Aguinaldo and the Hongkong Junta

In the wake of Dewey's victory, the Filipinos who composed the

Hongkong Junta met on May 4 to discuss the steps to be taken in
the face of the new developments. Present during the
deliberations were Felipe Agoncillo, temporary President; Doroteo
Lopez, temporary Secretary; Teodoro Sandico, Anastacio
Francisco, Mariano Llanera, Miguel Malvar, Andres Garchitorena,
Severo Buenaventura, Maximo Kabigting, Faustino Lichauco, and
Antonio Montenego.
Aguinaldo related his dealings with Pratt and Wildman, Since the
situation in the Philippines was critical, Aguinaldo asked the
members of the Junta to advise him on what to do, After an
exchange of opinions, the Junta unanimously decided that
Aguinaldo should return to the Philippines to lead the Filipinos
against the Spaniards.
Aguinaldo was convinced of the wisdom of the Junta's decision
and so he prepared for his retum to the Philippines.
Renewal of the Struggle.—As soon as Aguinaldo had landed the
war materials he had brought from Hongkong, rebels from Bataan
came to see him. Aguinaldo handed them copies of his
proclamations urging the people to rally once more to the Filipino
flag in the struggle against the Spaniards.
The news of his return spread throughout Central Luzon•
A number of Filipino volunteers in the Spanish army transferred to
the Filipino forces. Aguinaldo ordered them to occupy Dalahikan,
the Cavite shipyard, to prevent the enemy from occuPYing it.
Arms were secured from the captain of the American warship
Petrel and distributed among the large number of Filipinos coming
in to offer their loyalty and services to Aguinald0 •
 Spanish Attempts to Win Over Filipinos—The effect of
Aguinaldo's return on the Spanish authorities was demoralizing. A
few days after the event, Governor-General Basilio Augustin
found himself betrayed by the Filipino soldiers who volunteered to
the Spanish army. To counteract its total effect on the Filipino
civilians, some Spaniards, with the consent and, perhaps,
inspiration of the governor-general, circulated a handbill. Pedro A.
Paterno, the negotiator of the Truce of Biyak-na-bato, was behind
this circular, for he confessed at the time that he still loved Spain
and was hostile to the United States.
The Siege of Manila. -What was then known as the City Of
Manila was the Walled City or Intramuros. The districts outside
the City were called arrabales or suburbs. Soon after the
destruction of the Spanish navy, Dewey blockaded Manila to
Prevent Spanish ships from entering or easting-the-bay. Though
helpless in the face of the americans, the Spaniards nevertheless
continued hoping for a miracle. Dewey had so far not invaded or
bombarded the city, where thousands of Spaniards had sought
refuge. Dewey thought that it was useless to conquer the city by
arms, for he did not have enough men to occupy it. He waited for
reinforcements from the United States. Meanwhile, the Filipino
forces under Aguinaldo besieged the city in an attempt to starve
out the enemy within its walls. The suburbs, like Tondo, Santa
Cruz, San Juan del Monte, waterless as far north as Kalookan,
crowded with Filipino soldiers. To make the siege effective,
Aguinaldo cut off the city's food and water supply. So effective
was the strategy that the people inside the city Spaniards, as well
as Filipinos and aliens — suffered from hunger and thirst.
Aguinaldo offered Governor-General Augustin honorable
surrender. But Augustin, thinking more of Spanish honor than his
life, stubbornly refused to accept surrender, for in the Spanish
code of honor the word surrender was non-existent. With this
refusal, Aguinaldo continued the siege in the belief that hunger
and thirst would finally compel the governor to give up the
struggle.
The Spanish-American Secret Agreement—The first American
reinforcements Dewey had been waiting for arrived on June 30,
1898 under the command of General Thomas Anderson. On July
17, the second reinforcements, headed by General Francis V
Greene, arrived. With fresh troops, the Americans were confident
that they could easily dislodge the Spaniards from the city. Hope
of an easy victory filled their hearts when the third reinforcements,
headed by General Arthur Mac-Arthur, arrived on July 31.
Preparation were immediately made for the battle that would
determine the fate of Manila. For several nights, some Spanish
soldiers outside the city clashed with the Americans, resulting in a
few casualties.
Meanwhile, Dewey made use of his inborn diplomatic skill. He
thought that the surrender of Manila could be affected without the
use of arms. Consequently, he started negotiations with Augustin,
regarding the surrender of Manila. But when the Peninsular
Government heard of Augustin's plan to surrender, it relieved him
as governor and aPPointed General Femin Jaudenes in his stead.

