MACARIO SAKAY . HERO OR CRIMINAL ?

[paopadd]

Here an article published on The New York Times in 1907, please let me know your opinion ..
Mabuhay !

Paolo





CRUELTY OF FILIPINOS.

Marauding Band cut tendons in feet and crushed fingers.


Washington sept. 26 -

In a copy of decision of the Supreme Court of the Philippine Islands in the case of Macario Sakay and three other men, convicted of the crime of bandolerismo and sentencedto death, is incorporated several of the exhibits introduced by the prosecution which show the desperate methods resorted to.
The appellants changed their plea of no guilty, and attenpted to show that, while they wwere guilty of the acts charged whatever they did was done from a patriotic motive in defense of the right of the people of their Country.
The Supreme Court declared that: " with the reference to this patriotic motive on the part of the defendants ". it would allow two of the exhibits introduced by the proxecution to explain"
one of these exhibits was a letter adressed by Sakay to Pio del Pilar , Major General and said :
" Direct the troops to enter the town of Teresa and carry out the following: " first : seize all such foods as pala
which you can carry; also take the money, in order to defray the expenses of our soldiers and the war."
" Second: Arrest the Consejal, Memimino Grebillos, and all persons concerned with him in detaining our commissioners, and as soon as arrested you will punish them as provided in order 9, of april 10, 1904, prescribing that the tendon Achilles shall be cut and the fingers of both hands crushed.
"Third : Should the townspeople offer resistance to the troops , burn all the houses, without showing mercy to the inhabitants.
" All the provisions of this letter have been passed on by the Supreme Junta, on account of the treacherous conduct of the inhabitants of Teresa toward our commissioners."

Artcle published on "The New York Times
Sept. 27, 1907

[insurrectomad]

It's "Rich" of the Yanks to charge Sakey with the 'Crimes of Barbarism' after their atrocities inflicted on the Fil. Civilians., But that is the privilege of the victor in all conflicts. Bush would have swung from a rope otherwise. Sakay was a religious Zelot, and like all such men with fanatical fervour of any faith, he saw it as just retribution for those who had betrayed the cause & strayed from the "True path". As with many 'Insurgent' movements to-day, Sakay read appeasement or compliance, even under duress, as treason/sacrilege! These are inseparable words to a Zelot, even today. Trouble was that it drove civilians and fighters alike into the arms of the assimilation movement that his enemies were promoting. Given a choice between being crippled by desperate jungle guerrillas or accepting protection for your families future, and an influential position plus $$$$$!; what would you choose?--Insurrectomad

[Sumaquel P Hosalla]

The question here is, did he really ordered those things? The letter, was it real or just a fabrication to discredit Sakay? Alam nating lahat na mula 1896 "Patriot" na ang taong ito, so bakit siya binitay bilang isang bandido?

Kung magsasaliksik tayo sa buhay ni Sakay(sama mo na rin yung nangyari sa "Patriot" na si Col. Faustino Guillermo)gamit ang mga tala ng mga amerikano makikita nyo na binitay ang mga ito bilang mga bandido.

Subalit, kung gagawa tayo ng paraan upang makuha yung side ng mga ito, makikita nyo na sila pala ang huling "sindi" ng Rebolusyong Filipino.

We cannot rely to much on American account, mataas ang tendency na baguhin nila ang kasaysayan ayon sa kanilang Polisiya(Policy)at nais idikta.

We are a conquered territory and they are the victor's, they can say and dictate whatever they want and change our history.

They can transform our Patriots into Bandits! our Victories into Defeat! at wala tayong Magagawa dun iyon Ang kanilang dikta sa ating Kasaysayan.

[noy]

Sakay was a hero. He was branded a criminal because the American invaders wanted to put an end to the war between the Philippines and themselves. To justify their occupation and legal right to be here, they termed the war as an insurrection and the leaders as criminals. Here are a few links:

www.bibingka.com/phg/sakay/default.htm

[paopadd]

I have no doubt about this matter: Macario Sakay was an hero, a great hero , not a criminal....!

Mabuhay !

