GE102-Week-5.docx

**Course Code and Title: GE102 -- Readings in Philippine History** **Lesson Number: 5** **Topic: CONTENT AND CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF SELECTED** **PRIMARY SOURCES IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY** **Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricatures of the American Era and** **Corazon C. Aquino's Speech Before the...

**Course Code and Title: GE102 -- Readings in Philippine History** **Lesson Number: 5** **Topic: CONTENT AND CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF SELECTED** **PRIMARY SOURCES IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY** **Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricatures of the American Era and** **Corazon C. Aquino's Speech Before the United States Congress** **Introduction** Historical sources are the historian\'s primary tool for comprehending and interpreting the past. Historical sources confirm historical facts. The historian then analyzed and interpreted these facts to weave a historical narrative. Historians who study specific historical topics and events must use a variety of primary sources to weave the narrative. Primary sources, as defined in the preceding chapter, are documents, memoirs, accounts, and other materials created at the time of the event or subject being studied. **Learning Objectives:** At the end of this lesson, you should be able to: - Interpret primary sources by examining the content and context of the document. - Identify the significance of political cartoons during the American period. - Understand the context and content of political cartoons during the American period and the speech of Corazon Aquino before the U.S. Congress. - Use political cartoons as a form of political expression. - Realize the importance of political cartoons and speech to the grand narrative of Philippine history. - Evaluate the relevance of Philippine cartoons to the present time. **LESSON PRESENTATION:** The primary sources that we will examine are Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricatures of the American Era and Corazon C. Aquino's Speech Before the United States Congress. Though the Philippines was in a better condition under the Americans than the Spaniards, freedom was not immediately accorded to the Filipinos. Some Americans and Filipinos used political cartoons to illustrate the changing mores and times under American rule. The use of these cartoons was a subtle way of expressing discontent with American rule. President Corazon C. Aquino was invited to deliver a speech before the United States Congress on September 18, 1986, in recognition of the peaceful EDSA revolution, which ousted Marcos and paved the way for Aquino to become the President. **Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricatures of the American Era** **(1900-1941)** The Spanish colonial period in the Philippines was characterized by strict censorship resulting in a lack of political liberty and minimal avenues for expressing political views. Political cartoons and caricatures are relatively recent art forms that veered away from classical art by exaggerating human features and poking fun at their subjects. Such art genres and techniques became a part of the print media as a form of social and political commentary, which usually targets power and authority. Cartoons became a useful tool for publicizing opinions through the heavy use of symbolism, which is different from verbose written editorial and opinion pieces. The unique way that a caricature represents the opinion and captures the audience\'s imagination is reason enough for historians to examine these political cartoons. Commentaries in mass media inevitably shape public opinion, and such kind of opinion is worthy of historical examinationIn the book Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricature of the American Era (1900), Alfred McCoy, together with Alfredo Roces, compiled political cartoons published in newspaper dailies and periodicals above time.  Alfred McCoy Alfredo Roces Depicts the first of Manila\'s periodic police scandals during the American era The cartoonist illustrates his usual racist edge, e.g., Chinese men are usually caricatured, for they are described as corruptors or opium smugglers.  The cartoon shows a politician from Tondo, named Dr. Santos, passing his crown to his brother-in-law, Dr. Barcelona. A Filipino guy (as depicted wearing salakot and barong Tagalog) was trying to stop Santos, telling the latter to stop giving Barcelona the crown because it is not his, to begin with. A commentary on the exceptional cases of colored automobiles in the city streets. The Philippine Free Press published this commentary when fatal accidents involving colorum vehicles and taxis occurred too often already.  