First page of the document to be auctioned off—León Gallery
MANILA, Philippines — The only known manuscript copy of the 1898 Philippine Declaration of Independence will be auctioned on Saturday at the León Gallery in Makati City. Bidding starts at P1.6 million.
It is a handwritten reproduction of the original document called “Act of Proclamation of the Independence of the Filipino People,” penned by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista in Spanish.
The original, also referred to as the “Birth Certificate of the Filipino Nation,” is housed in the National Library of the Philippines.
Both the original and its copy bear the historic date—12th of June 1898. This could mean the latter was made on the same day the declaration of Philippine independence took place at Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo’s house in Kawit, Cavite.
It was also signed by Bautista and 97 others who were in attendance, including a lone United States citizen named L. M. Johnson, a colonel of artillery.
In the auction catalog, historian Jorge Mojarro wrote that another signatory to the declaration, Lt. Col. Jose Bañuelo, was responsible for having the declaration copied.
León Gallery founder and director Jaime Ponce de Leon told the Inquirer via Viber that during that era, “it was typical to hire a professional scribe, particularly those with ‘beautiful handwriting,’ to do such commissioned works.” Bañuelo likewise signed the replica document.
‘Egregious’
Mojarro surmised that Bañuelo, an officer in Aguinaldo’s ranks, “may have been acutely aware of the historical importance of that founding event, or may have simply wanted a copy for safekeeping in case the original was lost, or perhaps to certify his own participation in this lofty enterprise as a way of obtaining future political favors.”
He noted that the reproduced document is “not entirely faithful to the original,” as some words had been changed.
In the original, for instance, Aguinaldo is described as “eminent,” but in the reproduction, the word became “egregious.” This could be “an attempt to enhance the figure of the leader,” he pointed out.
Mojarro also identified two key points in the declaration: “Aguinaldo first proclaimed himself a dictator and described the soon-to-be Philippine republic as an absolute dictatorship and not the liberal democracy it eventually became.”
He added that the symbolism of the colors of the Philippine flag was also bared in the declaration: “Its red, white, and blue reflected gratitude to the American nation for help rendered.”
The manuscript copy of the original 1898 Declaration of Philippine Independence document is part of León Gallery’s The Magnificent September Auction 2024. It consists of 12 pages and only exhibits slight tropical and water stains.
Ponce de Leon said he first got hold of the document two months ago, around July this year, and considered his discovery as an “awakening.” He explained, “There are still pieces out there that will form part [of] the missing portions of our history and we are the avenue in exposing all these.”
Invite to Aguinaldo
Another part of the auction that holds great historical value is a letter inviting Aguinaldo to the ratification ceremonies of Philippine independence that features the official Pasig Revolutionary Seal and the signatures of 11 Pasig officials.
This item belongs to Lot 118: A Collection of Highly Important Documents Pertaining to the History of Pasig.
A preview of the auction, which began on Sept. 7, will end today to give way to the opening tomorrow at 2 p.m. León Gallery is found on the ground floor of Eurovilla 1, a building located at the corner of Rufino and Legazpi Streets in Legazpi Village, Makati City.
“It’s anybody’s game,” Ponce de Leon said. “Anybody could have it. It can be the nucleus of any future museum out there. And the Pasig documents should be acquired by Pasig—a call out to Mayor Vico Sotto.”