CRITIQUE ANALYSIS ON READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

AB Psychology- IA

Topic: Political Caricature of the American Era by Aflred McCoy

On Alfred McCoy's compilation of different caricature during the American era, there are
several issues that was hot and trending about the political problems happened in the Philippines.
The first caricature is entitled "The Latest-Lo Ultimo". It is about the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Bill.
Manuel Quezon stand as the House Speaker. At Washington, Manuel Quezon broke the
opposition about the bill. He accomplished the near-impossible and return to Washington with a
better bill and he was rejected by those angry people at being denied their independemce. But
Quezon return to Washington with ew mission. It is the same bill but in different name. So as a
hero of independence, Quezon's leadership is assured for several decades. Next caricature is "Is
the Police Force Bribed?". It was written by Chua on Philippines Free Press. The publication of
Chua's letter sparked allegations of Filipino politicians who receive bribes from Chinese clubs
and criminal gangs. The accusations are all the same with Fernando Amorsolo's illustration-racist
edge. They reveal that Chinese corruptors or opium smugglers is similarly racist manner.
The "New Bird of Prey" is about the libel case in the Philippine history. El Ranacimiento
published an editorial entitled "Aves de Rapina" (Birds of Prey). This editorial attacked the
Philippine Commission's Secretary of Interior, Dean C. Worcester. It is the case where Worcester
bused his office to exploit the country. Another caricature is "While the Priest Lives Alone in a
big Building". Vicente Sotto is the publisher of The Independent and he never missed to attack
the catholic churches. Questioning why does the Supreme Court ruled the Roman Catholic
Church to occupied all disputed properties.
The "Where is the Mosquito is the King" is an editorial that pointing out those political
leaders who become as the pest of the country. It is the caricature that shows he real reason who
are the true mosquitos that make the country ill. The "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" is about the
legislators who bear firearms. But the opposition is, is it important for the legislators to strapped
a gun on their waist just for the people to know who to respect and who are the persons with
dignity. The "Death Cars" or popular as the "colorum" is the issue about automobiles crowded
into Manila' narrow streets in growing numbers, and the police failed to control the traffic and
eventually the Free Press expressed their thought. The Free Press wonder if the police allow
these cars to operate with immunity and granting drivers license to mem with criminal record. If
this is the case, the death rate from automobile will surely rise.
"The Result of Co-Educatio" satirizes the co-education at UP. This caricature shows the
negative impact of co-education where different sex will be together in one class. This portray
the bad outcomes of a man and woman during classes and even after class.
Aflred McCoy compiled more cariture or editorial from different press. The Independent,
Philippine Free Press and Free Press are the publisher shown in different caricature. These
caricatures bring out the issue during American era. Here are also some of caricature, Why the
Aparcero Rebels, A New Wrinkle in the Art if Thieving, What's Going to be Done About it and
the Pagtupo ng Paghagit Kanato sa mga Empiryalista.
These caricatures show the negative happening and rule on government in implicit ways,
though the meaning was still obvious. American regime was considered as the key to keep our
developing country. Unfortunately, it was also the era where Filipino leaders went under control
of American civilization.

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 CRITIQUE ANALYSIS ON READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY
AB Psychology- IA

Topic: Filipino Grievances Against Governor Wood by Gregorio Zaide

Document 608, entitled "Filipino Grievances Against Governor Wood" is approved by the
Commission on Independence on November 17, 1926. This is all about the Philippines after
more that a quarter of a century since it came under the American flag. Believing in the sincerity
of America's purpose, the Filipinos applied themselves with patient diligence to the task of
meeting the conditions exacted of them, anxiously awaiting the day when America would honor
their promise. American sovereignty is implanted in the Philippines with the revealed purpose of
self-government and independence.
It is stated that the first 20 years of civil government are marked by mutual understanding
and loyal cooperation between the American and Filipinos. After the President of the United
States had advised the Congress that the time had come for America to fulfill the promise. They
decided to sent Major-General Governor Leonard Wood to Philippines as Governor-General.
The Filipino people expected that under Governor-General Wood administration, the
spirit of cooperation would be maintained and that the work of political emancipation would be
complete. But according to Executive No. 37, Wood devalue the laws creating the Board of
Control and assumed the functions of that body. The cupidity was therefore committed by him.
These are some of the lines committed by Governor-General Wood: he refused his assent
to laws which are the most wholesome and necessary for the publice good, set at naught both
legal authority and responsibility for the Philippine heads of department, substituted his
constitutional advisers for a group of military attaches without legal standing in the government
and not responsible to the people, reversed the policy of Fipinizing the service of the government
by appointing Americans even whem Filipinos of proven capacity are available, obstructed the
carrying out of national economic policies duly adopted by the Legislature merely because they
are in conflict with his personal views, unduly interfered in the administration of justice, etc.
To face this critical situation, the constitutional representatives of the Filipino people
deliberate upon the difficulties existing in the Philippine Government and to determine how to
preserve the prevalence of the laws and to save the rights and liberties of Filipino people, they
protest against the arbitrary acts and usurpations of Governor-General Wood, particularly against
the Executive Order No. 37.
However, the Filipinos' expectations, Wood's administration of government has been
assured as a train of usurpation and arbitrary acts, resulting the destruction of the constitutional
system and the reversal of America's Philippine policy.
This only proves that most of the American institution’s people used their power in
nonsense way. Reading the analysis, it opened our eyes to face the reality that takes place in out
government. Philippines was under control of American leaders, yet few findings which helped
the Philippines to rise were listed. Most of them just use their power to make their name in a
good smell and hide what real intentions they have.

