First Philippine Republic
| Philippine Republic República Filipina |
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| Unrecognized state | ||||
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| Anthem Himno Nacional Filipina |
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| Capital |
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| Language(s) | Spanish | |||
| Government | Parliamentary and Constitutional Republic | |||
| Presidente de la República | ||||
| - 1898–1901 | Emilio Aguinaldo | |||
| - 1901-1902 | Miguel Malvar (Unofficial) | |||
| Presidente del Consejos de Gobierno | ||||
| - 1898–1899 | Apolinario Mabini | |||
| - 1899 | Pedro A. Paterno | |||
| Legislature | Asociación de representantes | |||
| Historical era | Philippine Revolution | |||
| - Established | January 23[Note 1] 1899 | |||
| - Dissolved ¹ | March 23, 1901 | |||
| Area | ||||
| - 1898 | 298,182 km2 (115,129 sq mi) | |||
| Population | ||||
| - 1898 est. | 7,832,719 | |||
| Density | 26.3 /km2 (68 /sq mi) | |||
| Currency | Peso | |||
| ¹ For further info re dissolution, see capture of Emilio Aguinaldo. ² For population and area info, see "CENSUS OF CUBA, PUERTO RICO, THE PHILIPPINES AND SPAIN. STUDY OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP". Voz de Galicia, January 1, 1898. mforos.com. August 22, 2010. http://1898.mforos.com/1026829/7262657-censos-de-cuba-puerto-rico-filipinas-y-espana-estudio-de-su-relacion/. |
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The Philippine Republic (Spanish: República Filipina), more commonly known as the First Philippine Republic or the Malolos Republic was a short-lived insurgent revolutionary government in the Philippines. It was formally established with the proclamation of the Malolos Constitution on January 23, 1899 in Malolos, Bulacan,[Note 1] and endured until the capture and surrender of Emilio Aguinaldo to the American forces on March 23, 1901 in Palanan, Isabela, which effectively dissolved the First Republic.
The establishment of the Philippine Republic was the culmination of the Philippine Revolution against Spanish rule. Independence was declared on June 12, 1898.[1] A dictatorial government headed by Emilio Aguinaldo was proclaimed on 18 June, and replaced on 23 June by a revolutionary government, also headed by Aguinaldo.[2][3] The Malolos Congress convened on 15 September, and produced the Malolos Constitution.[4] That constitution was proclaimed on 22 January 1899, transforming the government into what is known today as the First Philippine Republic, with Aguinaldo as its president.[5] In the meantime, on December 10, 1898, the Treaty of Paris had been signed, ending the Spanish-American War. Article 3 of the treaty transferred the Philippines from Spain to the United States.[6]
The Philippine–American War then ensued. Aguinaldo was captured by U.S. forces on March 23, 1901 and swore an oath accepting the authority of the United States over the Philippines and pledging his allegiance to the American government. On April 19, he issued a Proclamation of Formal Surrender to the United States, telling his followers to lay down their weapons and give up the fight, effectively ending the First Philippine Republic.[7] Subsequently, the U.S. continued its annexation of the islands pursuant to the Treaty of Paris.[6][8] The Philippines was under US sovereignty until 1946, when formal independence was granted by the Treaty of Manila.[9]
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[edit] History
The First Philippine Republic was formed after the Philippine Declaration of Independence and the events of the collapse of the Spanish rule over the Philippines. It adopted the Constitución Política de la República Filipina, drawn up by the Philippine Constitutional Convention in the Barasoain Church in Malolos in 1899 to replace the dictatorial government set up by the Pact of Biak-na-Bato on July 7, 1897. The constitution was approved by delegates to the Assembly of Representatives on January 20, 1899, and sanctioned by Aguinaldo the next day.[5] The convention earlier elected Aguinaldo president on January 1, 1899, leading to his inauguration on January 23.
