History of the Filipino People: Revolution, Truce, and Key Figures

This report delves into pivotal moments in the history of the Filipino people, commencing with a biographical sketch of General Santiago V. Alvarez, highlighting his involvement in the Katipunan and the early skirmishes of the revolution. It then meticulously examines the Assembly at Tejeros, detailing the discussions surrounding the formation of a revolutionary government, the contentious election, and the subsequent nullification of the proceedings. The report also explores the historical context through the lens of Teodoro Agoncillo, a prominent Filipino historian, and his key works. Furthermore, it analyzes the Truce of Biyak-na-Bato, elucidating its terms, the ensuing failures, and the eventual resurgence of the revolution, including Aguinaldo's return and the outbreak of the second phase of the revolution, providing a comprehensive overview of the events and figures that shaped this critical period in Philippine history.

History of the Filipino People: Memoirs of a General
Santiago V. Alvarez, also known as Fuego or Apoy, was born on July 5, 1872 in Imus, Cavite. He
is the son of General Mariano Alvarez. Since his parents wanted him to become a teacher, he
was sent to Manila and enrolled at a school situated along Camba street in Tondo, Manila and
was headed by Don Macario Hernández. However, his academic endeavors were interrupted by
the revolution in 1896. After the revolution, he enrolled at the University of Santo Tomas but
later transferred to the Colegio de San Juan de Letran where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts. He
then took up law at the Liceo de Manila. As a member of the Katipunan Secret Society, at the
outbreak of the revolution of independence of August 1896 he was appointed delegate for the
Council of Cavite - the Presidency fell to his father - and later captain general of the military
rebel forces in this province, participating in some of the early skirmishes brought with the
Spanish troops as the headquarters of the guardia civil's Novella (August 31, 1896), the defense
of the city against the rear attack enemy (September 4, 1896), and the destruction of the bridge
of Dalahican. According to the Chronicles of the time, in all of these actions Santiago Álvarez
stood out for their fearlessness and bravery. He died on October 30, 1930 in San Pablo, Laguna
at the age of 58 years old.
Assembly at Tejeros (Tejeros Convention)
According to Santiago Alvarez, an assembly at Tejeros was convened on March 25, 1897
(although, other sources state that it was convened on March 22, 1897; the former date was
probably a typo). Secretary Jacinto Lumbreras of the Magdiwang Council presided over this
assembly where he invited members of both Magdiwang and Magdalo factions. Some of the
attendees are Supremo Andres Bonifacio, Mariano M. Alvarez, Pascual Alvarez, Ariston
Villanueva (Secretary of War), Mariano C. Trias, Diego Mojica, Emiliano R. de Dios, Santiago V.
Alvarez (General Apoy), Artemio Ricarte, Santos Nocon, Luciano San Miguel, Pablo Mojica,
Severino de las Alas, Santiago Rillo, Baldomero Aguinaldo, Daniel Tirona, and Cayetano Topacio.
The main reason for calling this assembly is to discuss how to bolster the defenses in areas still
under Magdiwang control. But before that, Mr. Severino de las Alas said to first tackle the issue
of what kind of government they must have and how to go about establishing it, because once
a decision has been made, the problem of organization and strengthening of defenses will be
easily solved. Lumbreras then stated that the Katipunan "has a government of law and a
definite program. It is obeyed and respected by all because it stands for freedom, brotherly
love, and a well-organized and well-run government." Bonifacio agrees with Lumbreras, saying
that the "K" in the middle of the sun in the KKK flag stands for Kalayaan. De las Alas argues
back that the "K" (and sun in the flag) did not indicate whether the revolutionary government is
democratic or not, to which Bonifacio replies that the Katipunan was united in its respect for
universal brotherhood and equality of men. Antonio Montenegro then defends de las Alas’

