Chapter 7 Reading and Analysis of Primary Sources 2

MODULE: READINGS IN THE PHILIPPINE HISTORY

READING AND ANALYSIS OF

CHAPTER 7
PRIMARY SOURCES PART 2
At the end of this module, learners will be able to:

 To be able to familiarize oneself with the primary documents in

different historical periods of the Philippines.
 To be able to learn history through primary sources.
 To be able to properly interpret primary sources through
examining the content and context of the document.
 To understand the context behind each selected document.
a. Proclamation of the Philippine Independence
Overview:
With a government in operation, Emilio 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. Apolinario 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.
Thus, June 12, 1898, between four and five in the afternoon, Emilio
Aguinaldo, in the presence of a hug crowd, proclaimed the independence of
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. In addition to that, the
Proclamation of the Philippine Independence was prepared by Ambrosio
Rianzares, who also read it. A passage in the Declaration reminds one of
another passage in the American Declaration of Independence. The
document was signed by 98 persons, among them an American army officer
who was witnessed the proclamation.
Features:
1. Characterization of the Philippines during the Spanish colonial
period
2. Justification behind the revolution against Spain
3. Brief historical view of the Spanish occupation
4. Establishment of the republic under the dictatorship of Emilio
Aguinaldo
5. Exclusion of Andres Bonifacio’s contribution as the founder of
Katipunan
6. Explanation of the Philippine flag’s appearance
7. Mentioning of Emilio Aguinaldo as God’s selected instrument that

will lead his country to its redemption
8. Revelation of some overlooked historical truths
During the Spanish-American War, Filipino rebels led by Emilio Aguinaldo

proclaim the independence of the Philippines after 300 years of Spanish rule. By
mid-August, Filipino rebels and U.S. troops had ousted the Spanish, but
Aguinaldo’s hopes for independence were dashed when the United States formally
annexed the Philippines as part of its peace treaty with Spain.
The Philippines, a large island archipelago situated off Southeast Asia, was
colonized by the Spanish in the latter part of the 16th century. Opposition to
Spanish rule began among Filipino priests, who resented Spanish domination of
the Roman Catholic churches in the islands. In the late 19th century, Filipino
intellectuals and the middle class began calling for independence. In 1892, the
Katipunan, a secret revolutionary society, was formed in Manila, the Philippine
capital on the island of Luzon. Membership grew dramatically, and in August 1896
the Spanish uncovered the Katipunan’s plans for rebellion, forcing premature
action from the rebels. Revolts broke out across Luzon, and in March 1897, 28-
year-old Emilio Aguinaldo became leader of the rebellion.
By late 1897, the revolutionaries had been driven into the hills southeast of Manila,
and Aguinaldo negotiated an agreement with the Spanish. In exchange for financial
compensation and a promise of reform in the Philippines, Aguinaldo and his
generals would accept exile in Hong Kong. The rebel leaders departed, and the
Philippine Revolution temporarily was at an end.
In April 1898, the Spanish-American War broke out over Spain’s brutal
suppression of a rebellion in Cuba. The first in a series of decisive U.S. victories
occurred on May 1, 1898, when the U.S. Asiatic Squadron under Commodore
George Dewey annihilated the Spanish Pacific fleet at the Battle of Manila Bay in
the Philippines. From his exile, Aguinaldo made arrangements with U.S. authorities
to return to the Philippines and assist the United States in the war against Spain.
He landed on May 19, rallied his revolutionaries, and began liberating towns south
of Manila. On June 12, he proclaimed Philippine independence and established a

provincial government, of which he subsequently became head.
His rebels, meanwhile, had encircled the Spanish in Manila and, with the support
of Dewey’s squadron in Manila Bay, would surely have conquered the Spanish.
Dewey, however, was waiting for U.S. ground troops, which began landing in July
and took over the Filipino positions surrounding Manila. On August 8, the Spanish
commander informed the United States that he would surrender the city under two
conditions: The United States was to make the advance into the capital look like a
battle, and under no conditions were the Filipino rebels to be allowed into the city.
On August 13, the mock Battle of Manila was staged, and the Americans kept their
promise to keep the Filipinos out after the city passed into their hands.
While the Americans occupied Manila and planned peace negotiations with Spain,
Aguinaldo convened a revolutionary assembly, the Malolos, in September. They
drew up a democratic constitution, the first ever in Asia, and a government was
formed with Aguinaldo as president in January 1899. On February 4, what became
known as the Philippine Insurrection began when Filipino rebels and U.S. troops
skirmished inside American lines in Manila. Two days later, the U.S. Senate voted
by one vote to ratify the Treaty of Paris with Spain. The Philippines were now a U.S.
territory, acquired in exchange for $20 million in compensation to the Spanish.
In response, Aguinaldo formally launched a new revolt–this time against the United
States. The rebels, consistently defeated in the open field, turned to guerrilla
warfare, and the U.S. Congress authorized the deployment of 60,000 troops to
subdue them. By the end of 1899, there were 65,000 U.S. troops in the Philippines,
but the war dragged on. Many anti-imperialists in the United States, such as
Democratic presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan, opposed U.S.
annexation of the Philippines, but in November 1900 Republican
incumbent William McKinley was reelected, and the war continued.
On March 23, 1901, in a daring operation, U.S. General Frederick Funston and a
group of officers, pretending to be prisoners, surprised Aguinaldo in his stronghold
in the Luzon village of Palanan and captured the rebel leader. Aguinaldo took an
oath of allegiance to the United States and called for an end to the rebellion, but
many of his followers fought on. During the next year, U.S. forces gradually pacified
the Philippines. In an infamous episode, U.S. forces on the island of Samar
retaliated against the massacre of a U.S. garrison by killing all men on the island
above the age of 10. Many women and young children were also butchered. General
Jacob Smith, who directed the atrocities, was court-martialed and forced to retire
for turning Samar, in his words, into a “howling wilderness.”
In 1902, an American civil government took over administration of the Philippines,

