SCHOOL NAME

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

First Semester S.Y. 2020-2021

MODULE 7
PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND
GOVERNANCE

Name: _______________________________ Date :__________

Grade/Section: ________________________ Week : 7
Track/Strand: _________________________

Lesson 7 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF PHILIPPINE

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT: The First Republic
WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?

The First Republic of the Philippines was established after the declaration of the
Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite and after the ratification of the Malolos Constitution.
Emilio Aguinaldo was considered as the president of the First Republic and it was established
in spite of the presence of the American forces in different part of the country. The First
Republic did not realize its aims because the Filipino-American started in February 4, 1899 and
the inauguration of the First Republic happened in January 23, 1899.

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO LEARN?

Content Standard:
 The learners demonstrate an understanding of the historical background
of Philippine democratic politics, the executive, the legislative, the
judiciary, and decentralization and local governance.

Performance Standard:
 The learners explain the roles of different political institutions.

Objectives:
After the lesson, the learners should be able to:
1. discuss the structure and functions of the Malolos Republic;
2. identify the features of the Malolos Constitution;
3. understand the kind of government proposed by Apolinario Mabini;
4. analyze the reasons of the failure of the Republic; and
5. value the importance of Unity in the government.

PRELIMINARY ACTIVITY

Reflect the different circumstances shown in the movie General Luna. Then write a 1-
paragarph essay about it.

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THE BIAK-NA-BATO REPUBLIC

After the execution of Andres Bonifacio and the downfall of the Filipinos forces in
Cavite, President Emilio Aguinaldo decided to travel to Biak na Bato, San Miguel de Payumo
Bulacan because he thought that it was the safest place to hide. In November 1, 1897, they
established the Biak na bato Republic and Emilio Aguinaldo was the president, however, in
December 12-15, 1897, the Filipino forces headed by Aguinaldo had the agreement with the
Spaniards known as the Treaty of Biak na Bato.

THE TREATY OF BIAK-NA-BATO

The chance of reconciliation was mediated by Pedro A. Paterno, a creole who wanted
that the Spanish government to still take over the administration of the country. He negotiated
with Emilio Aguinaldo and Prinmo de Rivera to return the peace and order in the country. In
December 12-15, 1897, both sides worked for a peace settlement. In December 15, 1897 after the
three revisions, Pedro Paterno signed tor the part of the Filipinos and Primo de Rivera for the
part of the Spaniards in the treaty of Biak na Bato.

THE CONTENTS OF BIAK NA BATO:

1. The group of Emilio Aguinaldo will leave the Philippines to Hongkong as voluntary
exile.

2. The Spanish government will pay 800,000 to the Filipinos in three installments, the
first payment is 400,000 upon the departure of the group of Aguinaldo, the second
payment is 200, 000 when the revolutionist surrendered their arms and the third is
200,000.

3. The Spanish government will pay an additional of 900,000 to the families of the
Filipinos who are not part of the revolution.
 The group of Aguinaldo left the country in December 27, 1897 for Hongkong upon
receiving the 400,000 from the Spaniards. However, the other Filipinos did not recognize the
treaty and continued their struggle against the Spaniards and did not recognize the Treaty of
Biak na Bato. And the others did not surrender their weapons because they did not trust the
Spaniards.

THE AMERICAN INTERVENTION

In April 23, 1898, Howard Bray, an American who stayed in the Philippines for a long
time informed Emilio Aguinaldo about the request of the American Consul for a conference
with him. And because Aguinaldo had hesitation of having a communication with Americans,
Bray assured him that the Americans had no intention of colonizing the Philippines since they
did not colonize Cuba, a country which was nearer to them. So Emilio Aguinaldo with two
companions travelled to Singapore and met the American Consul Spencer Pratt. The American
consul encourages Aguinaldo to cooperate with Commodore George Dewey in their attack to
the forces of the Spanish in the Philippines. Emilio Aguinaldo then expressed the he wanted to
return to Manila so Commodore George Dewey gave him instruction that he should go back to
Hongkong because they would sail to Manila however, when Emilio Aguinaldo arrived in
Hongkong, Dewey's ship already sailed to the Philippines.

The American forces headed by Commodore George Dewey arrived at Manila bay in
May 1, 1898 and faced the Spanish forces headed by Patricio Montojo. The famous battle of
Manila bay was also the first encounter between the Spanish and the Americans after the war
declaration of Americans against the Spaniards in February 1898. In the said battle, Commodore
Dewey was able to defeat the Old naval ship of the Spaniards, the Spanish Armada and
between the two forces, they only had one casualty and the approximately 230 casualties came
from the Filipinos who witnessed the war between the Spaniards and the Americans. However,
the battle of Manila Bay became the front page news in America because they were able to
defeat a world power.

