Progresista Party
Encyclopedia
The Progresista Party was a conservative political party in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

 during the early 20th century. Formed in 1900 as the Federal Party (Partido Federalista), the party originally had the Philippines becoming a U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 as one of its original platforms, which was later rescinded.

Origins as the Partido Federalista

After the defeat of the Filipinos by the Americans on the Philippine-American War
Philippine-American War
The Philippine–American War, also known as the Philippine War of Independence or the Philippine Insurrection , was an armed conflict between a group of Filipino revolutionaries and the United States which arose from the struggle of the First Philippine Republic to gain independence following...

 (then known as the Philippine Insurrection), the Americans assessed the situation; the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

 passed the Philippine Organic Act of 1902
Philippine Organic Act (1902)
The Philippine Organic Act, popularly known as the Philippine Bill of 1902 and sometimes known as the Cooper Act after its author Henry A. Cooper, was the first organic law for the Philippines enacted by the United States Congress during the American Colonial Period in the Philippines...

 creating the Philippine Assembly
Philippine Assembly
The Philippine Assembly was the lower house of the legislative body of the Philippines during the early part of American colonial period. It was created by the Philippine Organic Act, passed in 1902, which also established the Philippine Commission as the upper house of the Philippine Legislature,...

. While the assembly had nationalists who wanted independence from the United States, most delegates pursued statehood within the U.S. These delegates, led by Pedro Paterno
Pedro Paterno
Pedro Alejandro Paterno y de Vera-Ignacio, also spelled Pedro Alejandro Paterno y Debera Ignacio was a Filipino politician, as well as a poet and novelist.His intervention on behalf of the Spanish led to the signing of the Pact of...

, formed the Partido Federal
Partido Federal
Partido Federal may refer to:*Federal Party *Federal Party...

 (Federal Party or the Federalistas) on December 23, 1900. On that meeting, the party platform of the recognition of U.S. sovereignty, establishment of peace and eventual statehood, elected Trinidad Pardo de Tavera as the first party president. The party dominated Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...

 politics and derived most of its power from that city

The Federalistas, who were favored by the Americans such as governor-general William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...

, dominated the assembly until 1905 when internal divisions and the new Nacionalista Party
Nacionalista Party
The Nacionalista Party is the oldest political party in the Philippines today and was responsible for leading the country throughout the majority of the 20th century since its founding in 1907...

 began to dominate the assembly. Prior to that, the Federalistas expanded their influence in the provinces, winning elections in 1902 and 1904. As long as Taft was the governor-general, the Federalistas enjoyed personal patronage from him. His departure in 1903 marked the beginning of the Federalistas' end. While Taft's departure was a big blow, the declining of importance of appointive government posts and the increasing importance of officials who are elected sapped the party's strength in the provinces.

Renaming to the Partido Progresista

With declining political fortunes, the Federalistas rescinded the statehood platform in 1905. The other political group in the Assembly, those who supported independence (split between the Independistas and the Union Nacionalista), began increasing their ranks, and that the Federalistas attempted to merge with the Union Nacionalistas in December 1906. This made the Federalistas ideologically closer with the Nacionalistas, with Juan Sumulong maintaining close contact with the "conservative" Union Nacionalista leader Rafael Palma
Rafael Palma
Rafael Palma was a Filipino politician, Rizalian, reporter, writer, educator and a famous mason in Philippines. He also became the fourth President of the University of the Philippines.- Honors :...

.

In January 1907, the leaders of the party met in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...

 and decided to change the name from "Partido Federalista" to "Partido Nacional Progresista" (Nationalist Progressive Party), as the word "Federal" had became insignificant with the dropping of the statehood platform. The Progresistas embarked on a campaign to win seats at the 1907 elections, although with all but two seats coming from the provinces, the party had a difficult time recruiting followers and candidates. The reception at Progresista political rallies were from lukewarm to hostile, with people heckling "Hang them, kill them".

The Progresista campaign for Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...

's two assembly seats focused on getting more Americans to register – and vote – for them. In the provinces, the Progresistas had a hard time getting candidates, but the Nacionalista Party
Nacionalista Party
The Nacionalista Party is the oldest political party in the Philippines today and was responsible for leading the country throughout the majority of the 20th century since its founding in 1907...

 were split into different factions, not on ideological but on personal grounds. Ultimately, the Assembly was won by the Nacionalistas, and the Progresistas became marginalized.

Demise

The party managed to win fewer seats in the succeeding elections, eventually being dissolved in the early 1910s. In 1914, Teodoro Sandiko and other disgruntled Progresistas formed the Partido Democrata Nacional or the Democrata Party (Democrat Nationalist Party) as the leading opposition against the Nacionalistas.
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