Filipinas: La Gloriosa y Más Allá (Full Version)

ramones1986 · Aug 12, 2015

ramones1986 said:
I'm starting a thread about the Philippines from 1868 to the last years of the 19th century (and possibly 20th century). I'm now writing my prologue in a notebook, and possibly typing it later, if not tommorrow.

Evening of the 14th of December,2012, I've started my first alternate history scenario Filipinas: La Gloriosa y Más Allá here on Alternate History Discussion Forum. For more than two years, it was considered as the longest-running Philippine-centred timeline, two-time nominee for Best Continuing 19th Century Timeline in the Turtledove Awards (2013 and 2014), and spun-off a series of related posts on my DeviantArt account, mostly flags (and occasionally coat of arms) of Philippine provinces and territories). Originally a Philippine spin-off of Milarqui's The Legacy of the Glorious, it gradually became a timeline of its own, especially after 1886, as I always felt that the destiny of the archipelago in Milarqui's scenario were quite depressing and discouraging for the Filipinos.

However, in the recent months, I felt that some of my ideas were not always match within the boundaries of a typical pre-1900 TL, like a bigger version of Cuyo Archipelago and the existence of a more visible Micronesian Islands; at least I allowed a single ASB event in my scenario, and that's the creation of the Balintang Islands. Aside from that, I've struggled to sustain some recent events like the Nueva Vizcaya-wank, Kristangs in Koronadal Territory, and the brouhaha in Palawan. Nonetheless, I always promised that I would continue my timeline as soon as I can, at least until the outbreak of World War I.

And now, I've decided to give another chance to my flagship TL; this time, there will be a "full" version to accommodate ideas and events that were missed or wasted in the original/regular version. It means that there would be more back stories, more events to be covered, especially the years from 1868-1890, and a correct amount of ASB's, mostly geographic.

ramones1986 · Aug 12, 2015

FILIPINAS: LA GLORIOSA Y MÁS ALLÁ

Book 1

ramones1986 · Aug 12, 2015

Prologue

Intramuros as it appeared in the 17th century.

The Philippine Islands, ruled by the Spaniards since 1571, has always been called "Pearl of the Orient" because of its importance in the Spain's interest in the continent, particularly in its role in the famed galleon trade. From the Governor's Palace in the walls of Old Manila (the Intramuros), the Governor-General, being the representative of the Spanish Crown, ruled in an almost absolute manner, helped by the Archdiocese of Manila, the most powerful Roman Catholic clergy in the islands. From the walls of Intramuros, the power of the Governor-General of the Philippines has reached until the island of Formosa in the north and the Zamboanga Peninsula and the Lands of Koronadal in the south of the archipelago. Despite external threats and setbacks, like the short-lived British occupation of Manila (1762-64), Madrid retained its rule over the archipelago, first through the Viceroyalty of New Spain, based in City of Mexico for 250 years (1571-1821). After the Mexicans declared independence, the Philippines were now administered directly from Madrid; at the same time, Formosa became a separate colony.

José Basco y Vargas
Governor-General of the Philippines, 1778-87

Majority of contemporary Filipino historians would agree that the modernization and industrialization of the country actually started in the last few decades of the 18th century, starting with the appointment of José Basco as Governor-General of the archipelago. Due to his economic reforms, particularly the establishment of Sociedad Económica de los Amigos del País and allowing foreign traders to establish businesses not just in Manila, but also in other major cities across the country, the Philippines experienced a boom that was unprecedented until the late 19th century. Under the administration of his successor Félix Berenguer de Marquina (1788-93), the reforms were extended to the basic Philippine politics as he issued a royal decree on the 12th of October, 1791, where the native Filipinos were allowed to elect their own representatives and be elected in the Juntas Municipales (municipal councils) of the towns they've been resided. Until then, only cabezas de barangay were the highest political position available to native Filipinos. Nonetheless, most of them belonged to the principalia class, with occasional representation from the native trading class. Aside from it, social injustices like polo y servicio and unjust taxation persisted until 19th century.

Félix Berenguer de Marquina
Governor-General of the Philippines, 1788-93

The impact of the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte in the early years of the 19th century reached the Philippines as well; despite the fact that the Philippines had sent two representatives to Cádiz (Pedro Perez de Tagle and Jose Manuel Coretto) and signed the 1812 Spanish Constitution, "La Pepa" as it was affectionately called, was never formally implemented for obvious reasons: the opposition of arch-conservative Roman Catholic clergy and corrupt-ridden bureaucracy. At the same time, all Spanish American colonies, from New Spain (Mexico) in the north to Rio de la Plata (Argentina) in the south, declared independence after a series of military battles; thus, the wars of liberation left a severe impact of the declining colonial power of Madrid.

Pascual Enrile y Alcedo
Governor-General of the Philippines, 1830-35

Aside from the earlier revolts against the Spanish authorities, the revolt of Andrés Novales in 1823 made an impact on the later-day Philippine nationalists. Novales, a mestizo captain of the Spanish Army, was disappointed to the discrimination he and his fellow mestizo colleagues had experienced in the military, decided to revolt against the authorities, including his brother Mariano, and proclaim himself as Emperor of the Philippines; however, the revolt was short-lived as the captain was captured and killed by the military for disobedience; his young family, his fellow creole Luis Rodríguez Varela, along with his family, was sent to exile in Agaña, the capital of Chamorro province[1]. Corruption and social injustice worsened, including in the aftermath of the Novales Revolt. Despite such harsh realities, the Philippine economy grew after the Intramuros government allowed free trade with the rest of the world, thus accelerated the flow of information, through books and other reading materials, from Europe and the United States of America. Thanks to the efforts of Governor-General Pascual Enrile y Alcedo (1830-35), the archipelago's infrastructure improved, particularly roads to the poblaciones[2] and ports.

Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa
Governor-General of the Philippines, 1844-49

The taxation and census system improved under the administration of Governor-General Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa (1844-49) as he decreed and distributed Catálogo alfabético de apellidos (Alphabetic Catalogue of Surnames) that gave every Filipino family a surname of their own, aside from those who have it already, particularly in places like Pampanga, Tagalog Lands and Visayas. Claveria's reforms included the changes in the calendar and the role of the governors in the administration. Meanwhile, under the administration of Fernándo Norzagaray y Escudero (1857-60), Juntas Provinciales were established; its president was made the head of the provincial government, sharing duties with the governor, who was appointed by the Governor-General in Manila. Nonetheless, such reforms, including the establishment of a public school system in 1863, were not enough for the ilustrados, and claimed that the hindrance were the friars and corrupt bureaucracy; in addition, they said that only a revolution in metropolitan Spain would change the fate of the country.

NOTES:
[1] OTL: Northern Marianas and Guam (and N.Marianas would be more visible in the map).
[2] Urban center of a municipality.

ramones1986 · Aug 12, 2015

Book 1, Chapter 1: Timeline of Events

1868

18-19 September:

Juan Bautista Topete, Admiral of the Spanish Navy, proclaimed the end of the Bourbon monarchy, headed by Queen Isabel II and the government of Luis González Bravo in the Andalusian port city of Cádiz, also known as the birthplace of "La Pepa", the affectionate name for the Spanish Constitution of 1812, drafted and ratified in the said city in the midst of Napoleonic occupation and the reign of a Bonaparte in throne of Spain. For the first time in the history of Spain, the Navy has actively participated in a pronounciamiento that called for a real change in the government and the Spanish society in general. A day later, generals Juan Prim and Francisco Serrano arrived in Cádiz to join Topete and formally initiated the uprising; the uprising was actually planned two years earlier in the Dutch city of Ostend[1], where Prim was one of the accomplices of the so-called Pact of Ostend, alongside Cristino Martos and Francsico Pi y Margall.

21 September:

In the Palace of Malacañang, Governor-General José de la Gandara has formally finalized the establishment of a separate province of Calamián[2] alongside the representatives of its own Junta Provincial, headed by its president Patricio José Macolor y Capdevila[3]. The island-province had already established the city of Cuyo as its capital; its Cuyonon-speaking inhabitants, while influenced the cultures of neighboring Paragua and Mindoro in the pre-Hispanic times through intermarriages, has settled the northern tip of the island and its adjacent islands like Busuanga in the first centuries of Spanish colonial rule.

Map of the province of Calamián

22-23 September:

A letter signed by thirty well-known Manila personalities, mostly belonged to the ilustrado class, has appeared in the prestigious Manila newspaper El Provenir, calling for immediate reform in the colonial government. In the said letter, the ilustrados has appealed to Governor-General José de la Gandara to establish a responsible government and reducing the role of the Governor-General into a ceremonial post as his other power would now be taken by a chief minister, a position chosen by the majority party in a national assembly elected by the people of the archipelago. The letter ended by a reminder of what's happening in the Madre Patria at the time the letter was written. The following day, the Governor-General met with all thirty ilustrados in a private dinner in the palace of Malacañang, possibly in response to the letter they've signed.

24 September:

In the Belgian capital Nivelles[4], the Belgian Parliament was studying the possibility of combining the provinces of Luxembourg and Liège under a single administrative unit called the Province of Ardennes, as Interior Minister Eudore Pirmez has proposed before the Chamber of Representatives, the lower house of the Belgian Parliament. According to the sources within the Ministry of Interior, Pirmez felt that it would be better for the two eastern provinces to combine as he believed that the underpopulated Luxembourg would be managed from Liège. Formerly known as Western Luxembourg, the province was under Belgian sovereignty following the Exchange of 1839; it now attracted migrants, mostly Walloon-speaking working and lower-class families from neighboring Liège, Namur and Hainaut.

Eudore Pirmez
Minister of Interior, Kingdom of Belgium

25 September:

In the Formosan capital of Nueva Malacca[5], Governor-General Mariano Novales admitted in his personal diary that he was planning to sent a letter to the Ministry of Overseas Affairs in the Spanish capital Madrid requesting that the remains of his brother Andrés should be repatriated and reburied in the Philippines. The current Governor-General furtherly confessed that he still felt guilty that he never helped his brother when he attempted to overthrow the Spanish colonial authorities in Intramuros in 1823, and added that he also want to repatriate the not just the Novales family, but also the family of Luis Rodríguez Varela, who also been exiled to Agaña for supporting his brother's revolt.

26 September:

In the Egyptian capital Cairo, Isma'il Pasha Par-Kavalla[6] signed the law passed by the national parliament where the Egyptian language[7] became co-official with Turkish in the government bureaucracy. The law, co-authored by the Khedive himself and lawyer-novelist Mehmed Abdullah Par-Aetos[8], required all government workers across the country to conduct business in Egyptian. The passing of the said law confirmed the speculation that the Khedive was preparing Par-Aetos as the head of the Egyptian government (Tjati in Egyptian language) as Isma'il believed on his capacity to lead the country, as he admitted in a private meeting with foreign diplomats in the Royal Palace.

NOTES:
[1] OTL: Ostende, Belgium
[2] Composed of Busuanga, Corón, Culión, El Nido Peninsula, Agutaya and Cuyo Island, the ASB counterpart of Cuyo Archipelago.
[3] Fictional name.
[4] Earlier than the regular version, because of the fact that the French-speaking Flemish upper class fled south during the Belgian Revolution.
[5] OTL: Taoyuan District
[6] OTL: Muhammad Ali Dynasty
[7] Well, I know it's complicated, but I'll attempt to explain it later in this timeline.
[8] Fictional name.

ramones1986 · Aug 12, 2015

Book 1, Chapter 1: Timeline of Events

1868

27 September:

In a private dinner with ilustrado leader Joaquin Pardo de Tavera in the palace of Malacañang, José de la Gandara admitted that he already knew of the military uprising against the Bourbon monarchy and the government of President Luis González Bravo in Spain. The Governor-General explained that he received a letter from the Ministry of Overseas Affairs in the Spanish capital Madrid, saying that if the uprising would be successful in their objectives, the ministry would inform him about his future as representative of the Spanish Crown in the archipelago. Earlier, de la Gandara wrote in his personal diary that he personally support the uprising of generals Francisco Serrano and Juan Prim and admiral Juan Bautista Topete, thinking of a possible retirement if he would receive a letter from the Ministry of Overseas Affairs that he would be relieve of his post as Governor-General.

