Unit 2.3.

Declaration of Philippine Independence by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista

Proclamation of Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite, June 12, 1898

Image Source: Proclamation of Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite, June 12, 1898. (2020). [Image].
https://www.usphsociety.org/2020/06/09/weekly-series-reflections-on-june-12-1898-philippine-declaration-of-independence-amid-a-
dangerous-international-environment/

The following text is the document authored and read by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista during the
proclamation of Philippine independence on June 12, 1898, in Cavite. As you read, please take note of the
essential details in the text, as these may help you answer the content analysis activity in the evaluate
portion of this unit.

Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista. “Declaration of Philippine Independence”, ratified June 12, 1898,
translation by Sulpicio Guevara

Declaration of Philippine Independence

In the town of Cavite-Viejo, Province of Cavite, this 12th day of June 1898: BEFORE ME, Ambrosio
Rianzares Bautista, War Counsellor and Special Delegate designated to proclaim and solemnize this
Declaration of Independence by the Dictatorial Government of the Philippines, pursuant to, and by virtue
of, a Decree issued by the Egregious Dictator Don Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy,

The undersigned assemblage of military chiefs and others of the army who could not attend, as well as
the representatives of the various towns,

Taking into account the fact that the people of this country are already tired of bearing the ominous yoke
of Spanish domination,

Because of arbitrary arrests and abuses of the Civil Guards who cause deaths in connivance with and
even under the express orders of their superior officers who at times would order the shooting of those
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placed under arrest under the pretext that they attempted to escape in violation of known Rules and
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Regulations, which abuses were left unpunished, and because of unjust deportations of illustrious
Filipinos, especially those decreed by General Blanco at the instigation of the Archbishop and the friars
interested in keeping them in ignorance for egoistic and selfish ends, which deportations were carried out
through processes more execrable than those of the Inquisition which every civilized nation repudiates as
a trial without hearing,

Had resolved to start a revolution in August 1896 in order to regain the independence and sovereignty of
which the people had been deprived by Spain through Governor Miguel Lopez de Legazpi who,
continuing the course followed by his predecessor Ferdinand Magellan who landed on the shores of
Cebu and occupied said Island by means of a Pact of Friendship with Chief Tupas, although he was
killed in battle that took place in said shores to which battle he was provoked by Chief Kalipulako of
Mactan who suspected his evil designs, landed on the Island of Bohol by entering also into a Blood
Compact with its Chief Sikatuna, with the purpose of later taking by force the Island of Cebu, and
because his successor Tupas did not allow him to occupy it, he went to Manila, the capital, winning
likewise the friendship of its Chiefs Soliman and Lakandula, later taking possession of the city and the
whole Archipelago in the name of Spain by virtue of an order of King Philip II, and with these historical
precedents and because in international law the prescription established by law to legalize the vicious
acquisition of private property is not recognized, the legitimacy of such revolution can not be put in doubt
which was calmed but not completely stifled by the pacification proposed by Don Pedro A. Paterno with
Don Emilio Aguinaldo as President of the Republic established in Biak-na-Bato and accepted by
Governor-General Don Fernando Primo de Rivera under terms, both written and oral, among them
being a general amnesty for all deported and convicted persons; that by reason of the non-fulfillment of
some of the terms, after the destruction of the Spanish Squadron by the North American Navy, and
bombardment of the plaza of Cavite, Don Emilio Aguinaldo returned in order to initiate a new revolution
and no sooner had he given the order to rise on the 31st of last month when several towns anticipating
the revolution, rose in revolt on the 28th, such that a Spanish contingent of 178 men, between Imus and
Cavite-Viejo, under the command of a major of the Marine Infantry capitulated, the revolutionary
movement spreading like wild fire to other towns of Cavite and the other provinces of Bataan, Pampanga,
Batangas, Bulacan, Laguna, and Morong, some of them with seaports and such was the success of the
victory of our arms, truly marvelous and without equal in the history of colonial revolutions that in the
first mentioned province only the Detachments in Naic and Indang remained to surrender; in the second,
all Detachments had been wiped out; in the third, the resistance of the Spanish forces was localized in the
town of San Fernando where the greater part of them are concentrated, the remainder in Macabebe,
Sexmoan, and Guagua; in the fourth, in the town of Lipa; in the fifth, in the capital and in Calumpit; and
in the last two remaining provinces, only in their respective capitals, and the city of Manila will soon be
besieged by our forces as well as the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pangasinan, La Union, Zambales,
and some others in the Visayas where the revolution at the time of the pacification and others even
before, so that the independence of our country and the revindication of our sovereignty is assured.

