The actions of the First and Second Defense Corps were quite swift, eliminating the disparate indigenous tribes of Mindanao in just one day and engaging in battle with the Magindanao Sultanate.
Although the Magindanao Sultanate had firearms, their numbers were few, and they had no artillery.
The British and the Dutch are not fools. They can trip up Spain, and Spain can just as easily cause trouble for them.
A small country like the Netherlands controlling such vast lands as the Dutch East Indies is already a strain. If Spain were to specifically sabotage from behind, it would certainly make things more difficult for the Dutch Government.
Although the United Kingdom is more powerful, if Spain were intent on causing trouble, the British wouldn't be able to handle it either.
After all, the larger the colony, the more severe the colonial rebellion crisis. Not to mention other areas, just India alone is enough to give the British headaches.