28-29 September:

Forces led by general Francisco Serrano met loyalist troops headed by the Marquis of Novaliches, Manuel Pavía y Lacy, in the town of Alcolea in the province of Córdoba. Although the two armies had the same numbers of soldiers, the loyalists possessed more artillery than the rebels; despite their relative disadvantage, the rebels knew that the Spanish people were in favor to their cause, thus boosting their morale to fight. After an initial assault by the loyalists was repealed by Serrano's troops, Novaliches decided to personally lead a second assault in order to prevent demoralization from seeping into his men. This assault ended in complete failure, for not only were the revolutionaries able to stop it, but the Marquis of Novaliches was gravely injured in the face. The loyalist army was forced to retreat towards the north, allowing the revolutionaries to have free passage to Madrid, which they were able to occupy with the support of the locals.

Manuel Pavía y Lacy
Marquis of Novaliches

29 September:

In the Palace of Malacañang, Governor-General José de la Gandara met with the ilustrado leader Joaquin Pardo de Tavera, who suggested to the former about the possible reform of the public school system. Pardo de Tavera suggested that the vernacular languages should be taught both as a subject and medium of instruction, claiming that the children would understand better if they've been taught in the vernacular. For his part, the Governor-General would consider Pardo de Tavera's suggestion with the help of a special council, which were composed of representatives appointed by the Juntas Provinciales; political and cultural circles in the capital began to consider the ilustrado leader as "Ministro Principal", the de facto head of government because of his recent role as the main adviser to the Governor-General in Malacañang.

30 September:

As the Spanish people celebrated the victory of the rebels, most especially in the emblematic Puerta del Sol in the capital Madrid, Queen Isabel II and her family, accompanied by her loyal courtiers, left Spain for the frontier city of Biarritz, in the French Basque Country, where they were welcomed by Napoleon III, the Emperor of the French and his Spanish-born wife, Empress Consort Eugenia de Montijo. At the time of her departure, the Bourbon monarch kept her historical rights to the Catholic Monarchs and Miguel de la Paz. Meanwhile in Spain, the authorities appointed and/or elected during the reign of the so-called last Bourbon monarch of Spain peacefully transferred powers to the local Juntas, chosen by either peaceful elections or popular acclaim, and thus they became the municipal councils (ayuntamientos).

Rebel troops, led by Serrano, as they entered Madrid

1 October:

In the Belgian capital Nivelles, the members of the press asked Interior Minister Eudore Pirmez if he would call a referendum in the provinces of Liège and Luxembourg if his proposed legislation would be passed by both houses of the Belgian Parliament, the Interior Minister that while he could call a referendum if the proposal would be passed by both Chamber of Representatives and the Senate, he clarified that such decision should be consulted before with the Prime Minister and the chief of the electoral commission of the country. Pirmez' proposal called for the unification of the provinces of Liège and Luxembourg under a single administrative unit.

2 October:

In the Egyptian capital of Cairo, Mehmed Abdullah Par-Aetos was indeed appointed as Prime Minister of Egypt[1] by Isma'il Pasha Par-Kavalla immediately after the Khedive ceded most of its executive powers to the newly-created post. In effect, the 47-year-old lawyer-novelist and politician would be the de facto head of the Egyptian government, which was patterned after its counterparts in European countries, particularly in Great Britain and France. Served as a member of the Egyptian parliament for eight years, Aetos rose to fame as the definitive leader whom the Khedive would always trust, especially in the recent years in relation to the construction of the canal that would connect the Red Sea with the Mediterranean.

NOTE:
[1] Eight years earlier than OTL.

ramones1986 · Aug 17, 2015

Book 1, Chapter 1: Timeline of Events

1868

2 October:

In the palace of Malacañang in the colonial capital Manila, José de la Gandara assured to ilustrado leader Joaquin Pardo de Tavera that the Juntas Provinciales outside Manila, particularly in the provinces of Visayas and Mindanao, that they would send representatives to the capital for a special assembly in relation to the reforms in the public education system. The Governor-General explained that he already sent letters to the provincial governments days earlier than what was scheduled in order to choose their delegate and send him to Manila a couple of days before the scheduled assembly. The upcoming special council, which would be lead by Pardo de Tavera, would consult the Governor-General about reforms in public education, in which include the use of vernaculars, both as a subject and as a medium of instruction.

3-4 October:

Delegates from all over the archipelago, all appointed by their respective Juntas Provinciales, arrived in the colonial capital Manila as they're preparing for a special council in the palace of Malacañang on Monday, the 5th of October. The provincial delegates were received by the Manileño representative and chair of the council Joaquin Pardo de Tavera, who also convened a short meeting about the objectives of such an assembly. The special council was called upon by Governor-General José de la Gandara to help him decide on the reforms in the educational system in the Philippines, particularly in the proposal that the vernacular should be taught both as a subject and a medium of instruction in the public primary schools across the country, the first such major reforms since its establishment in the year 1863.

5 October:

In the Spanish capital Madrid, a Provisional Government was formed with Francisco Serrano as its President. Formed equally by the members of the two major parties (Unionists and Progressives), their tasks included the implementation of reforms, both economic and political, necessary to the needs of the Spanish people, the upcoming municipal elections in December and consequently, the elections for the Constituent Assembly which, in turn, would draft and ratificate a new constitution for the country, which would reflect the vision of the leaders of the so-called La Gloriosa revolt.
The members of the Provisional Government were the following:

Francisco Serrano (President of the Provisional Government)
Juan Bautista Topete (Ministry of Navy)
Juan Álvarez Lorenzana (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Antonio Romero Ortiz (Ministry of Justice)
Adelardo López de Ayala (Ministry of Overseas Affairs)
Juan Prim (Ministry of War)
Práxedes Mateo Sagasta (Ministry of Interior)
Manuel Ruiz Zorrilla (Ministry of Public Works)
Laureano Figuerola (Ministry of Treasury)

Modern Spanish historians would consider the Provisional Government as the first modern Council of Ministers/Cabinet in the history of their country, and their legacy was respected by the succeeding generations of Spaniards.

Gobierno_Provisional_1869_%28J.Laurent%29.jpg

The 1869 Provisional Government

6 October:

In the palace of Malacañang, Joaquin Pardo de Tavera informed to Governor-General José de la Gandara that all of the delegates present in yesterday's special assembly agreed to the reforms in the educational system. The ilustrado leader (and de facto "chief minister") told de la Gandara that the common argument for their approval of such reforms was for the common benefit of the primary schools students across the archipelago. For his part, the Governor-General said that indeed, the whole Philippines would be ready for the educational reform in the following days. The special assembly held yesterday in Manila was a consultative one, as they convinced the Governor-General the reason his proposed reforms were either good or bad for the colony.

7 October:

In the Formosan colonial capital Nueva Malacca, Governor-General Mariano Novales received a letter from the Ministry of Overseas Affairs in the Spanish capital Madrid; in the said letter, the ministry already understood that the military officer would want to retire from his active service, both as member of the Spanish Army and a diplomat, so his wish of resignation as Governor-General of Formosa would be granted; the letter further added that his potential successor would be José de la Gandara, currently serving as Governor-General of neighboring colony of the Philippines; indeed, the letter concluded that the succession would be expected to be held early next year, immediately after the situation in Spain improved. Well-known as the brother of fallen Filipino hero Andrés Novales, Mariano has served for a long time as a soldier and later, commander of the Spanish Army; his service included his four-year term as the Governor-General of Formosa.

8 October:

In Egypt, Prime Minister Mehmed Abdullah Par-Aetos appointed most of his fellow members of the Parliament as members of the Cabinet, almost a week after he was appointed as the head of government by the Khedive, Isma'il Pasha Par-Kavalla; one of them was Nubar Nubarian, his close fried and fellow parliamentarian: Par-Aetos named him as Minister of Foreign Affairs because of his origins and his fluency in different languages like French, Arabic, and Turkish, in addition to his native Armenian and Egyptian. In his new role as chief diplomat of Egypt, Nubarian would deal not just with the Sublime Porte in the Ottoman capital Nikomedia[1], but also with different European countries like Great Britain and France, as the construction of the canal that would connect the Mediterranean and the Red Sea started its final phase.

9 October:

In the Spanish capital Madrid, Práxedes Mateo Sagasta has announced that the upcoming municipal elections would be held on the 14th of December after a series of recommendations with the Junta Electoral del Reino, the governing body that supervised and monitored the elections in the country. The Interior Minister further added that the campaign would be started on the 19th of October (Monday) and ended on the 11th of December (Friday), only two days before the day of the election itself. After the upcoming municipal elections, Juntas Revolucionales would pave way to the full restoration of ayuntamientos, either by succeeding themselves or electing new municipal governments.

Práxedes Mateo Sagasta
Minister of Interior
Kingdom of Spain

10 October:

The rebellion in the Spanish colony of Cuba started with the speech by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes declaring the island as independent from Spain, as he and his troops attempted to capture the town of Yara in the island's Oriente province. Although they failed to capture Yara, it would serve as inspiration for other towns in the Spanish colony to took up their arms and revolt against Madrid. Céspedes, already well-known as the leader of the Revolutionary Committee of Bayamo, always denounced the lack of political rights and representation for the native-born Cubans, in addition to the thorny issue of slavery.

13-14 October:

In Madrid, the Overseas Ministry received a telegram from the Cuban colonial capital La Hábana/Havana, in which they informed about the attempted rebel takeover of Yara in the island's southern region. Immediately, Adelardo López de Ayala sent a message to the office of President Francisco Serrano in Palacio de los Heros to inform about the uprising in Cuba. The following day, the Provisional Government held a special meeting in Palacio de los Heros in response to the worsening situation in Cuba.

15 October:

Governor-General Jose de la Gandara instituted the last of his reforms: the reform of primary education across the archipelago. The reform included the introduction of coeducation of the classrooms and the use of vernaculars both as a subject and a medium of instruction. Such reforms were first suggested by the ilustrado leader Joaquin Pardo de Tavera and consulted by a special council, the said reforms were considered as one of the major reforms in the colonial education system since the establishment of public school system in 1863.

NOTE:
[1] Actually, Constantinople-Nicomedia, but the Sultan and Sublime Porte lives in the Asian side of the Bosporus.

ramones1986 · Aug 19, 2015

Book 1, Chapter 1: Timeline of Events

1868

16 October:

In the Spanish capital Madrid, despite the opposition from the Republican faction of Partido Demócrata, led by statesman Francisco Pí y Margall, the Provisional Government has definitely decided that only sending troops to Cuba would be the only viable response to the rebellion that plagued the island colony. President Francisco Serrano said that the Provisional Government recognized that the situation in La Hábana as "very alarming" to the point of endangering the existence of the central government. The rebellion, led by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, started almost two weeks ago when the rebels attempted to capture the town of Yara from the colonial authorities; as of the moment, more than half of the island joined the rebel forces.

17-18 October:

In the town of Taal in the province of Batangas, some of the most prominent personalities in the Tagalog-speaking world gathered together to publicly support the proposed single Tagalog province that would encompass the provinces of Batangas, La Laguna, Tayabas and the island of Marinduque, currently under the jurisdiction of the province of Mindoro. According to the local newspaper reports, the attendees included well-known poets and dramatists from the three Tagalog-speaking provinces, prominent politicians and Tagalog-speaking ilustrados and members of the local principalia. The newspaper reports added that the group would pass a letter of petition to the Governor-General in the colonial capital Manila.

Municipal Hall of Taal

19 October:

The campaign period for the upcoming municipal elections in Spain has formally started as posters, pamphlets and other election-related materials were distributed in all municipalities across the country. Earlier, Interior Minister Práxedes Mateo Sagasta has confirmed that the Junta Electoral del Reino has changed the qualifications and requirements to be a voter: male taxpayer, age 21 and older, which means that every Spaniard adult male has now a chance to vote for their candidate in the 14th of December and in the elections for the Constituent Assembly.

