Bacolod, Baler, and Filipino psychological warfare

"Psychological warfare has been elevated to an art form in the Philippines."

(Joseph Reaves)

Filipino troops in Baler, Tayabas (now Aurora Province)
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

In this era of relative peace, war is never seen as a positive phenomenon. Nonetheless, looking back, what gives warfare the exhilaration and thrill for its spectators would be the individual battle scenes. In the same way, a war that does not involve much physical fighting would likely hit rock bottom in memorability. Take for example the Anglo-Zanzibar War (1896), which lasted only 38 minutes. Then again, in Philippine history, there has indeed been a number of instances wherein physical fighting might be minimal, but the key to victory has been more dependent on its psychological aspect.

Siege of Baler

On June 30, 1898, the Spanish garrison composed of 51 soldiers and three priests entrenched themselves in the church of Baler as the numerically superior Filipino troops under Captain Teodorico Luna (a relative of Juan and Antonio Luna) took the town. However, when it became evident that the Spanish would not go down without a fight, the Filipinos decided to take advantage of their superior position to preserve as much of their forces. After all, a frontal assault against a defended position might be unwise, even when the numbers are in your favor. Thus, as they surrounded the church, the Filipino efforts ranged from leaving letters demanding their surrender, newspapers indicating the loss of Spain in its war against the United States, purposely firing at the church to force the Spanish to diminish their ammunition, and cutting their food supply, among others. The Filipinos also fired their improvised artillery, locally known as lantaka, to flush the Spanish out. One of its more successful attempts was demolishing the cell wherein the Spanish kept their deserters. Having a deserter inform them of the dismal conditions being faced by the Spanish, including deaths from diseases and malnutrition, made the Filipinos confident of their position despite the sporadic skirmishes when the Spanish attempts to restock its supplies. On May 28, 1899, a ranking Spanish officer, Lieutenant Colonel Cristobal Aguilar, was sent to convince the Spanish in Baler to surrender. By this time, Spain has formally ceded the Philippines to the United States, and the Filipinos were already at war with the Americans. But this was not to be hammer nailing down the garrison's decision to surrender. When their commanding officer, Lieutenant Saturnino Martin Cerezo, saw a newspaper which indicated a friend's posting, it finally convinced him that Spanish power in the Philippines has already waned. The surrender was received by Lieutenant Colonel Simon Tecson on June 2, 1899, some eleven months since, with 35 of the Spanish surviving. In his magnanimity, President Emilio Aguinaldo did not regard them as prisoners of war, but as friends of the fledgling Filipino Republic through a decree he issued on June 30, 1899. It is the Aguinaldo administration's policy to maintain sufficient human rights considerations, whether they are foreign or not, in the republic's attempts to gain international recognition. This act of Aguinaldo has also become the basis for the commemoration of Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day, as per Republic Act No. 9187. As for the Americans, they took hold of Cerezo's memoirs and published them under the title "Under Red and Gold." After the repatriation of Cerezo to Spain in September 1899, he was promoted to major, given a 1,000-peseta pension, and was inducted in the Order of San Fernando, the highest Spanish decoration for military gallantry. Meanwhile, parallels of such holdout incidents has also been observed elsewhere during that time, such as the Siege of Lipa. The siege has also become an inspiration for a number of later adaptations, including the 2008 film Baler, which won the most awards in that year's Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), including the coveted Best Picture award.

Cinco de Noviembre

Mexico has created a national holiday out of their nation's victory against the French on May 5, 1862 through the Cinco de Mayo, an event that also permeated to other countries such as the United States. However, in the Philippines, perhaps a lesser known fifth of a month also commemorates a victory. On November 5, 1898, Filipino revolutionaries in Negros won against the Spanish without much physical fighting. Led by Aniceto Lacson and Juan Araneta, the Filipinos overwhelm the Spanish with yet another display of psychological warfare. In this instance, they cut the Spanish means of communications before marching towards the capital Bacolod, armed no less by tactical fake arms such as rifles carved from wood and improvised cannons made of bamboo. Fortunately, the ploy worked perfectly, and the Spanish provincial government capitulated on what became known as Cinco de Noviembre. It may not have as much fierce fighting as the Mexican Cinco de Mayo, but it still displays Filipino brilliance in warfare. After all, the art of war teaches us that a battle can be won in many ways, and what can be more efficient than winning the people and their territory intact. The formal surrender was received on November 6, 1898. Three weeks later, a provisional government was organized, forming what became known as the Republic of Negros, with Lacson as president. A notice of their victory was sent to Aguinaldo, when thereafter, Negros was incorporated in the Federal State of Visayas, a political entity which recognized the overall authority of the republic in Malolos.

Significance of psywar today

Strategies and tactics concocted in the mind, and later on, through artificial intelligence as well, has effectively multiplied the force applicable in any conflict to this day. No longer can military prowess be viewed in a singular dimension, and history provides us a foreshadowing of the things to come. Also, psychological warfare indicates that one does not require to be in major events such as large-scale battlespaces in order to be an active participant. Contests of minds can also happen in small, daily matters. In what manner do we intend to implement them in our lives, it is probably up to each and every one of us, because any available force at hand is just as good as its wielder.

See the references here.