Republic of the Philippines

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

Commission on Higher Education
ILLANA BAY INTEGRATED COMPUTER COLLEGE, INC.
Tomawis Bldg. Poblacion 1, Parang, Maguindanao, BARMM, Philippines
Telephone No. (064) 425-0257; Email: registrar.illiana@yahoo.com

POLCI1 : POLITICAL SCIENCE WITH PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT

AND
NEW CONSTITUTION

MODULE 4
HISTORY OF THE PHILIPPINES
 I. INTRODUCTION

In order to fully understand the history of the Philippines, we must first explore
and travel the origin of the Filipinos. This module will discuss the Origin of the
Filipinos and the birth of Nation.

II. OBJECTIVES

At the end of this module the students are expected to:

a. explore the origin of the Filipinos and:
b. identify the birth of nation.

III. DISCUSSION

Theories on the Origin of Filipinos

Long before the Spanish colonizers came into the Philippines, people with distinct
cultures had already inhabited the islands. The Migration Theory of H. Otley Beyer, regarding
the peopling of the archipelago became the most widely known version in Philippine prehistory.
According to Dr Beyer, the ancestors of the Filipinos came in waves of migration.

First to reach the archipelago was the caveman Dawn Man” type, w was similar to the
Java Man and other Asian Homo sapiens of 250,000 Years ago. Dr. Beyer called the first
Filipino the "Dawn Man,” for he emerged on the islands at the dawn of time.

Next to settle in the islands were the aboriginal pygmy group or the Ne r' 5. They were
said to have reached the islands before the land bridges from Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and
Australia disappeared. They came between 25,000 and 30,000 years ago. They were described
to have black skin, darky kinky hair, round black eyes, flat noses, and with a usual height of 5
feet.

Third to arrive were the seafaring and tool-using Indonesian group who came about 5,000
to 6,000 years ago. They came in two waves of migration, with type A, arriving about 3,000 to
4,000 BC. and type B, about 1,500 to 500 BC. Indonesian A was tall, slender with light
complexion, and thin lips. Indonesian B was shorter, with bulky body, dark complexion, and
thick lips. They were able to displace the Negritos to the mountains with their more advanced
culture.

The last to reach the archipelago were the seafaring Malays who introduced the Iron Age
culture. They moved into the islands from 300 B.C. to the 14th and 15th centuries AD.

Beyer’s migration theory became popular and unquestioned for quite , a number of years.
Presently, the so-called waves of migration is now being dismissed because there is no definite
evidence, whether archaeological or historical, to support it. N o evidence of any ”Dawn Man”
type (250,000 years ago) or hominid species have been found in the country. So far, the oldest
human relic discovered is only about 22,000 BP.

In reality, Southeast Asian people shared many customs and traditions without any
ethnic group racially or culturally dominant. It was the Western colonizers Who divided the
Asian inhabitants into ethnic groups.
 In place of the waves of migration theory, modem scholars suggest the so-called core
population theory. According to this theory, the inhabitants of the Philippines consist of a core
population to which came accretions of people who moved in from the region. The movements
of people were erratic rather than in sequential waves.

The Southeast Asian people who reached the Philippines during prehistoric times became
the core population. Each group, the Indonesians, Malays, and others, stood as equal, without
any of them racially or culturally dominant.

This core population shared common cultural traits or base culture. They used similarly
fashioned tools, pottery, and ornaments; and upheld common beliefs and rituals. If there were
some differences, these may be due to some factors like adaptation to the environment.
Furthermore, the immigrants did not come into the archipelago in a fixed period of time nor with
a definite destination.

The Birth of a Nation

1. Proclamation of the Philippine Independence

The struggle for independence against Spain continued in many provinces, particularly
after the news of General Emilio Aguinaldo’s return to the Philippines. In anticipation of the
ultimate triumph of rebel armies on June 12, 1898, between four and five in the afternoon,
General Aguinaldo before a huge crowd proclaimed the independence of the Philippines in
Kawit, Cavite. Finally, after§33 years of Spanish domination, the Philippine,3 obtained her
independence. General Aguinaldo guided the Philippine revolution to its end.

The Sun and Stars flag was officially unfurled at the Aguinaldo's mansion as the
Philippine National March was played in public. Dona Marcela Marinio Agoncillo, assisted by
her daughter Lorenza and Mrs, Delfina Herbosa de Natividad (niece of Dr. Rizal) had sewn the
flag in Hong Kong. General Aguinaldo made its design. The flag was made of silk with a white
triangle at the left containing a sunburst of eight rays at the center, a five-pointed star at each
angle of the triangle, an upper stripe of dark blue and lower stripe of red.

