La Liga Filipina

La Liga Filipina

 ( The Philippine League) 1892

 

La Liga Filipina (English: The Philippine League) was a progressive organization created by Dr.Jose Rizal in the Philippines in the house of Doroteo Ongjunco at Ilaya Street, Tondo, Manila in 1892.

The organization derived from La Solidaridad and thePropaganda Movement. The purpose of La Liga Filipina is to build a new group sought to involve the people directly in the reform movement.

The league was to be a sort of mutual aid and self-help society dispensing scholarship funds and legal aid, loaning capital and setting up cooperatives, the league became at threat to Spanish authorities that they arrested Rizal on July 6, 1892 on Dapitan.

The Regulations of La Liga Filipina by Rizal's hand

The night of his arrival in Manila, Rizal met over thirty distinguished leaders, including Apolinario Mabini and Anderes Bonifacio, (05) and outlined his plan for La Liga Filipina.

 

During the exile of Rizal, The organization became inactive, through the efforts of Domingo Franco and Andres Bonifacio, it was reorganized. The organization decided to declare its support for La Solidaridad and the reforms it advocated, raise funds for the paper, and defray the expenses of deputies advocating reforms for the country before the Spanish Cortes. Eventually after some disarray in the leadership of the group, the Supreme Council of the League dissolved the society.

The Liga membership split into two groups: the conservatives formed the Cuerpo de Compromisarios which pledged to continue supporting the La Solidaridad while the radicals led by Bonifacio devoted themselves to a new and secret society, the Katipunan.

 n 1892, Jose Rizal (full name: Jose Protacio Mercado Rizal y Alonzo) returned to the Philippines and proposed the establishment of a civic organization called “La Liga Filipina.” On July 3, 1892, the following were elected as its officers: Ambrosio Salvador, president: Agustin dela Rosa, fiscal; Bonifacio Arevalo, treasurer; and Deodato Arellano, secretary. Rizal functioned as its adviser.

La Liga Filipina aimed to:

▪ Unite the whole country
▪ Protect and assist all members
▪ Fight violence and injustice
▪ Support education
▪ Study and implement reforms

La Liga Filipina had no intention of rising up in arms against the government; but the Spanish Officialsstill felt threatened. On July 6, 1892 only three days after La Liga Filipina’s establishment, Jose Rizal was secretly arrested. The next day, Governor General Eulogio Despujol ordered Rizal’s deportation to Dapitan, a small, secluded town in Zamboanga.

La Liga Filipina's membership was active in the beginning; but later, they began to drift apart. The rich members wanted to continue supporting the Propaganda Movement; but the others seemed to have lost all hope that reforms could still be granted.Andres Bonifacio was one of those who believed that the only way to achieve meaningful change was through a bloody revolution.

 Sources:

  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Liga_Filipina

 http://joserizal.info/Biography/man_and_martyr/chapter13.htm

 http://www.philippine-history.org/la-solidaridad.htm

People Power Revolution

 People Power Revolution

February 25, 1986 

 

EDSA Monument

The Philippines was praised worldwide in 1986, when the so-called bloodless revolution erupted, called EDSA People Power’s Revolution. February 25, 1986 marked a significant national event that has been engraved in the hearts and minds of every Filipino. This part of Philippine history gives us a strong sense of pride especially that other nations had attempted to emulate what we have shown the world of the true power of democracy. The true empowerment of democracy was exhibited in EDSA by its successful efforts to oust a tyrant by a demonstration without tolerance for violence and bloodshed. Prayers and rosaries strengthened by faith were the only weapons that the Filipinos used to recover their freedom from President Ferdinand Marcos’s iron hands. The Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) stretches 54 kilometers, where the peaceful demonstration was held on that fateful day. It was a day that gathered all Filipinos in unity with courage and faith to prevail democracy in the country. It was the power of the people, who assembled in EDSA, that restored the democratic Philippines, ending the oppressive Marcos regime. Hence, it came to be known as the EDSA People Power’s Revolution.  

 The revolution was a result of the long oppressed freedom and the life threatening abuses executed by the Marcos government to cite several events like human rights violation since the tyrannical Martial Law Proclamation in 1972. In the years that followed Martial Law started the suppressive and abusive years–incidents of assassination were rampant, particularly those who opposed the government, individuals and companies alike were subdued. The Filipinos reached the height of their patience when former Senator Benigno "Ninoy"Aquino,Sr.was shot and killed at the airport in August 21, 1983, upon his return to the Philippines from exile in the United States. Aquino’s death marked the day that Filipinos learned to fight. His grieving wife,Corazon Cojuanco-Aquino  showed the Filipinos and the world the strength and courage to claim back the democracy that Ferdinand Marcos arrested for his personal caprice. Considering the depressing economy of the country, Ninoy’s death further intensified the contained resentment of the Filipinos. 

