Collapse of the Filipino Armed Resistance to American Occupation, 1899 – 1905: Perspectives from Capiz

The armed resistance to American occupation in the old province of Capiz, part of central Philippines, gradually weakened until it reached its collapse in 1905. This resistance waged by the local revolutionaries of the province of Capiz including the Aklan district was part of the simultaneous guerilla campaign by the Philippine government in Luzon and many parts of the islands of the Visayas and Mindanao against the US expeditionary army. These American troops were tasked by the McKinley administration to crush the Aguinaldo – led Philippine government and establish a colonial administration managed by the 2nd Philippine Commission. This study examined an episode of the Filipino – American War from the standpoint of the local revolutionaries and the population of Capiz. This paper probed four surrounding factors that facilitated the collapse of the resistance to the American occupation in the said province: a) weakening of the resistance movement against American forces in the island of Panay which constituted three provinces – Capiz (and Aklan), Iloilo, and Antique; b) the local principalia (Filipino middle class) saw abundant opportunities they could gain from an American colonial rule; c) deterioration of local economic production caused by the conflict which led to shortage of food supply and incidents of hunger in the province of Capiz; and d) the increase of incidents of cholera cases in epidemic form which caused thousands of deaths among the local population.