Sakdal Uprising

Sakdal Uprising, brief peasant rebellion in the agricultural area of central Luzon, Philippines, on the night of May 2–3, 1935. Though quickly crushed, the revolt of the Sakdals (or Sakdalistas) warned of Filipino peasant frustration with the oppressive land tenancy situation.

The Sakdal (Tagalog: “Accuse”) movement was founded in 1930 by Benigno Ramos, a discontented former government clerk. Drawing strength from illiterate, landless peasants, the movement advocated a drastic reduction of taxes on the poor and a radical land reform, including a breakup of the large estates. It also opposed the policy of the dominant Nacionalista Party of accepting gradual independence from the United States, demanding instead immediate severance of all Philippine-American ties.

During the early 1930s the Sakdals seemed to draw inspiration from Gandhi’s noncooperation movement in India and urged nonparticipation in government, boycott of elections, and withholding of taxes. In 1933 the Sakdals organized as a political party. They did surprisingly well in the Philippine election of 1934 and were thus encouraged to attempt an uprising the following year.

On the night of May 2, partially armed mobs seized municipal buildings in 14 towns. The uprising was crushed the next day, with the loss of about 100 lives. Ramos fled to Tokyo and the Sakdals were disbanded, but rural conditions remained a source of frustration and dissension and led to numerous other such peasant rebellions.