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Declaration of Philippine Independence
Philippine History (Kas 1)
University of the Philippines System
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College of Nursing
Readings in Philippine History Group Activity #
Context Analysis: Documents of the 1898 Declaration of Philippine Independence, The Malolos Constitution and the First Philippine Republic
BSN 1-H
Group No. 5 Members: Cabral, Steven Capulong, Alani Crizel Delos Santos, Sophia Rose Suba, Angelica Nicole
Ms. Sharmaine Vianne Gonzales January 14, 2018
I. Background of the Author/Creator A. Declaration of the Philippine Independence – Written by Ambrocio Rianzares Bautista
Name: Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista Born: 7 December 1830 at Biñan, Laguna, Captaincy General of the Philippines Died: 4 December 1903 (aged 72) Other name(s): Don Bosyong Alma mater: University of Santo Tomas Occupation: Lawyer
Known for: Author of the Declaration of Philippine Independence
Other Facts: A distant relative of the Rizal family, Bautista frequently provided advice to Philippine national hero José Rizal during his school days in Manila
Bautista solicited funds to finance a campaign for reforms in the Philippines, later becoming a member of the La Liga Filipina, Cuerpo de Compromisarios and La Propaganda. In 1896, the Spaniards arrested and imprisoned him at Fort Santiago, as he was suspected of being involved in the Philippine Revolution; Bautista elected to defend himself and was later released from prison.
In 1898, Bautista became the first adviser to President Emilio Aguinaldo and subsequently wrote the Declaration of Philippine Independence.
Contrary to common belief, it was Bautista, and not Aguinaldo, who waved the Philippine flag before the jubilant crowd on June 12, 1898, during the Philippines Proclamation of Independence in Cavite.
On July 14, 1899, Bautista was elected to the position of president in Tarlac's Revolutionary Congress and was later appointed judge of the Court of First Instance of Pangasinan
B. The Malolos Constitution – Written by Felipe Calderón y Roca and Felipe Buencamino Name: Felipe Gonzáles Calderón y Roca
As a judge for the Spanish government, he had once wrote to a governor-general exhorting “death to the traitors who disturb our public peace and tranquillity.” When the Revolution broke out, he initially sided with the Spanish but switched to the Filipino camp after being imprisoned by the former in Cavite. He later became a member of Aguinaldo’s own Cabinet and was even one of the framers of the Malolos Constitution.
However, the arrival of the Americans obliged him to switch sides yet again, earning him and his fellow Americanistas the ire of the revolutionaries. In fact, during a Cabinet meeting, the notoriously hot-headed nationalist General Antonio Luna slapped Buencamino square in the face and called him a coward for proposing to negotiate with the Americans. The two would later meet again in a heated confrontation two weeks later on June 5, 1899—the day Luna was assassinated. (From Filipiknow)
II. Historical Background of the Document/Source A. Declaration of the Philippine Independence
The Act of Declaration of Philippine Independence was written and was read by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista in Spanish and translated by Sulpicio Guevara. It was written to use for the declaration of freedom of the Philippines after the war against America and Spain. The declaration was signed by 98 persons and at the end of it, emphasizing an American present in there with no official role. It is said that there are American army officer who witnessed. The main reason for having the declaration is to symbolize that Philippines has the right to be independent and free from the Spaniards and is no longer tied politically with them.
With a government in operation, Aguinaldo thought that it was necessary to declare the independence of the Philippines. He believed that such a move would inspire the people to fight more eagerly against the Spaniards and at the same time, lead the foreign countries to recognize the independence of the country. Mabini, who had by now been made Aguinaldo's unofficial adviser, objected. He based his objection on the fact that it was more important to reorganize the government in such a manner as to convince the foreign powers of the competence and stability of the new government than to proclaim Philippine independence at such an early period. Aguinaldo, however, stood his ground and won.
On June 12, between four and five in the afternoon, Aguinaldo, in the presence of a huge crowd, proclaimed the independence of the Philippines at Cavite el Viejo (Kawit). For the first time, the Philippine National Flag, made in Hongkong by Mrs. Marcela Agoncillo, assisted by Lorenza Agoncillo and Delfina Herboza, was officially hoisted and the Philippine National March played in public. The Act of the Declaration of Independence was prepared by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, who also read it. A passage in the Declaration reminds one of another passage in the American Declaration of Independence. The Philippine Declaration was signed by ninety-eight persons, among them an American army officer who witnessed the proclamation. The
proclamation of Philippine independence was, however, promulgated on August 1 when many towns has already been organized under the riles laid down by the Dictatorial Government.
(From: History of the Filipino People. Teodoro A. Agoncillo)
The most significant achievement of Aguinaldo's Dictatorial Government was the proclamation of Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite, on June 12, 1898. The day was declared a national holiday. Thousands of people from the provinces gathered in Kawit to witness the historic event. The ceremony was solemnly held at the balcony of General Emilio Aguinaldo's residence. The military and civil officials of the government were in attendance.
A dramatic feature of the ceremony was the formal unfurling of the Filipino flag amidst the cheers of the people. At the same time, the Philippine National Anthem was played by the band. Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista solemnly read the "Act of the Declaration of Independence" which he himself wrote. The declaration was signed by 98 persons. One of the signers was an American, L. Johnson, Colonel of Artillery.