20 October:

In the palace of Malacañang in the colonial capital Manila, José de la Gandara received a letter from the Ministry of Overseas Affairs in Madrid; it told that the current Governor-General would be transferred to Formosa early next year, replacing Mariano Novales as the representative of the Spanish Crown in Nueva Malacca. In addition, the letter informed de la Gandara that the Provisional Government, led by President Francisco Serrano, would contemplate on his possible successor as Governor-General of the Philippines; one of them was a general named Carlos Maria de la Torre y Nava Cerrada.

21 October:

Tagalog-language poet and novelist Juan Mercurio Dimalibot[1] went to the palace of Malacañang to meet with Governor-General José de la Gandara in relation to the state of affairs in the Tagalog-speaking provinces. The leader of Samahang Kumintang[2] presented the letter made by its members, in which they argued the unification of the provinces of Batangas, La Laguna and Tayabas into a single Tagalog-speaking province and its possible outcome in the rest of the colony. Also present in the said meeting was ilustrado leader Joaquín Pardo de Tavera, whose increased role in the colonial government earned him the moniker "de facto Chief Minister". The group Samahang Kumintang was formed in the town of Taal, considered as the Tagalog cultural capital, last weekend.

José de la Gandara y Navarro
Governor-General of the Philippines, 1866-69

22 October:

In the Egyptian capital Cairo, Prime Minister Mehmed Abdullah Par-Aetos received the representatives of Suez Canal Company, who informed about the final phase of the construction of the future canal. The representatives informed that the although the construction of the future Mediterranean-Red Sea canal was long overdue, they assured to Prime Minister Par-Aetos that the project would be completed by next year. The whole period of construction of the canal was plagued by political rivalries between Great Britain and France over labor, funding and other aspects of the decade-old construction.

23 October:

Insiders within Partido Democráta told the members of the press that the rift between the monarchist and republican factions further widened as the latter, led by Catalan statesman Francisco Pí y Margall, wanted to form a separate party, which would adhere to their principles of federal republicanism. According to the same sources, Pí y Margall openly stated in the meeting of the party's executive committee that it would be impossible to reconcile the two major Democráta factions because he argued that the damage has already done. The rift within Partido Democráta started when the monarchist faction, led by Cristino Martos, formally recognized and accepted the Provisional Government of President Francisco Serrano, ignoring the strong republican opposition.

Francisco Pí y Margall

24-25 October:

Insiders within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Russian Imperial capital Saint Petersburg told foreign correspondents that officers hired by the ministry, both civilian and military, were training spies and infiltrators not just in the imperial capital, but also in the Ottoman-controlled Armenian vilayets[3], to the point that they've crossed the border like an ordinary civilian. According to the same sources, the mission of spies and infiltrators was to create intrigues and rumors in the Armenian vilayets that would led to the conflict between the Armenians and the Ottoman central government in Nicomedia, with possible uprising in the said territories and pave way for the Russian invasion and annexation. The ministry insiders also confirmed that the program was initiated by Foreign Minister Alexander Gorchakov himself. Ever since its annexation of Erevan region from Persia in 1829, it was an open secret in the diplomatic circles that Russia wanted more Armenian territories for geopolitical, cultural, and even sort of religious reasons.

27 October:

In the Spanish capital Madrid, President Francisco Serrano announced before the members of the local press and foreign correspondents that the Provisional Government was studying the possibility of creating two new ministries that would help the Ministry of Treasury impose the proposed economic reforms that would accelerate the economic development in the country. The statesman and former general said that the proposed new posts, the Ministries of Agriculture and Industry (and Commerce) would also supervise, regulate and monitor their respective areas, as agreed upon by his fellow members in the Provisional Government. Earlier, Treasury Minister Laureano Figuerola announced that he would convene a meeting with the major landowners in November to discuss the impact of the proposed economic reforms, including their possible participation in the factories in several major cities in Spain, most especially in the southern regions.

Laureano Figueroa y Ballester
Minister of Treasury
Kingdom of Spain

28 October:

In the colonial capital Manila, José de la Gandara announced that the colonial government would allott $15,000 for the reconstruction of Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros. The Governor-General said that the contribution from the colonial government would continue until the reconstruction was completed. Formerly the residence of the Governor-General of the Philippines for a long time, it was severely destroyed in the earthquake of 1863; as of the moment, the leading traders and industrialists contributed much of the money to the reconstruction of Palacio del Gobernador.

29 October:

Joaquín Pardo de Tavera finally responded to the rumors and questions about his role in the colonial government. The ilustrado leader clarified before the members of the Manila press that his role was just only of a "chief adviser" to the Governor-General in the Palace of Malacañang. Neverthless, Pardo de Tavera said that he would be willing to be the head of a future elected government of the Philippines once the effects of reforms brought by Revolución de La Gloriosa finally reached the archipelago. The ilustrado leader recently accompanied Governor-General José de la Gandara in some of his important reforms like the introduction of vernaculars in the public primary schools across the country.

NOTES:
[1] Fictional name.
[2] In Spanish and Chavacano, Asociación de Comintán
[3] Ottoman provinces.

ramones1986 · Aug 22, 2015

Book 1, Chapter 1: Timeline of Events

1868

3-4 November:

Sources within the Ministry of Treasury in the Spanish capital Madrid told the members of the press and foreign correspondents that most of the leading landowners agreed to the reforms that Laureano Figueroa proposed to them in their meeting. According to the ministry insiders, the Treasury Minister explained the intentions of his reforms to the landowners, in which includes the opportunity to invest in the burgeoning industries not just in the regions of Andalusia, Extremadura and Granada, where they mostly lived, but also in the rest of the country, especially in the textile industries of Castilla[1] and Catalonia, as compensation for giving most of their land to the tenants. The landowners who attended the meeting were mostly members of the nobility, especially the duke of Alba. The following day, the Treasury Minister reported the results of the meeting in front of President Francisco Serrano and the rest of the Provisional Government.

5 November:

In a meeting of Samahang Kumintang in the town of Taal in the province of Batangas, Juan Mercurio Dimalibot argued in his speech that the establishment of a Tagalog-language linguistic academy as an important tool for the ultimate goal of his society, which was the unification of the Tagalog-speaking provinces under a single administrative unit. The poet, novelist and president of the cultural society gave the role of Accademia della Crusca as a notable example for a hypothetical Tagalog language academy and its possible influence in uniting the Tagalog-speaking people under a single province. The meeting of Samahang Kumintang in the de facto Tagalog cultural capital included the approval of the resolution declaring the dialect spoken in the town as the basis of standard dialect of Tagalog language, known as idioma comintana in the rest of the Philippine archipelago.

6 November:

In the Formosan capital Nueva Malacca, Governor-General Mariano Novales wrote a letter to his counterpart in Manila about the status of the Orchid Island, also known as Irala locally or Bobel Tobago in the neighboring Philippines. Novales wrote in his letter to José de la Gandara about the possibility of talking about the sovereignty of the island in the near future, either between them or between de la Gandara, who would succeed Novales as Governor-General of Formosa, and the latter's possible successor as Governor-General of the Philippines. Novales further wrote that the Ministry of Overseas Affairs in the Spanish capital would approve of a hypothetical meeting. The location of Orchid Island was considered strategic for the two Spanish capital; it was a few nautical miles away from the city of Pilam[2], while Ivatan-speaking fishermen from the south has always visited the island; some had intermarried with the local women and raised families.

Orchid Island/Irala/Bobel Tobago

7 November:

Joaquin Pardo de Tavera went to the island-province of Calamián to talk with its head of the provincial government (Presidente de la Junta Provincial) Patricio José Macolor y Capdevila. According to the presidential residence insiders in the capital Cuyo, the ilustrado leader and President Macolor talked about the possibility of forming a political party once national self-government would be granted to Manila after the situation in Spain returned to permanent normalcy. The same sources also revealed that Pardo de Tavera confided in their private meeting that he would visit other provinces in the archipelago to meet with his other counterparts and to open possibilities of forming a formal political party. As the news of José de la Gandara's upcoming replacement as Governor-General of the Philippines became more widespread across the colony, Pardo de Tavera recently decided to travel the whole Philippine archipelago in search of future political alliances.

9 November:

In Singapore[3], Major General Sir Harry St. George Ord wrote a letter to the Colonial Office in the British capital London, in which he proposed that the sultanates in Malayan Peninsula and northeastern Sumatra[4] should be unified under a single federation. The Governor of the Straits Settlements explained in his letter that the Malay sultanates always reminisced the legacy of the Malacca Sultanate, the last native power before the colonization of the peninsula by the Portuguese in the 16th century. Major General Ord further added that the unification of the sultanates under a single territory could actually enforce the presence of Great Britain in the both sides of the Strait of Malacca, with the possibility of annexing Pattani Sultanate, currently under Siamese suzerainty.

Sir Harry St. George Ord
Governor, Strait Settlements

9-10 November:

After months and weeks of deliberation and revisions, the Ministry of Treasury finally issued the implementation of economic reforms that would help to accelerate Spain into the forefront of the Industrial Revolution. The said reforms, which were personally written by minister Laureano Figueroa, included the following:

Redistribution of large farming lands to the tenant farmers, especially in the southern regions.
Compensation for large landowners by investing in industries as owner or co-owners.
Formation of farming and fishing cooperatives across the country
Encouragement of both foreign and local investment to stimulate the factories
The creation of two new ministries: Agriculture and Industry and Commerce.

The reforms announced by the Ministry of Treasury was considered as the realization of one of the promises of La Gloriosa revolution: equal land distribution for most Spanish people, accelerated industrialization of the country and transforming agriculture into one of the vital parts of the national economy. The following day, major newspapers across the country made the promulgation of the reforms by the Ministry of Treasury, which would be effective starting on the 1st of January next year (1869), their front page news, with the reforms itself was written in full detail.

12 November:

In the palace of Malacañang in the colonial capital Manila, José de la Gandara learned from one of his aide that ilustrado leader Joaquin Pardo de Tavera was visiting the whole country, meeting with his fellow ilustrados and forging new alliances with them, starting on his visit to the island-province of Calamián last Saturday. The Governor-General responded that the aide should understand that in any moment, he would be replaced as Governor-General of the Philippines and consequently, Madrid would give national self-government to the colonies like Manila once the situation there became normal, and its normal, as he continued, for a leader like Pardo de Tavera to forge new political alliances in preparation for such an unexpected political event.

13 November:

In Nueva Vergara[5] in the territory of Davao[6], Feliciano Oyanguren[7] signed the legislation passed by the Legislative Council of Junta Territorial in which confirmed that all "land west of Monte Apo"[8] would be annexed to the territory. The Davaoeño territorial president announced in his speech that the passage of such law, the territory would now be open to immigration from the rest of the Philippine archipelago. Back in 1860, a year after the formal establishment of Junta Territorial de Davao, the neighboring Sultanate of Maguindanao sold the "lands west of Monte Apo" was transferred to the territorial government for $21,000 in exchange for helping to surpress the Manobo rebellion; in consequence, most Manobos fled to the southern region of neighboring Misamis province.

NOTES:
[1] Because of King Miguel de la Paz ,the Mesta has long been eliminated, Castilla being the breadbasket and had a emerging textile industry that rivalled their Catalan counterparts.
[2] OTL Taichung City.
[3] TTL Singapore would be more Malay-dominated, Chitty and Baba-Nyonya Peranakan included, than its OTL counterpart.
[4] POD: A treaty between London and Amsterdam in the 1820s. The results was Great Britain kept the northeast while the rest returned to the Netherlands.
[5] OTL Davao City.
[6] In this TL, Davao Territory included Socksargen (Koronadal Territory in the regular version) and OTL eastern North Cotabato.
[7] Fictional name.

ramones1986 · Aug 24, 2015

Book 1, Chapter 1: Timeline of Events

1868

16 November:

In the Davaoeño capital Nueva Vergara, Felicano Oyanguren included a copy of the legislation that he signed last Friday (13th of November) to the Office of the Governor-General in the colonial capital Manila as he wrote a letter to the latter in relation to the annexation of the "lands west of Monte Apo" to Davao Territory. The Presidente de la Junta Territorial added in his letter to José de la Gandara that the latter's possible successors would respect the territorial legislation, saying that any possible changes in the colonial government would never affect the decision made by the Davaoeño government. The "lands west of Monte Apo" was annexed by the Sultanate of Maguindanao to Nueva Vergara in 1860 after the latter helped the former in suppressing the rebellion of Manobo-speaking Christians; in effect, most Manobos fled to the southern region of the neighboring province of Misamis.

