Philippine History 101 Macario Sakay
a Filipino general in the Philippine Revolution against Spain and in the Philippine-American War. Sakay was a native of Tondo, Manila where he worked as a barber. He continued resistance against the United States following the official American declaration of the war's end in 1902.An original member of the Katipunan movement, he fought alongside Andrés Bonifacio throughout the Philippine Revolution of 1896.Sakay was one of the founders of the Nacionalista Party, which strove for Philippine independence though legal means.On November 12, 1902, the Philippine Commission passed the Bandolerism Act which proclaimed all captured resistance fighters or insurgents to be tried in court as bandits, ladrones, and robbers. In April 1904, Sakay issued his own manifesto proclaiming himself President and established his own government called the Repúblika ng Katagalugan (Tagalog Republic) in opposition to U.S. colonial rule. The U.S. Government did not recognize Sakay's government and through the Bandolerism Act labeled him an outlaw.The Governor General, the U.S. Government, and the U.S. military left the pursuit of Sakay in the hands of the Philippine Constabulary and Philippine Scouts. In 1905 concentration camps, often referred to as Zonas, were re-established in parts of Cavite, Batangas, and Laguna. This had little effect on Sakay and his fighters. Extensive fighting continued in Southern-Luzon for months.On July 14, 1906, after receiving a letter from the American governor-general promising amnesty for himself and his men in exchange for surrender, Sakay, one of the last remaining Filipino generals, finally surrendered.
Three days later, he was arrested nevertheless and imprisoned. Convicted as a tulisan or bandit, Sakay was executed on September 13, 1907 by hanging.
