Chapter 17

The First Philippine Republic and the Filipino-American War

- was the first independent republic in Asia by Asians. It was born during a war for independence and
lasted for only two (2) years.

The Malolos Congress and Malolos Constitution

- Eighty-five (85) Filipinos met in a revolutionary congress at Barasoain Church, Malolos, Bulacan starting
September 15, 1898. It was headed by Dr. Pedro A. Paterno.

- The constitution of the First Philippine Republic was also called the "Malolos Constitution" because it
was written in Malolos, Bulacan. Its real author was Felipe G. Calderon, a famous Filipino lawyer. It was
approved by the Malolos Congress on November 29, 1898 and proclaimed by General Aguinaldo on
January 21, 1899.

The First Philippine Republic

- On January 23, 1899, the First Philippine Republic was inaugurated at Barasoain Church, Malolos
Bulacan. It was a solemn and happy time. The Filipinos wanted to show the world that they had their
own government at last.

- Aguinaldo was sworn in as president of the First Republic at the church altar.

- The official newspaper of the government was called El Heraldo de la Revolution. General Antonio Luna
and other Fili- pinos ran an independence newspaper called La Independencia. There were other free
papers in Manila and in Cebu.

- The new government also had diplomats abroad. The first filipino diplomat was Felipe States. Agoncillo.
He was sent to Paris and Wash- ington to work for recognition of Philippine Independence.

Failure of the First Philippine Republic

- Ended on the day when Aguinaldo was captured by the Americans. It takes more than parades and
fiestas to become a truly independent country, we had to fight for it.

The Americans Start the War

- The Americans started the Filipino-American war. This was the war of independence by the Filipinos
against the Americans who wanted to make the Philippines a colony of the United States.

-Americans start the war and pretended that Filipinos had brutally attacked them. In February 4, 1899,
an American sharp- shooter, Private Robert W. Grayson of the First Nebraska Volunteers, shot and killed
a Filipino soldier that kick started the shooting incident between the Filipinos and Americans.

The Filipino-American War.

The Filipinos fought a war of independence again. This time it was against the Americans, their former
allies. It was the second fight for Independence by the Filipinos.

- At daybreak of February 5, 1899, the American navy bombarded the Filipino positions in Manila.
- On March 31, 1899, the Americans cap- tured Malolos, which was then the capital of the First
Philippine Republic. Aguinaldo fled to Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, and finally to the mountains of Northern
Luzon.

- In Negros, Generals Aniceto Lacson and Juan Araneta organized the "Republic of Negros" on November
27, 1898. At first, the American invaders helped them. But later, the American government toppled it.

- In the Battle of San Mateo, Rizal on December 19, 1899, the famous hero of the American Civil War,
General Henry C. Lawton was killed by Filipino troops.

Guerilla Warfare

The Filipinos fought with old rifles and guns, bamboo and bolos. The Americans fought with machine
guns, automatic rifles, and Cannons, plenty of ammunition and supplies. Aguinaldo ordered the Filipinos
to fight a guerilla warfare. During the day, they hid, and they only fought in surprise attacks. Aguinaldo's
guerrilla warfare in 1899 to 1901 was earlier than Mao Zedong's Chinese guerrillas in the 1940s and Ho
Chi Minh's Vietnamese guerillas in the 1970s.

Filipino Victories in the War of Independence

Massacre of Balangiga- (September 29, 1901)

- the bolomen of Gen. Vicente Lukban wiped out the American garrison at Balangiga, Samar. U.S. Army
General Jacob Smith ordered his men to burn homes and crops and kill even children. The U.S. President
ordered the court-martial and disgraceful exit of Gen. Smith. Lukban became a hero and one of the
builders of the new nation.

The Battle of Quingua (now Plaridel), Bulacan- (April 23, 1899)

- Filipino sharpshooters led by the young General Gregorio del Pilar stopped a U.S. cavalry charge. Due to
this victory, Aguinaldo chose del Pilar to guard his retreat. The town now bears the famous hero's name.

The Battle of San Mateo – (December 19, 1899)

- The Filipino "Geronimo", General Licero Geronimo, and his snipers killed U.S. General Henry Lawton.
Thus, General Lawton, the hero who had defeated Geronimo, the Apache Indian chief, met his end with
another hero, a "Filipino Geronimo”.

Battle of Alaminos- (January 17, 1900)

-Filipino guerrillas ambushed an American train at Alaminos, Laguna, and captured many war materials.

The Battle of Pulang Lupa was Marinduque's "finest hour"-(September 13, 1900)

-Lt. Col. Maximo Abad and his troops defeated the U.S. Army in the bloody battle of Pulang Lupa, near
Sta. Cruz, Marinduque. Capt. James Shield and dozens of his soldiers were captured.

