Franchezcka Giannah Mari V.

Pascual
BSIT – FOPM02

Exercise 2.6.2: In or Out? The Ninth Ray Proposal

The rays of the sun in the Philippine flag are commonly associated with the first eight
provinces to join the revolt for Philippine independence under the Spanish regime: Batangas,
Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Manila, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, and Tarlac. Proposals are made to
feature a ninth sun ray to the Philippine flag to represent the Muslim community.
While I salute the Muslim people for their bravery, adding a ninth ray to the sun on the
Philippine flag in their honor would allow other groups, such as the Visayans or other ethnic
groups, to fight for their own ray. For example, the United States of America; was constituted
when the 13 British-controlled population centers in eastern North America declared
independence from the British monarchy. Eventually, those 13 population concentrations formed
the first states in the Union. The American flag has no more than 13 horizontal stripes in honor
of its revolutionary overture. The stars represent the number of current states in the Union in the
upper left quadrant of the American flag. The current flag features 50 stars, which correspond to
the current 50 states, instead of the original stars.
According to Xiao Chua, a historian and lecturer at De La Salle University, this is not the
case. He stated that those were merely the 8 provinces where the Spaniards felt there were
members of the Katipunan in which adding the ninth beam would obliterate the historical
context. Therefore, it is something that isn’t correct. Chua also made a point of saying that the
country’s flag does not need to be changed because it currently reflects Filipinos, in which the
sun in the flag depicts the Philippines as a whole, representing all of us.
In my opinion, adding a ninth ray of sun in the Philippine flag would be a disrespect to
our heritage. We can’t deny that the Muslim community played a significant role in the defense
of our country from Spain. However, simply adding rays to the sun of our flag for the sake of
unity is unacceptable.
Adding more stories of our local heroes and telling important events from the Muslim’s
heroism, culture, and history to our history books is a step to acknowledgement. Furthermore,
local heroes could be taught in various provinces in which Muslim children will be able to see
and understand the true meaning of Filipino nationalism, equality, and unity as our educational
system improves. These options will be a great start in improving and showing our
acknowledgement for their heroism.
I'm honored to pay respect to our country's heroes, regardless of religion, race, or
province. We must demand of ourselves how we can live up to our country's best traditions. Yes,
there is a need for union, but there are other ways to do so. We are making an eternal mistake by
modifying our flag in the misguided idea that it will help us address our issues. Changing our
flag would have not affect our condition. Let us not forget that the flag is more than simply a
piece of cloth to remind us that we exist where many Filipinos have died while raising it.
To summarize, the rays of the flag symbolize the first provinces that revolted against
Spanish rule and spearheaded to fight our national “independence”. Hence, adding a ray changes
the symbolism. If Muslim heroism is to be acknowledged in the national flag, then it must be
changed all together to incorporate a more appropriate symbol. In addition to this,
acknowledging Filipino Muslims goes beyond the changing of our flag and is reflected on our
day-to-day governance, so one must focus on those instead.
Exercise 2.6.3: Assessing the importance of Primary Sources in Understanding the Grand
Narrative of Philippine History
Instructions: Give three reasons why the Acta de la proclamación de la Independencia del
Pueblo Filipino is important to the grand narrative of the Philippine history.
1. The Acta de la Proclamación de la Independencia del Pueblo is significant in Philippine
history since it declared of Filipino’s independence from the Spaniards. Many Filipinos
were encouraged by this declaration to fight against the Spaniards.
2. It is one of the most important events in Philippine history because this is where we
proclaim our independence and the first time we raised the Philippine flag and sang the
Philippine National Anthem.
3. There are two stages to the Philippine revolution. The first part is known as "Biak na
Bato," a wave of peace between Filipinos and Spaniards, while several terrible incidents
mark the second phase. The Battle of Alapan, fought on May 28, 1898, was Emilio
Aguinaldo's first military triumph after returning to the Philippines from Hong Kong. On
June 12, 1898, a sixteen-page statement containing aspirations for independence from
Spanish rule was signed in Aguinaldo's house in Kawit, Cavite; sacrifices were made, and
the revolution that followed, and the Declaration of Philippine Independence was signed.
This is significant in Philippine history because of the blood that was shed to give our
country freedom, as well as the men who served to protect it and were willing to die for
the country's honor.

Instructions: Research on the difference of De Jure and De Facto government and read the
attached opinion of Dr. Jose Abueva
https://opinion.inquirer.net/72834/our-only-republic

