Banner of the Golden Sun

Prior to joining this forum, I've been a lurker for half a year. One thing that I found out is the lack of Philippine TLs, as if its destiny is to be screwed in any given timelines :eek:. So, I decide to start one. Hopefully, I could finish this.

Without further ado, let's begin...


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Banner of the Golden Sun: A Philippines Timeline


The Cavite Mutiny

The year 1872 was a pivotal year in Philippine history as it sets the series of events leading to the birth of the Filipino nation. In the year prior, a new Governor-General was appointed, in the person of Rafael de Izquierdo. Izquierdo ruled with an iron fist, and abolished all the liberal policies of his predecessor Carlos María de la Torre, while implementing harsh laws. At one point, Izquierdo abolished the tax exemption on the colonial army's engineers and artillerymen. The soldiers were unaware of this change of policy until they finally received their paycheck, which became lower than what they usually received. Their outrage increased when they found out that they had also been included to the mandatory labor service (polo y servicio).

So, on January 20th, mestizo Sergeant Fernando la Madrid led a group of 200 men and seized Fort San Felipe in Puerto de Cavite, killing several Spanish officers. When word of the uprising reached Manila, Izquierdo responded immediately, sending a regiment led by Felipe Ginovés. In a few hours, the mutineers were crushed, those who survived were imprisoned (and later executed by January 27th). The colonial government -and the the clergy- used the incident against the growing nationalist movement. In a span of days, many liberals were arrested. Izquierdo decided to set an example to future dissidents, and executed the most prominent liberals en masse at Bagumbayan, while the less prominent were jailed, tortured and forced to perform hard labor.[1] Some of the most notable victims were the leaders of the secularist movement -priests José Burgos, Mariano Gomez and Jacinto Zamora- that were convicted and executed on February 28th.

Some liberals managed to flee overseas before being arrested. They would later found themselves in Europe, continuing their struggle for change, or -for most of them- began entertaining the concept of secession.

For the Filipino masses, however, the incident made them realize that the Spaniards never intended to let them progress, but to remain their slaves. This would inflame their desire for justice and freedom. The seeds of revolution has been planted.


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[1] The POD is Izquierdo and the clergy implemented more brutal reprisals than OTL.
 
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This is interesting. I wonder what it will mean for the US as well, since part of the reason they hung onto the Philippines was for a base in Asia for easier access to the markets. I'll be watching. :)
 
The Rise and Fall of the Reform Movement

The Philippine independence movement didn't immediately gain ground in the years following 1872. The Filipino liberals at the time were still adamant in choosing peacful struggle over revolt, citing lessons from the French Revolution. So in Spain they gathered and formed the Propaganda Movement, with the goal of informing Madrid of the ills of their homeland and the need for change. In the 1880s, the movement grew, in the time where the greatest generation of Filipino intellectuals joined the patriotic cause. These men included Marcelo H. del Pilar, Graciano López Jaena, Mariano Ponce and José Rizal.

Among them, Rizal stood out as the most influential and most prominent propagandist. A gifted writer and speaker, he became a major driving force of the reform movement. But it was his masterpiece novels Noli Me Tángere and El Filibusterismo that became his lasting mark. The novels' portrayal of the Philippine society was hailed by fellow liberals. But the novel had also made him a marked man in the eyes of the friars and the Spanish colonial elite -both of which were portrayed rather negatively in the novel- which banned the books and labeled Rizal as a filibuster.

La Solidaridad, the official newspaper of the Propagandists, was founded by del Pilar and Jaena on 1888, with its first issue on February 1889. Many propagandists wrote articles for the newspaper -including Rizal, Ponce, del Pilar and Jaena themselves- with topics about literature, politics and religion, among others.

Despite the efforts of the Filipino intellectuals, Spain ignored their cries. While in the Philippines, the situation went from bad to worse as the government intensified their persecution of dissidents, eager to avoid a rebellion similar to Cuba (the Ten Years War and Little War). This strengthened Rizal's resolve to return to his country to continue his struggle, despite several warnings from his friends and compatriots.

Upon returning to the Philippines in 1892, he founded La Liga Filipina, a society aiming to put the ideas of the Propaganda Movement into practice. Unfortunately, Rizal's detractors seized the opportunity to take him down. Some mere days after the Liga's inauguration, Rizal was arrested upon orders from Governo Eulogio Despujol on charges of rebellion and subversion, convicted and banished to Dapitan in Mindanao.

Rizal's arrest became the death knell for the Propaganda Movement. Coupled with the depletion of funds for La Solidaridad, and Madrid's continuing apathy, many ilustrados withdrew their support.[1] Del Pilar, whose views are becoming more radical finally saw the futility of their struggle, and left La Solidaridad on August 1892.[2] La Solidaridad however, would survive until 1895.

