The Pact of Biak-na-Bato

In October 1897, Spanish Governor-General Fernando Primo de Polavieja reported 8,000 casualties since the previous May, and told Madrid that the Revolution could no longer be suppressed because Spain, he said, was not fighting an army, but a united people. With its military resources strained by a similar revolution in Cuba, the Spanish central government instructed Polavieja to enter a truce with Gen. Aguinaldo. On Dec 14, 1897 the Pact of Biak-na-bato Agreement was reached in the negotiations between Aguinaldo's Revolutionary Government and Spain. Three documents were signed on these dates: a program, an act of agreement, and financial stipulation. The terms of the Pact of Biak-na-bato were as follows: payment of P800,000 to Aguinaldo and other revolutionary leaders in exchange for voluntary exile to Hong Kong payment of P900,000 by Spain for civil damages done during the hostilities laying down and surrender of arms by the rebels general amnesty for all a verbal promise to institute reforms. The pact of Biak-na-Bato Spanish generals Celestino Tejero and Ricardo Monet were turned over to the Filipino leaders as hostages. On Dec 27, 1897 Aguinaldo and 25 other leaders of the Revolution left the Philippines for voluntary exile in Hong Kong. On Dec 29, 1897 Aguinaldo and his party reached Hong Kong. Spain deposited the first check of P400,000 into the Bank of Hong Kong. Aguinaldo and his cadre lived off of the interest. Aguinaldo refused to divide up the lump-sum payment among his followers and himself, noting that it might be needed to buy arms and munitions should Spain fail to keep its end of the Pact of Biak-na-bato. On Dec 31, 1897 the surrender of arms by Filipinos began and continued until February 1898. Peace between the Spanish and the Filipinos took hold for the first two months after the Pact of Biak-na-bato. Aguinaldo and his men established the Junta Patriotica, a political body that closely watched developments affecting the Philippines.

top

Apolinario Mabini:Brains of the Revolution

Born in Talaga, Tanauan, Batangas on July 23,1864 of poor parents, and later hampered for life by paralysis, Apolinario Mabini nevertheless grew up to be a good writer, lawyer and patriot. He is known as the Sublime Paralytic and the Brains of the Revolution. He was the second of the eight children of  Inocencio Mabini and Dionisia Maranan. 
Inspite of poverty, Mabini obtained a teaching certificate in March 1887 and finished law in 1894. He was admited to the bar in 1895. 
His misfortune came in 1896, when he contracted fever, which permanently paralyzed him. Still he did notarial work in his invalid's chair and supported the reform movement so that he was imprisoned until June 1897. 
When the Filipino-American war broke out, Mabini inspired his countrymen to fight and die for freedom's sake. He penned his famous True Decalogue. 
Mabini served as General Emilio Aguinaldo's adviser. He advised Aguinaldo to change the dictatorial form of government to revolutionary. He organized the municipalities, and provinces, and the judiciary and the police forces, and formulated army regulations. When the revolutionary congress convened at Barasoain, Malolos, Bulacan, he was Aguinaldo's Prime Minister. 
He helped outline the Malolos constitution. Hence, he was aptly called the "Brains of the Revolution." He continued writing articles advocating for reforms while in hiding, but was captured by the Americans on September 10, 1899. After his release on Setember 23,1900 he lived in Nagtahan, Manila where he wrote for local newspapers. On January 5, 1901 he was exiled to Guam because of his articles, notably "El Semil de Alejandro" in "El Liberal." 
Beleiving that he had no other choice and that he could better serve his countrymen by returning to the Philippines, Mabini took his oath of allegiance to the United States on February 26,1903. He died in Nagtahan, Manila on May 13,1903 at the age of 39. 
 

Emilio Aguinaldo as the Leader of the Revolution

The seventh of eight children of Crispulo Aguinaldo and Trinidad Famy, he was born into a Chinese-mestizo family on March 22, 1869 in Cavite El Viejo (now Kawit), Cavite province. His father was gobernadorcillo (town head), and, as members of the Chinese-mestizo minority, they enjoyed relative wealth and power.

As a young boy, Aguinaldo received basic education from his great-aunt and later attended the town's elementary school. In 1880, he took up his secondary course education at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran, which he quit on his third year to return home instead to help his widowed mother manage their farm.