Here, we see the caricature of Uncle Sam riding a chariot pulled by Filipinos wearing school uniforms. The Filipino boys were carrying American objects like baseball bats and boxing gloves. In his caption to the said cartoon, McCoy was based on an event in 1907 when William Howard Taft was brought to the Manila pier riding a chariot pulled by Liceo de Manila students. The nationalists condemned such at that time. **Other examples of Caricatures** **Analysis of Political Caricatures during the American Period** +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | The Spanish Colonial period\'s transition to the American Occupation | | period demonstrated different strands of changes and shifts in | | culture, society, and politics. The Americans drastically introduced | | democracy to the nascent nation, and the consequences were far from | | ideal. During the American period, Filipinos were introduced to | | modern manifestations like healthcare, modern transportation, and | | media. This ushered in a more open and freer press. The | | post-independence and post-Filipino-American periods in the | | Philippines were experienced differently by Filipinos coming from | | different classes. The Upper principalia class experienced economic | | prosperity with the opening up of the Philippine economy to the U.S., | | but the majority of the poor Filipinos remained needy, desperate, and | | victims of state repression. | | | | The cartoons illustrate the opinion of certain media outfits about | | Philippine society and politics in the United States. The cartoons | | also illustrated the conditions of poor Filipinos in the Philippines | | now governed by the United States. From the looks of it, nothing much | | has changed. The other cartoon depicts how Americans controlled | | Filipinos through seemingly harmless American objects. By controlling | | their consciousness and mentality, Americans got to control and | | subjugate Filipinos. | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ **Martial Law Era in the Philippines** **Proclamation of Martial Law**: On September 21, 1972, [[President Ferdinand E. Marcos]](http://malacanang.gov.ph/presidents/fourth-republic/ferdinand-marcos/) placed the Philippines under [[Martial Law]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial_law). The declaration issued under Proclamation 1081 suspended civil rights and imposed military authority in the country. Marcos defended the declaration stressing the need for extra powers to quell the rising wave of violence allegedly caused by communists. The emergency rule was also intended to eradicate the roots of rebellion and promote a rapid trend for national development. The autocrat assured the country of the legality of Martial Law emphasizing the need for control over civil disobedience that displays lawlessness. Marcos explained citing the provisions from the [[Philippine Constitution]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_Philippines) that Martial Law is a strategic approach to legally defend the Constitution and protect the welfare of the Filipino people from the dangerous threats posed by Muslim rebel groups and Christian vigilantes that places national security at risk during the time. Marcos explained that martial law was not a military takeover but was then the only option to resolve the country's dilemma of rebellion that caused national chaos threatening the peace and order of the country. The emergency rule, according to Marcos's plan, was to lead the country into what he calls a "New Society".\ Marcos used several events to justify martial law. Threat to the country's security was intensifying following the re-establishment of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in 1968. Supporters of CPP's military arm, the New People's Army, also grew in numbers in Tarlac and other parts of the country. The alleged attempt on the life of then Minister of Defense [[Juan Ponce Enrile]](http://www.senate.gov.ph/senators/sen_bio/enrile_bio.asp) gave Marcos a window to declare Martial Law. Marcos announced the emergency rule the day after the shooting incident. Marcos also declared insurgency in the south caused by the clash between Muslims and Christians, which Marcos considered as a threat to national security. The Muslims were defending their ancestral land against the control of Christians who migrated in the area. The minority group organized the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in Malaysia and pushed for the autonomy of Mindanao from the national government.\ The move was initially supported by most Filipinos and was viewed by some critics as a change that solved the massive corruption in the country. Martial law ceased the clash between the executive and legislative branches of the government and a bureaucracy characterized by special interest. Marcos started to implement reforms on social and political values that hindered effective modernization. To match the accomplishments of its [[Asian]](http://www.asean.org/) neighbors, Marcos imposed the need for self-sacrifice for the attainment of national welfare. His reforms targeted his rivals within the elite depriving them of their power and patronage but did not affect their supporters (US Library of Congress, Martial Law and the Aftermath).