17 November:

In the city of Bacolod in the province of Negros Occidental, anonymous sources told both the members of the local media and some correspondents from Manila newspapers that ilustrado leader Joaquin Pardo de Tavera declared that he would support the reunification of the two Negrense provinces under a single administrative unit in front of intellectuals, mostly liberal-minded like him, from both the western and eastern side of Negros in a private meeting, claiming the history of the island and the variant of Chavacano language spoken there[1]. The sources also said that Pardo de Tavera would support a large-scale land reform campaign in the rest of the Philippine archipelago immediately after Madrid granted the colony self-government once the situation in metropolitan Spain stabilized permanently. Joaquin Pardo de Tavera's visit to Bacolod was part of his tour of the rest of the Philippine archipelago, searching for political alliances in preparation for such an unexpected event like the change of government in Madrid.

18 November:

In the Japanese capital Tokyo, statesman Iwakura Tomomi was appointed as Chancellor of the Realm (Daijō-daijin/太政大臣)[1] after the recommendation of the Emperor himself, months after the re-establishment of direct imperial rule and the subsequent centralization of the Japanese government. According to the courtiers of the Imperial Palace, the Emperor (Mutsihito/Meiji) confided on the ability of Iwakura as head of the Council of State (Daijō-kan, 太政官) because of his responsibility in the promulgation of Five Chart Oath (7th of April) and the abolition of the han (藩) system, which paved way for the modernization of the Japanese local government. The Council of State of the Empire of Japan was restored months after the enthronement of Mutsuhito as emperor after years of inactivity during the era of the Tokugawas as de facto rulers of the country; the Daijō-kan was the highest organ of the imperial government of Japan for centuries starting in the Nara period.

Tomomi Iwakura (岩倉具視)
Chancellor of the Realm (Daijō-daijin/太政大臣)
Empire of Japan

19 November:

Marcelo Azcárraga Palmero arrived in the colonial capital Manila from his journey from mainland Spain. He was immediately received by Governor-General José de la Gandara upon his arrival in the palace of Malacañang. In their private meeting, the military officer told de la Gandara the latest news from Madrid, in which include the upcoming municipal and Constituent Assembly elections, the ongoing land reform campaigns and the changes in the Provisional Government of Francisco Serrano; Azcárraga told the Governor-General that most ministers of the Provisional Government, including President Serrano himself, preferred Carlos Maria de la Torre y Nava Cerrada as the latter's successor as Governor-General of the Philippines. Born in Manila to a Basque general and an Albaynon mother, Marcelo Azcárraga served in the Spanish military since the late 1840s.

20 November:

In Madrid, President Francisco Serrano told the members of the local press and foreign correspondents that there would be a change in the composition of the Provisional Government after the elections for the delegates of the Constituent Assembly early next year. The de facto head of the Spanish government said that the changes was needed in order to accommodate the two additional ministries (Agriculture and Industry and Commerce) and their possible roles in the decisions of the Provisional Government and in subsequent administrations after a new monarch for Spain was chosen and proclaim. In addition, Serrano announced that the post of Vice-President of the Government would also be created after the municipal elections in the 14th of December. In effect, the eight ministries that composed the Provisional Government, aside from the Presidency, would become ten after the elections for the Constituent Assembly were held.

22 November:

In the Canadian[2] capital of Quebec, Prime Minister Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau met with his Rupertlander[3] counterpart Louis Riel to talk about the boundary dispute between their respective dominions. According to the sources within the office of the Prime Minister of Canada, both Riel and Chauveau agreed that the Colonial Office in the British capital London would serve as arbiter in solving the dispute. The land between Lake Superior in the south and James and Hudson bays in the north[4] was long been disputed between Rupert's Land and Canada, although rumors circulate in London that Indiana[5], another British dominion, was also interested on claiming the said territory, although Windsor[6] denied the said rumors.

Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau
Prime Minister
Dominion of Canada

23 November:

In the palace of Malacañang, Governor-General José de la Gandara finally received the letter written last week by Davaoeño president Felicano Oyanguren, accompanied by a copy of the legislation that the latter signed last 13th of November. In response, the Governor-General wrote a letter of response to Nueva Vergara, assured that his successors (and possibly, the self-government of the Philippines) would respect the provincial and territorial legislation, especially the laws that was passed before the possible time where Madrid granted self-government to the Philippines. The legislation that was passed by the Legislative Council of Davao and subsequently signed by Presidente de la Junta Territorial confirmed the annexation of the "lands west of Monte Apo" to the territory, eight years after the Sultanate of Maguindanao sold the territory to Nueva Vergara.

24 November:

In the three Tagalog-speaking provinces (Batangas, La Laguna and Tayabas), members of Samahang Kumintang, including the chairman of the society Juan Mercurio Dimalibot pressured their respective Juntas Provinciales to use the standardized variant based on the Taal dialect both as a subject and medium of instruction in the public primary schools in the three provinces. The well-known Tagalog-language poet and novelist argued that the use of standardized variant of the Tagalog language in primary schools could facilitate understanding and solidarity among the people from the different parts of the Tagalog-speaking regions. The recent reforms in the public education system proved an advantage for the members of Samahang Kumintang, whose core ideology was the unification of the three Tagalog-speaking provinces (and the island of Marinduque, currently under Mindoro) under a single administrative unit.

25 November:

In the Japanese capital Tokyo, Chancellor Iwakura Tomomi held a special meeting of the Council of State, in which they've talked about the status of the Ryukyu Islands, currently under the suzerainty of now-extinct Satsuma domain. In the said meeting, the Chancellor of the Realm told his fellow members about granting the island kingdom the status of protectorate. When his fellow ministers agreed on granting the protectorate status to Ryukyu, Chancellor Iwakura immediately respond that such decision would need recommendation from the Emperor and even from both the government institutions and the king of the Ryukyuans, Sho Tai. If the three authorities all agreed on their proposal, as Chancellor Iwakura postulated, the foreign affairs of the Kingdom of Ryukyu would be directed from Tokyo.

Flag of the Kingdom of Ryukyu (琉球國)

26 November:

In the Spanish capital Madrid, Francisco Serrano clarified before the members of the local press and foreign correspondents about the position of Vice-President of the Provisional Government. The President of the Provisional Government explained that any of the eight ministers that presently composed his administration could also held the position of Vice-President of the Government, contrary to the newspaper reports that the said position was a separate position both in the Provisional Government and in the future Council of Ministers. Serrano added that the possible heads of the two new ministries (Agriculture and Industry) could also be eligible to hold the position of being the "deputy leaders" of the Provisional Government/Council of Ministers. Last week (20th of November), the de facto head of the Spanish government told the press that he would create the post of Vice President shortly after the municipal elections.

27 November:

In the town of Taal in the province of Batangas, Juan Mercurio Dimalibot received a letter from ilustrado leader Joaquin Pardo de Tavera, where he told the chairman of the cultural society Samahang Kumintang that he would visit the three Tagalog-speaking provinces in the following weeks before Christmas, and indeed the former would accompany the latter in his visit to the provinces of Batangas, La Laguna and Tayabas. Earlier, Pardo de Tavera expressed his support for the unification of the Tagalog-speaking areas under a single province before his fellow ilustrados in the very first meeting of Samahang Kumintang last 17th-18th of October in Taal, unanimously considered as the cultural center of the Tagalog-speaking regions. The upcoming visit of the well-known ilustrado leader was part of his tour across the Philippine archipelago.

NOTE:
[1] The restoration occurred three years earlier than OTL.
[2] The POD is between mid-18th century (Acadians remained in OTL Maritime Provinces) and 1837 (successful Papineau). In this scenario, Canada was composed of OTL provinces of Quebec, Maritime Provinces, and eastern Ontario (Ottawa region).
[3] OTL Western Canada
[4] OTL Northern Ontario region
[5] OTL Southern Ontario and the American states of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan (except Upper Peninsula, which is Objiwa-dominated) and Wisconsin. The PoD is more or less like Darthi's Canada-wank, but tamer.
[6] The capital of Indiana ITTL.

ramones1986 · Aug 31, 2015

Book 1, Chapter 1: Timeline of Events

1868

28-29 November:

In the three Tagalog-speaking provinces (La Laguna, Batangas and Tayabas) ilustrado leader Joaquin Pardo de Tavera, accompanied by his friend and chairman of Samahang Kumintang Juan Mercurio Dimalibot, toured some of the most important towns in the three provinces, openly expressing his support for a single Tagalog-speaking province and self-government for the whole colony before his counterparts. The visit culminated in a special meeting of the cultural society in the town of Taal, where Pardo de Tavera argued in his speech that a single Tagalog-speaking administrative unit would stabilize the balance of power in the Philippines once Madrid gave the archipelago self-government in the near future. The visits to the provinces of Batangas, La Laguna and Tayabas was part of the ilustrado leader's tour of the whole Philippines in the last few weeks.

30 November:

In the Spanish capital Madrid, after months of arguments and constant criticisms from the Republican factions of Partido Demócrata through its leader Francisco Pí y Margall, the Provisional Government finally adopted a policy in response to the worsening situation in the Caribbean colony of Cuba. According to War Minister Juan Prim, the Cabinet recognized the fact that conscription could cause the people's dissatisfaction with the Cabinet and its eventual downfall. Instead, as Prim affirmed before the members of the local press, that any male Spaniard, soldier or not, would volunteer their services to Cuba to fought the rebels there. In more than a month since the attempt to seize the town of Yara by the rebels, more town joined the armed rebellion led by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, the self-proclaimed president of Revolutionary Government of Cuba.

Catalan volunteers from Spanish military embarking to travel to Cuba

1 December:

In the colonial capital Manila, Governor-General José de la Gandara receive a letter from ilustrado leader Joaquin Pardo de Tavera in relation to his recent trips to different parts of the archipelago, particulary in the Tagalog Lands and Negros provinces. In the letter, written by Pardo de Tavera while he's touring the Tagalog-language provinces, the ilustrado leader confirmed that the purpose of his tour of the Philippines was to created alliances with his fellow ilustrados, more often of liberal affiliation like him, and knowing the concerns of the people living there. Pardo de Tavera continued in his letter that the Governor-General should understand that in any moment, Madrid would give self-government to Manila because of the latest developments in the mother country like the establishment of the Provisional Government and the possible search for a new monarch that would symbolize a new Spain.

2 December:

According to the British Foreign Bible Society, the number of Albanians who converted to Protestantism rose substantially despite the censorship imposed by the Ottoman authorities to the Albanian-language translation of New Testament written by Vangjel Meksi using Latin typography. According to the BFBS, they admitted that they've actively supporting the smuggling copies of the translated New Testament to vilayets with significant Albanian population, most especially in the southern Scutari Vilayet (sanjakof Diraç), most of Janina Vilayet (sanjaks of Berat and Ergiri) and western Manastir Vilayet (sanjaks of Dibra, Elbasan and Görice). The British Foreign Bible Society further claimed that the Roman Catholic church in the Albanian lands were now thinking of spreading their faith to the Albanians living in the west of Kosovo Vilayet (sanjaks of İpek and Prizren). The Albanian-language version of Old Testament was written by Vangjel Meksi for two years between 1819 and 1821, served as the fire that lightened up the hearth of Albanian culture and literature.[1]

Vangjel Meksi

3 December:

The complete break-up of the monarchist and republican factions within Partido Demócrata was finalized as Francisco Pí y Margall announced the creation of Partido Republicano, mostly composed of former Demócratas that believed in republicanism as the best government for Spain, particularly the federal model inspired by the governments of the United States of North America and Mexico. But within the newly-founded party there were two rival factions: Some republicans believed that a unitary republic would best-fitted for the country, contrary to what Pí y Margall and his faction believed; The Unitarios, as the faction were called in Spanish, looked to some Latin American countries, and most especially France, as their role model for a hypothetical Spanish Republic. For the part of Federalistas, the faction led by the Catalonian statesman, they said that they would moderate their republicanism if the Provisional Government would still prefer monarchy as the preferred form of government for Spain, as long as the Cabinet considered federalism for local government.

