Early Insurrections Against the Spaniards.
Many and notable have been the struggles of the Filipinos to escape
the yoke of the Spanish tyrant. But in all cases European intelligence
and Spanish treachery proved too strong for the simple natives, and
thus, after every revolt, the chains of servitude were riveted only
more firmly.
As early as 1622 there was a revolt on Bojol island, which was speedily
quelled. The same year saw a great insurrection in Leyte, which was put
down only after great difficulty. The leaders were all executed: some
were garroted, others shot with arrows, and many burnt at the stake.
Despite these extreme punishments, a rising took place in Surigao,
in the eastern part of Mindanao, in 1629, which lasted for three
years. At last, weary of the tyranny of the church, the natives
rose en masse and killed the priests. Expedition after expedition
was sent from Manila; and after much loss on the Spanish side,
and a vigorous resistance on the part of the rebels themselves,
the rebellion was brought to an end. But the peace that followed
was destined to be of short duration. In 1649 the Governor-General
put into effect the odious press-law, which caused a general protest
and a formidable revolt. A native, Sumoroy by name, killed a priest
that had grievously wronged him, and led the insurrection. The Spanish
soldiers, unable to apprehend him, discovered his mother, and literally
tore her to pieces. Sumoroy, goaded into a very frenzy of vengeance,
pursued his enemies with merciless hate, and many fell a victim to his
cruelty. He was finally betrayed by his own people and beheaded. His
head was stuck on a pole and paraded through the province. Other
chiefs then surrendered, on the condition of receiving a full pardon;
but the Spaniards forgot their fair promises, and promptly hanged
them as soon as they had them in hand. This rebellion also extended
to other provinces, but was quelled by the proclamation of a general
amnesty. All those that took part in it, however, were, finally,
executed or imprisoned.
In 1660 there was another rising in Pampanga, where the natives were
forced to cut down timber without payment. In Pangasinan province
Andres Malong, a native, was declared King. He advanced toward the
capital with a large army, gathering reinforcements on the way,
till he had with him about 40,000 men. These were met by a small but
well-armed Spanish force, and were routed. Most of the chiefs were
captured and hanged.
In 1744 a Jesuit parish priest, Morales, by his despotic manner and
arrogance, embittered the natives of his flock. One of these, whose
brother's body was left uninterred because his family could not furnish
enough money to satisfy the unjust demands of the avaricious priest,
led a party of natives against him. Morales was captured and executed,
and his own body left in the sun. Dagohoy then raised the standard
of revolt, and was joined by many thousands of his countrymen. He and
his people thus maintained their independence for thirty-five years,
when they finally submitted and were pardoned. On account of the
strength and the multitude of the offenders in this insurrection the
Spaniards were afraid to visit upon them the customary punishment;
they feared to provoke another rebellion.
In 1823 a creole, Andres Novales, conspired to seize the capital and
to control the Government. He and his fellow-conspirators, however,
were seized and executed.
In 1827 there was a small rebellion in Cebú, which was quelled by
the friars. Another insurrection took place in Negros in 1844, when
the Governor of the province was killed, because he made the natives
work for his own private purpose.
The Burgos Revolt.
In 1872 the friars were again the cause of a great revolt. Dr Joseph
Burgos, a prominent native, led a party that urged the exclusion of
the friars from parochial incumbencies. This had been promised at
the council of Trent. The night of a suburban feast was the time
agreed upon by the natives for the attack. The native soldiers of
the garrison were also in the plot; and thus the arsenal was taken
almost without a struggle, while the Europeans were now made the
object of the attack. The latter rallied, however, and drove out the
invaders. The arsenal was re-taken and many rebels were killed and
taken prisoners. Burgos himself, with three other native priests,
was apprehended and executed on the old sea-wall by the Luneta,
that spot so richly sanctified by the blood of patriot-heroes.
Many others of the native clergy were banished. And ever since this
revolt the native priests have been under suspicion, and native
youths are no longer allowed to study for the priesthood. In this
instance the insurgents had planned a revolutionary government, which,
if successfully carried out, would have reflected great honor upon
the leaders.
The Present Rebellion.
In August, 1896, the present rebellion was begun. The causes of this
uprising were similar to those that caused the preceding insurrections;
the arrogance and the exactions of the friars, the oppressive taxes,
the licenses and numerous fees, and other extortions practised by
the Government officials were again the source of much discontent
among the people. The natives, furthermore, were compelled to submit
to usurious loans whenever they wished to raise money to carry on the
various kinds of domestic enterprise. If a native was unable to satisfy
the claims against him, his property was immediately confiscated by
the Government. This power of confiscation was used most effectively
against the well-to-do-natives, who thus were fleeced by the officials
on the slightest pretext.
The Katipunan.
Smarting under these grievances, the natives formed a secret
Revolutionary League, called the Katipunan, which soon numbered not
less than 50,000 men. Cavité was the rebel stronghold, and from the
day of its inception till the present time the rebellion has steadily
grown; the barbarity and inhumanity of the Spaniards, now proverbial,
have caused similar retaliations on the part of the rebels. And while
this is not surprising, it is, nevertheless, surely to be deplored.