And having as witness to the rectitude of our intentions the Supreme Judge of the Universe, and under the
protection of the Powerful and Humanitarian Nation, the United States of America, we do hereby
proclaim and declare solemnly in the name and by authority of the people of these Philippine Islands,

That they are and have the right to be free and independent; that they have ceased to have any allegiance
to the Crown of Spain; that all political ties between them are and should be completely severed and
annulled; and that, like other free and independent States, they enjoy the full power to make War and
Peace, conclude commercial treaties, enter into alliances, regulate commerce, and do all other acts and
things which an Independent State has a right to do,

And imbued with firm confidence in Divine Providence, we hereby mutually bind ourselves to support this
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Declaration with our lives, our fortunes, and with our most sacred possession, our Honor.
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We recognize, approve, and ratify, with all the orders emanating from the same, the Dictatorship
established by Don Emilio Aguinaldo whom we revere as the Supreme Head of this Nation, which today
begins to have a life of its own, in the conviction that he has been the instrument chosen by God, inspite
of his humble origin, to effectuate the redemption of this unfortunate country as foretold by Dr. Don Jose
Rizal in his magnificent verses which he composed in his prison cell prior to his execution, liberating it
from the Yoke of Spanish domination,

And in punishment for the impunity with which the Government sanctioned the commission of abuses by
its officials, and for the unjust execution of Rizal and others who were sacrificed in order to please the
insatiable friars in their hydropical thirst for vengeance against and extermination of all those who
oppose their Machiavellian ends, trampling upon the Penal Code of these Islands, and of those suspected
persons arrested by the Chiefs of Detachments at the instigation of the friars, without any form nor
semblance of trial and without any spiritual aid of our sacred Religion; and likewise, and for the same
ends, eminent Filipino priests, Doctor Don Jose Burgos, Don Mariano Gomez, and Don Jacinto Zamora
were hanged whose innocent blood was shed due to the intrigues of these so-called Religious
corporations which made the authorities to believe that the military uprising at the fort of San Felipe in
Cavite on the night of January 21, 1872 was instigated by those Filipino martyrs, thereby impeding the
execution of the decree-sentence issued by the Council of State in the appeal in the administrative case
interposed by the secular clergy against the Royal Orders that directed that the parishes under them
within the jurisdiction of this Bishopric be turned over to the Recollects in exchange for those controlled
by them in Mindanao which were to be transferred to the Jesuits, thus revoking them completely and
ordering the return of those parishes, all of which proceedings are on file with the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs to which they are sent last month of last year for the issuance of the proper Royal Degree which,
in turn, caused the growth of the tree of liberty in this our dear land that grew more and more through
the iniquitous measures of oppression, until the last drop from our chalice of suffering having been
drained, the first spark of revolution broke out in Caloocan, spread out to Santamesa and continued its
course to the adjoining regions of the province where the unequalled heroism of its inhabitants fought a
onesided battle against superior forces of General Blanco and General Polavieja for a period of three
months, without proper arms nor ammunitions, except bolos, pointed bamboos, and arrows.

Moreover, we confer upon our famous Dictator Don Emilio Aguinaldo all the powers necessary to enable
him to discharge the duties of Government, including the prerogatives of granting pardon and amnesty,

And, lastly, it was resolved unanimously that this Nation, already free and independent as of this day,
must use the same flag which up to now is being used, whose design and colors are found described in
the attached drawing, the white triangle signifying the distinctive emblem of the famous Society of the
"Katipunan" which by means of its blood compact inspired the masses to rise in revolution; the three
stars, signifying the three principal Islands of this Archipelago-Luzon, Mindanao, and Panay where this
revolutionary movement started; the sun representing the gigantic steps made by the sons of the country
along the path of Progress and Civilization; the eight rays, signifying the eight provinces-Manila, Cavite,
Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Laguna, and Batangas - which declared themselves in a state
of war as soon as the first revolt was initiated; and the colors of Blue, Red, and White, commemorating
the flag of the United States of North America, as a manifestation of our profound gratitude towards this
Great Nation for its disinterested protection which it lent us and continues lending us.