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 CRITIQUE ANALYSIS ON READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY
AB Psychology- IA

Topic: Speech of Her Exellency Corazon C. Aquino (President of the Philippines)

Before the Joint Session of the United States Corazon C. Aquino speech happened at
Washington, D.C. on September 18, 1986. On her speech, it is not vulgar on what point she was
stating. But if the people will review and critique it closely, the focus was different. Before her
speech, the situation of the country is 7 months free from martial law era that lasted for 14 years.
The Philippines is already considered as democratic country. The perspective of Corazon
Aquino's speech is to show as a victim of former president, Ferdinand Marcos' cruel regime. To
be recognized as the faithful wife of Senator Benigno Aquino, and to stand as People's Champion
and Mother of Asian Democracy. Many peole say that it is the beginning of the Filipinos and its
government. But few of Filipino people knew the real intentions of her speech, it is to appeal for
financial assistance by informing the Americans about the Philippines' state.
When Corazon Aquino have a speech to the United States Congress, a little more than
half a year after assuming the presidency, she called on America to help the Philippines in
preserving the freedom which the Filipino have won for themselves. Calling to "restore
democracy by the ways of democracy", she aggrandized the role of America in the world as the
promoter of a righteous system of governance and further strengthen the reputation of said
country as a model of greatness.
Many Filipino viewed the speech as the declaration of freedom of Filipinos from Marcos
regime. Cory's speech is adormed by countless references to her husband, Senator Benigno
Aquino- whom the Filipino nation had assigned as the poster boy for anti-Marcos movements.
Her speech even went so far as to connect Ninoy's struggle with that of the whole nation, all of
the whole entwining their family's history with the fate of the entire country. She justified her
presence using figurative words and metamorphical language, alluding her connection with the
late Ninoy on one hand and fulfilling her mandate to the Filipino people on the other hand. She
succeeded in her analysis of the Martial Law era regarding its origin and outcome. Marcos'
attempt to stop a 500-strong communist insurgency by imposing a restrictive policy.
Another questionable intention of Cory's speech is the Philippines foreign debt and
preserving democracy. She seems to have similar mistake, however, whem she decided that the
Philippines would the $26 billion foreign debt it incurred by Marcos' presidency. The reasoning
was that since we fought for honor, we shoul also honor the huge foreign debt, although its
benefit never really reached us as a nation. What is more questionable is that, after declaring that
we will pay the debt, she immediately asked for helped in achieving that.

