ABOUT THE DEWEY MONUMENT
At the heart of San Francisco’s shopping and hotel district, in Union Square, Dewey Monument commemorates the victory of Admiral George Dewey and the American Fleet over the Spanish forces at Manila Bay, the Philippines, on May 1,1898, during the Spanish-American War. Two US Presidents officially graced this historic Monument: President William McKinley for the groundbreaking (May 12,1901) and President Theodore Roosevelt for the dedication (May 14,1903).
SIGNIFICANCE TO THE UNITED STATES
The counter‑memory work of Gunitaan ng Pagtutuwid ng Kasaysayan invites the United States to confront the parts of its past that have long been obscured by triumphal narratives. The Dewey Monument celebrates a victory in Manila Bay without acknowledging the Filipino lives, sovereignty, and histories that were erased in the process. By creating a site dedicated to rectifying history, this event helps the U.S. reckon with its imperial legacy, expand its understanding of American identity, and move toward a more honest and inclusive public memory. It is an act of civic responsibility—one that strengthens democracy by insisting that truth, not myth, anchors the nation’s story.
IMPORTANCE TO FILIPINOS
For Filipinos—especially those in the diaspora—Gunitaan ng Pagtutuwid ng Kasaysayan is a reclaiming of voice, agency, and historical presence. It restores the Filipino perspective to a narrative that has long been told without us, or against us. In a city where an imperial monument stands unchallenged, this counter‑memory affirms that Filipinos were not passive subjects of conquest but thinkers, fighters, and nation‑builders. It honors the generations who carried the weight of erasure and offers younger Filipinos a place to see themselves reflected with dignity. It is both remembrance and repair: a way of returning what was taken and naming what was silenced.
MESSAGE/SIGNIFICANCE OF THE THEME
The theme, Gunitaan ng Pagtutuwid ng Kasaysayan, calls us to remember not for nostalgia, but for correction. It asserts that memory is an active practice—one that exposes distortions, challenges imperial narratives, and restores clarity where history has been bent. “Rectifying history” is not about rewriting the past; it is about reclaiming the truth that the empire tried to hide. The message is simple but profound: when we remember with honesty, we liberate ourselves from the stories that were imposed on us and make space for the stories we choose to carry forward.
MORE RESOURCES
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lQmDN0WyU2w_TWXr4LLRLEGFGuLbtUwv/view?usp=sharing