|
The
American Occupation in Cebu
In the morning of February 21, 1899,
the
American gunboat U.S.S. Petrel was sighted off Liloan, moving towards
the Mactan channel. The vessel approached the cebu Pier at around 11
a.m. commanded by Charles C. Cornwell, Petrel had seen action in the
Battle of Manila Bay and the siege of the port of Iloilo in the months
just past. Its appearance in cebu signalled the start of the American
annexation of Cebu Province in the course of the
Filipino-American War.
In a meeting with Cebuano leaders,
Cornwell issued an ultimatum for Cebu to be surrendered to the Americans
the following day or face bombardment by the U.S. gunboat.
This sent Cebu's leaders into a marathon,
frenzied discussion of Cebu's options before the American threat.
Resigned to the view that Cebu's utter lack of arms would make
resistance both costly and useless, the Cebuano leaders decided to
capitulate.
In the morning of February 22, Pablo
Mejia and other local leaders kanded over to Cornwell a document of
surrender "under protest." Thus began the American occupation
of Cebu.
Source from Sun*Star Weekend
By: Ybarra
|