Considering that the Philippine-American War which was to soon follow the adoption of the constitution would prevent the legislature from meeting, and considering that the government was not to survive that war, three parts of the constitution which effectively gave president Aguinaldo unrestricted power to rule by decree are of particular interest.[Note 3]
[edit] Philippine–American War
On February 4, 1899, armed conflict erupted in Manila between Philippine Republic forces and American forces occupying the city subsequent to the conclusion of the Spanish-American War.[11] That day, President Aguinaldo issued a proclamation ordering and commanding that "peace and friendly relations with the Americans be broken and that the latter be treated as enemies, within the limits prescribed by the laws of war."[12] The fighting quickly escalated into the Second Battle of Manila, with Philippine Republic forces being driven out of the city.[13] On March 31, American forces captured Malolos, the initial seat of the Philippine Republic government, which had been gutted by fires set by withdrawing Philippine Republic forces.[14] Emilio Aguinaldo and the core of the revolutionary government had by then moved to San Isidro, Nueva Ecija.[15] Peace negotiations with the American Schurman Commission during a brief cease-fire in April–May 1899 failed,[15] and San Isidro fell to American forces on May 16.[16] The Philippine Republic core government had moved by then to Bamban, Tarlac, and subsequently moved to Tarlac town.[17] Aguinaldo's party had already left Tarlac, the last capital of the Philippine Republic, by the time American troops occupied it on 13 November.[18]
On 13 November, in a conference in Bayambang, Pangasinan, Aguinaldo decided to disperse his army and begin guerilla war. From that point on, distance and the localistic nature of the fighting prevented him from exercising a strong influence on revolutionary or military operations.[18] Recognizing that American troops blocked his escape east, he turned north and west on 15 November, crossing the mountains into La Union province.[19] Aguinaldo's party eluded pursuing American forces, passing through Tirad Pass near Sagada, Mountain Province where the Battle of Tirad Pass was fought on 2 December as a rear guard action to delay the American advance and ensure his escape. Aguinaldo was captured by American forces on 23 March, 1901 in Palanan, Isabela. Following his capture, Aguinaldo announced allegiance to the United States on April 1, 1901, formally ending the First Republic and recognizing the sovereignty of the United States over the Philippines.
[edit] Cabinet
| OFFICIALS | NAME | |
| President | Emilio Aguinaldo | |
| Vice President | Mariano Trias | |
| Prime Minister | Apolinario Mabini | |
| Pedro Paterno | ||
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Apolinario Mabini | |
| Felipe Buencamino | ||
| Minister of Finance and War | Mariano Trías | |
| Minister of Interior | Teodoro Sandico | |
| Severino de las Alas | ||
| Minister of War | Baldomero Aguinaldo | |
| Minister of Welfare | Gracio Gonzaga | |
| Minister of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce | León María Guerrero | |
| Minister of Finance | Hugo Ilagan | |
| Minister of Public Instruction | Águedo Velarde | |
| Minister of Public Works and Communications | Máximo Paterno | |
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c The Malolos Constitution was approved by the Malolos Congress on January 20, 1899, sanctioned by Aguinaldo on January 21, and promulgated on January 22 (see items 27 and 27a in Guevara 1972). The republic was proclaimed on 23 January (see items 28, 28a and 28b in Guevara 1972).
- ^ Sources disagree regarding the specific locations which were temporarily capitals of the Philippine Republic. For example:
- Duka 2008, p. 191 lists a progression after Malolos from Cabanatuan Nueva Ecija to Tarlac to Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya to Bayambang, Pangasinan.
- Schultz 2000, p. 322 says that the capital transferred from Malolos to San Fernando, Pampanga.
- Calit 2003, p. 57 asserts that Aguinaldo established his capital at San Isidro, Nueva Ecija after abandoning Malolos.
- Linn 2000a, p. 136 does not give a comprehensive list, but notes that Aguinaldo's cabinet, reduced to a handful of ministers, moved from capital to capital.