and the three-year Philippine insurrection was declared to be at an end. Scattered
resistance, however, persisted for several years.
More than 4,000 Americans perished suppressing the Philippines–more than 10

times the number killed in the Spanish-American War. More than 20,000 Filipino
insurgents were killed, and an unknown number of civilians perished.
In 1935, the Commonwealth of the Philippines was established with U.S. approval,
and Manuel Quezon was elected the country’s first president. On July 4, 1946, full
independence was granted to the Republic of the Philippines by the United States.
b. Alfred McCoy’s Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricature of the

American Era
Overview:
Philippine political cartoons gained full expression during the American era.
Filipino artists recorded national attitudes toward the coming of the Americans as
well as the changing mores and times. In the book of Alfred McCoy, 377 cartoons
were compiled in the book, including the extensive research of McCoy in the
Philippine and American archives providing a comprehensive background not only
to the cartoons but to the turbulent period as well. Artist writer Alfredo Roces, who
designed the book cover, contributed an essay on the Philippine graphic satire on
the period.
Features:
1. Demonstration of different strands of changes and shifts in the

culture, society and politics of the Philippines’ transition from the
Spanish colonial period to the American occupation
2. Illustration of certain media outfits about the Philippine society from

the Spanish Colonial period to the American Occupation period
3. Description of the unchanging conditions of poor Filipinos
c. Corazon Aquino’s Speech Before the US Congress
Overview:
When Former President of the Philippines Corazon C. Aquino gave a speech to the
United states on September 1986, more than half a year after assuming the
presidency, she called on America to help the Philippines in preserving the freedom
which the Filipinos have won for themselves. Calling to, “restore the role by ways of
democracy”, she praised the role of the America in the world as the promoter of a
righteous system of governance and further strengthened the reputation of said
country as a model for greatness.
Features:
1. Countless references to Ninoy Aquino
2. Analysis of Martial Law
3. Mentioning of Philippine foreign debt
4. Praises of American role
5. Calamities during Martial Law
6. Emphasis of ideology or principle of a new democratic government.

Please click the link below for the Course Overview:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuQESg33w3U
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOHkyMHDHWk
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bavnuT4RlU

 Candelaria, J.L. et. al. (2018) Readings in Philippine History.

Rex Book Store. Manila.
 Agoncillo, T. (1974). Introduction to Filipino History.
Garotech Publishing. Quezon City.
 Corpuz, O.D. (1997). An Economic History of the Philippines.
U.P. Press Printery Division. Philippines.


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MODULE: READINGS IN THE PHILIPPINE HISTORY

READING AND ANALYSIS OF

At the end of this module, learners will be able to:

 To be able to familiarize oneself with the primary documents in

a. Proclamation of the Philippine Independence

7. Mentioning of Emilio Aguinaldo as God’s selected instrument that

During the Spanish-American War, Filipino rebels led by Emilio Aguinaldo

of Manila. On June 12, he proclaimed Philippine independence and established a

In 1902, an American civil government took over administration of the Philippines,

More than 4,000 Americans perished suppressing the Philippines–more than 10

b. Alfred McCoy’s Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricature of the

1. Demonstration of different strands of changes and shifts in the

2. Illustration of certain media outfits about the Philippine society from

3. Description of the unchanging conditions of poor Filipinos

c. Corazon Aquino’s Speech Before the US Congress

1. Countless references to Ninoy Aquino

2. Analysis of Martial Law

3. Mentioning of Philippine foreign debt

4. Praises of American role

5. Calamities during Martial Law

6. Emphasis of ideology or principle of a new democratic government.

Please click the link below for the Course Overview:

 Candelaria, J.L. et. al. (2018) Readings in Philippine History.

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