4 December:

In the Formosan capital Nueva Malacca, Mariano Novales wrote to the Ministry of Overseas Affairs in Madrid, confirming his resignation as Governor-General of Formosa and his eventual retirement from his service in the military. Novales wrote in his letter to minister Adelardo López de Ayala that he's already contemplating of resignation and eventual retirement from the Spanish army for a long time because he felt that he would need to focus himself on his family, his grandchildren included. The current Governor-General of Formosa also confessed that he still felt the guilt that he's behind the death of his brother Andrés in 1823 and the subsequent exile of his young family to Chamorro Islands, alongside the family of Luis Rodríguez Varela, known as "El Conde Filipino". For four and a half years, Mariano Novales served as the head of the colonial government of Formosa.

NOTE:
1. Originally posted by Fearless Leader, the PoD is already there and I indeed adopted his scenario.

ramones1986 · Sep 5, 2015

Book 1, Chapter 1: Timeline of Events

1868

7 December:

In the Formosan capital Nueva Malacca, outgoing Governor-General Mariano Novales received a letter from his Philippine counterpart José de la Gandara in relation to the rights of the Siraya-speaking Calvinists in the island's southwestern region. Novales responded that according to the Formosa Law passed by Cortes Generales in 1837, anyone who was appointed as Governor-General of the island should reiterate the centuries-old oath of protecting the religious freedom of the Sirayas in a ceremony before their leaders in the city of Tacao (San Guillermo de Tacao)[1]. The outgoing Governor-General of Formosa further explained to his successor that the Formosa Law was actually a codification of different decrees concerning the island since the start of its colonization in the early 17th century[2]; Novales also emphasized the fact that the Sirayas were evangelized in Calvinist missionaries who were descendants of Iberians who were expelled from both Spain and Portugal in the late 1500s.

8 December:

Day of the Immaculate Conception, and President Francisco Serrano formally appointed Manuel Becerra and Cristino Martos as Ministers of Industry (and Commerce) and Agriculture respectively as the Provisional Government was preparing for the upcoming municipal, and consequently, Constituent Assembly elections. Because of their appointment as the head of two new and important posts in the Provisional Government, both Becerra and Martos would form policies that could benefit the industrial and agricultural sector, especially in Martos' part, where he would supervise the ongoing land reforms and formulating policies and legislation that could benefit farmers and fishermen across the country; one of these was the proposal that would introduce the cooperative system to Spain. Meanwhile, insiders within Palacio de los Haros said that the appointment of Martos as Minister of Agriculture would open a possibility that a future alliance between Partido Demócrata and the Prim-Serrano coalition would be realized.

9-10 December:

In a meeting with the Governor-General in the Palace of Malacañang in Manila, ilustrado leader Joaquin Pardo de Tavera recommended his friend, Caviteño businessman and architect Maximo Inocencio, to José de la Gandara as his potential chief minister as the latter was contemplating of making the Colonial Council a permanent part of the colonial government. Pardo de Tavera assured to the Governor-General that Inocencio was an able statesman with competent leadership despite of his background as businessman; the ilustrado leader met Inocencio during his trip to Cavite a couple of weeks ago. The following day, the Caviteño architect, accompanied by his brother Honorato[3] in the outskirts of colonial capital Manila, received a letter from the Governor-General in the palace of Malacañang, inviting him to have a meeting with José de la Gandara.

Maximo Inocencio

10 December:

In the Belgian capital Nivelles, the Lower House of the Belgian Parliament finally passed the proposed legislation presented by Interior Minister Eudore Pirmez last September, in which the provinces of (Western) Luxembourg and Liège would be combined under the new Province of Ardennes. In the final counting in the Chamber of Representatives, 120 delegates voted in favor of the said legislation, with only 20 against and only ten represented abstained from voting. In relation to the approval of his proposal in the Chamber of Representatives, insiders within the Interior Ministry in the Belgian capital told the members of the press that Pirmez was contemplating of introducing his proposed legislation in the Senate early next year to the point of consulting Prime Minister Walthère Frère-Orban, whom the same sources claimed that openly supported the proposed legislation because of the fact that he himself hailed from the city of Liège, considered as the cultural capital of the Walloons.

11 December:

It was confirmed from the Office of the Governor-General in Malacañang that Caviteño businessman and architect Maximo Inocencio was appointed as Chief Minister of the Colonial Government of the Philippines. According to the letter published later in the leading Manila newspapers, José de la Gandara was confided on the leadership of the businessman to lead the colonial government itself and implement the reforms decreed by the Governor-General, in conjunction with now-permanent Colonial Council, which were still appointed by the Juntas Provinciales. Because of the fact that his appointment as Chief Minister would need full attention, the letter from the Office of the Governor-General also confirmed that his construction company was now passed to his brother Honorato, also a known architect, businessman and part-time lawyer. The new colonial government of the Philippines would be convened early next year.

12 December:

In the Egyptian city of Alexandria, (Greek) Orthodox Patriarch Nicanor convened a special meeting with the Egyptian archbishops (Alexandria, Leontopolis, Memphis, Pelusium, Ptolemais and Hermopolis) in relation to the use of Egyptian language in the church services across the country. According to the insiders within the patriarchal residence, Patriarch Nicanor was aware of the nationalism of the Khedive and his government, one of which was the policy of promoting the Egyptian language, but at the same time, he's preoccupied of alienating Greek and Levantine (Syrian and Lebanese) communities if he allowed the change in liturgical language to Egyptian, so he convened a special meeting with the archbishops to resolve the said issue.

Nicanor of Alexandria
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria

14 December:

The day of the municipal elections in the Kingdom of Spain, the very first time that the majority of male Spaniards fully participated in the polls; indeed, according to Junta Electoral del Reino, 68.5% of the registered electorate actually went to a polling station to cast their vote. In majority of the cities and municipalities across the country, the ruling government coalition won majorities in the ayuntamientos, either succeeding the previous Juntas Revolucionarios of the same Juntas itself; in some municipalities, mostly in Andalusia, Granada and Catalonia, the Republicans gained significant victories and became the majority in some ayuntamientos. Indeed, after the municipal elections, the electorate was preparing for electing their delegates to the Constituent Assembly early next year.

15 December:

In the colonial capital Manila, ilustrado leader Joaquin Pardo de Tavera has reiterated before the local press that he would remain as part of the future Colonial Council as one of the representatives of the province of Manila. Pardo de Tavera affirmed his conviction that once Madrid granted self-government to Philippines in the near future, he would be ready to lead the new government that would substitute the current colonial government. In addition, the ilustrado leader said that he's confident on the leadership abilities of Maximo Inocencio as Chief Minister of the Colonial Government. Until recently, Pardo de Tavera was the chief adviser to Governor-General José de la Gandara in making decisions like reforming the public education system.

NOTES:
[1] OTL Kaohsiung.
[2] A few decades earlier than OTL Dutch colonization of southwest Taiwan.
[3] Honorato Inocencio was the younger brother of Maximo; he was born on the year their father died. In short, his OTL existence is uncertain.

ramones1986 · Sep 8, 2015

Book 1, Chapter 1: Timeline of Events

1869

4 January:

The Colonial Council met for the very first time in the colonial capital Manila after the Governor-General made the assembly permanent. Presided by Chief Minister Maximo Inocencio from the province of Cavite, most of the delegates to the Colonial Council were present in the consultations last third and fourth of October last year, which paved way for the implementation and authorization of the reforms in the public education system by José de la Gandara. In the first session of the council, Manileño ilustrado leader Joaquin Pardo de Tavera was made the President of the Colonial Council after all delegates unanimously voted him. Among the issues discussed in the said session included the status of the "secular" priests, the proposed compensation to the descendants of Manobo rebels residing in the southern part of Misamis and the possibility of granting self-government to the Philippines.

5 January:

In the Palace of Malacañang, the Governor-General admitted before the members of the local press that the role of the Colonial Council was limited in its relation with the rest of the colonial government in Manila. José de la Gandara said that the main purpose of the Colonial Council was the formation of sort of a training ground in preparation for the future granting of self-government for the Philippines from Madrid. Nonetheless, the current Governor-General was hoping that the Colonial Council would succeed on representing the whole Philippine archipelago, especially the role of the Chief Minister of the Colonial Government.

7 January:

Alexander H. Stephens went to the Hawaiian capital Honolulu to meet King Hamehameha V and some of the most important members of the Hawaiian government to talk about settling the southern border between the Midways and the British protectorate. The President of the Confederate States of America (in exile) hoped in the said meeting in the royal residence of Hale Ali'i that the two sides, meditated by the British government, would agree in a single consensus in resolving the dispute in their common border, which include the islet of St. Stephens/Nihoa. For his part, the Hawaiian monarch hoped that both Honolulu and New Boston[1] would agree in a single solution presented by the British government in resolving the said issue. Alexander H. Stephens, a Georgia-born statesman, inherited the said boundary question from his predecessor Jefferson Davis two years ago.

Alexander H. Stephens
President, Confederate States of America (in exile)/Midways

8 January:

In the colonial capital Manila, Maximo Inocencio told before the members of the local press that he was willing to talk with the representatives of Junta Territorial de Davao in relation to the compensation to the descendants of Manobo rebels who were either expelled or fled from the so-called territories west of Monte Apo and now living in the southern regions of Misamis province. The Chief Minister of the Colonial Government said that he understood the concerns of his Davaoeño counterpart Felicano Oyanguren, especially the amount of money to be given to the Manobos as compensation, so he said that he would be willing to undergo a series of negotiations with the representatives of the Davaoeño territorial government, as well as other ways of giving compensation to the (Kidapawan) Manobos. Last 4th of January, the first Monday of the year, the issue of compensating

11 January:

In the Japanese capital Tokyo, Chancellor Iwakura Tomomi informed before the Council of State that the Emperor himself rejected the proposal that made the island-kingdom of Ryukyu under Tokyo's protection. Iwakura presented the letter containing the explanation of His Imperial Majesty before his fellow members; in the said letter, the Emperor understood that the main purpose of the proposal presented by the Council of State was too protect the interests of the Ryukyus, but the Imperial Majesty understood that the island-kingdom was also a tributary state of China, something that the Council had overlooked. Nonetheless, as the Emperor wrote in his letter, he would reconsider the proposal in the near future. Presented by the Council of State last 25th of November, the proposal presented by Chancellor Iwakura Tomomi before the Emperor called for the annexation of the Ryukyus as a Japanese protectorate, with Tokyo would took over its foreign affairs.

12 January:

In the Spanish capital Madrid, Adelardo López de Ayala responded to the questions asked by the local press and foreign correspondents in relation to the establishment of the Colonial Council and the office of the Chief Minister in the Philippines. The Minister of Overseas Affairs said that he received the letter from the outgoing Governor-General of the islands José de la Gandara, in which the latter explained that both the council and the post of Chief Minister would be "transitional" as they were preparing for the islands' self-government. López de Ayala has also affirmed before the members of the press that self-government would also be granted to Formosa and possibly in the Pacific islands currently governed by Manila.

Adelardo López de Ayala
Minister of Overseas Affairs
Kingdom of Spain

13 January:

In the town of Taal in the province of Batangas, the chairman of Samahang Kumintang wrote a letter to the Chief Minister of the Colonial Government in relation to the proposed single province for the Tagalog-speaking. Poet and novelist Juan Mercurio Dimalibot argued in his letter to Maximo Inocencio that the colonial government in Manila should look on the proposed single Tagalog-speaking province that his organization has been fighting since its formal establishment last year, arguing that it could be beneficial in the long run, especially in the balance of power in both the current colonial government and in the future self-government that would be granted by Madrid. It was said that Dimalibot would go to the colonial capital Manila in a few days to meet Chief Minister Inocencio to talk the state of affairs in the Tagalog Lands.