\ Thirty-thousand opposition figures including Senator [[Benigno Aquino]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benigno_Aquino,_Jr.), journalists, student and labor activists were detained at military compounds under the President's command (Proclamation 1081 and Martial Law). The army and the Philippine Constabulary seized weapons and disbanded private armies controlled by prominent politicians and other influential figures (Proclamation 1081 and Martial Law). Marcos took control of the legislature and closed the [[Philippine Congress]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Congress) (Proclamation 1081 and Martial Law). Numerous media outfits were either closed down or operated under tight control (Proclamation 1081 and Martial Law). Marcos also allegedly funneled millions of the country's money by placing some of his trusted supporters in strategic economic positions to channel resources to him. Experts call this the "crony capitalism."\ The deterioration of the political and economic condition in the Philippines triggered the decline of support on Marcos' plans. More and more Filipinos took arms to dislodge the regime. Urban poor communities in the country's capital were organized by the Philippine Ecumenical Council for Community and were soon conducting protest masses and prayer rallies. These efforts including the exposure of numerous human rights violations pushed Marcos to hold an election in 1978 and 1981 in an aim to stabilize the country's chaotic condition. Marcos, in both events, won the election; however, his extended term as President of the Republic of the Philippines elicited an extensive opposition against his regime. Social unrest reached its height after former Senator Benigno Aquino was murdered. The incident sent thousands of Filipinos to the streets calling for Marcos' removal from post. Turning again to his electoral strategy, Marcos held a snap election in 1986 but what he hoped would satisfy the masses only increased their determination to end his rule that seated Corazon Aquino, widow of Benigno Aquino, as [[President of the Philippines]](https://www.philippine-history.org/presidents.htm) ousting Marcos from [[Malacañang Palace]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaca%C3%B1ang_Palace) and ending the twenty-one years of tyrant rule.  **Revisiting Corazon Aquino\'s Speech Before the U.S. Congress** **Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino** (January 25, 1933-August 1, 2009) became President of the Philippines because of the 1986 EDSA Revolution-the nonviolent revolution that ousted President Ferdinand Marcos. She was the Assassinated opposition figurehead\'s wife during the martial law era, Benigno \"Ninoy\" Aquino, Jr. She served and is considered the 11th President of the Philippines and was proclaimed \"Woman of the Year\" in 1986 by Time magazine. In 1999, she was chosen by Time magazine as one of the 20 Most Influential Asians of the 20th century. Before becoming the President, she had not held any elective office. She died on August 1, 2009, due to colorectal cancer. **Historical Background of the Document** **Corazon C. Aquino delivered her historic speech before the U.S. Congress** on September 18, 1986-barely seven months after being sworn into office under a revolutionary government brought about by the EDSA Revolution. During that time, Cory\'s presidency was unstable, for she inherited an economy in shambles. There was massive poverty and unemployment in the country. The loyalty of the military to her administration was still in question. Her administration was already besieged by a coup attempt backed by a multitude of offices. Despite releasing political detainees, the communist insurgency was still gripping the countryside. She needed foreign allies to recognize her newly established administration. The aforementioned historic speech targeted two goals at the same time. It aimed to express gratitude towards the United States for helping the Filipinos regain their freedom and seek more help from them in restoring the government, considering Aquino\'s decision to honor the Philippines\' foreign debts during the Marcos administration. She began her speech with the story of her leaving the United States three years prior as a newly widowed wife of Ninoy Aquino. She then told of Ninoy\'s character, convection, and resolve in opposing the authoritarianism of Marcos. She talked of the three times that they lost Ninoy, including his demise on 23 August 1983. The first time was when the dictatorship detained Ninoy with other dissenters. Cory related: Cory continued that when Ninoy survived that first detention, he was charged with subversion, murder, and other crimes. Aquino was tried by a military court, whose legitimacy Ninoy adamantly questioned. To solidify his protest, Ninoy decided to do a hunger strike and fasted for 40 days. Cory treated this event as the second time that their family lost Ninoy. She said: Cory turned to the controversial topic of the Philippine foreign debt amounting to \$26 billion at the time of her speech. This debt ballooned during the Marcos regime. Cory expressed her intention to honor those debts despite mentioning that the people did not benefit from such debts. Thus, she mentioned her protestations about how the Philippines was deprived of paying those debts within the Filipino people\'s capacity. She lamented: Cory proceeded to enumerate the challenges of the Filipino people as they tried building the new democracy. These were the persisting communist insurgency and economic deterioration. Cory further lamented that these problems were worsened by the crippling debt because half of the country's export earnings amounting to \$2 billion would "go to pay just the interest on a debt whose benefit the Filipino people never received." Cory then asked a rather compelling question to the U.S. Congress: Cory ended her speech by thanking America for serving as home to her family for what she referred to as the \"three happiest years of our lives together.