TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES – TAGUIG CAMPUS

14 E Service Rd, Western Bicutan, Taguig, 1630 Metro Manila

Bachelor of Engineering Technology Major in Chemical Engineering Technology

READINGS IN
PHILIPPINE HISTORY
“Alfred McCoy’s Political Caricatures of American Era in the Philippines”

LADERA, MIKE DAVEN

LALAMUNAN, LIZA
LORZANO, JEYCEL MARIE
BET-CHT 2A
 “Alfred McCoy’s Political Caricatures of
American Era in the Philippines”

SUMMARY OF THE EVENT

During American era, Philippine political cartoons gained full experience. Alfred McCoy
together with Alfredo Roces compiled political cartoons, published it in newspapers dailies and
periodicals. There are 377 cartoons complied in this book that obviously speaks for themselves
but Alfred McCoy’s extensive research in Philippine and American archives provide a
comprehensive background not only to the cartoons but to rough period as well.

This book received many achievements like “The Philippine Catholic Mass Media
Award”, ”Best Book of the Year (1985)”, “Philippine National Book Award for History (1986)”,
“Gintong Aklat (Manila) and Special Citation for History (1987)”.

Some of the titles of cartoons are: Equal Work, Unequal Salary, Why? It talks about
how Filipino teachers are discriminated in both of their wages and positions. During the Taft
era, policies on hiring teachers change and the term “Filipinization” of the civil service began. A
Public Post is a not a Hereditary Crown, this caricature shows a rising of political dynasty. A
politician from tondo passing his crown to his brother in law with a Filipino guy trying to stop
the politician because the crown isn’t his to begin with. War Against Speculator, it is drawn by
Fernando Amorsolo, a Filipino child who stole a skinny chicken because he had nothing to eat.
A police officers is trying to chase him while a man wearing a salakot named Juan de la Cruz was
grabbing the officer, telling him to leave the small pockets and thieves but rather turn at the
great thieves of the nation instead.

Accounts pointed that the Philippine press had a love-hate relationship with the
Philippine Caricatures as only in 1985. The book of McCoy and Roces was the first one to
legitimize cartoons as sources of Filipino thoughts and views. Although the book only covered
the period of early American period though commonwealth, it reflected on two cartoon
themes. Anti-american sentiments and condemnation of the ruling class.
 HISTORICAL CRITICISM

Long live Spain free of Religious

Corporations, Fernando Amorsolo drew
with an unequalled vitriol and racism,
caricatures of the Spanish Jesuits
identifiable by their habits and initials
“SJ” (Society of Jesus). Long live Spain
comments upon the inauguration of the
Spanish cultural center, Casa de Espana,
in January 1917. Filipino and Spanish
banquet speakers celebrated Hispano-
Philippine friendship with pecans of
praise for Spain’s glorious legacy in the
islands. While The Independent
treasures Spain’s literary and cultural
legacy, it cannot forget the abuses of the
friars and the religious corporations. Filipinos points to the skulls of Filipino nationalist martyrs
executed in 1872 and 1896-97 (Jose Rizal, Fr. Jose Burgos, merchant Francisco L. Roxas) and;

A Duel To The Deaths,

was drawn for The
Independent by Amorsolo in
early 1917 when Manila City
Fiscal Quintin Paredes, later
house speaker and senator,
filed two criminal libel suits
against the newspaper
demanding 200,000 pesos as
damages for statements about
the Jesuits. Masked to conceal
their role in the case, the
Jesuits are pitiing their fitting
cock, Fiscal Paredes, against
the Filpino people who have a cock labelled The Indepedent.

The Cochero, who has a reputation for extreme brazenness, slip in and out among
vehicles with chilling trepidation. In the hopeless traffic tangles on the bridges leading to the
center of Manila, there is frequent destruction, and you often see a cochero loudly arguing with
a driver of a car that has just nicked a wobbly vehicle.

Newspapers and magazines often depicted the cocheros as Manila’s rogue elements
and petty criminals ruling over the city (PFP1931a, 1; McCoy and Roces 1985, 84). They were
tagged in editorials as “scheming,” “irresponsible,” “unreliable,” and “rude”. Good cocheros
were seen as a rarity and more an exception to rather than compliance with the rule. An anti-
cochero sentiment was apparent in a 1931 Philippines Free Press article that narrated how a
chauffeur rose in anger in a traffic altercation and shot a cochero dead. This article blamed the
cocheros for the incident and, instead of showing sympathy, stressed that almost all Manila
newspapers called for stricter
regulation of cocheros.

