Artemio Ricarte’s Account:

The following account was written by Gen. Artemio Ricarte (nom - de - guerre: Vibora) who was one of the
officials of the Magdiwang faction. During the Tejeros Assembly, he served as the secretary of the convention
when Bonifacio began presiding over the session. Ricarte was elected in the Tejeros Assembly as Captain -
General of the revolutionary government. He initially refused the position but his objections were overruled by
the electoral body. His account of the Philippine revolution was titled “Apuntes Historicos de la Insurreccion por
los Asociados al ‘Kamahalmahala’t Kataastaasang Katipunan nang manga Anak ng Bayan’ contra el Gobierno
Español en las Islas Filipinas.” It was written during his imprisonment for subversion by the American authorities
in 1904. It was translated into English by a British journalist, William Brecknock Watson, but remained in
manuscript form. Ricarte’s memoirs were published in Tagalog in 1927 in Yokohama, Japan with the title
Himagsikan ng Mga Pilipino Laban sa Kastila. The account on the next page is his version of the Tejeros
Assembly.
The Account:
Early on the morning of the day set for the assembly (March 22 - JVT), men filled the Tejeros estate
house, among them not only the chiefs of the Magdiwang but also men of the Magdalo. Among the chiefs of the
Magdiwang, apart from the Supremo of the Katipunan, were the followingL Mariano, Pascual and Santiago
Alvarez; Luciano San Miguel, Mariano Trias Closas; Severino de las Alas and Santos Nocon. Among those of
Magdalo were Baldomero Aguinaldo, Daniel Tirona, Cayetano Topacio, and Antonio Montenegro.
The session opened under the presidency of Jacinto Lumbreras who, in a few words, explained the purpose
of the meeting. Severino de las Alas rose to address those present and said that before discussing the defense of a
small piece of territory in Cavite, it would be well to consider first the kind of government then existing in the
country, as upon that government would depend whatever defense might be needed. The chairman replied that
from the time the Katipunan was established the country had been ruled by the Supreme Council, the provincial
and popular councils. He repeated that the purpose for which the assembly had been called was one of the great
importance in those critical times. Andres Bonifacio, with permission of the chair, spoke in support of Lumbreras
and his stand in regard to the government and went to explain the significance of the letter “K” in the center of
the sun on the flag, which stands for liberty, as has already been said in the description of the insurgent flag.
Severino de las Alas again addressed the meeting and said that neither the letter “K” on the flag, nor the flag itself,
has anything to do with the character of the government then existing; that is to say, whether it was a monarchy
or a republic. Bonifacio replied that the Katipuneros, from the president of the Supreme Council to the most
insignificant member, recognized the principles of Union, Fraternity and Equality, on which account it was very
clear that the government of the Katipunan was rigorously republican in form.
Antonio Montenegro rose and spoke in support of the De las Alas suggestion and in a louder voice than
usual said that unless some definite understanding was arrived at regarding the matter, the insurgents were mere
groups of tulisanes or, much worse, brutes.
These last words of Antonio Montenegro wounded the pride of Santiago Alvarez, who rose with glaring
eyes and, addressing Montenegro, said: “We insurgents of Cavite and especially of the Magdiwang government
recognize and obey the government established by the Katipunan; if you wish to establish any other kind of
government more suited to your fancy, retire to your province and conquer territory from the Spanish government
as we have done here, and establish there whatever government you like, and no one will interfere with you…”
The session broke up in disorder, but one hour later, when the passions of the adherents of Santiago
Alvarez and Antonio Montenegro had been pacified, it convened against under the presidency of Andres
Bonifacio because Jacinto Lumbreras said that inasmuch as they were discussing a subject which was provided
for in the call for the meeting, but which concerned the establishment of a general government for the insurrection,
he ought not to preside at the continuation of the meeting. Then Andres Bonifacio… was chosen by acclamation
to be President at the meeting…
Order being restored, Bonifacio opened the session saying: As you wish to establish a supreme
government to direct the insurrection, abolishing that already organized by the Katipunan and agreed upon in the
Imus assembly. I, as Supremo of the Supreme Council of the Katipunan, agree to your just petition; but I must
first invite you all to join us in recognizing a principle upon which we must base all our decisions in this or in any
other session; this principle is that we respect and obey in everything the vote or decision of the majority.” Those
present signified their unanimous conformity and the Philippine Republic was agreed upon and proclaimed amid
repeated and enthusiastic applause. They then proceeded to the election of the following officers of the Republic:
President, Vice - President, Captain General, and Directors of War, Interior, State, Finance, Commerce and
Justice…
Ballots were then distributed and one hour later the votes were counted. As a result of this vote, Emilio
Aguinaldo was elected President of the Republic defeating Andres Bonifacio and Mariano Trias. The result was
proclaimed amidst applause.
