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Nation: The Federal Republic of the Philippines

Leader: Priscilla Aglipay-Rizal

Location: IRL Philippines. No Sabah...yet. Spratly Islands are Japanese despite me claiming them.

History: The Philippines was colonized by Spain, whose oppression welded together the disaprate peoples of the Islands into one nation, nay, one civilization. When the Philippines rose up in revolt, America then stepped in to help, then betray the rebels and make common cause with the rich landowners to undermine the revolution and set up a new colony that served its interests. That said, there were [i]constructive[/i] elements to the US Occupation, such as in education and health care, as well as infrastructure. And credit where credit is due, the US did try and prepare the Philippines for Independence, acknowledging the skills of some of its people. Nevertheless, the Colonial Government's alliance with the rich landowners, who acquired estates larger than major cities under the American's tutelage, led to an unjust economic arrangement.

And when America went into civil war in the 30s, just after the end of the Great War, the people who were discontented with this state of things began to organize, led by one Gregorio Aglipay*, a former Catholic Priest who broke from the Vatican to establish his own Church, the Iglesia Filipina Independente (this was in the 1910s). Aglipay had Socialist and Communist leanings despite the two ideologies' hostility to religion, but rejected them to form his own ideology of 'Aglipayan Counciliarism', which stated that smallholder farmers and networks of small worker-owned businesses were the best organization of society, but that a strong, federally-organized government with a substantial armed force was needed to ensure the destruction of monopolies and the [i]even[/i] distribution of largeese. This central government, however, would be elected bottom-up by the people and locally-organized councils.

Aglipay was also a married man (just like in the IRL Timeline, but earlier) due to his Church rejecting clerical celibacy and moving closer to Episcopalian and 'Old Catholic' theology. He had a wife, and through her, a daugther, Priscilla Aglipay, who in turn married one Manuel Rizal (both Priscilla and Manuel did not exist IRL), son of Paciano Rizal, brother of Jose Rizal, the National Hero of the Philippines. Priscilla was a finely educated woman, and also, to her father's surprise, physically strong and naturally assertive. Thus, she had been taken into his confidence and even taught how to use weapons and ride a horse and drive motorcars in her youth, and her new husband encouraged such things. And later on, she and Manuel joined Gregorio in founding the Second Katipunan, or [i]Pangalawang Kataas-taasan, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan[/i] (PKKK).

The Second Katipunan was a revolutionary organization founded upon the rules of Anti-Monopolism, which meant overthrowing the landed estates and over-mighty corporations that were supported by the Americans, just as said support was weakening. This organization, founded on a network of cells with strong rules of secrecy, spread like wildfire as the United States withdrew the last of its troops due to its internal conflict. As the landed classes were divided on whether to declare their own 'Republic', seek Japanese 'tutelage', or do both as a protectorate, the Second Katipunan struck in a coordinated revolt. Workers ceased working, soldiers mutinied, and the peasants declared war on their landlords. The rich and powerful tried to resist using mercenary gangs of private militias, but the civil war, though brief and brutal, was won by the PKKK.

But Gregorio Aglipay and Manuel Rizal were not there to see it, having lost their lives in the conflict. Priscilla Aglipay-Rizal, however, did, having found herself the most powerful woman in the Philippines. But instead of setting herself up as a dictator like she could have done, she instead set up free and fair elections that included her last remaining opponents; this enabled her to legitimately win the title of 'Lady President'. She then began the process of dismantling the landed estates, supporting the smallholders left behind, creating networks of worker-owned businesses, and establishing 'necessary' state-owned enterprises in areas where economies of scale were important, such as arms production, mining, and shipbuilding. Not merely that, but she also began establishing fellow Aglipayan Counciliarism (later renamed into Priscilline Conciliarist) movements in other post-colonial nations.

[b]Other:[/b] The Philippine Military is made up of a 'regular army' of 40,000 men and women, and reservists and paramilitaries numbering 200,000 men and women (including independent women's units).

The Navy is composed of various ships 'left behind' by the US Asiatic Fleet during the final stages of the American Withdrawal and the Second Philippine Revolution:

- 4 Destroyers and 1 Destroyer Tender
- 9 Submarines 
- 1 Submarine Tender
- 3 Gunboats
- 2 Tankers
- 1 Tugboat
- 6 Torpedo Boats

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorio_Aglipay

[b]Places of Interest:[/b]

Bangko Sentral Ng Pilipinas/Central Bank of the Philippines Headquarters - A 1920s' Art Deco building built 20 years after the 1920s as a show of strength by the remaining bourgeois elements in the Philippines. Now, the Central Bank is backing the newly-minted 'May 25th Movement' as a source of opposition to the ruling 'New Philippines Party'...

[b]Misc:[/b]

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Basically, the constitutional setup of the Federal Republic of the Philippines is a combination of the US, IRL Rojava, and even some of the more libertarian, council-based aspects of Hou's government.

