True Version of the Philippine Revolution

True Version of the Philippine Revolution

In *True Version of the Philippine Revolution*, Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy recounts the Philippine uprising against Spain and its aftermath. He opens with the outbreak of revolt on 26 and 31 August 1896 in Manila and Cavite provinces, when the towns of Balintawak, Santa Mesa, Kalookan, Kawit, Noveleta and San Francisco de Malabon rose and proclaimed independence, spreading through Cavite even without prior coordination. He describes how a call to arms signed by himself, Don Augustin Rieta and Don Candido Firona was intercepted by the Spanish official Don Fernando Parga and reported to Captain-General Don Ramon Blanco y Erenas, provoking Spanish attacks, yet poorly armed revolutionaries defeated Spanish regulars at Bakoor, Imus and Noveleta. He traces the Spanish response: Blanco's conciliatory policy, his replacement by Lieutenant-General Don Camilo Polavieja, whose 16,000-man campaign stalled and who resigned in April 1897, and the succession of General Don Fernando Primo de Rivera, who reconquered Cavite and drove the revolutionaries into the mountains. Aguinaldo describes establishing his headquarters and Republican Government at Biak-na-bato in May 1897, and the peace negotiations mediated by Don Pedro Alejandro Paterno, culminating in the Treaty signed 14 December 1897: his exile with associates, an indemnity of $800,000 (Mexican) in installments tied to arms surrender, two Spanish generals held as hostages, and unfulfilled promises regarding expulsion of the Friars and autonomous government. He recounts Spain's failure to pay all installments or enact reforms, and Lieutenant-Colonel Don Miguel Primo de Rivera's message barring his return to Manila. He then narrates his dealings with American officials beginning March 1898: interviews with the Commander of the U.S.S. *Petrel*, disruption by Isabelo Artacho's monetary claim, his departure from Hongkong, and pivotal meetings in Singapore with Consul Spencer Pratt, who relayed assurances from Admiral Dewey regarding recognition of Philippine independence under U.S. protection. He details his journey to Hongkong, negotiations with Consul Rounsevelle Wildman for arms shipments, and his voyage aboard the *McCulloch* to Cavite, where he met Admiral Dewey aboard the *Olympia* and received assurances, arms, and encouragement to renew the revolution. Aguinaldo describes reestablishing his forces, victories at Alapang, Binakayan, and Bakoor, hoisting the Philippine flag, forming a small flotilla, and proclaiming the Dictatorial Government on 24 May 1898, followed by the formal Declaration of Independence at Kawit on 12 June 1898. He recounts cooperation with American forces under Generals Anderson, Merritt, and Otis, expeditions to the Bisayas and northern provinces, the capture of Spanish vessels, and the joint siege leading to the capitulation of Manila under General Jaudenes, though Americans excluded Filipino troops from entering the city and pressured withdrawal from captured suburbs. He describes deteriorating relations: seizure of Filipino vessels by Dewey, American soldiers' abuses against civilians, General Otis's proclamation of 4 January 1899 asserting American sovereignty, the Mixed Commission conferences in Manila, and the outbreak of open hostilities on 4 February 1899, which Otis reported to Washington in a manner that influenced the U.S. Senate's narrow ratification of the Treaty of Paris. Aguinaldo closes with a passionate appeal to the American people, protesting the betrayal of promises made by Pratt, Wildman, and Dewey, defending the Philippine Republic's right to independence, and asking Americans to judge impartially where justice lies.

By Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy · First published 1899 · Genre: Historical Non-Fiction, Memoir, Political Literature · 19 chapters · 15,129 words

First lines

Spain maintained control of the Philippine Islands for more than three centuries and a half, during which period the tyranny, misconduct and abuses of the Friars and the Civil and Military Administration exhausted the patience of the natives and caused them to make a desperate effort to shake off the unbearable galling yoke on the 26th and 31st August, 1896, then commencing the revolution in the provinces of Manila and Cavite.

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Philippine History · Revolution · Nationalism · Biography · Autobiography · Memoir · Historical Account · Primary Source · Non-Fiction · Politics · War · Independence

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