The national anthem titled, Marcha Nacional Filipina (formerly Marcha Pilipina
Magdalo, named after Aguinaldo’s nom de guerre and his Katipunan faction) composed by
Julian Felipe, was played by the town band of San Francisco de Malabon (now General Trias)
whose members had learned the music just a day before the occasion (at present, Republic Act
8491 provides the rules and guidelines on the proper display and use of the Philippine flag, as
well as the singing of the National Anthem and the prohibited acts on its use).

In 1896, Andres Bonifacio favored Julio Nakpil’s Marangal na Dalit ng Katagalugan to

be the himno nacional (national hymn) of the revolution. Since Bonifacio lost his leadership to
Aguinaldo another hymn was preferred. It was on June 5, 1898 when Julian Felipe went to
Aguinaldo, handling a letter of introduction from Gen. Mariano Trias. Felipe was then asked to
compose a march to be played for the 1898 Declaration of Independence. On June 11, Felipe
presented his draft to Aguinaldo and played the march on the piano, in the presence of General
Mariano Trias, Baldomero Aguinaldo, and' other revolutionary leaders. After some discussion
with his generals who were then attending a conference with him, Aguinaldo agreed to accept it
as the Marcha Nacional Filipina. The anthem remained without words until toward the end of
1899, the poem in Spanish verses entitled, Filipinas by jose Palma was adopted as lyrics.

The Act of the Declaration of Philippine Independence was Solemnly read by Ambrosio
Rianzares Bautista, which he himself wrote. Included in this document was the explanation for
the design and color the flag. The declaration was Signed by 98 people with one of them an
American L, M' Johnson, Colonel of Artillery.

After the proclamation of Philippine independence, Apolinario Mabini became the

adviser of General Aguinaldo. Upon Mabini’s advice, Gen. Aguinaldo changed the form of
government from dictatorial to revolutionary. Thus, Aguinaldo became the President of the
Revolutionary Government. By a decree of June 18, 1898, President Aguinaldo organized the
municipal and provincial governments. He directed the town chiefs in all provinces to elect
members to a Congress from among the residents in these provinces who are noted for their
education as well as social position.

On August 1, 1898, the first convention of municipal presidents was held in Bacoor,
Cavite, capital of the Revolutionary Government. The Declaration of Philippine Independence
on June 12 was ratified in this Convention. While President Aguinaldo was laying down the
foundations of an independent government, troops were coming from the United States to
reinforce Dewey’s forces. By the end of July 1898, nearly 12,000 American troops under the
overall command of Major General Wesley Meritt had arrived from San Francisco.

2. The lncredulous Battle of Manila

General Fermin Iaudenes succeeded General Basilio Augustin as governor general of the
Philippines. The new governor negotiated the surrender of Manila with an arranged show of
resistance to save the prestige of the Spanish government. Governor General Iaudenes, through a
Belgian consul, Edouard Andre, secretly told Dewey and Meritt in early August 1898 concerning
the capture of Manila. With the end of hostilities, American forces would be occupying the
beleaguered city and its harbor.

It was a rainy morning on August 13, 1898 when the sham Battle of Manila began after
Dewey’s naval gun bombarded Fort San Antonio Abad near the Luneta. At about 11:20 am, the
Spaniards had already raised the flag of surrender. General Greene only noticed the flag at
around noontime. The American troops entered the city gates after which they closed it. At
around five in the afternoon the terms of capitulation were resolved. The Spanish authorities
decided to surrender the Spanish troops and the Filipino volunteers within the Walled City. The
Americans agreed to secure the city, including its inhabitants and churches.

Although some 12,000 Filipinos had taken part in the siege of Manila. The Americans did
not allow them to enter the City and its suburbs, even if unarmed. The Filipino troops deeply
resented this American gesture. Many frankly voiced the apprehension that the Americans
wished to exercise Colonial power in the country. On the other hand, the Spaniards insisted on
the exclusion of the Filipinos in the capitulation area.

The Americans established a military government in the Philippines after the surrender of
Manila. The Philippines was ruled by the president of United States in his capacity as
commander in chief of the United States Armed Forces. On March 2, 1901, the military
government in the Philippines ended when the United States Congress enacted the Army
Appropriations Act. This law carried the Spooner Amendment, which removed from United
States President the final authority to govern the Philippines, this power was to be exercised by
the United States Congress through President.