When Emilio Aguinaldo heard the news about the battle of Manila Bay his eagerness to
return to the Philippines increased and he informed the Americans about his plan of going back
to the Philippines but George Dewey said that they were preparing the way for the return of
Aguinaldo in the country.

In May 4, 1898, the members of the Hongkong Junta had the meeting and then advised
Emilio Aguinaldo to return to the Philippines and then again he insisted to the Americans that
he needed to return to the Philippines. After of the delays, Aguinaldo boarded the USS
Mculloch in May 17, 1898 with the weapons that he bought using the money that he got from
the Treaty of Biak na Bato and arrived in Cavite in May 19, 1898 and in the same day he was
fetched by Commodore George Dewey and asked to board in the ship Olympia where he
received the military honor which according to Dewey was his personal recognition and not
compromising the American government.
THE RETURN OF EMILIO AGUINALDO AND THE DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE

As soon as Emilio Aguinaldo arrived, he informed the Filipinos that they would renew
their struggle against Spain. And most of the Filipinos showed their eagerness to fight for their
independence so from May 21 until June 1898, the Filipinos fought to win the different
provinces of their country. And in the end of June, they were able to crush the Spanish forces
and the only remaining strong force of Spanish was in the wall city of Intramuros.

In June 12, 1898 as suggestion of other revolutionist, Emilio Aguinaldo declared the
independence of the Philippines against Spain in the balcony of his house at Kawit, Cavite even
the Spanish colonial government in Manila did not surrender yet. In the declaration they
showed the Flag of the Philippines by Marcela Agoncillo, Lorenza Agoncillo and Delfina
Herbosa de Natividad in Hongkong and they let the crowd hear the Marcha National Filipina
or the National Anthem of the Philippines composed by Julian Felipe from the writings of
Rafael Palma. The declaration of the Independence of the Philippines made by Aguinaldo gave
him the popularity as the First President of the country; however, during his declaration there
was no presence of American officials or any representative that could give recognition to the
independence of the Philippines as declared by General Emilio Aguinaldo.

THE REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT AS PROPOSED BY APOLINARIO MABINI

One of the most brilliant political analysts in Philippine history was Apolinario Mabini.
After the exile of the group of Emilio Aguinaldo to Hongkong, he wrote newsletter for the
Filipino to encourage them to continue their resistance their even after the treaty of Biak na
Bato. His contribution for the continuance of the revolutionary spirit was recognized by Emilio
Aguinaldo and upon his return, he asked his men to look for Apolinario Mabini. And in the
reorganization of the Philippine government, Aguinaldo hired Mabini to be one of advisers.

Following the advice of Mabini, Aguinaldo signed the three decrees, first was the Decree
of June 18, 1898 which established the Dictatorial government, the second Decree was the
Decree of June 20, 1898 which ordered the election for the local government and the third decree
is the Decree of June 23, 1898 which established the Revolutionary government.

The Dictatorial government was replaced by the Revolutionary government after of five
days. The dictatorial government was establish for the easy implementation of policies and
decision making since the country is in war however Mabini wanted to establish a democratic
government if possible and while working for this kind of government he established the
Revolutionary government headed by President Emilio Aguinaldo.

According to Mabini's plan, the local government or the Junta Popular would be
composed of the municipal head, officer of the Police and internal order, officer of Justice and
Civil Registry and the Officer of the collection of Taxes and Property. These officers were
elected by the people who had the following qualifications: first at least 20 years old, honorable
conduct and committed to the independence of the country. Then the officers of the towns or
Junta Popular would elect the Provincial Government or the Jefe de Provincia which was
composed of the Chief of the Province and three provincial councilors. The provincial
government would supervise the implementation of the orders of the central government. And
the election of the local government was supervised by the commissioners appointed by the
central government. The Local Government had the autonomy over their jurisdiction in
peaceful times however it there was a threat of invasion or war the military officer appointed by
the Central Government would take charge. They also have the power in their budget but they
needed to submit their proposed budget to the provincial government, then from provincial to
the central government for approval.
 The Congress according to the plan of Mabini was also elected the Chief of the Towns,
wherein each town would have one representative for the Congress. The functions of the
Congress to make laws and act as the advisory council of the Central Government. However,
the Revolutionary Congress in reality was a legislative body but only the Council for the
president and the real democratic process did not take effect because still the country was in the
face of war.