On 21 March 1931, the

paper’s cartoon lumped the
cocheros together with all
unwanted elements of Manila
society such as gamblers,
gangsters, and beggars, as they
all rode a wagon driven by a
member of the Municipal
Council. In the background, the
public—represented by a man
tagged as “99% of us”—was
adamant about the situation
and exclaimed, “Is this what
we are paying for?” On 23
November 1940, the paper’s
editorial cartoon caricatured the cochero, along with the sidewalk peddler and the criminal,
riding a carriage with a “cheap politician” pulling the vehicle. As the politician was thinking of
the votes that he would get for the upcoming elections, he trampled on a man referred to as
the “public.”

The continuation of this belief among Americans underlines a deep frustration among
them. Mainstream vernacular newspapers also criticized cocheros, and were just as vocal about
their criticisms as the English-language press. Their articles even talked of cocheros as conniving
with pickpockets and racketeers in petty crimes. Lipang Kalabaw, a satirical periodical known
for its criticism of the colonial state, blasted cocheros for their supposed lack of street
decorum. A more stinging rebuke from the said newspaper came in the form of a cartoon strip
of McCoy and Roces’s compilation of contemporary cartoons from the Philippines Free Press
provides a good sample for analysis.
 HISTORICAL SOURCES

o Philippine National Book Award for History, 1986 -

Gintong Aklat Award (Manila)Spe cial Citation for History,
1987.

o Philippine Catholic Mass Media Award – Best Book of the

Year for 1985

o The Philippine Assembly

passed a law authorizing all legislators, active or

retired, to bear firearms.

o The Manila press

was outraged, but the legislators ignored the

opposition and promulgated the law over the screams of
protest

o Why the Aparcero Rebels

It shows the form of landlord usury used to strip
tenant farmers from their rightful share of harvest.
o New Bird of Prey

The cartoon's caption, "New Bird of Prey" is an

allusion to the most famous libel case in the history of
Philippine Journalism.

o Where the Mosquito is King

Built on a swamp and ringed with streams and ponds, Manila is a natural
breeding ground for malarial mosquitoes. The Board of Health distributed millions of
doses of quinine and eliminated mosquito breeding grounds by filling up the standing
water holes or by spraying them with petroleum Liberty, Equality, Fraternity

o While the Priest Lives Alone in a Big Building

Like many nationalists of his day, Vicente Sotto, the publisher of the
INDEPENDENT, never missed a chance to attack the catholic church
o Is the Police Force Bribed?

Depicts the first of manila's periodic police scandals the cartoonist, Fernando
Amorsolo, gives the illustration a usual racist edge

o Equal Work, Unequal Salary, Why?

When Filipinos began winning civil service appointments after 1913 they found
themselves facing serious discrimination in both wages and positions.Francis b. Harrison
the liberal Governor General reed the pro; American hiring policies of the Taft Era(1900-
12) and began the "Filipinization" of the civil service.

o American Worker- Filipino Worker

refers not to a tenfold difference in Filipino and American manual wages within
the colony, but to a more fundamental inequality - the difference in wages and working
conditions between the two countries.

o The Elections Before and After

After only 15 years of party politics, the corruption of the political process had
become apparent by the early 1920's

In 1926, the future of Mindanao became one of the key issues in the Philippines-
American relations. American imperialists exploited the tensions to advocate partition
of the Philippines and a permanent American protector for Mindanao.

This cartoon published in 1928 show Juan de la Cruz as a beast of burden bearing
a crushing load of taxes and jobholders.

o A new Wrinkle in the Art of Thieving

This shows City Capitalists using the Torrens Title process, which required
relinquishment of customary claims to issue titles, to grab lands in Nueva Ecija and
other Central Luzon Provinces.

o What's Going to be Done About it?

A sudden and unexpected credit crisis threatens the Negros Sugar crop and
planters respond by lobbying Governor-General Francis B. Harrison for relief. Fueled by
free access to the American sugar market and liberal credit from the newly established
Philippine National Bank, the Negros sugar industry grew rapidly during World War I.
o Brother's under the skin

Urges Filipinos to end social conflict and deal with each other fairly. As
Demobilized American Soldiers filled the insular civil service and American corporations
won the major development projects, Filipino nationalists saw themselves becoming
economic aliens in their own land. The cartoon's image of Meralco (E.R.R & L.Co.)
dragging Juan de la Cruz along the neck as he vomits pesos from his emaciated frame is
no overstatement.

SELF POINT OF VIEW ABOUT THE EVENT

Whenever I see a newspaper I always look for the editorial part, it somehow makes
me laugh and wonder how creative artist in delivering the message to the point that will
make you think about the current events. Alfred McCoy's Political Caricature serves as the
eye opener and a weapon in the past and also in our present time. The Compilation of
Caricature in the book greatly proved how the American used their power for the past
centuries. From my point of view, The way artist delivered their complains towards the
government is like how Mahatma Ghandi's did his non-violent resistance like not paying tax
while the artists especially who live in the city use these drawings to present information in
a way that it was easy to read and widely accessible. I can say that the artists in the
American era who use their freedom of speech and press to criticize (the distinctive form of
US power used in our country), successfully delivered the message not just for the Filipinos
in the past but also in the present and in the near future. This artistic way of criticizing the
government continues we can see it in newspaper, magazine and also online. Some of the
best drawing that lingers inside my head especially in today’s time in politics is the picture
of a man passing his throne (in politics) to his relative while a man, representing some of
the Filipinos running to stop this so called political dynasty.