After the fall of Manila, General Diego de los Rios became the governor general. He
became the last Spanish governor general of the Philippines. On August 28, 1898, he transferred
his headquarters to Iloilo and command of the Spanish forces. But the Visayans led by General
M Delgado forced Governor de los Rios to leave Iloilo on December 24 for Zamboanga. The
next day after the Spanish forces evacuated Iloilo City, Visayan patriots under General Martin
Delgado occupied it. On May 19, 1899, the American troops occupied Jolo, displacing the
Spanish garrison of Governor General de los Rios in Zamboanga.

Meanwhile, in Baler (then part of Nueva Ecija, now Aurora), the Spanish soldiers led by
Lt. Martin Cerezo, continued to fight for their country, unaware that Spain had lost its fight in the
Philippines. Suffering from scarcity of provisions and continuous assaults, the soldiers held fort
in the Church of Baler and refused to surrender. Finally on June 2, 1899, 33 Spanish soldiers
marched out of the church, ending their 337 days of encirclement and siege by superior Filipino
forces. The siege of Baler, that highlighted the gallantry of both Filipino and Spanish soldiers,
ended on June 30, 1899 (now Philippine-Spam‘sh Friendship Day pursuant to Republic Act N o.
9187).

In November 1899, all Spanish forces were shipped to Spain. The pull out of Spanish
military in the Philippines was provided in the Treaty of Paris, signed on December 10, 1898.
The treaty negotiations were initiated by Spanish and American representatives.

The treaty provided for the Spanish withdrawal from Cuba, leaving the island temporarily
to America. The Teller Amendment, passed when the US. declared war against Spain, prevented
the United States from taking Cuba. Spain had to cede the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico to
the United States, which in turn paid Spain the sum of $20 million. The civil and political status
of the inhabitants in the ceded territories was to be determined by the US. Congress. With their
impending defeat from the United States, Spain signed the treaty. US Secretary of State John
Hay, in behalf of the US government handed to Spanish commission member Jules Cambon the
$20 million sum as payment to Spain for the Philippines.

Before the signing of the Treaty of Paris, President McKinley said he did not know what
to do with the Philippines and added that one night he prayed to God to give him guidance. At
that time, he was surrounded by men, which constituted pressure groups in the field of business,
the military 11 d I1ava1 group, and the religious.

General Aguinaldo tried to persuade foreign countries to recognized Philippine

independence. He sent Felipe Agoncillo, a Filipino patriot-lawyer, together with Sixto Lopez to
Paris to ask for the recognition of the revolutionary government. However, Agoncillo was not
even permitted to attend the conference in Paris. From there, he went to Washington, Where he
worked against the ratification of the treaty by the United States Senate.

The treaty and the US. occupation of the Philippines prompted opposition from among
American citizens, including Mark Twain, a writer and satirist; Andrew Carnegie, a business
tycoon; and some members of the US. Senate.

After a heated debate in the US. Senate} the treaty was finally ratified on February 6,
1899 by a margin of one vote. It was argued that the Philippines would simply fall into the hands
of Germany or other countries if US. forces left the region since the Filipinos were unprepared to
govern themselves. . '

3. The Malolos Republic

Uncertain about the outcome of the forthcoming peace conference in Paris, General
Aguinaldo ordered bnAugust 22, 1898 the transfer of the government’s seat of power from
Bacoor, Cavite, to Malolos, Bulacan and used the convent of the Malolos Cathedral (now
Basilica Minore de la immaculada Concepcion) as the Palacio Presidencial (presidential palace).
Aguinaldo refused to acknowledge American control in the country. He had alread y been
preparing the foundation of a' republican state. He wanted a government without foreign
supervision. A number of-Filipinos had shown support for autonomy.

On September 15, 1898, the Revolutionary Congress was inaugurated I at the Barasoain
Church in Malolos amidst colorful festivities. Outside the church Banda Pasig played the
national anthem. Spectators lined the streets as President Aguinaldo, his advisers and members
of the Congress walked to the church where the ceremonies were to be held.

The altar of the church was draped “for the assembly. General Aguinaldo convoked the
constituent assembly in the opening session. He urged the delegates to promulgate a constitution
that would be the most glorious expression of the noble aspirations of the Filipino people, a
proof that the Filipinos already had the capacity to govern.

President Aguinaldo sat with his cabinet facing delegates on both. sides of the aisle. The
Congress adopted the parliamentary rules of the Spanish Cortes.