(From The Philippines: A Unique Nation. Dr. Sonia M. Zaide)
B. The Malolos Constitution
After returning to the islands, Aguinaldo wasted little time in setting up an independent government. On June 12, 1898, a declaration of independence, modeled on the American one, was proclaimed at his headquarters in Cavite. It was at this time that Apolinario Mabini, a lawyer and political thinker, came to prominence as Aguinaldo's principal adviser. Born into a poor indio family but educated at the University of Santo Tomás, he advocated "simultaneous external and internal revolution," a philosophy that unsettled the more conservative landowners and ilustrados who initially supported Aguinaldo. For Mabini, true independence for the Philippines would mean not simply liberation from Spain (or from any other colonial power) but also educating the people for self-government and abandoning the paternalistic, colonial mentality that the Spanish had cultivated over the centuries. Mabini's The True Decalogue, published in July 1898 in the form of ten commandments, used this medium, somewhat paradoxically, to promote critical thinking and a reform of customs and attitudes. His Constitutional Program for the Philippine Republic, published at the same time, elaborated his ideas on political institutions.
On September 15, 1898, a revolutionary congress was convened at Malolos, a market town located thirty-two kilometers north of Manila, for the purpose of drawing up a constitution for the new republic. A document was approved by the congress on November 29, 1898. Modeled
proclamation that condemned "violent and aggressive seizure" by the United States and threatened war.
(From U. Library of Congress)
III. Content Presentation & Analysis A. Content Presentation The two documents that we will be tackling are The Act of Declaration of Philippine Independence and the Malolos Constitution. These two document played a massive role in shaping Philippines, from a former colony, to a sovereign nation.
The first document, The Act of Declaration of Philippine Independence, written by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, shows how unsatisfied are the masses to the unjust and tyrannical rule of Spain in the Philippines. It also contains a brief history of the hardships of the Philippines under the Spaniards, and using it as a justification for cutting or ceasing their allegiance to the Spanish crown. Additionally, the document granted Emilio Aguinaldo, the power to run the government, as stated in the following passage as translated by Sulpicio Guevara, “ 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 .” Lastly, this document introduced and provided a brief background of our national flag.
The second document, The Malolos Constitution, served us the foundation of the first republic of the Philippines. It contains the fundamental principles and basic laws of the state. Its contents are separated into 14 Titles which consist of the following, Title I: On the Republic, Title II: On the Government, Title III: On Religion, Title IV: On the Filipinos and their National and Individual Rights, Title IV: On Legislative Power, Title VI: On the Permanent Commission, Title VII: On Executive Power, Title VIII: On the President of the Republic, Title IX: On the Secretaries of Government, Title X: On Judicial Power, Title XI: On Provincial and Popular Assemblies, Title XII: On the Administration of the State, Title XIII: On Constitutional Reform, Title XIV: On Constitutional Observance and Oath of Office, and on Languages. These titles are further subdivided into articles which are too many to be listed here.
The following are some of the notable articles from the Malolos constitution. Article 4 which separates the government into 3 distinct powers, the Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary and it also prohibits a single person from taking control over the three branches. Article 5, under this article, the people are given freedom to choose their own religion and It calls for the separation of the church and state. Article 6 contains the condition of citizenship, according to it, a person is considered a Filipino if he/ she is born in the Philippines, even if a child is born in another country but his/her parents are Filipino, the child is considered Filipino, and lastly, if a foreigner obtained a certificate of naturalization. Lastly, Article 14, this protects a Filipino from
being prosecuted or sentenced by anyone except the judge or the court as long as it is in accordance to the law.
B. Analysis In order to analyze the first document, we will be comparing it to the American Declaration of Independence. Both of them provides a brief history about the experiences under colonialism and how they fought against oppression. Both also share the same goal of achieving independence and liberty from the colonial rulers however, Unlike the American Declaration of Independence, which did not put emphasis or revere their leader, our declaration of Independence reveres Aguinaldo as an instrument of God and upon reading the entire text, there is not even a single time that Andres Bonifacio was mentioned even though he started the revolution.
For the second document, most sources say that it is patterned to the 1812 constitution of Spain, there is no available document online that contains its contents which is a bit unfortunate. However, based on the text alone, it is clear that the purpose of the constitution is to provide the foundation of our state especially during its infancy.
IV. Contributions and Relevance of the Document/Source in Understanding the Grand Narrative of Philippine History The documents assigned to us could easily be regarded as the soul of our history books. These documents are the tangible proof of the blood, sweat and tears that our beloved countrymen fought for—the freedom that’s been denied from Filipinos for centuries and would’ve been more if it weren’t for the fiery rage of our heroes towards the colonizers who raped the country against its will. The two documents, namely, “The Declaration of the Philippine Independence” and “The Malolos Constitution” gave a significant turn towards the ideal government and nation that its sons could not only die for, but also live for. If only that today’s Filipinos could take a moment to appreciate what they’ve been taking for granted for the years they’ve been living free from that of what our predecessors experienced as to understand the grand narrative that our nation’s history has.
For years, the students are being taught about how bad the situation was back then when the west civilization literally stepped on the “Pearl of the Orient”. Way before the Day of the Philippine Independence, there’s been numerous battles being fought by the Filipinos. They’ve been betrayed, mistreated, slaved, abused, bullied, raped, and killed but what matters most for most Filipinos these days is that the heroes managed to get us all out of it. They don’t realize that there’s a story behind that which bring us to the document “The Declaration of the Philippine Independence” which was written by Ambrocio Rianzares Bautista, a war counselor.
Declaration of Philippine Independence
Course: Philippine History (Kas 1)
University: University of the Philippines System
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