Philippine Political Caricature in the American Era (1900-

1941)

PART I: SUMMARY

Philippine political cartoons gained full expression during the American era.
Filipino artists recorded national attitudes toward the coming of the Americans as well
as the changing mores and times. Historian Alfred McCoy’s is professor of SE Asian
History at the U. of Wisconsin at Madison where he also serves as director of the
Centre for SE Asian Studies. He spent the past quarter-century writing about the
politics & history of the opium trade. His extensive research in Philippine and
American archives provides a comprehensive background not only to the cartoons
but to the turbulent period as well. Artist-writer Alfredo Roces, who designed the
book, contributes an essay on Philippine graphic satire of the period. It gained
awards such as; Philippine Catholic Mass Media Award, Best Book of the Year for 1985,
Philippine National Book Award for History 1986, Gintong Aklat Award (Manila), &
Special Citation for History, 1987.

 Vince Sotto, the publisher of the INDEPENDENT, a never missed a chance to

attack the catholic church

 In 1906, the Philippine Supreme Court had ruled that the Roman Catholic
Church was the legal owner of all disputed properties, thus stripping the
nationalistic Aglipayan Church of the Parish Churches it had occupied right after
the revolution.

 During the mid 19th century from Alejandro Roces, whose descendants became
publishes of the Manila Times. While Santa Cruz Church still stands, the
controversial parish house became a branch of Phil. Trust, a church owned
bank.

 Fernando Amorsolo , gives the illustration his usual racist edge. While the
corrupt Filipino police man is shown with normal features, the chinese are
caricatured as emaciated, leering creatures more rodent than human.

 In 1917 a mysterious informant named Pedro Chua wrote the Philippines free
press alleging that senior police where accepting bribes from chinese gambling
houses in Binondo and Quiapo district."
 Vicente Sotto's independent insisted , in this editorial cartoon, that Chua's
charges were accurate.

 Although the Independent's cartoon depicts Harrison as a hero, his suggested

reform was hardly heroic. Despite the stern rhetoric, which obviously appealed to
the paper's penchant for hyperbole. Harrison's suggested reform was little more
than a temporary palliative.

 1908 the nationalist weekly "El Penacimiento" published an editorial filled Aves
de Rapina (birds of prey) which attacked the Philippine commission's secretary
of the interior, Dean C. Norcester for abusing his office to the exploit the country.

 Eventually the protest reached Malacanang Palace and Governor Francis B.

Harrison made a tentative move towards reform. In a letter to the Director
General of the civil service, the governor denounced the rapacious demans of
the landlords. He suggested passage of a bill which sets rents at 12% of
assessed value of the property.

PART II: ANALYSIS

Accounts pointed that the Philippine press has had a love-hate relationship
with political cartoons as only in 1985 has there been a published book on Philippine
cartoons. The book of McCoy and Roces was the first one to legitimize cartoons as
sources of Filipino thoughts and views. Although the book only covered the period of
early American through the commonwealth, reaching the years before World War II,
it reflected on two cartoon themes: anti-American sentiments and the condemnation
of the ruling class. Interestingly, the book highlighted the mutual dependence of
cartoons to the commentaries of the news dailies where these were published. In
effect, McCoy and Roces highlighted the intertwined role of the cartoonist and the
writer in storytelling history of those times.
The literature shows tension on the functions and purposes of political
cartoons. As a channel of information, it has the power to be perceived as a strong
device in creating perceptions. Through its modes of cynicism and satire, coupled
with wit and entertainment, political cartoons can create waves of effects to those
who are negatively portrayed and to those who see the portrayals. Some, however,
feel that political cartoons are dubious sources of information. Cartoons are
collections of metaphorical symbols that can be twisted and turned. Since the
cartoons are products of the minds of the cartoonists, then the symbols and images
can mean different things to different individuals. Furthermore, the use of humor also
becomes the source of another layer of doubt, especially if the cartoon is argued to
be a source of insight and history. In a post colonial Philippines, however, political
cartoons can also be sources of praise and positivity.
Despite the differences in time periods, political cartoons have targeted the
same cause: to expose ills in society. Such ills are based on the on-going conditions
of nations, cultural groups, organizations, and even the artist him/ herself. Moreover,
the rendering of political sentiments, too, in cartoons might be different from one
cartoonist to another as opinion in cartooning is diverse as the cartoonists and the
newspaper editorial boards. It appears, therefore, that in the subjective nature of
political cartoons, one can see how history has been shaped and nurtured.

PART III: RECOMMENDATION

As part of the editorial pages, public opinion is highly espoused in political

cartoons where cartooning is seen as part of the documentary in the past. Political
cartoons have retained their stature as presenters of the will of the people.
Seemingly, Philippine political cartoons are valid historical instruments. Literature
suggested that the art works, when substantiated with official documents, can be
useful in documenting policies, developing historical books, and challenging already
existing histories. If, however, the political cartoons as historical materials do not
contain substance, then interpretation can be difficult.
It appears that if the historian does not know the medium, then he/she has no
right to use it. Cartoons will only become valid evidence only if it is seen by a trained
eye. If historians do not perceive the meaning behind the dominant icons, then they
cannot equally use the powerful tools of sarcasm, exaggeration, satire, and art in the
art form. If, however, the historians know how to read through the visual and literary
nature of political cartoons, then imagine the vast knowledge it can provide them.
The use, for example, of satire to exaggerate images that the public can relate to,
can provide sufficient cultural evidences on determining turning points in history.
Proper interpretation of the texts is also needed in order for political cartoons
to aid in history writing. As a synthesis of art, literature, and history, political
cartooning becomes an effective vehicle in transporting social realities in time
capsules. For example, rise and fall of leaders can be verified using these forms.
How leaders are portrayed on the pages of newspapers, magazines, and the like are
records on the possible inefficiencies of those who are made into caricatures- in
effect, the portrayal of the art form stemmed from various combinations of factors.
Furthermore, since political cartoons are not stand alone objects, the editorial that
accompanies the cartoon can also be a rich source of reading. Meaning can escape
the historian if he/she does not know what he/she is looking for.
Lastly, as a form of caution, historians must always be keen on the amount of
censorship and gate keeping that the art form went through before its publication.
This suggests that the archived political cartoons may not be reliable as a singular
entity. Hence, support documents from other sources are needed to validate the
drawings.