Lesson 9: A Glance of

Selected Philippine
Political Caricature in
Alfred McCoy’s
Philippine Cartoons:
Political Caricature of the
American Era (1900-1941)
 Introduction
Political cartoons and caricatures are a rather
recent art form, which veered away from classical
art by exaggerating human features and poking fun
and its subject.
 Who is Alfred Mccoy?

Alfred Mccoy
Alfred "Al" William McCoy is an American
historian and educator. He was born on June 8, 1945
in Concord, Massachusetts, United States and he is
currently 77 years old. In his book, 377 cartoons were
compiled, including the extensive research of him in
the Philippine and American archives providing a
comprehensive background not only to the cartoons
but to the turbulent period as well.
 Cartoons and Caricatures

01
Cartoons became an effective tool for publicizing opinions
through the heavy use of symbolism

02
This is a graphic with caricatures of public figures, expressing
opinions in the every significant event in our history.
Selected Political
Cartoons
By: Alfred McCoy
 This example was published in The Independent on May 20, 1916. The cartoon
shows a politician from Tondo, named Dr. Santos, passing his crown to his brother-in-law, Dr.
Barcelona. A Filipino guy (as depicted wearing salakot and barong Tagalog) was trying to stop
Santos, telling the latter to stop giving Barcelona the crown because it is not his, to begin with.
 This was drawn by Fernando Amorsolo and was aimed as a commentary on the workings
of Manila Police at the period and was also published by The Independent on June 16, 1917. we see
a Filipino child who stole a skinny chicken because he had nothing to eat. The police officer was
relentlessly pursuing the said child. A man wearing a salakot, labeled Juan de la Cruz was grabbing
the officer, telling him to leave the small-time pickpockets and thieves and to turn to the great thieves
instead. He was pointing to huge warehouses containing bulks of rice, mils, and grocery products.
 This was a commentary on the unprecedented cases of colorum automobiles in the
city streets. The Philippine Free Press published this commentary when fatal accidents involving
colorum vehicles and taxis occurred too often already.
 This cartoon depicts a cinema. A blown-up police officer was on the
screen saying that couples are not allowed to neck and make love in the theater.
Two youngsters looked horrified while an older couple seemed amused.
 This was published on November 27, 1915. The caricature of Uncle Sam riding a
chariot pulled by Filipinos wearing school uniforms. The Filipino boys were carrying American
objects like baseball bats, whiskey, and boxing globes. McCoy, in his caption to the said cartoon,
says that this cartoon was based on an event in 1907 when William Howard Taft was brought to
the Manila pier rising a chariot pulled by students of Liceo de Manila.
 The last cartoon was published by Lipang Kalabaw on August 24, 1907. In
the picture, we can see Uncle Sam rationing porridge to the politicians and members
of the Progresista Party (sometimes known as the Federalista Party) while members
of the Nacionalista Party look on and wait for their turn. This cartoon depicts the
patronage of the United States being coveted by politicians from either of the party.
The transition from the Spanish colonial period to the American occupation
period demonstrated the different strands of changes and shifts in culture,
society, and politics. The selected cartoons illustrate not only the opinion of
certain media outfits about the Philippine society during the American
period but also paint a broad image of society and politics in the Philippines
under the United States.
 10 ISSUES AND CONTROVERSIES
• Politicians transfer from one party to another depending on which party was powerful in specific
• Americans controlled Filipinos through seemingly harmless American objects
• American imperialists exploited the tensions to advocate partition of the Philippines
• All challenges, scandals, and influence brought to the Filipinos by the Americans
• The rising number of illegal and unlicensed vehicles around the city
• Americans controlling the consciousness and mentality of the Filipino
• Police authorities oppress petty Filipino criminals while turning a blind eye to hoarders who
monopolize goods in their huge warehouses
• The cartoons portrayed the difficulties associated with the change from a Spanish-Filipino
civilization that was oriented on Catholicism to an imperial American society.
• The upper principalia class experienced economic prosperity but the majority of the poor Filipinos
remained poor, desperate, and victims of state repression.
• Essence of competing political parties to enforce choices among the voters was canceled out.
 BSRT 1A

Group 4
Adam, Fathie
Adjid, Fatima Marlyn
Asali, Sharief Jan Ahmed
Amiril, Sharwina Alex
de Lara, Erndyn
Hamid, Fatima
Mirajul, Elvira
Moriente, Jevince Uriel
Salahuddin, Jaysar
Sangkula, Ahmed-Neil
Untong, Fatima Ranah