Alternate History of Southeast Asia (1900)

An imaginary alternate history visualized and narrated by Anonymous Kabataan

In this alternate history, Dr. Jose Rizal was still executed in 1896 in Luneta but Andres Bonifacio was not killed in Maragondon, Cavite. Instead, Bonifacio continued to live his life as Director of the Interior in the Philippine Republican Government. Also, the Pact of Biak-na-Bato with the Spaniards does not happen, thus the Philippine Revolution continues towards its sweet success. The Philippine Revolution succeeded as the First Philippine Republic was proclaimed in the city of Manila after the walled city of Intramuros was captured by the Filipino revolutionaries on June 12, 1898. As you see on the map, Zamboanga was the only place in the Spanish East Indies that was still in Spanish control. Speaking of the First Philippine Republic, the Philippines is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic headed by the executive government of President Emilio Aguinaldo.

Its armed forces were divided into two: the Philippine Republican Army which was composed of 1,000,000 total armed personnel and the Philippine Republican Navy which it was composed of 8 battleships primarily captured from the Spaniards. 2 of the battleships were stationed in the ports of Aparri, 2 were stationed in the ports of Legazpi, 2 were stationed in the ports of Balayan, 1 in the ports of Calapan, and 1 in the ports of San Roque, Cavite. Not only that the First Philippine Republic was proclaimed on the 12th of June 1898, but the Sulu Sultanate also switched allegiances from Spain to the newly created Philippine Republic as their protector of independence against impending foreign threats.

How did the Filipinos manage to liberate most of the Philippine Islands from the Spaniards? Good question. Philippine President Aguinaldo used his wealth to bribe the top officials of the Spanish Army and Navy to defect to his side promising them benefits after the war of independence was ended. In effect, former Spanish soldiers fought their former comrades liberating the islands of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao with the exception of Zamboanga.

Also at the same time as the proclamation of independence happens, President Aguinaldo immediately sent ambassadors to nearby countries neighboring the Philippines. Out of the countries that will recognize the independence of the Philippine Republic, only Sulu Sultanate, Siam, China, Korea, and Japan recognized the First Philippine Republic. Besides the international recognition of the Philippine Republic, the Filipinos greatly rejoiced as their country was one of the independent republics that gained independence from a European colonial power.

This Philippine independence greatly inspired other Asian people who were under the colonial rules of the British, Dutch, and the French. However, the bad news would come to the Filipinos that the Americans would come and invade their country. Nearby Asian countries like China, Japan, Korea, Siam, and Sulu Sultanate were ready to send their volunteers to the Philippines to defend the independence of their Asian compatriots NOT in the direct military intervention fearing that they would be crushed by the technological might of the Western Powers. Are the Philippine Government officials prepared for the worst scenario to come where it would threaten their independence once again? Let's see in the future.