stand, saying that if they don't follow de las Alas' ideal revolutionary government and let status
quo prevail, then everyone in the Revolution is no better than a pack of wild bandits or wild
animals. This angered Gen. Apoy so he defended the Revolutionary and what they stand for,
stating that "if you want your own government, you must do as we have done,” which is to take
back their localities from the Spaniards,” and ordered Montenegro’s arrest. Afterwards,
Lumbreras refused to resume role of chairman and gave it to Bonifacio, whom he thought to be
the rightful chairman.
Due to repeated clamor for the approval of the establishment of a government of the Philippine
Republic, the chair proceeded to prepare for an election. Before it started, everyone agreed
with the rule of majority vote regardless of station in life and/or educational attainment; what
matters is that the candidate is not a traitor to the cause of the motherland. With the help of
Daniel Tirona, pieces of paper were then distributed to serve as ballots. Diego Mojica warned
Bonifacio that many ballots distributed were already filled out not by the voters, but Bonifacio
ignored his remark and proceeded. After the votes were tallied, the position of president went
to Emilio Aguinaldo, who was absent at the time for he was in the battlefield, followed by the
Supremo Bonifacio. Severino de las Alas then spoke and said that since the Supremo got the
second highest number of votes, he should be proclaimed vice president. Nobody approved or
disapproved, the Supremo, as the presiding officer, ruled that the election be continued. For
the other positions, Mariano Trias won as the vice president, General Vibora as the captain
general, Emiliano R. de Dios as the secretary of war, and the Supremo, Andres Bonifacio, as the
secretary of interior. Daniel Tirona voiced out that he thought Bonifacio did not fit the role
because he is not a lawyer and endorses Jose del Rosario, a lawyer, instead. Bonifacio was
greatly embarrassed by this because it has been previously agreed by everyone that no matter
what the status or educational attainment of the winner, the decision will be respected; hence,
why he did not have objections when he lost in other positions. He demanded an apology from
Tirona for those who voted for Bonifacio, pulling a revolver and aiming at him. Tirona escaped
into the crowd, probably due to fear, and disorder ensued. Bonifacio then declares all matters
in the meeting as null and void.
Baldomero Aguinaldo, the Magdalo president, convinced the Magdiwang leaders to reconvene
the meeting the next day. A meeting was called in the same place the following day to continue
and revalidate the proceedings and revive former alliances. However, only Magdiwang leaders,
aside for Bonifacio, showed up that day; not even the Magdalo president that initiated. That
night, the Magdalo leaders held their own meeting at Tanza. It was revealed the next day that
Bonifacio's decision in the previous meeting was not respected by Magdalo leaders in the
meeting, although it was denied from many sectors. Those elected in the meeting gathered in
the Tanza parish house where they solemnly took their oaths of office. Naturally, Bonifacio was

not present for he was not invited because he is from Magdiwang. The Magdalo posted troops
outside the venue and were ordered not to admit any unwanted Magdiwang partisans.
History of the Filipino People
Teodoro Agoncillo was one of the pre-eminent Filipino historians of the 20th century. He was
also an essayist and a poet. Born on November 9, 1912 in Lemery, Batangas, Agoncillio obtained
a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of the Philippines in 1934 and a master's
degree in the arts from the same university the following year. He earned his living as a
linguistic assistant at the Institute of National Language and as an instructor at the Far Eastern
University and the Manuel L. Quezon University. In 1956, he published his seminal work, Revolt
of the Masses: The Story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan, a history of the 1896 Katipunan-led
revolt against Spanish rule and its leader, Andres Bonifacio. He garnered acclaim for this book,
as well as criticisms from more conservative historians discomforted by the work's nationalist,
perhaps even Marxist bent.
In 1958, Agoncillo was invited to join the faculty of the Department of History of his alma
mater, the University of the Philippines. He remained with the university until his retirement in
1977, chairing the Department of History from 1963 to 1969. After retiring from UP, Agoncillo
taught Filipino history as a visiting professor at the International Christian University in Mitaka,
Tokyo, Japan, for one year from 1977 to 1978. Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal named
Agoncillo as a member of the National Historical Institute in 1963. He served in this capacity
until his death in 1985. Some of his works include “Malolos: The Crisis of the Republic” (sequel
to Revolt of the Masses which discusses the events from Biak-na-Bato to the end of the
Philippine-American War), “The Fateful Years: Japan’s Adventure in the Philippines” (Philippine
history during World War II), and “The History of the Filipino People”.
The Truce of Biyak-na-Bató
Pedro Paterno, a mestizo, asked Governor General Primo de Rivera to be made into a mediator
between Filipinos and Spaniards. Negotiations with Aguinaldo (with Pedro Paterno as the
representative) and Primo de Rivera yielded 3 documents signed by both parties. The first
document was signed on November 18, 1897, which came to be known as the Truce of Biyak-
na-bató. The second document known as the “Programme” was signed on December 14 of the
same year, and the following day, the third and last document of the Truce was signed.
The resulting Truce provided, among other things: the voluntary exile of Aguinaldo and his
companions to Hong Kong; Primo de Rivera pays P800, 000 to the rebels in 3 installments
(P400, 000 when they go to voluntarily exile abroad, P200, 000 when arms surrendered reached