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 CRITIQUE ANALYSIS ON READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY
AB Psychology- IA
Topic: Official Report of Governor Izquierdo on the Cavite Mutiny of 1872
Cavite Mutiny is one of the Philippine history, a brief uprising against the Spanish. This
served as an excuse for renewed Spanish repression. This also indicates the martyrdom of three
Filipino priests- Jose Burgos, Mariano Gomez and Jacinto Zamora- for allegedly conspiring with
the rebels at Cavite sparked a wave of anti-Spanish sentiment. Cavite Mutiny was reported to the
Spanish Minister of War on January 23, 1872 by Governor General Rafael Izquierdo. This is
considered as the revolution of Filipino troops and workers at the Cavite arsenal, which became
the excuse for Spanish retardation of the embryonic Philippine nationalist movement.
Ironically, the harsh reaction of Spanish authorities served ultimately to promote the
nationalist cause. The mutiny was quickly crushed, but the Spanish regime under the reactionary
governor Rafael Izquierdo magnified the incident and used it as an excuse to clamp down on
those Filipino who had been calling for governmental reform. A number of Filipino intellectual
were seized and accused of complicity with the mutineers. After a brief trial, the three martyr
priests were publicly executed.
The Filipino version of the Cavite Mutiny of 1872 was written by Dr. Trinidad H. de
Tavera. For him, the so-called Cavite Mutiny is a mere incident of mutiny orchestrated by native
soldiers and laborers who reacted to the harsh policy of the new governor general, Rafael
Izquierdo who whimsically terminated the old-time privileges such as exempting them from
paying annual tribute and from rendering forced labor or polo. As accounted, it is made clear that
the mutiny is blown-up by the Spanish officials and friars into a revolt as a way of Filipinos to
gain independence from Spanish monarchy.
The Spanish version of the Cavite Mutiny of 1872 was written by Jose Montero y
Vidal. He anchored that this event happened due to the concerted effort of disgruntled native
soldiers and laborers of Cavite arsenal who wilfully revolted to overthrow the Spanish rule, and
thus, guilty of rebellion and sedition. By such acts, the execution of prominent critics of the
Spaniards and friars by the Spanish officials are justified, and the sentence of life imprisonment
and deportation of some natives critical of their incongruous rule is unquestionably legit is not
morally blurred. The account of Jose Montero y Vidal was made credibly possible by no less
than Rafael Izquierdo, the governor-general of the time when the revolt of 1872 happened.
This mutiny proves the bias-side of the Spanish. They don’t want their rules broke by the
Filipino heroes. That is why they easily imposed decision that will make the Filipino group
down. Spanish leadership also represents the greediness of a person has. Not letting other troupes
to abolish their superiority, imprisonment is the rule that they implement. No native laborers
should fight against the Spanish, a sad reality that the Filipino faces. The abusive power, negative
rules and order, wrong guests if the Filipinos, those are the reason why the three friar faced the
death without an investigation on the other side of the court. They just easily make headless
friars and force the native laborers.
Through this, many aspiring heroes opened their eyes, and one of them is Jose Rizal. If
this mutiny had not happened, maybe we are still blind to see the real intention and one-sided
power of the Spanish.

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 CRITIQUE ANALYSIS ON READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY
AB Psychology- IA

Topic: Pio Valenzuela’s Controversial “Cry of Pugad Lawin”

The Cry of Pugad Lawin is referred as to as the Cry of Balintawak and is considered as
the beginning og the Philippine Revolution agains the Spanish government. At the close of
August 1896, members of the Katipunan secret society, known as the Katipuneros, led by Andres
Bonifacio rose up in revolt somewhere in area. Originally, the term “cry” referred to as the first
clash between the Katipuneros and the Civil Guards. The cry also refer to the tearing up of
community tax, or cedula, in defiance of their allegiance to Spain. This was literally
accompanied by patriotic shouts.
Pio Valenzuela related the first version, when events were still fresh in his memory and as
he abandoned the revolutionary cause after its outbreak and fled to Biñan, Laguna, for safety.
Taking advantage of Governor General Ramon Blanco’s proclamation of amnesty to the
revolutionists, Valenzuela returned to Manila on September 3, 1896, and surrendered to Blanco.
Much later, Pio Valenzuela, with his fading memory and without consulting the written
documents of the Philippine Revolution, wrote his Memoirs of the Revolution. In his memories,
he claims that the “Cry” was held at Pugad Lawin on August 23, 1896.
Also, one of the controversies that remains undisputable in the Philippine’s History is the
Cry of Pugad Lawin. The historical event marked the beginning of the Philippine Revolution and
their act of opposition against the Spanish regime wherein the Katipuneros. As led by Bonifacio,
tore their cedulas. Such disputes are due to ambiguous definition of what the cry meant to the
overlapping statements by the KKK veterans.
On August 22, 1896, the Magdalo council received a secret letter from Bonifacio,
Balintawak, which stated that the Katipunan will held an important meeting on August 24.
Bearing a letter from the Supremo dated August 24 contained no order but the shocking
announcement that the Katipunan would attack Manila.
Emilio Aguinaldo’s memoirs, Mga Gunita ng Himagsikan refer to the two letters from
Andres Bonifacio dated August 22 and 24 of 1896. Traditionally, people in his time referred to
the “Cry of Pugad Lawin” since that barrio was a better known reference point than Banlat.
These facts rendered unacceptable the stand that the tearing of cedulas in the “Cry of Pugad
Lawin” happened on August 23, 1896, in the house of Juan Ramos, Melchora Aquino’s son in
“Pugad Lawin” Bahay Toro, Kalookan.
To specify, the main points addressed in the mention controversy are whether the cry
happened in Pugad Lawin of Balintawak and if it happened on August 23, 1896 of August 24,
1896. However, the case stands that the Cry Pugad Lawin happened on August 23, 1896 at Pugad
Lawin due to the credibility of the source and its consistency with other sources. Nonetheless,
other historians argue of this statement otherwise.

