NOTES IN READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

ACT OF PROCLAMATION OF INDEPENDENCE OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE

 A revolutionary government was established by Emilio Aguinaldo after he and the Filipino forces
suffered
defeats from the Spaniards in 1897. It was the Biak na Bato Republic.
 After a truce was declared between the Spaniards and the Filipino revolutionaries in December 1897,
the initiator of Philippine independence, General Emilio Aguinaldo, agreed to be exiled in Hong Kong.
George Dewey is the commander of the Asiatic Fleet that attacked the Spanish forces in what we
know today as the Battle of Manila Bay.
 The following were tasked by Emilio Aguinaldo to sew the Philippine Flag:
Marcela de Agoncillo, Lorenza Agoncillo and Delfina Herbosa de Natividad.
 In the Philippine flag. the three stars originally symbolize the three principal island of our country
where revolutionary movements started, namely Luzon, Mindanao and Panay.
 The eight rays of the sun in the Philippine flag represent the first eight provinces – Manila, Cavite,
Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Laguna and Batangas – which declared themselves
in a state of war as soon as the first revolt was initiated.
 In the second phase of revolution in 1898, the first battle won by the Filipino forces is the Battle of
Alapan in Imus, Cavite on May 28, 1898, where the newly-made Filipino flag was first hoisted.
 It was on May 24, 1898 that Emilio Aguinaldo announced the creation of dictatorial government.
 The Declaration of Philippine Independence from Spanish rule was on June 12, 1898 in Kawit,
Cavite.
 The Declaration of Independence is also known as Acta dela Proclamacion dela Independencia del
Pueblo Filipino.
 The Act of Proclamation of Independence was written and read by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista.
It was signed by 177 persons.
 The Philippine National Anthem played by the Banda de San Francisco de Malabon during the
Declaration of Independence in 1898 was then known as Marcha Nacional Filipina.
 The declaration of Philippine independence was not recognized by the United States or by Spain.

SPEECH OF PRESIDENT CORAZON AQUINO BEFORE THE JOINT US CONGRESS

SEPTEMBER 18, 1986

 Following opinions by the U.S. government that he was losing mandate of the Filipinos, Ferdinand
Marcos announced he would hold a snap presidential election that was held on 1986.

 Maria Corazon “Cory” Cojuangco Aquino was the first Filipino woman president of the Philippines.
She was married to a hero and nationalist Benigno Aquino Jr, who was shot at the tarmac of then
Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983.

 The four-day bloodless revolution from Feb. 22 – 26, 1986, also known People Power Revolution,
toppled the Marcos government.

 Juan Ponce Enrile, defense minister and Fidel V. Ramos, Vice Chief of Staff of the AFP, announced
their defection from the Marcos government on February 22, 1986. This led to what is now known in
our history as the four-day people power revolution.

 In 1987, Maria Corazon C. Aquino was named TIME Magazine 1986 Person of the Year

 The greatest legacy of the Corazon Aquino administration is the restoration of democracy.
 A speech was delivered by Pres. Corazon Aquino before the Joint Session of the U.S. Congress on
September 18, 1986. The primary reason of the speech was to ask for emergency aid for
the Philippines. The task of writing the speech was given to her Executive Secretary Teodoro
“Teddy Boy” Locsin, Jr., who years later admitted he was not able to finish it on time for the occasion.
It was Cory who finished the draft and her speech ran for half an hour.
 In the speech of Corazon Aquino she said that she lost her husband three times.
 In her speech Cory quoted Archibald MacLeish who said, “democracy must be defended by arms
when it is attacked by arms and by truth when it is attacked by lies.”
 House Majority Leader Robert Dole praised Pres. Aquino and said, “you hit a home run.”
 Five hours later, the US House of Representative, voted 206 to 197, in favor of USD 200 as
emergency aid for the Philippines.
 Salvador Laurel was the Vice President of Corazon Aquino from 1986 – 1992.
 Fidel Ramos succeeded Corazon Aquino as President of the Philippines in 1992.
ARTWORKS

 Illustrations, drawings and photographs are sources which has stories to tell and enable us
to distinguish details that give us insights into something beyond the text
 Editorial cartoons are sources of political expressions or propaganda in the historical era in which they
came out.
 Dominador Gomez was the Philippine Assembly candidate in 1907 depicted as the Roman centurion
Longinus in satirical cartoon delivering the final spear blow to the crucified freedom fighter?
 A cartoon from the weekly magazine Lipag-Kalabaw depicts the festivity or parade of Filipinos
celebrating the election of their popular candidate named Fernando Ma. Guerrero, who ran in
the Philippine Assembly in 1907.
 Act No. 1696, otherwise known as the Flag Law, was passed by the Philippine Commission
on August 23, 1907, bans the public display of Philippine flag and other patriotic banner.

