The Philippines During the 1890s 

A Civilization of Their Own... 
 

"I submit with all deference that we have heretofore underrated the natives . . . They [Filipinos] are not ignorant, savage tribes, but have a civilization of their own; and though insignificant in appearance are fierce fighters, and for a tropical people are industrious."  — General Thomas Anderson

Photo shows General Thomas Anderson, commander of the first batch of U.S. troops to arrive in Cavite on June 30, 1898. As one of the commanders of the land battle of Manila he was even deceived by the sham nature of the battle by Gen. Wesley Merrit, the overall commander of the U.S. expeditionary forces.

Women dressed in their traditional Sunday Church-ready dress complete with head veil. Abstaining full meal, they would only sip a cup of hot chocolate before going to church, a religious sacrifice called "pu-asa."	Slow moving cart but most efficient means of land transport utilizing a carabao, a native water buffalo. The nipa-thached houses seen in the background can still be found in many rural places of the Philippines even today.

Topic Index
 

Philippine Populationof the 1890s	Principal International Ports
Cable Communications	Manila Newspapers
Electric Utility Company	Trade Statistics withthe United States
Water Utility Company	War Time Government
Transportation	History of the PhilippineFlag
International SteamshipLines	Philippine Provinces
Inter-Island SteamshipVessels	Recommended Links
Major Schools	Bibliography

Philippine Population of the 1890s 

[ Note: The Treaty of Paris stipulated the purchase of the Philippines from Spain by the U.S. for $20 Million.The "$2.50 per head" count would give a rough population of 8 million Filipinos.] 
 
 

Table of Philippine Populationof the 1890s

Population Category	Spanish Census*		1903 U.S. Census**		***5-Year Population  Reduction
	1894	1898	Population Distribution
			Provinces	Manila
Parish Population	6,542,660	6,559,998	6,767,758	219,928
Clergy	2,651	1,368,386
Military Personnel	21,513
Mindanao Muslims	309,000
Pagans and Independent tribes	830,000
Sub-Total	7,782,759	7,928,384
Total	7,782,759	7,928,384	6,987,686
Unaccounted Population  (Between 1898 and 1903)					938,698

Breakdown of PhilippinePopulation
(1903 U.S. Census) 

Nationality	Population Distribution
	Nationwide	Manila	Provinces
Natural-born Filipino	6,931,548	189,915	6,741,633
China	41,035	21,500	19,535
United States	8,135	3,700	4,435
Spain	3,888	2,500	1,388
Japan	921	1,551	767
Great Britain	667
Germany	368
East Indies	241
France	121
Other countries of Europe	487	487
All other countries	275	275
Sub-Total	6,987,686	219,928	6,767,758
Total	6,987,686	6,987,686
Source:  "Population of the Philippines," Bulletin1, published by the Department of Commerce and Labor, Bureau of Census,1904, Washington. Above data was gathered from the book The Philippine Islands by John Foreman, 1906.

Cable Communications 

• Submarine cable connecting Manila and Hong Kong,laid in 1880. 
• Submarine cables connecting Manila to major Visayan cities: Iloilo, Bacolod, and Cebu, in 1897. 
• 1,150 km. of telegraph line laid in the islands 

Electric Utility Company  

• La Electricista de Manila , serving Intramuros and Manila suburbs. 

Water Utility Company 

• Water company established in 1884 through the "CarriedoGrant," serving Manila and suburbs. 

Transportation 

Above is photo of the steam-powered locomotive that served the Manila-Dagupan railrod line. The  railroad line has long disappeared, victim of  change in mode of transportation -trucks and  automobiles.

Ferrocarril de Manila , a railroad company, English-made steam-powered locomotive serving Manila-Dagupan route, approximately 200 kms., opened to the public on 1891.  Compania de los Tranvias de Filipinas , a horse-drawn street car service lines, connecting Manila downtown with suburbs: Intramuros, Malate, Sampaloc, and Tondo.  Tranvia de vapor , a steam-powered veseelserving Malabon and Tondo.