[insurrectomad]

The Main problem for Sakey was that he was forced to operate & fight in isolation from & uncoordinated from other commanders. The Americans held the upper hand, both in the combat field but more importantly in administrating all civic functions of state, & this they did with great speed and efficiency. The Americans most successful weapons were I think, their grip on administration along with the suppression of corruption, & promotion on merit. They tackled the Cholera, and other mass sicknesses with vast imports of drugs & an army of medical personal. The massive program of constructing waterworks, drains, bridges and roads etc. meant that there was plenty of work on offer plus better wages than any Fil. ever had in the past. The U.S. could afford to pour millions of $'s into Phil. while maintaining a low tax rate. Their attacks on corruption & "Datuism" was more deadly than their bullets. The vast majority of Filipinos were thus won over, after being subjected to taxing harshness of warlords and quarreling factions. Sakey, like most other leaders could not enlist support from the entire population; from all classes, but in his case almost all from the poor peasants. Unlike America's foe today, neither Sakey, Aguinaldo or any other Fil. commander had outside support or supplies. To-day the Taliban, Irakian fighters, Somalians all have a constant supply of military material of equal class to that of the US troops. Armed with rocket launchers, ever air superiority does not daunt them. Sakey & all ther other Guerrilla leaders was never able to create a vast growing groundswell of support and so became as potent a threat to the US colonization of the Phils. as the few Japs that remained in the jungles & hills for 40 yrs or more. The NPA and the Muslim seperatists today have very little impact on the country as a whole & no national support. Sakey was worthy of being recognized as a bon-i-fide Commander and his execution, was a despicable act by the Americans after giving their word. Although we no longer have to defer to the US or touch our forelocks, the Phil. Authorities will not be willing to elevate Sakey as his ambitions are seen as too closely associated with the designs of the NPA & Muslim fighters at present. Today his followers are thought of as more socialist/communists than religious by the Govt. I think even had the war been won and independence having been gained, Sakey would have been removed by ruling govt. as it sort to reimpose an illustrado regime of sorts. So it is up to us to ensure his memory and proper status is preserved for the future. Libutad!

[macky]

Yeah your right david, Filipinos were already accepted the freedom and western culture that the americans introduce in the early 1900. In the 1920's and 30's filipinos are more americans than asian filipinos he he he(If you watch a film in youtube of a colonial manila you will notice that the filipinos are already contented on their new westernized culture)

Besides the Republican Generals of Aguinaldo(who outlawed Katipunan in 1898)cooperated in bringing this new katipunan(revival of the Katipunan)into destrction. So sad, but its true.

[insurrectomad]

The Americans were only repeating a program that had been so successful in the U.S. by adhering to the old Roman maxim "Divide & Conquer"!

[dimasalang]

First of all, Sakay is a Hero. In regards to the article...that is yellow journalism. ALL generals and leaders of the revolution and of the Phil-Am War put out rules(which were threats) to the military and civilian population. Bonifacio, Aguinaldo, Malvar etc.. issued the same set of threats. Bonifacio was even more direct, anyone not in favor of the revolution will be shot and executed.

One of Sakays generals did infact go through with cutting the Achilles tendon of an individual who was playing both sides of the fence. This was brought up in trial and was a major headline in regards to the brutality and atrocities some of Sakays men performed on the civilians. As mentioned, Sakay did not have support or approval of the "upper" class. Aguinaldo and Malvar had support from the Hong Kong Junta...Sakay did not. Sakays group was made up of the lower class. They were disorganized and rag tag, with the lower soldiers having no uniforms. Sakay, his generals, and officers all had good intentions for the cause...but in reality, his force was made up of the lower rung and outcasts of society, majority being criminals who were let free or escaped during the revolution and had no where to turn.

To learn and understand more on this issue, I would recommend reading the official trial report. It is a very interesting read. One particular instance is the attempted Mariano Trias assassination and the kidnapping of his wife and kids. Interestingly enough, it was Trias's wife who stepped up in court and asked them to spare the life of Julian Montalan, and I believe Villafuerte. At the end of the trial all four heads of the group, Marcario Sakay, Lucio de Vega, Leon Villafuerte, and Julian Montalan were convicted and scheduled to be executed. Days prior to execution, the reports were looked over and many heroes came to stop their execution(including Aguinaldo and Trias). In the end, Julian Montalan was spared because of Trias's wife...and Villafuerte was spared because of his youth and intelligence.

[macky]

I think that was not entirely accurate, the trials aim was to convict Sakay(that led to his execution)using the testimony of Trias and his family. I think thats the whole idea, to kill and stop Sakay and his men. Julian Montalan was spared because he was a Caviteno and the aguinaldos and trias do their best to help Montalan escape death, leaving behind Sakay and others to the mercy of the americans.