They then proceeded to the election of a Vice - President. Severino de las Alas remarked that inasmuch
as Andres Bonifacio had secured the second largest number of votes in the election for President, he should be
proclaimed Vice President. No one expressed a wish to speak in favor or against the suggestion of De las Alas,
wherefore the chairman ordered that the election be proceeded with, and this being done it resulted in a majority
of votes being cast for Mariano Trias Closas as against Andres Bonifacio, Severino de las Alas, and Mariano
Alvarez.
They then immediately proceeded to the election of a Captain General. The secretary of the session,
Artemio Ricarte, was elected by a large majority over Santiago Alvarez. Ricarte rose and protested against his
own election…. Those present disapproved the protest viva voce, and the chairman called the meeting to order
saying that as night was falling, it was advisable to continue the election for the other positions. It was
unanimously proposed and approved that, to cut short the voting, those who favored any person for a position
should stand on one side, and those who favored other person should stand on the other side in groups, and in that
way, they voted for a Director of War, Emiliano Riego de Dios….
The election of a Minister of the Interior was proceeded with in the same way, with the result that Andres
Bonifacio was elected… In the midst of the acclamation that was accorded Andres Bonifacio, Daniel Tirona
demanded the floor and said: “Fellow countrymen: The position of Minister of the Interior is a very important
one and should not be occupied by a person who is not a lawyer. We have in our province a lawyer Jose del
Rosario; hence we must protest against the election of the person elected and acclaimed”. Thee, shouting at the
top of his voice, he cried: “Let us vote for Jose del Rosario, the lawyer!”
Bonifacio’s pride being wounded, he rose and spoke thus: “Have we not agreed that we shall obey the
will of the majority, whatever might be the social position of the person elected?” Having said this, he asked
Daniel Tirona to repeat what he had said, or to apologize to the assembly for the insult offered to the person
elected, because up to that time not one those elected was fitted by reason of his culture for the position to which
he had been designated. As Tirona tried to hide himself among the crowd, without paying attention to what
Bonifacio demanded of him, the latter drew his revolver and was about to fire at Tirona, but the secretary of the
session (Ricarte) seized his hand and the incident passed without more ado. As those present were about to leave
the room, Bonifacio said in a loud voice: “I, as president of the session, and also as president of the supreme
council for the Katipunan as you all know, declare this assembly closed, and annul everything that has been done
therein”. He then left, followed by his adherents.
Andres Bonifacio’s Account:
This account by Andres Bonifacio is from a letter he wrote to Emilio Jacinto in Montalban from Indang, Cavite
on April 24, 1897, a month after the Tejeros elections. This would be the first time the other members of the
Supreme Council would hear of the events that happened in Cavite. This was first published in Jose P. Santos,
“Si Andres Bonifacio at Ang Himagsikan” (1932).
The Account:
The majority of the said convention agreed to establish a government, but I explained to them that this
could not be done because the representatives of the other towns did not arrive, a condition that was agreed upon
in the Imus Assembly but which was disregarded by the majority because of the dire conditions of the towns; and
the Imus Assembly lacks proof because there were no documents. Nevertheless, the ones who were present
promised that whatever decision was made, the majority will abide by the decision in the assembly and that is
what I will respect.
When the elections were held, elected President of the Republic was Don Emilio Aguinaldo; Vice
President Don Mariano Trias; Auditor General, Don Artemio Ricarte; Director of War, Don Emiliano R. de Dios.
The elections were held through the expressions of those who were present (viva voce) because it was already
nighttime. I was elected Director of the Interior through the same expressions of those present and among the
midst of those who were elected: however, after the decision was made and the election for the Director de
Hacienda was about to start, Don Daniel Tirona stood up and said that there is a cry being raised that Don Jose
del Rosario be chosen Director of the Interior because there is a need that this position should be filled by someone
educated. He announced this after saying that he did not state this with the intention of insulting me. I answered
back that good and educated men are needed for all the positions; I asked him to point out to me who among the
elected ones are already well - versed in their positions but instead, he began to shout: “Let us agree that Jose del
Rosario, a lawyer, be chosen Director of the Interior!” No one responded to his call which he did four times
whereas a few responded by calling out my name. Because of the tumult that occurred, the President of the
Magdiwang announced that this was not an assembly of gentlemen because everything that they did had no
evidence. Also, I discovered that even before the elections were made, some of those who are from Imus had
secretly spread the word that it was not good for them to be under the leadership of someone from another
province. It was for this reason that Captain Emilio Aguinaldo was elected President. When I heard about this, I
told them that this assembly was the idea of those with evil intentions as this was the only thing that they wanted
and that they deceived the people. I even added that if they wished I will point out one by one those who intended
to this if they wanted to. The assembly answered that it was not necessary. I also told them that if the wishes of
the assembly are not to be followed, I will not recognize those who were elected and if I will not recognize them
then my men will also not recognize them. Even General Ricarte - the one elected General - also stated that their
assembly was the result of bad intentions….