CRY OF PUGADLAWIN

 The Philippine Revolution of 1896 began with what later became known as First Cry
 The existence of the Katipunan was exposed to the Spaniards on August 19, 1896
 KKK stands for Kataas-taasang Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan or
simply Katipunan. A new member of the Katipunan was called katipon.
 The official date and place of the start of Philippine Revolution were largely based on the account of
Dr. Pio Valenzuela.
 The National Historical Commission (NHCP) following extensive research, decided that the start of
Philippine Revolution was on August 23, Pugad Lawin in the present day Project 8, Quezon City.
 According to Dr. Pio Valenzuela the first place of refuge of Andres Bonifacio and other Katipuneros
after Katipunan was discovered by the Spaniards was the house and yard of Apolonio Samson
in Kangkong, Caloocan.
 On the account of Dr. Pio Valenzuela, the Katipuneros tore their cedula and shouted Long live the
Philippines!
 On the account of Santiago Alvarez, the Katipuneros tore their cedula and shouted
Long Live the Sons of the People!
 On the account of Guillermo Masangkay the Katipuneros tore their cedula and shouted
Long Live the Philippine Republic.
 Santiago Alvarez’s story of the Cry of the 1896 Philippine Revolution is found in Chapter 6
of his memoir that was later published as a book entitled The Katipunan and the Revolution.
 The son of Melchora Aquino who owned the house, store-house and yard where over 1000
members of Katipunan met and carried out considerable debate and discussion regarding the start
of the attack to the Spaniards in Manila was Juan Ramos.
 Santiago Alvarez was known/called as the “Kidlat ng Apoy”, and one of the leaders of Katipunan in
Cavite.
 In the first decade of American rule, it was the account of Guillermo Masangkay that was used
by the government to fix the date of the Cry of 1896 Philippine Revolution.

TEJEROS ASSEMBLY/CONVENTION
 In the first days of the Philippine Revolution, Katipunan suffered several defeats from the Spaniards in
Manila forcing Andres Bonifacio and the Katipuneros to retreat to the mountains of Montalban.

 The Cavite Katipuneros which was consisted of two factions were fighting each other over territory
and logistics. The faction of the Katipunan led by Baldomero Aguinaldo was the Magdalo. The other
faction was the Magdiwang led by Gen. Mariano Alvarez.

 The Tejeros convention/assembly was set to be held on the a friar estate house in Tejeros on
March 22, 1897. Jacinto Lumbreras opened the session of the Tejeros Convention.

 Based on the account of Artemio Ricarte, the Katipunan where Andres Bonifacio was the
Supremo/President, was republican in form.
 Emilio Aguinaldo was elected president of the government formed at the Tejeros
assembly/convention.
 Andres Bonifacio was elected in the position of Director of Interior.
 Daniel Tirona said that Andres Bonifacio was unfit for the position he was elected because he is not a
lawyer.
 According to the account of Andres Bonifacio, the election were held through the expression
of those who were present (viva voce) after the election on the position of president and vice president.
 Andres Bonifacio wrote from Indang Cavite to Emilio Jacinto of what happened at the Tejeros
Assembly.
  Acta de Tejeros is a document proclaiming that the results of the election were invalid and illegitimate
due to fraud.

THE RETRACTION OF RIZAL

 On December 26, 1896, Rizal’s trial began where he was defended by Lt. Taviel de Andrade.
 On December 28, 1896, Gov. General Camilo Polavieja signed his death warrant.
 Fr. Vicente Balaguer visited Jose Rizal in the eve of his execution and claimed that Rizal retracted
his Masonic ideals and reconverted to Catholicism.
 Fr. Pio Pi prepared the shorter retraction which was Rizal allegedly copied.

 The alleged retraction was signed together with Dr. Jose Rizal by Señor Fresno, Chief of the Picket
and Señor Moure, Adjutant of the Plaza.

 Rizal finished writing the alleged retraction at 11:30 PM of Dec 29, 1896.
 Dr. Jose Rizal was executed in what was known before as Bagumbayan on December 30, 1896.
 Dr. Jose Rizal was allegedly got married on the morning of his execution to Marie Josephine Bracken.

 Rafael Palma said that Rizal’s conversion was a pious fraud to make the people believe that
extraordinary man broke down and succumbed before the Church which he had fought?

 Austin Coates stated that according to Rizal’s circle of personal friends, the retraction of Rizal is an
ecclesiastical fraud.
 Rizal was imprisoned at Fort Santiago prior to his execution in Bagumbayan.

