The Declaration of Philippine Independence

Readings in Philippine History
 Lesson 3 
THE DECLARATION OF PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE
Introduction
After the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, the American naval squadron in
Hongkong was instructed by the secretary of the navy to come to the Philippines in order to
challenge and destroy the Spanish fleet. Commodore George Dewey, later to become a Rear
Admiral, was faced by the Spanish fleet coming from the direction of Sangley Point in Cavite.
Though outnumbered by the Spanish fleet, the American squadron was able to defeat the
poorly armed Spanish ships and by mid-day, the Spanish fleet would be brought to a complete
destruction. Eventually, the Spaniards in Cavite hoisted a white flag as a sign of surrender in
the face of humiliating defeat.
Subsequently, Emilio Aguinaldo and his party returned to the Philippines with the belief
that the Americans would help him secure independence from the Spaniards. With this belief,
Aguinaldo and his men were highly spirited. His forces were able to capture not only places
like Imus, Parañaque, Bacood, Las Piñas, Laguna, Batangas, Tayabas up to as far as
Camarines in the South and San Fernando, Macabebe, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Bataan in
the North but also seized thousands of prisoners (Agoncillo, 1990). With these triumphs
against their former colonizers, Aguinaldo established a dictatorial form of government. The
government would direct the course of the revolution and that governance should be based
on decrees he would issue. With a government that could enforce obedience from the people,
Aguinaldo thought of declaring the country’s independence.
Objectives
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Analyze and interpret sources by means of critically reading the Act of the
Proclamation of Philippine Independence.
2. Understand the key issues concerning the Declaration of Philippine Independence.
The Declaration of Philippine Independence
Emilio Aguinaldo, who had become the president of the newly established dictatorial
government, planned to proclaim independence in order to inspire his forces to fight the
Spaniards and to lay down the basis through which other countries would recognize the
independence of the country (Agoncillo 1990). The proclamation was made on June 12, 1898
in Cavite el Viejo now known as Kawit. On that day, the prominent leaders of the revolution
who gathered in the house of Aguinaldo and proclaimed independence conferred upon him
numerous powers in order to direct thoroughly the affairs of the government. The powers
granted on him included the right to issue pardon and amnesty proclamations and the
adoption of an official flag (Cortes, Boncan and Jose, 2005). Repercussion
1
The Acta de la Proclamacion de la Independencia del Pueblo Filipino, as the document

is aptly called, was penned and read by Ambrocio Rianzares Bautista before the presence of
thousands of people from the various provinces. The flag which was made in HongKong was
hoisted and waved for the first time and the music of what would become as the Philippine
national anthem was played for the first time. Julian Felipe, the composer, was instructed that
the anthem should sound like a march and exuberant of triumph, that it should be expressive
of a gratitude for the contributions of Spain in the Philippines, and that it should symbolize the
determination of the country and its love for freedom (Molina, 1960).
Commodore George Dewey, the commander of the American naval squadron that
crippled the Spanish fleet commanded by Admiral Montojo, was invited but due to a certain
alibi, he failed to grace the inauguration. Of the ninety-eight people who signed the declaration
document was an American military officer named Colonel L. M. Johnson. (Molina, 1960)
Surprisingly, President Aguinaldo’s signature was nowhere to be found in the document
(Ocampo, 2020). Apolinario Mabini who arrived right before the start of the inauguration rites
and met Aguinaldo for the first time was not in favor of the proclamation which he considered
“reckless and premature” (para. 6). To Mabini, it would have been better if the Filipinos
gathered more weapons and ammunitions rather than flaunting their aspiration for
independence.
Who is Ambrocio Rianzares Bautista?
According to the book Filipinos in History (1995) by the then National Historical
Institute, Ambrocio Rianzares Bautista, or Don Bosyong as he was popularly known to many,
was born on December 7, 1830 in Biñan, Laguna. He finished a Bachelor of Laws degree
from the University of Santo Tomas. Among the legal luminaries who became his
contemporaries were Chief Justice Cayetano Arellano, Chief Justice Florentino Torres and
the well-known lawyer Rafael del Pan.
A distant relative of the Rizal family, he served as their first lawyer concerning the
Calamba Hacienda Case. However, he backed out from the case for fear of being denounced
by the Dominican friars, the administrators of the Hacienda. Later on, the case was taken
over by Felipe Buencamino who also eventually gave it up because Jose Rizal had come up
with a different agenda (Quibuyen, 2008).
Bautista became an officer of the Rizal-established La Liga Filipina. During the

Philippine Revolution, he was a contributor the patriotic newspaper La Independencia. In fact,
he was one of the “most wanted” by the Spanish authorities because of his participation in
underground movements. He was arrested, imprisoned in Fort Santiago, released and,
subsequently, given a general amnesty by Governor General Primo de Rivera in accordance
with the Treaty of Biak-na-Bato (NHI, 1995).
When Aguinaldo had returned from his exile in HongKong in May 1898, Bautista
became one of the first individuals who offered his service. He became Aguinaldo’s political
adviser. As principal adviser, he convinced Aguinaldo to constitute a dictatorial regime instead
of a constitutional government, arguing among others that the latter best suited the exigencies
of the times. However, after the proclamation of independence, Apolinario Mabini became
the principal adviser of Aguinaldo (NHI, 1995).
The Acta de la Proclamacion de la Independencia del Pueblo Filipino
2
The declaration of Independence became somewhat contentious because of the

absence of Aguinaldo’s signature and the failure to promulgate or ratify it instantly thereafter.
It is likewise controversial because of certain provisions which were opposed by Mabini.
Read-through the whole text of the English version made by Sulpicio Guevara, the author of
The Laws of the Philippine Republic (The Laws of Malolos) 1898-1899, for your
comprehension and analysis.
3
4
5
6
❖
References
Agoncillo, Teodoro A. (1990). The history of the Filipino people (8th ed.). Garotech Publishing.
Cortes, Rosario, Celestina Boncan and Ricardo Jose. (2000). The Filipino saga: History as
social change. Quezon City: New Day Publishers.
Guevara, Sulpico. (1972). The laws of the Philippine republic (The laws of Malolos) 1898-
1899. Manila: National Historical Institute.
Molina, Antonio M. (1960). The Philippines through the centuries (Vols. 1 & 2). UST
Cooperative.
National Historical Institute. (1995). Filipinos in history (Vol. 1). Manila: Author.
Ocampo, Ambeth R. (2020, June 19). Where’s Aguinaldo’s signature. Retrieved from
https://opinion.inquirer.net/130929.
Quibuyen, Flor C. (2008). A nation aborted: Rizal, American hegemony and Philippine
nationalism. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press.

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Readings in Philippine History

THE DECLARATION OF PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

The Declaration of Philippine Independence

The Acta de la Proclamacion de la Independencia del Pueblo Filipino, as the document

Who is Ambrocio Rianzares Bautista?

Bautista became an officer of the Rizal-established La Liga Filipina. During the

The declaration of Independence became somewhat contentious because of the

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