THE ELECTION

The provisions set by Apolinario Mabini for election did not require certain properties
and position during the time of the Spanish Colonial Government so this could be the way for
the ordinary citizens to participate in the election, however, because of the continuous war still
many of the Filipinos could not participate in the election.

Place Population Election Date No. of Votes

Lipa, Batangas 40,733 July 3, 1898 25
Vigan, Ilocos Sur 19,000 November 23, 1898 116
Gammu, Isabela 6,101 October 5, 1898 72
Echangue, Isabela 5,400 October 7, 1898 54
Cabagan, Isabela 6,420 Octpber 2, 1898 111
Table 6. From the Report of John Taylor, Organization for the
Administration of the Civil Government.

THE MALOLOS CONGRESS

In the proclamation of Emilio Aguinaldo in July 28, 1898, he gave the Malolos Congress
the power to advice the president, however, during the meeting of the Congress in September
15, 1898, they decided to create a Constitution which would be the framework of the
government of Emilio Aguinaldo. The Malolos Constitution was the first constitution in Asia
and it was based on the proposed framework of Felipe Calderon which he based from the
Constitution of the countries in Latin America.

The Constitution was ratified in January 21, 1899 and had the following important
provisions:

1. The legality of the Declaration of Independence in Kawit, Cavite.

2. The Separation of Church and State.

3. The establishment of a Republican Government.

4. The division of the government into three branches, the Executive, Legislative and
Judiciary.

5. The legislative branch is higher than the Executive and Judiciary.

6. The Unicameral legislature.

7. The bill of rights of the citizens.

8. The Suffrage.

The ratification of the Malolos Constitution gave legality to the First Republic headed by
Emilio Aguinaldo as president and his leadership was assisted by the following Cabinet
members which he personally chose before the inauguration of the constitution:

1. President of the Cabinet and Secretary of Foreign Affairs Apolinario Mabini

 2. Secretary of Interior Teodoro Sandico

3. Secretary of War Baldomero Aguinaldo

4. Secretary of Finance Mariano Trias

5. Secretary of Welfare - Gracio Gonzaga

THE TREATY OF PARIS

In line with the initial protocol signed in August 12, 1895 gave way to the surrender of
the Spanish troops headed by Governor General Basilio Agustin to the American troops headed
by Commodore George Dewey, five Americans and Spaniards were commissioned by their
government to meet in Paris for the drafting of the peace treaty between US and Spain.

The American Commissioners:

1. Cushman Davis

2 William P. Frye

3. Whitelaw Reid

4. George Gray

5. William R. Day

The Filipino Commissioners

1. Eugenio Montero Rios

2. Buenaventura Abarzuza

3. Jose de Garnica

4. Wenceslao Ramirez de Villa-Urrutia

5. Rafael Cerero

THE TREATY OF PARIS AND THE FILIPINO-AMERICAN WAR

The Treaty of Paris was signed in December 10, 1898. According to the treaty, the
Spanish government ceded the Philippines, Guam, Puerto Rico and Cuba to US government,
the US government would pay 20,000,000 dollars to Spanish government as payment for the
permanent structures that the Spaniards built in four counties Spanish would maintain their
free trade in the four countries until the tenth year of the existence of the treaty and the friars
and the religious orders would remain in the country and their properties would remain to
them. However, the content of the treaty wall not be implemented without the ratification of the
US congress and the majority of the members of the American legislature was not in favor of the
colonization until the incident of the between the Americans and the Filipinos happened in
February 18 wherein the Filipinos were blamed as the one who started the war. The hostilities
of the Filipinos against the Americans according to the report of Commodore George Dewey
made the American legislature to sign for the ratification of the Treaty of Paris.

THE END OF THE FILIPINO-AMERICAN WAR

 The Filipino-American war ended upon the captivity of Emilio Aguinaldo in Palanan,
Isabela in March 23, 1899 with the help of the revolutionist from Macabebe, Pampanga. The
Americans were able to intercept the message of Aguinaldo to other Filipino soldiers asking for
reinforcement when they captured Ceilio Segismundo. And then the Americans conspired with
the people of Macabebe, Pampanga against Emilio Aguinaldo. General Frederick Funston asked
the help of the Macabebes to act as the reinforcement for Aguinaldo and when they were able to
get inside Palanan they revealed their identity and the American troops entered Palanan to
capture Aguinaldo.

