At the start of the 20th century, radical Filipino operas in Spanish openly challenged the American rule over the Philippines that had begun in 1898 – and they did so with the American colonial governors sitting as star guests at the gala performances! Nearly half a century later, Filipinos secretly wrote novels in Spanish that protested the Japanese rule that had taken over the archipelago during World War II. Yet despite this compelling tradition, which also includes the only Asian science fiction novel in Spanish, 20th century Filipino literature in Spanish is virtually unknown to exist. This talk will discuss the rise and fall of the tradition and the many unexpected perspectives it voiced along the way.