If the civilized and religious Spaniard tortured his prisoners,--by
burning, smothering, disemboweling, and otherwise mutilating,--what
was to be expected of the half-civilized ignorant native. He,
however, displayed far more mercy and greater magnanimity than his
European enemy. The Spaniards, indeed, revived all the horrors of the
inquisition,--the thumbscrew, the stake, and the rack. Is it a wonder
that the Filipinos, rankling with the memory of a recent outrage and
an ancient wrong, sometimes inflicted the same punishments on the
unfortunate Spaniards that fell into their hands?
The Black Hole of Manila.
For the rebels well knew that a policy of extermination had been
declared against them. Was it not at a banquet in Manila that the
Spanish officers made a compact to kill the savages like wild beasts in
their lairs, and to show quarter to none! We yet shudder when we think
of the black hole of Manila, in which one hundred prisoners were thrust
one night, of whom sixty were found dead the next morning--because
the one door that admitted air into the dungeon had been shut. We
remember with horror, too, the executions of the rebels in Manila.
The day of an execution was made a day of jubilee, when the élite
of the city came out to grace the general rejoicing. It was eagerly
looked forward to, and, in honor of the great event, all the prominent
houses were decked in flags and bunting--the whole city, in fact,
assumed a holiday aspect.
The execution usually took place in the cool of the morning, when
the Luneta would be thronged with thousands of people, who came to
witness this grand vindication of the honor of Spain. Nor was the
fair sex lacking in these demonstrations of loyalty. Here come the
victims, stolid and indifferent; behind them march the soldiers,
with measured tread.
The condemned are then made to stand upon the old sea-wall, and,
facing the sea, await their doom. The suspense becomes intense;
a hush falls over the expectant multitude, and a succession of
sharp commands falls upon the morning air. An answering click and
a scattered volley of shots, and the grim figures standing mutely
on the sea-wall fall headlong to the ground, many stark and stiff,
others writhing in agony. Hardly have the echoes of the shots died
away, when a jubilant cheer bursts from the assembled multitude. Men
toss their hats into the air; and ladies, beautiful and fashionably
dressed, are waving their handkerchiefs and clapping their hands in
an ecstasy of enthusiasm. The band bursts into triumphal music, and
there is great rejoicing. But ten thousand natives go back to their
homes with murder in their hearts.
The Forbearance of the Natives.
And yet, notwithstanding this severe provocation, the rebels rarely
attacked non-combatants, and seldom injured private property--an
example of their self-restraint and their remarkable forbearance. This,
too, is seen in their refraining from molesting the only railroad
in the colony, whose traffic was, of course, an advantage to the
Spaniards. This railroad is owned by an English company, and this
fact alone saved it from destruction.
It is also said that when the insurgents had made their plans to attack
Manila, a list of all the foreigners and non-combatants was carefully
prepared by their leaders. This, as may be supposed, was done so that
these might be guarded from the pillage and slaughter that was sure
to follow a successful assault of the thousands of infuriated natives,
thirsting for the blood of their Spanish oppressors. It would also be
no exaggeration to say, that the great majority of all the foreigners
in the islands--Germans, English, Dutch, and Americans--were secretly
in sympathy with the cause of the insurgents. And this is no cause
for wonder, when one thinks of the many and various impositions that
the Spanish Government and its unscrupulous officials have at every
shadow of an opportunity practised upon them. The rebellion began in
the province of Cavité, and was made formidable by the thousands of
refugees driven away from their rude bamboo huts and tiny rice-fields
by the Spaniards, come to pacify the province.
The Rebel Army.
At first, the rebels were successful; but when a large army, between
15,000 and 20,000 fresh Spanish conscripts from the Peninsula, was
sent against them, they were forced to retire; and, accordingly,
they entrenched themselves in the mountains near the capital. Here
they built a considerable fortress, and though the greater part of
the troops were without arms of any kind, they were, nevertheless,
made subject to the most rigid discipline. Many of them, indeed, were
engaged in the attempt to make their own fire-arms, and it can readily
be surmised how crude and indifferent such weapons were. Those that
could not secure guns, however, armed themselves with some other
weapon; and thus in the rebel army were to be seen all sorts and
styles of instruments for offensive warfare, from the deadly native
bolo to the large steel mowing scythe of European make. Only 1200
of the 7000 men that composed this camp possessed rifles; yet, even
thus poorly equipped, for more than eighteen months they kept up a
desultory but harassing war against 15,000 well-armed Spanish troops.
Most interesting is the manifesto of the rebel leaders. Part of this
document read as follows:
We make no distinction of race. We appeal to all honorable men--to
all who desire national dignity. All suffer alike, Filipinos and
Asiatics, Americans and Europeans. We call upon all to help a
down-trodden and tormented race--to restore a country destroyed,
to raise a land degraded. We welcome all--excepting not even a
Spaniard; for with us are some noble Spaniards, lovers of justice,
and free from prejudice, who support our demands for individuality
and national honor.
The Tagal Republic Proclaimed.
