It should be noted that in this part of the Philippines, the influence of Aguinaldo's government was weak at best especially in Panay island where a good portion of the inhabitants were outraged by the Tagalog's rebellion against Spain.
The Ilonggos were loyal to Spain because of the progress the Spaniards made to the lives of the people in the island. There were even Ilonggo volunteers who fought against the Katipunan in Cavite until the Pact of Biak-na-Bato.
Eventually, Tagalog expeditions successfully managed to garner local support to rebel against the Spanish government in the island and pushed Governor General Dieogo de los Rios back to Iloilo city and it's port.
General Diego de los Rios eventually surrendered to the Ilonggo revolutionaries under the command of General Martin Teofilo Delgado thus giving Aguinaldo's government dominion over Panay island.
General Delgado led the forces in Panay into establishing a defense around the island with some support from Aguinaldo's government, including monetary support as it was revealed that the remuneration being given to the troops were below what was promised and threats of mutinies were surfacing.
In the neighboring island of Negros, the Republic of Negros having revolted against the Spanish government in the island cooperated with Aguinaldo's government by allowing them to add Tagalog troops to the forces in Negros in preparation for an American invasion.
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Impasse in Panay Island
Days before the U.S senate ratified the Treaty of Paris, American forces sailed towards Iloilo under General Marcus Miller and demanded the natives to surrender the city, but without threats of bombardment.
After the outbreak of war, General Miller again demanded the surrender this time with the threat of the bombardment of the city.
An Extraordinary Session at the city hall discussed the impending bombardment, and proposals to burn the city down was put forward. The instigators of this plan were simply jealous of those who had properties in the city, but to their disappointment the Tagalogs, who didn't have any attachment to the city, disagreed due to the fact that Aguinaldo ordered them not to antagonize the Ilonggos since he needs their whole support against the Americans.
The next day, the Americans fired the first shells on the city. It is noted by the foreigners in the city that a number of buildings were damaged and a handful of civilians were killed. The British sent in a party of marines to protect their business interests and their consulates in case the fighting escalated further.
After a few hours, the Americans landed on the city unopposed and they immediately inquired about the Filipino soldiers that were previously in the city. It was found that the Filipino soldiers had withdrawn from the city a few hours earlier and fled to the forests and mountains.
The American soldiers are ordered to hunt down and, if possible, capture the rebel leader in the hopes of getting the rest to surrender without much of a fight. Unfortunately, as some are not used to the humidity inside the forests their progress is very slow.
By late afternoon, a handful of Filipinos, masquerading as well-off natives using stolen apparel, approached the city in order to monitor the soldiers and weaponry of the occupying forces. The information is then relayed to General Delgado who then prepared his forces accordingly. This is repeated for a few days until an American force ran into an ambush and lost a couple of heavy equipment after being forced to retreat. They also sustained heavy casualties in the process.
The Americans suspected that they are being monitored, thus increasing security on the borders of the city. One of the Filipinos tasked with monitoring the Americans was captured and forced to confess about the plans of their forces leading to the capture of two parties near the city.
The situation led to a stalemate. The Americans don't know where the other Filipino forces are hiding and are afraid of losing more men in an ambush. The Filipinos somewhat reluctant to attack the already cautious American forces.
Although some of the more aggressive Filipino captains raided the occupied cities and towns at night firing at a distance, then retreating back to the safety of the forests.
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Bombardment of Negros
The Americans arrived and started bombarding the town of Bacolod after the local government refused to surrender resulting in a number of building being severely damaged killing a still unknown number of civilians.
Elsewhere on the island, the Americans bombarded then landed on the towns of Dumaguete and San Carlos initially taking the town before being pushed out by Filipino forces. The supporting fire from their ships prevented the Filipinos from wiping out their forces, though this destroyed more structures in the process.
The resulting destruction was used as propaganda by the Filipinos. The captured images were smuggled out of the island and brought to British Malaya via Mindanao. The propaganda is unintentionally helped by accounts of some foreign businessmen whose properties were damaged by American shelling.
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Struggle in Cebu Island
In contrast to what happened in Panay, and Negros, after the initial threat of American bombardment the local officials in the town of Cebu agreed to surrender to the Americans along with a few Filipino soldiers stationed in the town. The rest of the Filipino forces meanwhile stayed in some towns a distance from Cebu.
After preparing for a few days, the Americans resumed their campaign of taking Cebu island. The battles in Cebu island were noted for the great defense network of the Filipinos owing to the island's mountainous terrain, and it's narrow width.
Many of the towns fortified by Filipino forces surprisingly held out, while the towns captured by the Americans are usually abandoned the next few days due to fierce counter-attacks that left American forces no choice but to retreat.
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Resistance at Bohol
American forces heading for Bohol Island faced little to no opposition as they landed in the town of Tagbilaran. The Filipinos abandoned the major towns of the island and destroyed the ports in favor of hiding out in the mountains.
In Tagbilaran, American forces quickly repaired the port in order to use it to unload more men and heavy weaponry. They set-up a base in the town and guarded against possible attacks.
In the next couple of days, the Americans slowly expanded their patrols to the neighboring towns and were surprised to the lack of resistance from the locals as they heard that their comrades in Panay, Negros, and Cebu faced heavy resistance. Nevertheless, they were ordered to maintain caution all the time stressing the soldiers out.
As the Americans moved further inland, their susceptibility to ambushes increased.
The battle at the narrow Cabantian pass between the towns of Duero and Guindulman is one such ambush where Filipinos armed with only Bolos and spears mercilessly attacked an American force dealing heavy casualties further slowing down American take-over of the island.
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Alternate Philippine History 1898 (Hiatus)
Historical FictionWhat would happen if history took a different course back in 1898 and the Filipino revolutionaries learning of the secret negotiation between the American and Spanish forces in Manila? How will the future of the Philippines change?
