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Sakdalista and Kabataang Makabayan: A Comparative study of the Unrecognized

Philippine Heroes

Abuyan, Dana Althea S.

Bautista, Janelle C.

Broqueza, Joesielyn A.

Dela Cruz, Mikaella Mae A.

Lansang, Yzabelle Zai Humphrey P.

A – 122

Authors’ Note

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Dana Althea S. Abuyan,

Janelle C. Bautista, Joesielyn A. Broqueza, Mikaella Mae A. Dela Cruz, and Yzabelle Zai

Humphrey P. Lansang, College, Bachelor of Science in Accountancy, School of Business

and Accountancy, Holy Angel University, #1 Holy Angel Avenue, Sto. Rosario, Angeles

City, 2009, Philippines. Email: abuyandanaalthea@gmail.com,

janelle.cstr.bautista@gmail.com, broquezajoesielyn@gmail.com,

delacruzmikaella87@gmail.com, and lansangzai@gmail.com

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Sakdalista and Kabataang Makabayan: A Comparative study of the Unrecognized

Philippine Heroes

Introduction

A hero is defined as someone willing to sacrifice everything, even his or her life,

for the sake of the betterment of his or her country. Someone who serves as a voice and

willing to fight the oppressors for the sake of the oppressed. In the Philippines, Filipinos

have recognized local heroes who fought for the liberation of the Philippines. They are

often talked about and celebrated by the people, especially if they are prominent in

Philippine history.

During the primary days, students are required to learn about the Filipino heroes

who fought against the colonizers to attain the freedom and independence of the country.

These heroes, in particular, are Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Lapu-

Lapu, Marcelo Del Pilar, Antonio Luna and other local heroes which are prominent to the

Filipinos (Rey, 2019). Yet, other heroes equally fought and sacrificed for the country, but

are now forgotten and remain unknown. For that reason, the researchers aimed to further

relearn and acknowledge the heroism that these unrecognized heroes did in Philippine

history.

With the aforementioned conditions, the main objective of the research was to

determine the similarities and differences between the two chosen unrecognized heroes,

which are the organizations Sakdalista and Kabataang Makabayan. Hence, their

contributions in fighting for liberation were identified. The ideologies demonstrated in the

movement of the heroes were also revealed.

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The research mainly allowed all the Filipinos, especially the students and the

younger generations, to obtain knowledge about the heroes that are barely known in the

country to realize the importance of recognizing the forgotten heroes. It also served as a

guide for the historians planning to rediscover and recognize the heroes not being

recognized in Philippine history. Therefore, the research encouraged all Filipinos to

commemorate and not forget the heroes who stood up against the colonizers and the

oppressors to defend their fellowmen and reclaim the country’s sovereignty.

Statement of the Problem

In line with the abovementioned objective and purpose, the comparative research sought

to answer the following questions:

1. What are the similarities and distinctions between the and the Sakdalista

Kabataang Makabayan in terms of:

a) Contributions in fighting for the liberation of the Philippines

2. What are the ideologies revealed by the Sakdalista and the Kabataang

Makabayan to Filipinos based on their movement in fighting for the liberation of

the Philippines?

Review of Related Literature

What makes a person a hero? As defined by de Ocampo, cited by Galang (2012),

a hero is a prominent figure who possesses courage, bravery, and toughness in pain and

plays an admirable role in any notable event. A being who is honored by the public people

for his or her exceptional service to the country’s citizens. In 1993, the National Heroes

Commission created a criterion composed of the standards to be considered a hero. To

summarize, the sacrifices made benefit the nation, moral character, and influence, and
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possess nationalism to fight for the country’s freedom. The election of a hero entails telling

a series of events and the complete process that resulted in being recognized as a hero

(Corpuz et al., cited by Galang 2012).

The research revealed and recognized the unrecognized heroes in Philippine

History, Sakdalista and Kabataang Makabayan, by showcasing the origin of the

organizations and their contributions made for the country.

