The Sakdalistas demanded nothing less than “absolute and immediate” independence, the abolition of most taxes, the distribution of land to the poor, the protection of workers’ rights, the nationalization of industries, the close monitoring of politicians, the retention of lawyers for poor defendants, the formation of a 500,000-strong Philippine Army, the use of regional languages in public schools, the investigation of friar estates and ill-gotten Church wealth, and the “adoption of voting machines to prevent election frauds.” At the end of 1931, the movement launched Mapayapang Pagsuway (Peaceful Disobedience), inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent civil disobedience in India. The movement eventually led to the formation of the Partido Sakdal on October 29, 1933. Through his newspaper Sakdal, Ramos managed to build a large popular base of supporters in Luzon.
Benigno Ramos’ Sakdal movement gave the American and FIlipino authorities the most cause for alarm in the 1930s.Among them was Benigno Ramos, a government employee who would later form the Sakdal (“to accuse”) movement. The students invited their parents and other sympathizers to join their cause. The following month, students at Manila North High School instigated rallies for the dismissal of Mabel Brummitt, an American teacher who insulted her students. A memorial service at Luneta Park was attended by 15,000 people the service turned into a protest rally demanding independence from the United States. In January 1930, Filipino workers in Watsonville, California were beaten up by Caucasian workers, resulting in the death of a Filipino lettuce picker.