Magdalo: The Story of Emilio Aguinaldo; Revolutionary Hero of the Philippines

Magdalo was the nom de guerre of a man named Emilio Aguinaldo, a revolutionary hero in the mold of William Wallace, George Washington, and Emiliano Zapata. Spain ruled over the Philippine Islands for more than 300 years, finally causing a violent rebellion led by Magdalo in 1896. The United States allied with him in the 1898 war against Spain; he secured land while Admiral Dewey secured seas. The Spanish beaten, the U.S. became the imperial masters of the islands an uncharacteristic move from those commonly seen as the beacon of democracy. But the Filipinos rejected that authority, thus the Spanish-American War became the Philippine-American War. We have had three specific periods in our history which are eerily similar the Philippine-American War, the Vietnam War, and the Iraq War. To hear those who oppose U.S. authority described as insurgents or insurrectos, echoes appear the same terms were used for the Filipinos in 1900. Aguinaldo, the first president of the Philippine Republic, first fought with us, then against us, and finally forgave and redeemed us. Magdalo the warrior became Aguinaldo the statesman.