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Title: Anarchism in the Archipelago Author: Indokumentado Date: https://onsiteinfoshopphilippines.wordpress.com/distro-section/ Language: en Topics: Philippines, anarchist history, history Source: 2013
Anarchism is a political idea invented by the people not out of
abstraction. This is developed through actual interaction of the people
among themselves and with ecological systems that can be traced during
prehistoric age.
In our context, the oldest Homo sapiens based on fossilized evidence are
about 10,000 years old uncovered in Tabon Cave in Palawan. Based on
records, primitive people occupied this cave in three periods: 47,000;
31,000 and 16, 000. Archeological, anthropological and other scientific
findings imply that our ancestors utilized non-hierarchical social
relations.
Aside from primitive tools and technology invented and adopted by
primitive peoples around the world; Mutual-aid is the most effective
tool of human being; they able to sustain themselves in various
situation and ecological settings by working collectively. Their ability
to work together to attained common goal through voluntary and free
associations increased their chance of survival in ever-changing
environment.
Our ancestors had their contribution to the development of humanity;
they developed particular culture through indigenous processes and able
to established traditions and practices generally influenced by
Austronesian or Malayo-Polynesian culture.
Unfortunately, our own identity is covered with thick layer of synthetic
belief and ideologies. Our sense of self-determination is altered and
exaggeratedly Eurocentric. Actually, the very foundation of nationalism
that regard by many people of today as their highest identity was
reinforced and continuously reinforce through coercive processes that
aimed to erased and replaced our roots; to the detriment of our
communities while favoring the imperialists.
Barangganic was the set-up when Spaniards came, social stratification
was already in placed; there were chiefs such as datu and sultan;
timawas represents free people who are not obliged to provide services
to chiefs. Slaves were two kinds: namamahay refers to slaves that has no
property and probably enslaved due to raids. Due to debt, one can become
a slave; he/she could regain his/her free status if debts are settled.
Slaves can be promoted to higher social strata if he posses prowess in
raids and defense; or able to gain wealth or through marriage.
Magellan’s forces were massacred by Lapu-Lapu’s group in order to defend
the autonomy of their community. But this success was proved to be
temporal; the Spaniards managed to exploit indigenous network and able t
o control strategic trading points. These two were important
achievements in establishing centralized political power.
Barangganic has plenty of imperfections but imperialism of Spain and the
US are worst. It brought havoc to our culture, ecology and
self-determination. It introduced the corrupt systems that taught us to
dominate, it replaced our value systems and we turned to hate our roots
and glorify ideas and things which are alien to us.
Records of resistance of indigenous communities flooded the historical
archives of Spanish administration. Many achieved short term success
which later crushed.
It is wrong to assume that resistance in the archipelago is all about
Katipunan. Yes it able to organized a large scale uprising, but the
nature of the corrupt centralistic government-based method of organizing
people showed its manifestations. It could have withstood the mighty
force of the US if not the betrayals and power-hungry attitude of some
who want to dictate the uprising.
Re-focusing our lens would open historical horizons we missed in our
academic curriculum or authoritarian leftist literature. The indigenous
resistance is generally toward regaining their traditional belief and
life-style that friars and Spanish statists want to eliminate. Since
late 1500s up to the last years of occupation of Spain, they were
infested by various rebellion and resistance from different parts of the
archipelago.
The records of Spanish authorities showed that resistance took place
through out the archipelago were intended to regain their autonomy. A
common knowledge that we failed to pay attention carefully. We are
overwhelmed of the nationalistic story of Katipunan, to its centralized
structure and influential figurehead that are vying to establish their
own authority to the communities that used to live independently.
To sight some instance, in 1621, Tamblot with his 2000 followers
revolted, they burned down all churches and statutes of saints in the
entire area of Loboc and Baclayon in Bohol. This revolt spilled over to
Leyte; Bankaw and his follower holed up deep in the forest to freely
practice their old-lives to avoid interference of external authority,
upon the order of the Spanish priests, a military force was organized to
crash the rebellion; hundreds of children and women who wore traditional
dress for their rites were brutally killed.
Much more, direct action is not new to us, our ancestors did this on
January 20, 1872 were 200 people including soldiers, shipyard workers
and residents went on strike in Cavite. Captain General Izquierdo
suspected that the international was behind this extra ordinary event.
