Dewey Monument

A Past Revisited, Connecting the Dots, part 14

Collective Memory: Reframing Monuments, Markers and Movements

1. Dewey Monument in Union Square, San Francisco. The monument commemorates Admiral Dewey’s triumph at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War and was dedicated in 1903.

I actively participated in efforts to reframe the monument from the perspective of the Filipino people. During this period, I was also contributing articles to the Manila Bulletin USA. One of my essays addressed the initiative to redefine the historical narratives surrounding the Monument, and it was published on August 15, 2002.

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We are here, because you were there, Commodore Dewey!

By MC Canlas (8/15/2002)

Would you want to be involved in rewriting history, U.S. and Philippines, and contribute in re-interpreting the texts at the “Dewey Memorial Tower” at the newly opened and redesigned Union Square in downtown San Francisco?

Read the following, engraved in the four sides of the Dewey Memorial Tower:

Southside. “Erected by the citizens of San Francisco to commemorate the victory of the American Navy under Commodore George Dewey at Manila Bay May First MDCCCXCVIII (1898)”

Eastside.“Secretary of the Navy John D. Long to Commodore George Dewey April 24, 1898 / War was commenced between the United States and Spain. Proceeds at once to the Philippine Islands and capture and destroy Spanish fleet.”

Westside. “On the night of April Thirtieth, 1898, Commodore Dewey squadron entered Manila Bay and undaunted by the danger of submerged explosives reached Manila at dawn of May First 1898. Attacked and destroyed the Spanish fleet of ten warships. Reduced the forts and held the city in subjugation until the arrival of the troops in America.”

Northside. “ American Squadron / Manila Bay / Olympia Flagship / Baltimore / Raleigh / Boston / Concord / Petrel / McColloch / On May fourteenth MCMIII this monument was dedicated by President Theodore Roosevelt.”

The United Pilipino Organizing Network (UPON) and the Arts Commission of San Francisco are currently collaborating on the “recontextualizing” of the Dewey Memorial. According to Richard Neuwirth, Director of Cultural Affairs of the San Francisco Arts Commission, this “recontextualizing” effort is not the first time in San Francisco. Cognizant of the significance of public arts at the time of installation but the same arts may not necessarily be appropriate and culturally sensitive to certain community today, the Commission welcomes community input. One example, in the Pioneers Monument on Fulton Street located between the Old and the New Library, a plaque/marker was placed near the monument.

The monument was a concern of the native American community. Debra Lehane, program director of Civic Art Collection of the Arts Commission, had to consult the community and scholars on what to place in the plaque.

UPON, a coalition of Filipino community leaders and service agencies based in San Francisco, is forming a working group to determine the appropriate design (where to place) and the texts (what message to put) for the marker or plaque. UPON is also developing an education campaign strategy, including not limited to public service announcement, press releases, education curriculum, workshops and forum, and ethnotour, for the both the public and the Filipino community.

Last August 9, UPON leaders - Don Marcos, Greg Roja, MC Canlas, Cindy Mendoza, and Ben Norbida – met with Debra Lehane at the Union Square to have a look and feel of the possible location and design of the marker. Architect Greg Roja suggested an additional structure but with certain design elements; it should be placed near the tower but not too closed, have prominence and distinct identity but with clarity that it is a Filipino version of the Battle Bay in the Dewey tower. UPON leaders reiterated that visitors of Union Square could read both the Dewey and the Filipino versions and see the connection.

Debra Lehane presented to UPON members her draft of the texts, from her own research and study of the historical meaning of the Battle of Bay. It reads:

“Citizens of San Francisco erected the Dewey monument in 1901 as a response to national and local patriotism. The United States had defeated Spain in the Spanish American War. Although the Spanish American ended in the Philippines with Spanish signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1898, within months a new conflict began – the Philippine-American War. This war lasted about three- and one-half years while the overall conflict lasted approximately ten years. As many as 400,000 -600,000 Filipino civilians lost their lives compared to 10,000 US soldiers. The Philippines became a direct colony of the United States from 1899 to 1935. Political independence was returned to the Philippines by the United States in 1946.”

Again, this is only a draft. In the coming days UPON will develop the strategy in determining the design and texts. UPON invites all members and sectors and interested parties and scholars to participate in this history-in-the-making endeavor.

The Battle of Manila Bay is said to be cornerstone of US imperialism in the Pacific and the birth of US as a world power and the 20th century as an American century. According to Gray Brechin, author of Imperial San Francisco, the Battle of Manila Bay and the Philippine-American War- brought prosperity to San Francisco. “The depression of 1890s had so crippled the city’s economy that many San Francisco merchants had been perilously near failure when Dewey’s ships saved them.” The war in the Philippines is considered the San Francisco’s second Gold Rush (the first was the 1849).

Hopefully, when UPON and community has installed the new marker, the target date is May 2003, we can proudly claim that WE ARE HERE, BECAUSE YOU WERE THERE! NANDITO KAMI KASI DUMAYO KAYO SA AMIN!

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To be continued...

In the next series, we will tackle the marker that was installed in 2019.

July 14,2025 FB