Santiago Alvarez’s Account:
The account of the Tejeros Convention is found in Chapter 32 of Gen. Santiago Alvarez’s memoirs. Like Ricarte,
Alvarez was a direct participant and witness to the events that occurred in the elections.
The Account:
The assembly at Tejeros was finally convened on 25 March 1897 (sic). The invitations to the meeting
were signed by Secretary Jacinto Lumbreras of the Magdiwang Council, and he presided over the assembly.
Seated with Lumbreras at the long presidential table were the Supremo Andres Bonifacio, Messrs. Mariano M.
Alvarez, Pascual Alvarez, Ariston Villanueva, Mariano C. Trias, Diego Mojica, Emiliano R. de Dios, Santiago
V. Alvarez, Artemio Ricarte, Santos Nocon, Luciano San Miguel, Pablo Mojica, Severino de las Alas, and
Santiago Rillo, all of them of the Magdiwang. Among the Magdalo seated at the head table were Messrs.
Baldomero Aguinaldo, Daniel tirona, and Cayetano Topacio.
It must be mentioned that, before the assembly was convened, Secretary of War Ariston Villanueva of the
Magdiwang Council received the confidential information that Mr. Daniel Tirona of the Magdalo faction was set
to undermine the proceedings of the assembly and that he had already acceded in enjoining any among the
Magdiwang leaders to ally with him. Secretary Villanueva kept silent, but nevertheless alerted Captain General
Apoy, who had troops in readiness for any sudden eventuality.
The leaders were seated at the presidential table, as previously described and all the others were standing
in groups on both sides of those seated. After Chairman Jacinto Lumbreras had declared the assembly open, he
announced the main topic of discussion which was how to bolster the defense in the areas still under Magdiwang
control. Presently, Mr. Severino de las Alas rose to speak, and when he was recognized, he said, “Before we
discuss minor details, let us first tackle the major issue such as what kind of government we should have and how
we should go about establishing it. Once we make a decision about these questions, the problem of organization
and strengthening of defenses will be resolved.”
“As initiator of the Revolution,” Chairman Lumbreras replied, “the Katipunan now holds authority over
the islands. It has a government of law and a definite program. It is obeyed and respected by all because it stands
for freedom, brotherly love, and a well - organized and well - run government….”
The chair next recognized the Supremo. He concurred with what Chairman Lumbreras had just said and
explained that the “K” in the middle of the sun in the Katipunan flag used in the Revolution stood for “Kalayaan.”
Mr. Severino de las Alas spoke again. He countered that the letter “K” and the sun on the flag did not
indicate whether the revolutionary government was democratic or not.
The supremo replied that from the rank - and - file to the highest levels, the Katipunan was united in its
respect for universal brotherhood and equality of men. It was risking bloodshed and life itself in its struggle
against the king, in order to establish a sovereign and free government. In short, it stood for people’s sovereignty,
not a government led only by one or two.
Mr. Antonio Montenegro spoke in defense of Mr. Severino de las Alas’ stand. He argued that if they
would agree on the kind of revolutionary government, they were to have and that if they were to let the status quo
prevail then they who were in the Revolution would be no better than a pack of bandits or of wild, mindless
animals.”
General Apoy was hurt by these words of Mr. Montenegro. He quickly stood up and looked angrily at the
previous speaker.
 “We of the Katipunan,” he began, “are under the jurisdiction of our respected Highest Council of the Sons
of the People. This Council is the defender of, and has authority over, the Magdiwang and Magdalo governments
of Cavite. We are true revolutionaries fighting for freedom of the native land. We are not bandits who rob others
of their property and wealth. Nor should be likened to beasts, for we know how to protect and defend others,
especially the political refugees who seek asylum with us. We are rational and we do not expose those who talk
big but do not accomplish anything. If you want to establish a different kind of government that is to your liking,
you must do as we have done: Go back to your localities and snatch them from Spanish control. Then you can do
what pleases you; but don’t you dare seek refuge among cowards who might call you bandits and beasts….”
