Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricatures of the

American Era

ANTHONY lim
enRICO pilongo
FELIPe Alcala, jr
MARVIN aquino
RhINAlou salamat
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
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, urban
letters Vicente Sotto, poverty, and poltical
one of the militant and issues.
aggressive advocates of • Where Fernando
immediate Amorsolo began
independence. his career as the
• A weekly newspaper “angriest of
and published in Manila’s political
English and Spanish. cartoonists”.
• A forum for its
publishers for political
crusades.
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 Philippine national
investigative progress.
reporting about the
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 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 CONDITIONS
• 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

Historical Information

• The problem of homesteading

and US-style tenancy during the
American colonial government

ANALYSIS
• It presents the oppressed
condition of the farmers
during the American
colonial period.
Philippine Cartoons:
Economic Caricatures

Historical Information

• The vulnerability of our

economy to foreign economic
policy
• Bankruptcy of the PNB

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

Historical Information
• Dramatic increase in Manila’s
population resulted to rising of
rent and high food prices.

ANALYSIS
• 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.
Philippine Cartoons:
Economic Caricatures
ANALYSIS • 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

Historical Information
• The political practice in the
country especially during
election.

ANALYSIS

• 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
Historical Information
1. Police Corruption – to protect
gambling clubs
2. Passage of law authorizing all
legislators to bear firearms

ANALYSIS
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

Historical Information ANALYSIS

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

Historical Information

1. Ecclesiastical Encomienda
• Frailocracy
2. Bureau of Public Health - Filipinos

ANALYSIS
1. Poor people are homeless while the
Roman Catholic Church owns big lands.
2. Filipinization of Bureau of Public
resulted to ineffective and inefficient
service.
 Philippine Cartoons:
Socio-cultural Caricatures

Historical Information

• The Americans introduced a free

and a more democratic educational
system in the Philippines.

ANALYSIS
• 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

Historical Information
• The Americans used the educational
system to control/manipulate the
Filipinos.

ANALYSIS
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

CONTRIBUTIONS
AND RELEVANCE
CONTRIBUTIONS 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 deciphering 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.
CONTRIBUTIONS 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