In the efforts to win back his popularity among the people, Marcos held a snap presidential election in February 7, 1986, where he was confronted with a strong and potent opposition, Corazon Aquino. It was the most corrupt and deceitful election held in the Philippine history. There was an evident trace of electoral fraud as the tally of votes were declared with discrepancy between the official count by the COMELEC (Commission on Elections) and the count of NAMFREL (National Movement for Free Elections). Such blatant corruption in that election was the final straw of tolerance by the Filipinos of the Marcos regime. The demonstration started to break in the cry for democracy and the demand to oust Marcos from his seat at Malacañang Palace. The revolt commenced when Marcos' Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and the Armed Forces Vice-Chief of Staff command of Fidel V. Ramos, both withdrew their support from the government and called upon the resignation of then President Marcos. They responsibly barricaded Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo and had their troops ready to combat against possible armed attack organized by Marcos and his troops. The Catholic Church represented by Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Vidal along with the priests and nuns called for the support of all Filipinos who believed in democracy. Radyo Varetas aired the message of Cardinal Sin that summoned thousands of Filipinos to march the street of EDSA. It was an empowering demonstration that aimed to succeed peacefully with the intervention of faith. Nuns kneeled in front of tanks with rosaries in their hands and uttering their prayers.

With the power of prayers, the armed marine troops under the command of Marcos withdrew from the site. Celebrities expressed their support putting up a presentation to showcase the injustices and the anomalies carried out by the Marcos administration. Finally, in the morning of February 25, 1986, Corazon Aquino took the presidential oath of office, administered by the Supreme Court Associate Justice Claudio Teehankee at Club Filipino located in San Juan. Aquino was proclaimed as the 11th President of the Republic of the Philippines. She was the first lady president of the country. People rejoiced over their victory proving the success of the EDSA People’s Power Revolution, the historic peaceful demonstration. Although in 2001, there was an attempt to revive People Power in the efforts to oust then President Joseph Estrada, it was not as strong as the glorifying demonstration in 1986. The bloodless, People Power Revolution in EDSA renewed the power of the people, strengthened the meaning of democracy and restored the democratic institutions of government. Continue to the 5th Republic (1986) up to the Present Time.

Sources :

http://www.philippine-history.org/edsa-people-power-revolution.htm

Martial Law in the Philippines 1972

Martial Law in the Philippines 1972

Martial law in the Philippines ( Batas Militar sa Pilipinas) refers to the period of Philippine History wherein Philippine Presidents and Heads of State declared a proclamation to control troublesome areas under the rule of the Military, and it is usually given when threatened by popular demonstrations, or to crack down on the opposition. Martial law can also be declared in cases of major natural disasters, however most countries use a different legal construct like "state of emergency".

 Typically, the imposition of martial law accompanies curfews, the suspension of civil law,  civil rights,habeas corpus, and the application or extension of military law or military justice to civilians. Civilians defying martial law may be subjected to military tribunals (court martial).

The newspaper was shut down and the media was tightly controlled. As a direct result, opposition to the government regime was silenced and organization to go against the law was made difficult. A curfew was placed into effect between 12:00A.M. and 4:00 A.M. Crime rates plummeted in result to the curfew and Marcos was able to stay in power past his two terms of service by manipulating and replacing the rules of the 1935 constitution. The economy during the 1970s experienced trade surpluses. The Gross National Product increased by well over 300 percent in the span of 10 years. Tourism increased and helped contribute to the economy. But thanks to the corruption of the Marcos regime, the economy suffered. With a wave of Marcos’s pen, he had the power to do anything he wanted. Many presidential decrees were not even published. 

The reasoning behind President Ferdinand Marcos’s declaration of Martial Law had roots stemming from the first three months of 1970 when the First Quarter Storm occurred. Thousands of youths and students covered the streets of Manila protesting the high tuition fees, non-existent employment opportunities, low wages, and other social problems that plagued the nation of the Philippines under President Ferdinand Marcos. The First Quarter Storm was headed by Adrian Aquino from Ateneo de Manila University. Government military officers responded to the protests by using arms and tear gas to get things under control. Along with the First Quarter Storm, rising waves of lawlessness and the increased threat of the newly formed Communist group, the New People’s Army created an atmosphere of political unrest. Also, the constant fighting for independence in the province of Mindanao from the Muslim group Moro National Liberation Front added fuel to the fire. All these reasons created a scapegoat for the government to declare Martial Law.

President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law in 1972 in attempt to silence his adversaries and establish a solid threshold of political power. Under Ferdinand Marcos, the military arrested thousands of opposition figures including Benigno Aquino, journalists, student and labor activists, and more. Also, the right to bear firearms was taken away thus private armies connected with powerful political figures were broken up. Furthermore, the threat of government insurgents would decrease because of the difficulty of finding arms within the enforcement of the government. 