Most Filipinos have been concerned about the country’s independence from the

beginning of the United States occupation. The birth of the Sakdalista, founded by

Benigno Ramos, was triggered by two racial incidents which involved assault and

discrimination by the Americans towards Filipinos. With the first issue of the organization,

Sakdal, the movement was formally formed on June 28, 1930 (Terami-Wada, 1988). Their

newspaper became an instrument for freedom of speech. Speaking on behalf of Filipinos,

Ramos questioned the Philippine Government, specifically Quezon’s senate leadership,

and condemned the American occupation.

Furthermore, the organization defended the revolutionists. Sakdalista was the

output of the rage of ordinary Filipinos at the government that prioritized its colonizer’s

alliance over the cries of its people. They urged the public to boycott foreign products and

the upcoming election. At the end of the year, their supporters stopped buying cars, suits,

cigarettes, and eating at foreign-owned restaurants (Deyro, 2019). Moreover, in 1935,

they carried out a revolution, the Sakdal uprising in Santa Rosa, Laguna (Official Gazette,

1935).

On the other hand, Kabataang Makabayan (KM) was an underground youth

nationalist group from the Students’ Cultural Association of UP (SCAUP) in the University
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of the Philippines. Jose Maria Sison founded it as the youth wing of the Partido Komunista

ng Pilipinas-1930. On November 30, 1964, it was established to emphasize Andres

Bonifacio's Philippine Revolution's continuity (Scalice, 2017).

The KM believed that the Filipinos were suffering, and the country was regressing

due to political and economic power monopolies. The KM sought to end this monopoly of

power by forming alliances to stir and mobilize the masses to support national freedom

and democracy (Official Gazette, n.d). In many ways, they made significant contributions

to the revolution's progress towards national and social liberation. In urban and rural

communities, they sacrificed in battling against the fascist regime and the entire ruling

system across the country (Sison, 2014). Many people who were abducted, tortured, and

murdered by the Marcos fascist regime were members of the Kabataang Makabayan, or

those who gained political knowledge about the organization.

Despite attaining freedom and independence from the colonizers and oppressors,

the ideologies they instilled in the majority of Filipinos and the oppressed are still evident.

Filipinos have surrendered to the subtle encroachment of neocolonialism (Gregorio,

2012). The influenced mentality of the colonizers is like a scar imprinted in the minds of

the Filipinos. An example is that most Filipinos still adhere to the ideals of beauty

established by the past oppressors.

Moreover, in 1986, the Philippines gained its freedom from the fascist regime when

Filipinos began to take up arms to overthrow the government. Hence, Marcos was ousted

(Philippine History, 2020). Although Filipinos are no longer under Martial Law, oppression

is still the primary issue in the country. The oppressed have been stripped of their rights
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as they are continually neglected by the oppressors who continuously play deaf and blind

for their pleas.

Methodology

Bhandari (2020) defines qualitative research as gathering and analyzing non-

numerical data to explain a specific concept, insight, or experience. For that reason, it

was the most suitable method considering that the phenomenon of the Sakdalista and

the Kabataang Makabayan will be further explained and understood.

For the gathering of information, the researchers investigated to extensively

assess the credibility and content of the reference materials. Subsequently, the

researchers generated the gathered data using the Filipino perspective to eradicate the

colonial perspective. In conducting research, it is important for the researchers not to

violate the ethical codes. Hence, the researchers paraphrased and summarized the

chosen related literature and studies to prevent plagiarism.

Furthermore, the researchers used comparative analysis, as defined by Adiyia and

Ashton (2017). It aims to highlight the similarities and differences between two subjects

based on the gathered information. Thus, the researchers compared and contrasted the

collected data between the Sakdalista and the Kabataang Makabayan to determine the

similarities and differences between the two unrecognized heroes to contribute to the

recognition and better understand the unrecognized heroes in the Philippines. Therefore,

the method of comparative analysis was applicable as it allowed the researchers to attain

an in-depth interpretation of how these two heroes remain unrecognized heroes in

Philippine history.
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Results and Discussion

Findings

Based on the applied methods in data gathering, this section aims to demonstrate

the similarities and differences between Sakdalista and Kabataang Makabayan through

their significant historical contributions in fighting for the freedom of the Philippines and

their demonstrated ideologies.

