The Underlying Causes and Failures of the Philippine Revolts Against Spanish Rule

During the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, several revolts against Spain were undertaken for various reasons. However, it can be agreed upon that the common underlying cause of these revolts were the generally repressive policies of the Spanish colonial government against the native Filipinos. Many of these revolts though have failed.The specific underlying causes of these revolts have distinct circumstances that need to be studied in Philippines History. We now take a look on how these revolts prospered from its main cause and failure to subjugate the Spanish rule .

In 1585, the popular revolt of Pampanga was undertaken due to abuses felt by the natives inflicted by the encomenderos. The native Kapampangan leaders failed to implement the revolt because a Filipina married to a Spanish soldier reported the plot to Spanish authorities. For their actions, the leaders of the revolt were ordered executed.

The revolt against the tribute in 1589 occurred in the present day provinces of Cagayan, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur in 1589. The natives, which included the Ilocanos, Ibanags and others, rose in revolt over alleged abuses by tax collectors, such as the collection of unjust taxes. Governor-GeneralSantiago de Vera sent Spanish troops to pacify the rebels. They were eventually granted pardon, along with the overhaul of the Philippine tax system.

From 1649 to 1950, another popular revolt which was known as the Sumuroy Revolt came from the present town now of town of Palapag in Northern Samar, Juan Ponce Sumuroy, a Waray, and some of his followers rose in arms on June 1, 1649 over the polo system being undertaken in Samar. The government in Manila directed that all natives subject to the polo are not to be sent to places distant from their hometowns to do their polo. However, under orders of the various town alcaldes, or mayors, Samarnons were being sent to the shipyards of Cavite to do their polo, which sparked the revolt. The local parish priest of Palapag was murdered and the revolt eventually spread to Mindanao, Bicol and the rest of the Visayas, especially in places such as Cebu, Masbate, Camiguin, Zamboanga, Albay, Camarines and parts of northern Mindanao, such as Surigao. A free government was also established in the mountains of Samar.The defeat, capture and execution of Sumuroy in June 1650 led to the end of the revolt.

The unique revolt that happened in 1744 was the Dogohoy revolt which was completely related to matters of religious customs. This was undertaken by Francisco Dagohoy.

After a duel in which Dagohoy's brother died, the local parish priest refused to give his brother a proper Christian burial, since dueling is a mortal sin. The refusal of the priest to give his brother a proper Christian burial eventually led to the longest revolt ever held in Philippine history: 85 years. It also led to the establishment of a free Boholano government. Twenty governors-general, from Juan Arrechederra to Manuel Ricafort Palacín y Ararca, failed to stop the revolt. Ricafort himself sent a force of 2,200 troops to Bohol, which was defeated by Dagohoy's followers. Another attack, also sent by Ricafort in 1828 and 1829, failed as well.Dagohoy died two years before the revolt ended, though, which led to the end of the revolt in 1829. Some 19,000 survivors were granted pardon and were eventually allowed to live in new Boholano villages: namely, the present-day towns of Balilihan, Batuan, Bilar (Vilar), Catigbian and Sevilla (Cabulao).

After a year another revolt was undertaken because agrarian problems. The Filipino Landowners rose in arms over the land-grabbing of Spanish friars, with native landowners demanding that Spanish priests return their lands on the basis of ancestral domain. The refusal of the Spanish priests resulted in much rioting, resulting in massive looting of convents and arson of churches and ranches.This was then called “ Agrarian Revolt” which first sparked in the towns of Lian and Nasugbu in Batangas.The date of the revolt started between the years 1745 and 1746. An interesting result of this revolt was when the court of King Philip heard the incident he ordered the priests to return the lands they seized. However, the priests made an appeal to the Spanish government and successfully able to appeal the return of lands back to the natives, which resulted in no land being returned to native landowners.

The most famous revolts in Philippine History was the Silang Revolt which took place during the British invasion of Manila . The revolt started in December 14, 1762 which Diego Silang declared the independence of “ Ilocandia” , naming the state "Free Ilocos" and proclaimed Vigan the capital of this newly-independent state. The British heard about this revolt in Manila and even asked the help of Silang in fighting the Spanish.However, Silang was killed on May 28, 1763 by Miguel Vicos, a friend of Silang. The Spanish authorities paid for his murder, leading to his death in the arms of his wife, Gabriela. She continued her husband's struggle, earning the title "Joan of Arc of the Ilocos" because of her many victories in battle. The battles of the Silang revolt were prime example of the use of divide et impera, since Spanish troops largely used Kampampangan soldiers to fight the Ilocanos.Eventually, the revolt ended with the defeat of the Ilocanos. Gabriela Silang was executed by Spanish authorities in Vigan on September 10, 1763.

