(Following is a chronological summary of events leading to the declaration of Philippine independence on June 12, 1898.)

MANILA, Philippines—It was a treaty on paper, serving only as a respite for the Spanish colonial government and the Filipino revolutionists. Neither party ever fully complied with the conditions in the Pact of Biak-Na-Bato.

The Filipinos did not surrender all their arms; most of the officers of the revolutionary army retained their command and soon resumed harassing the colonial government.

The Spaniards, on the other hand, did not pay the full amount of the agreed settlement with Aguinaldo and continued to treat harshly the rebels who surrendered.

Worse, the Spaniards never really carried out the promised reforms. The Philippines by 1898 was a powder keg waiting for a spark.

The spark came in the form of the Spanish-American War, which broke out half-a-world away in Cuba. On April 23, 1898, the Spanish governor-general issued a manifesto ardently enjoining the Philippines to enter the war on the side of Spain.

One step ahead

The Americans, however, were one step ahead of them. Their consul in Singapore, E. Spencer Pratt, had a chance to talk with Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo and to discuss an alliance between the exiled Filipino revolutionists and the Americans to fight the Spaniards in the Philippines.

Seeing the chance to throw off their colonial yoke, Aguinaldo agreed. If he needed more evidence as to which side would win, the Battle of Manila Bay on May 1, 1898, in which the US Navy effortlessly sank the docked warship of Spain, was certainly convincing proof of whom to ally with.

Aguinaldo now had to convince his fellow exiles. The Filipinos in Hong Kong were divided into two factions: The more militant ones were for independence, while the more conservative, wealthier ones were for the annexation of the Philippines by the United States.

On May 28, 1898, the groups met to resolve the issue. The more militant faction won their point.

Philippine independence then became the target, at least among the Filipinos in Hong Kong, sealing an alliance with the Americans. By then Aguinaldo and 13 other Filipinos were in Cavite, having left Hong Kong on May 17 aboard the revenue cutter McCulloch, and already had talks with American Commodore George Dewey.

So a revolution that was begun in 1896 by Filipinos wielding spears, bolos and a few guns only to be stymied a year later by a peace pact that nobody really believed in now had a new player in the field – the well-trained, well-armed forces of the United States.

Call for revolution

With the Americans on his side, Aguinaldo issued a proclamation on May 21, 1898, urging the Filipinos to resume the revolution. Eager-to-enlist rebels besieged his temporary headquarters at the Cavite Arsenal.

However, amid the euphoria and unknown to Aguinaldo, Commodore Dewey received a cable from the US Secretary of the Navy John D. Long advising him to refrain from political alliances with the Filipino insurgents. It was a dark foreboding of things to come.
On May 24, 1898, Aguinaldo issued a decree establishing a revolutionary government. He subsequently issued other decrees, which included the protection of the lives and properties of Chinese, Spaniards and other foreigners who were neither directly nor indirectly involved in the revolution, punishment for espionage, a declaration of a state of war, the establishment of a permanent court-martial and a set of rules for the humane treatment of Spanish prisoners of war.

Operating on Dewey’s assurances, the all-too-trusting Aguinaldo calendared May 31, twelve noon, for the inception of a general uprising.

Spaniards’ successive defeats

Two days earlier, on May 28, 1898, Filipino troops had already engaged a detachment of over 270 Spanish Marines sent by Spanish General Peña in Alapan, Imus. The Filipino forces under Hipolito Sakilayan defeated the Spaniards in a battle that lasted from 10 o’clock in the morning till 3 o’clock in the afternoon. This was the first major encounter between the Filipino and the Spaniards since Aguinaldo’s return.

In the heat of victory, the Filipinos unfurled the new national flag which Aguinaldo brought with him from Hong Kong. This was the first time it was put on display.

Toward the end of the month, all of Cavite was in the hands of the revolutionists. Among the Spanish soldiers taken prisoner was General Peña. Other provinces took this as good omen and also rose up in arms against Spain.

On May 31, 1898, the day set by Aguinaldo for the resumption of the general uprising, the revolutionists scored another victory in Binakayan, Kawit. This prompted him to again unfurl the Philippine flag over the barracks of Polvorin.

Treachery abroad

While there were victories at home, there was treachery abroad. To bolster the war effort, the Filipinos in Hong Kong raised P47,000 which they entrusted to US Consul R. Wildman for the purchase of arms and munitions. The materiel was never bought and Wildman never returned the money.

By this time, the Spanish forces were finding themselves on the defensive on practically every theater of battle in the Philippines. Not even the manifesto of Pedro Paterno urging the people to side with Catholic Spain against Protestant United States could bring back the sympathy of the masses. The feeling was that the war was coming to a close and that Spain had lost.

As Filipino troops were effectively surrounding Manila, Aguinaldo was confident enough to offer Governor-General Basilio Agustin terms of honorable surrender. It was refused.

Inspired by the victories in the field, Aguinaldo selected June 12, 1898, as the day for the proclamation of Philippine independence.

National hymn

On June 6, Aguinaldo issued a decree providing for the organization of the provinces into military districts. On the same day, Apolinario Mabini submitted his constitutional program for the new Philippine Republic to the revolutionary government. Although Mabini was paralyzed from the waist down, Aguinaldo was so attracted by his brilliance that he would later seek him out to be his personal adviser.

Believing the new nation needed an anthem, Aguinaldo enlisted the talent of a young pianist and composer, Julian Felipe, whom he met through Mariano Trias, to write a national hymn.

On June 11, 1898, Aguinaldo and other revolutionary leaders heard Felipe’s composition initially titled “Marcha Filipina Magdalo.” Overcome with emotion, they requested the composer to teach the music to members of the band of San Francisco de Malabon so it could be played the next day at the proclamation of independence.

An American signs proclamation

On the afternoon of June 12, 1898, in Kawit, Philippine independence was announced from the balcony of Aguinaldo’s home before a huge crowd. The proclamation, prepared by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, was signed by all those who were present, including an American citizen, Mr. L.M. Johnson.

The flag from Hong Kong was waved about and was formally adopted as the Philippine national flag. The festive air was made more thrilling with the first public playing of the Philippine national anthem, though it didn’t have lyrics yet.

Mabini in hammock

Mabini, who at the time was in Bay, Laguna, had to be carried to Kawit in a hammock. After a long, arduous journey, he arrived too late for the festivities. Had he made it earlier, he would have voiced his objection to the proclamation of independence, thinking it was premature.

Mabini did not trust the Americans as allies. In time, he would be proven right.

Wait for US troops

Filipino forces had completely surrounded Manila and could have easily seized it. However, they had standing orders from Aguinaldo to wait for the American troops.

Had Aguinaldo allowed his armies to capture Manila, he might have made the independence of the Philippines more convincing in the eyes of the world. But heeding the request of the Americans, Aguinaldo stood by idly while a once-in-a-lifetime chance slipped away.

The Americans did arrive, but for a very different purpose. While the National Anthem was playing in Kawit, US regiments were grimly sailing for Manila, not to help a friend and, certainly, not to fight an already broken foe, but to wrest a country from its state of independence and carve an American territory in Asia.

(Peter V. Uckung is a History researcher at the National Historical Institute)