SIMILAR AND DISTINCT CONTRIBUTIONS OF SAKDALISTA AND KABATAANG

MAKABAYAN IN FIGHTING FOR THE LIBERATION OF THE PHILIPPINES

Sakdalista patriotically fought to achieve complete freedom from the United States

by disclosing the government’s ill and anomalies. On the other hand, Kabataang

Makabayan consistently pursued their national-democratic ideals through mass actions

to oust the dictator, former President Marcos, and reclaim the nation’s democracy.

As eloquently stated by Terami-Wada (1988), Sakdalista entered politics and used

newspapers to be the voice of all Filipinos to question Quezon’s leadership, the

government and condemn the American occupation. They also executed a bloody

invasion to hinder the commonwealth constitution’s implementation. Whereas,

Kabataang Makabayan pursued a national democratic mass movement against the

fascist dictatorship of Marcos. They made lightning demonstrations, distributed leaflets,

sprayed slogans on walls, and pasted posters in public places (Sison, 2014).

IDEOLOGIES REVEALED BY THE MOVEMENT OF SAKDALISTA AND KABATAANG

MAKABAYAN

Moreover, Benigno Ramos, the founder of the Sakdalista, provided the members

of the organizations with patriotic sentiments. They criticized Quezon because of his good
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relationship with the American government. Through newspapers, they spoke up for the

poor, exposed capitalists and politicians who only cared to accumulate wealth by

prolonging the independence negotiation with the United States. They also encouraged

the public to boycott foreign products (Terami-Wada, 1988).

The following information supports the aforementioned findings:

Sakdal has nationalist ideals. The nation will resist and be free from the colonizers.

(“Ang sugo ng bayang api”: Si Benigno Ramos at Misyong Sakdal sa Kasarinlan

(1932-1933), cited by Delupio, 2019, Pahayagang Sakdal, 1931, 2)

Furthermore, in Jose Maria Sison’s statement, the founding chairman of

Kabataang Makabayan (2014), the main goal was to carry out the democratic revolution.

KM yearned to pursue the inspiring revolutionary tradition by the Katipunan in fighting for

the struggle for liberation and democracy. With that, KM implemented mass protests

regarding national sovereignty, conditions of the youth and Filipinos, and, most

importantly, democratic rights. KM also provided political education to their recruits to

ensure that they would have an adequate understanding of the new democratic

revolution.

The following information supports the aforementioned findings:

The mission of Kabataang Makabayan was to continue the unfinished Philippine

revolution. By all means, the KM is relevant to the students and youth because of

the persistence of semi-colonial and semi-feudal conditions and especially the

ever-pressing need to struggle for national liberation and democracy. They must

fight by pursuing democratic ideals and values (Sison, 2013).

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Discussion

Regarding to heroic characteristics, the two unrecognized heroes, Sakdalista and

Kabataang Makabayan, equally exhibited these through several ventures. In fighting for

the country’s liberation, the nationalism act of Sakdalista is by being a revolutionary force

fighting American colonization and a platform for the oppressed. While with Kabataang

Makabayan is through the implementation of mass actions to showcase their democratic

ideals. The Martial Law did not stop them from being persistent in executing their

courageous acts for democratic revolution. Both organizations shed blood for liberation.

Sakdalista sacrificed their lives by being shot in the Cabuyao Massacre while Kabataang

Makabayan sacrificed theirs by being tortured and murdered by the military troops.

Although they shared one vision, they had their own distinct approaches.

Sakdalista fought for the country using newspapers. Their literary works showcased the

rage of ordinary Filipinos at the government, which prioritized its colonizer's alliance over

the cries of its people. On the contrary, Kabataang Makabayan fought by executing mass

movements through protests and rallying as an objection to the dictatorial leadership. As

the new Katipuneros, they adapted the Kartilya ng Katipunan, Kartilya ng Bagong Pilipino,

where they discussed current issues and the struggle to fight for democracy. Although it

is different from the structure of Jacinto’s, it attempted to imitate the Katipunans’ principles

and lessons towards fighting for the revolution (Bolata, 2020).

