Not stupid. The founding fathers were not that stupid that they would proclaim independence from Spain, after fighting for it with their lives, and then they would only relinquish it to another colonizer right that moment. The Acta clarified that the Philippine Islands, “like all free and independent States, … have the full authority to declare war, conclude peace, celebrate mercantile treaties, contract alliances, regulate commerce, and realize all other acts and things that all Independent States have the right to do.”
The phrase all free and independent states put the Philippines on an equal footing—not under—with all free and independent nations of the world, including the United States.
Had Aguinaldo already given up that independence then, he would not have risked his life in fighting the Americans during the Filipino-American War (1899-1903), where he suffered from starvation and malarial fevers through the agonizing flights in the mountains and jungles.
Betrayal. On December 21, 1898, U.S. President William McKinley released his “Benevolent Assimilation” proclamation, which finally made clear the true American intentions for the Philippines: colonize the Filipinos “to educate, uplift, civilize, and Christianize them.” The agreements between Aguinaldo and Dewey were shoved away.
This proclamation was published in the Philippines on January 4, 1899, with alterations made to avoid fierce Filipino reactions, by General Elwell Otis, the supreme commander of the invading American forces. Angered, Aguinaldo published the next day his counter-proclamation:
“In the said proclamation, General Otis referred to himself as the Military Governor of the Philippine Islands. All my strength protests a thousand times and severely against such authority. I sincerely declare that never in Singapore, Hong Kong, or even here in the Philippines have I ever favored any treaty, by word or in writing, to recognize the sovereignty of America in this land (La Independencia, January 5, 1899, p. 1).”
The “under the protection” line was the Filipino-American pact of helping each other against the Spaniards. The Americans did not honor their word; they betrayed Aguinaldo and the Filipino people.
June 12 and the Acta were about our nation’s liberty. Hence, June 12 is the appropriate day to celebrate Filipino freedom because it was on this day in 1898 that our founding fathers solemnly proclaimed that the Philippines was already a free and independent nation with its own flag, national anthem, and government.
About Jon E. Royeca
“June 12 and the Acta were about our nation’s liberty. Hence, June 12 is the appropriate day to celebrate Filipino freedom because it was on this day in 1898 that our founding fathers solemnly proclaimed that the Philippines was already a free and independent nation with its own flag, national anthem, and government.”
On June 12, 1898, the Spaniards still controlled cities such as Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Legazpi, Zamboanga, Vigan and their adjacent towns. There was not even a single (third) country that recognized the proclamation of “independence” made by General Aguinaldo.
@ Carlos Pontenegra
Proclamation of independence is different from total liberty. Many countries in the world proclaimed this independence on one particular day, but got fully independent on another day.
Indonesia proclaimed its independence from the Dutch rule on Aug. 17, 1945, but got full freedom only in 1950.
@ Carlos Pontenegra
Proclamation of independence is different from total liberty. Some countries in the world proclaimed independence on one particular day, but got fully independent on another day.
Indonesia proclaimed its independence from the Dutch rule on Aug. 17, 1945, but got full freedom only in December 1949.
The Philippines proclaimed its own independence from Spanish rule on June 12, 1898, but attained its full liberty on July 4, 1946.
Such are absurd episodes in history.
No other country recognized the June 12, 1898, independence declaration. But the Filipino people honored it and rallied behind Aguinaldo’s government. That’s the more important and more meaningful.