When order was restored, some wanted the convention adjourned but the Supremo Bonifacio prevailed
upon the others to continue. However, the presiding officer, Mr. Lumbreras, refused to resume his role of
chairman. He wanted to yield the chair to the Supremo whom he thought to be the rightful chairman….
Mr. Lumbreras’ speech was well received and his proposal was unanimously accepted. The Supremo
Bonifacio assumed the chairmanship accordingly and said, “Your aim is to establish a new overall government
of the Katipunan and the Sons of the People. This would repudiate the decision made at the meeting held at the
friar estate house in Imus. In my capacity as “President - Supremo” of the Mose Venerable Katipunan of the Sons
of the People, I agree and sympathize with your aspirations. But I wish to remind you that we should respect all
decisions properly discussed and approved in all our meetings. We should respect and abide by the wishes of the
majority.”
Because of a repeated clamor for the approval for the establishment of a government of the Philippine
Republic, the chair proceeded to prepare for an election to the following positions: president, vice-president,
minister of finance, minister of warfare, minister of justice, and captain-general.
The Supremo spoke again before the election began. He said that the candidate who would get the greatest
number of votes for each position should be the winner, no matter what his station in life or his educational
attainment….
The Supremo Bonifacio appointed Gen. Artemio Ricarte as secretary. Then, with the help of Mr. Daniel
Tirona, he distributed pieces of paper to serve as ballots. When the ballots had been collected and votes were read
to be canvassed, Mr. Diego Mojica, the Magdiwang secretary of the treasury, warned the Supremo that many
ballots distributed were already filled out and that the voters had not done this themselves. The Supremo ignored
this remark. He proceeded with the business at hand as if nothing unusual had happened.
When the votes for president were counted, Mr. Emilio Aguinaldo won over Mr. Andres Bonifacio, the
Supremo. The winner was acclaimed by applause and shouts of “Mabuhay!”
Mr. Severino de las Alas spoke again to say that since Supremo Bonifacio had received the second highest
number of votes for the presidency, he should be proclaimed vice-president of the government of the Philippine
Republic. When nobody signified approval or disapproval of the proposal, the presiding officer, the Supremo
Bonifacio ruled that the election be continued. For vice-president, Mariano Trias won over Mr. Mariano Alvarez
and the Supremo Bonifacio. General Vibora was elected captain over General Apoy….
Mr. Baldomero Aguinaldo wanted the elections to be finished before it got too dark. To facilitate the
counting of votes, he suggested that for all other positions to be voted upon, voters should stand on one of the
sides of the hall if in favor and on the other side if against. This suggestion was adopted for the rest of the election.
For the position of secretary of war, Mr. Emiliano R. de Dios was elected overwhelmingly…. After the voters
had given the proper honors to the new secretary of war, they proceeded to elect the secretary of the interior. Mr.
Andres Bonifacio, the Supremo, won over Mr. Mariano Alvarez. The crowd broke into shouts of “Mabuhay!”
Mr. Daniel Tirona requested for a restoration of order and them spoke aloud:
 “My brethren, the office of Secretary of Interior is of so great a scope and of such sensitivity that we
should no entrust it to one who is not a lawyer. One among us here is a lawyer. He is Mr. Jose del Rosario. Let
us reconsider the choice of the last position, for he has no credentials to show attesting to any educational
attainment.
Then in as loud a voice as he could muster, Tirona shouted, “Let us elect Mr. Jose del Rosario, the lawyer!”
Greatly embarrassed, the Supremo Bonifacio quickly stood up and said, “We agreed to abide by the
majority vote and accept its choice no matter what the station in life of the person elected. And because of this, I
demand from you, Mr. Daniel Tirona, an apology. You must restore to the voters and the one they elected the
honor you have only now besmirched.”
Then he pulled out his revolver and took aim.
Instead of replying, Mr. Tirona ignored the Supremo’s remarks and, perhaps because of fear, he slid away
and got lost in the crowd. Disorder ensued as the convention secretary tried to disarm the Supremo, who was
intent on shooting Mr. Tirona. The people began to disperse and the Supremo adjourned the meeting with these
words:
“In my capacity as chairman of this convention and as President - Supremo of the Most Venerable
Katipunan of the Sons of the People which association is known and acknowledged by all, I hereby declare null
and void all matters approved in this meeting.”
Then he left quickly and was followed by his aides and some others present.