Czesarine Precious Jade N.

Manibog
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering 1-1
Readings in Philippine History
January 23, 2021
Reflection on the Four Caricatures
Editorial cartoons, or sometimes referred to as political cartoons because they often deal
with political issues, are graphic expressions of current events. A caricature is an artistic way of
showing strong symbolism and exaggerates human features for striking the people with people
with power and authority. Like written editorials, they have a purpose. They are aimed not to
entertain, but to convince. A good political cartoon helps us think of contemporary affairs, but it
also seeks to manipulate our viewpoint from the point of view of the cartoonist.
Upon reading this module, I learned to appreciate and understand how these caricatures
became very helpful in the American period as a way to persuade people to open their opinions
about several problems in the society like corruption. They used these cartoons to gain the
attention of the people to question the authority about corruption and political violence which is
happening in the society.
Here are my reflections regarding the four caricatures.
The Manila: The Corruption of a City. The first caricature illustrated depicts the people’s
injustices before, such as inequality, unequal political representation and lack of participation,
hence why corruption was then accepted by the government giving this cartoon an almost
timeless quality. I could say that the reason why the artist drew this is because of frustration and
anger not only for him but also for the people as this issue haven’t been solved until this day and
became part of the Philippine society that it became impossible to ignore and overcome it as it
worsens over the years.
A New Wrinkle in the Art of Thieving. This cartoon portrayed how huge the agrarian
problems in the Philippine culture have become. It depicts how city capitalists take this for
granted and opportunity to acquire land from provinces from local farmers leaving them with no
choice as they cannot provide more than they can because the government isn’t doing something
for them.
The Colonial Condition. This cartoon portrayed how colonialism influenced the culture,
politics, economy, and class relations of the country considering it as a pervasive condition that
had penetrated the whole of the country’s social fabric.
The Situation of Uncle Sam and Little Luna. The last cartoon displays how the
Americans at that time already got the heart of the Filipinos as Filipinos back then were already
looking to the US an ally. They were unaware of the enormous damage done to our country by
American intervention. They have yet to learn that the country they considered an ally and look
up to have already stolen their revolution, manipulated them and controlled their economy and
independence. A perfect portrayal of a tangled relationship they say.
 These caricatures greatly helped the Filipinos in expressing their opinions and political
stand in a non-violent yet revolutionary way. Cartoons that became the way of expression to
fight for what is right yet not really making use of bloody fights. Cartoons that became a way of
gaining attention of the people which is still applicable up to this day.