By Belarmino Dabalos Saguing Rome, Italy 04.10.2013
During the Spanish colonization period of the Philippine history, 1588-1898, the Hispanic colonists in the Philipiines call themselves “Filipinos” and the natives are mistakenly called Indios due to their physical similarities to the natives they found in the Americas whom they, again mistakenly, called Indios thinking they reached India in Asia. The Philippine natives in the mid and later part of the period are divided into two categories: the Ilustrados or upper-class comprised by the well to do natives that are favored by the colonists because the are cooperatives to the Spanish rules, and the majority plebean or lower class Indios of the peasant and working class natives.
The Ilustrado pro-Spanish province movement:
One of the qualities of the ilustrados (well to do Native Filipinos) was their western education. With the opening of the Suez Canal, many of the children of the Ilustrados were able to study in Europe. Some of those ‘better educated’ Indios were Jose Rizal, Graciano Lopes-Jaena Marcelo H. del Pilar and Emilio Aguinaldo.
The advantage brought about by their education is the awareness on nationalism and liberalism. Rizal and del Pilar formed a reformist and propagandist group called Liga Filipina (League of the Filipinos) demanding reforms through their organ La Solidaridad (The Solidarity) on the Spanish colonial rule in the islands. One of their demands is the creation of the Philipines as a province of the Spanish empire. Their demands was met with disfavor by the Spanish empirialists. Their next demand is the formation of an independent but based on European concept of a nation. Again they were ignored. They were prevented to continue with their propaganda due to the chronic lack of funds. The printing of their paper was stopped. Driven by fear of a revolucion, the colonial government, panicked and arrested their most important member-leader Jose Rizal was and deported to Dapitan, Zamboanga. This led to the weakening of the movement and the awakening of the plebeans.
The Plebean pro-Independence movement:
Andres Bonifacio, a fairly educated middle class man, inspired by the propaganda and his readings on the European revolution. He was born in Tondo, Manila on November 30, 1863.
The Katipunan teaching was that the mother nation is the only source of a true unity. Under one nation, there will be a brotherhood of the people. Bonifacio was using the family metaphor to symbolize the unity of the nation in the archipelago. He formed a popular revolutionary movement called Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK) or Katipunan. Thru the Katipunan, Bonifacio propagated the concept on a nation totally independent from the rule of any foreign power in contrast to the Ilustrado idealism. This is based on nationalism and the creation of Haring Bayan (Sovereign State of the Nation) for the whole archipelago or the Republika ng Katagalugan.
Thus, the Katipunan is a de facto government, with its army and citizens. It has the elements of a sovereign state with Bonifacio as the Presidente Supremo and commander in chief of the armed forces.
The fight for the Nation and motherland (1896-19019:
The revolutionary conflict commenced in 1896. The Katipuneros attacked Manila on August 26 of the same year. They were victorious on the onset, but not for long. There are three presumed causes for the setback of the battle.
1. The pan of the attack was discovered by Gov. Blanco through the confession of the sister of a member of the Katipunan
2. As a result of the discovery, 500 Katipunan soldiers were arrested and at once deported to Mindanao.
3. The failure of Gen. Aguinaldo (appointed by Bonifacio as general and to to head the forces south of Pasig river) to arrive from Cavite and partake in the battle as planned
Setbacks notwithstanding, Bonifacio continued the struggle. The Spanish forces took advantage of the situation to strike back. Many Filipinos were arrested.
While all this was happening, the leaders of the Cavite faction took it to themselves that the leadership of Bonifacio was not for them. They want to form a state based on European concept of the Spanish to be led by the rrenegade ilustrado General Aguinaldo. Between March 22 and May 10 1897, in Tejeros convention, the Cavite(also called Magdalo) faction seized the power through a rigged election and Bonifacio’s Haring Bayan Republika ng Katagalugan ceased to exist as the official government of the Philippines. When Aguinaldo perceived that Bonifacio was an obstacle to his plans, he ordered the arrest and execution of Bonifacio. On May 10 1897, the Suprtemo was murdered at Mount Buntis
Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo made an agreement with the invading Americans in the Pact of Biak na Bato. In this pact, he agreed to be deported to Hong Kong And the Americans promised to recognize the independence of the Philippines after the defeat of the Spanish forces. Aguinaldo’s forces participated in Adm. Dewey’s battle of Manila. The Americans occupied Manila but they did not rrecognize the Philippine Republic as a sovereign state and this sparked the Philippine-American War. Aguinaldo was captured from his hiding in 1901.
But the Philippine-American war did not end with the capture of Aguinaldo. The Republika ng Katagalugan continued to exist underground and engagied a guerilla warfare against the American occupation till General Macario Sakay, the last President of the first Filipino republic was captured and executed in 1907.
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Source: Salazar, Zeus A. Kasaysayan ng Kapilipinuhan: Bagong Balangkas. Lungsod ng Quezon. 2004 Disyembre. http://www.google.com.ph/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=9&ved=0CFMQFjAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.bagongkasaysayan.multiply.multiplycontent.com%2Fattachment%2F0%2FRvJZtwoKCsQAABfjrrM1%2FZeus%2520Salazar%2520-%2520Balangkas%2520ng%2520Kasaysayan%25202004.pdf%3Fnmid%3D55581663&ei=nBfwTKeUHIGgvgPo1qiHDg&usg=AFQjCNFY-7Ih-iNxGvjWhtjgIoebyl9cyA&sig2=zVIiGiBQyP0ap9pEjukt9Q
A vbery informative article
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