Political Caricature of the American Era,

Filipino Grievances against Leonard Wood

and
Pres. Aquino’s Speech before the US
Congress
Learning Outcomes
1. Examine the different American
Policies that contributed to the
development of Philippine
independence
2. Examine the historical characteristics
of a given Caricature
 Philippine Cartoons: Political caricature
of the American Era (1900 – 1941)
The United States planned to control us until 1935, at which
point it would become a free and independent country through
Tydings McDuffie law.

Tydings-McDuffie Act also called Philippine Commonwealth and

Independence Act, (1934), the U.S. statute that provided for
Philippine independence, to take effect on July 4, 1946, after a
10-year transitional period of Commonwealth government.
Jones law - (Approved August 29, 1916)
The first formal and official declaration of
US commitment to grant independence
to the Philippines.

We experienced a process of Americanization

and modernization that has left a lasting
legacy. Different American Policies were
implemented in education, economic, social
welfare, and religion.
But the darker side to American influence resulted to Rural
poverty, worsening of Manila’s urban problem, and the
dependence upon America (economic, strategic and political)
became a fixture of Philippine life and that paved way for our
nationalist to fought for independence.

Different newspaper were launched such as El

Renacimiento and La Vanguardia which published
Political Caricatures.
 LIPAG-
KALABAW
• launched in 1906
• satiric cartoons
• published in Tagalog and Spanish
• maintained anonymity by not having a
masthead and by having the artists and
writers under pen names
• a voice for independent radicals affiliated
with the Nacionalista Party
• set a high standard of satire and artistry that
was never really equal
Philippine Free Press
• founded in 1906 by W.A. Kincaid but after filing for
bankruptcy it was purchased by a Scott named
McCullough Dick
• published in both Spanish and English
• distinctive mix of investigative reporting and was
an institution for the emerging Filipino middle
class
• avoids jingoism and appears more personal than
national
• was not anti-Filipino or was tied to a particular
party
• advocates integrity, democracy and Philippine
national progress
 The Independent
• founded in 1915 by the father of Cebuano
letters, Vicente Sotto
• a forum for its publishers political crusades
• advocate reform of the Nacionalista party
• most militant of the nationalist papers
• questions of tenancy, urban poverty and the
internal integrity of the nationalist
movement
• attacked anything that stood in the way of a
free, just and prosperous Philippines
• were Fernando Amorsolo began his career as
the angriest of Manila’s political cartoonists
 Authors of
Philippine
Cartoons:
Political
caricature of
the American
Era (1900 –
1941) which
compiled most
of the Political
caricatures
that existed
during
American
occupation.
Manila: corruption of a
city
The Colonial condition
Uncle Sam and Little
Juan
The distant provinces
The aliens in our
Midst
Filipino Grievances Against Governor Wood
 Governor-General Leonard Wood

• Leonard Wood replaced Governor

General Francis Burton Harrison as
Governor General of the
Philippines.
• He immediately annoyed the
Philippine Legislature by
disapproving 16 bills it passed.
 Cabinet Crisis 1923

• The dissatisfaction on Wood’s

administration prompted the
Council of state to resign en
masse.
• This came to be known as
• Cabinet Crisis of 1923 but Wood
continued to administer the
Government.
 Sequence of Events
General Wood opposed the Nacionalists which was composed of Quezon,
Laurel and the other members of the Senate.
On December 13, 1922, Manuel Quezon and Manuel Roxas, the newly
elected speaker, called Wood to tender the official thanks of the legislature.
The differences of opinion over closing the branches of the national bank,
and over suspension of penalties for late payment of the land tax resulted
in notes of protest sent to the Wood by Senator Quezon, but the
immediate cause of the wholesale resignations was the crisis brought
about by the case of Ray Conley, suspended secret service detective
accused of bribery and other charges.
Wood recommended on July 12 that Ray Conley be replaced since he was a corrupt
politician.
The members of the cabinet, together with Quezon, Osmeña, Roxas and several members
of the legislature conferred in Senator Quezon’s home and a tentative agreement was
made to submit their resignations.
Ray Conley accepted bribes from gambling syndicates and was suspended by Mayor
Ramon Fernandez. This case was brought to the attention of Senator P. Laurel and
approved his suspension, however, Governor Wood did not. This angered the Senate even
further and decided to resign since Wood did not respect the legislative powers the
Filipinos had which was what the Jones law upheld.
Then, the cabinet finally came to an agreement to resign after considerable discussion,
particularly between Secretaries Laurel and Santos.
 Filipino’s Expectations Reality