- ^ The three parts of the constitution which are of particular interest are:
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- Article 4, which lists three distinct powers, "the legislative, the executive, and the judicial", specifies that any two or more of these powers shall never be vested in a single individual, and specifies that the legislative power shall never be vested in a single individual.[4]
- Title VI, comprising articles 54 and 55, which mandate the election of seven legislators to a Permanent Commission which is to meet when convoked by its presiding officer during periods of legislative adjournment. This commission is mandated, among other things, "To act on pending matters which require proper action."[4]
- Article 99, which read, "Notwithstanding the general rule established in paragraph 2 of Article 4, in the meantime that the country is fighting for its independence, the Government is empowered to resolve during the closure of the Congress all questions and difficulties not provided for in the laws, which give rise to unforeseen events, by the issuance of decrees, of which the Permanent Commission shall be duly apprised as well as the Assembly when it meets in accordance with this Constitution."[4]
- In April 1899, the Permanent Commission is said to have been composed of Pedro A. Paterno, Felix Ferrer, Juan Nepomuceno, Arsenic Cruz Herrera, Joaquin Gonzales, Hugo Ilagan, and Alberto Barretto.[10]
-
[edit] References
- ^ Guevara 1972, pp. 413–417.
- ^ Guevara 1972, pp. 10–12.
- ^ Guevara 1972, pp. 35–41.
- ^ a b c d Guevara 1972, pp. 104–119.
- ^ a b Guevara 1972, p. 104.
- ^ a b Treaty of Peace Between the United States and Spain; December 10, 1898, Yale, http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/sp1898.asp
- ^ Aguinaldo's Proclamation of Formal Surrender to the United States, Filipino.biz.ph - Philippine Culture, April 19, 1901, http://filipino.biz.ph/history/ag010419.html, retrieved December 5, 2009.
- ^ Carman Fitz Randolph (2009), "Chapter I, The Annexation of the Philippines", The Law and Policy of Annexation, BiblioBazaar, LLC, ISBN 9781103324811, http://books.google.com/books?id=g07Vz_oKDMcC&pg=PA1
- ^ (pdf) TREATY OF GENERAL RELATIONS BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES. SIGNED AT MANILA, ON 4 JULY 1946, United Nations, archived from the original on 2011-07-23, http://web.archive.org/web/20110723021900/http://untreaty.un.org/unts/1_60000/1/6/00000254.pdf, retrieved 2007-12-10
- ^ Zafra 1967, p. 239
- ^ Linn 2000a, p. 46
- ^ Halstead 1898, p. 318.
- ^ Linn 2000a, pp. 46-49
- ^ Linn 2000a, p. 99
- ^ a b Linn 2000a, p. 109
- ^ Linn 2000a, p. 116.
- ^ Linn 2000a, p. 115–116
- ^ a b Linn 2000b, p. 16.
- ^ Linn 2000a, p. 148.
- Calit, Harry S. (2003). The Philippines: current issues and historical background. Nova Science Publishers. ISBN 978-1-59033-576-5. http://books.google.com/books?id=MWtyAAAAMAAJ..
- Duka, C. (2008). Struggle for Freedom' 2008 Ed.. Rex Bookstore, Inc.. ISBN 978-971-23-5045-0. http://books.google.com/books?id=4wk8yqCEmJUC.
- Guevara, Sulpico ed. 1972. The Laws of the First Philippine Republic (The Laws of Malalos). National Historical Institute, Manila., (published online 2005, University of Michigan Library)
- Halstead, Murat (1898). The Story of the Philippines and Our New Possessions, Including the Ladrones, Hawaii, Cuba and Porto Rico. http://books.google.com/?id=lIQcwt7g2wkC.
- Linn, Brian McAllister (2000a). The Philippine War, 1899-1902. University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-1225-3. http://books.google.com/books?id=PSJGPgAACAAJ.
- Linn, Brian McAllister (2000b). The U.S. Army and Counterinsurgency in the Philippine War, 1899-1902. UNC Press Books. ISBN 978-0-8078-4948-4. http://books.google.com/books?id=-5WOrmt_VxcC.
- Schultz, Jeffrey D. (2000). Encyclopedia of Minorities in American Politics: African Americans and Asian Americans. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-57356-148-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=WDV40aK1T-sC.
- Zafra, Nicolas (1967). Philippine history through selected sources. Alemar-Phoenix Pub. House. http://books.google.com/books?id=g1MeAAAAMAAJ.
- The Malolos Republic
- The First Philippine Republic at Malolos
- The 1899 Malolos Constitution
- The 1899 Malolos Constitution Spanish version (archived from the original on 2010-06-03)
- Project Gutenberg - Panukala sa Pagkakana nang Repúblika nang Pilipinas by Apolinario Mabini
