HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY

School of Education

A Contextual Analysis of the Proclamation of Independence in 1898

and the Inauguration of the New Independence in 1946

A Content Analysis Paper

in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

in Readings in Philippine History

Pres
ented by:
Boiser, Vanessa

Castro, Huie Lance

Chua, Kayla Jane - Leader

Claveria, Judith

Cordova, Ma. Angela

Dela Cruz, Trina

GROUP 2, ED-201

Sub
mitted to:

Reynante D. Vitug, LPT, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Second Semester, A.Y. 2020-2021

 Proclamation of Independence in 1898
Background of the author

The Philippines finally affirmed its independence in Kawit, Cavite on June 12,

1898, after three hundred and thirty-three years of Spanish colonial rule. One of Filipino

who is considered to be the special delegate warrior and the author of the Act of the

Philippine Independence itself. Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista was born in Biñan,

Laguna, on year 1830, December 07 to his parents Silvestra Altamira and Gregorio

Enriquez Bautista. He started and finished his law degree at the University of Santo

Tomas and he continue to practice his profession in Manila. In the eyes of many, he is

the maker of the Philippine flag and the composer of the national anthem. He was

acknowledged to be one of the unsung and unpopular great Filipino warrior and

counselor in Philippine history. However, his generosity made him so popular.

According to Macaraeg (2020) Bautista is known to be the steadfast warden of

the poor, who gives free legal devices to the laborers, and he was committed to defend

their cases in court with no charge. Bautista joined various administrations, and

connotations that supervised the national interests of the Filipinos back in time. He is

one of the members of Rizal’s patriotic association, Liga Filipina and later joined the

Cuerpo de Compromisarios, where he is responsible of sending funds to the

propagandists and became a determined financial contributor of the patriotic newspaper

La Solidaridad, along with that, he was an article writer for La Independencia or the

nationalistic newspaper of the revolution. Upon the upsurge of the Philippine Revolution

in July 1896, Bautista was arrested by the Spanish authorities and imprisoned him in

Fort Santiago. However, he was later on released after powerfully defending himself,
and yet, finally convinced the Spanish authorities that the rebellion was not actually

against Spain but a blind agitated appeal for reforms. Fortunately, after his release from

the bars, he immediately hides somewhere in Malabon, and he successfully avoid

imprisonment for the second time. On May 19, 1898, Bautista got wind of Aguinaldo’s

arrival and directly travelled to Kawit, Cavite for his service proposals to the formerly

displaced general. He used his knowledge in law which led him to become the political

adviser of Aguinaldo, later on Aguinaldo appointed Bautista as his Auditor General de

Guerra. Throughout his service to Aguinaldo, Bautista have captured some of the most

important state-run documents that shifted the progress of Philippine History. He wrote

the Act of Philippine independence alone and but one who declared it at the General’s

residence, in Kawit, Cavite on June 12, 1898, in Sunday, between four to five o’clock in

the afternoon. On August 1896, two years after the first outbreak of the Philippine

revolution, the current Filipino flag was formally unfurled, and the national anthem

played for the first time in the nation’s history.

After the celebration of Philippine independence, Bautista, became a member of

the Malolos Congress, and far ahead elected as the president of the Revolutionary

Congress on July 14, 1899. Subsequently, he succeeded Pedro A. Paterno after Mabini

and became the second president of the Malolos Congress. Bautista after the

Philippine-American war banded with the Americans for the restoration, of the war-

damaged country. In his time of service, Bautista worked for the people in Pangasinan

as a court judge. He served until he turned 63 and died due a fatal fall from a horse-

drawn vehicle on December 4, 1903. He who served his country in times of war and
defended its people until his unfortunate death in 1903 were wonderful and he was

honored.

Historical background of the document

The Philippines was colonized by the Spanish in the late 16th century dating

back from Magellan’s first arrival in the country. Opposition to Spanish rule started with

Filipino priests, who resented Spanish dominance of the islands' Roman Catholic

churches. Filipino scholars and the middle class started to campaign for democracy in

the late nineteenth century. The Katipunan, a secret revolutionary society, was founded

in Manila, the Philippine capital on the island of Luzon, in 1892. Membership expanded

rapidly, and in August 1896, the Spanish discovered the Katipunan's rebellion

intentions, causing the rebels to act prematurely. Revolts spread across Luzon, and in

March 1897, 28-year-old Emilio Aguinaldo became the rebellion's leader. By late 1897,

the rebels had been forced into the hills southeast of Manila, and Aguinaldo had struck

a deal with the Spaniards (History Editors, 2020).