Apart from the aforementioned, both exhibit and reflect their ideals in their

movement. The colonizers and oppressors were able to instill their ideologies to the

Filipinos. Nevertheless, Sakdalista and Kabataang Makabayan reveal the ideologies

Filipinos must adhere to as contrary to the ideologies of the colonizers and oppressors.
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Kabataang Makabayan promotes democracy where Filipinos must recognize their rights

as democratic citizens as well as fight for their freedom and not let anyone take it away.

On the other hand, both Sakdalista and Kabataang Makabayan promote the ideology of

nationalism in Filipinos. In the same way as shown by the heroes, Filipinos must exemplify

their utmost devotion to the Philippines. As a form of recognition, the ideologies of these

heroes must be kept in mind by every Filipino.

Conclusion

In every familiar Filipino hero, there some who are unrecognized. They will not be

known unless people decide to relearn their heroism in Philippine History. Hence, the

research provides enlightenment and comprehension in Philippine history towards the

chosen unrecognized heroes, Sakdalista and Kabataang Makabayan.

Sakdalista and Kabataang Makabayan have similar and distinct contributions

performed in different approaches to achieve a similar objective, to attain the liberation of

the Philippines. Both heroes are significant when it comes to reclaiming the country’s

sovereignty. This is to consider that they exemplified heroic characteristics and

commitment in attaining the country’s independence, good governance, and fair rights.

Along with this, both heroes sacrificed their lives in carrying out their movements because

of their love for the country and for their fellowmen.

Moreover, Sakdalista made use of newspapers to voice out the rights of the

Filipinos while Kabataang Makabayan employed democratic mass movement. Despite

the differences in approaches, both heroes were able to fulfill their purpose in objecting

to the colonizers and oppressors wanting to have power and control over the country.
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The performed revolution of both heroes is a significant resistance movement

during the American period and the Martial Law era. With this, they were able to influence

the Filipinos through the ideologies they must adhere to as people who are for the country.

A Filipino must be a person who is aware of his or her rights as a democratic citizen, must

be for the country and not for anyone in power, and uphold these nationalistic and

democratic ideals to exemplify utmost devotion.

Sakdalista and Kabataang Makabayan highlighted not only their persistence of

nationalism, but also the resoluteness of the Philippine movement. Their significant

contributions to the country provided a difference not only in their generation, but also for

future generations considering their acts, experiences, and sacrifices to attain liberation

from the reign of the colonizers and the oppressors. Without these, the Filipinos would

not be experiencing the same freedom at the present time (Sandoval, 2014).

Despite these unrecognized heroes leaving an immense impact in Philippine

history, only a few recognize them. With the findings and analysis of the research

regarding Sakdalista and Kabataang Makabayan, it may be concluded that they are

indeed heroes who must be recognized and honored by the public. These mostly

forgotten organizations and their stories should be commemorated by their fellowmen as

they are a representation of nationalistic Filipinos (Bautista & Bautista, 2017). Most

importantly, their historical contributions and ideologies are always an inspiration to

Filipinos as a reminder of their nationalism to fight for the country’s liberation.

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PEER EVALUATION FORM
Name of Submission: Group 2 Subject and
Section:
4READPHILHIS – A-
122
EVALUATOR
Leader: Member 1: Member 2: Member 3: Member 4: AVE.
EVALUAT
EE
Leader: x 10 10 10 10 10
Dela Cruz,
Mikaella
Mae A.
Member 1: 10 x 10 10 10 10
Abuyan,
Dana
Althea S.
Member 2: 10 10 x 10 10 10
Bautista,
Janelle C.
Member 3: 10 10 10 x 10 10
Broqueza,
Joesielyn
A.
Member 4: 10 10 10 10 x 10
Lansang,
Yzabelle
Zai
Humphrey
P
Dela Abuyan, Bautista, Broqueza, Lansang,
Cruz, Dana Janelle C. Joesielyn Yzabelle
Mikaella Althea S. A. Zai
Mae A. Humphrey
P.
Notes: All the members participated in doing the assignment by working on
their assigned tasks. Also, they passed their outputs on the date that we have
agreed upon. Moreover, the assigned tasks that have been passed were in the
right content and standards.