In the afternoon, the Congress elected the following officers:

Pedro Paterno - President

Benito Legarda - Vice-President

Gregorio Araneta - Secretary

Pablo Tecson -Secretary (who replaced Araneta)

Pablo Ocampo- Secretary

A total Of 93 representatives took part in the Congress, 35 of them were directly elected.
Many of them were holders of academic degrees from universities in Europe. The president of
the Congress himself, Dr. Pedro A Paterno, was a holder of a bachelor’s degree in law from the
University 0} Salamanca and a doctorate degree from the Universidad Central de Madrid.

As the delegates converged at Malolos, they made it evident that they Wished to enact a
constitution and establish a perm anent government for the Country. The seat of the
Revolutionary Congress was fixed at the Barasoain Church.

Mabini argued that under the decree of its creation, the Congress was a mere consultative
body. It possessed no legislative powers. It was essential for all powers to be vested in one
person or entity to ensure swift action. Felipe C. Calderon contended that it was necessary to
show that the Philippines was duly constituted as a State in order to strengthen its claim to
recognition of its sovereign status.

President Aguinaldo upheld Calderon’s Views, evidently considering Congress to be the

authoritative spokesman for the Filipino people and the true reflection of their dreams and
aspirations.

The committee to draft the constitution was composed of 19 members With Felipe
Calderon as the chairman. It studied the three constitutional drafts submitted the Mabini Plan, the
Paterno Plan, and the Calderon Plan.

The Mabini Plan was the Constitutional Program of the Philippine Republic. The Paterno
Plan was based on the Spanish Constitution of 1868. The Calderon Plan was a constitution based
on the constitutions of France, Belgium, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Brazil.
After a thorough examination and deliberation, the Committee chose the Calderon Plan and
submitted it to the Malolos Congress for approval.

According to Felipe Calderon, the Committee rejected the Mabini draft because it was
based on the Statutes of Universal Masonry, abhorred by the majority of the delegates who were
Catholics. However, significantly written in Mabini’s draft were the provisions advocating
women’s rights like the exercise of public office, education in any branch of science or of the
arts in public institutions, exercise of a profession or industry, right to vote, and exemption from
military service and from personal tax. Calderon mentioned that the Pa terno draft was also
discarded because it was patterned from the Spanish Constitution of 1868.

Other matters were also taken up in the congress the Declaration of Philippine
Independence made on June 12,1898 in Kawit was confirmed in special ceremonies. The
declaration was not recognized by the United States and Spain since the Spanish government
ceded the Philippines to the American government in the 1898 treaty in Paris in consideration for
an indemnity for Spanish expenses and assets lost. In the following month, the Congress
authorized the Executive to float domestic loan of 20 million pesos redeemable in 40 years, to
support the] few government.

Discussions on the draft constitution lasted until November 29, 1 898, after article 5 Title
III Of the draft became the most debatable. This refers to religion and the separation of Church
and State. Tomas del Rosario, and re those who figured prominently in the conference, spoke in
favor of the principle 0f separation of Church and State; while Felipe Calderon, on contrary
position wanted to make Catholicism the state religion. After the c embers 0f the Congress voted
for it, the result was a tie.

The second voting resulted to the separation of Church and State/ inning by only one vote
given by Pablo Tecson. On whether or not Church and State should be united showed the
democratic orientation of the delegates. Though the Malolos Congress formally separated church
d state by the narrowest vote possible -the revolutionary experience did not establish a tradition
barring Filipino clergy from politics (Wurfel, 1988:8)

A few other amendments was placed in the draft constitution before it was submitted to
Aguinaldo for approval. The draft constitution provided for an executive, legislative, and judicial
branch of government and the Creation of a Permanent Commission acting as a legislative body
when the Assembly was not in session.

Finally, on January 21, 1899, President Aguinaldo proclaimed the Malolos Constitution
as the fundamental law of the land. Then on January 23, the First Philippine Republic was
inaugurated amidst festive ceremonies at the Barasoain Church. It was popularly known as the
Malolos Republic,

Amidst the inaugural rites, President Aguinaldo issued a decree granting pardon to all
Spanish prisoners of war, except to members of the Spanish regular army. He also gave the
Spaniards as well as other foreigners the right to engage in business within the limits of the
Republic.