And holding up this flag of ours, I present it to the gentlemen here assembled

Don Segundo Arellano, Don Tiburcio del Rosario, Sergio Matias, Don Agapito Zialcita, Don Flaviano
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Alonzo, Don Mariano Legazpi, Don Jose Turiano Santiago y Acosta, Don Aurelio Tolentino, Don Felix
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Ferrer, Don Felipe Buencamino, Don Fernando Canon Faustino, (Hijo), Don Anastacio Pinzun, Don
Timoteo Bernabe, Don Flaviano Rodriguez, Don Gavino (?) Masancay, Don Narciso Mayuga, Don
Gregorio Villa, Don Luis Perez Tagle, Don Canuto Celestino, Don Marcos Jocson, Don Martin de los
Reyes, Don Ciriaco Bausa, Don Manuel Santcs, Don Mariano Toribio, Don Gabriel Reyes, Don Hugo
Lim, Don Emiliano Lim, Don Fausto Tinorio (?), Don Rosendo Simon, Don Leon Tanjanque (?), Don
Gregorio Bonifacio, Don Manuel Salafranca, Don Simon Villareal, Don Calixto Lara, Don
Buenaventura Toribio, Don Zacarias Fajardo, Don Florencio Manalo, Don Roman Gana, Don
Marcelino Gomez, Don Valentin Polintan, Don Felix Polintan, Don Evaristo Dimalanta, Don Gregorio
Alvarez, Don Sabas de Guzman, Don Esteban Francisco, Don Guido Yaptinchay, Don Mariano
Rianzares Bautista, Don Francisco Arambulo, Don Antonio Gonzalez, Don Juan Arevalo, Don Ramon
Delfino, Don Honorio Tiongco, Don Francisco del Rosario, Don Epifanio Saguil, Don Ladislao Afable
Jose, Don Sixto Roldan, Don Luis de Lara, Don Marcelo Basa, Don Jose Medina, Don Epifanio Cirisia
(?), Don Pastor Lopez de Leon, Don Mariano de los Santos, Don Santiago Garcia, Don Claudio Tria
Tirona, Don Estanislao Tria Tirona, Don Daniel Tria Tirona, Don Andres Tria Tirona, Don Carlos Tria
Tirona, Don Sulpicio P. Antony, Don Epitacio Asuncion, Don Catalino Ramon, Don Juan Bordador, Don
Jose del Rosario, Don Proceso Pulido, Don Jose Maria del Rosario, Don Ramon Magcamco (?), Don
Antonio Calingo, Don Pedro Mendiola, Don Estanislao Galinco, Don Numeriano Castillo, Don Federico
Tomacruz, Don Teodoro Yatco, Don Ladislao Diwa (?), and all swore solemnly to recognize it and
defend it to the last drop of our blood.

In witness thereof, I certify that this Act of Declaration of Independence was signed by me and by all
those here assembled including the only stranger who attended those proceedings, a citizen of the U.S.A.,
Mr. L. M. Johnson, a Coronel of Artillery.

Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, born on December 7, 1830, was a lawyer and served as
Aguinaldo’s adviser. He wrote and read the Declaration of Philippine Independence (Acta de la
proclamación de independencia del pueblo Filipino) in Spanish during the said proclamation event held
on June 12, 1898, at the ancestral home of Emilio Aguinaldo in Cavite. Sulpicio Guevara translated the
document. The proclamation event witnessed the waving of the Philippine national flag and the
performance of the country’s national anthem (known today as Lupang Hinirang). Contrary to popular
belief, Bautista, not Aguinaldo, waved the Philippine flag before the crowd during the proclamation
event. Moreover, the Philippine flag was waved from a window, not on a balcony, of Aguinaldo’s house.
Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista died on December 4, 1903.

The struggle for Philippine independence was long. Throughout the country's 333 years history of
Spanish colonization, several disunited uprisings were staged to challenge Spain’s rule. Not until the
1900s did the movements against Spanish colonial rule become more unified due to the intensified desire
for self-determination brought by nationalism. These movements culminated in the Philippine Revolution
of 1896. However, after much warfare, which reached a stalemate, the parties agreed upon the pact of
Biak-na-Bato. The said agreement resulted in Aguinaldo being sent into exile in Hong Kong. In 1898,
Aguinaldo returned to the Philippines and established a revolutionary government. Although the fighting
continued, the proclamation of Philippine independence took place on June 12, 1898, in Cavite.

The Philippine Declaration of Independence was first approved on August 1, 1898, when
numerous towns were already organized under Aguinaldo’s dictatorial government, and was officially
approved on September 29, 1898, by the Malolos Congress after some modifications to the original
proclamation.

After the revolutionary government proclaimed Philippine independence on June 12, 1898, the
Philippine Republic was officially inaugurated in 1899 in Malolos, Bulacan. However, Spain and the
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United States did not recognize the Philippine declaration of independence. Instead of acknowledging the
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Philippine independence, the United States annexed the Philippines after Spain ceded the Philippines to
them under the 1898 Treaty of Paris, which concluded the Spanish American War. The annexation
resulted in the Philippine-American War, which ended in 1902, with the Philippines becoming a colony
of the United States.

The struggle for Philippine independence continued. In 1916, the Jones Law (Philippine
Autonomy Act of 1916) was passed, which promised independence to the Philippines once Filipinos had
proven that they were capable of self-governance. Later, independence missions were regularly sent to the
United States.

In 1934, the Tydings-McDuffie Law allowed the Philippines to draft a constitution and establish a
Commonwealth government. Accordingly, after completing the 10-year autonomous governance, the
United States would grant the Philippines independence on July 4, 1946.

