READINGS IN

PHILIPPINE HISTORY
Objectives
◦ Discuss how birth of a nation reflected and influenced racial attitudes
◦ Learn and evaluates the political, social, and economic freedom in the
Philippines
Proclamation of the Philippine Independence

◦ June 12,1898, between four and five in the afternoon, General Aguinaldo before
a huge crowd proclaimed the independence of the Philippines in Kawit, Cavite.

◦ Dona Marcela Marino Agoncillo, assisted by her daughter Lorenza and Mrs.
Delfina Herbosa de Natividad (niece of Dr. Rizal) had sewn the flag in Hong
Kong. General Aguinaldo made its design
◦ The national anthem titled, Marcha National Filipina (formerly Marcha Filipina
Magdalo, named after Aguinaldo's nom de guerre and his Katipunan faction)
composed by Julian Felipe, was played by the town band of San Francisco de
Malabon (now General Trias) whose members had learned the music just a day
before the occasion (at present, Republic Act 8491 provides the rules and
guidelines on the proper display and use of the Philippine flag, as well as the
singing of the National Anthem and the prohibited acts on its use).

◦ In 1896, Andres Bonifacio favored Julio Nakpil's Marangal na Dalit ng

Katagalugan to be the himno national (national hymn) of the revolution. Since
◦ The Act of the / declaration of Philippine Independence was
solemnly read by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, which he himself
wrote.
◦ Included in this document was the explanation for the design and
color of the flag. The declaration was signed by 98 people with
one of them an American - L. M. Johnson, Colonel of Artillery.
After the proclamation of Philippine Independence, Apolinario
Mabini became the adviser of General Aguinaldo. Upon Mabini's
advice, Gen. Aguinaldo changed the form of government from
dictatorial to revolutionary. Thus, Aguinaldo became the President
of the Revolutionary Government.
The Incredulous Battle of Manila

◦ August 13, 1898 - when the sham Battle of Manila began after Dewey's naval gun
bombarded Fort San Antonio Abad near the Luneta. At about 11:20 a.m., the
Spaniards had already raised the flag of surrender.
◦ General Greene only noticed the flag at around noontime.
◦ The American troops entered the city gates after which they closed it. At around five
in the afternoon the terms of capitulation were resolved.
◦ The Spanish authorities decided to surrender the Spanish troops and the Filipino
volunteers within the Walled City.
◦ The Americans agreed to secure the city, including its inhabitants and churches.
Although some 12,000 Filipinos had taken part in the siege of Manila, the Americans
did not allow them to enter the city and its suburbs, even if unarmed.
March 2,1901 - the military government in the Philippines ended when the United
States Congress enacted the Army Appropriations Act. This law carried the Spooner
Amendment, which removed from the United States President the final authority to
govern the Philippines, instead this power was to be exercised by the United States
Congress through the President. After the fall of Manila, General Diego de los Rios
became the governor general. He became the last Spanish governor general of the
Philippines.
◦ August 28, 1898 - he transferred his headquarters to Iloilo and took command of the
Spanish forces. But the Visayans led by General Martin Delgado forced Governor de
los Rios to leave Iloilo on December 24 for Zamboanga.
◦ The next day after the Spanish forces evacuated Iloilo City, Visayan patriots under
General Martin Delgado occupied it
◦ May 19, 1899- the American troops occupied Jolo, displacing the Spanish garrison
of Governor General de los Rios in Zamboanga. Meanwhile, in Baler (then part of
Nueva Ecija, now Aurora), the Spanish soldiers led by Lt. Martin Cerezo, continued
to fight for their country, unaware that Spain had lost its fight in the Philippines.
Suffering from scarcity of provisions and continuous assaults, the soldiers held fort
in the Church of Baler and refused to surrender.
◦ June 2, 1899- 33 Spanish soldiers marched out of the church, ending their 337 days
of encirclement and siege by superior Filipino forces. The siege of Baler, that
highlighted the gallantry of both Filipino and Spanish soldiers, ended on June
30,1899 (now Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day pursuant to Republic Act No.
9187).
◦ In November 1899, all Spanish forces were shipped to Spain.
December 10, 1898 – signed the pull out of Spanish military in the Philippines was provided in the
Treaty of Paris.
The treaty negotiations were initiated by Spanish and American representatives. It provided for the
Spanish withdrawal from Cuba, leaving the island temporarily to America.