As reformism crumbled, radical ideas became increasingly more popular among the Filipinos, setting the stage for the rise of the independence movement.


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[1] Didn't happen in OTL.
[2] IOTL, he stayed until the end.
 
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The Katipunan and the Path to Revolution

The Philippines had experienced several rebellions in its 333-year existence as a Spanish colony. Some notables were that of Lakan Dula in Manila, Francisco Maniago in Pampanga, Diego Silang in Ilocos, Agustin Sumuroy in Samar and Francisco Dagohoy in Bohol. All of them experienced substantial success, but later failed in the end due to lack of unity. The Spaniards had mastered the art of divide-and-rule that kept the Philippines in check. But the emergence of the concept of a unified identity in the 19th century increased the chances of a revolt to succeed.

After Rizal's arrest, the Liga went on a de-facto hiatus. During this time, a revolutionary organization was born. On July 7th 1892, several radical members of the Liga led by Andrés Bonifacio founded the Kataas-taasan, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (EN: Supreme and Most Honorable Society of the Children of the
Nation / SP: Suprema y Venerable Asociación de los Hijos del Pueblo), known shortly as Katipunan. Its aim was simple: independence of the Philippines from Spain through an armed revolt. The Katipunan attracted many people, mostly from the middle and working classes. The secrecy of the society was strictly maintained through initiation rites modeled along Masonic lines. But this meticulously complicated process made the recruitment process slow.

In Spain, del Pilar began rallying other ilustrados to his newfound cause -Philippine independence- with much success. He would later be joined by Ponce and Antonio Luna, while the remaining faithful reformists were led by Jaena, Pedro Paterno and Trinidad Pardo de Tavera. Del Pilar left Barcelona in 1893 for Paris, organizing the independence lobby and to recruit more supporters.[1] In the same year del Pilar discovered the Katipunan's existence through his brother-in-law Deodato Arellano, one of its founders, and established correspondence to synchronize their operations.[2]

In 1894, he requested Luna to sail back to the Philippines to assess the situation, and to persuade the wealthy Filipinos to join the cause, or at least stay neutral in the incoming conflict.[3]

Upon del Pilar's suggestion, Bonifacio and his close advisor, Emilio Jacinto, founded the Katipunan's official organ: Kalayaan. Its first issue on March 1895[4] was a big hit, as days after its release, several hundred men and women flocked enlist in the underground society, swelling the Katipunan's membership from around 300 to over 30,000 by mid-1895; not to mention the Katipunan's expansion into other provinces such as Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Batangas and all the way to Camarines. Weaponry had been one of Katipunan's major problems. In its early days, procurement of firearms were difficult, due to lack of financial support. Even with additional contributions from the abroad, it isn't enough to equip the entire rebel force. By August 1896, less than 50% of the rebels were equipped with rifles; the rest were armed with bolos and bamboo spears. As the Katipunan grew, Bonifacio and the Supreme Council found it increasingly difficult to maintain secrecy, thus hastily preparing themselves for a premature eruption of conflict.

By 1895 Luna experienced some success in his mission, as he secured the non-interference of some prominent upper-class Filipinos, who feared retributions from either the Spaniards or the revolutionaries had they chose a side.[5] In 1896, Bonifacio assigned Dr. Pio Valenzuela, Katipunan's primary medical officer, in a secret mission: go to Dapitan and consult José Rizal. Valenzuela sailed to Dapitan on June 15th, knowing that the result of his mission might determine the fate of the revolution itself.


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[1] IOTL, he never left Spain until his death in 1896.
[2] Never happened in OTL.
[3] He only came back to practice his profession IOTL. ITTL, he used his profession as a cover.
[4] A year earlier than OTL.
[5] Lucky for them. They might survive up to 1898. :D
 
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We're getting closer to the big bang, and the last major POD. After that, it's all ATL.

Watch out for it.
 
Bonifacio called the Philippines as Katagalugan.:)

But his tagalog does not mean tagalog speaking or the tagalog tribe, it means all of the natives of the Philippines.
 
Bonifacio called the Philippines as Katagalugan.:)

But his tagalog does not mean tagalog speaking or the tagalog tribe, it means all of the natives of the Philippines.

I know that.

But I think that's too idealistic of Bonifacio, especially in a time where the Ilocanos, Bicolanos, Kapampangans, etc already knew who the Tagalogs are. And they were not. Naming the whole nation as Katagalugan might just promote disunity.
 