[macky]

I would recommend reading the book of Orly Ochoa "The Bandoleros"

[dimasalang]

Jun 28, 2009 2:27:38 GMT -5 macky said:

I think that was not entirely accurate, the trials aim was to convict Sakay(that led to his execution)using the testimony of Trias and his family. I think thats the whole idea, to kill and stop Sakay and his men. Julian Montalan was spared because he was a Caviteno and the aguinaldos and trias do their best to help Montalan escape death, leaving behind Sakay and others to the mercy of the americans.

The whole trial was to stop the entire force of Sakay...not just Sakay himself. The Trias testimonies did save Montalan(only after it was reevaluated, not during the trial itself)...Montalan was under Trias during the Phil-Am War. If you read the entire trial report, Aguinaldo, Trias, and other former military leaders came to the aid of ALL of them, not just Montalan. Aguinaldo and Trias had no real influence or power over the American trial system! Remember, Montalan was convicted and sentenced to DEATH under the American court...he was spared just hours prior to his execution.

[dimasalang]

Jun 28, 2009 2:33:22 GMT -5 macky said:

I would recommend reading the book of Orly Ochoa "The Bandoleros"

Macky I have this book. It pretty much goes over and outlines what happened in the war reports and the trial(that was Ochoa's main source). Same as what I have posted.

[macky]

Thanks for the Kevs he he he he ;D

I have a different opinion on that matter

Motive...Its very obvious the official reports of the Americans has a motive and that is to discredit Sakay and make him appear like a bandit. If we believe on that official report as the truth itself then sakay was really a bandit! we cannot rely to much on this, we cannot rely to much on a report with full of bad intentions.

Sakay was a hero, he was just a victim of Americans pacification drive in the Philippines and I believe that some of issue hurled at him was fabricated.

It happens even today it happens(DPA on the Insurgents side)

His motive explains everything and tells us that he cannot do such a thing.(Pillage, Rape, Killing civilians and other wrong doings of a bandit)He was a hero and a patriot who fights for our fundamental rights.

[dimasalang]

Macky,

Of course any American report will suggest and 'prove' Sakay was a bandit and not a hero. I am not asking you to RELY on this report. That is not the purpose of me recommending to read the report. It is just that, a piece of history that is part of Sakay...which must and should be read over if any one is in search of history regarding Sakay. Do I feel Sakay was a bandit...no I do not, and I have read over the report countless times. What the report also details that is of great importance, why the lives of Montalan and Villafuerte were spared...which would go against what you may think of American writing...they make Montalan and Villafuerte out to be real heroes. Why you would not want to read that is beyond me.

If you are to do any type of research on anything, you must look at EVERYTHING....even the yellow journalism or American reports that print out BS. How would you know the seriousness of the lies if you do not read the sources???

[macky]

Let me explain myself in filipino my freind..

Isa ka ngang tunay na makabayan Kevin, walang duda pinahanga mo ako. Paumanhin kaibigan, akala ko ay isa ka sa mga Pilipinong dino-diyos ang mga sinasabi ng mga amerikano sa kanilang mga "Official Report".

Di ko sinabi kaibigan na "Unreliable yung mga Official Report ng mga Amerikano" ang sinabi ko ay "we cannot rely to much" kasi nga may nais silang idiktang mga "Polisiya" na naging dahilan ng pagiging mga bandido ng ilang supposed to be Bayani natin.

Akoy walang anuman laban sa mga amerikano, naniniwala akong sa pangkalahatan ang mga amerikano ay mga taong mapagmahal sa kalayaan at kapayapaan(Peace and freedom loving people)nagkataon lamang na naniniwala akong may pagkakamaling nagawa ang mga amerikano noong 1898 ng wasakin nito ang kaunaunahang pagtatangka ng mga Pilipino na magsarili at mamahala.(Its a mistake which for me is unjust, unfare and unreasonable. Providence gave them independence in 1700 why not gave it to the filipinos in 1898?)

Hanggang ngayon si Sakay ay isa pa ring bandido sa ating kasaysayan. bakit? dahil sinabi ng mga amerikano, dahil sinabi ng official report ng mga amerikano.

Malabo ng malaman ang side ni sakay, pero kung susuriin ang kanyang intensyon at patriotismo maaaninag mo na di niya magagawa ang mga bintang ng mga amerikano.

Paumanhin kaibigan sa aking maling akala.

mabuhay ka Kevin isa ka ngang modernong Rizal(Dimasalang)ipagpatuloy mo ang iyong ginagawa.