like Augustin, Jaudenes believed that the Spanish position was

hopeless in the face of a superior enemy and in the face of the
Filipino rebels. To save face, he insisted that to satisfy the
Spanish code of honor there should be mock battle, after which
the Spanish armed forces would surrender. He further insisted
that the Filipinos "' rebels—should—be excluded from
participating in the surrender of Manila, that is to say, they should
not be allowed to enter the city. Dewey and Merritt accepted the
terms even if it meant treachery to their ally, General Aguinaldo.
Dewey went so far as to promise to hold back the Filipino troops
while the mock battle was being enacted. This agreement
between Jaudenes, on one hand, and Dewey and Merritt on the
other, was so secret that no one else in either camp knew of its
existence.
of the Filipino-American Rift—At the time that Dewey was waiting
for reinforcements, Aguinaldo and his forces were laying siege to
Manila. This situation was favorable to the Americans, for they did
not have to be on the lookout for any hostile Spanish maneuver
since the job of watchdog was being done by their Filipino allies. It
was Dewey's policy not to provoke an armed conflict with the
Spaniards until after the arrival of the reinforcements. When,
finally, the latter arrived, General Wesley Merritt decided that the
offensive against Manila should be conducted along the bay side.
Since this position was occupied by the Filipinos, he instructed
General Francis V. Greene to ask for Aguinaldo's cooperation in
the drive against their common enemy. By "cooperation" Merritt
meant the evacuation of the bay side area by the Filipino troops
so that the Americans could occupy it. Aguinaldo demanded that
the request for the evacuation be made in writing. Greene
promised he would after the evacuation. With this verbal promise,
Aguinaldo withdrew his troops to give way to the Americans.
Greene, however, did not honor his word.
The continuous stream of American reinforcements worried
Aguinaldo no end, He wondered why, in spite of the fact that be
Spaniards were then at the mercy of the Filipino troops,
American-reinforcements continue to pour on in numbers. His
Suspicions of ultimate American intentions, however, he kept to
himself. But other Filipino military leaders were harboring the
same suspicions. General Artemio Ricarte for example,
expressed his doubts as to American intentions and warned
Aguinaldo "to be it seems that the Americans. want to fool us."
General Pio del Pilar also unburdened him-self of the same
feeling to Aguinaldo.
Meanwhile, the Americans began to improve their positions. With
this advantage and the fact that Dewey and Merritt had already
made a secret agreement with the enemy regarding the exclusion
of the Filipino troops from the Walled City, the Americans became
more and more secure in their improved positions. Such an
attitude served to increase Aguinaldo's suspicions of American
intentions. What began as a friendly alliance worsened into silent
hostility.
The Mock Battle of Manila—On August 7, Dewey and Merritt
issued a joint ultimatum to Jaudenes telling him to evacuate the
civilians to safe places as the naval forces would start operations
"against the defenses of Manila." Jaudenes asked the opinion of
high Spanish officials, including the Archbishop, on what to do.
Since there was no unanimity of opinion he waited till the next day
to give his answer. Another ultimatum was issued to him on
August 9 asking him to surrender and his forces. Jaudenes asked
for sufficient time to consult with his government, but Dewey and
Merritt turned down the request.
The Filipino troops, armed to the teeth, position themselves on
the right flank of General Arthur MacArthur, ready to rush into the
fight. Despite requests from General Anderson not to advance his
troops when the attack commenced, Aguinaldo stood on his
decision to participate in the assault on Manila.