14 January:

In the palace of Malacañang, Governor-General José de la Gandara and Chief Minister Maximo Inocencio met with the representatives sent by Junta Territorial de Davao as talks on compensating the descendants of Manobo rebels who fled/expelled from the lands west of Monte Apo has already began. Both sides has claimed that they were willing to prolong the talks in order to achieve a consensus regarding the compensation to the (Kidapawan) Manobos who were now living in the southern part of Misamis province.

15 January:

Election day in the Kingdom of Spain for the delegates in the Constituent Assembly. According to the Junta Electoral de Reino, 70% of the Spanish electorate actually went to the polling station to cast their vote. The results of the elections, transmitted to Madrid through telegram. were the following:

Government Coalition: 236 Deputies
- Partido Progresista: 134 Deputies
- Unión Liberal: 69 Deputies
- Partido Demócrata: 33 Deputies
Republican Party: 85 Deputies
- Federalist faction: 83 Deputies
- Centralist faction: 2 Deputies
Carlist Party: 20 Deputies
Isabeline independents: 11 Deputies
Non-elected: 29 Deputies
- Cuban representatives: 18 Deputies
- Puerto Rican representatives: 11 Deputies

In relation to the results of the recent Constituent Assembly elections, President Francisco Serrrano told the members of the local press and foreign wire correspondents that the new constitution would be drafted immediate after the inauguration of the new legislature. In addition, the President said that the members of the Constituent Assembly could help the Council of Ministers in implementing necessary reforms by voting in its proposed legislations and annual budgets presented by the executive.

NOTE:
[1] The capital of CSA/Midways, the ASB version of Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

ramones1986 · Sep 9, 2015

Book 1, Chapter 1: Timeline of Events

1869

18 January:

In the Palace of Malacañang in Manila, the leader of Samahang Kumintang Juan Mercurio Dimalibot met with Chief Minister Maximo Inocencio in relation to the current situation in the three Tagalog-speaking provinces (Batangas, La Laguna and Tayabas). In the said meeting, Dimalibot presented the letter he wrote days ago in Taal to the Chief Minister of the Colonial Government, arguing the advantages of a single Tagalog-speaking province on the balance of influence and power in the whole Philippine archipelago. Sources close to the Office of the Chief Minister said that Inocencio was seriously considering the proposal presented by the cultural group presided by the well-known Tagalog-language poet and novelist; they added that the Caviteño businessman-statesman even considered Samahang Kumintang as the de facto provincial government of the Tagalog Lands.

19 January:

The President of the Colonial Council of the Philippines has confirmed that the Intendencia building would be used by the council in their regular sessions until further notice, especially in the period where Madrid would granted the Philippines its deserved self-government. According to Joaquin Pardo de Tavera, the Council found the recently-reconstructed building suitable to the needs of the delegates like the regular session rooms and offices. Originally built on 1823 and completed six years later, the original Intendencia suffered damages from the 1863 earthquake; because of the donations sent by Manila's leading industrialists and a grant from Junta Provincial de Manila, through the help of Luis Perez Yap-Sionjue who planned the reconstruction and repair of the building, it took only almost two years to complete such task (1864-66).[1]

The Intendencia

20 January:

In the Spanish capital Madrid, the President of the Provisional Government told the members of the local press, as well as foreign wire correspondents, that although the delegates of the new Constituent Assembly were already been elected, he argued that that the newly-elected assemblymen would have to wait until its formal inauguration on the 11th February to officially start its business. Francisco Serrano explained that the main reason behind this delay was to allow the delegates from all over the country to travel to the capital and prepare adequately for their new job as members of the Constituent Assembly. The recent elections, which was held last 15th of January (Friday) and participated by 70% of the registered electorate, saw the ruling Government Coalition (Progresista-Unión Liberal-Demócrata) caught 236 of the 352 contested seats in the Constituent Assembly.

21 January:

In the British protectorate of Hawaii, it was rumored both inside and outside the royal residence of 'Iolani that the monarch has been pressured by the people close to the office of Kuhina Nui, especially close friends of John Papa Īī, to amend again the constitution, which would suggest that the remaining powers currently the King have would be ceded to Kuhina Nui, thus relegating the former's role into a ceremonial one, as the Kuhina Nui would eventually became the Hawaiian equivalent of the office of Prime Minister in countries like Great Britain. In addition, according to the same rumors, if the amendments continued and consequentially approved by the Hawaiian , John Papa Īī, being the de facto head of a Westminister-inspired Hawaiian government, would meet his Midways/CSA counterpart Alexander H. Stephens in Honolulu in relation to the boundary issue in St. Stephens/Nihoa. A teacher and historian by profession, Īī was a member of the House of Nobles, the upper house of the Hawaiian Parliament from 1849; he was appointed as Kuhina Nui in 1865 after the monarch Kamehameha was forced to amend the current constitution, which was promulgated on 1864, at the instigation of the agents appointed by the Colonial Office back in London.[2]

John/Keoni Papa ʻĪʻī
Kuhina Nui (Chief Minister)
Kingdom of Hawaii

22 January:

In the province of Ilocos, the Presidente de la Junta Provincial responded to the reports that some people across the province were waving the flag of the Basi Revolt, also known as la Señera Ilocana for its similar design with the Catalan ensign, although with different colors. Tomás Querubin explained that while displaying "submissive" symbols like the Basi Revolt flag was punishable by law, he admitted that such punishment was not applicable to faraway provinces like Ilocos, especially during the recent months after the wake of "La Gloriosa". The head of the Ilocano provincial government had reiterated that once Madrid had given the Philippines its deserved self-government, such punishment would be suspended and/or repealed immediately. The Señera Ilocana was first used by the rebels in their twelve-day revolt (16-28 September 1807) against colonial authorities over the taxation and monopolization of the production of their beloved wine basi, made from sugarcane.

23 January:

In the Egyptian city of Alexandria, after weeks of regular meetings with the Egyptian bishops, (Greek) Orthodox Patriarch Nicanor announced that a consensus has been achieved in relation to the language used in the church services throughout the country. According to the patriarch, it has been agreed that there would be three separate services: one in Egyptian language for the native adherents of the (Greek) Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Greek for the Hellenic community, and Aramaic and/or Phoenician for the Levantine community. For the last two services, (Greek) Orthodox Patriarch Nicanor has recognized that it could be applied to the largest cities like Alexandria and Cairo.

Greek_Orthodox_Patriarchate_of_Alexandria_and_All_Africa.png

Emblem of (Greek) Orthodox Church of Alexandria

24 January:

After months of selecting the candidates for the Office of the Governor-General of the Philippine Islands, added with the fact that the Constituent Assembly elections was held last 15th of January, thus delaying the final selection of the chosen candidate for the said post, the President of the Provisional Government Francisco Serrano and Overseas Minister Adelardo López de Ayala selected Carlos Maria de la Torre y Nava Cerrada as the next Governor-General of the Philippines, succeeding José de la Gandara in the next few months.

25 January:

In the colonial capital Manila, Chief Minister Maximo Inocencio has reiterated that he was seriously studying the proposed single Tagalog-speaking province as presented by the chairman of Samahang Kumintang Juan Mercurio Dimalibot. The head of the colonial government further said that he would discuss the proposal with both the Governor-General and his colleagues in the Colonial Council of the Philippines. Currently, beside the provinces of Batangas, La Laguna and Tayabas, Tagalog-speaking people also lived in the island of Marinduque, currently under the jurisdiction of the island-province of Mindoro, as well as in the southeastern part of the Chavacano-speaking part of Cavite[3].

26 January:

In the Belgian capital Nivelles, Interior Minister Eudore Pirmez presented his proposed legislation before the members of the Senate, the upper chamber of the Belgian Parliament. Like in the Chamber of Representatives, the proposal called for the unification of the provinces of (Western) Luxembourg and Liège under a single administrative unit called the province of Ardennes. According to the sources in the upper chamber, the presence of Prime Minister Walthère Frère-Orban in the session hall of the Senate highlighted the rumors that Frère-Orban himself endorsed the said proposed legislation, aside from the fact that the current head of the Belgian government was born and raised in the city of Liège, considered as the cultural capital of the Walloons.

Walth%C3%A8re_Fr%C3%A8re-Orban_%281812-1896%29.jpg

Walthère Frère-Orban
Prime Minister
Kingdom of Belgium

27 January:

In the Davaoeño capital Nueva Vergara, Felicano Oyanguren told the members of the press, both local and representatives from Manila, that the ongoing negotiations with the colonial government would still continue after Maximo Inocencio's term as Chief Minister ended and/or self-government was finally granted to the archipelago. The current Presidente de la Junta Territorial explained that anyone who would succeed the current Chief Minister or a head of the new Philippine government should study the transcriptions of the previous meetings in order to gave him an idea on achieving a long-lasting agreement on compensating Kidapawan Manobos, who were now living in southern Misamis province.

28 January:

In the Chinese capital Peking, the Emperor decreed that a separate province for the Hakkas would be created from southern Jiangxi (Ganzhou Prefecture), northeast Guangdong (prefectures of Meizhou and Heyuan and eastern Shoaguan) and southwestern Fujian (Longyan prefecture), with the city of Meixian was chosen as the capital[4]. The new province, named Guangbei by Emperor Xiuquan, was said to honor the contributions made by the Hakkas in overthrowing the Shuns and establishing him as the new Son of Heaven.[5]

29 January:

In the Intendencia in the colonial capital Manila, Chief Minister Maximo Inocencio presented before his colleagues in the Colonial Council a series of issues including the suspension of so-called subversive symbols from the Penal Code, the compensation to the Kidapawan Manobos and the proposed single Tagalog-speaking province presented by Samahang Kumintang through its chairman, poet and novelist Juan Mercurio Dimalibot. According to the insiders within the Colonial Council,the Tagalog Lands issue almost caused division among the delegates: some, including delegates from the three Tagalog-speaking provinces (Batangas, La Laguna and Tayabas) were in favor to the said proposal, while others, especially from Cavite and Mindoro, were against the unification of the Tagalog Lands, presenting arguments ranging from territorial concerns to the timing of the proposal. Because of the fact that the session was held on a Friday, it was then decided by the President of the Colonial Council Joaquin Pardo de Tavera to continue the discussion on Monday.

NOTES:
[1] A decade earlier than OTL.
[2] Yup, the situation was very different from OTL.
[3] OTL Tagaytay City and Alfonso, Cavite.
[4] It never happened in OTL
[5] The Shun lasted longer than OTL, and Hong Xiuquan was saner that his OTL counterpart, having passed the imperial examination and became part of the military; this was also my tribute to xboxman's Taiping timeline.

ramones1986 · Sep 10, 2015

Book 1, Chapter 1: Timeline of Events

1869

1 February:

In the Intendencia in the colonial capital Manila, the regular session of the Colonial Council of the Philippines resumed after two days of rest. The delegates continued to discuss the issues presented by Chief Minister Maximo Inocencio before his fellow members of the Colonial Council last Friday, except with the issue of unifying the three Tagalog-speaking provinces (Batangas, La Laguna and Tayabas) under a single administrative unit. This time, according to the insiders within the Intendencia, majority of the delegates agreed through voting that the so-called "subversive symbolis" clause should be repealed from the Penal Code.

2 February:

In the town of Taal in the province of Batangas, the chairman of Samahang Kumintang had admitted before his fellow members of the cultural society that the proposed single Tagalog-speaking province was rejected in the Colonial Council of the Philippines last Friday. Nevertheless, as he emphasized in his speech, Juan Mercurio Dimalibot reminded the members of Samahang Kumintang that such rejection would motivate the society to work harder in order to achieve the goal of a single Tagalog-speaking province. Last Friday, more than half of the delegates rejected the proposal presented by Samahang Kumintang after presenting a series of arguments ranging from territorial concerns to the timing itself, most notably delegates from Cavite and Mindoro.

