THE ACT OF

PROCLAMATION OF
INDEPENDENCE OF
THE PEOPLE
(ACTA DE LA PROCLAMACION DE LA INEDEPENDENCIA
DEL PUEBLO FILIPINO)
 HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The first phase of the Philippine Revolution
ended in a stalemate between the Spaniards and
the Filipino rebels. In December 1837, a truce
was declared between the two forces with the
Filipino leaders led by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo,
agreeing to be exiled to Hong Kong while the
Spaniards paid an indemnity for the damages
caused as a result of the conflict. The truce,
however lasted for only a few months before it
collapsed.
Even before the Battle of Manila in 1898,
Aguinaldo had already been meeting with the
Americans in Singapore. He talked with consul
E. Spencer Pratt regarding US-Filipino
collaboration against the Spaniards before he
went back to Hong Kong to meet up with
Commodore George Dewey, commander of the
Asiatic Fleet. Unfortunately, Dewey had
already left for the Philippines to attack the
Spanish fleet following America’s declaration
of war against Spain in April.
Aguinaldo remained in Hong Kong and
met with the American consul General
Rounseville Wildman. He paid Wildman
a total of P117,000 to purchase rifles
and ammunition. A first shipment
worth P50,000 was made but the other
half was never delivered. Wildman
never returned the money given to him.
On May 19, 1898, Aguinaldo finally returned to
the Philippines on board the U.S cruiser
McCulloch. Aguinaldo conferred with Dewey on
Philippine conditions and was supplied with arms
captured from the Spaniards. From his
headquarters in Cavite, Aguinaldo announced the
resumption of the revolution against the
Spaniards, thus beginning the second phase of the
revolution. The Filipinos immediately flocked to
the province to join the army. By the end of May,
Aguinaldo was in command of an army of 12,000
troops.
On May 28, the Filipino forces won their first victory in
Alapan, Imus. The newly-made Filipino was hoisted in
Alapan then later unfurled at the Teatro Caviteno in
Cavite Nuevo (now Cavite City) in front of the Filipinos
and captured Spanish soldiers. A group of American
officers and soldiers also witnessed the ceremony.

Earlier on May 24, Aguinaldo announced the creation of

the dictatorial government. The formation of this type of
rule was a necessity when the growing nation needed a
strong leader. He emphasized that the dictatorship was
only temporary as it would be a prelude to the
establishment of a republican form of government.
On June 12 1898, Aguinaldo declared
Philippine independence from Spanish rule at a
ceremony in his house in Kawit, Cavite.
Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista read the
declaration that was later signed by the 177
persons, including an American military officer.
The Philippine National Anthem, then known as
“ Marcha Nacional Filipina” composed by
Julian Felipe, was played by the Banda de San
Francisco de Malabon and the Philippine flag
was again unfurled.
Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista
-The actual author of the
proclamation

Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo

- He is the initiator of Philippine
independence that led to the making
of the proclamation
Emilio Aguinaldo
 born on March 22, 1869 in Kawit, Cavite
(Cavite el Viejo)
 second to the youngest of 8 children of Carlos
Aguinaldo and Trinidad Famy.

The Aguinaldos were a wealthy and influential

family with Carlos being gobernadorcillo for
several terms. Following his father’s death in
1883, Emilio assisted his mother in the family
business and worked to help earn the family
income.
 Chosen as a Capitan municipal of Kawit in
1894

 He joined the Katipunan choosing the name

Magdalo ( the other was the Magdiwang) w/c he
set up in his province.

In 1896, he ask for help from Supremo Andres

Bonifacio in settling the conflict.
However, only worsened the situation & the
only solution the 2 fractions saw was to create a
revolutionary government.
Elections for a pamahalaang panghihimagsik
were held in Barrio Tejeros, san Francisco de
Malabon ( now General Trias) on March 22,
1897.

President: Emilio Aguinaldo

Vice Pres.: Mariano Trias
Captain General: Artemio Ricarte
Director of War: Emiliano Riego de Dios
Director of the Interior: Andres Bonifacio
In May 10, 1897 the Supremo Andres Bonifacio
was found guilty and was executed together with
his brother Procorpio.

The internal dissent caused by Bonifacio’s death

weakened the Katipunan further. The Spanish
troops regained Cavite and Aguinaldo was
forced to retreat to the mountains of Biak-na-
Bato. But the Spaniards soon realized that going
after the rebels in their mountain hideout was
futile.
A stalemate ensued broken only by a truce proposal to
w/c the rebels agreed. In exchange for an indemnity,
amnesty and colonial reform, Aguinaldo and his
officers went into exile in Hong Kong in December
1897.

The Spanish-American War in 1898 eventually

changed Philippine history. After the Americans won
the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898, Aguinaldo returned
to the Philippines w/ their help and announced the
resumption of the revolution against Spain. After
winning several victories against the Spaniards, he
declared Philippine independence on June 12, 1898.
But the Filipinos soon realized that the
Americans were to become their new
colonizers. After the Spanish defeat in 1898,
the United States began to send fresh troops to
the Philippines. In 1898, Aguinaldo convened
a Congress in Malolos, Bulacan in a w/c the
delegates wrote a Constitution and established
the Philippine Republic w/ Aguinaldo as
President in January 1899.
Three weeks later, the continuing friction w/
the Americans erupted into a conflict in
February 1899. The Philippine-American War
eventually ended in 1901 w/ the capture of
Aguinaldo. Soon after, he pledged allegiance
to the United States and returned to private
life on his family farm. He briefly hugged the
limelight when he ran for the presidency of
the Philippine Commonwealth but lost to
Manuel L. Quezon.
Aguinaldo was charged w/
collaboration by the Americans for
helping the Japanese during World War
II but was later freed in a general
amnesty. As a private citizen, he
devoted his time to the cause of veteran
revolucionarios until his death at the
age of 94 on February 6, 1964.
On June 10, 1896, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo appoint
his Auditor General of War, Ambrosio Rianzares
Bautista as a “special commissioner” to write the:

Act of the Declaration of the Independence

• 16 page document that contained the aspirations of
freedom from Spanish rule, the sacrifices made, and
the revolution that resulted from it.
• It was read in Kawit in the afternoon of the
celebration of the declaration of independence.
• Copies of the documents were made and
distributed. However, there was a problem
in determining how many witnesses really
signed the declaration.
•The copies classified under Philippine
Revolutionary Papers (PRP) in the National
Library had varying numbers.
•Later research by historian-writer Jim
Richardson placed the total number of
signees at 177.