PROCLAMATION OF PHILIPPINE
INDEPENDENCE
The most glorious event in the history not only
Cavite But also of the Philippines was the proclamation of Philippine
independence from Spain on June 12, 1898, in a small rustic community now known
as Kawit. Unfortunately, the significance of the event was, wittingly or
unwittingly, de-emphasized if not glossed over during the American regime. In
fact, millions of Filipino school children grew up thinking that the
independence proclaimed was a mere “paper” independence-a meaningless, empty
independence-because it was not recognized by any foreign power at the time.
But what is important to remember is the fact that
Aguinaldo proclaimed the independence after a successful revolution by the
Filipino people without any foreign aid. No American soldier was involved in
the revolution. Admiral George Dewey the highest American military officer in
the Philippines was invited by Aguinaldo to witness the proclamation, but he
declined the invitation.
Aguinaldo then issued a manifesto, dated August 6,
1898, appealing to “all the power of the civilized world” for the recognition
of Philippines independence, saying that a of that date the “Philippine
Revolutionary Government has about 9,000 Spanish prisoners of war who are
treated according to the usage of civilized warfare” and that the Philippines
was on a “war footing with more than 30,000 men organized as a regular army.”
In other words, Aguinaldo had taken all the necessary
steps under international law to secure the recognition of Philippine
independence. Surely, it was not the Filipinos fault if the appeal went
unheeded by the foreign powers, all of them possessing colonies like Spain.
The Philippine flag that was sewn by Mrs. Marcela
Marino Agoncillo in Hong Kong at the request of Aguinaldo was officially
unfurled for the first during the independence proclamation. The Marcha
Nacional Filipina (Philippine National March), which is now the country’s
national anthem, was played also for the first time by the San Francisco de
Malabon band during the flag raising ceremony.
The Philippine independence, flag, and national
anthem have become the most important legacies of the Philippine Revolution,
the first successful revolution in Asia, antedating the Chinese Revolution led
by Sun Yat Sen by more than a decade. The Filipino nation was born of
revolution; and no other country in the Third World could have a more glorious
history. That Emilio Aguinaldo played the stellar and most decisive role in the
most scintillating chapter of our national history should do every Caviteño
proud. That goes also for all red-blooded Filipinos.