3 February:

In the Hawaiian capital Honolulu, Midways President Alexander H. Stephens was now meeting the British protectorate's head of government (Kuhina Nui) John Papa Īī as they've continued to discuss the settlement of their common border. According to the sources within the Presidential Residence in the Midways capital New Boston, Stephens has already learned from State Secretary Judah P. Benjamin that the Hawaiian monarch Kamehameha V was being forced by his advisers, who were actually appointed by the Colonial Office in London, to let the current Kuhina Nui preside the Hawaiian delegation; the sources also said that Benjamin informed Stephens about the possible constitutional change in the British protectorate, in which the monarch would be stripped of most of his remaining powers and became ceremonial office. Nevertheless, like in the previous high-level meetings between Honolulu and New Boston, the recent encounter was held in the royal residence of Hale Ali'i.

Hale_Ali%CA%BBi_with_Royal_Guards_%282%29_.jpg

Hale Ali'i

4 February:

In response to the questions asked by the members of the local press in relation to the repeal and/or abolition of the so-called "subversive symbols" clause from the Penal Code, Chief Minister Maximo Inocencio said that the ultimate cause of the calls of its repeals was that his office was receiving reports that the flags and other symbols used by the revolutionaries long time ago were now used freely and without punishment, especially in the provinces of Ilocos and Pangasinan. Inocencio felt that it was timely for the Colonial Government was seriously thinking of either repealing or abolishing the "subversive symbols" because of the fact that the people of the Philippine archipelago felt that Madrid would grant the colony self-government soon. Earlier, the Presidente de la Junta Provincial Ilocana Tomás Querubin said that he was hopeful that such reform would be considered by José de la Gandara in his last few months as the Governor-General.

5 February:

According to the sources with Palacio de los Haros in Spanish capital Madrid, the President of the Provisional Government Francisco Serrano was thinking of creating two additional posts to the Council of Ministries, thus augmented the ministries to twelve, if the proposal was approved by the Constituent Assembly. According to the same sources, Serrano was consulting with his fellow Cabinet members about the possibility of creating the hypothetical ministries of Health and Education as he felt that the two areas were as important as agriculture, commerce and industries. In the recent months, the Ministries of Agricuture and Commerce (and Industries) were created by the Provisional Government in response to the land reform program across the country and investing in the booming industrialization of Spain.

6 February:

In the Spanish capital Madrid, the general Carlos Maria de la Torre y Nava Cerrada was invited by Overseas Affairs Minister Adelardo López de Ayala to talk about the current issues that affected the Philippines a week after he was appointed as its next Governor-General. The issues discussed in the meeting with the Minister of Overseas Affairs included the abolition of polo y servicio, the lessening of the frailocracy, the speedy implementation of wide-scale land reform across the Philippine archipelago and strengthening the Colonial Government of the Philippines as preparation for its eventual self-government.

Carlos María de la Torre y Nava Cerrada

8 February:

In the Egyptian capital Cairo, Prime Minister Mehmed Abdullah Par-Aetos met the leaders of the leading expatritate communities across the country (e.g. Greek, Armenian, Levantine) to quell the expats' preoccupation on the rising Egyptian nationalism. The statesman has assured to the leader of the leading expatriate communities that their rights would be protected under the Egyptian law, their businesses and religious rights included. In addition, Prime Minister Par-Aetos insisted that although his administration was encouraging fellow Egyptians to participate more in the economic activity of their own country, he still recognized the contribution of the expatriate communities to the Egyptian economy.

9 February:

In the Palace of Malacañang, Chief Minister Maximo Inocencio presented the resolution passed by the Colonial Council, which called for the repeal and/or abolition of the so-called "subversive symbols" clause from the Penal Code of the Philippines to the Governor-General José de la Gandara. According to the palace insiders, the Governor-General was impressed when Inocencio explained the reason why the clause should be repealed from the Penal Code. The so-called "subversive symbols" clause, which was added in 1850 , prohibited anyone across the archipelago from using the symbols used by the revolutionaries in their campaigns against the colonial authorities; however, despite the threat of heavy punishment, the implementation of the clause was rarely enforced, especially during the previous year.

10 February:

In the city of Cuyo in the island-province of Calamián, the members of the Legislative Council of Junta Provincial de Calamián was debating on the proposed naval base to be built in the island of Busuanga. According to the insiders within the Calamianon provincial government, more than half of the assemblymen, including the Presidente de la Junta Provincial Patricio José Macolor y Capdevila,felt that the location of the proposed naval base was inadequate: Macolor himself once told before the members of the local press that he personally think that the naval base should be built in the the western part of Bacuit Peninsula[1], where he claimed that the coastline was both scenic and strategic.

11 February:

In the Congreso de los Diputados in the Spanish capital Madrid, the Constituent Assembly was formally inaugurated. Composed of 352 delegates from across the country and the two of the current four overseas colonies (Cuba and Puerto Rico), the new legislature was opened by a speech presented by the President of the Spanish Provisional Government Francisco Serrano. In his speech, Serrano reminded the new delegates that their participation in rebuilding the country would be very important, especially in writing the new constitution that would suit to the needs of a new, democratic Spain. The President of the Provisional Government further emphasized the lessons learned of the recent La Gloriosa revolution and the ideas formed by such an eventful event in the whole Spanish history.

NOTE:
[1] OTL: El Nido and northern parts of Taytay in Palawan.

ramones1986 · Sep 10, 2015

Book 1, Chapter 1: Timeline of Events

1869

15 February:

In the colonial capital Manila, the Governor-General confirmed that Palacio del Gobernador would be the official residence of the Chief Minister of the Colonial Government and his family once the reconstruction of the palace was completed in the near future. José de la Gandara further added that both Palacio del Gobernador and the Intendencia would still continue their current and/or future functions once the Philippines was granted self-government from Madrid after the new constitution was written and promulgated. Long been usedas the official residence of the Governors-General of the Philippines, the Palacio del Gobernador was damaged in the earthquake that rocked Manila in 1863.

16 February:

In relation to the status of the island of Bobel Tobago, the Chief Minister of Colonial Government Maximo Inocencio said that Manila and Nueva Malacca should conduct regular talks in order to resolve the issue and avoid possible misunderstanding between the two Spanish colonies. Although the Chief Minister acknowledged the fact that both Formosa and the Philippines would wait for their self-government to be granted by Madrid, Inocencio still insisted that his colleagues in the Colonial Government should be aware of the issue regarding Bobel Tobago. The island, also known to the Tao people as Irala and internationally as Orchid Islands, was connected to the Ivatan-speaking traders and merchants from the south, some of them intermarried with the locals and forming families, despite the fact that its closest neighbor was in Formosa.

17 February:

In the American capital Washington, insiders within the White House as well as the State Department said that the chief diplomat of the United States Hamilton Fish and President Ulysses S. Grant were working a policy regarding the Confederate States of America in exile, commonly known as the Midways both within and outside the diplomatic circles. According to the same insiders, both Grant and Fish understood that the Midways government, now under the presidency of Alexander H. Stephens, could became hostile to the possible diplomatic moves of the United States if the latter would make gestures that could endanger the hypothetical diplomatic relationship between Washington and New Boston, especially because of the fact that the memories of the four-year Civil War was bitter, especially for the part of the exiled Confederates.

Hamilton Fish
Secretary of State
United States of (North) America

18 February:

In the Palace of Malacañang, the Governor-General told Chief Minister Maximo Inocencio that the repeal and/or the abolition of the so-called "subversive symbols" clause from the Penal Code could be implemented with the last period of his term or in the first firm of the his successor's term as Governor-General of the Philippines. José de la Gandara further explained that he already received a letter from the Ministry of Overseas Affairs back in Madrid, where they've said that the ministry already chose his successor for the post of Governor-General of the Philippines. In effect, as de la Gandara concluded in their meeting with Chief Minister Maximo Inocencio that the repeal and/or abolition of the "subversive symbols" clause would be possibly implemented because of the fact that his successor was a liberal.

19 February:

In the Spanish capital Madrid, a Constitutional Commission of the Constituent Assembly was formed by a special legislation presented by War Minister and Vice-President of the Provisional Government Juan Prim. Composed by equal number of delegates from the three major political parties that formed the current Government Coalition (Progresista-Unión Liberal-Demócrata), the main task of the newly-formed Constitutional Commission was to write a new constitution for the Spanish nation. However, the Republicans criticized the commission of being a "lackey" of the Provisional Government because of the composition of the special legislative body itself, although according to Prim, members of the opposition could also suggest ideas to the Constitutional Commission in order to improve the draft of the future Magna Carta. Like the rest of the Constituent Assembly, the Constitutional Commission would held their sessions within Palacio de las Cortes Generales.

05_PALACIO_DE_LAS_CORTES_ESPANIOLAS_.JPG.jpg

Palacio de las Cortes Generales

22 February:

In the Palace of Malacañang, José de la Gandara received a letter from the Ministry of Overseas Affairs in Madrid, in which it revealed that a general, Carlos María de la Torre y Nava Cerrada, was chosen as his successor for the post of Governor-General of the Philippines. The said letter added that once de la Gandara read the message, his successor was already preparing for his new appointment, in which included meetings with Overseas Minister Adelardo López de Ayala about the issues that was prevalent in the Philippines today (e.g. the abolition of polo y servicio) and the strengthening of the Colonial Government in preparation for the granting of self-government from Spain in the near future.

23 February:

In the Spanish capital Madrid, the President of the Provisional Government finally confirmed that two new ministries would be added to the Council of Ministers in response to the suggestions made by his fellow members in relation to handling public education and health. Francisco Serrano has affirmed that the new ministries of Education and Public Health would also considered as one of the "necessary" posts for national rebuilding, just like the ministries of Agriculture and Industry (and Commerce), also created by the President of the Provisional Government months earlier. In effect, the members of the Council of Ministers were now augmented into twelve, excluding the post of the Presidency.

24 February:

According to the British and Foreign Bible Society, copies of Vangjel Meksi's Albanian-language translation of the New Testament was now smuggled into the western Kosovo Vilayet (sanjaks of İpek and Prizren) as evangelization of the Albanians under the Roman Catholic priests intensified. The society said that they've received reports that the priests-missionaries often disguised themselves as imams or their apprentices in order to pass the Ottoman territories, thus they've secretly converted the imam and his family into the Roman Catholicism, and then to the general population. The BFBS thus recognized the fact that converting Albanians in Kosovo Vilayet to Roman Catholicism was more difficult than their counterparts in other Ottoman vilayets when they've been converted into Protestantism.

The London offices of the British and Foreign Bible Society

25 February:

In the colonial capital Manila, the Colonial Council of the Philippines was discussing about the annexation of the Land of Benguet[1] to the province of Pangasinan as part of the territorial changes in the Cordillera Mountains. According to the President of the Council Joaquin Pardo de Tavera, the territorial changes in the Cordillera region included the annexation of the Apayao lands to the province of Cagayan and the possible creation of an Igorot-dominated autonomous territory, which would be governed by the current Junta Provincial de la Abra[2]. Pardo de Tavera added that the recommendations would be passed to Chief Minister Maximo Inocencio if more than half of the delegates voted in favor of the said changes.

26 February:

In the Palace of Malacañang, Chief Minister Maximo Inocencio has recently learned from the Governor-General in their private meeting that indeed a liberal general was chosen to be his successor. José de la Gandara presented the letter sent by the Ministry of Overseas Affairs in Madrid, in which it was confirmed that Carlos María de la Torre y Nava Cerrada would succeeded him as Governor-General of the Philippines. In the said meeting, they've also analyzed the territorial changes in the Cordillera Central region as it was discussed in the Colonial Council yesterday; the current Governor-General said that the current proposal was considered "feasible" and "applicable" because of the fact that the delegates who set up the borders were somehow fluent with the geography and culture of the region.