The night before Martial Law was declared, Secretary of defense Juan Ponce Enrile supposedly was ambushed by communists further crediting the reason for the passing of Proclamation 1081 or Martial Law. The target of ambush, Juan Ponce Enrile himself admitted to the fraudulent system years after by providing his statement that his car at the night of the incident was covered in machinegun bullets fired from his own men.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial_law_in_the_Philippines

http://filamgroup1.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/the-law-that-started-it-all/

Islam in the Philippines

Islam in the Philippines

            Islam touched the shores of the Philippine Islands way before American and Spanish colonizers did (AI-Attas:1969). The Islamization of the Philippine Archipelago was part of the spread of the religion in the Southeast Asian region. Islam is not merely a religion, as noted by many Muslim scholars but is as well a way of life (Doi: 1984). Thus, when Islam spread throughout the country, it also introduced a system of government and a sophisticated culture.

Islam introduced a highly developed political structure, the Sultanate. The traditional Muslim social structure in the Philippines was headed by a sultan who assumed both religious and secular authority. The Datu assumed communal leadership, providing aid and arbitration through agama courts under his leadership. The wealth amassed by the conquests of the Datu is provided to his subjects for aid, employment, and protection when needed. Interestingly, the Datu is not determined by his wealth but by the number of his followers. Further, the holy Qur'an, the source of both secular and religious precepts and laws of Muslims, provides a sense of oneness and fraternal bond between Muslims as an Ummah or Islamic Nation (21:92). Islam changed the country's once fragmented nature into a single nation (Bangsa Tungga). 

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    Thus, when the colonizers came and threatened the growth of their government, much resistance was felt, especially in Southern Philippines where Muslim communities were most concentrated. The Spanish assimilation only succeeded in creating rifts between the Christianized Filipinos under Spanish rule and the Muslim communities that refused subjugation (Majul: 1973). It was the same during the American Regime, if not worse, wherein they employed a process of extermination through military troops when the Muslims refused subjugation and resisted the exploitation of resources within the Mindanao region (Tan: 1977). The Americans realized then that the process was futile and assumed a strategy for winning the Muslims, through the establishment of a special bureau for their affairs and concerns (Gowing: 1983).

However, through these years, from the American initiative to integrate Muslim communities with the majority of the Filipinos, divisiveness in culture and religion has spread and grown into social unrest and conflict situations. The Muslims remained isolated from the developments provided by the government in the northern regions of the Philippines, separatist movements grew, and resentments between Christians and Muslims developed (Fernando: 1979, Rahman: 1954).

The Philippine government in several instances tried to address the issues of the country regarding Muslim separatist movements through policies and the creation of several offices. The Tripoli Agreement was developed to grant political autonomy for two Muslim regions, and recognition of their "cultural values, traditions, and customary and Islamic laws, in the formulation of State policies."

Several agreements have been signed since, and still much has yet to
be resolved.

Five Pillars of  Islam

      

The Philippines has developed a mixed culture from the blending of foreign influences with native elements. Today, the Muslims, and some of the isolated tribes, are the only people whose culture remains unadulterated by Spanish and American influences.

Although traditional theatre, literature and kundimans (love songs) in the national language have experienced a resurgence since Cory Aquino's People Power movement, visitors are more likely to witness beauty contests, lurid soap operas, violent and sentimental Filipino movies, and local bands perfectly imitating Western pop tunes. 

Muslim Dance

The Cultural Center of the Philippines is considered to be the premiere place for performing arts. It has local and international world-class guest artists.

The kundiman folk music is a popular music form that is unique to the Philippine islands. It is music that is a combination of both words and music. Also popular with Filipinos is folk dancing. There are many variations of dances, both ceremonial and traditional, that are performed for many different occasions.

There are several types of dance in the Philippines, those with Muslim or Spanish influences as well as those from the lowlands and mountains.

With over a million Muslim Filipinos residing mainly on the island of Mindanao, there are several dances that are heavily influenced by Islam. A popular dance, the langka-baluang is one that is performed by male dancers as an angry monkey. One of the oldest Filipino dances, the singkil is a noble and difficult dance that is based upon a legend of the Maranao people of Mindanao. This legend, written during the 14th century, retells the plight of a princess in the middle of a forest. While she is in there the forest fairies or diwatas start an earthquake, and only by avoiding trees, along with her slave, is she finally able to be saved by a prince. Even now, royal princesses in the Sulu Archipelago are required to learn this dance. Another ritual is one in which an entire village participates, the pag-ipat. When a family member is ill, the belief is that an ancestral spirit (tinunungan) has caused the disease and needs to be appeased. Depending on the severity of the illness and the financial status of the family, this ritual can last from a day to several days. A folk healer performs the ritual while having possession of the spirit.