Another revolt that happened in Ilocos was the Basi Revolt also known as the Ambaristo revolt which was undertaken from September 16-28,1807. The revolt was very unique because the underlying cause was the Ilocanos’ love for basi or sugar cane wine. In 1786, the Spanish colonial government expropriated the manufacture and sale of basi, effectively banning private manufacture of the wine, which was done before expropriation. Ilocanos were forced to buy from government stores. However, wine-loving Ilocanos in Piddig rose in revolt on September 16, 1807, with the revolt spreading to nearby towns and with fighting lasting for weeks. However, the Spanish troops eventually quelled the revolt on September 28, 1807, albeit with much force and loss of life on the losing side.

Finally, on the most famous revolts was the Religious Revolt of Hermano Pule which was undertaken between June 1840 and November 1841. This revolt was known as Pule Revolt which was led byApolinario de la Cruz, otherwise known as "Hermano Pule".

De la Cruz started his own religious order, the Confraternity of Saint Joseph (Spanish: Confradia de San José) in Lucban, located in the present-day province of Quezon (then called Tayabas), in June of 1840. However, there were two types of priests in the Philippines then: secular priests, or parish priests, which were usually Filipino, and religious priests, or convent priests, which were usually Spanish. Due to the concentration of Spanish religious power and authority in the already-established religious orders (the Augustinians, Jesuits and Franciscans to name a few) and the concept that Filipino priests should only stay in the church and not the convent and vice-versa (although this was not always followed), the Spanish government banned the new order, especially due to its deviation from original Catholic rituals and teachings, such as prayers and rituals suited for Filipinos.However, thousands of people in Tayabas, Batangas, Laguna and even Manila already joined. Because of this, the Spanish government sent in troops to forcibly break up the order, forcing De la Cruz and his followers to rise in armed revolt in self-defense. Many bloody battles were fought with the order's last stand in Mount San Cristobal, near Mount Banahaw, in October of 1841. The Spaniards eventually won, and Apolinario de la Cruz was executed on November 4, 1841 in the then-provincial capital, Tayabas.It did not end there, though. Many members of the Spanish armed forces' Tayabas regiment, based in Malate in Manila, had relatives that were members of the order, of which many of those relatives were also killed in the ensuing violence. On January 20, 1843, the regiment, led by Sergeant Irineo Samaniego, rose in mutiny, eventually capturing Fort Santiago in Intramuros. The next day, however, the gates of Fort Santiago were opened by loyalist soldiers. After a bloody battle, the mutineers were defeated by loyalist troops, resulting in the execution of Samaniego and 81 of his followers the same day.

An interesting insights about the underlying causes of the Philippine revolt can be studied from the insights of Boquiren (1999) which had been presented on the streams in peasant movements :

A. 1565-1663

Peasant movements within this period were generally characterized as immediate reactions to the different aspects of colonialism and the state that the local communities were confronting at the time of contact.

The revolts were brought about largely as a result of:

  1. oppression through colonial policies such as the tribute, bandala (or reales compras) , polo, and other extractions;
  2. (reaction to) the alien character of the new state imposed upon the people (this was true among the dispossessed datu and maharlika class, and may have been a deeper motivation); and negation of ancient ways and beliefs (as foreign values and customs were thrust upon the country, resulting in social disorientation).

In particular instances, the revolts differed in the specific mixture of the elements that went into their making. Nonetheless, it will be useful to summarize the general character of and directions in these peasant movements.

Revolts in LUZON were generally more political in character, specifically within the old Pampanga-Manila-Mindoro area of state construction. In Ilocos, meanwhile, revolts constituted a religio-cultural, nativistic negation of Hispanic cultural predominance. (Boquiren :1999)

A. 1565-1663

Luzon Revolts

June 1571 ( 3 days) : (Tondo ,Manila- Mindoro Circumference area)

  • MACABEBES led by "the King of Macabebes"
  • Some 2,000 Macababe warriors (from Pampanga),

a reaction against foreign political set-up and religion; quelled by Pintados and Spanish soldiers under Goiti

August 1571 ( Cainta)

  • Tagalogs

1574 ( Navotas (Manila to Cavite, Batangas, and Mindoro)

  • Manila Revolt led by Lakan Dula, involving some 10,000 natives (during Limahong's attacks) as reactions against Spanish officials extractions of food supply; turned out to be anti-Spanish (civil officials and priests)

1585 (Manila, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna,Bulacan)

  • TONDO CONSPIRACY (of all the datus of the (1st attempt) Pampanga and Tagalog Region) to expel the Spaniards led by Agustin de Legazpi, Martin Panga

1587

  • Second attempt) led by Magat Salamat - with the help of the Japanese at first, and then of the Borneans

1584 ( Pampanga)

  • Because of the famine caused by the polo

1580s

  • Reported: numerous revolts in Cagayan and Ilocos as initial reactions to colonial policies

1596(Cagayan)

  • Magalat

1607 ( Cagayan)

  • Chief of Malaguey"

1643 ( Bulacan)

  • led by Don Pedro Ladia, nativist political revolt with religious undertones. Ladia claimed the right to be "King over the provinces of the Tagalogs" in his appeal to the ancient indigenous religion

1645 ( Nueva Ecija /Gapan in Pampanga then)

  • led by "an Indian sorcerer," *nativist, religious (kill the Spaniards and the religion which caused the people disaster, "slay the fathers and burn the churches")

