The Biak-na Bato Republic

Emilio Aguinaldo established his headquarters in Biak-na-Bato in Bulacan province. The

news immediately spread throughout the country, and the revolutionaries were once more
in high spirits. General llanera, who was in Nueva Ecija, declared his support for Aguinaldo.
In July 1897, Aguinaldo established the Biak-na-Bato Republic and issued a proclamation
stating the following demands:

▪ Expulsion of the friars and the return of the friar lands to the Filipinos
▪ Representation of the Philippines in the Spanish Cortes
▪ Freedom of the press and of religion
▪ Abolition of the government’s power to banish Filipinos
▪ Equality for all before the law.

A charter based on the Cuban Constitution was also drafted by Felix Ferrer and Isabelo
Artacho. It was signed on November 1, 1897. The Biak-na-Bato Constitution provided for
the establishment of a Supreme council that would serve as the highest governing body of
the Republic. It also outlined certain basic human rights, such as freedom of religion,
freedom of the press, and the right to education. Emilio Aguinaldo and Mariano Trias were
elected Supreme Council president and vice president, respectively.

The Pact of Biak-na-Bato

Pedro Paterno, a Spaniard born in the Philippines volunteered to act as negotiator between
Aguinaldo and Gov. Primo de Rivera in
order to end the clashes. Paterno’s effort
paid off when on, December 15, 1897, the
Pact he sign the Pact as the representative
of the revolutionaries, and de Rivera as the
representative of the Spanish government.
The Leaders are: Emilio Aguinaldo-
President, Mariano Trias-Vice President,
Antonio Montenegro-Secretary, Baldomero
Aguinaldo-Treasurer, and Emilio Riego de
Dios.

On December 23, 1897, Generals Celestino Tejero and Ricardo Monet of the Spanish army
arrived in Biak-na-Bato and became hostages of the rebels. A ceasefire was declared by
both camps and an agreement between Aguinaldo and the Spanish forces was made -that
the Spanish government will grant self-rule to the Philippines in 3 years if Aguinaldo went to
exile and surrender his arms. In exchange, Aguinaldo will receive P800,000 (Mexican Pesos)
as remuneration to the revolutionaries and an amnesty. After receiving a partial payment of
P400,000, Aguinaldo left for Hong Kong on December 27, 1897. Some Filipino generals,
however, did not believe in the sincerity of the Spaniards. They refused to surrender their
arms. Nevertheless, the Te Deum was still sung on January 23, 1898.

The Biak-na-Bato Pact Fails

The Filipino’s and the Spaniards did not trust each other. As a result, periodic clashes
between the two groups still took place even after Aguinaldo’s departure from the country.
The Spanish did not pay the entire agreed amount. Continue to The Spanish-American War.
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The Philippine Revolution

The Biak-na-Bato Republic of 1897

With almost all of Cavite in the hands of the Before July 1897, Aguinaldo and his men had already
Spaniards, [ Governor General ] Primo de established a republican government at Biyak-na-Bato,
Rivera issued another decree extending the known as the Biyak-na-Bato Republic. The provisional
benefit of his pardon beyond May 17, 1897. His constitution of this Republic was prepared by Felix Ferrer
purpose was to win over the Filipinos to his and Isabelo Artacho, who copied, almost word for word,
policy of attraction. A few took advantage of the the Cuban constitution of Jimaguayu. The Biyak-na-bato
governor's decree, while the rest continued their Constitution was signed on November 1, 1897. Its
resistance against the enemy. preamble states:

Aguinaldo, meanwhile was in Talisay, Batangas

where he had established his headquarters. The separation of the Philippines from the
The enemy surrounded the area in the hope of Spanish monarchy and their formation into an
capturing him, but he slipped through the independent state with its own government
Spanish cordon on June 10 and proceeded with
his men to the hilly region of Morong ( Rizal ). called the Philippine Republic has been the end
With 500 picked men, he crossed the Pasig to sought by the Revolution in the existing war,
Malapad-na-Bato, near Guadalupe, and from begun on the 24th of August, 1896; and ,
here he secretly passed through San Juan del
Monte and Montalban, and on to Mount Puray. therefore, in its name and by the power
After a well-earned rest, Aguinaldo and his men delegated by the Filipino people, interpreting
proceeded to Biak-na-Bato, San Miguel de faithfully their desires and ambitions, we the
Mayumo, where he established his
headquarters. representatives of the Revolution, in a meeting
at Biac-na-bato, November 1, 1897,
News of Aguinaldo's arrival at Biak-na-Bato unanimously adopted the following articles for
reached the towns of Central Luzon. As a the constitution of the State.
consequence, armed men from Pangasinan, In accordance with Article 1, the Supreme Council was created
Zambales, and Ilocos provinces, Tarlac and on November 2, with the following as officers:
Nueva Ecija, renewed their armed resistance
against the enemy. From Biak-na-Bato, Emilio Aguinaldo President
Aguinaldo and his men joined forces with those Mariano Triad Vice-President
of General Mariano Llanera of Nueva Ecija and
harassed the Spanish soldiers garrisoned in the
Secretary of Foreign
Antonio Montenegro
Central Luzon Provinces. With the coming of Affairs
the rainy season, Primo de Rivera's campaigns Isabelo Artacho Secretary of the Interior
were temporarily halted.
Emiliano Riego de
Secretary of War
Dios
Baldomero Aguinaldo Secretary of the Treasury

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Philippines HiStory this Week: The truce of
Biak-na-Bato
We’ve gone through a lot of wars in the history of the Philippines for the past few hiStory-
telling sessions. This time, why don’t we concentrate on a period of relative peace? Anyway,
we’re more than two weeks away from Christmas day… I think we should also look on the
bright sides of life to get the feel of the season.

