ANGELES UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION

College of Nursing

Readings in Philippine History

Group Activity #2

Context Analysis: Documents of the 1898 Declaration of Philippine Independence, The Malolos
Constitution and the First Philippine Republic

BSN 1-H
Group No. 5

Members:
Cabral, Steven
Capulong, Alani Crizel
Delos Santos, Sophia Rose
Suba, Angelica Nicole

Ms. Sharmaine Vianne Gonzales

January 14, 2018
 I. Background of the Author/Creator

A. Declaration of the Philippine Independence – Written by Ambrocio Rianzares

Bautista
Name: Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista

Born: 7 December 1830 at Biñan, Laguna, Captaincy General of

the Philippines
Died: 4 December 1903 (aged 72)
Other name(s): Don Bosyong
Alma mater: University of Santo Tomas
Occupation: Lawyer
Known for: Author of the Declaration of Philippine Independence

Other Facts: A distant relative of the Rizal family, Bautista frequently provided advice to
Philippine national hero José Rizal during his school days in Manila

Bautista solicited funds to finance a campaign for reforms in the Philippines, later becoming a
member of the La Liga Filipina, Cuerpo de Compromisarios and La Propaganda. In 1896, the
Spaniards arrested and imprisoned him at Fort Santiago, as he was suspected of being involved
in the Philippine Revolution; Bautista elected to defend himself and was later released from
prison.

In 1898, Bautista became the first adviser to President Emilio Aguinaldo and subsequently wrote
the Declaration of Philippine Independence.

Contrary to common belief, it was Bautista, and not Aguinaldo, who waved the Philippine flag
before the jubilant crowd on June 12, 1898, during the Philippines Proclamation of Independence
in Cavite.

On July 14, 1899, Bautista was elected to the position of president in Tarlac's Revolutionary
Congress and was later appointed judge of the Court of First Instance of Pangasinan

B. The Malolos Constitution – Written by Felipe Calderón y Roca and Felipe Buencamino
 Name: Felipe Gonzáles Calderón y Roca

Born: April 4, 1868 at Santa Cruz de Malabon, Cavite, Captaincy

General of the Philippines
Died: June 6, 1908 (aged 40) at Manila, Philippine Islands
Alma mater: University of Santo Tomas
Occupation: Writer, politician and revolutionary leader

Other facts: He's also known as the "Father of the Malolos

Constitution"

During the Philippine Revolution, Calderon ardently supported the revolutionary movement, an
organization that aimed to gain independence from Spain. For his activities he was imprisoned
by the Spanish colonial authorities. One school in Tondo, Manila was named after him.

In September 1898, after the return of Emilio Aguinaldo to Cavite from Hong Kong, he accepted
Aguinaldo’s appointment as a representative of the first district of Paragua in the Revolutionary
Congress in Malolos, Bulacan. After the Spanish–American War, the República Filipina
(Philippine Republic) was formed during the Malolos Constitution on January 25, 1899.

When the Philippine–American War began, he traveled to Manila where he appeared before the
Schurman Commission on April 27, offering suggestions for the restoration of peace. He was
requested to draft rules for the Philippine government of the first municipalities during the war
with the United States.

In 1899, Calderon founded two law universities. These are the Colegio de Abogados de Manila
(School of Lawyers of Manila) and the Escuela de Derecho (School of Duties). He taught in both
institutions. In 1904, he was appointed member of a commission to draft a proposed Penal Code.
He also organized the La Protección de la Infancia, (The Protection of Infants), an institution that
established humanitarian institution to protect and care for disadvantaged people.
 Felipe Siojo Buencamino (Veluz), Sr.

Born: August 23, 1848 at San Miguel de Mayumo in the

Philippine province of Bulacan

Died: February 06, 1929 (80) at Manila, Metro Manila,

Philippines
Other name(s): Ipe
Alma mater: University of Santo Tomas

Other facts: There might have been many turncoats and

balimbings during the Philippine-American War, but only few
can arguably match the temerity of Felipe Buencamino.

As a judge for the Spanish government, he had once wrote to a governor-general exhorting
“death to the traitors who disturb our public peace and tranquillity.” When the Revolution broke
out, he initially sided with the Spanish but switched to the Filipino camp after being imprisoned
by the former in Cavite. He later became a member of Aguinaldo’s own Cabinet and was even
one of the framers of the Malolos Constitution.

