Ganap Party

In May 1935, the Sakdalista movement called for a popular uprising where patriots would peacefully march to seize control of the nation from American collaborators. This failed, with the collaborationist forces firing upon the protestors, killing hundreds and arresting thousands.{{cite news|last=Pacis|first=Vicente|title=A Leaderless Revolution|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=3 June 1935}}{{Cite web |date=2025-04-25 |title=Sakdal Uprising {{!}} Philippine Revolution, Peasant Revolt, Land Reform {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Sakdal-Uprising |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}

Sakdal party leader Benigno Ramos returned to the Philippines in 1938, after three years in exile protected by Japan. Anxious to regroup after the failed May uprising, he formed Ganap. It was therefore not surprising that the party was pro-Japan in outlook and saw an alliance with them as the road to independence. Ramos named the party Ganap because he was anxious to kickstart their election campaign.{{cite book |author=M. Terami-Wada |year=1999 |chapter=The Filipino volunteer armies |pages=59–98 |editor1=Setsuho Ikehata |editor2=Ricardo Trota Jose |title=The Philippines under Japan: Occupation Policy and Reaction |location=Quezon City |publisher=Ateneo de Manila University Press |isbn=978-971-550-332-7}} Their propaganda was so rabidly pro-Japanese and anti-American that Ramos was imprisoned on charges of swindling.{{cite book |author=William J. Pomeroy |year=1992 |title=The Philippines: Colonialism, Collaboration, and Resistance! |publisher=International Publishers |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-0-7178-0692-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/philippinescolon00pome }}{{rp|113}}

Ganap drew its support base from the old Sakdal members, the disgruntled peasant class.

The party was not without internal dissent, though, as opponents of Benigno Ramos remained in the old Sakdal Party, claiming that Ramos had become a Nacionalista turncoat and a puppet of Quezon.{{rp|69}}

Ganap was able to organise and they were one of only four parties allowed to stand in the 1941 election, when Manuel L. Quezon sought re-election.[https://web.archive.org/web/20090924052216/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,801271-1,00.html 'Bedroom Campaign'] from Time, November 24, 1941 They fielded Celerino Tiongco for president, Pilar V. Aglipay of the Republican Party for vice president, and a 23-man senatorial slate. The party's main area of support was the Bulacan-Southern Luzon area, where the major land estates were located.{{Cite web |url=http://asianjournalusa.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=80&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=3260&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1028&hn=asianjournalusa&he=.com |title='Filipinos Fight for Freedom: 1941–1945' |access-date=2007-11-19 |archive-date=2008-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002124707/http://asianjournalusa.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=80&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=3260&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1028&hn=asianjournalusa&he=.com |url-status=dead }} As the party gained strength, membership spread to other provinces, such as La Union and Pangasinan. However, they didn't win any elective position in the said election. Celerino placed fourth, getting 22,474 votes, or 1.34% of the votes cast, Aglipay placed third, while none of their senatorial candidates ranked above 65th.

The Pacific theater of the World War II was opened on December 8, 1941 (Philippine time), with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After that mission, Japanese planes proceeded to bomb targets in Davao. By Christmas, the Japanese forces had landed on Philippine soil. Among the invaders was the pro-Japanese Katipunan general Artemio Ricarte. In early April 1942, the Japanese liberated Ramos from his imprisonment, without forgetting to mobilize Ganap support for the Japanese.

Ganap saw the Japanese as saviors of the Philippines, and its members readily collaborated with them during the occupation of the islands. Many Ganap members were recruited into the Yoin, or United Nippon, an organisation dedicated to performing auxiliary and menial duties for the Japanese expeditionary force.

Other Ganap members were absorbed by the Japanese Army, and were issued weapons. Widespread abuse of these duties and powers was reported, and guerrilla outfits retaliated by harassing Ganap members and their families. In return, the Ganap members would begin sending "Intelligence scouts" into the enemy guerrilla units and their families. If proven that they were anti-Japanese or have killed a fellow Ganap member, these outfits would be rooted out and assassinated.{{citation needed|date=June 2017}}

The Nacionalista Party clique, led by then-President José P. Laurel and former Philippine Executive Commission Chairman Jorge B. Vargas, became worried over the growing power of the Ganap Party. Ganap was therefore sidelined when the occupiers decreed the creation of KALIBAPI into which they were merged. Although the party was a constituent of KALIBAPI, Ganap never exercised real influence within the new grouping, partly at the suggestion of Laurel and Vargas. Many of the original party followers would go on to form the basis of the militia group Makapili, which the Japanese founded in November 1944.{{rp|114}}

Candidates for the 1941 Philippine general election

{{Reflist|32em}}

• [http://www.ne.jp/asahi/stnakano/welcome/mono/1994iaha.PDF Article on the Philippines during World War II]
• [http://www.thoughtequity.com/video/clip/49306101_048.do Footage of a Ganap Party rally] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927011527/http://www.thoughtequity.com/video/clip/49306101_048.do |date=2007-09-27 }}

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Category:Defunct political parties in the Philippines

Category:Independence movements

Category:Military history of the Philippines during World War II

Category:Organizations disestablished in 1942

Category:Political parties established in 1939

Category:1939 establishments in the Philippines

Category:Paramilitary organizations based in the Philippines