• Cognizant of General • There was a train of

Wood's participation in the usurpation and arbitrary
liberation of Cuba, Filipinos acts
expected that spirit of • Resulted in curtailment of
cooperation would be our autonomy & destruction
maintained. of our constitutional system
• Political emancipation • Reversal of America's
would be complete. Philippine Policy
 Executive Order No. 37 was issued.
Wood attempted to nullify laws creating
the Board of Control and assumed
functions of that body.
Wood spent the rest of 1926 and the
early part of1927 in a legal battle against
the Board of Control and the respective
Board of Directors of the government-
Board of Control owned and controlled corporations.

In 1927, Wood returned to the United States for the first time since his appointment
as governor-general in October 1921 to under go brain surgery. Wood died shortly
thereafter, leaving his mission of reverting the Philippines’ development policy to
laissez-faire unfinished.
1. He has refused his assent to laws which were the most wholesome &
necessary heads of department.
2. He has set at naught both the legal authority and responsibility for the
Philippine heads of departments.
3. He has substituted his constitutional advisers for a group of military
attaches without legal standing in the government and not responsible to
the people.
4. He has reversed the policy of Filipinizing the service of the government by
appointing Americans even when Filipinos of proven capacity were
available.
5. He has obstructed the carrying out of national economic policies duty
adopted by the Legislature, merely because they are in conflict with his
views.
6. He has rendered merely perfunctory the power of the Legislature to
pass the annual appropriation law by reviving items in the law of the
previous year, after vetoing the corresponding items of the current act,
in the flagrant violation for Organic Law.
7. He has made appointments to positions and authorized the payment of
salaries therefore after having vetoed the appropriations of such
salaries.
8. He has used certain public funds to grant additional compensation to
public officials in clear violation law.
9. He has arrogated unto himself the right of exercising the powers
granted by law to the Emergency Board after abolishing said board on
the ground that its powers involved an unlawful delegation of legislative
authority.
10. He has unduly interfered in the administration of justice.
11. He has refused to obtain the advice of the Senate in making
appointments where such advice is required by the Organic Act.
12. He has refused to submit the Senate appointment for vacancies
occurring during the recess of the Legislature in contravention of
the Organic Act.
13. He has continued in office nominees whose appointments had
been rejected by the Senate.
14. He has usurped legislative powers by imposing conditions on
legislative measures approved by him.
15. He has, in the administration of affairs in Mindanao, brought
about a condition which has given rise to discord and dissension
between certain groups of Christian and Mohammedan Filipinos.
16. He has by his policies created strained relations between
resident Americans and Filipinos.
17. He has endeavored, on the pretext of getting the government
out of business, to dispose of all the companies capitalized by
the government worth many millions of the people's money to
powerful America interests.
18. He has sanctioned the campaign of insidious propaganda in the
United States against Filipino people and their aspirations.
19. He has attempted to close the Philippine National
Bank so necessary to the economic development of
the country.
20. He has adopted the practice of intervening in, and
controlling directly, to its minute details, the affairs of
the Philippine Government both insular and local, in
violation of self-government.
21. He has insistently sought the amendment of our laws
approved by the Congress of the United Stated, which
amendment would open up the resources of our
country to exploitation by predatory interests.
 THE PROTEST

“In the face of this critical situation, we, the constitutional representatives
of the Filipino people, met to deliberate upon the present difficulties
existing in the Government of the Philippine Islands and to determine
how best to preserve the supremacy and majesty of the laws and to
safeguard the right and liberties of our people, having faith in the sense of
justice of the people of the United States and inspired by her patriotic
example in the early days of her history, do hereby, in our behalf and in
the name of the Filipino people, solemnly and publicly make known
our most vigorous protest against the arbitrary acts and usurpations
of the present Governor-General of the Philippine Islands, particularly
against Executive Order No. 37."
Speech of President Corazon C. Aquino During the Joint
Session of the United States Congress
Delivered at Washington, D.C., on September 18, 1986
President Corazon Aquino’s speech before the U.S Congress

The Speech is…

⮚ Composed of 32 paragraphs
⮚ 120 sentences
⮚ 2,312 words
⮚ Tackles about Ninoy and his
heroism , the triumph of People
Power, Marcos
⮚ as a dictator, & the significant
role of US
Maria Corazon “Cory” Sumulong Cojuanco Aquino

