LESSON 6

THE ACT OF PROCLAMATION OF INDEPENDENCE OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE

(ACTA DE LA PROCLAMACION DE LA INDEPENDENCIA DEL PUEBLO FILIPINO)

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Discuss the context and perspective of the document.

2. Explain how the Philippines achieved its independence from Spanish colonial rule.
3. Examine the state of Philippine independence today.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

The first phase of the Philippine Revolution ended in a stalemate between the Spaniards and
the Filipino rebels. In December 1897, a truce was declared between the two forces, with the
Filipino leaders – led by General Emilio Aguinaldo – agreeing to be exiled to Hong Kong while
the Spaniards paid an indemnity for the damages caused as a result of the conflict The truce,
however, lasted for only a few months before it collapsed. The renewed conflict would have
been disastrous for the Filipinos if not for the deteriorating diplomatic relations between Spain
and the United States over the other revolution in Cuba. This eventually led to the Spanish-
American War in 1898 and the arrival of a new colonizer to the Philippines—the Americans.

Even before the Battle of Manila in 1898, Aguinaldo had already been meeting with the
Americans in Singapore. He talked with consul E. Spencer Pratt regarding US-Filipino
collaboration against the Spaniards before he went back to Hong Kong to meet up with
Commodore George Dewey, commander of the Asiatic Fleet. Unfortunately, Dewey had already
left for the Philippines to attack the Spanish fleet following America’s declaration of war against
Spain in April.

Aguinaldo remained in Hong Kong and met with the American consul general Rounseville
Wildman. He paid Wildman a total of PHP 117,000 to purchase rifles and ammunition. A first
shipment worth PHP 50,000 was made but the other half was never delivered. Wildman never
returned the money given to him.

On May 19,1898, Aguinaldo finally returned to the Philippines on board the US cruiser
McCulloch. Aguinaldo conferred with Dewey on Philippine conditions and was supplied with
arms captured from the Spaniards. From his headquarters in Cavite, Aguinaldo announced the
resumption of the revolution against the Spaniards, thus beginning the second phase of the
revolution. The Filipinos immediately flocked to the province to join the army. By the end of May,
Aguinaldo was in command of an army of 12,000 troops.

On May 28, the Filipino forces won their first victory in Alapan, Imus. The newly-made Filipino
flag was hoisted in Alapan then later unfurled at the Teatro Caviteño in Cavite Nuevo (now
Cavite City) in front of the Filipinos and captured Spanish soldiers. A group of American officers
and soldiers also witnessed the ceremony.
Earlier, on May 24, Aguinaldo announced the creation of the dictatorial government. The
formation of this type of rule was a necessity when the growing nation needed a strong leader.
He emphasized that the dictatorship was only temporary as it would be a prelude to the
establishment of a republican form of government.

On June 12, 1898, Aguinaldo declared Philippine independence from Spanish rule at a
ceremony in his house in Kawit, Cavite. Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista read the declaration that
was later signed by 177 persons, including an American military officer. The Philippine National
Anthem, then known as “Marcha Nacional Filipina,” composed by Julian Felipe, was played by
the Banda de San Francisco de Malabon and the Philippine flag was again unfurled.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

(Although the actual author of the proclamation was Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, the initiator
of Philippine independence that led to the making of the proclamation was Gen. Emilio
Aguinaldo.)

Emilio Aguinaldo was born on March 22, 1869 in Kawit, Cavite (Cavite el Viejo), the second to
the youngest of eight children of Carlos Aguinaldo and Trinidad Famy. The Aguinaldos were a
wealthy and influential family with Carlos being gobernadorcillo for several terms. Following his
father’s death in 1883, Emilio assisted his mother in the family business and worked to help
earn the family income.

Aguinaldo followed in his father’s footsteps and was chosen capitan municipal of Kawit in 1894.
Months later, he joined the Katipunan choosing the name Magdalo, a name that was also given
to another branch of the Katipunan (the other was the Magdiwang) which he set up in his
province.

When the revolution began in 1896, the Katipunan in Cavite succeeded in driving away the
Spaniards from the province. But territorial and logistical problems between the two groups son
forced Aguinaldo to ask for help from Supremo Andres Bonifacio in settling the conflict.
Bonifacio’s intervention, however, only worsened the situation and the only solution the two
factions saw was to create a revolutionary government.

Elections for a pamahalaang panghihimagsik were held in Barrio Tejeros, San Francisco de
Malabon (now General Trias) on March 22, 1897. Aguinaldo was elected President with
Mariano Trias (Vice President), Artemio Ricarte (Captain-General), Emiliano Riego de Dios
(Director of War), and Andres Bonifacio (Director of the Interior). But the elections were
disrupted following a protest over Bonifacio’s educational qualification for such a position.
Bonifacio angrily declared the result of the elections null and void, and walked out. The
Magdalos, however, considered the election binding and the new government was founded.
When Bonifacio tried to put up his own government with an armed group, he was arrested and
tried for sedition. Found guilty, the Supremo and his brother Procopio were executed on May
10, 1897.

The internal dissent caused by Bonifacio’s death weakened the Katipunan further. The Spanish
troops regained Cavite and Aguinaldo was forced to retreat to the mountains of Biak-nna-Bato.
But the Spaniards soon realized that going after the rebels in their mountain hideout was futile.
A stalemate ensued, broken only by a truce proposal to which the rebels agreed. In exchange
for an indemnity, amnesty, and colonial reform, Aguinaldo and his officers went into exile in
Hong Kong in December 1897.

The Spanish-American War in 1898 eventually changed Philippine history. After the Americans
won the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898, Aguinaldo returned to the Philippines with their help and
announced the resumption of the revolution against Spain. After winning several victories
against the Spaniards, he declared Philippine independence on June 12, 1898.

But the Filipinos soon realized that the Americans were to become their new colonizers. After
the Spanish defeat in 1898, the United States began to send fresh troops to the Philippines. In
1899, Aguinaldo convened a Congress in Malolos, Bulacan in which the delegates wrote a
Constitution and established the Philippine Republic with Aguinaldo as President in January
1899.

Three weeks later, the continuing friction with the Americans erupted into conflict in February
1899. The Philippine-American War eventually ended in 1901 with the capture of Aguinaldo.
Soon after, he pledged allegiance to the United States and returned to private life on his family
farm. He briefly hugged the limelight when he ran for the Presidency of the Philippine
Commonwealth but lost to Manuel L. Quezon.

Aguinaldo was charged with collaboration by the Americans for helping the Japanese during
World War II but was later freed in a general amnesty. As a private citizen, he devoted his time
to the cause of veteran revolucionarios until his death at the age of 94 on February 6, 1964.