Write a critical analysis of the important

historical information found in Gunita ng

Himagsikan and The revolution by Apolinario
Mabini .
 Mga Gunita ng Himagsikan
Mga Gunita ng Himagsikan is the memoir of Emilio Aguinaldo written based on a diary he kept, several
documents he preserved, and family lore he gathered from his elders. Aguinaldo was one of the many
members of the Katipunan and belonged to the Magdalo faction. He led numerous attacks and won victories
against the Spaniards in the Cavite province. After the death of Bonifacio, he assumed total leadership of
the revolution. Later, Aguinaldo forcibly set up a provisional dictatorship in the country, declared
Philippine independence on June 12, 1898, and sworn in as the first president of the new, self-governed
Philippine republic.

Believed to be of two volumes, Aguinaldo’s memoir includes accounts beginning from his birth, his early
life, and his participation in the revolution. However, the first volume ends the memoir only with the details
of the Treaty in Biak-na-Bato. Although its existence is still not proven, the second volume is assumed to
continue with the Philippine Revolution against Spain and the Philippine-American War. The provided
excerpts begin the memoir with Aguinaldo’s arrival to Cavite and his encounter with two of his
generals which led to the confrontation of the three Filipino civil guards patrolling their territory. This
is followed by a narrative of the Siege of Imus, where they have been cheated at first yet was able to make a
successful attack after regrouping and changing tactics. The last of the three excerpts is the longest and
tackles several events in the revolution. First, it recorded the arrival of Supremo Bonifacio and some of his
men in San Francisco de Malabon where he was welcomed with a wonderful parade and regarded as
the “Haring Bayan.” It continued with Aguinaldo discussing notable differences between the
Magdiwang and the Magdalo factions of the Katipunan, including the party name, members and officials,
territories, achievements, attitude, and form of government. It also provided the planned attempt to rescue
Jose Rizal from his execution, which could have been performed if not only for Paciano Rizal’s intervention
and warning not to risk any more lives. It ended with the account of the Battle of Pateros which initially
was a victory after they caused the retreat of the Spanish troops by the Pasig River but then was forced to
go back to Cavite when a bigger army of Spaniards from Laguna came to attack the province.

Produced in long hand and written in Tagalog between 1928 and 1946, it gave us essential information to
visualize how Filipino revolutionaries engaged in battle with the Spaniards which were important events in
the Philippine history. It chronicled the revolution which showed us how united and persistent the Filipinos
were to end the Spanish occupation. This allows us to grasp how great their struggles were during the
colonial era to the point that what they desired was nothing more than independence. Other than that, the
document highlights the experiences and aspirations of Emilio Aguinaldo. The understanding we give to his
persona becomes relevant in knowing what kind of a Filipino leader he was. We were able to view history
through the eyes of Aguinaldo, which leads us to a better appreciation of his heroism and efforts important
to the freedom we enjoy today.

After all, success comes from perseverance and persistence which are both qualities shown by the Filipino
revolutionaries. Thanking these people for the sacrifice they have made is not enough; we must sacrifice
ourselves, too, that we may be able to preserve and protect this independence which we have achieved
because of the blood shed by our fellow Filipinos in the past.
 The Philippine Revolution
The Philippine Revolution was written by Apolinario Mabini that was both a narrative and critique of the
movement that founded the first Philippine Republic, as well as of the Philippines' early years as a self-
governing nation. This account is likely to give us crucial knowledge that allowed us to visualize how
Filipino revolutionaries fought in war with the Spaniards which were significant occurrences in Philippine
history. Apolinario Mabini, who, upon thinking of the reasons for the Philippine Revolution, with an
establishment of a government by Filipinos & for Filipinos, called for a revolution in ways of thinking.

In his concluding words in his memoir, Mabini’s almost stoic legal mind unravels the real purpose of his
fortitude – to defend his own people, and lend them his own strength. Apolinario wrote in his 1900s
memoir that he hoped that the future Filipinos will not elect another Aguinaldo, who was gullible,
incompetent and power thirsty. On the first part of the book there was a dedication for his mother, who
died due to an illness when he was 14 years old. His mother, a simple market vendor, dreamt for her son
to become a priest, exerting much effort to support his education until her untimely passing at his young
age. Mabini's all-consuming passion was to fight for what's fair & just, especially for the poor. Hence, he
decided to shift to Law. His early studies was under the tutelage of Valerio Malabanan who took in poor
students pro bono. Apolinario Mabini, in 1903, wrote a scathing rebuke on Emilio Aguinaldo's leadership
in his memoir, La Revolucion Filipina. He may as well have been talking to our leaders today. He stated
that the Revolution failed because it was badly led by Aguinaldo, due to the fact that the ‘leader’ only won
his post by reprehensible rather than meritorious acts.

After more than 300 years of the Spanish colonial control, the Filipino independence fight exposed the
weaknesses of Spanish administration but failed to expel Spaniards from the islands. The Spanish-
American war ended Spain’s authority in the Philippines in 1898, but it sparked the Philippine-American
War, a bloody war between Filipino revolutionaries and the US Army. Countless quasi-religious
revolutions had emerged throughout the lengthy period of Spanish rule over the Philippines, but none
have possessed enough enthusiasm to force the Spaniards out. However, during the nineteenth century, a
Filipino an educated Filipino playwright arose, his works depicted his desire to see the country free from
its colonizers.

Reform-minded Filipinos sought sanctuary in Europe, where they carried a literary campaign. Dr. José
Rizal swiftly rose to prominence as the primary propagandist. His novel “Noli me tángere”, one of the
greatest works that woke up the Filipinos to revolutionize against the Spanish colonization. It revealed
the corruption of Manila society and fueled the independence struggle. Andres Bonifacio, a self-educated
warehouse worker, founded the Katipunan, a secret revolutionary society in Manila. The underground org,
Katipunan, was conceptualized as early as January 1892 with an objective to mount a revolution versus
Spain to establish an independent Filipino nation. The membership of the organization had grown to an
estimated 100,000 to 400,000 members.

Mabini began his tedious work, challenging the Proclamation of Independence, and having it ratified by
true representatives elected by the people in August 1898. He set down to work, drafting Aguinaldo's
decrees, setting up a truly Filipino government. The ambitious project of building a government, led by
Filipinos for Filipinos, would come to fruition on 23 January 1899 when the Malolos Constitution was
promulgated. It would be known as the first Philippine Republic—the 1st constitutional republic in Asia.
Partially, through Bonifacio’s empowering courage and initiative, the passion for fighting for the nation has
continued to rush in the veins of the Filipino people. Revolutions erupt within the burning hearts of the
people, paying tribute and abiding in the name and power of justice and righteousness.’ There are numerous
people who contributed to Philippine Revolution, their contributions created a bequest into our history
which is being known and valued from generation to generation.

Revolutionary Apolinario Mabini ended his 1901 memoir of the Philippine Revolution with his disgust in
rape committed by Filipino soldiers on Filipino women: “How do we expect the foreigners to respect our
women if we ourselves gave the bad example by our show of non-respect?”

The document presents how the people of our country had passionately fought back against the Spaniards in
order to gain our freedom. The memoir contains historical information about the history of the Filipino
ancestors. To denounce all of the injustices and oppression practiced by those in authority and to continue to
overflow an ignited passion of love and valor for the nation and the future generations to come. It basically
features the struggles of Apolinario Mabini and how his revolution subordinates were maltreated during his
time. This also serve as to recognize those individuals whom we refer to as 'heroes' that sacrificed their lives
and helped the country gain its own independence and identity against tyranny.