Many people were arrested but could not identify a common leader.
In 1896, the planned uprising of the Katipunan untimely broke-out; but
prior to this, Isabelo de los Reyes was arrested. He is no part of any
revolutionary group during that time but his name consistently appeared
in newspaper attacking colonial administration. n activist from the
countryside (Ilocos region) he was journalist, a profession which gave
him the opportunity to plant his revolutionary ideas effectively.
After he was freed, he wrote a letter calling people to take arms and
launch guerilla war, a letter adopted and issued by Katipunan as
official communiqué signed by Emilio Aguinaldo as a president.
Isabelo was re-arrested and this time sent to prison cell of Montjuich
in Barcelona, a grave mistake for Spanish authorities because he got
connected to various radical people including anarchists in the likes of
Ramon Sempau.
Spain that time was already highly influenced by anarchism. Few years
back, Bakunin’s comrade Guissepi Fanneli went to Spain to organize
workers which after several years, workers able to grasped profound
understanding of anarcho-syndicalism. If Jose Rizal (considered national
hero by the Philippine Republic) went to universities in Europe; Isabelo
joined workers in the streets and learned the anarcho-syndicalist ways.
He went back to the archipelago in 1901 bringing with him interesting
literatures written by Kropotkin, Malatesta, Voltaire, Proudhon, Darwin,
Marx, Aquinas and among others. He organized printers and marginalized
communities; they staged colorful and lively demonstrations and protests
to the amazement of U.S. authorities. He helped organized Union Obrera
Democratica (UOD), the first militant labor union in the archipelago
that fiercely attack U.S. imperialism.
Authoritarian left started to gain influence during 1930s, which later
dominated the radical movement in the archipelago. The Marxists-Leninist
ideology of the Bolsheviks proliferated and they became relatively
strong that they even fought the Japanese imperialists during World War
II.
During 1960s, the Maoists took the stirring wheel. Maoist from student
sector joined the armed groups from the old party and they established
Communist Party of the Philippines that adopted people’s war designed
for a long and strategic arms resistance. It became strong especially
during Marcos dictatorship but outmaneuvered by the local elite during
the EDSA uprising. After the so-called bloodless uprising, the elite
took over leaving the communist party quarreling with their mistakes.
In late 1990s, the most influential leftist block which is the National
Democratic Front shook by internal dispute; the differences over
military tactics later developed into ideological conflict. Thus, the
fragmentation of the movement commenced; initially a major split:
rejectionist, the group who questioned the basic principles and
ideological foundation of the movement which later called RJ. They are
basically influenced by authoritarian insurrectionary ideas and
practices.
The people and groups remained in mother organization reaffirmed the
basic tenets and ideology which is now called RA. RJ suffered more
splits that produced smaller formations. Many of them thrive in
Non-Government Organisations and so-called progressive and traditional
politicians as well.
Naturally, anarchism will not thrive in an authoritarian environment,
it’s influence started to re-surfaced in a rather strange venue. Punk
culture came in the Philippines during 1980s from the west carrying with
it anti-authoritarian intonations. It initially criticize the
conservative culture of the Philippines , but during 1990s especially
after the ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organizations,
autonomous activists and collectives became active.
Since the turn of the 21^(st) century, activist groups and collectives
who identify themselves as anarchists are sprouting like wild mushrooms
in the Philippines. Though, their historical background didn’t take root
from the late 19^(th) century anarchism but rather from the 80’s punk
phenomena.
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INDOKUMENTADO is a section of the Onsite Infoshop devoted to research
and publication, it seeks to explore anarchism as distinctly practiced
in the archipelago through the multi-disciplinary approach of science,
social sciences, folklore and actual practices. We are interested to
trace this tradition of Philippine anarchism from the Pleistocene era to
establish our basis for asserting non-hierarchical politics. We also
want to learn from our prehistoric past, proto-history and documented
history to regain our “own” self and identity. From the wisdom of our
primitive social relationships we can conceptualize development that
upholds equality and forge a society free from patriarchy and ecology
friendly.
Indokumentado as a pioneer in this kind of undertaking requires
systematic processes; research plays a vital role in our work. We need
to conduct systematic investigation to be able to strengthen our
assertion and claims.