At the age of 17, Emilio was elected cabeza de barangay of Binakayan, the most progressive barrio of Cavite El Viejo. He held this position serving for his town-mates for eight years. He also engaged in inter-island shipping, travelling as far south as the Sulu Archipelago.

In 1893, the Maura Law was passed to reorganize town governments with the aim of making them more effective and autonomous, changing the designation of town head from gobernadorcillo to capitan municipal effective 1895. On January 1, 1895, Aguinaldo was elected town head, becoming the first person to hold the title of capitan municipal of Cavite El Viejo.

The Tejeros Convention

 

On March 22, 1897, the Magdiwangs invited the rival Magdalo council to a meeting at the friar estate house in barrio Tejeros, San Francisco de Malabon (now General Trias), Cavite. Jacinto Lumbreras, a Magdiwang and first presiding officer, said the meeting had been called to plan for the defense of Magdiwang territory, in view of the fall of many Magdalo towns to the Spanish. Among the leading Magdiwang men, besides Bonifacio, were : Mariano Alvarez, Pascual Alvarez, Santiago Alvarez, Luciano San Miguel, Mariano Trias Closas, Santos Nocom and Severino de las Alas. Among the Magdalos were: Baldomero Aguinaldo, Daniel Tirona, Cayetano Topacio, and Antonio Montenegro. Instead, the assembled leaders, including the Magdiwangs, moved to elect the officers of the revolutionary government, thus discarding the Supreme Council of the Katipunan. Bonifacio presided, though reluctantly, over the election. He secured the unanimous pledge of the assembly to abide by the majority decision. The results were: President: Emilio Aguinaldo Vice-President: Mariano Tiras Captain-General: Artemio Ricarte Director of War: Emiliano Riego de Dios Director of the Interior: Andres Bonifacio Emilio Aguinaldo had been awarded the highest post on his 28th birth anniversary, although he was absent, being busy at a military front in Pasong Santol, a zigzag trail in what is now barangay Anabu II, Imus. Even the Magdiwangs who were supposed to be Bonifacio's supporters did not vote for him either for President or Vice-President. Daniel Tirona protested Bonifacio's election saying that the post should not be occupied by a person without a lawyer's diploma. He suggested a Cavite lawyer, Jose del Rosario for the position. Bonifacio 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." Bonifacio and Tirona fighting. Then he pulled out his revolver and took aim. Instead of replying, Tirona slid away and got lost in the crowd. Disorder ensued as the convention secretary, Artemio Ricarte, tried to disarm Bonifacio. The delegates began to disperse and an infuriated Bonifacio hotly declared: "I, as chairman of this assembly and as President of the Supreme Council of the Katipunan, as all of you do not deny, declare this assembly dissolved, and I annul all that has been approved and resolved." The following day, March 23, Bonifacio and his remaining men of about 45 met again at the same friar estate house in Tejeros and drew up a document known as the Acta de Tejeros, where they denounced the election as "rigged and, therefore, null and void." The truth was, all officers elected, with the exception of Aguinaldo, belonged to Bonifacio's Magdiwang faction. However, they were all Caviteños, including Ricarte who, although a native of Ilocos Norte, had lived in Cavite for a long time and had married locally. From Tejeros, Bonifacio and his loyalists went to Naic. Aguinaldo sent a delegation to Bonifacio to try to convince him to cooperate with the new revolutionary government, but the latter refused. On April 15, 1897 Gen. Aguinaldo ordered the arrest of Andres Bonifacio. On April 20, 1897, Bonifacio and his men completed another document called the Naic Agreement. It drafted a government and army independent from Aguinaldo's and reasserted Bonifacio's leadership of the revolution. Among the 41 signatories were Bonifacio, Artemio Ricarte, Emilio Jacinto, Pio del Pilar as commander-in-chief and Mariano Noriel. Del Pilar and Noriel later switched to Aguinaldo's side and played key roles in the trial and execution of Andres and Procopio Bonifacio. Noriel presided over the council of war that tried and sentenced the Bonifacio brothers to death.

The first Battles

 Bonifacio issued a manifesto on August 28,1896 in which he urged the Filipinos to join the revolution .He ordered the attack on Manila on August 29,1896.It was the best place to attack since it was the center of Spanish colonialism in the Philippines.However,the planned attack did not materialize.


