Tan, Arianne Nadja July 24, 2019
ID# 11523034 KASPIL2 C32
Balangiga Massacre Reflection Paper
Balangiga Massacre occurred 116 years ago in a province in Eastern Samar, Visayas. This
massacre is continuously considered as an “unhealed wound” between the US and the Philippines.
Currently, the two countries are allies even though the former used to claim the latter as their
colony in 1898 after the Spanish colonization. In 1901, the fights and uproars didn’t start as soon
as the Americans arrived. In fact, the Company C of the 9th US Infantry Regiment placed in
Balangiga were initially friends with the guerrillas of the city. The friendship came to an end when
two drunk American soldiers tried to molest a girl when, luckily, her brothers arrived on time and
beat up the soldiers.
Because of this, the Company Commander Captain Thomas W. Connell confiscated all
weapons, destroyed any stored rice, and forced 143 male residents of the city to clean up the town
in preparation for the arrival of his superior officers. Besides these, the men were detained
overnight and were deprived of any food. This caused the start of the uproar in the city. The local
chief of police, Valeriano Abanador, with five other men and two guerrilla officers planned an
attack on the Company C. One of the strategies Abanador and others thought of was to dress up
the men as women and sneakily attach the soldiers. General Vicente Lukban, who governed the
island on behalf of Former President Emilio Aguinaldo, was unaware of this plot. Even so, they
still managed to organize seven attack units composed of 500 men. Out of 74 men, only four
soldiers from Company C survived and escaped by sea to the town of Basey and Tanauan in Leyte.
The US President Theodore Roosevelt heard of this attack and ordered Major General Adna
R. Chaffee to avenge their fallen soldiers. Chaffee, then, appointed General Jacob H. Smith to
implement the president’s orders at all costs. General Smith worked with Major Littleton Waller
in putting this command into action by commanding Waller’s battalion of 315 US Marines to kill
everyone over the age of 10. This massacre occurred from November 1901 to January 1902.
American historian, Kenneth Ray Young, estimated the death toll at 50,000. This massacre forced
General Smith and Major Waller into court which found Waller as not guilty and Smith as guilty
with only a resignation as penalty.
On the arrival of the Americans to colonize the Philippines right after the Spanish
colonization, it wasn’t surprising that the Filipinos would stage an attack on the American troops
in their cities, such as what General Lukban did despite not knowing the plans of Abanador and
others. During the end of the Spanish colonization, Filipinos were already revolting against these
people and fighting for their independence. When the Americans came, it was only natural for
them to keep fighting for their independence as they still have not gained such at the end of the
Spanish colonization. I believe the cause of the Balangiga massacre was absurd for the Americans
to want to avenge their fellow countrymen. The two drunk American soldiers faced the
consequences of their actions. The food deprivation and the hard labor the Filipinos had to
experience were undeserving of them. Again, because of this, the Filipinos opposed and fought
the Americans as they did as well with the Spaniards.
However, the 50,000 people did not deserve to die. The actions and decisions made by
General Smith and Major Waller were unacceptable and inhumane. Both of them should have been
found guilty and received a graver penalty, if not, even at least imprisonment. It was also absurd
for former US President Roosevelt to want to avenge the two soldiers who were wrong. This leads
me to question whether or not he received this news. This also causes me to question the
relationship of both our countries. Why is it that no information about this massacre were ever told
in our elementary and high school history classes? Why has history and many Filipinos always
portrayed that the Americans were good colonizers? Does helping our country gain independence
enough forgiveness for the 50,000 Filipinos who died unjustly?
I think it’s very important for us, Filipinos, to really learn our history. Learning the history
of our countries would let us become knowledgeable on the mistakes of our ancestors. It will help
us not commit the same mistakes that should the time comes, we know what to do and what not to
do. It will help us honor the sacrifices and the hardships our ancestors had to undergo for us to
have our current independence and society. Would we let another 50,000 lives die unjustly?
