23apr2022lunadictatorship.txt
Speculative Thoughts of a Gen. Antonio Luna Dictatorship in the Philippines
Counterfactual idea: What if Antonio Luna had survived his assassination? I've written about this before in a comment on reddit, and it would be such a pain to sort through my comment history to find it. Maybe I'd try to re-write it here. Maybe some things would be remembered in my attempt at re-telling.
So Gen. Antonio Luna survives his assassination attempt in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija. He is massively pissed off as he recuperates from his wounds. From his hidden base somewhere he mounts successive little raids against Aguinaldo until finally the latter is killed in battle. Luna becomes our first dictator. He has always had in my opinion this authoritarian tendency. It wasn't for nothing that people tried to kill him. I think he slapped someone, and had this reputation for strictness which added to his not being liked that much by some troops. I think there's also a class element here. Luna was upper-class. He was rich and studied abroad with Rizal and other Propagandistas/Ilustrados. So he's a hardass, but he was also cognizant of excellence, and this is what made him effective. This effectivity being recognized by the American commanders, I remember reading somewhere.
It could also be that Aguinaldo escapes to Guam. He lives there for several years until an assassin is sent after him, and he is killed, Trotsky-style.
Luna meanwhile manages to defeat the Americans with help from the Japanese. Being fellow Asians, Japanese felt they had an obligation to help defeat these Western powers. First, the Spaniards, and then later on the Americans. Though if they manage to defeat the Spaniards, then there would not be any entrance to this scene at all by the United States.
But everything comes at a price, to use a cliche phrase here, and the Japanese ask for mineral rights in Mindanao. The pacification campaign in Mindanao begins, again with the aid of the Japanese. The Moros and lumad initially mount stiff resistance, but eventually are subdued. They are either killed or subsumed into the Luna-Japan regime. Industrialization proceeds at this point. Construction of railways and a steel plant. In real life history, there actually was a steel plant in Mindanao. I think it was in Iligan in the 1950s, but like all enterprises here, I don't think it was nationalized, or it didn't pan out or something, maybe research on this more. Anyway, the Philippines enters The Second World War on the side of the Japanese.
Culturally, during the initial decades of the twentieth century, there would be importations of elements deemed useful from the Japanese. Shinto, being the imperial ethno-state religion would only be for the Japanese. But maybe some kind of militant strain of Buddhism would be spread in the Philippines. Also, the Americans having never gained foothold in the archipelago, Spanish would remain the language of the elite. The educational system at this time would promote the Spanish and Japanese languages, showing our centuries-long historical connection with other colonies of Spain, and the recent connection with Japan. There would be further marginalization of the Moros and lumad.
Of course, things are not so smooth-sailing for the authoritarians. The late nineteenth centuries up to the 1930s was the heyday of internationalist socialism, some of which were revolutionary in their aims and terroristic in their methods. Propaganda by the deed, advocated by Mikhail Bakunin among other anarchists for example would also find expression in the Philippine archipelago during this time. Anarchism would flourish somewhat in the Philippines, having already had roots during the time of Rizal. If we remember, Rizal had a somewhat interesting character in El Filibusterismo, Simoun, who hatched a plan blowing the upper-classes, or rather a segment of it up, during a wedding party, using a bomb in the guise of a lamp. But that Isagani just had to simp. Boo to that guy. Anyway, the anarchists would find other literature besides Rizal's in their anti-imperialism and against Luna's dictatorship.
Filipino anarchists would find common cause with Korean anarchists during this period. But ultimately they would be defeated and are forced to stay underground.
What of the other Propagandistas/Ilustrados? Isabelo de los Reyes probably would be harassed. Having been one of the more prominent libertarian socialists during the Spanish and the Luna dictatorship. He's too respected though, and would have maybe some kind of supporters. So exile as well to Guam. Weird being there with Aguinaldo. Imagine the conversations they'd have, or how awkward it would be when they meet somewhere. Maybe de los Reyes would delve or focus more in the creation of his religion or rather his socialistic version of Christianity.
If I remember correctly, in real life history, Aguinaldo actually courted or had some kind of connection with the Japanese during the second world war. Can't recall much of the details here. Need to read up on this more. Also, I think Gen. Artemio Ricarte, again in real life history, collaborated with the Japanese in WW2. Again, don't take my words here one hundred percent as I still need to look at the actual details later.
Rizal in Yokohama with Osei-san. Walking together underneath the cherry blossoms in the afternoon, and some of them are falling and being blown by the slight breeze here and there. Of course in Luna timeline he's already dead. Was already executed by the Spaniards a couple of years before the Revolution against Spain. But before that, he's on a date with Osei-san, and they're conversing, somewhat. Rizal having learned a bit of Japanese, and Osei-san ... well can't say much really about this lady as I need to research on her more. They'd walk around and watch the ships and go have tea and listen to music or something. Rizal would maybe write a poem or an essay, and this would be among the late dictator Luna's stuff displayed in his mausoleum/museum decades later. He'd be preserved like all those other authoritarian males and kept in a glass case for people to gawk at.
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