With the departure of the rebel leaders, the Philippine Revolution came to a

temporary halt. The Spanish-American War broke out in April 1898 as a result of

Spain's violent repression of a Cuban insurrection. This serves as a foundation to the

alliance of the Philippines with the United States. On May 1, 1898, the United States

Asiatic Squadron, led by Commodore George Dewey, annihilated the Spanish Pacific

fleet at the Battle of Manila Bay in the Philippines, marking the start of a string of

decisive American victories. Aguinaldo made arrangements with US authorities to return

to the Philippines and help the US in the fight against Spain while in exile. On May 19,
he arrived in Manila, gathered his rebels, and began freeing towns to the south. He

declared Philippine independence on June 12 and created a provincial government, of

which he later became the head (History, 2020).

Content presentation and analysis of the important historical information found in

the document

The Act of the Proclamation of the Philippine Independence in June 12, 1898 is a

16 paged document consisting of 2,000 words which aims to officially affirm

independence and sovereignty of the Philippines against the colonization of Spain.

Signed by 98 witnessing delegates, the document ratifies the cruelty and maltreatment

experienced by the Filipinos under the Spanish regime, the war towards independence,

and the hope of a new republic under Emilio Aguinaldo. Hence, Emilio Aguinaldo’s

declaration of the Philippine Independence is said to be necessary to create a move

that would inspire the Filipino people to fight with eagerness towards the Spaniards at

the same time, lead the foreign countries to recognize the independence of the country.

June 12, 1898 marked one of the most significant achievements of Emilio

Aguinaldo’s Government in Kawit, Cavite which was the proclamation of a national

holiday namely the Philippine Independence. On the day of the Proclamation,

thousands of people from different provinces gathered and witnessed the historic event

which was held at the balcony of General Emilio’s house. On the day of the event, for

the first time in history, the Philippine National Flag made by Mrs. Marcela Agoncilio

was officially raised along with the Philippine National March was made public. The

declaration of Philippine Independence included a list of injustice acts against the

Spanish government which sets back to the explorer Ferdinand Magellan’s arrival in the

year 1521. Certain events in the nation’s history that helped in inflaming our sense of

nationalism can be found in the document.

In spite of the fact that the revolution in the Philippines occurred in August 1896,

the document reveals the initial resistance of the Filipinos against the Spanish

government transpired in January 1872 wherein, about 200 Filipinos staged a mutiny in

Cavite with regards to the exemption of worker from paying tax and tributes. The

besieged mutiny was put down, and several mutineers were killed. Others were later

sentenced to death or hard labor. The power of the Spanish monopoly within the

Roman Catholic Church in the islands was resented by the Filipino clergy who was back

then the opposition before 1872 was mainly limited to them. In the same year, the

Cavite Mutiny failed, a momentary revolution against the Spanish that gave a reason for

the transformed Spanish tyranny. The suffering of the three Filipino priests, Jose

Burgos, Mariano, Gomez, and Jacinto Zamora for the presumably scheme among the

rebels at Cavite resulted into a sentiment within the anti-Spanish. In a way, these events

later led to the Philippine Revolution in 1896 (Koh, 2012).

The Spanish authorities discovered the anti-colonial underground group

Katipunan in August 1896. The Katipunan, headed by Andrés Bonifacio, was a

liberationist movement and shadow government that spanned most of the Philippines,

with the aim of gaining independence from Spain by armed resistance. The Katipunan

leaders united themselves into a transitional government and publicly proclaimed a

national military revolt in a mass rally in Caloocan. The Philippine Revolution, after more

than 300 years of Spanish colonial rule, the Filipino independence war were able to
unveil the weaknesses of Spanish government but failed to expel Spaniards from the

islands.

The document enlightens the representation of the symbols portrayed in the

Philippine Flag. The white triangle, although usually associated with purity, signifies the

distinctive emblem of the distinctive emblem of the “Katipunan”. The colors red, blue,

and white, which is often linked with bravery and loyalty, are actually signifying the flag

of the United States to express the nation’s gratitude towards the protection it has

granted to the country. The three stars in the flag represents the three major islands of

the Philippines where the revolutionary movement started: Luzon, Mindanao, and

Panay.