700, and another P200,000 when the Te deum was sung and general amnesty proclaimed by
the governor); and Primo de Rivera would pay the additional sum of P900, 000 to the families of
the non-combatant Filipinos who suffered during armed conflict. To ensure sincerity, 2 Spanish
generals, Celestino Tejeiro and Ricardo Monet, were to stay with rebels while Colonel Miguel
Primo de Rivera was to accompany the exiles. Aguinaldo and his men sailed to Hong Kong on
December 27, 1987 with P400, 000 check in his possession.
Failure of the Truce
January 1898 was a month of festivities in Manila to celebrate the end of hostilities. Various
activities were held, but most importantly, the Te Deum was sung at the Manila Cathedral on
the 23rd and at the Palacio Real in Madrid on the 24th (Madrid Time). Filipino generals
surrendered the arms given up by rebels and received the P200, 000. However, some Filipino
leaders did not surrender their weapons. They expected a continuation of the armed conflict
and prepared themselves for an emergency. On the other hand, Spaniards did not trust the
Filipinos. This resulted in periodic clashes between the Filipinos and Spaniards which continued
until Spanish power was destroyed by combined Filipino-American forces a few months later.
Gen. Francisco Makabulos of Tarlac established the Central Executive Committee, which was
provisionary until a general government of the Republic shall be established again. This rebel
government had a constitution, popularly called the constitution of Makabulos, which provided
an executive committee consisting of President, Vice President, Secretaries of Interior, War and
Treasury. This made it clear that the Filipinos were not planning to follow the truce and instead
just want to use the money given to them by Primo de Rivera to purchase more arms and
ammunition. Lower Spanish officials, on the other hand, arrested those who they suspected to
have been involved in a rebellion. Such acts led to the feeling that the truce is a cover up for
Spanish bad faith. Mutual suspicion resulted to resurgence of the revolution.
Revolution: The Second Phase
Aguinaldo deposited the P400, 000 in 2 banks and only the interest is withdrawn for their
expenses. Meanwhile, he went to Singapore with 2 companions where Consul E. Spencer Pratt
conferred with him. Pratt persuaded Aguinaldo to cooperate with Commodore George Dewey
who was about to set sail to Manila to destroy the Spanish Navy. War was promptly declared
between Spain and America, and Dewey sunk the Spanish warships. Aguinaldo returned to
Manila on an American ship and soon after raised a standard of revolt against Spain. Governor
General Basilio Agustin desperately tried to win over the Filipinos who were once part of the
Spanish army to their side but it was too late.
The Relief on Primo de Rivera

Primo de Rivera had good intentions to solve the problem of the Philippines, but it was
frustrated when he was to be succeeded by Basilio Augustin from the Liberal Party. This was
unfortunate because Augustin was ignorant of the actual conditions of the Philippines. Primo
de Rivera wanted to stay for some time due to rumors that the serious Spanish-American
relations might degenerate into a shooting war; therefore, sending a new governor general was
unwise. However, General Augustin arrived in Manila on April 8, 1898 and he succeeded Rivera
the next day. He announced that he would continue Primo de Rivera’s work of pacification, and
afterwards waited for development.
References
Alvarez, S. V. (1992). Katipunan and the revolution: Memoirs of a general (P. C. S. Malay, Trans.).
(pp. 82- 88). Ateneo de Manila University Press (Original work published 1872-1930)
Agoncillo, T. A. (1990). History of the Filipino people (8th ed., pp. 184-187). Garotech Publishing.