The Tagal Republic was proclaimed in October, 1896, and Andreas
Bonifacio was chosen President. When Bonifacio died, a few months
later, Aguinaldo was elected President and commander-in-chief.
When General Primo de Rivera arrived from Spain to quell the rising
insurrection, he attempted to end the insurrection by making various
concessions, having been unable to do so by force. The rebel leaders
were accordingly approached, and these, relying upon the fair promises
of the Spaniards, made a treaty known as the Pact of Biacnabato, so
named after the village where it was signed, December 14th, 1897. In
this pact the following reforms are promised:
The banishment, or at least, the disbanding, of the religious
orders; Philippine representation in the Cortes; the same
administration of justice for the natives as for the Spaniards;
unity of laws between the Philippines and Spain; the natives to
share the chief offices of the Philippine civil administration;
rearrangement of the property of the friars and of the taxes in
favor of the natives; recognition of the individual rights of
the natives, with liberty of public meeting and of the press,
and a general amnesty.
In return for these concessions, Aguinaldo and the other leaders
promised that if Rivera fulfilled these promised reforms, they would
leave the country for three years; and that they would stir up no
insurrection against the Spanish Government during this period. The
rebels then laid down their arms and surrendered their forts and
ammunition, and, according to other provisions of the treaty, Aguinaldo
received 400,000 pesetas, which were deposited in the Hong-Kong and
Shanghai Bank at Hong-Kong; not for his own personal use, but as a
fund, the interest of which, if the Spaniards carried out their part
of the agreement, was to be devoted to the education of native youth
in England.
In case the agreement was not carried out by the Spaniards, the money
was to be used for arms and to renew the rebellion.
Treachery of the Spaniards.
And how did the Spaniards fulfil their part of the pact? Rivera at
no time proclaimed a general amnesty; he denied the existence of
the pact, and shot several leaders, who, relying on his promises,
had returned to Manila. The rebellion was therefore renewed.
Only lately, Aguinaldo has again been approached by the Spanish
leaders, who promised to carry out the reforms stated in the pact if
he would combine with them against the Americans. The Captain-General,
indeed, went so far as to create a Legislative Council, to which he
appointed some of the leading men in the Tagal Republic. Aguinaldo
treated his overtures with scorn; for he well knew that these fair
promises would, like those made before, be broken at the first
opportunity.
The most powerful political organization in the islands is the
Katipunan Society, already referred to, which has a membership of
50,000. Each member of this body made a weekly contribution to the
revolutionary fund. Among the Katipunans are a great many Freemasons,
who are most bitter in their opposition to the friars. And not without
reason; for at one time more than 3,000 Masons were imprisoned by
the friars, and fettered with irons.
Dr. José Rizal and His Wife, Josephine.
The rebels were greatly encouraged by the presence in their ranks of
many women, who not only incited them to battle, but often also took
part themselves. Among these was Josephine Rizal, the wife of the
unfortunate and lamented Dr. Rizal,--one of the leaders in this revolt.
Rizal was a native of high scientific acquirements, and had
considerable fame as a physician. He was also the president of the
Manila University, and was deemed a leader in social and educational
circles. But above all he was a patriot, and desired beyond all else
the freedom of his country. He soon became the most ardent, as well
as the most prominent, among the revolutionists, who looked upon him
with awe. However, he was suspected, and he was exiled to Perin,
on the island of Dapitan. There he performed a most difficult and
successful operation on a patient,--an Irishman,--whose daughter
fell violently in love with him. Rizal was similarly affected, and
the lovers were soon engaged.
Not long after, Rizal was taken back to Manila for trial. He was
condemned to death. On the morning of his execution, December 6th,
1896, his fiancée came to visit him. It was an affecting meeting--that
last hour they were together. A sadder trysting-place surely could
not be imagined than that damp cell, over which the glimmering light
of dawn cast a sepulchral gloom.
And there, in that dreadful hour, on the brink of the grave, the
unhappy pair were united.
They remained together, kneeling, till the executioners came to lead
the bridegroom away.
Rizal's speech, at the place of execution, was powerful, dignified,
eloquent. He spoke without a tremor, and said that he forgave his
enemies, even as he himself hoped for forgiveness. He then predicted
that the Spanish power would fall within the next ten years. He also
asserted pride in his martyrdom, and said he was only sorry he did
not have another life to offer for his country.
Execution of Rizal. The Philippine Joan of Arc.
At a signal from their commanding officer, the soldiers, that were
drawn up back of the hero, fired a volley. Rizal fell forward on
his face, pierced by seven Spanish bullets. The hero-martyr of the
Philippines was dead.
His widow instantly set out for the rebel camp at Imus, where she
was hailed as a modern Joan of Arc. She was made commander of a
body of insurgents, armed with rifles, and she showed her ability by
winning victory after victory over the Spanish troops. Her camp was
at Naic--near Cavité. Since then, Mrs. Rizal has paid a visit to the
United States, where she has been endeavoring to work up an agitation
in behalf of her country.
Rizal's Farewell Poem.
A few hours before his death, Dr. Rizal wrote a farewell poem, entitled
"Mi Ultimo Pensamiento," the following translation of which was first
given in the New York Herald:
Translation.