However, the arrival of the Americans obliged him to switch sides yet again, earning him and his
fellow Americanistas the ire of the revolutionaries. In fact, during a Cabinet meeting, the
notoriously hot-headed nationalist General Antonio Luna slapped Buencamino square in the face
and called him a coward for proposing to negotiate with the Americans. The two would later
meet again in a heated confrontation two weeks later on June 5, 1899—the day Luna was
assassinated. (From Filipiknow.net)

II. Historical Background of the Document/Source

A. Declaration of the Philippine Independence
The Act of Declaration of Philippine Independence was written and was read by Ambrosio
Rianzares Bautista in Spanish and translated by Sulpicio Guevara. It was written to use for the
declaration of freedom of the Philippines after the war against America and Spain. The
declaration was signed by 98 persons and at the end of it, emphasizing an American present in
there with no official role. It is said that there are American army officer who witnessed. The
main reason for having the declaration is to symbolize that Philippines has the right to be
independent and free from the Spaniards and is no longer tied politically with them.

With a government in operation, Aguinaldo thought that it was necessary to declare the
independence of the Philippines. He believed that such a move would inspire the people to fight
more eagerly against the Spaniards and at the same time, lead the foreign countries to recognize
the independence of the country. Mabini, who had by now been made Aguinaldo's unofficial
adviser, objected. He based his objection on the fact that it was more important to reorganize the
government in such a manner as to convince the foreign powers of the competence and stability
of the new government than to proclaim Philippine independence at such an early period.
Aguinaldo, however, stood his ground and won.

On June 12, between four and five in the afternoon, Aguinaldo, in the presence of a huge crowd,
proclaimed the independence of the Philippines at Cavite el Viejo (Kawit). For the first time, the
Philippine National Flag, made in Hongkong by Mrs. Marcela Agoncillo, assisted by Lorenza
Agoncillo and Delfina Herboza, was officially hoisted and the Philippine National March played
in public. The Act of the Declaration of Independence was prepared by Ambrosio Rianzares
Bautista, who also read it. A passage in the Declaration reminds one of another passage in the
American Declaration of Independence. The Philippine Declaration was signed by ninety-eight
persons, among them an American army officer who witnessed the proclamation. The
proclamation of Philippine independence was, however, promulgated on August 1 when many
towns has already been organized under the riles laid down by the Dictatorial Government.
(From: History of the Filipino People. Teodoro A. Agoncillo)

The most significant achievement of Aguinaldo's Dictatorial Government was the proclamation
of Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite, on June 12, 1898. The day was declared a national
holiday. Thousands of people from the provinces gathered in Kawit to witness the historic event.
The ceremony was solemnly held at the balcony of General Emilio Aguinaldo's residence. The
military and civil officials of the government were in attendance.

A dramatic feature of the ceremony was the formal unfurling of the Filipino flag amidst the
cheers of the people. At the same time, the Philippine National Anthem was played by the band.
Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista solemnly read the "Act of the Declaration of Independence" which
he himself wrote. The declaration was signed by 98 persons. One of the signers was an
American, L.M. Johnson, Colonel of Artillery.
(From The Philippines: A Unique Nation. Dr. Sonia M. Zaide)

B. The Malolos Constitution

After returning to the islands, Aguinaldo wasted little time in setting up an independent
government. On June 12, 1898, a declaration of independence, modeled on the American one,
was proclaimed at his headquarters in Cavite. It was at this time that Apolinario Mabini, a lawyer
and political thinker, came to prominence as Aguinaldo's principal adviser. Born into a poor
indio family but educated at the University of Santo Tomás, he advocated "simultaneous external
and internal revolution," a philosophy that unsettled the more conservative landowners and
ilustrados who initially supported Aguinaldo. For Mabini, true independence for the Philippines
would mean not simply liberation from Spain (or from any other colonial power) but also
educating the people for self-government and abandoning the paternalistic, colonial mentality
that the Spanish had cultivated over the centuries. Mabini's The True Decalogue, published in
July 1898 in the form of ten commandments, used this medium, somewhat paradoxically, to
promote critical thinking and a reform of customs and attitudes. His Constitutional Program for
the Philippine Republic, published at the same time, elaborated his ideas on political institutions.

On September 15, 1898, a revolutionary congress was convened at Malolos, a market town
located thirty-two kilometers north of Manila, for the purpose of drawing up a constitution for
the new republic. A document was approved by the congress on November 29, 1898. Modeled
on the constitutions of France, Belgium, and Latin American countries, it was promulgated at
Malolos on January 21, 1899, and two days later Aguinaldo was inaugurated as president.