The Fateful Decision

Rizal's life in exile had been a fruitful one, as he busied himself in farming, practicing his profession, and teaching young students. He proposed several projects that made Dapitan a self-sustained community. Rizal also kept in touch with his compatriots in Europe through Mariano Ponce, who was then in Hong Kong.[1] Thus, Rizal knew of the of existing divide amongst the ilustrados. This became a source of headache for the famed propagandist, as he expected both the Reaffirmists (Jaena-Paterno faction) and the Rejectionists (del Pilar faction) to woo him to their side, in a last-ditch effort for unity. Ponce later recounted on his memoirs about Rizal's importance: "... he's a revered figure amongst us. His views always carry a great weight upon the (Propagagnda) Movement. Thus, it came as a no surprise that Marcelo and Graciano turn to him to fix the problem."

Rizal's dilemma was further complicated upon the arrival of Pio Valenzuela on June 21st 1896, who requested a private meeting with him. Valenzuela, on behalf of the Katipunan, seeked Rizal's opinion, and attempted to gain his support for their cause. At that time, Rizal had been a confused man, torn between the ideas of autonomy and independence. On one end he believed that the Filipinos are not yet ready for self-rule, while on the other, he began to believe that the Spaniards were the biggest obstacle for his country's progress. But according to Rizal's memoirs: "... I was about to refuse Valenzuela's request, despite knowing that they had support from del Pilar, until I heard (Andrés) Bonifacio's name as the leader of the revolutionary group. I remembered him from the Liga, a very active member. I only had one conversation with him, since he always spent his time with the common folk. I admired his ideas, even though it's different from my own, and found him a very patriotic man. It was very unfortunate that he didn't finished his studies. He would've been a good addition to our cause." Their conversation ended with Rizal refusing his answer until the following day.[2] That night, Rizal began to think over, now feeling the great burden upon his shoulders, and how his decision could change everything he knew. With the help of his wife, Josephine Bracken, and sisters, Rizal made up his mind.

The next day, Rizal finally gave his answer: he finally decided to throw in his lot with the revolution and expressed his consent and support[3], and began conversing with Valenzuela about the Katipunan's aims.

The day after, Valenzuela left Dapitan, his mission a resounding success. With him is a letter written by Rizal himself containing several plans for the Katipunan to use. Rizal, however, was still skeptical with what would he later called his life's biggest gamble, with the fate of the whole nation at stake. It's now up to Bonifacio and the others to secure victory. As much as Rizal disliked violence, he now felt that this might be the destined path for the Filipinos, to shed blood to attain its redemption.


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[1] In OTL, he was in the Philippines some time in 1896.
[2] He gave his answer the same day in OTL.
[3] This has been a point of contention in OTL. According to Pio Valenzuela's memoirs, Rizal favored the revolution, but some historians questioned his credibility. A manifesto was written by Rizal while in prison in 1896, denouncing the Katipunan. This had always been referenced as an evidence that Rizal rejected the revolution. The truth was still unclear until this day.
 
The Revolution Begins

The news of Rizal's decision was met with joy within the Katipunan. Bonifacio in particular was very happy that Rizal chose to put his trust on him. Under mysterious circumstances, the news of Rizal's decision also made its way into Europe (although it was widely believed that Ponce was the one who leaked the information, citing his correspondence with Rizal at the time), much to the chagrin of Jaena and the delight of del Pilar. With a renewed vigour, del Pilar stepped up the propaganda campaign for independence, while Jaena's faction's solidity were now in question as many ilustrados were now being enticed to jump ship.

Bonifacio had been aware that the Katipunan cannot stay in the shadows forever, expecting the Spanish authorities to discover them anytime soon. That dreaded day came on August 19th, when the Katipunan was revealed through the confession of Teodoro Patiño. Diario de Manila, the publisher of Kalayaan was stormed by the Civil Guards and several of the employees, who were also Katipuneros, arrested.

Days later on August 23rd, the Katipunan had its largest gathering yet, as representatives from different chapters in several provinces assebled at the village of Pugad Lawin in Balintawak. It was here that Bonifacio proclaimed the start of hostilities. In a symbolic gesture of defiance, they tore their cedulas (tax certificates). The revolution has begun.


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Note: Well, this was rather short. Nothing much happened, but the next update will have more action.
 
I know that.

But I think that's too idealistic of Bonifacio, especially in a time where the Ilocanos, Bicolanos, Kapampangans, etc already knew who the Tagalogs are. And they were not. Naming the whole nation as Katagalugan might just promote disunity.

It was only the Magdalo faction that preferred the name Philippines, the Magdiwang preferred the name Katagalugan.
 
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