Basically, the Federal Republic of the Philippines devolves most power to local communities and Worker Co-Operatives, and there are references to a 'Muslim Congress' for Mindanao. But direct democracy without an electoral college is used for the election of the President and (Federal) Congress. The Judicial Branch, meanwhile, is organized like Rojava's at the bottom (with the lowest courts being elected by the local community), and the US' system at the top (the Supreme Court). However, in-between the two are the 'Travelling Courts', mobile assemblies of lawyers and judges all trained in the law who meditate between the lower courts and the higher ones; preventing the former from becoming too insular or covering for the crimes of local members, while keeping the higher courts from getting too out of touch with the people.

The Death Penalty is abolished and prisons contain mostly people charged of grievous crimes like murder or rape.
Actually, yeah, there are local, democratically-elected assemblies at the lowest level, and a Federal Assembly elected by the people themselves (most of them). To prevent either from stagnating, I am thinking of a class of 'mobile representatives' that move in-between each village, town and city to listen to problems and meditate between people; that or I can just have each 'regional assembly' change seats of power every so often.
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[B]Philippines Nation Update[/b]

[i]Domestic Events[/i]

The Philippines has pursued a policy of land reform and agricultural subsidization, as well as the introduction of new 'low-tech' inventions like charcoal briquettes made from the refuse from sugarcane processing. It has also acquired new crops like Teff, and new varieties of Coffee and Sugar in order to boost productivity. New agricultural techniques, including a system of raised platforms and water-filled trenches, have also been researched, and despite weaknesses in other areas, the country is producing a surplus of food and agricultural products.

Infrastructure continues to be modest, but surprisingly good, with the Bangko Sentral/Central Bank funding the construction of new roads and even a renovated railway for the transport of export goods as Priscilline Concilliarism is more lenient to trade and foriegn exchange than Houist Communism. Cottage Industry, primarily dedicated to the production of bootleg Russian guns, is flourishing all across the islands, due to the needs of defense. Civilian shipbuilding is enjoying a minor boom, as armed merchant ships are a requirement for travel from Manila to Kolkata.

Politics continues to be racous but healthily democratic, with mid-term elections being followed by the sudden resignation of the country's 12-year President, Priscilla Aglipay-Rizal. This has led to the next Presidential election being contested by Archibald Santos, agricultural scientist and member of Priscilla's New Philippines Party, and Aurelia Dizon, a rich landowner who was allowed to keep part of her estates in exchange for her allegiance during the Second Philippine Revolution. Aurelia has attained surprising appeal by promising electric lighting to the country...[i]and actually following through on her promise.[/i]

Despite this, Archibald maintains an early lead in the polls, and the race is likely to be close.

And finally, one factor remains with corrupt Workers' Co-operatives in Subic Bay, whose policies of exploiting child and immigrant labor have earned them the ire of all sides. These corrupt Co-operatives are searching for Japanese aid in order to betray their own country...

[i]Foriegn Policy[/i]

The Philippines' current policy is to put up a wall of allies in Southeast Asia, starting with Vietnam, where the Priscilline Concilliarist Lady Trung has the allegiance of Hanoi and the North, and has advanced to the city of Vinh, her hometown. A treaty has also been signed with the People's Republic of Thailand in order to blockade the reactionary forces (Capitalist Vietnamese and Capitalist French Remnants), thus tightening the noose on the obstacles to a strong and stable Vietnamese ally to the Islands.

To the Philippines' south, in North Borneo, two claimants to the Sultanate of Sulu fight; the first is Al-Hakam Kiram, a Filipino Citizen who is the spiritual head of all Muslims in the Philippines, while the second is Mubarak Kiram, his brother. Mubarak Kiram has taken control of Sabah/North Borneo and installed a reactionary Muslim Fundamentalist regime there, and plans to invade Philippine Sulu in order to restore the old Sultanate. Al-Hakam Kiram, however, has resources of his own, and is waging a war against his brother using pirates and rebels.

Trade-wise, the Philippines has an odd friendship with Rhodesia. Aurelia Dizon, Opposition Leader and candidate for President, has managed to pass a bill forming 'Special Economic Zones' where foriegn businesses, like Rhodesia's Cornell Tobacco Company, would be allowed to do commerce within 'semi-normal' conditions. This treaty was further sweetened by the Cornell Company selling several 'civilian planes' to Aurelia's plantation...many of which Aurelia gave away to the Phillippine Air Force to convert into military craft in case of Japanese Invasion.

Ethiopia, too, has taken an interest in the Philippines; with the African Kingdom gifting one of its Battleships (acquired in the aftermath of the Great War) to the Island Nation after being paid to do so by the United States, the Philippines' former colonial overlord. The US' reasoning was that despite the Philippines' breakaway status, a Japanese or Chinese hegemony over the West Pacific was worse.
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