American observers traveling in Luzon commented that the areas controlled by the republic
seemed peaceful and well governed. The Malolos congress had set up schools, a military
academy, and the Literary University of the Philippines. Government finances were organized,
and new currency was issued. The army and navy were established on a regular basis, having
regional commands. The accomplishments of the Filipino government, however, counted for
little in the eyes of the great powers as the transfer of the islands from Spanish to United States
rule was arranged in the closing months of 1898.

In late September, treaty negotiations were initiated between Spanish and American
representatives in Paris. The Treaty of Paris was signed on December 10, 1898. Among its
conditions was the cession of the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico to the United States (Cuba
was granted its independence); in return, the United States would pay Spain the sum of US$20
million. The nature of this payment is rather difficult to define; it was paid neither to purchase
Spanish territories nor as a war indemnity. In the words of historian Leon Wolff, "it was . . . a
gift. Spain accepted it. Quite irrelevantly she handed us the Philippines. No question of honor or
conquest was involved. The Filipino people had nothing to say about it, although their rebellion
was thrown in (so to speak) free of charge."

The Treaty of Paris aroused anger among Filipinos. Reacting to the US$20 million sum paid to
Spain, La Independencia (Independence), a newspaper published in Manila by a revolutionary,
General Antonio Luna, stated that "people are not to be bought and sold like horses and houses.
If the aim has been to abolish the traffic in Negroes because it meant the sale of persons, why is
there still maintained the sale of countries with inhabitants?" Tension and ill feelings were
growing between the American troops in Manila and the insurgents surrounding the capital. In
addition to Manila, Iloilo, the main port on the island of Panay, also was a pressure point. The
Revolutionary Government of the Visayas was proclaimed there on November 17, 1898, and an
American force stood poised to capture the city. Upon the announcement of the treaty, the
radicals, Mabini and Luna, prepared for war, and provisional articles were added to the
constitution giving President Aguinaldo dictatorial powers in times of emergency. President
William McKinley issued a proclamation on December 21, 1898, declaring United States policy
to be one of "benevolent assimilation" in which "the mild sway of justice and right" would be
substituted for "arbitrary rule." When this was published in the islands on January 4, 1899,
references to "American sovereignty" having been prudently deleted, Aguinaldo issued his own
proclamation that condemned "violent and aggressive seizure" by the United States and
threatened war.
(From U.S. Library of Congress)

III. Content Presentation & Analysis

A. Content Presentation
The two documents that we will be tackling are The Act of Declaration of Philippine
Independence and the Malolos Constitution. These two document played a massive role in
shaping Philippines, from a former colony, to a sovereign nation.

The first document, The Act of Declaration of Philippine Independence, written by

Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, shows how unsatisfied are the masses to the unjust and tyrannical
rule of Spain in the Philippines. It also contains a brief history of the hardships of the Philippines
under the Spaniards, and using it as a justification for cutting or ceasing their allegiance to the
Spanish crown. Additionally, the document granted Emilio Aguinaldo, the power to run the
government, as stated in the following passage as translated by Sulpicio Guevara, “Moreover, we
confer upon our famous Dictator Don Emilio Aguinaldo all the powers necessary to enable him
to discharge the duties of Government, including the prerogatives of granting pardon and
amnesty.” Lastly, this document introduced and provided a brief background of our national flag.

The second document, The Malolos Constitution, served us the foundation of the first
republic of the Philippines. It contains the fundamental principles and basic laws of the state. Its
contents are separated into 14 Titles which consist of the following, Title I: On the Republic,
Title II: On the Government, Title III: On Religion, Title IV: On the Filipinos and their National
and Individual Rights, Title IV: On Legislative Power, Title VI: On the Permanent Commission,
Title VII: On Executive Power, Title VIII: On the President of the Republic, Title IX: On the
Secretaries of Government, Title X: On Judicial Power, Title XI: On Provincial and Popular
Assemblies, Title XII: On the Administration of the State, Title XIII: On Constitutional Reform,
Title XIV: On Constitutional Observance and Oath of Office, and on Languages. These titles are
further subdivided into articles which are too many to be listed here.

The following are some of the notable articles from the Malolos constitution. Article 4
which separates the government into 3 distinct powers, the Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary
and it also prohibits a single person from taking control over the three branches. Article 5, under
this article, the people are given freedom to choose their own religion and It calls for the
separation of the church and state. Article 6 contains the condition of citizenship, according to it,
a person is considered a Filipino if he/ she is born in the Philippines, even if a child is born in
another country but his/her parents are Filipino, the child is considered Filipino, and lastly, if a
foreigner obtained a certificate of naturalization. Lastly, Article 14, this protects a Filipino from
being prosecuted or sentenced by anyone except the judge or the court as long as it is in
accordance to the law.