The Battle of Mabitac – ( September 17, 1900)

Filipinos Lose the War

One by one, the Filipino generals and officials of the First Philippine Republic lost or were captured by
the enemy. One of them was Apolinario Mabini, Aguinaldo's Prime Minister."

-Antonio Luna, got into a fight with the President's bodyguards. He was killed by them on June 5, 1899.

- Gregorio del Pilar and his men defended the Tirad Pass so Aguinaldo and his staff could escape the
Americans. They died to the last man on December 2, 1899.

Filipino Generals of the War

- Antonio Luna in Luzon

- Tomas Mascardo, Maximo Hizon, and Sevillano Aquino in Central Luzon

- Miguel Malvar in Batangas

- Juan Cailles in Laguna

- Mariano Trias in Cavite

- Paciano Rizal, Pantaleon Garcia, and Artemio Ricarte in Luzon

- Vito Belarmino and Jose Paua in Bicol

- Martin Delgado, Teresa, and the Magbanua brothers (Pascual and Elias) in Iloilo

- Vicente Lukban in Samar

- Simeon Ola, the last Filipino general to surrender to the Americans on September 25, 1903.

The Capture of Aguinaldo

Aguinaldo and his staff fled to the Cordillera mountains in Northern Luzon. At Palanan, Isabela, he made
his headquarters. But the Americans found out where Aguinaldo was hiding. General Frederick Funston
hatched a clever plot to capture the Filipino leader. Aguinaldo was taken to Manila. On April 19, 1901, he
took the oath of allegiance to the United States. Aguinaldo surrendered to the Americans.

-Miguel Malvar in Batangas fought until April 16, 1902. The last Filipino general who surrendered to the
Americans was Simeon Ola of Albay Province. He gave up on September 25, 1903.

Historical Values
The bloody history of our fight for independence teaches us the following lessons:

1. The Filipinos should be proud that the first independent republic in Asia by Asians was established by
Aguinaldo in the Philippines from 1989 to 1901. At that time, the other Asian countries were either
Western colonies or kingdoms ruled by kings and emperors.

2. The Filipinos are brave and sturdy people who will fight for their rights and independence, even if they
lose.

3. The Filipinos lost the Filipino-Ameri- can War because they were not united and they had inferior
weapons.

4. Like all wars, the Filipino-American War was very bloody and expensive. The Americans sent 126,248
troops, of whom 4,234 died. They spent a vast sum of $16,000. Veterans died in action; 200,000 civilians
died of starvation or diseases; and property worth billions of pesos was damaged.

5. We should remember and honor President Aguinaldo and other heroes of this era. Although they lost
the war, they fought with courage and honor. These veterans of the revolution were the real founding
fathers of our independence.

Chapter 18

Our Country as an American Colony

-The Philippines was once a part of the United States. This happened when we were American colony
between 1898 and 1946 minus the years of the Filipino-American War (1899-1901) and the Second
World War (1942- 45). However, the Americans promised to leave as soon as the Filipinos showed they
could run their own government. The American colonial officials treated the Filipinos well. That is why,
until today, the Filipinos who lived under the Americans generally speak well of the American colonial
era.

Philippine Territory in American Times

1. The South Pacific islands of Marianas, Carolines, and Palaus were no longer part of the Philippines.
Guam became a separate U.S. colony, while other Micronesian islands were taken by Germany and
Britain.

2. Mindanao and Sulu joined the Philippines through an agreement between General John C. Bates and
the Sultan of Sulu in 1899, despite the Bates Treaty not gaining American Congress approval.

3. Luzon and Visayas’ interior mountain regions became part of the Philippines, leading to colonization,
development, and the rise of gold mines in the Cordilleras. Igorots also joined the Philippine armed
forces as scouts and soldiers.

4. Baguio became the summer capital of the Philippines during this period.
American Colonial Policy

1. The U.S. aimed for Filipino independence, not a permanent colony, and worked to train Filipinos in
self-governance.

2. Americans were more benevolent, sharing power, protecting rights, and developing the economy and
education.

3. Filipinos quickly embraced American culture, adopting their language, clothing, and way of thinking to
the extent that they were seen as "brown Americans." Their affinity for the United States was
unmatched among former colonies.

Famous American Governor- Generals

-William Howard Taft (1901-1903): Known for his policy of "The Philippines for the Filipinos" and later
became the President of the United States.

- Frank B. Harrison (1913-1921): Promoted Filipinization of the government, with the majority of
official jobs going to Filipinos.

- Leonard Wood (1921-1927): Became unpopular due to his anti-Filipino policies and was involved in
the Cabinet Crisis of 1923.

- Dwight F. Davis (1929-1932): A sports-minded governor-general who donated the Davis Cup in tennis.