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 CRITIQUE ANALYSIS ON READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY
AB Psychology- IA

Topic: The First Cry of the Revolution (Dr. P. Valenzuela, S. Alvarez and G. Masangkay's
Account)

The views of different author about The First Cry. Santiago Alvarez, son of Mariano
Alvarez and relative of Gregoria de Jesus (wife of Andres Bonifacio) is a prominent Katipunan
warlord of Cavite. Alvarez was in Cavite and not an eyewitness of this historic event. He said
that the Firs Cry happened on August 24, 189 and took place at the barn of Kabesang Melchora
at Sampalukan, barrio of Bahay Toro. In Alvarez’ account, he stated that the first cry of
Balinatawak was occurred on Monday, August 24, 1896. It was Sunday, August 23, 1896 at 10
o’clock in the morning when the Katipuneros arrived at Kabesang Melchora at Sampalukan,
barrio of Bahay Toro. Apparently, Alvarez was in Cavite at that time that first cry happened but
he was able to state his account to the said event. He also mentioned that on August 24, 2896,
there were 1,000 Katipuneros and Supremo Andres Bonifacio decided to hold a big meeting.
According to him, it was started at 10 o’clock in the morning and adjourned at 12 o’clock noon
with a loud cries of “Long live of the Sons of the Country” (Mabuhay ang Anak ng Bayan!).

According to Gregoria de Jesus, Wife of Supremo Andres Bonifacio (protagonist of the

event) and the “Lakambini of the Katipunan”. She is a custodian of the secret documents, seal
and some weapons of the Katipunan. In Gregoria de Jesus’ version, the said event happened on
August 25, 1896 at a place near Caloocan. According to her, by the time that the existence of the
Katipunan activities discovered and other members were arrested, they went back to Caloocan.
After some days, Bonifacio and other Katipuneros left the town as they were closely watched by
the agents of the Spanish authorities and then, the uprising began on August 25, 1896- the first
cry for freedom. During that time, Gregoria is still with her parents but as soon as he learned that
Spanish are coming to arrest her, she secretly leaves with the intention of going back to Manila.
It was sad for her because she was treated like an apparition or danger as she was driven away by
the people she was pleasing to help her. Nobody wants to help as they were scared for their own
lives. Later, he found out that they were seized and severely punished and some even exiled and
one of them was her uncle that died in exile because she visited him that night to kiss his hand.

On Dr. Pio Valenzuela's account, the official date and place of the First Cry were
presented. He was an official of the Katipunan and a friend of Andres Bonifacio, who was
present during the event. His account was published as Memoirs of the K.K.K. and the Philippine
Revolution.

Based on Guillermo Masangkay, born at Tondo on June 25, 1867; Bonifacio’s childhood
friend and a member of Katipunan who also participated in the First Cry, he was at Balintawak.
He claimed the date of the event on August 26, 1896 held at Balintawak, at the house of
Apolonio Samson. In the eyewitness account of Guillermo Masangkay, it was August 26, 1896
when the first cry occurred at the barrio of Balintawak, few kilometers north from Manila. At the
house of Apolonio Samson in Balintawak, a big meeting was held. He was also in that meeting.
Some of them were Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, Aguedo del Rosario, Tomas Remigio, Briccio
Pantas, Teodoro Plata, Pio Valenzuela, Enrique Pacheco, and Francisco Carreon. Also, the
delegates from Bulacan, Cabanatuan, Cavite and Morong, Rizal were also present. The said
meeting was discussed I details as he was one of those who experienced this historic event.
According to him, nine o’clock in the morning of 26th when the meeting was opened. Bonifacio
led the discussion while Emilio Jacinto acted as secretary. The main purpose of this was to
discuss when the uprising was to take place. Some of them such as Teodoo Plata, Briccio Pantas
and Pio Valenzuela were all opposed to start the revolution to early. There were arguments and
change of opinions. Bonifacio felt that he would lose the debate so he left and talk to the people
waiting on the outside. He convinced the people and told them to pulled out their cedulas and

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 tore into pieces as a sign of their separation from Spanish rule. After that, Bonifacio returned to
the session hall and informed the leaders of what took place outside. When it was decided, the
people shouted “Long live the Philippine Republic”. He also described how Bonifacio arrived at
that day. He mentioned that Spanish came at 5 o’clock in the afternoon. The battle were led by
Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto and other leaders for the attack of the civil guards while Masangkay
was with the group guarding on the bank of small creek. Shots were then fired by the civil guards
and later become a holocaust.

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