B. Analysis
In order to analyze the first document, we will be comparing it to the American
Declaration of Independence. Both of them provides a brief history about the experiences under
colonialism and how they fought against oppression. Both also share the same goal of achieving
independence and liberty from the colonial rulers however, Unlike the American Declaration of
Independence, which did not put emphasis or revere their leader, our declaration of
Independence reveres Aguinaldo as an instrument of God and upon reading the entire text, there
is not even a single time that Andres Bonifacio was mentioned even though he started the
revolution.

For the second document, most sources say that it is patterned to the 1812 constitution of
Spain, there is no available document online that contains its contents which is a bit unfortunate.
However, based on the text alone, it is clear that the purpose of the constitution is to provide the
foundation of our state especially during its infancy.

IV. Contributions and Relevance of the Document/Source in Understanding the Grand

Narrative of Philippine History
The documents assigned to us could easily be regarded as the soul of our history books.
These documents are the tangible proof of the blood, sweat and tears that our beloved
countrymen fought for—the freedom that’s been denied from Filipinos for centuries and
would’ve been more if it weren’t for the fiery rage of our heroes towards the colonizers who
raped the country against its will. The two documents, namely, “The Declaration of the
Philippine Independence” and “The Malolos Constitution” gave a significant turn towards the
ideal government and nation that its sons could not only die for, but also live for. If only that
today’s Filipinos could take a moment to appreciate what they’ve been taking for granted for the
years they’ve been living free from that of what our predecessors experienced as to understand
the grand narrative that our nation’s history has.

For years, the students are being taught about how bad the situation was back then when
the west civilization literally stepped on the “Pearl of the Orient”. Way before the Day of the
Philippine Independence, there’s been numerous battles being fought by the Filipinos. They’ve
been betrayed, mistreated, slaved, abused, bullied, raped, and killed but what matters most for
most Filipinos these days is that the heroes managed to get us all out of it. They don’t realize that
there’s a story behind that which bring us to the document “The Declaration of the Philippine
Independence” which was written by Ambrocio Rianzares Bautista, a war counselor.
They don’t have TVs back then, so they have to travel to various provinces just to
announce the said declaration. From what we learned from school, our Independence Day is June
12, 1898. That was also the day this declaration was announced and it contains not just a
sentence that says “You guys are free people”. It also contains the hearts of those Filipinos who
got victimized by injustice of the foreign government. It’s full of emotions and grace yet exudes
aggressiveness and confidence. It cited some of the incidents that clearly established the injustice
towards Filipinos like the hanging of the GomBurZa which happened without proper trial. The
Filipinos showed that they won’t lose another battle anymore and DEMANDED their country
back. This document is the beginning of a free country which will be ruled by its own and
through this, would be better than it was.

The other document which was the “Malolos Constitution” is the list of laws that’ll serve
as the foundation of the civilized and the formal document that would establish that the
Philippines would be ruled by law and justice. The articles in this document pointed out the most
important laws that should be observed among the dwellers of our sovereign nation. One is that
no one shall be imprisoned without undergoing proper trial. It may seems an obvious act that
should be common to all but it was a huge issue back then since some Filipinos are hanged
without having the chance to explain themselves or have their crimes judged for the tantamount
sanction. Through this document, it can be explained that a good government should have laws
and should practice justice as what we have right now.

The bottom line is these documents are the major milestones that our countrymen
achieved towards having the ideal country with democracy and freedom. Without these
documents, there wouldn’t be a Government or Independence Day. There would be a missing
piece in the overall picture of how our history was formed. With these documents existing today,
we should feel grateful since we could show something that would prove that our heroes fought
for something larger than we are. It gives us inspiration that we are worth something and we are
capable of being an independent country. It shows that the Philippines is worth living for.

Link to the Documents: Filipino.biz.ph

“Declaration of Philippine Independence” -
http://filipino.biz.ph/history/declaration.html?fbclid=IwAR0PICotJg3QOCjxtmWuhKQ3z4R3HI
5RABQX5sxYdin8E0VaGDbOuIvpBNQ

“The Malolos Constitution” -

http://filipino.biz.ph/history/constitution.html?fbclid=IwAR2hkNpv8Up7ABccuw9adJW79koM
_-EcpKv7DEjLGIizawCchQko5D-4rJg