Rgds,

Macky

[insurrectomad]

The Americans wanted a show trial, just to discredit and vilify Sakay and the others. The Americans always have, & still do disregard any attempt be those trying to pursued them to a more lenient course. Britain, it is often said by Presidents & senior US Govt. officials, is their closest allied friend; yet invaded Grenada Isle without telling the Brit. Ambassador, P.M. Maggy Thatcher or her Govt! The whole World has pleaded for a change of policy over Quantanimo Bay Detention Camp. And for fair trails of America's enemies from 1900 up till now! The Americans turned a deaf ear to all at the U.N. with regard to Vietnam, & the Gulf Wars. Sakey & his comrades death, was sealed the moment he accepted the U.S. Army offer of clemency, if he surrendered. 3 well known statements sum up American policy to any resistance to them. 1. Forget the rules. 2. Win at any cost. 3. The end justifies the means.

[Butch]

Re Sakay and his men's alleged atrocities, here's an excerpt from "Report of the Philippine Commission to the Secretary of War":

As self-styled " patriots," " defenders of the country," and " protectors of the people" they killed a constabulary private on duty with a peaceful surveying party, hung Lorenzo Amigo, a resident of the barrio of Caloocan, municipality of Talisay; brutally cut the tendons of the hands and feet of Natallo Anitares and Candido del Mundo and then slew them, slashed to death Tomas Panuelpa and his brother, shot Benigno Martin and Teniente Juan, of Bacoor; hung Melicio Aicantara and Alejandro de Jesus, poured petrolenm over Patrlarco N. and burned him to death, hamstrung and cut off the lips of Bias Cabrera, a resident of Calaca; cut off the upper lip and severed the tendons-of the right foot of Martin Plol, of Taal; hamstrung Vicente Castillo and Isidoro Camaulac, of San Francisco de Malabon; mutilated and crippled for life Simeon de Quiros and Calixto Rollo, hamstrung German Oliveros, sequestrated and hamstrung Nesario Crisostomo, of Boso Boso; severed the tendons of the hands and feet and cut off the tongue and lips of Anacleto Mojica, captured two female servants in San Francisco de Malabon and repeatedly outraged them on their way to the mountains, carried off and outraged Rosa M., of a barrio of Tanauan, and while resisting her rescue wounded Sergeant Gonzales and killed Policeman Francisco Guevara; seized the father of Justa M., of Bacoor, and under threats of death obliged him to withdraw his 13-year-old daughter from a convent in Manila and to deliver her to the brutal embraces of Cornelio Felizardo, and finally, to demonstrate that no horror was too great to make them hesitate at any crime, they carried away the wife and two baby children of General Trias, whose love of country had been tested on many a well-fought field of honorable conflict, and in the depth of mountains submitted this gentlewoman of their own race to mistreatment worthy only of brutes and savages.

[insurrectomad]

Given the evidence above, the American judge had every reason to hang them as common bandits, and refuse any recognition of their being POW's. How could he do otherwise?

[macky]

That was not entirely the case, Here are some words from Ginoong Dumindin webpage explaining that Sakay has the support of the Filipino masses from morong, Laguna, batangas and cavity.

"Sakay and many of his followers favored long hair, something strange for his era. This affectation was exploited by the Americans in their efforts to portray Sakay and his men as wild bandits. The Tagalog Republic enjoyed the support of the Filipino masses in Morong, Laguna, Batangas, and Cavite. The Philippine Constabulary continually complained of municipal authorities cooperating and abetting Sakay."

Those collection of names and testimonies were taken from spies and pro-American Filipino's which is at that time they(Sakay and his men)considered as traidor sa inang bayan.

"Sakay taxed merchants, farmers, and laborers ten percent of their income. He ordered those who could pay but refused to do so to be arrested and put to work. Suspected informers were liquidated, tortured or had their ears and lips cut off as a warning to others."

Evidence of this support of the masses to Sakay was seen on the counter insurgency technique employed by the Americans on the area were sakay received strong support and assistance.

"The Philippine Constabulary and the U.S. Army employed "hamletting" or reconcentration in areas where Sakay received strong assistance. This cruel counter-insurgency technique proved disastrous for the Filipino masses. The forced movement and reconcentration of a large number of people caused the outbreak of diseases such as cholera and dysentery. Food was scarce in the camps, resulting in numerous deaths."

Philippine-American War 1898 -1902(The last Holdout)
By. Arnaldo Dumindin