While the American eagle triumphed over the Spanish lion for domination, the Filipino ants quietly endured, adapting to the changing powers that controlled their land until they finally awaken. 

The Eagle's Grasp is a poem that captures the Philippine experience under American rule. It reflects the complexity of this period—on one hand, offering education and modernization, but on the other, imposing a new kind of subjugation. The poem tells the story of the Filipino people's quiet endurance as they slowly begin to recognize the harsh realities of imperialism. Over time, they come to realize the need to resist, ultimately finding the strength to go toe-to-toe against the forces that have kept them oppressed.

The war is over and the Spaniards are out of the islands, yet a new superpower is looming beyond the horizon. The United States invokes the “White Man’s Burden” to make it a moral responsibility to personally take care of the Philippines as its colony, the beginning of US benevolence (Harris 2015, 129-53). By introducing public education, modern infrastructure, and democratic institutions, the United States seeks to uplift the Philippines and guide its transition into modernity and eventual self-rule. Thus, many considered the US occupation as a promise of development and international integration, offering new opportunities for growth and stability.

This mash-up artwork is entitled “Mexico of Asia” as it attempts to draw the parallels between Mexico and the Philippines which despite being thousands of miles apart, was colonized by Spain and influenced by the United States. Moreover, it seeks to combine together the various realistic elements and symbols from various Philippine artists of the time. Essentially, their works portrayed the Filipino as an educated and nationalistic race in a peaceful agrarian country; romanticizing the idealism of rural life in the Philippines under American rule.

In spite of the "benevolence" offered by the United States, the reality for the people in the archipelago was far more complex and fraught with challenges. The promise of education, infrastructure, and modernization came with the cost of cultural erosion, economic exploitation, and political subjugation. For many, this was not a gift of progress but rather, a continuation of colonial oppression under a new guise, leaving the nation grappling with the duality of opportunity and domination.

This digital artwork entitled “Banaag at Sikat,” named after the novel, emphasizes the other side of the American colonization of the Philippines. It portrays the Filipino as a hard-working race presented with the choice of either reform or revolution for their country. Although no direct attacks against the colonization efforts of the United States, it aspires to mirror the clash of ideological forces within the American-occupied archipelago, highlighting an important turning point for socialism, nationalism, and progressivism in the Philippines.