NOTES:
[1] OTL: Central and southern parts of Benguet.
[2] ITTL, the province of Abra was composed of OTL Tingguian-dominated eastern regions.

ramones1986 · Sep 12, 2015

Book 1, Chapter 1: Timeline of Events

1869

1 March:

In the Palace of Malacañang, José de la Gandara wrote a personal letter to his Formosan counterpart about his successor as Governor-General of the Philippine Islands. In the said letter, the current Governor-General described his successor, the liberal-leaning general Carlos María de la Torre, his appointment by the Ministry of Overseas Affairs in Madrid, and the issue that he would tackle once he arrived in Manila. de la Gandara also added that he would expect the same assignment from the ministry months he succeed Mariano Novales as Governor-General of Formosa. It was expected that de la Torre would arrive in Manila in the latter part of the year.

2 March:

In the Intendencia, the Colonial Council of Philippines had approved a resolution where the activities of the Colonial Government would be suspended from 22nd to 26th of March in observance of the Holy Week,considered as sacred in the Philippine archipelago. According to its president Joaquin Pardo de Tavera, most of the delegates recognized the need to return to their families within a week and observe the sanctity of the Holy Week despite of their political leanings. Pardo de Tavera also added that the Colonial Council would studying the possibility that the families of the delegates, especially those came from the far-flung provinces, could accompany them in the colonial capital Manila.

3 March:

In response to the attacks of the Fenians[1] in the whole Ireland, most especially in the western regions, as well as in the Irish overseas communities, Prime Minister Sir Edward Grogan met the members of the Council of Ministers in an extraordinary meeting in Steward's Lodge in the Irish capital Dublin. In the said meeting, the Prime Minister was informed by his Interior Minister George Beresford that he would mobilize the police across the country and sent secret agents in the overseas Irish communities in order to combat and eradicate Fenian insurgency; he also revealed in the same meeting that there were actually strong divisions within the Fenian movement.[2]

Steward's Lodge
The official residence of the Prime Minister of Ireland

4 March:

In the Spanish capital Madrid, the Minister of Public Works responded to the questions raised by the members of the local press and foreign wire correspondents about the possible reforms in the Council of Ministers of the Provisional Government. Manuel Ruiz Zorrilla said that he recognized the fact that the education and public health system in the country needed special attention. The Minister of Public Works added that constructing and maintaining public infrastructure and transportation system across Spain itself would be a huge task for the ministry.

5 March:

In a meeting with Chief Minister Maximo Inocencio and President of the Colonial Council Joaquin Pardo de Tavera in the Palace of Malacañang, the current Governor-General José de la Gandara finally signed the resolution passed by the colonial legislature last Tuesday (2nd March) in which the activities of the Colonial Government of the Philippines would be suspended from 22nd to 26th of March in observation of the Holy Week. The current Governor-General said that it was indeed reasonable for the Colonial Council to pass such resolution for the benefit of the delegates and their families, especially those who came from far-flung provinces. In addition, de la Gandara also encouraged Pardo de Tavera to pass a proposed resolution pending in the colonial legislature where the families of the delegates were allowed to move to the colonial capital Manila.

NOTES:
[1] With the POD of 1688, the TTL Fenians were slightly more different than their OTL counterparts, because in TTL the Fenians fought for the overthrow of the Dominion Government and personal union, which was effective after the Irish Revolt of 1848 and its aftermath, the overthrow of the Stuart; most of the TTL Fenians believed in a republican government.
[2] Although both Beresford and Grogan were Anglo-Irish, they were indeed fluent speakers of Irish Gaelic in this scenario.

ramones1986 · Sep 12, 2015

Book 1, Chapter 1: Timeline of Events

1869

8 March:

In the colonial capital Manila, insiders within the Intendencia told some of the members of the local press that all of the members of the Colonial Council of the Philippines would vote in favor or passing the proposed resolution in which the families of the delegates would accompany them while working in the colonial capital, especially for those who hailed from the far-flung provinces. According to the same sources, all delegates understood that their work as part of the Colonial Government was incomplete without their respective families. It was indeed expected that the said resolution wold be passed within a couple of weeks.

9 March:

In the Palace of Malacañang, José de la Gandara received a letter from the Ministry of Overseas Affairs in Madrid. In the said letter, the ministry informed the current Governor-General that his successor Carlos María de la Torre would bring with him upon the latter's arrival in the Philippines some of the reforms, in which includes the establishment of the Guardia Civil in the colony and giving the Colonial Government some important powers (e.g. full legislative powers to the Colonial Council of the Philippines and limited taxation power for the Colonial Government in general). In relation to the problems that he would expect once he took the post of Governor-General of Formosa, the letter reminded de la Gandara that he should ask his soon-to-be predecessor Mariano Trias.

10 March:

In the town of Taal in the province of Batangas, Eulalio Villavicienco and Juan Mercurio Dimalibot talked about improving the campaign for a single Tagalog-speaking province and pressuring both the Colonial Government and the Office of the Governor-General in Manila to consider the said issue seriously. The wealthy ship owner and member of Samahang Kumintang told the chairman of the cultural society that they should've wait for the successor of José de la Gandara as Governor-General of the Philippines to present their arguments for the unification of the three Tagalog-speaking provinces (Batangas, La Laguna and Tayabas) under a single administrative unit. When Dimalibot asked about the eventual self-government of the Philippines, Villavicencio responded that such event would be more possible for the society to present their proposal in Manila

Don Eulalio Villavicencio

11 March:

In the Davaoeño capital Nueva Vergara, Feliciano Oyanguren told the members of the local press and correspondents from Manila newspapers that the ongoing negotiations with the Colonial Government in relation to compensating Kidapawan Manobos would not be exclusively monetary. Instead, the Presidente de la Junta Territorial insisted that the compensation would include livelihood package for the former rebels and their families, with the possibility of extending to all Kidapawan Manobo refugess and their descendants; such form of compensation, as Oyanguren said, was found favorable on both sides. Originally lived in the lands west of Monte Apo, the Kidapawan Manobos fled to southern Misamis province in the aftermath of the Manobo Revolt against the Sultanate of Magindanao and the subsequent annexation of their lands to Davao in 1860.

12 March:

In the Midways capital New Boston, the CSA Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin received a letter from the American Mission, considered as the de facto embassy of the United States of (North) America in the islands. In the said letter, which was written by his counterpart Hamilton Fish, Washington wanted to reestablish formal diplomatic relations with New Boston almost three years after the end of Civil War and the exile of the Confederate government to Midways. In response, Benjamin wrote that although the offer of the US Department of State was tempting to be accepted immediately, he would still consult President Alexander H. Stephens and the rest of the Confederate Cabinet to accept such offer, especially in times where the wounds of Civil War was too fresh for the exiled Confederates like him.

Judah P. Benjamin
Secretary of State
Confederate States of America (Midways)

15 March:

In relation to the ongoing negotiations over the compensation to the Kidapawan Manobos, the Chief Minister was asked by the members of the local press about the statement made by his Davaoeño counterpart Feliciano Oyanguren last Thursday (11th of March). In response, Maximo Inocencio confirmed that livelihood packages for the former rebels and their families were part of the proposed compensation to the Kidapawan Manobos, as theyr were mutually agreed by the Colonial Government and Junta Territorial de Davao. However, the Chief Minister insisted to the press people that the details would be revealed once the compensation offer was finalized by the two sides.

16 March:

In most of the Ottoman sanjak of Priştine, secret Serbian-language schools were set up by the members of the Serbian army disguising as either traders or merchants, and clandestinely teaching Serbian culture, history and language to the children in the villages in the said sanjak; classes included singing the national anthem of Serbia and respecting the flag of the principality . According to insiders within the Serbian Army in the capital Belgrade, most of these soldier were actually teachers who entered conscription and admitted to the military service; the countryside was often preferred because the Army recognized the fact that law enforcement were weaker in such areas and the jurisdiction of the Serbian Orthodox Church was stronger than in the cities; indeed, the schools used the church flag to hide their actual activities.

Flag of the Serbian Orthodox Church

17 March:

In the Spanish capital Madrid, the President of the Provisional Government announced that all government activities would be suspended on the 25th and 26th of March in observance of the two of the three important days in the Holy Week, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Francisco Serrano explained that such an announcement would help those who worked in the government, from minsters to simple clerks, to spent extra time with their families and observe the Holy Week solemnly, thus acknowledging the fact the last week of Lenten was still observed and respected in a country of Spain. In effect, all activities in the government would be resumed on Easter Monday, the 29th of March.

18-19 March:

In the Intendencia in the colonial capital Manila, the Colonial Council of the Philippines held their last session before they took a week-long Holy Week break. In the said session, the proposed resolution, in which the families of the delegates would accompany them while working in the Intendencia was passed by all members of the Colonial Council, including the Chief Minister Maximo Inocencio, who hailed from the province of Cavite. The recently-passed resolution, which was first presented in the colonial legislature a couple of weeks ago, received support from the outgoing Governor-General José de la Gandara. The following day, the resolution was signed by the Governor-General, accompanied by Chief Minister Maximo Inocencio. Like the rest of the government offices, the office of Chief Minister and Colonial Council would resume their activities on Easter Monday, the 29th of March.

ramones1986 · Sep 14, 2015

Book 1, Chapter 1: Timeline of Events

1869

29 March:

Like the rest of the Colonial Government, the Colonial Council of the Philippines resumed their official business after a week of vacation due to the observance of the Holy Week. The first resumed session of the legislative assembly was the codification of the rules and regulations of the Colonial Council itself. According to its president Joaquin Pardo de Tavera, the codification would possibly include the resolution that the assembly has passed within the two weeks before the Holy Week break, although Pardo de Tavera was silent to the rumors that the codification was the final preparation for the upcoming increase of powers to the Colonial Council.

30 March:

In his office in the Palace of Malacañang, Chief Minister Maximo Inocencio received a personal visit from Luis Perez Yap-Sionjue, who informed that the Palacio del Gobernador as now almost complete. The well-known architect added that the Governor-General allowed the transfer of all the personnel and documents of the Office of the Chief Minister to the newly-restored building within a week. For his part, the Chief Minister told Perez Yap-Sionjue that he was already ready to the transfer from his office in Malacañang to Palacio del Gobernador. Originally the residence of the Governors-General of the Philippines, the Palacio del Gobernador was destroyed in the earthquake of 1863; it took most six years to reconstruct the whole palace.

The (modern) Palacio del Gobernador

1 April:

In the Forbidden City in the Chinese Imperial capital Peking, after a series of consulting with his advisers, in which include Chancellor Lia Wenguang (賴文光)[1], the Emperor has revised his decree in which a Hakka-dominated province was created; in the said revision of the decree, the Taiping Emperor changed the name of the province to Lanfang (蘭芳/Làn-fông) after the overseas Chinese federation in the western end of Borneo, which were governed by the Hakkas. Two months ago, the Hakka people's aspiration of living together under a same province was finally granted when Emperor Xiuquan carved the current Lanfang province, then known s Guangbei province, from parts of neighboring Jiangxi, Guangdong and Fujian provinces.

2 April:

In the city of Bacolod in the Chavacano-speaking province of Negros Occidental, José Ruiz de Luzuriaga was elected as the leader of the Negrenses Unidos movement, which seeks the political unification of the island as a single administrative unit. In his speech before his fellow members, the businessman said that he would vigorously campaign the cause before the Colonial Government in Manila and/or its successor once self-government was formally granted by Madrid to the archipelago. Ruiz de Luzuriaga also added that the movement was willing to cooperate with other groups such as Samahang Kumintang in the Tagalog Lands for achieving common goals like a responsible colonial/national government.

3 April:

In the British capital London, the British and Foreign Bible Society received a news from their agents in the Balkan Peninsula that the successful (although risky) evangelization of the Albanians would be replicated in the region of Bosnia. The agents said that they're now completing the Shtokavian translation of the New Testament and ready for its printing and smuggling of its copies across the region, using the same strategies that they've used in secretly converting the central Albanians to Protestantism. In the Shtokavian translation of the New Testament, the agents of the BFBS used the Ikavian speech because of the fact that the translator were Dalmatians and Bunjevci.

ramones1986 · Sep 14, 2015

NOTICE:
Please read the whole scenario HERE

ramones1986 · Sep 14, 2015

Waiting for the Mod to close this thread...