Contribution and relevance of the document in understanding the grand narrative

of Philippine History

Inauguration of the New Independence in 1946

Background of the author

Great leaders of the revolution publicized the country a sovereign state and

proclaimed the first Republic of the Philippines on June 12, 1898, Temporarily, Spain

declared war against Cuba and the United States and was conquered. After an offshoot,

the Philippines was surrendered to America by Spain over the Treaty of Paris, in

accordance on the Republic of the Philippines Consulate General, one of the Filipino

leader Manuel A. Roxas, was qualified beyond the struggle as a fulfillment for Philippine
independence from the American regime and solve a vast reintegration and restoring

out of the destruction brought by the war (Philippine Consulate General, n.d.). His

contribution has found detailed in history in May 28, 1946 until April 15, 1948. His

administration established the foreign policy of the Republic under the American rule for

changing and modernizing the country better. He was born on January 01, 1892, in

Capiz, and now considered as the Roxas City named after him. His parents were

Rosario Acuña and Gerardo Roxas. He took his law course at the University of the

Philippines and graduated in 1913 and exceeded the bar examinations. Roxas was

elected to sit at the House of Representatives and later became a local governor in the

days of Commonwealth. He was chosen to be the speaker of the body during his first

term. Later on, when he became the Senate President on the post-war session that was

convened by the Congress, in his first State of the Nation Address on June 3, 1946, he

detailed the challenges of his country was facing after war. He said that a government

should be aware of the financial means to support even its basic roles for a fruitful

economy. He wants to exert effort to solve the socio-economic problems in the country,

and tries to rationalized the government alone and planned an across-the-board

legislative program. He moved to strengthen authority by proposing a Central Bank for

the Philippines to manage Philippine banking system and yet was established under the

Republic Act No. 265. Between the events of the Third Republic’s initial year, the

Rehabilitation Finance Corporation were established through him in 1958, and

recognized as the Development Bank of the Philippines in the formation of the

Department of Foreign Affair and the organization of the foreign service which is the GI

Bill of Rights for Filipino veterans and the adjustment of the taxation system to increase
government revenues under the Executive Order No. 18. The establishment of the

foreign policy of the Republic was prepared by The Roxas Administration (Senate of the

Philippines, n.d.). Furthermore, the Philippines established diplomatic draws with foreign

countries associated to international entities by gaining membership, for instance is the

United Nations General Assembly, the World Health Organization (WHO), the UNESCO

or the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, as well as the

(ILO) or the International Labor Organization and many more incorporation. He is a

member of various independence duties, which contributed greatly to a better and

organized foundations of the Philippine independence. When the Pacific War ended, he

agreed for a military service to defense his country which marked his intelligence in

terms of political, social and economic development, and make him recognized as the

master of economics in his country. Also, he declined a collaboration with the Japanese

military forces during the time of Japanese Occupation by faking illness to escape from

major services. Throughout his service, he helped Filipinos in various tasks based on

their interest and capability. However, he died because of heart attack while delivering a

speech before an audience and of a gathering airman at Clark Field Air Base on April

15, 1948 (Official Gazette of the Philippines, n.d.).

Historical background of the document

During the Spanish-American War, Filipino rebels led by Emilio Aguinaldo

declare the Philippines' independence after 300 years under Spanish control. By mid-

August, Filipino insurgents and US troops had driven the Spanish out of the Philippines,

but Aguinaldo's aspirations for independence were shattered when the US formally

occupied the Philippines as part of its peace pact with Spain. The Spanish-American
War ended Spanish rule in the Philippines in 1898, but it sparked the Philippine-

American War, a bloody conflict between Filipino rebels and the United States Army.

