had been appropriated?
18
Ibid., p. 35.
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19
Editorial Cartoon 11.19
19
Ibid., p. 36.
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20
Editorial Cartoon 11.20
Philippines Free Press (April 6, 1929) – When Manila became the center of
higher education in the 1920s, young people from the province soon ventured into the
city for higher education and later into civil service or company posts. But this
overhauled their psyche as they came back to the province for vacation. How were
they changed in return? How is this depicted in the cartoon?
20
Ibid., p. 99.
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21
Editorial Cartoon 11.21
Manila Underwater
Philippines Free Press (August 22, 1931) – When Americans arrived in 1898,
they found public sanitation in a destitute state with overflowing esteros and without
adequate sewers and drainage systems. One of the first orders of priorities among the
Americans was the construction of canals and drainage systems to attend to the need
for sanitation and public health. This they did with full energy to construct the usual
drainage systems. But they left out to consider the annual heavy monsoon rains during
rainy season that would result in perennial flooding. Between 1903 to 1938 Manila‟s
residents grew by 182% from 220,000 to 620,000 (McCoy and Roces 1985: 66). With
the gradual transfer of governance to the Filipinos, the missed opportunities by the
Americans fell into even more serious neglect.
******
21
Ibid., p. 66.
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Reinforcement Activities
Figuring out, among the editorial caricatures, the issues and problems faced
by the Filipinos during the American period at a time when Filipinization was
being implemented
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11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
The caricatures mirror the political, economic and social life during the American
period, more specifically at the time when we were already given an apprenticeship
for self-rule.
The cartoons also reflect the political, economic and social problems we face today
though they were drawn to picture a society almost a hundred years ago.
Challenge
From the problems you were able to extract from the caricatures, how should
we solve these persisting problems today? You could have 21 solutions also.
References
Agoncillo, Teodoro and Guerrero, Milagros (1977) History of the Filipino People. Quezon
City: R.P. Garcia Publishing Co.
Jones, William Atkinson (1990) “Jones Law of 1916” Document 598 in Documentary History
of the Philippines, Vol. 11, Gregorio F. Zaide and Sonia M. Zaide, eds. Manila:
National Bookstore.
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McCoy, Alfred and Robles Alfredo (1985) Philippine Cartoons: Caricatures of the American
Era 1900-1941, Quezon City: Vera Reyes, Inc.
221