However, World War II broke out and reached the Philippines in 1941 when the Japanese
decimated the US naval and air forces in the country. For three years, the Philippines was under the
control of the Japanese. In 1943, the Japanese symbolically granted the Philippines its independence by
establishing a government headed by a Filipino president.

The Philippines was liberated from the Japanese in 1945. On July 4 of the following year, the
United States granted the Philippines its independence. Since then, the Philippine Independence Day has
been commemorated every 4th of July. However, in 1962 President Diosdado Macapagal moved the
Philippine Independence Day back to June 12 through Proclamation 28. In relation to this, two years later,
RA 4166 was enacted, and its contents are as follows:

REPUBLIC ACT No. 4166

AN ACT CHANGING THE DATE OF PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE DAY FROM JULY FOUR
TO JUNE TWELVE, AND DECLARING JULY FOUR AS PHILIPPINE REPUBLIC DAY,
FURTHER AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTION TWENTY-NINE OF THE REVISED
ADMINISTRATIVE CODE.

Section 1. The twelfth day of June is hereby proclaimed as the Philippine Independence Day, and all
citizens of the Philippines are enjoined to observe such day with rites befitting Independence Day.

Section 2. Section twenty-nine of the Revised Administrative Code, as amended, is further amended to
read as follows:

"Sec. 29. Legal Holidays. Thursday and Friday of Holy Week, Christmas Day, and Sundays are legal
religious holidays.

"The legal holidays are: the first of January, the ninth of April, the first of May, the twelfth of June
(Independence Day), the fourth of July (Philippine Republic Day), the thirtieth of November, the thirtieth
of December, and the day appointed by law for the holding of a general election: Provided, however,
That when any regular holiday of fixed date falls on Sunday, the next succeeding day shall be observed as
legal holiday."

Section 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

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Approved: August 4, 1964

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References

Acta de la proclamación de independencia del pueblo Filipino. (2015). In V. Almario (Ed.), Sagisag
Kultura (Vol 1). Manila: National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Retrieved
from https://philippineculturaleducation.com.ph/acta-de-la-proclamacion-de-independencia-del-
pueblo-filipino/
Contributors to Wikimedia projects. (n.d.). Philippine Declaration of Independence. Wikisource, the Free
Online Library. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Philippine_Declaration_of_Independence
GMA News. (2022, June 10). #KuyaKimAnoNa?: Kauna-unahang watawat na iwinagayway sa Kawit,
Cavite noong June 12. . . | 24 Oras [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=nNr7CRZVYQA
GMA News Online. (2022, June 11). Who waved the Philippine flag on June 12, 1898? It’s not Emilio
Aguinaldo | Lifestyle |. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/artandculture/834627/who-
waved-the-philippine-flag-in-june-12-1898-it-s-not-emilio-aguinaldo/story/
Jose, R. T. (2021). July 4, 1946: The Philippines Gained Independence from the United States. The
National WWII Museum | New Orleans. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/july-
4-1946-philippines-independence
Limos, M. A. (2019). Why the Philippines’ Independence Day is on June 12, Not July 4. Esquire.
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/why-philippines-independence-day-is-on-june-12-
a00293-20190607-lfrm?fbclid=IwAR1Fo-
XrtDLAp9n_pzZjJVOXQ9Rp4s4LzjHIraSSOGf3gJJj67Ol8cl5JGU
Makabenta, Y. (2022, June 13). The shift from July 4 to June 12: Historical rectification, not revisionism.
The Manila Times. https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/06/14/opinion/columns/the-shift-from-
july-4-to-june-12-historical-rectification-not-revisionism/1847300
Philippine flag. (n.d.). [Image]. WorldAtlas. https://www.worldatlas.com/flags/philippines
Proclamation of Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite, June 12, 1898. (2020). [Image].
https://www.usphsociety.org/2020/06/09/weekly-series-reflections-on-june-12-1898-philippine-
declaration-of-independence-amid-a-dangerous-international-environment/
Republic Act No. 4166. (n.d.). The LAWPHiL Project.
https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1964/ra_4166_1964.html
The Corpus Juris. (n.d.). Declaration of Independence.
https://thecorpusjuris.com/constitutions/declaration-of-independence.php
The Philippine Declaration of Independence. (2006). Filipino Librarian.
http://filipinolibrarian.blogspot.com/2006/07/philippine-declaration-of-independence_05.html
Today in Philippie History, December 7, 1830, Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, lawyer and Gen. Emilio
Aguinaldo’s confidante, was born in Biñan, Laguna. (n.d.). The Kahimyang Project.
https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/799/today-in-philippie-history-december-7-1830-
ambrosio-rianzares-bautista-lawyer-and-gen-emilio-aguinaldo-s-confidante-was-born-in-bi-an-
laguna
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