⮚ Universally know as “Cory”

⮚ Profession: Housewife
⮚ 11th and First Female
President of the Philippines
⮚ Parents are Jose Cojuanco and
Demetria Sumulong
⮚ Born on January 25, 1933 in
Paniqui, Tarlac Province,
Philippines to a wealthy,
politically prominent family
 Educational Background

⮚ Elementary: St. Scholastica’s

College, Manila (Valedictorian)
⮚ Secondary: Notre Dame Convent
School (Presently Notre Dame
School) in New York
⮚ Tertiary: Bachelor of Arts Major
in French and Mathematics,
College of Mount Saint Vincent in
New York in 1954 and
abandoned further studies to
marry Benigno Aquino, Jr.
INTENT OF THE SPEECH PERSPECTIVE:
• To declare the freedom of the • As a victim of Marcos’ cruel
Filipinos from the Marcos regime. regime
• To mark a new beginning for the • As the faithful wife of
Filipinos and to its government. Senator Benigno Aquino
• To appeal for financial assistance by • As the People’s Champion
informing the Americans about the • As the Mother of Asian
Philippines’ state. Democracy
The three times Cory Aquino lost Ninoy Aquino

1. Ninoy’s detainment
2. Ninoy’s trial and fasting
3. Assassination of Ninoy
"I held fast to Ninoy's conviction that it must be by the ways of democracy. I
held out for participation in the 1986 election the dictatorship called, even
if I knew it would be rigged."
On Feb. 7, 1986, Cory Aquino, once a simple housewife, went against the powerful dictator in a snap
election that Marcos ordered so he may prove that he still has the support if the Filipino public.

There were lots of reported violence and cheating during the snap elections. The Commission of
Elections announced Marcos as the winner but the National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL)
proclaimed Aquino as the winner.

Ninoy Aquino had a very strong conviction that the Philippines must be a democracy no matter what.
He fought vehemently to eradicate Marcos' dictatorship and to regain the Filipino people's freedom,
however, it was an assassination that ended his fight for democracy. Cory Aquino, his wife, felt that the
task of continuing her husband's mission has fallen on her shoulders so she decides to stand up and
lead to country on the way to freedom, peace, and democracy.

35
 “The task had fallen on my shoulders to continue offering the
democratic alternative to our people”

“The opposition swept the elections with earning barely a third of the
seats in parliament”

“When a subservient parliament announced my opponent's victory,

the people turned out in the streets and proclaimed me President."

“As I came to power peacefully, so shall I keep it. That is my contract

with my people and my commitment to God.”
 “You saw a nation, armed with courage and integrity, stand fast by
democracy against threats and corruption.”

After the death of Ninoy, what could have been expected was the loss of hope
and fight within the Filipinos; but, this was not the case. Instead, what
appeared was an even stronger Nation.

“By that brave and selfless act of giving honour, a nation in shame recovered
on its own. A country that had lost faith in its future found it in a faithless and
brazen act of murder.”
The Philippines during the time of Marcos' dictatorship regarded no respect for
human rights and much of our people were in struggle and pain. But as Cory
Aquino took her liberty and the Filipino peoples will, aspirations became more
than just mere ambition and dream that were kept in the heart.
“I don’t think anybody, in or outside our country, concerned for
a democratic and open Philippines, doubts what must be done.”

The Filipino people came to Cory with one cry and that
is democracy above all. They had been such a huge and
great factor for her challenge to the dictatorship. If it
hadn’t been for their commitment to the ways of
democracy that went as far as being prepared to give
their lives for its pale imitation, I believe that her push
for candidacy wouldn't have been as strong nor as
historical as it is known for today.
38
 Summary & Reflection
In her speech, Cory promised the Philippines two main things: one, that she will
make sure that the country remains a democracy no matter what, and two, that there
will always be peace during her reign as president of the Philippines.

• Ninoy Aquino and Cory Aquino both displayed awe-inspiring acts of bravery and
nationalism.
• Democracy is a gift that we, as citizens of this country, should treasure and protect at all
costs.
• The unity and courage that the Filipino people showed during the EDSA Revolution truly
marked the world as one of the most life-changing events in history. It showed the world
how to start a revolution without spilling any blood.
• Our freedom is something we should always fight for.