SITE OF THE FIRST MASS

 The island where Magellan and his crew first anchored is called Humunu [now Homonhon] but in as
much as they found two springs there of the clearest water, they called it Acquada da li buoni
Segnialli “the watering place of Good Signs”), for there were the first signs of gold which they found
in those districts.
 There is a controversy regarding the first Mass ever celebrated in the Philippine soil. Pigafetta tells us
that it was celebrated by Fr. Pedro de Valderrama in Easter Sunday, March 21, 1521 in an island
called “Mazaua”. The same island was named Mazava by Francisco Albo in his log.
 Two native chieftains were among the attendants: The rajah of Mazaua, Siaiu and the rajah of
Butuan, Kulambu.

 Father Francisco Collin greatly influenced historians in the 17th to 19th to recognize Masao (in
Butuan) generally called Butuan Tradition, as the site of the first mass in the Philippines

 Emma Blair and James Alexander Robertson were blamed by some recent defenders of Butuan
tradition in the shift in scholarly opinion regarding the site of the first mass; from Butuan to
Limasawa. But it the man initially responsible for the shift seems to have been a Spanish Jesuit
scholar, Father Pablo Pastell.

CAVITE MUTINY

 On January 20, 1872, about 200 Filipino military personnel of Fort San Felipe Arsenal in Cavite,
Philippines, staged a mutiny which in a way led to the Philippine Revolution in 1896. The 1872
Cavite Mutiny was precipitated by the removal of long-standing personal benefits to the workers such
as tax (tribute) and forced labor exemptions on order from the Governor General Rafael de Izquierdo.

 Izquierdo replaced Governor General Carlos Maria de la Torre some months before in 1871 and
immediately rescinded Torre’s liberal measures and imposed his iron-fist rule. He was opposed to any
hint of reformist or nationalistic movements in the Philippines. He was in office for less than two
years, but he will be remembered for his cruelty to the Filipinos and the barbaric execution of the
three martyr-priests blamed for the mutiny: Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto
Zamora, later collectively called “Gomburza.”

 The mutineers were led by Sgt. Fernando La Madrid; they seized the Fort and killed the Spanish
officers. Fearing a general uprising, the Spanish government in Manila sent a regiment under General
Felipe Ginoves to recover the Fort. The besieged mutiny was quelled, and many mutineers including
Sgt. La Madrid were killed. Later, others were sentenced to death or hard labor.
 Izquierdo used the mutiny to implicate Gomburza and other notable Filipinos known for their liberal
leanings. Prominent Filipinos such as priests, professionals, and businessmen were arrested on flimsy
and trumped-up charges and sentenced to prison, death, or exile. These include Joaquin Pardo de
Tavera, Jose Basa, and Antonio M. Regidor. It was said that the Cavite mutineers got their cue from
Manila when they saw and heard fireworks across the Manila Bay which was really a celebration of
the feast of the Lady of Loreto in Sampaloc.

 When the Archbishop of Manila, Rev. Meliton Martinez, refused to cooperate and defrock the priests,
the Spanish court-martial on February 15 went ahead and maliciously found Fathers Gomez, Burgos,
and Zamora guilty of treason for instigating the Cavite mutiny. Two days later, the three priests were
put to death by garrotte in Bagumbayan, now known as Luneta. (Garrote was a barbaric Spanish
method of execution in which an iron collar was tightened around the prisoner’s neck until death
occurred.)

 Father Burgos was of Spanish descent, born in the Philippines. He was a parish priest of the Manila
Cathedral and had been known to be close to the liberal Governor General de la Torre. He was 35
years old at the time and was active and outspoken in advocating the Filipinization of the clergy. He
was quoted as saying, “Why shall a young man strive to rise in the profession of law or theology
when he can vision no future for himself but obscurity?”

 Father Zamora, 37, was also Spanish, born in the Philippines. He was the parish priest of Marikina
and was known to be unfriendly to and would not countenance any arrogance or authoritative
behavior from Spaniards coming from Spain. He once snubbed a Spanish governor who came to visit
Marikina.

 Father Gomez was an old man in his mid-’70, Chinese-Filipino, born in Cavite. He held the most
senior position of the three as Archbishop’s Vicar in Cavite. He was truly nationalistic and accepted
the death penalty calmly as though it were his penance for being pro-Filipinos.

 The three priests were stripped of their albs, and with chained hands and feet were brought to their
cells after their sentence. They received numerous visits from folks coming from Cavite, Bulacan, and
elsewhere. Forty thousand Filipinos came to Bagumbayan to witness and quietly condemn the
execution, and Gomburza became a rallying catchword for the down-trodden Filipinos seeking justice
and freedom from Spain.

 In the dedication page of his second book, El Filibusterismo, published in 1891, Dr. Jose Rizal wrote,
“I dedicate my work to you as victims of the evil which I undertake to combat…”

 Spaniards born in Spain are called Peninsulares while those who were born in the Philippines are
Insulares.