Analysis on the Proclamation of the Philippine Independence

Emilio Aguinaldo and his leaders returned to Cavite with a transportation provided by
the Americans. The war resumed and he temporarily established a dictatorial
government. The government was already in operation, so Emilio Aguinaldo has been
thinking to declare the independence of the Philippines. He believed that this move
would encourage the Filipinos to fight more against the colonizers and led to a point that
the other countries would acknowledge the independence of the country. Mabini
objected for he thought it would be too early, there was still a need to ensure the power
of competence and stability of the new government but Aguinaldo stood his ground
(Agoncillo, 1990). The Philippine History Site detailed that from the balcony of
Aguinaldo’s house in Cavite el Viejo (Kawit, Cavite) between four and five in the
afternoon, he declared the independence of the Filipinos and the birth of the Philippine
Republic in front of a huge crowd on the 12th of June year 1898. The Philippine flag that
was sewn in Hongkong by Mrs. Marcela Agoncillo witht eh assistance of Lorenza
Agoncillo and Delfina Herboza, was unfolded for the first time to the public. Banda
Malabon played Marcha Nacional Filipina composed by Julian Felipe which later on
claimed as the Philippine’s national anthem. Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista prepared the
Act of the Declaration of Independence and read it to and for the people. It was signed
by ninety-eight people and the proclamation was promulgated on August 1 after the
town organized the rules ordered by the said government.

The declaration document holds records of important details and events that led to the
proclamation of the Philippine Independence. It highlighted the unfair and unjust
treatments of the Spanish colonizers, the cry of the Filipino people for independence
and sovereignty, and the government established by Aguinaldo. The reasons behind the
revolutionary movement was reflected on the commencement of the document. It was
specifically mentioned that there were abuses by the friars, unjust ruling of the law, and
discrimination. Hays (2015) stated that one of the great constants that remained over
the Spanish colonial rule was the power of the religious orders. The Augustinian,
Dominican and Franciscan were in control of the functions of the local governments and
were also responsible for education and health measures. Aside from these, they kept
the census and tax records, kept their eyes on the characters of individual villagers and
even supervised the selection of the authorities. They used information gained in
confessions to identify troublemakers which opposes the principle of the church. It is
also mentioned in the article of Hays that many native Philippine people lived on land
that was owned by the Spaniards or those individuals who are close with the Spanish.
The people became tenants and paid laborers and this is just one of the reasons why
they would want to have a revolt but his matter wasn’t included in the declaration
document. It can be argued that the friars and the authorities for religious orders went
greedy with temporal power than being centered in the life and teachings of Christ. In
the context of war of independence, the proclamation went so detailed with Aguinaldo’s
pursuit for it. It has a long part in the document that talked about the struggles and
victories of Aguinaldo and his leaders. It was bagged as “this movement spread like an
electric spark through other towns” which emphasizes the triumph of his revolt that was
given much importance in the document. Even though the Katipunan was the one who
sparked the revolutionary movement, it

was not acknowledged in the document. The said organization was just mentioned in
the last part, Bonifacio and his co-founders weren’t there. It didn’t give justice to the
contribution it has given for the war of independence. It was not a secret that there has
been a clash between Aguinaldo and Bonifacio. Looking back, the Katipunan was
divided into two councils when competition arised between the commanders and
territories. The Magdiwang for those who favored Bonifacio and Magdalo were the ones
who favoured Aguinaldo. In order to settle row between the two leaders, the Tejeros
Convention was established. This assembly aimed to unite the two sides and elect
officers for the revolutionary government. After the said formality, Aguinaldo won
against Bonifacio and the leadership was on his shoulders (Valdeailla, 2018). The
document reflects that even the way it has been written, there was influence from the
side of the victors in the field. Aguinaldo and his leaders deserve to have the
acknowledgement they deserve after putting themselves in the pit of death, but
Bonifacio and his people deserve it, too. After all, the Proclamation of Philippine
Independence would not be possible if it weren’t for the efforts and sacrifices of both
sides. To point it out, this is a historical record of the Philippines; credible and just
information must be laid out properly to the public without leaving a significant piece.
Aside from the endeavors of Aguinaldo who brought progress in the plight, there were
still unfortunate events that brought light to the Filipino people such as the known three
martyr priests; Jose Burgos, Mariano Gomez and Jacinto Zamora (GOMBURZA) shed
their bloods for fighting the abusive friars and for equal rights among priests. The
Spaniards who prosecuted the case bribed a witness to testify against the GOMBURZA
for them to be charged with sedition and treason that led to their death by garrote. The
execution of the three priests affected the Filipinos especially Rizal who dedicated El
Filibusterismo to their memory (Esteria, 2012). This shows that the

religious orders at that time was very influential and in power, the manipulation was
easily done in order to condemn individuals who went their ways. The Proclamation of
Philippine Independence document points that even historical records can still have its
lapses in giving out important information and details. It can not be denied that there is a
political bias that happened within the context and content of the document that was
supposed to be just and fair for the individuals and events that contributed in the
success of the Revolution, most importantly in the Proclamation of Independence which
entails that the Filipinos have already achieved the independence and sovereignty that
they were struggling and fighting for how many years. The document holds a great
value to our history record, selectiveness and bias of information should not be
practiced in this field, assuring the credibility of a content must be prioritized at all times.
The the 12th of June is honored to as a national holiday that would always uphold its
value as a memoir of our country’s fight for independence. The document that contains
the records of historical movements and events give us the right amount of awakening
for one’s patriotism and loyalty to the motherland. The Philippine Independence Day
honors the people who played great roles in order to give us this freedom and the land
that we own along with the significant revelations of the truth behind its triumph. This
gives way to the fact that one must ensure the sources for its credibility and content
before indulging with its own truth and facts.