 A public post is not a hereditary crown… - 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.
 War, against the Speculators - Drawn by Fernando Amorsolo and was aimed as a commentary
to the workings of manila Police at that period. A Filipino child who stole a skinny chicken
because he had nothing to eat. The police officer was relentlessly pursuing the said child. A man
wearing a salakot, labeled Juan de la Cruz, was grabbing the officer, telling him to leave the
small-time pickpockets and thieves and to turn at the great thieves instead. He was pointing to
huge warehouse containing bulks of rice, milk ad grocery products.
 Death Cars - A commentary on the unprecedented cases of colorum automobiles in the city
streets. The Philippine Free Press published this commentary when fatal accidents involving
colorum vehicles and taxis occurred too often already.
 Flaming Youth - The fourth depicts a cinema. A blown-up police officer was at the screen saying
that couples are not allowed to neck and make love in the theater. Two youngsters looked
horrified while an older couple seemed amused.
ANALYSIS OF THE POLITICAL CARICATURES OF THE AMERICAN ERA

The transition from the Spanish Colonial Period to the American Occupation Period demonstrated
different strands of changes and shifts in culture, society, and politics. The American drastically
introduced democracy to the nascent nation and the consequences were far from ideal.

During the American Period that Filipinos were introduced to different manifestations of modernity like
healthcare, modern transportation, and media. This ushered in a more open and freer press. The post-
independence and the post-Filipino-American Period 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 United States but the majority of the poor Filipino remained poor, desperate, and
victims of state repression. The selected cartoons illustrate not only the opinion of certain media
outfits about the Philippine society during the American Period but also paint a broad image of society
and politics under the United States.

In the arena of politics, for example, we see the price that Filipinos paid for the democracy modeled
after the Americans. First, it seemed that the Filipino politicians at that time did not understand well
enough the essence of democracy and the accompanying democratic institutions and processes. This
can be seen in the rising dynastic politics in Tondo as depicted in the cartoon published by The
Independent.

Patronage also became influential and powerful, not only between clients and patrons but also between
the newly formed political parties composed of the elite and the United States. This was depicted in the
cartoon where the United States, represented by Uncle Sam, provided dole outs for members of the
Federalista while the Nationalista politicians looked on and waited for their turn.

Thus, the essence of competing political parties to enforce choices among the voters was cancelled
out. The problem continues up to the present where politicians transfer from one party to another
depending on which party was powerful in specific periods of time.

The transition from a catholic-centered, Spanish-Filipino society to an Imperial American-assimilated

one, and its complication, were also depicted in the cartoons. One example is the unprecedented
increase of motorized vehicles in the city.

The rules governing the issuance of driver’s license was loose and traffic police could not be bothered by
rampant violations of traffic rules. This is a direct consequence of the drastic urbanization of the
Philippine society. Another example is what McCoy called The "sexual revolution" that occurred in the
1930s.

Young people, as early as that period, disturbed the conservative Filipino mindset by engaging in daring
sexual activities in public spaces like cinemas. Here, we can see how that period was the meeting point
between the conservative past and the liberated future of the Philippines.

The other cartoons depict how Americans controlled Filipinos through seemingly harmless American
objects. By controlling their consciousness and mentality, Americans got to control and subjugate
Filipinos.

Lastly, 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. For example, a cartoon depicted
how police authorities oppress petty Filipino criminals while turning a blind eye on hoarders who
monopolize goods in their huge ware houses (presumably Chinese merchants).