International Steamship Lines 

• Compania Transatlantica — Singapore, majorAsian ports, and Barcelona via the Suez Canal 
• Spanish Royal Mail Line — Barcelona to Manila,leaves every 28 days 
• 4 steamers serving/alternating Manila-Hong Kong route 
• Nippon Yusen Kaisha — Manila to Yokohama route 

Inter-Island Steamship Vessels 

• Manila   
• General Alaba   
• Isla de Cebu   
• Isla de Mindanao   

Major Schools 

• University of Santo Tomas (1645) 
• San Juan de Letran Colege (1620) 
• Literary University of the Philippines (established by the Revolutionary government on October 24, 1898) 
• Burgos Institute for Boys (established by the Revolutionary government on October 24, 1898)
• San Carlos College, Cebu (1599) 
• Ateneo de Manila (1817) 
• Assumption (1892) 

Principal International Ports 

Manila Newspapers 

 

Trade Statistics with theUnited States

Exports Into the UnitedStates
Articles	Units	1896		1897
		Quantities	Values	Quantities	Values
Hemp, manila	tons	35,584	$2,499,494	38,533	$2,701,651
Cane sugar (not above No. 16)	pounds	142,075,344	2,270,902	72,463,577	1,199,202
Fiber, vegetable, not hemp	tons	872	68,838	5,450	383,155
Fiber, vegetable, manufacturesof			26,428		22,170
Straw, manufactures of			81,352		72,137
Tobacco	pounds	1,280	808	2,745	2,338
Miscellaneous			35,035		1,087
Total			$4,982,857		$4,383,740
Imports From the United States
Cotton, manufactures of			$9,714		$2,164
Oils, mineral, refined	gallons	1,130,769	89,958	600,837	45,908
Varnish	-do-	1,138	1,500	2,483	2,239
Miscellaneous			61,274		44,286
Total			$162,446		$94,597
Note:  Large quantities of flour, canned goods, etc.are sent to Hong Kong or other ports for transhipment, and are credited to those ports instead of Manila. The imports totaled approximately $10 Million.

History of the Philippine Flag 

Philippine National Flag

1898-1998 Centennial Logo

The idea of creating a new flag to symbolize the renewed phase of the Philippine Revolution came about when Aguinaldo was in Hong Kong waiting for a transport to take him to Manila. Wasting notime during this few days of waiting, Aguinaldo designed the flag after which he requested the help of Mrs. Marcella de Agoncillo, wife of Felipe Agoncillo, the Filipino envoy, and her daughter Lorenze and Mrs.Delfina Herbosa Natividad (niece of Dr. Jose Rizal). The patriotic ladies completed the sewing of the silk flag in five days, just a few days before Aguinaldo boarded the USS McCullock on May 17, 1898 on his way to the Philippines. 

The new flag received its first "baptism of fire" in Barrio Alapan, Imus, Cavite in a bloody confrontation between Aguinaldo's forces and Spanish marines on May 28, 1898. Aguinaldo raised the flag asa symbol of victory against Spain. 

The most important historic event of the flag was made during the Philippine Independence ceremonies on June 12, 1898.On that day, at the balcony of Aguinaldo's residence in Kawit, Cavite, Aguinaldo raised the Philippine Flag symbolizing the Philippines declaring itself free from centuries of Spanish colonial domination. 

But the short-lived Philippine independence was in conflict with America's expansionist motive of "benevolent assimilation." Thus, the Philippine flag was to be soaked with blood and tears in the ensuing Philippine-American War. 

Notes: 

Flag design: The sun rays represents the original provinces that revolted against Spain and were placed under martial law by the Spanish authorities, namely: Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Morong, Laguna, Batangas, and Cavite; the three stars represents Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The colors red and blue represents war and peace, respectively. 

Centennial logo design: art design by Edgardo Santiago, and slogan "KALAYA-AN ang Kayaman ng Bayan" (FREEDOM is the Wealth of a Nation) by Joachim Medroso picked from more than 5,000 entries in a nationwide contest. More information is at http://www.skyinet.net/users/expocorp/cenlogo.htm. 

Recommended Links 

• Philippine-AustrianWebsite/APSIS by Johann Stockinger 

 
• TheFirst Philippine Republic at Malolos 
• PicturesqueOld Philippines (POP)    

1. Scheetz, F.I., Exciting Experiences in our Wars with Spain and the Filipinos , Edited by Marshall Everett, The Educational Co., Chicago, 1900. 
2. Foreman, John, The Philippine Islands , The Scribner Book Co., Inc., New York, 1906. 
3. Agoncillo, Teodoro A., History of the Filipino People , Garotech Publishing, Quezon City, Philippines. 
4. Jonathan Best, Philippine Picture Postcards 1900-1920, Bookmark, Inc., Manila, 1994.