Philippine Cartoons: Political

Caricatures of the American Era

Presented by: Joshua Simon-Bernabe Jimenez
 Objectives of the presentation:

Analyze artworks as sources of

historical data
Examine the perspectives of these
artworks
Create your artwork that will describe
the country’s current socio-economic
or socio-political conditions
 Introduction:

Artworks such as drawings, illustrations and

photographs could be sources of history, they
play a large part in the study of our country’s
past. Each of them reflects our country’s social
conditions describing historical realities. One of
those artworks that is helpful in understanding
our country’s past are those “editorial cartoons”
made as sources of political expression or
propaganda in the era where they existed.
ESSENCE OF Editorial/Political cartoons

Mirror of society’s It shows the realities in the

social condition society

Using cartoons to express their

feelings are could be an
instrument/mechanism to
People make cartoons to make the government respond
express their to their situation, improving
dissatisfaction/sentiments their services to the people
from the government

A weapon in the
An act of struggle for social
protest reform
Philippine Cartoons:
POLITICAL CARICATURE
OF THE AMERICAN ERA
1900-1941
Author/Creator: Alfred McCoy
 Philippine Cartoons: Political
Caricatures of the American Era
 Philippine Cartoons: Political
Caricatures of the American Era
THE MAN BEHIND THE PHILIPPINE CARTOONS

• “Historian of the Southeast Asia”

• Born June 8, 1945 in Massachusetts, USA
• McCoy graduated from the Kent School in 1964.
• He earned his BA in European Studies
from Columbia College in 1968.
• He earned his M.A. Asian Studies in University of
California at Berkeley in 1969.
• He earned his PhD in Southeast Asian history
from Yale University in 1977.
• McCoy served on the faculty of the University of
New South Wales for eleven years.
• In 1989, he joined University of Wisconsin-
Madison. ALFRED McCOY
 Philippine Cartoons: Political
Caricatures of the American Era
THE MAN BEHIND THE PHILIPPINE CARTOONS

• Used the Philippine political caricatures to

understand the social and political context
of the Philippines during the American
period.
• Worked with Alfredo Roces, his co-Author of
Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricatures of the
American Era
• In 2001, the Association for Asian Studies awarded
McCoy the Grant Goodman Prize for his career
contributions to the study of the Philippines.
• In October 2012, Yale University's Graduate School
Alumni Association awarded McCoy the Wilbur
Lucius Cross Medal.
 Philippine Cartoons: Political
Caricatures of the American Era
THE MAN BEHIND THE PHILIPPINE CARTOONS

Alfredo Reyes Roces (29 Apr 1923)

a painter, an essayist, and versatile artist.
holds a prominent place in the history of
Philippine art.
He is a painter who started with a figurative
style but soon began to amalgamate
Expressionism, Fauvism and Impressionism
in his paintings.
 Philippine Cartoons: Political
Caricatures of the American Era
About the document

POLITICAL CARTOONS:
Concept & Content
 Socio-cultural concerns
- changing morals of the youth
- Changing tastes and attitudes

 Manila: discomforts/dissatisfaction and decadence

floods, police corruption
lending scandals (PNB)
public hospital system
American sports

 Political and Economic Sentiments

 Philippine Cartoons: Political
Caricatures of the American Era
THE NEWSPAPERS IN THE PHILIPPINE CARTOONS

• Founded in 1915 by • Discussed questions

the Father of Cebuano of tenancy (rental)
letters Vicente Sotto, urban poverty, and
one of the militant and poltical issues.
aggressive advocates • Where Fernando
of immediate Amorsolo began
independence. his career as the
• A weekly newspaper “angriest of
and published in Manila’s political
English and Spanish. cartoonists”- why?-
• A forum for its very vulgar in expressing
publishers for political his sentiments in American
Government through
crusades(movement). cartoons.
 Philippine Cartoons: Political
Caricatures of the American Era
THE NEWSPAPERS IN THE PHILIPPINE CARTOONS
THE PHILIPPINES
FREE PRESS
Founded in 1906 by • Appeared more
Judge W.A. Kincaid personal than national
but was taken over by and not tied to a
McCullough Dick particular political
due to bankruptcy party.
Published in both • Advocated integrity,
Spanish and English democracy and
Featured investigative Philippine national
reporting about the progress.
country’s development.
 Philippine Cartoons: Political
Caricatures of the American Era
THE NEWSPAPERS IN THE PHILIPPINE CARTOONS
BAG-ONG KUSOG • (Literally "New • Depicted the
Force"), the most breaking down of
popular Cebuano hallowed customs
pre-war periodical. and social
• It draws a picture of practices due to
pre-war social life American
in Cebu. Influence.
• Featured the clash • Focused criticism
between the on co-education
traditional Spanish- introduced by the
influenced culture Americans which
and the new endangered the
American virtue of women.
orientation .
 HISTORICAL CONTEXT
THE PHILIPPINE CONDITION
• Transition from Spanish colonial rule to American
colonial period.
• Filipino resistance or against on the American Policy
over the Philippines

• American colonial rule:

• Filipino representation in the Assembly
• Filipinization in the government
• Campaign for Philippine Independence
• The Commonwealth period
AMERICAN
COLONIZATION • American initiatives on economic,
educational system, public health,
transportation and communication
 Historical CONTEXT
THE PHILIPPINE CONDITION
• The freedom was more recognized such as speech
and press exercised unlike during the Spanish
period
• The American colonial government sued the press
through libel charges.
• The Chinese were still discriminated
• The friars were attacked in the press
• Filipino politicians were the new illustrados
• Police were corrupt and the rise of rural poverty
• Prostitutions and gambling were rampant
AMERICAN • Sanitation were poor, less hospitals for the
population
COLONIZATION
• Cartoons were used to seek reforms
 Philippine Cartoons: Political
Caricatures of the American Era
 Philippine Cartoons:
Economic Caricatures

• The problem of homesteading

and US-style tenancy during the
American colonial government

• It presents the oppressed

condition of the farmers
during the American
colonial period.
 Philippine Cartoons:
Economic Caricatures

• The vulnerability/openness of
our economy to foreign
economic policy
• Bankruptcy of the PNB

• Tentativeness/lacking of the
American government to
implement policy that will
help the farmers
• Exploitation of small farmers
 Philippine Cartoons:
Economic Caricatures

• Dramatic increase in Manila’s

population resulted to rising of rent
and high food prices (inflation).

A quick, superficial, or temporary

solution to a problem that does not
address or resolve the underlying
cause of said problem

• Harrison’s solution to the problem

was band aid solution rather than
implementing fundamental reform
like public housing construction.
• The Filipino elite were favoured for
their loyalty to the government.

Mga mamayamang Pilipino na sipsip sa pamahalaang Amerika

noon, sila ngayon yung mga Pamilya na kilala na may mga
malalaking kompanya at pangalang kilala sa pultika
 Philippine Cartoons:
Economic Caricatures

• The cartoons presented

the Filipino nationalists
becoming economic
aliens to their own land
because Americans
dominated already the
economic activities in the
country.
 Philippine Cartoons:
political Caricatures

• The political practice in the country

especially during election (allowed under
1935 Constitution adopted by Commonwealth
of the Philippines)

• It features the political irony of the

election process in the Philippines
wherein initially the candidates bow and
beg favor from the Filipino masses but at
the end the Filipinos masses begging.
 Philippine Cartoons:
political Caricatures

1. Police Corruption – to protect

gambling clubs
2. Passage of law authorizing all
legislators to bear/allow firearms

1. The Manila Police here is shown taking

bribes from the Chinese, while protecting
the gambling clubs patronized by Filipinos.
2. The editorial depicts the superiority of the
legislators
 Philippine Cartoons:
political Caricatures

1. Landlord vs.
• Filipinos have
Tenants
always been
2. Christians vs. Non-
historically Christians
divided- 3. Pro- American vs.
the Antis
 Philippine Cartoons:
Socio-cultural Caricatures

1. Ecclesiastical Encomienda
• Frailocracy- those who are control
by the priests (prayle)
2. Bureau of Public Health - Filipinos

1. Poor people are homeless while the

Roman Catholic Church owns big lands.
2. Filipinization of Bureau of Public Health
resulted to ineffective and inefficient
service.
 Philippine Cartoons:
Socio-cultural Caricatures

• The Americans introduced a free and a more

democratic educational system in the
Philippines.

• Both editorials depict the results of the

introduction of American Education in the
Philippine system.
1. Gender equality in education
2. Accessibilty of education
 Philippine Cartoons:
Socio-cultural Caricatures

• But, The Americans used the

educational system to
control/manipulate the Filipinos.

1. The introduction of the English

language.
2. As a result of American education,
they were able to develop an image
worthy of Filipino love and respect.
Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricatures of the
American Era

CONTRIBUTION
AND
RELEVANCE
CONTRIBUTION AND RELEVANCE OF THE DOCUMENT TO THE GRAND
NARRATIVE OF PHILIPPINE HISTORY

• These historical caricatures are relevant visual

and contextual realities that can fill-in the gap in
understanding the grand narrative of Philippine
history.

• Using historical caricature is a dynamic avenue

of interpreting Philippine history providing
relevant visual representations of the past and a
contextual approach of understanding historical
meanings and implications.
CONTRIBUTION AND RELEVANCE OF THE DOCUMENT TO THE GRAND
NARRATIVE OF PHILIPPINE HISTORY

• The featured caricatures were powerful tools in

the political, economic and social advocacies
which can inspire and remind us also of our
advocacies at present time.

• The caricatures depict the realities happening

during the American period which expresses the
sentiments of the Filipinos.
CONTRIBUTION AND RELEVANCE OF THE DOCUMENT TO THE GRAND
NARRATIVE OF PHILIPPINE HISTORY

• We may not be in a specific period of the past but we

are not devoid in understanding history because
historical caricatures bring us to the past and provide us
a rich, dynamic and contextual source of depicting
events and realities.

• In contemporary times, the use of editorial caricatures

are still powerful tools that depict the temper of the
present time and express the problems and sentiments
of the present context.

• It is likewise a means of the present time to trigger the

awareness of the people concerning different issues
Political cartoon often
embodies the “truest history
of the time”.

(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

 C ultural
C aricatures
A artifacts

A re R arely

R epresentations of the I ncluded

C onsidered and
T rue history

A nalyzed
O f
T o
O ur
U nderstand history’s

N ation R elevance and

E ssence