The Teller Amendment, passed when the U.S. declared war against Spain, prevented the United
States from taking Cuba. Spain had to cede the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico to the United
States, which in turn paid Spain the sum of $20 million.
The civil and political status of the inhabitants in the ceded territories was to be determined by the
U.S. Congress. With their impending defeat from the United States, Spain signed the treaty. US
Secretary of State John Hay, in behalf of the US government handed to Spanish commission member
Jules Cambon the $20 million sum as payment to Spain for the Philippines. Before the signing of the
Treaty of Paris, President McKinley said he did not know what to do with the Philippines and added
that one night he prayed to God to give him guidance. At that time, he was surrounded by men, which
constituted pressure groups in the field of business, the military and naval group, and the religious.
 The Malolos Republic
◦ Aguinaldo refused to acknowledge American control in the country. He had
already been preparing the foundation of a republican state. He wanted a
government without foreign supervision. A number of Filipinos had shown
support for autonomy.
oSeptember 15,1898 - the Revolutionary Congress was inaugurated at the
Barasoain Church in Malolos amidst colorful festivities. Outside the church
Banda Pasig played the national anthem. Spectators lined the streets as
President Aguinaldo, his advisers and members of the Congress walked to the
church where the ceremonies were to be held.
◦ President Aguinaldo sat with his cabinet facing delegates on both sides of the
aisle. The Congress adopted the parliamentary rules of the Spanish Cortes. In
the afternoon, the Congress elected the following officers:
◦ Pedro Paterno - President
◦ Benito Legarda - Vice-President
◦ Gregorio Araneta - Secretary
◦ Pablo Tecson - Secretary (who replaced Araneta)
◦ Pablo Ocampo – Secretary
◦ A total of 93 representatives took part in the Congress, 35 of them were
directly elected. Many of them were holders of academic degrees from
universities in Europe
◦ September 29, 1898 - the Declaration of Philippine Independence made on June 12, 1898 in Kawit was
confirmed in special ceremonies.
◦ The declaration was not recognized by the United States and Spain since the Spanish government ceded the
Philippines to the American government in the 1898 Treaty of Paris in consideration for an indemnity for
Spanish expenses and assets lost. In the following month, the Congress authorized the Executive to float a
domestic loan of 20 million pesos redeemable in 40 years, to support the new government.
◦ . Article 5, Title III of the draft became the most debatable.
◦ This refers to religion and the separation of Church and State. Tomas del Rosario, one of those who figured
prominently in the conference, spoke in favor of the principle of separation of Church and State; while Felipe
Calderon, on the contrary position wanted to make Catholicism the state religion.
◦ After the members of the Congress voted for it, the result was a tie. The second voting resulted to the
separation of Church and State, winning by only one vote given by Pablo Tecson. On whether or not Church
and State should be united showed the democratic orientation of the delegates.
◦ Though the Malolos Congress formally separated church and state - by the narrowest vote possible - the
revolutionary experience did not establish a tradition barring Filipino clergy from politics
◦ Finally, on January 21, 1899, President Aguinaldo proclaimed the Malolos Constitution as the fundamental law
of the land. Then on January 23, the First Philippine Republic was inaugurated amidst festive ceremonies at the
Barasoain Church. It was popularly known as the Malolos Republic.
◦ Amidst the inaugural rites, President Aguinaldo issued a decree granting pardon to all Spanish prisoners of war,
except to members of the Spanish regular army. He also gave the Spaniards as well as other foreigners the right
to engage in business within the limits of the Republic.

◦ For Mabini, true independence would not simply mean liberation from Spain but also educating- the people for
autonomy and refraining from colonial mentality. Thus, the Malolos Congress had set up educational
institutions.
◦ A system of free and compulsory elementary education was provided for by the Malolos Constitution. A
college for boys called Burgos Institute was established in Malolos under Enrique Mendiola, with a regular
academic course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Arts and special vocational courses in agriculture,
commerce, and surveying. The girls learned their lessons at home under private tutors. They were conferred the
degree of Bachelor of Arts after passing the government examination.
◦ In Mindanao, Spanish colonial rule particularly ended in Butuan, Agusan del
Norte with the hoisting of the Philippine flag. Butuan was then the military capital
of the province of Surigao. Emissaries of the Revolutionary Government led by
Wenceslao Gonzales proclaimed a Philippine Republic in Butuan on January
17,1899.
◦ Four flags were hoisted on that day: the tricolor flag of the Philippine Revolution,
the white flag of surrender, the national flag of Spain, and the Pontifical flag.
These flags were symbols of the forces operating in the Philippines at that time.
◦ The Malolos Republic is the first Republic in Asia. The new government has
empowered the people to choose their representatives to create laws beneficial for
the nation. The decisions of the members of the Congress became the cornerstone
of democracy. It has manifested the capability of the Filipinos to govern in the
midst of turbulent times. At a time when most of Asia was still under colonial
power, the Philippines stood out as a beam of hope
 First Philippine Republic (January 23, 1899 – March 23, 1901)