A de facto government functions as such in practice but is not recognized by any legal
standard. It is constituted in contradiction of the State's constitutional order, exerting its influence
and authority, and whose international recognition by third parties is a voluntary and
discretionary act that addresses the efficacy of the situation created in general.
A de jure government is legal, by law, or constitutional and is conducted legitimately in
public power. It arises from an election or appointment made in line with the constitution and
regulations in force. It is the exercise of authority by the organs that make up the government
following the constitution, that is, under the fundamental law's procedures.
Instructions: Write a 800-1000 words essay explaining which form of government did Aguinaldo
established right after the Tejeros Convention. Used specific contents of the “Mga Gunita ng
Himagsikan” to justify and explain your point.
Note: YOU CANNOT USE OTHER SOURCES in justifying your answer.
Filipino leader Emilio Aguinaldo was elected the new republic's first president in the
Malolos Congress in 1898 after the Philippines gained independence from Spain. He also
commanded the Philippine-American War, which he fought to prevent the United States from
opposing Philippine independence. On February 6, 1964, in Quezon City, Philippines.
The Revolution of 1896, which began under the leadership of the Katipunan, a secret
organization to achieve independence for the Philippines, gave birth to the First Republic. The
President of the Supreme Council commanded it, Andres Bonifacio being the most well-known.
Members of the Katipunan may be found in Manila and other Philippine regions. Divisions
formed in the organization due to political and other differences between members from Manila
and other provinces, forcing its leaders to call for a convention to try to reunify the society.
By December 1897, Aguinaldo had negotiated the Biak-na-Bato Truce with Spain in
exchange for amnesty, compensation, and liberal reform, he and his rebels decided to hand over
their armaments and accept exile to Hong Kong. Neither party, however, kept their end of the
arrangement. The Spanish government did not fulfill all its promises, and the militants did not
truly surrender their weapons. Aguinaldo’s revolutionaries used a portion of Spain's monetary
payment to buy more weapons for the resistance. Aguinaldo also decided from Hong Kong to
assist Americans fighting Spain in the Spanish-American War. In 1898, Aguinaldo returned to
the Philippines to renew his revolt against Spanish rule because neither peace nor independence
had been attained.
The United States of America, on the other hand, was hesitant to support the Philippines'
new leadership. The Philippines was ceded by Spain to the United States in the Treaty of Paris in
December 1898, while the United States and Spain were fighting the Spanish-American war. In
the act of strength against the newfound Philippine independence, the American sentry killed a
Filipino soldier stationed at the San Juan Bridge just two weeks after Aguinaldo's inauguration.
The Philippine-American War took place on February 4, 1899. Aguinaldo's rebels rapidly
resorted to guerilla methods, leading to one of America's deadliest battles but little tangible
success for Aguinaldo and his cause. "I witnessed my soldiers die without changing future
events," Aguinaldo stated of his war efforts' apparent futility.
The Tejeros Convention held on March 22, 1897, was one of the most significant events
in Philippine history. It was organized to settle the disputes between the two Katipunan factions:
the Magdalo, who saw Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy as their leader, and the Magdiwang, who
favored Andres Bonifacio. The Katipunan has been abolished, and a revolutionary government
was founded because of the meeting. Emilio Aguinaldo, the former Katipunan leader, was
chosen President.
The Tejeros Convention was a gathering to elect members of the revolutionary
government from the Magdiwang and Magdalo factions, in which the two Katipunan parties
were on opposing sides. Andres Bonifacio presided over the election, even though he had no
intention of becoming the Philippines' first president. Bonifacio had been won over numerous
times, yet he ended up as the Secretary of the Interior. Bonifacio indecisively nullified the
election proceedings due to inconsistencies and contradictions throughout the election; yet the
other election participants argue that the election is genuine and official. Considering this, we
must ask: Is this election acceptable?
The revolutionary government had settled that Emilio Aguinaldo would be the
revolution's leader even before the election. Furthermore, throughout the election, most votes
were cast in support of Aguinaldo. Considering that most of the appointed officials during the
election were the same people who had previously served on the conference, we can deduce that
this election was rigged and pre-planned. Given these circumstances, Aguinaldo’s government
was a de facto government. Any sovereign state did not recognize an elected person is a
distinguishing feature of a de facto administration. It was evident in the instance of Aguinaldo,
indicating that his governance was de facto.
Emilio Aguinaldo's success as president would not be deemed de jure because the persons who
participated in the convention are the only people that attended the conference, and nothing, in
this case, indicates the election of a nation's president. As a result of the election's lack of other
representatives from various provinces, the convention lacked national representation. The only
people who took part in the election were Magdalo and Magdiwang, who were from the region
of Cavite. The essential essence of the election has been disturbed and forfeited considering
these facts.
Apart from the previous issue, when Bonifacio was appointed Secretary of Interior by the
revolutionary government, Heneral Daniel Tria Tirona opposed him from his elected seat. This
misunderstanding sparked a massive feud between Bonifacio and Tirona, culminating with
Bonifacio pointing his revolver at Tirona. The latter's reasoning against the former's perspective
was that he is not a lawyer, so his intellectual capacity was insufficient for the position's
constraints. In this case, we can conclude that Tirona is an elitist, although they all agreed that no
one should object to a choice if a given position has been granted to a person. And it is this that
has enraged Bonifacio.
Following the execution of the Bonifacio brothers, the Katipunan's membership
increased, bolstering the revolution's influence. With the killing of the two brothers ordered by
the war council, the perception of Aguinaldo's government as a de facto was bolstered.
According to Aguinaldo, the panel of war members, Heneral Noriel and Heneral Del Pilar,
convinced him to order the Bonifacios' execution which strengthened the idea that the
government is a de facto government.
To summarize the truths mentioned above, we can conclude that Emilio Aguinaldo's
regime was de facto. These circumstances point to the possibility that Aguinaldo did not perform
adequately as the declared president of the Philippines, spearheading the revolution against the
Spanish conquerors. However, we must not overlook the reality that Aguinaldo was a prominent
leader in the Philippine revolution. As patriotic Filipinos, we may not have been able to change
the past and short history of the Philippines, but we do have the opportunity to shape our destiny
and not repeat history.