Instead on August 30, Andres Bonifacio and his best friend, Emilio Jacinto, fought the first battle of the Philippine Revolution. Leading an army of eight hundred men, they attacked a gunpowder storehouse in San Juan del Monte (now San Juan, Metro Manila).

Today the place is called Pinaglabanan, meaning battlefield. The storehouse was an important military post for the Spanish army, but it was defended by only a hundred men. Outnumbered, the Spaniards retreated to El Deposito, the place where the Spaniards stored the water supply for the city of Intramuros.

After the attack on San Juan del Monte on August 30,1896,Governor-General Ramon Blanco declared the outbreak of war in Manila,Laguna,Bulacan,Pampanga,Nueva Ecija,Tarlac,Cavite,and Batangas.these provinces were considered to be the first ones  to revolt.The eight rays of the sun in the Philippine flag symbolize these eight provinces.


To suppress the revolution,Governor-General Blanco created the Batallon de Leales Voluntarios de Manila which arrested suspected Katipuneros and supporters of the Katipunan.There were many famous citizens who were imprisoned,most of whom were implicated by Bonifacio in documents in order to get their support for the revolutionary cause.Bonifacio's plan backfired since they disowned the Katipunan and were executed by the Spaniards .The arrested Katipuneros were also executed .On September 12,1896,13 men from Cavite were executed.They have been called as the 13 martyrs of Cavite.
 

The Cry of Pugadlawin

News about the discovery of the Katipunan spread to Manila and nearby suburbs, and Andres Bonifacio immediately called for a general meeting. Various wings of the Katipunan gathered at the house of Juan Ramos in Pugadlawin on August 23, 1896. Ramos was the son of Melchora Aquino, also known as “Tandang Sora” and was later acknowledged as the Mother of the Katipunan."

Bonifacio asked his men whether they were willing to fight to the bitter end. Everyone shouted their approval, except for Teodoro Plata, who though that it was too soon for a revolution. Heartened by his men’s response, Bonifacio then asked them to tear their cedulas (residence certificates) to pieces, as a sign of their defiance and determination to rise against the Spaniards. The men immediately tore up their cedulas, shouting, Mabuhay ang Pilipinas (long live the Philippines) -known as the Cry of Pugadlawin.

The Discovery of the Katipunan

In Manila, in its suburbs, and in the provinces of Luzon, the Katipunan became the talk of the town.  This happened after copies of the publication Kalayaan were circulated among the people.  However, the new members were rash and impatient so nightly meetings had to be held. It was, thus, inevitable that the suspicions of the authorities were aroused.  Rumors about the meetings circulated in Manila and caused worry particularly among the Spanish friars.

In fact, the friars blew the rumors out of proportion to force Spanish Governor-General Blanco, who was unsympathetic to them, to act on the matter.  He, however, did not.

The discovery of the Katipunan was the result of a misunderstanding between two Katipuneros.  The Katipuneros were Teodoro Patiño and Apolonio de la Cruz. Both of them were working at the Spanish-owned Diario de Manila.  As an action against de la Cruz, Patiño revealed the secrets of the society to his sister, Honoria, an inmate at the orphanage in Mandaluyong in the suburbs of Manila.  She was shocked about the revelation and she cried.  A madre portera, Sor Teresa saw her cry.  Then the sister asked Patiño to tell all he knew to Father Mariano Gil, the parish priest of Guadalupe and one of those trying to convince Governor-General Blanco to act quickly.

In the afternoon of August 19, 1896, Patiño disclosed the secrets he knew to Father Gil. The friar rushed to the printing shop of Diario de Manila and, with its owner, conducted a search of the premises.  The friar sought hidden evidence of the existence of the secret society. They found the lithographic stone used to print Katipunan receipts, which was confirmed by Patiño. “So here they are,” Father Gil might have whispered.  A locker was forced open.  There he found a dagger and other documents.

The First Phase Of The Philippine Revolution

                                                The first phase of the Philippine Revolution is also called the Filipino-Spanish War.It began with the Cry of Pugadlawin and ended with the Pact of Biak-na-bato.Andres Bonifacio led the revolution,thus he was called the "Father of the Philippine Revolution." With his death,Emilio Aguinaldo took  over the leadership of the revolution.