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On two sides of the world, a lot of talking followed a little shooting. "The leaders told us," babbled one Sakdalista whose leg had been shot off, "that Benigno Ramos was buying arms in Japan and would arrive by plane to aid us." A thrilled suspicion ran through the U.S. Press, ever conscious of the Yellow Peril, that the Japanese had engineered the whole thing as a preliminary to seizing the Philippines. Such an assumption appeared to be an extravagance. Benigno Ramos was indeed in Tokyo where he had been living under the protection of members of the potent Seiyukai party since September. To a reporter who interviewed him in the Seiyukai headquarters last week he obligingly handed a Sakdalista leaflet appealing to "the gallant Japanese people" for arms to overcome "American oppression." But Benigno Ramos was living in student quarters obviously out of funds, and official Tokyo convincingly disavowed any interest in the uprising or any other phase of Filipino politics.
Far from embarrassed by the revolt, Manuel Quezon blamed the whole thing on the Philippine depression which followed the bad trade bargain he had to make with the U.S. Congress in return for his country's freedom.