ONE of the most painful things about reading reports on the Philippine-Spanish war of 1898 — and I have read many — is to find out both sides were committing atrocities during the battle. Even during a war, there are protocols, there are courtesies, there is gentlemanliness and there are things that, as a contender, you are not allowed to do. But once the fire of hate is ignited, fear and cruelty escalate. And it is painful because the war occurred between two countries I truly love: one by birth, one by nearly 12 years of happy living.

Of course, as a Spaniard, this is very easy to say now, but I wish Spain had understood the legitimacy of the Filipino people’s wish for self-governance at the end of the 19th century. I wish Spain could have agreed and peacefully handed over the control of the archipelago to the Filipino people, but as readers of history know only too well, events rarely occur as we desire. Sometimes, I even tried to put myself in that place and time in history: would I have been then a liberal Spaniard supporting the cause of the ilustrados, or would I have been aligned with the conservative patriots, defending the prestige of the nation? Difficult to say.

Premium + Digital Edition

Ad-free access


P 80 per month
(billed annually at P 960)
  • Unlimited ad-free access to website articles
  • Limited offer: Subscribe today and get digital edition access for free (accessible with up to 3 devices)

TRY FREE FOR 14 DAYS
See details
See details