To disseminate the ideals and aspirations of the Republic, publications were made. The
Case Real (Royal House) in Malolos (declared a National Shrine in 1965 by President Diosdado
Macapagal by virtue of Executive Act No. 173) became the N ational Treasury and N ational
Printing Press where the revolutionary organs La Independencia, El Heraldo de la Revolucion,
Kalayaan at Kaibigan ng Bayan-were printed.
 The official organ of the Republic was El Heraldo de la RevoluCiOH Her 31d of the
Revolution), with its first issue on September 29, 1898, about four months before the emergence
of the newspaper was the Poem ’Al Heroes Nacional’ (to the National Hero) composed by Get
laureéte Don Cecilio Apostol and the December 20, 1898 decree of president Aguinaldo
declaring December 30 as memorial Dy to honor Jose rizal and many other Filipinos who
suffered martyrdom. The name od the newspaper was afterwards changed to Heraldo Filipino,
then to indice Official, an finally to Gaceta de Filipinas, with its last issue on October 14, 1899.

Some Filipinos who wrote articles using their nom de plume for newspaper were Rafael
Palma (Dapit Hapon), Cecilio Apostol( Catullo) Fernando Ma. Guerrero (Fulvio Gil), Epifanio
de los Santos (G. Salon), and Salvador V. del Rosario (luau Tagalo).

In the provinces there were many revolutionary newspapers Published by patriotic

individuals like El Nuevo Dia (The New Day), founded and edited by Sergio Osmenia. Its first
issue appeared in Cebu on April 16, 1900.

In 1899 Jose Palma, the 23-year old brother of Rafael Palma and member of La
Independencia, wrote the poem ”Filipinas,” which was late, adapted as the Spanish lyrics of the
national anthem of the Philippines, Still at 'war against the Americans. (The English translation
of the lyrics wen done by Camilo Osias and M. A. Lane, while in 1951 the Tagalog translation
was used).

For Mabini, true independence would not simply mean liberation from Spain but also
educating the people for autonomy and refraining from colonial mentality. Thus, the Malolos
Congress had set up educational institutions.

A system of free and compulsory elementary education was provided for by the Malolos
Constitution. A college for boys called Burgos Institute was established in Malolos under
Enrique Mendiola, with a regular academic course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Arts and
special vocational courses in agriculture, commerce, and surveying. The girls learned their
lessons at home under private tutors. They were conferred the degree of Bachelor of Arts after
passing the government examination.

The Universidad Litereria de Filipinas (at the convent of Barasoain Church) was also
established with Joaquin Gonzales as the first president Gonzales was subsequently, replaced in
September 1899 by Dr. Leon Ma Guerrero.

The university offered courses in law, medicine, pharmacy, and notary public. However,
its existence was short-lived due to Filipino-American conflict, which resulted to the dispersion
of its faculty and students.

Military training for officers in the Army of the Republic was offered in the Military
Academy of Malolos whose director was Major Manuel Sityal; a former Spanish lieutenant of
the Spanish Guardia Civil. Some of its instructors were graduates of the Military Academy of
Toledo, Spain like ajor Jose Reyes and Major Candido Reyes. President Aguinaldo made efforts
to reconcile the pew government with the former enemies.

The Filipino army in Luzon included a battalion of Igorot lancers and company of Negrito
archers. There were more soldiers than rifles in the med forces of the Republic. Those without
rifles were armed with bolos, bamboo spears, anting-antings (amulets), and bows and arrows.

The Republic has a relatively small navy. It consisted of eight steam launchers captured
from the Spaniards and several interisland steamers donated by rich families in Batangas.
Pilipinas, an inter-island steamer owned by Compania General de Tobaccos became the army
flagship.

In Mindanao, Spanish colonial rule particularly ended in Butuan, Agusan del Norte with the
hoisting of the Philippine flag. Butuan was then the military capital of the province of Surigao.
Emissaries of the Revolutionary Government led by Wenceslao Gonzales proclaimed a
Philippine Republic in Butuan on January 17, 1899.

Four flags were hoisted on that day: the tricolor flag of the Philippine Revolution, the
White flag of surrender, the national flag of Spain, and the Pontifical flag. These flags were
symbols of the forces operating in the Philippines at that time.

The Malolos Republic is the first Republic in Asia. The new government has empowered
the people to choose their representatives to create laws beneficial for the nation. The decisions
of the members of the Congress became the cornerstone of democracy. It has manifested the
capability of the Filipinos to govern in the midst of turbulent times. At a time when most of Asia
was still under colonial power, the Philippines stood out as beam of hope.

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REFERENCES
Florenteno G. Ayson and Dolores Aligada-Reyes. “Fundamentals of Political Science”.
National
Book Store.2000

Abriel M. Nebres.” Political Science”. National book store. 2009