1660(Pampanga, with contacts in Pangasinan, the Ilocos and Cagayan)

  • MANIAGO REVOLT (was actually a non-revolt) led by Don Francisco Maniago, initially caused by natives' protest against the polo and bandala, later became a struggle to free the natives from Spanish rule. The rebels were weakened by Gov. de Lara's cooperation of Arayat chief Macapagal
  • PANGASINAN REVOLT (Malong) led by Don Andres Malong, the "King of Pangasinan" with some 11,000 men in all. Called for the elimination of the Spanishcivil bureaucracy, in place of which Malong set up a rudimentary one consisting of a count, a judge, and army generals based at "Palapag"; his weakness: he spared the religious which was why he did not have a committed following.
  • GUMAPOS, with the help of Zambals and de Vera ( In Ilocos and Cagayan)
  • ILOCOS REVOLT led by Pedro Almazan, "King of the Ilocos", with the help of Isnegs; response to Malong's appeal in Ilocos

In the VISAYAS, nativistic sentiment was much stronger than elsewhere, as indicated in the fact that the communities sought in the ancient religion and culture the strength and resources for the struggle against Spanish political and cultural dominance.

Visayan Revolts

1588 (Cebu,Panay,other Visayan islands)

  • Minor revolts against colonial policies

1621 ( Bohol)

  • TAMBLOT REVOLT of 2,000 men led by the babaylan Tamblot, called for the rejection of Catholic religion, people to rise up against the Spaniards. Tamblot reported the appearance of a diwata who promised the natives a life of happiness and abundance "without paying tribute to the Spaniards or dues to the churches

1621 ( Bohol)

  • BANCAO, a chief of Limasaua, led a nativistic movement. He erected a temple to the diwata and called on the people to destroy church property

1649-1650 (Samar, Leyte, Albay, Camarines Sur, Bohol, Cebu, Iligan, Camiguim, Surigao and Zamboanga )

  • SUMUROY REVOLT led by the father of Sumuroy and himself, Don Juan Ponce, Don Pedro Camuug, against the polo, but with a nativistic, anti-friar impulsion behind it
  • DABAO ("tricky Dabao"), from Butuan to Cebu, through Leyte and Samar, and parts of Bicol: the territory of the ancient Visayan rajahs in Northern Mindanao

1663 ( Panay)

  • TAPAR REBELLION led by the sorcerer Tapar who went around as a woman, as a babaylan; nativist, with Christian organizational scheme inspiration

He taught his followers to worship idols, performed prodigies resembling miracles, and became a prophet. He promised the natives:

a . a life of abundance (leaves into fish,

coconut fiber into linen)

b. that they won't be hit/won't die when hit by

Spanish muskets; those who will die in the

rebellion will live again.

Tapar as the "Eternal Father," among his followers were assigned a "Son," a "Holy Ghost," a "Virgin Mary," twelve apostles, a "Pope," several bishops

B. 1663-1765

The revolts toward the 18th century differed from the earlier ones in that they were more intense, more widespread, and longer in duration. The following were the common features in these revolts:

  1. They revealed direct links between the pre-Spanish centers of state construction and the aspirations of the leaders (for a return to the pre-colonial society/situation)
  2. They also endeavored to achieve hegemony on a regional scope
  3. All were rural-based, and had as aim the restitution of lands and the melioration of the plight of the impoverished peasants.
  4. There evolved a new pattern of resistance which unified the kasama and principalia against the colonial society in the Tagalog area, the kailianes and babacnang of Ilocos; the peasants and the anacbanuas of Pangasinan, the Timauas and ethnic (tribal) groups of Cagayan.

(Prior to this period, the revolts were characterized as conflicts between the peasantry and the whole colonial machinery - which included the principales to some extent. )

  1. All revolts also revealed the schism within the principalia (which the religious orders fomented), and thus gave birth to the confrontation between opposition and collaboration as tendencies of the elite.
  2. To some extent, there was also some sort of an awakening which took place among the "abogadillos" and "apo de radillos" who assisted those who joined in the struggle (this being an indication of a positive desire to assert native identity against the political power of the colonizer). In this alliance prefigured the future revolutionary coalition between the peasant movement and the expanded ilustrado- principalia of the 19th century .

Three types of revolt characterized movements during the period:

1. the essentially agrarian uprisings in 1745 in the Tagalog regions

2. the political revolts which took place mainly in Northern Luzon

3. the culturally-controlled rebellion in Bohol which lasted for almost 80 years

C. 1765-1815

Manifestations of the growing nationalism were in the form of mass uprisings as a result of intensifying colonial exploitation in view of new economic orientation which the influence of the physiocrats in Europe brought about. The stress on monocropping-based commercial agricultural production and exchange did not only expand to become region-wide (hence, the regionalization of commodity production along a few select export crops like coconut, tobacco, sugarcane and cotton), but it also intensified land concentration among fewer families and religious corporations through the sanglang-bili and outright landgrabbing, The more known revolts during the period were the following:

D. 1815-1872