Sakdalista
The Sakdalista, or Sakdal Movement, was a significant independence movement in the Philippines during the 1930s, founded by journalist Benigno Ramos. The term "Sakdal" comes from the Tagalog word meaning "accuse," which also served as the name of Ramos's newspaper that highlighted issues of corruption, land reform, and the urgent need for Philippine independence from American control. The movement attracted significant support, particularly among rural populations, with membership estimates ranging from ten thousand to two hundred thousand.
In May 1935, the Sakdalistas staged a rebellion that lasted just two days, reflecting widespread discontent among the poor and a desire for immediate independence, in contrast to the gradual approach advocated by the Nationalist Party. Although the rebellion was swiftly suppressed, it underscored the frustrations of Filipinos under foreign rule. Following the establishment of the Tydings-McDuffie Act in 1935, which aimed for Philippine independence but ultimately led to the dissolution of the Sakdalista movement, Ramos continued to advocate for self-governance. His efforts and the movement's legacy contributed to the eventual independence of the Philippines in 1946. The Sakdalista movement remains a pivotal chapter in the narrative of Philippine resistance against colonial rule.
Sakdalista
Sakdalista or the Sakdal Movement was an independence movement in the Philippines of the 1930s founded by journalist Benigno Ramos. Members of the movement were also known as Sakdalistas. Its name comes from the Tagalog word sakdal, meaning “accuse,” which was also the name of a newspaper founded by Ramos and the political party he led.
A peasant uprising inspired by the Sakdal Party’s work was unsuccessful but an indicator of the anger among rural and working people and a desire for independence from the United States. Though the rebellion in 1934 was quashed within two days, discontent among the poor prompted numerous peasant revolts in the following years. Ramos renamed the party and continued to fight for independence, which the Philippines eventually gained in 1946.
Background
Explorer Ferdinand Magellan claimed the Philippine archipelago in Southeast Asia for the Spanish Empire in 1521. He named the collection of thousands of islands and islets Las Felipinas for King Philip II of Spain. The people previously living there had traded with the Chinese and Muslims from Borneo. Islam was prevalent before the arrival of the Spanish, who brought Christianity. Over several centuries, the Spanish government turned the Philippines into a Spanish colony and established agricultural operations.
By the early nineteenth century, the island colony was self-sufficient. Residents clamored for independence from Spain, which violently put down several independence movements. By the 1890s, the Spanish faced widespread rebellion that they could not put down. Spain granted amnesty to the rebels and leaders of the uprising with the Pact of Biak-na-Bato in 1897.
Spain was also facing rebellion in Cuba, another colony. The United States supported Cuba’s independence and sent a battleship into the harbor at Havana. After the battleship sank, the United States and Spain went to war in 1898. An American fleet destroyed the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Manila Bay in the Philippines on May 1, 1898. The six-month-long Spanish-American War ended later that year with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The agreement gave Cuba independence and ceded Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico to the United States for $20 million. The US government had engaged with Spain to secure Cuba’s independence and was not initially interested in the Philippines.
Filipinos were unhappy to have their islands freed of Spanish control only to become the property of the United States. They launched a three-year-long war of independence in 1899. The people paid a heavy price, as nearly 16,000 Filipinos died during the rebellion, but did not achieve their goal. The US government finally agreed in the 1930s to grant independence to the Philippines within a decade, but World War II and the Japanese invasion of the Philippines delayed that action.
Benigno Ramos was born in 1892 in a small town in Bulacan province. His father, Catalino Ramos, had reportedly fought against the Spaniards with the revolutionaries in 1892. His mother, Benigna Pantaleon, also saw battle as a volunteer nurse. Although he did not finish high school, Ramos worked as an elementary school teacher before moving to Manila, where he wrote for a weekly magazine.
Ramos also wrote poetry critical of the American colonization of the Philippines using a pen name to avoid retribution. An example is “Bulkan!” or “Volcano!” The volcano represents oppressed people, such as the peasants of the Philippines. Although a volcano may appear benign, pressure can build and cause an eruption. Smoke precedes the the eruption. The poem is a warning to those in power to heed the signs of impending violence.
In addition to his writing, Ramos worked as a civil servant. He was a clerk for the Philippine Senate but supported striking teachers and was fired by the president of the Senate, Manuel Quezon, of the Nationalist Party.
Overview
After losing his government job, Ramos founded Sakdal, a newspaper first published on October 13, 1930. The paper covered corruption, land reform, and the need for independence in the Philippines. Sakdal was widely read, especially in rural areas.
In 1933, subscribers gathered in Manila and formed the Sakdal Party, which impacted the 1934 elections. Membership estimates ranged from ten thousand to two hundred thousand on Luzon, the main island. The party promoted tax reduction for the poor and land redistribution by breaking up large estates. Sakdal opposed the Nationalist Party’s approach to independence, which was gradual. Ramos and his party demanded immediate separation of the Philippines and the United States.
A bedrock of the party’s platform was independence from the United States, and members worked to secure assistance from Japan toward that goal. Ramos left the Philippines in November 1934 for what was billed as a trip to the United States to advance the cause of independence. Instead, he traveled to Japan to request arms to fight the Americans but was unsuccessful.
Bolstered by a strong result in the 1934 elections and frustrated by a lack of progress and the hardships brought on by poor harvests, the Sakdalistas revolted on May 2, 1935. At the time, most government leaders were out of the country or in remote areas. Quezon was in New York City, while Governor General Frank Murphy, who was ill, was in West Virginia.
The rebellion lasted two days. During that time, municipal buildings in fourteen towns in Luzon were captured. A large battle occurred at Cabuyao when hundreds of local people invaded and took over the town. They took weapons from six US sailors who fought the local police. After law enforcement officers arrived and confronted them, both sides fought. The rebellion ended with fifty-two rebels at that location dead.
About one hundred people died in the failed uprising. Ramos remained in Japan, still seeking assistance in freeing the Philippines from American control. He met with Commonwealth President Quezon in Japan in 1938 and returned to the Philippines in August. Although Ramos said Quezon agreed he would not be arrested, he was detained on arrival. He was charged with agitating for insurrection and sedition but was released on bail.
Ramos renamed his political party, calling it Lapiang Ganap (Ganap Party). He continued to push for independence. He was arrested again in 1939, charged with illegal solicitation of funds, and sentenced to four to ten years in prison.
He was serving his sentence when Japan occupied the Philippines. Officials released him in April 1942 and he worked with the occupiers, who pressed many Filipinos into forced labor or sexual slavery and committed numerous atrocities. As the Japanese occupation crumbled with the invasion of US forces in 1945, Ramos reportedly boarded a Japanese plane that crashed soon after takeoff. His remains were never found.
Bibliography
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“Territories: Sakdalistas Up!” Time, 13 May 1935, content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,754723,00.html. Accessed 15 July 2021.
“Today in Philippine History, October 13, 1930, Benigno Ramos Released a Printed Newspaper, Called Sakdal.” The Kahimyang Project, kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/1309/today-in-philippine-history-october-13-1930-benigno-ramos-released-a-printed-newspaper-called-sakdal. Accessed 20 May 2024.
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