◦ The Philippine Republic (Spanish: República Filipina; Filipino: Repúblikáng Pilipino), more commonly
known as the First Philippine Republic or the Malolos Republic, was a nascent revolutionary
government in the Philippines. It was formally established with the proclamation of the Malolos
Constitution on January 21, 1899, in Maloloss, Bulacan, and endured until the capture of President
Emilio Aguinaldo by the American forces on March 23, 1901, in Palanan, Isabela, which effectively
dissolved the First Republic.
◦ It was established after the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire (1896–1897) and the
Spanish-American War between Spain and the United States (1898). Following the American victory at
the Battle of Manila Bay, Aguinaldo returned to the Philippines, issued the Philippine Declaration of
Independence on June 12, 1898, and established a revolutionary Philippine government. In December
1898, Soveriegnty over the Philippines was transferred from Spain to the United States in the 1898
Treaty of Paris, making the United States formally the Philippines colonial power.
◦ The Malolos Constitution establishing the First Philippine Republic was proclaimed the following
month. The Philippine-American War began in February 1899, which the Philippine Republic lost.
◦ The Philippine Republic was the first constitutional republic in Asia.
◦ On December 10, 1898, the 1898 Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the Spanish-American War and
transferring the Philippines from Spain to the United States.

◦ The Malolos Constituion written by the congress was proclaimed on January 22, 1899, creating what is
known today as the First Philippine Republic, with Aguinaldo as its president.
◦ The constitution was approved by delegates to the Malolos Congress on January 20, 1899, and
sanctioned by Aguinaldo the next day. The convention had earlier elected Aguinaldo president on January
1, 1899, leading to his inauguration on January 23. Parts of the constitution gave Aguinaldo the power to
rule by decree. The constitution was titled "Constitución política", and was written in Spanish.
Philippine–American War
◦ When the First Philippine Republic was constituted on January 22, 1899 in Malolos, that municipality
became the seat of government of the Philippine Republic, and was serving as such when hostilities
erupted between U.S. and Filipino forces in the Second Battle of Manila on February 4. On February 4,
1899, armed conflict erupted in Manila between Philippine Republic forces and American forces
occupying the city subsequent to the conclusion of the Spanish-American War.
◦ That day President Aguinaldo issued a proclamation ordering and commanding that peace and friendly
relations with the Americans be broken and that the latter be treated as enemies, within the limits
prescribed by the laws of war. The fighting quickly escalated into the Second Battle of Manila, with
Philippine Republic forces being driven out of the city
 1899-1901 1935-1944 1944-1946
Emilio Aguinaldo Manuel L. Quezon Sergio S.Osmeba
Revolutionary Govt Commonwealth Period Commonwealth Period
 Second Philippine Republic (October 14, 1943 – August 17, 1945)

The Second Philippine Republic, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines
It also known as the Japanese-sponsored Philippine Republic, was a puppet state established
on October 14, 1943, during the Japanese occupation.
After the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, President Manuel L.. Quezon had declared the
national capital Manila an “ open city", and left it under the rule of Jorge B. Vargas, as mayor. The
Japanese
. entered the city on January 2, 1942, and established it as the capital. Japan fully captured the
Philippines on May 6, 1942, after the Battle Corregidor.
General Masaharu Homma decreed the dissolution of the Commonwealth of the Philippines and
established the Philippine Executive Commission, a caretaker government, with Vargas as its first
chairman in January 1942. KALIBAPI — Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod sa Bagong
Pilipinas (TaGALOG for the "Association for Service to the New Philippines") — was formed by
Proclamation No. 109 of the Philippine Executive Commission (Komisyong Tagapagpaganap ng
Pilipinas), a piece of legislation passed on December 8, 1942, banning all existing political parties
and creating the new governing alliance. Its first director-general was Benigno Aquino, Sr. The pro-
Japanese Ganap Party, which saw the Japanese as the saviors of the archipelago, was absorbed into
the KALIBAPI
Problems of the Republic
◦ During his term in office, Laurel was faced with various
problems that the country was experiencing, such as the
following:
◦ Shortages of food, clothing, oil, and other necessities
◦ Heavy Japanese military presence throughout the entire
region
◦ Japanese control of transportation, media, and
communications
◦ Laurel attempted to show that the independence of the
republic was genuine by rectifying these problems.

1943-1945
Jose P. Laurel
Japanese Period
◦ September 21, 1944 - Laurel placed the Republic under martial law.
◦ September 23, 1944 - the Republic officially declared war against the United
States and United Kingdom Following the return of American Allied forces,
the government of the Second Republic evacuated Manila to Baguio The
republic was formally dissolved by Laurel in Tokyo on August 17, 1945 - two
days after the Surrender of Japan.