Commission on

Independence; Filipino
Grievances Against
Governor Wood
(Petition Letter)
Gregorio F. Zaide
❖ A F ilipino Historian,
Author, Politician from
the town of Pagsanjan,
Laguna.
❖ Contribution to the
Grand Scheme of
Philippine history.
❖ Born: May 25, 1907

❖ Died: October 31,

1988
 HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND
OF THE
DOCUMENT
 Filipino Grievances Against
Governor Wood

➢ Governor Wood, an
English person was the
reason behind this
document.
➢He fueled Gregorio
Zaide,wrote this
document under the
language of English
during American regime
in the Philippines.
➢ The docum ent is a form of
protest.
➢ The document served a s an
impeachment request for
Governor Wood.
➢ The document was approved by
the C O M M I S S I O N O N
INDEPENDENCE on November
17, 1926.
➢This text is taken from
Gregorio F. Zaide and
Sonia Zaide’s
Documentary Sources of
Philippine History.
➢The document was
originally published a s
Appendix of Maximo M.
Kalaw’s Philippine
Government under the
Jones Law.
General

Leonard
Wood • Philippines
Leonard Wood arrived
Islands in in the
1903 after
his services in Cuba.
• He was appointed governor of the
Mero Province.
• He is also responsible for five
districts, and the commanding
general of the troops in the
department of Mindanao and
Sulu.
 CONTENT
PRESENTATION AND
ANALYSIS OF THE
IMPORTANCT
HISTORICAL
INFORMATION
➢ General Wood’s personality
caused strong antagonism
between the Governor –General,
and Filipino Political Leaders.

➢ Governor Wood retaliated by

abolishing the Council and
governed the Islands without the
cooperation of the legislature.
➢ The struggles between
Wood and Filipino leaders
enhanced the nationalistic
spirit of the people.

➢Two opposing political parties

formed a coalition known
as the NATIONAL S U P R E M E
➢ Based on the document, Ancient
Filipinos were patient and diligent to
the task of meeting the conditions
given to them.

➢ They both have understanding and

the Filipinos were committed in trust
since the Americans promised that
the Philippines would be conserved
and developed for the benefit of the
people
Calvin Coolidge

• The President of the

U S A Advised Congress
of America to fulfill
their promise since
the goal has been
reached.
Expectation R•
• Cognizant of General wood’s
ealityparticipation in
the liberation of Cuba, Filipinos expected
that spirit of cooperation would maintained.
• Political emancipation would be complete.

• There was a train of usurpation & arbitrary

acts.
• Resulted in curtailment of our autonomy and
destruction of our constitutional system
• Reversal of America’s Philippine Policy.
 Arbitrary Acts
1. He has refused his assent to laws.
2. He has set at naught both the legal authority and
responsibility for the Philippine heads of
department
3. He has substituted his constitutional advisers for
group of military attaches.
4. He has reversed the policy of Filipinizing the
service of the government.
5. He has obstructed the carrying out of national
economic policies.
6. He has rendered merely perfunctory the
power of the Legislature.
7. He has made appointment to positions
and authorized the payment of salaries.
8. He has used certain public funds.
9. He has arrogated unto himself the right of
exercising the power granted by law to the
Emergency Board.
10. He has unduly interfered in the
administration of justice.
11. He has refused to obtain the advice of the
Senate in making appointments
12. He has refused to submit to the Senate
appointment for vacancies occurring during the
recess of the Legislature in contravention of
the Organic Act.
13. He has continued in office nominees whose
appointments had been rejected by the senate.
14. He has usurped legislative powers.
15. He has, in the administration of affairs in
Mindanao.
16. He has by his policies created strained
relations between resident Americans and
Filipinos.
17. He has endeavored, on the pretext of getting
the government out of business.
18. He has sanctioned the campaign of insidious
propaganda in the united states against
Filipino people and their aspiration.
19. He has attempted to close the Philippine
National Bank.
20. He has adopted the practiced of interviewing
in , and controlling directly, to its minute
details, the affair of the Philippine
Government both insular and local, in
violation of self-government.
21. He has insistently sought the amendment of
our laws approved by the Congress of United
States.
Important Terms
✓American Flag – an emblem of
freedom and symbol of altruism
✓ EO no. 37 – These are to nullify
the laws creating the board of
control which was issued by
Governor-General Wood.
✓ Mohammedan Filipinos –
Pertaining to Muslim Filipinos.
 Inconsistencies of the content and alike of
the document
➢ The document is an example of a joint
resolution or protest or a petition letter.
➢It is loaded with political bias and partisan
interest since the persons behind it and the
circumstances surrounding it were highly
political.
➢ Some elements are truthful and so me are
mere black propaganda.
➢ Some of the issues raised here are partially
true but were blown out of proportion in
order to disgraces Wood’s administration
CONTRIBUTION
A N D RELEVANCE
OF THE
DOCUMENT
 Relevant of the document in reconstructing the past of the
Philippine and its people.

❑The document was applicable in reconstructing

the past of the Philippines and its people by
showing how the abusive power of General
Wood resulted to degenerate relationship of
American and Filipino leaders to the point that
the Philippine members of the Council of State
resigned. Wherein, this paved the way for our
Filipino representatives to improve the
nationalistic spirit of the people.
 Significance of the document with the HISTORIANS,
PERSPECTIVES, SOCIO- CULTURAL,POLITICAL,
RELIGIOUS, ad GEOGRAPHY

• HISTORIANS
> Served as a guidance to those who’s
interested in knowing the truth of what really
happened during the American period here in
the Philippines, not only a guidance but an
evidence to those who think otherwise.
• PERSPECTIVE
> Serves as an eyewitness on how the united
states indirectly controlled the Philippines and
how the Filipinos were fooled by their
promises
• SOCIO-CULTURAL
> The document revealed how Filipinos
representatives dealt with the difficulties existed
under the governance of general Woos in order
to preserve the supremacy of the laws and to
safeguard the rights of the Filipinos.
• POLITICAL
> This document has affected the political field in
terms of separation of powers.
• RELIGIOUS
> The document had shown significance in terms
of religion. Aside from it enable us to have
knowledge about the undemocratic government
under the governance of Governor Wood, it
also permitted us to know on how the
dissension between Christian and
Mohammedan Filipinos was created.
• Geography
. This document has affected the geography in
terms of government Island
LEARNING
EXPERIENCE
✓Having to learn about the Philippine-
American war from the American
perspective, this experience of
researching and gathering this
information from the native Filipino
perspective was really eye opening and
took time for us to understand and
reverse whatever we had in a previously
learned. We were able to discover the
racial tensions and beliefs that the Filipino
held while fighting to revolt for freedom
over their country.
✓This experience allowed us to gain insight that
history is not always as it’s told. From the
background research and findings we had, we
were able to find that although the U.S.
government claimed that their involvement and
colonization of the Philippines was for the
betterment of the country by introducing
education, religion, government, infrastructure,
etc. (which the Spanish colonization supposedly
did as a common goal), was all just a play
pretend to control us which clearly shows that
the Filipino people being mistreated most of as
slaves and prisoners of war when protesting for
their freedom.