The Spanish influence in the Philippines brought about many dances that use a Maria Clara dress (a character in Noli Me Tangere) and an embroidered long-sleeve short made from pineapple fibers for their costumes. The Filipinos adapted these Spanish dances by using bamboo castanets and Asian fans. Carinosa, which means loveable or affectionate, is a dance that is known all through the Philippines. The dancers "flirt" using a handkerchief or fan, by playing hide and seek with them. Part of a wedding ritual, the sabalan lulay, is a dance that begins with a man dancing around a woman (his partner) until she consents to dance with him. 

There were social factors in the early 1990s that militated against the cultural autonomy sought by Muslim leaders. Industrial development and increased migration outside the region brought new educational demands and new roles for women. These changes in turn led to greater assimilation and, in some cases, even intermarriage. Nevertheless, Muslims and Christians generally remained distinct societies often at odds with one another.

Sources:

http://www.muslimmindanao.ph/Islam_phil.html

Gregorio del Pilar y Sempio

Gregorio del Pilar y Sempio 

(November 14, 1875—December 2, 1899)

He was one of the youngest generals in the Philippine Revolutionary Forces during the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine-American War. He is most known for his role and death at the Battle of Tirad Pass. Because of his youth, he was called the "Boy General."

On December 28, 1896, he participated in an attack in Kakarong de Sili - Pandi-Bulacan on a town inimical to the Katipunan. On January 1, 1897, he was among the defenders when a Spanish counterattack retook the town, receiving a slight wound when a bullet grazed his forehead. His courage and bravery in that action won him recognition and a promotion to the rank of Lieutenant.In August 1897, then a Captain, he met with Emilio Aguinaldo in his Biak-na-Bato headquarters and proposed an attack on a Spanish garrison in Paombong,Laguna.

 Aguinaldo approved his plan and the attack was successfully carried out with the capture of 14 Mauser rifles. Shortly thereafter, Aguinaldo raised him to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After the Pact of Biak-na-Bato, he went into exile in Hong Kong with Aguinaldo and other revolutionary leaders. After the Battle of Manila Bay which brought the Spanish-American War to the Philippines, Aguinaldo and other exiled leaders, including del Pilar, returned to the Philippines to resume hostilities against Spain. Aguinaldo named del Pilar Dictator of Bulacan and Nueva Ecija provinces. On June 24, 1898, he accepted the Spanish surrender of his home town of Bulacan. Shortly thereafter, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.
When the Philippine-American War broke-out on February 1899, del Pilar led his troops to a short victory over Major Franklin Bell in the first phase of the Battle of Quingua (also known as Plaridel) on April 23, 1899, in which his forces repelled a cavalry charge and killed the highly respected Colonel  Battle of Quingua after whom Clark Air Base was originally named (Fort Stotsenburg).

 The Battle of Tirad Pass, sometimes referred to as the "Philippine Thermopylae"
  was a battle in the Philippine-American War fought on December 2, 1899, in northern Luzon in the Philippines, in which a 60-man Filipino rearguard commanded by Brigadier General Gregorio del Pilar succumbed to around 300 Americans of the 33rd Infantry Regiment under Major Peyton C. March , while delaying the American advance to ensure Emilio Aguinaldo's escape.
 On December 2, 1899, del Pilar early in the morning at 6:30am led 60 Filipino soldiers of Aguinaldo's rear guard in the Battle of Tirad Pass against the "Texas Regiment", the 33rd Infantry Regiment of the United States led by Peyton C. March.  A delaying action to cover Aguinaldo's retreat, the five-hour standoff resulted in Del Pilar's death due to a shot to the neck (at the height or end of the fighting, depending on eyewitness accounts). Del Pilar's body was later despoiled and robbed by the victorious American soldiers.
Del Pilar's body lay unburied for days, exposed to the elements. While retracing the trail, an American officer, Lt. Dennis P. Quinlan, gave the body a traditional U.S. military burial. Upon del Pilar's tombstone, Quinlan inscribed, "An Officer and a Gentleman".
In 1930, del Pilar's body was exhumed and was identified by the gold tooth and braces he had installed while in exile in Hong Kong.

 n honor of Del Pilar's heroism, the philippine Military Academy was named Fort Del Pilar and a historical marker placed at the site of the battle.
The Battle of Tirad Pass and the death of Del Pilar was also commemorated during World War 2 when the Japanese-backed government of PresidentJose P. Laurel sought to re-kindle anti-American sentiment by reviving memories of the Philippine-American War with the creation of the Tirad Pass Medal. The design of the obverse (front) of the medal included a bust of Del Pilar and a view of Tirad Pass. The design of the reverse (back) includes the date 1944. The Tirad Pass Medal was the only military medal or decoration issued by the Laurel government during the Japanese occupation.

Sources :

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorio_del_Pilar

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tirad_Pass