..it had been raining hard for a week and Kawit, Cavite was deep in mud but June 12, 1898 the sun was shining, the muddy patriots shouting “Viva la Independencia!” as the Philippine flag was waved outside the window of Aguinaldo’s mansion. Emilio Aguinaldo went ahead with his proclamation and decided to make it in Kawit, not in Bacoor where his headquarters was because he said “I had more fame and influence in Kawit.” Ambrosio Rianzares read the Acta de la Independencia “We proclaim and solemnly declare in the name and by the authority of the inhabitants of all these Philippine Islands, that they are and have a right to be free and independent. The nation this day commence to have a life of its own” and the band played Julian Felipe’s “Marcha Nacional Filipina." American Admiral George Dewey was invited to the ceremonies but because of the warnings from Washington, he instead sent a representative. After the proclamation there were no receptions nor a celebration. That afternoon the headquarters of Aguinaldo in Bacoor was crowded and at about two o’clock Apolinario Mabini arrived in a hammock coming from Laguna de Bay that took ten days to carry him to Bacoor. Aguinaldo ordered that Mabini to be taken up stairs where they can talk alone. Mabini shook his head, disapproving at the declaration of independence saying its “premature and brash.”
Aguinaldo never explain why he chose June 12 for the Kawit proclamation but as early as June his plans which were carried out the view of Manila, his army were advancing on the capital, seemed to fall into his hands and he wanted to enter Intramuros (Manila) declare victory as the dictator of an independent government. He recall that as early as June 5th, 1898, he had notified the Americans that he would be proclaiming the independence of the Philippines. Aguinaldo later claim that Admiral Dewey advised him not to take Intramuros (Manila) yet and wait for the arrival of the American land troops, so the two “allied” armies could enter Intramuros together. On the other hand the Americans were already denying any “alliance” with the Filipinos when the gullible Aguinaldo proclaimed freedom with the idea that the Americans would support it. Though Aguinaldo’s armies, not the Americans that conquered Manila, its arrabales and moreover controlled the whole country. Only this piece of peninsulares' land Walled City Intramuros, the capital of the colonial Philippines and the only Spanish province outside Spain, held out but after three months of siege to which Aguinaldo had subjected it, Intramuros as well in the 13th of August was about to fall to the Filipinos. Only the secret pact between Spanish Governor-General Fermin Jaudenes with Admiral Dewey and General Merritt enable the Americans to take what they have not won:
1) Governor-General Jaudenes want the Americans to swear not to allow the advancing troops of Filipinos enter Intramuros.
2) Jaudenes, the remaining armed Spanish troops and peninsulares will formally and only will surrender to the Americans and not to the Filipinos.
Not only was Aguinaldo ordered not to enter the fallen city of Intramuros by the Americans, he was ordered to leave Manila's surrounding arrabales (Malate, San Miguel, Sta. Mesa, Sampaloc, Tondo) that were already occupied by victorious Filipino troops, Aguinaldo pursed the gringos' order. In any principles and regulations of war, Americans had no right to occupy what they had not won or conquered, they only won from Admirante Patricio Montojo’s Spanish squadron was Manila Bay and to use that victory to claim the entire Philippines.
Every month of March during the birthday of Aguinaldo with his few remaining loyal friends, the easily duped general redundantly wishing that he might see before he died the Independence Day of the Philippines celebrated not on July 4th that was given by the Americans but on June 12th, the day on which he proclaimed in 1898, in Kawit the independence of the Philippines.
In 1961 Filipino nationalist, Founder/Chairman of the National Heroes Commission and Secretary of Education Alejandro “Anding” Roces passed a resolution requesting to adopt and declare June 12 as Independence Day for the Republic of the Philippines, not until 1962 was there a celebration of June 12 as a presidential decree by then President Diosdado Macapagal.
President Macapagal wrote Secretary Roces, the rest of his cabinet and close friends:
The opportunity came when the US House of Representatives rejected the $73 million additional war payment bill on May 9, 1962. There was indignation among the Filipinos. There was a loss of American good will in the Philippines, although this was restored later by the reconsideration of the action of the US lower chamber. At this time, a state visit in the United States had been scheduled for Mrs. Macapagal and me on the initiative and invitation of President John F. Kennedy. Unable to resist the pressure of public opinion, I was constrained to obtain the agreement of Kennedy to defer the state visit for another time.
To postpone the state visit, I wrote a letter on May 14, 1962, to Kennedy, which read in part as follows:
The feeling of resentment among our people and the attitude of the US Congress negate the atmosphere of good will upon which my state visit to your country was predicated. Our people would never understand how, in the circumstances now obtaining, I could go to the United States and in all honesty affirm that I bear their message of good will. It is with deep regret therefore that I am constrained to ask you to agree to the postponement of my visit to a more auspicious time.
On May 28, 1962, Kennedy wrote me explaining the situation on the war damage bill. His letter stated:
"In the meantime, I must respect your decision that your visit to the United States should be postponed. We do not want your visit to be less than first class, when it comes. But I do hope that we will be able to find another convenient time."
I decided to effect the change of independence day at that time not as an act of resentment but as a judicious choice of timing for the taking of an action which had previously been decided upon.
In my address on the first June 12 as independence day celebration, I said:
In my address on the first June 12 as independence day celebration, I said:
"In the discharge of my responsibility as President of the Republic, I moved the observance of the anniversary of our independence to this day because a nation is born into freedom on the day when such a people, moulded into a nation by the process of cultural evolution and a sense of oneness born of common struggle and suffering, announces to the world that it asserts its natural right to liberty and is ready to defend it with blood, life, and honor."
While we were seated at the grandstand during the ceremonies, General Aguinaldo thanked me again for the rectification of an erroneous historical practice and then asked:
"When will there be an Aguinaldo monument at the Luneta like that of Rizal?”
I could not answer the question:
"The next generation might have the answer."
"...Ang tunay na kalayaan ay hindi ibinibigay o hinahandog, ang kalayaan ay pinagbubuwisan ng buhay, pinagdadanakan ng dugo, pawis at luha upang ito'y matamo!”
- ka tony
the 12th of June, 2017