\" She enjoined America in building the Philippines as a new home for democracy and in turning the country into a \"shining testament of our two nations\' commitment." **Analysis of Cory Aquino's Speech** +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Cory Aquino\'s speech was an actual event in its political and | | diplomatic history because it arguably cemented the EDSA | | government\'s legitimacy in the international arena. The speech talks | | about her family background, especially her relationship with her | | late husband, Ninoy Aquino. In her speech, Cory talked at length | | about Ninoy\'s toil and suffering at the dictatorship\'s hands that | | he resisted. She still went back to Nonoy\'s legacies and lessons. | | Her attribution of the revolution to Ninoy\'s death demonstrates not | | only Cory's perception of the revolution but since she was the | | President, it also represents what the dominant discourse was at that | | point in our history. | | | | The ideology or the principles of the new democratic government can | | also be seen in the same speech. Aquino drew a sharp contrast between | | her government and her predecessor by expressing her commitment to a | | democratic constitution drafted by an independent commission. She | | claimed that such a constitution upholds and adheres to the rights | | and liberty of the Filipino people. Cory also hoisted herself as the | | reconciliatory agent after more than two decades of polarizing | | authoritarian politics. Cory claimed that her primary approach to | | this problem was through peace and not through the sword of war. | | | | Despite Cory's effort to hoist herself as the exact opposite of | | Marcos, her speech still revealed certain parallelisms between her | | and Marcos\'s government. This is seen in continuing the alliance | | between the Philippines and the United States, despite the known | | affinity between the said world superpower and Marcos. As seen in | | Cory\'s acceptance of the invitation to address the U.S. Congress and | | in the content of the speech, the Aquino regime decided to build and | | continue with the alliance between our country, the Philippines, and | | the United States and effectively implemented an essentially similar | | foreign policy to that of the dictatorship. Cory recognized that the | | Marcos regime\'s large sum of foreign debts never benefitted the | | Filipino people. Cory expressed her intention to pay off those debts. | | Cory's decision is an indicator of her government's intention to | | carry on a debt-driven economy. | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ **SUMMARY:** The Spanish Colonial period\'s transition to the American Occupation period demonstrated different strands of changes and shifts in culture, society, and politics. The Americans drastically introduced democracy to the nascent nation, and the consequences were far from ideal. Political cartoons and caricatures are an art form that veered away from classical art by exaggerating human features and poking fun at its subjects. Such art genres and techniques became a part of the print media as a form of social and political commentary, which usually targets power and authority. The cartoons illustrate the opinion of certain media outfits about Philippine society and politics in the United States. The cartoons also illustrated the conditions of poor Filipinos in the Philippines governed by the United States. Cory Aquino\'s speech was an actual event in the country\'s political and diplomatic history because it arguably cemented the EDSA government\'s legitimacy in the international arena. The speech talks about her family background, especially her relationship with her late husband, Ninoy Aquino. In her speech, Cory talked at length about Ninoy\'s toil and suffering at the dictatorship\'s hands that he resisted. The ideology or the principles of the new democratic government can also be seen in the same speech. Reading through Aquino\'s speech, we can already take cues, not just from Cory's ideas and aspirations, but also guiding principles and framework of the government that she represented. **Online Supplementary Materials (Video Clips)** Political Caricatures of the American Era Martial Law President Corazon Aquino before the US Congress **REFERENCES** - Martinez, R. et al., (2021). The Readings in Philippine History. Manila: Mindshapers Co., Inc. - Asuncion, N. et al. ((2019). Readings in Philippine History. Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc. - Candelaria, J., & Alporha V. (2018). Readings in Philippine History. Manila: Rex Book Store, Inc. - Ariola, M.M. & Parajas, R.P. (2018). Readings in Philippine History. Manila: Unlimited Books Library Services & Publishing Inc.