Another one is drawn by Amorsolo, we can relate especially nowadays, we can see
in the cartoons a police authorities oppresses the poor and turning blind eye on big people
who have power. We can relate to this, especially us Filipinos, in the news we can see a
man jailed for stealing a canned goods to his family while a senator stealing millions still
have his freedom and still sitting on his throne. We can see how our government favors
those who have money and power. It's sad to think that this kind of issue still exists. Since
American era, I mean, are we people still blind, deaf and stupid for letting this to happen
again and again. I conclude that this way of delivering a message is very great its just that
many of us are blind, deaf and forgetful of many unfair moments that the government has
given us. I hope someday, our future generation will not just relate and forget but will learn
and use this to create a better system.
 IMPORTANCE OF THE EVENT IN THE PRESENT TIME

Political caricatures can be very funny, especially if you understand the issue that
they’re commenting on. The main purpose, though, is not to amuse you but to persuade
you. A good political cartoon makes you think about current events, but it also tries to sway
your opinion toward the cartoonist’s point of view. The best political cartoonist can change
your mind on an issue without you even realizing how he or she did it. The book of McCoy
and Roces (1986) was the first one to legitimize cartoons as sources of Filipino thoughts and
views. Although the book only covered the period of early American through the
commonwealth, it reflected on two cartoon themes: anti-American sentiments and the
condemnation of the ruling class.

This political caricatures is an eye – opener, because it shows us the history of our
politics and what kind of politics we had before. It will also clarify historical information that
had been misinterpreted by others. This kind of literature is helpful especially current and
future generations are not left behind with our historical events. They can always look back,
take a glimpse, or even endure all the happenings. It can either be their reference in their
schoolwork or a guide to what they have wanted to believe in and to start with. A cartoon
conveys a lot of information in a very few words. It gives an impact to our government
officials to make our rules and regulations more meaningful in terms of the security and
pride of our country against other foreign conquerors.
Through the use of it we people get to visualize politics and appreciate their
representations which are truly remarkable.
 REFERENCES

Primary Sources

 Selected sections and pages from the book “Philippine Cartoons-Political

Caricatures of American Era” by Alfred McCoy and Alfredo Roces (1900-1941)
file:///C:/Users/nestor%20calipay/Downloads/PhilippineCartoons1900-
1941smallfile%20(1).pdf

Secondary Sources

 https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrxhSQA6_JeWloASRLfSQx.;_ylu=X3oDMTByc
WJpM21vBGNvbG8Dc2czBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg--/RV=2/RE=15930
06976/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.goodreads.com%2fbook%2fshow
%2f3004055-philippine-cartoons/RK=2/RS=vzn982Dd6GNhUbLRMLvNXE4drCw-
 https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrxhSQA6_JeWloASxLfSQx.;_ylu=X3oDMTBya
W0wdmlxBGNvbG8Dc2czBHBvcwMyBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg--/RV=2/RE=15930
06976/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.scribd.com%2fpresentation
%2f426520097%2fAlfred-McCoys-Philippine-Cartoons-Political-Caricatures-of-
the-American-Era-pptx/RK=2/RS=NPf1JP2w681mXvPm4GYeSPKfPsY-
 https://www.academia.edu/32103484/Selected_sections_and_cartoons_from_P
hilippine_Cartoons_Political_Caricature_of_the_American_Era_1900-
1941_edited_by_Alfred_W._McCoy_and_Alfredo_R._Roces_1985_?
fbclid=IwAR3UUd8bzKvIN5rfwRf1NOKgF4zJUgCvy9bSuCXapkG3gDU0w-
fv7SMbohU
 https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.scribd.com
%2Fpresentation%2F426520097%2FAlfred-McCoys-Philippine-Cartoons-Political-
Caricatures-of-the-American-Era-pptx%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0G0UJH-
y4PXRS7K_jELTJqQT57OkOKzMyJG4062fEUjLfTxlE4qdjKrpU&h=AT2b9IIbLRct0Tfo
QKcOu2km2ZcjTu9czrtXNwe9KWQo198sGZWXwHAe1AmKsPNeB1Z_lG1kTgmYD
69jiXNUHuo5Mq_ilkPAtr3fVvfnbSxBzsaq8svDL2vUajFOhDkvf97qSw
 file:///C:/Users/nestor%20calipay/Downloads/PhilippineCartoons1900-
1941smallfile.pdf