I am by no means saying that this day we’re about to talk about occurred in a period of long
peace. We’re still going to tackle the revolutionary period of Spanish colonisation. But any
window of peace was also a welcome moment for our exhausted revolutionary heroes who
needed a time to restart their cause against Spain. This was a time when fire power, both
literally and figuratively, was running out on the revolutionary’s side. It was time to regroup.

The date is 14 December 1897: Biak-na-Bato, the day Spain and the Philippines signed a truce.

Biak-na-Bato Republic

After Andres Bonifacio, Supremo of the underground revolutionary group Katipunan, passed
away, the leadership of the group was taken by another prominent Katipunan leader Emilio
Aguinaldo. At this point, with the Katipunan itself in tatters because of an internal conflict
among chapters, Emilio Aguinaldo and the revolutionary troops were being routed by the
Spanish soldiers.
The Katipunan’s headquarters in Talisay, Batangas has been surrounded. Luckily, Emilio was
able to escape with 500 men to a place called Biak-na-Bato in Bulacan. Biak-na-Bato was a very
ideal hideout for Emilio and his troops because the area had cave network and river systems. In
other words, it was very ideal for its natural defensive properties, something the Katipunan
itself cannot create with such few men and materials in their hands.
 General Emilio Aguinaldo would soon be the first president of the Republic of the Philippines

In Biak-na-Bato, Emilio declared a republic complete with a constitution… the first ever republic
of the Philippines. The republic had been successful in that it helped rally the scattered
Katipunan chapters and renewed Katipunan’s pact to fight off the Spanish colonisers.

The republic also allowed the Katipunan to pinpoint new goals to make their fight more
organised. Some of these goals include:

 The removal of friars and the return of their lands to the rightful Filipinos
 Representation in the Spanish court
 Freedom of the press and of religious expression
 Equal treatment for peninsulares (those born in Spain) and insulares (those born in the
Philippines) civil servants
 Abolition of the banishment system
 Equality for all people in legal terms

The success of this ‘second’ Katipunan made the Spanish government realise that breaking Biak-
na-Bato will not necessarily break the revolutionary cause. Governor-general Primo de Rivera
then planned to forge a peace pact with Emilio.

Governor-general Primo de Rivera

However, the governor-general was really biding his time for another offensive against the
Emilio and his troops.
15 December 1897

With the help of lawyer Pedro Paterno, Spain and the Philippines nevertheless made the peace
through the Pact of Biak-na-Bato. This was accomplished by shuttle diplomacy: Paterno had to
go back and forth between Manila and Bulacan to negotiate for the two sides.

The first two documents of the Pact were signed on 14 December and the third was signed on
15 December. The agreement included the following provisions:

 That Spain should pay 800,000 Mexican dollars to be paid in installments in exchange of
exile for Emilio and his associates
 Payment should be made personally to Emilio, and its use will be totally in the discretion of
the group
 That Spain should give two hostages as collateral until Emilio and his group have arrived in
Hong Kong and until they are paid the first installment
 That the friars should be expelled
 That a time of peace shall be declared until February

Although both sides signed the truce, no one really believed the other would follow the
agreement to the letter. Sure, Emilio was able to reach Hong Kong in good hands and he
received the first installment of the payment worth 400,000 Mexican dollars. But he used this
money to purchase more weapons needed by the revolutionary movement.

Spanish soldiers executing Filipino revolutionaries during the war

The rest of the payment was not received. In addition, Spanish and Filipino troops did not
honour the peace pact as provided by the truce. Many fights between the two groups still
sparked all over the country, with most of these the result of lack of communication between
the parties involved in the truce and the men on the front lines.

Bigger things were in motion on the other side of the world, however, as America was moving
to take over Spanish colonies from Spain.

The story of Biak-na-Bato may be one of the shortest chapters in the period of the Philippine-
Spanish wars. But it was an important precursor to the country’s freedom, because it was the
first time a truce was attempted between Spain and the Philippines since the revolution
erupted. The truce provided a small window of opportunity that helped the revolutionary
leaders strategise their movements against the colonisers. It was a risky move, yes, because
peace meant Spain was also afforded time to regroup. But decisions like these have to be made
to push the struggle forward.

It is true that at this point Emilio’s goals for the country were… well, a bit doubtful. Can you
imagine yourself, a leader of the biggest group in the Philippines (by proxy the president of the
biggest Filipino group that had the power to change the system at that point) turn your back on
your countrymen and leave? I wouldn’t want to be caught up in that kind of decision! But men
like Emilio were needed to forge a new direction for what seemed like a tug-of-war between
two factions.

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