- Frank Murphy (1932-35)- The last governor-general who reformed the legal system and introduced
probation and free lawyers for the poor.

American Colonial Government

1. Military Government (August 14, 1898 - July 4, 1901): This phase, lasting three years during the
Filipino-American War, was led by military generals, including Gen. Wesley Merritt, Gen. Elwell Otis, and
Gen. Arthur MacArthur, who was Douglas MacArthur's father.

2. Civil Government (July 4, 1901 - August 1902): Initially run by American civilian officials appointed by
the U.S. president, it later transitioned to Filipino officials elected by Filipinos. Different forms of civilian
governance included the Philippine Commission, the American Governor-General working alongside the
Philippine Assembly or Legislature, and the eventual establishment of the Commonwealth of the
Philippines.

3. The Philippine Commissions: Two commissions were formed to advise the U.S. president. The First
Commission, led by Dr. Jacob C. Schurman in 1899, had limited impact due to the ongoing war. The
Second Commission, led by Judge William Howard Taft from 1900 to 1916, played a crucial role in
organizing civil governance in the Philippines. It shared power initially with the American military
governor and later with appointed Filipino members. This Commission enacted laws to rehabilitate the
country, focusing on infrastructure like roads and bridges.

American Governor-General

The American Governor-General played a vital role in the Philippines from July 4, 1901, to 1935, with
William H. Taft as the first to Frank Murphy as the last among eleven governors-general. Appointed by
the American President, the governor-general served as the colony's chief executive, leading a Cabinet
and ensuring the enforcement of colonial laws.

Filipino Participation in Government

-The American colonial government in the Philippines was distinctive because it actively included
Filipinos in positions of power, aiming to teach them self-governance. This set the Philippines apart from
other colonial powers. Filipinos began with local appointments and later won elected positions, with a
Filipino majority in the Philippine Commission by 1913.

-Key milestones included Cayetano Arellano becoming Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1901 and
Gregorio Araneta's appointment as the first Filipino Cabinet Secretary in 1903. In the civil service,
Filipinos increasingly held permanent positions, reaching 96% by 1921, and their greatest role was in
shaping their own laws, a topic we'll explore further.

Philippine Bill of 1902

In 1902, the American Congress faced the task of legislating for the Philippines. Some congressmen
doubted the Filipinos' trustworthiness, even resorting to derogatory terms. However, Congressman
Henry A. Cooper recited Dr. Jose Rizal's moving final poem, revealing the beauty of Filipino culture,
which touched his fellow congressmen. As a result, on July 1, 1902, the Philippine Bill of 1902 was
passed, leading to the creation of the Philippine Assembly.

The Philippine Assembly

On July 30, 1907, the Philippines held its first free national elections with nearly 100% voter turnout. The
Philippine Assembly, inaugurated on October 16, 1907, was the country's first all-Filipino lawmaking
body during the American era. It worked alongside the Philippine Commission, acting as the lower House
while the Commission functioned as the upper House of Congress. Sergio Osmeña of Cebu was elected
as its Speaker.

The Philippine Legislature

In 1916, the Nacionalista Party dominated national elections, leading to the formation of the Philippine
Legislature with a Senate and House of Representatives. Manuel L. Quezon became Senate President,
while Sergio Osmeña returned as House Speaker, marking a separation of powers. However, limitations
remained, including American veto power over laws, control of Philippine trade by the U.S. Congress,
and American Supreme Court authority overruling the Philippine Supreme Court. The Philippines still
used American symbols on postage and currency, with restrictions on displaying the national flag, and
English was the mandatory language for communication and education.

Filipino Loyalty During World War I

During World War I, Filipinos appreciated American policies in the Philippines. When the United States
entered the conflict (1914-1918), the Filipinos became loyal allies. About 25,000 Filipinos joined the U.S.
Army, and 6,000 Filipinos joined the U.S. Navy. The first Filipino who died under the American flag in
World War I was Private Tomas Claudio on June 29, 1918. The Filipino people contributed one million
pesos to the American Red Cross and bought P40 million in war bonds. This support stemmed from the
belief that it would lead to Philippine independence due to fair treatment.
Historical Values

Our colonial government under the United States teaches us the following lessons:

1. The Filipinos cooperated with the Americans because we were treated well as compared to other
colonial peoples.

2. During the American regime, the in- terior mountain regions were developed, the Sulu archipelago
became part of the Philippines, and Guam was made a separate colony.

3. The Filipinos were a model for other colonial peoples because we shared power with the Americans in
the colonial government. We filled important positions in government, made our own laws, and had a
democracy.

4. The Americans and the Filipinos be- gan to work together as allies in peace and in war. The Americans
were impressed with the Filipino people and their leaders