Background of the Authors

During the American Era, political cartoons gained popularity as a form of expression.
Many artists made use of cartoons as political commentaries to expose the ills of the American
colonial government. Alfred McCoy provided an analysis of the pressing problems and issues of
American colonialism manifested in political cartoons. Together with the artist Alfredo Reyes
Roces, they compiled many political cartoons by Filipino artists depicting the Philippines during
American rule.
Alfred McCoy was born on June 8, 1945, in Massachusetts, USA. He earned his
bachelor of arts degree in European Studies from Columbia College in 1968. He finished his
master's degree in Asian Studies at the University of California in Berkeley in 1969 and his
doctorate degree in Southeast Asian History at Yale University in 1977. He studied Philippine
political caricatures to understand the social and political contexts of the Philippines during the
American period. He later worked with Alfredo Roces, his co-author of Philippine Cartoons:
Political Caricatures of the American Era. Though McCoy did not create any political
caricatures, his interest in them urged him to compile such caricatures from various sources to
produce a single collection.
Alfredo Reyes was born on April 29, 1923. He was a painter, an essayist and a versatile
artist who is considered to be a prominent figure in Philippine art. His paintings started with a
figurative style but soon began to amalgamate expressionism, Fauvism, and impressionism.
Several newspapers in Manila like The Independent and The Philippines Free Press and
Bag-Ong Kusog, a leading periodical in Cebu, included political cartoons in their editorials.
The Philippines Free Press was founded in 1906 by Judge W. A. Kincaid but was
taken over by McCullough Dick due to bankruptcy. The newspaper was published in both
Spanish and English. It featured investigative articles regarding the country's development. It
had a personal tone since it was not tied to a particular political party. It also advocated integrity,
democracy, and Philippine national progress.
Lipag-Kalabaw was launched in the same year as Philippines Free Press. It was
published in Tagalog and Spanish containing satiric cartoons. All throughout its publication, it
maintained anonymity by not having masthead and by having the artists and writers use pen
names. This gave artists h and writers agency on how they wanted to express themselves.
The Independent was founded in 1915 by the Father Vicente Sotto, one of the militant
and aggressive advocates of immediate independence. It was a weekly newspaper published in
English and Spanish that served as a forum for the discussion of political issues. It was also
where Fernando Amorsolo began his career as the “angriest of Manila’s political cartoonists.”
In Ceb, one popular newspaper was the Bag-Ong Kusog which literally means “New
Force.” Bag-Ong-Kusog was known for highlighting the conditions in Cebu prior to the war. It
often talked about the differences between the Spanish and American colonial government. This
newspaper depicted the breakdown the hallowed customs and social practices due to American
influence. It focused on criticism of co-education introduced by the Americans, which
endangered the virtue of women.
Historical Background of the Political Cartoons
The Spanish colonial period in the Philippines was characterized by strict censorship
resulting in a lack of political liberty and minimal avenues for expressing political views. Spanish
censorship banned non-religious publications, thus compelling newspaper publications to be
distributed underground. However, the transition to the American colonial period provided
leeway in the publication of independent newspapers. Initially, newspapers were scrutinized by
the government to ensure that they did not contain anti-American sentiments, which were
branded as subversive and were confiscated. As such, the four decades of the American
colonial rule became a formative period in Philippine history.
Censorship was loosened when a civil government was established in 1901. This gave
Filipinos the right to publish without prior censorship of the government. Two months after strict
censorship was removed, Rafael Palma launched El Renacimiento (Rebirth), which became the
most influential of the early nationalist newspapers campaigning for the right to a free press.
Whenever the Americans felt offended with any publication, they used libel and sedition laws to
obstruct the developing hostilities. After facing two libel suits, El Renacimiento had to
discontinue. Nevertheless, Martin Ocampo and Fernando Ma. Guerrero established a new
publication, La Vanguardia, in the same office and survived as one of Manila's leading
newspapers until World War II.
Political cartoons became a powerful tool for Filipinos to express their thoughts and
opinions about the government as it does not directly manifest the language it Aims to convey.
The caricatures appear as mere illustrations with subjective interpretations from the audiences
and readers; therefore, illustrators were able to avoid libel and sedition charges.