Upon captivity, Emilio Aguinaldo was brought to Malacanang palace and William
Howard Taft convinced him to cooperate with the American government and in return he
would receive the Hacienda de Imus. And in April 1, 1901, Emilio Aguinaldo pledged alliance
to the Americans.

The Malolos Constitution is the framework of the First Republic of the

Philippines.
The Americans offered their assistance to the group of Emilio Aguinaldo against
the Spaniards.
Apolinario Mabini proposed for the establishment of a dictatorial government.
The Malolos Congress framed the Philippine Constitution in 1899.
The establishment of Republican government, the separation of Church and State,
the division of the government into three branches and the legality of the
declaration of independence of the Philippines in June 12, 1898 were the
important provisions in Malolos Constitution.

ASSESSMENT

I. MULTIPLE CHOICE. Answer the following question. Write the letter of the correct answer.
1. The form of government of the Philippines as stated in the Malolos constitution.

A. Federal

B. Parliamentary

C. Republican

D. Dictatorship

2. The Chairman of the committee which frame the Malolos Constitution.

A. Felipe Calderon

B. Emilio Aguinaldo

C. Apolinario Mabini

D. Rafael Palma

3. The kind of legislature stated in Malolos Constitution.

A. Unicameral

B. Bicameral

C. Federal

D. Unitary

4. What is the evidence that Emilio Aguinaldo is willing to compromise to the Spaniards?

A. He issued a proclamation which states the demands of the Filipinos.

B. He had the meeting with the Spanish Governor General.

C. He ordered the surrender of the weapons of the Filipinos to Spanish government.

D. None of the above.

5. Who is the mediator between the Spaniards and the Filipino during the Treaty of Biak na
bato?

A. Apolinario Mabini

B. Jose P. Laurel

C. Isabelo Artacho

D. Pedro Paterno

6. Who is the Spanish Governor General during the signing of Treaty of Biak na Bato?

A. Primo De Rivera

B. Carlos Ma. De la Torre

C. Basilio Agustin

D. Camilo Polavieja

7. Which among these statements is NOT part of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato?

A. Aguinaldo must go into exile

 B. Filipino revolutionaries must be imprisoned not shorter than 6 years

C. The Spanish government will pay P400, 000 to Aguinaldo when he goes into exile

D. The Spanish government will pay P900, 000 to the non-combatants and their
families

8. How does the Filipino-American war started?

A. The American soldiers shot the Filipino soldiers.

B. The Filipino soldiers shot the American soldiers.

C. The Americans violated the treaty of Paris.

D. The Filipinos violated the treaty of Paris.

9. How did the Americans able to enter the camp of Emilio Aguinaldo in Palanan, Isabela?

A. They were able to intercept the message of reinforcement from Cecilio Segismundo.

B. They bribe the other soldiers of Emilio Aguinaldo.

C. Juanuario Galut show them the secret passage in going to Palanan, Isabela.

D. General Emilio Aguinaldo surrender to them and let them enter the camp.

10. What is the significance of the treaty of Paris to the Philippine history?

A. The Philippines was ceded to America.

B. The Philippines was divided into different regions.

C. The Philippines gain support from the international market.

D. All of the above.

II. Identify the term being described in the following statements. Write the answer in the space
provided.

____________________1. The chairman of the framing of Malolos Constitution.

____________________2. The President of the Philippine First Republic.

____________________3. The treaty that ended the Filipino and Spanish War.

____________________4 The Treaty which ended the American and Spanish War.

____________________5. The political adviser of the Emilio Aguinaldo.

____________________6. The place of the first Republic in the Philippines.

____________________7. The chief negotiator of the US forces in Singapore

____________________8. The head of American forces in the Battle of Manila bay.

____________________9. The last headquarters of the Filipino forces in the US-Filipino War.

____________________10. The president of America in the time of the Spanish-American war.

III. Arrange the following events. Write letter A-E in the space provided.

A.

_______1. The Return of Emilio Aguinaldo in the Philippines.

_______2. The meeting of Aguinaldo and Spencer Pratt in Singapore.

_______3. The arrival of Commodore George Dewey in Manila Bay.

_______4. The voluntary exile of Aguinaldo to Hongkong.

_______5. The destruction of the Spanish Armada.

B.

_______1. The declaration of Independence.

_______2. The creation of the Malolos Constitution.

_______3. The return of Aguinaldo to the Philippines

_______4. The Mock battle.

TEACHER’S FEEDBACK

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REFERENCES

Francisco, P. & Francisco, V. (2016). Philippine Politics and Governance for Senior High School.
Mindshappers Co., Inc., Intamuros, Manila.