On March 23, 1901, U.S. General Frederick Funston and a party of officers

shocked Aguinaldo in his fortress in the Luzon village of Palanan and captured the rebel

leader in a bold action. Many of Aguinaldo's adherents battled on until he took an oath

of loyalty to the United States and called for an end to the uprising. The Philippines was

eventually pacified over the next year by US troops. In a notorious episode, US forces

on the island of Samar retaliated against a US garrison massacre by murdering all men

above the age of ten on the island. Women and infants were also slaughtered in large

numbers. General Jacob Smith, the perpetrator of the crimes, was court-martialed and

ordered to resign for turning Samar into a "howling wasteland," as he put it. The three-

year Philippine insurgency came to an end in 1902 when an American civil government

took over administration of the Philippines. However, intermittent opposition continued

for many years. Around 4,000 Americans died in the Philippines, more than ten times

the number that died in the Spanish-American War. Over 20,000 Filipino militants were

killed, along with an undetermined number of civilians. With U.S. approval, the

Commonwealth of the Philippines was formed in 1935, and Manuel Quezon was elected

as the country's first president. The United States gave the Philippines absolute

freedom on July 4, 1946. (History.com, 2010)

Content presentation and analysis of the important historical information found in

the document
 On July 4, 1946, the Independence of the Republic of the Philippines was

officially recognized by the United States of America. This was said to be the highest

point of the process that began way back in 1916, when the Jones Law pledged the

eventual recognition of Philippine Independence. Moreover, Manuel Roxas marked the

Philippine Independence during his retaking of oath as the Philippine’s president,

eliminating the pledge of allegiance to the United Stated before the celebration during

the 4th of July. In the Inaugural address of President Roxas, he mentioned that on this

day the American flag has been lowered from the flagstaffs not because of defeat,

surrender, or compulsion but by the voluntary act of the American Nation sovereign.

Additionally, the celebration of the event was a response to the cry of all mankind which

is the cry for freedom, liberty and dignity.

“The American flag has been lowered from the flagstaffs in this land . . . not in

defeat, not in surrender, not by compulsion, but by the voluntary act of the sovereign

American Nation.” These were among the first few words that the document has started

with. Today, this notable event is commemorated as the Republic Day or American-

Filipino friendship day which signifies the absolute freedom of the Philippines from the

Contribution and relevance of the document in understanding the grand narrative

of Philippine History

Personal Insights
 In contempt with the conquerors that the Philippines has encountered in the past,

the nation's most challenging opponent is its people itself. Despite widespread demand

for independence, majority of the group believe that we do not possess full qualification

for acting as an independent state. With the present events, the group can see that the

we have no longer has readiness for self-government. In the present, the proclamation

of the nation as an independent state gradually fade. Among the reasons that led the

group to this conclusion is that the Philippines still rely to other countries such as China.

The Philippines have the readiness for the self-government but the government itself

cannot understand and help its own people. This act is an indication that government

greatly comprises incompetent and irresponsible officials who know less of how to

handle the country and process things on their own. It only suggests how competent we

are to follow and depend on foreign territories regardless of causing our motherland in

vain. Another factor that the group see as a threat in the country’s independency is its

own people. It can be observed that we have no readiness for self-government due to

the reason that the public itself do not conform with rule of law. We will be worthy in

receiving the recognition of an independent state if we have the same views of

independence, but we are not ready for it because humans have different interests

which does not primarily value interdependence but rather, people often defiled the

country through deeds that only benefits themselves. Hopelessness and lack of

determination to contribute for a better country make us not worthy for a recognition.

However, the view of the group does not mean to imply that the country must be under

the control of another foreign authority. Instead, it aims to remind our fellow countrymen

to not put into waste the efforts of our forefathers in fighting for our freedom and identity.
Thus, it is worthy in a way that if the government and people will function the same way

and will be more productive and efficient in doing their parts.

After analyzing the Act of Proclamation of Independence on June 12, 1898 and

the Inaugural Address of A New President in the Philippines on July 4, 1946, the group

has a divided opinion on which among the two documents holds more appropriate date

for the country’s Independence Day. Although the traditionally celebrated day of

Independence is every 12th of June, the group’s findings convey that the declaration of

independence by Emilio Aguinaldo is invalid due to the fact the country was under a

treaty of Spain and United States that refused to give the full independence we seek.

The declaration was not recognized by Spain or the United States, so liberty was short-

live. Therefore, it can be concluded that the applicable date of the Philippine

Independence is on July 4, 1946 in considering with the notions and evidences

presented above. However, regardless of its authenticity for liberty, the fact that the

event on the 12th of June brought significant changes in our identity makes it still a

remarkable day to remember for it was this day when the Filipinos were able to have

our own flag, our own national anthem, and our own government. Despite being under

the control of the U.S. government, it was a turning point in the context of Philippines’

history that gave birth to our national dignity and identity as Filipinos.

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