THE ACT OF PROCLAMATION OF INDEPENDENCE OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE 79

The Act of Proclamation of

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Taking into account the fact that the people of this
country are already tired of bearing the ominous yoke of
Spanish domination,
Because of arbitrary arrests and abuses of the Civil
Guards who cause deaths in connivance with and even under
the express orders of their superior officers who at times
would order the shooting of those placed under arrest under
the pretext that they attempted to escape in violation of
known Rules and Regulations, which abuses were left
unpunished, and because of unjust deportations of illustrious
Filipinos, especially those decreed by General Blanco at the
instigation of the Archbishop and the friars interested in
keeping them in ignorance for egoistic and selfish ends,
which deportations were carried out through processes more
execrable than those of the Inquisition which every civilized
nation repudiates as a trial without hearing,
 THE ACT OF PROCLAMATION OF INDEPENDENCE OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE 81
Had resolved to start a revolution in August 1896 in order
to regain the independence and sovereignty of which the
people had been deprived by Spain through Governor Miguel
Löpez de Legazpi who, continuing the course followed by his
predecessor Ferdinand Magellan who landed on the shores of
Cebu and occupied said Island by means of a Pact of
Friendship with Chief Tupas, although he was killed in battle
that took place in said shores to which battle he was provoked
by Chief Kalipulako of Mactan who suspected his evil
designs, landed on the Island of Bohol by entering also into a
Blood Compact with its Chief Sikatuna, with the purpose of
later taking by force the Island of Cebu, and because his
successor Tupas did not allow him to occupy it, he went to
Manila, the capital, winging likewise the friendship of its
Chiefs Soliman and Lakandula, later taking possession of the
city and the whole Archipelago in the name of Spain by virtue
of an order of King Philip Il, and with these historical
Precedents and because in international law the prescription
established by law to legalize the vicious acquisition of
private property is not recognized, the legitimacy of such
revolution cannot be put in doubt which was calmed but not
completely stifled by the pacification proposed by Don Pedro
A. Paterno with Don Emilio Aguinaldo as President of the
Republic established in Biak-na-Bato and accepted by
Governor-General Don Fernando Primo de Rivera under
terms, both written and oral, among them being a general
amnesty for all deported and convicted persons; that by
reason of the non-fulfillment of some of the terms, after the
destruction of the Spanish Squadron by the North American
Navy, and bombardment of the plaza of Cavite, Don Emilio
Aguinaldo returned in order to initiate a new revolution and
no sooner had he given the order to rise on the 31st of last
month when several towns anticipating the revolution, rose in
revolt on the 28th, such that a Spanish contingent of 178
men, between Imus and Cavite Viejo, under the command of
 UNDERSTANDING PERSPECTIVE
a major of the Marine Infantry capitulated, the revolutionary
movement spreading like wild fire to other towns of Cavite
and the other provinces of Bataan, Pampanga, Batangas,
Bulacan, Laguna, and Morong, some of them with seaports
and such was the success of the victory of our arms, truly
marvelous and without equal in the history of colonial
revolutions that in the first mentioned province only the
Detachments in Naic and Indang remained to surrender; in the
second, all Detachments had been wiped out; in the third, the
resistance of the Spanish forces was localized in the town of
San Fernando where the greater part of them are
concentrated, the remainder in Macabebe, Sexmoan, and
Guagua; in the fourth, in the town of Lipa; in the fifth, in the
capital and in Calumpit; and in the last two remaining
provinces, only in their respective capitals, and the city of
Manila will soon be besieged by our forces as well as the
provinces of Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pangasinan, La Union,
Zambales, and some others in the Visayas where the
revolution at the time of the pacification and others even
before, so that the independence of our country and the
revindication of our sovereignty is assured.
And having as witness to the rectitude of our intentions
the Supreme Judge of the Universe, and under the protection

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of the Powerful and Humanitarian Nation, the United States
of America, we do hereby proclaim and declare solemnly in
the name and by authority of the people of these Philippine
Islands,
That they are and have the right to be free and
independent; that they have ceased to have any allegiance to
the Crown of Spain; that all political ties between them are
and should be completely severed and annulled; and that, like
other free and independent States, they enjoy the full power to
make War and Peace, conclude commercial treaties, enter
 THE ACT OF PROCLAMATION OF INDEPENDENCE OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE 83
into alliances, regulate commerce, and do all other acts and
things which an Independent State has a right to do,
And imbued with firm confidence in Divine Providence,
we hereby mutually bind ourselves to support this Declaration
with our lives, our fortunes, and with our most sacred
possession, our Honor.
We recognize, approve, and ratify, with all the orders
emanating from the same, the Dictatorship established by
Don Emilio Aguinaldo whom we revere as the Supreme Head
of this Nation, which today begins to have a life of its own, in
the conviction that he has been the instrument chosen by God,
in spite of his humble origin, to effectuate the redemption of
this unfortunate country as foretold by Dr. Don José Rizal in
his magnificent verses which he composed in his prison cell
prior to his execution, liberating it from the Yoke of Spanish
domination,
And in punishment for the impunity with which the
Government sanctioned the commission of abuses by its
officials, and for the unjust execution of Rizal and others who
were sacrificed in order to please the insatiable friars in their
hydropical thirst for vengeance against and extermination of
all those who oppose their Machiavellian ends, trampling
upon the Penal Code of these Islands, and of those suspected
persons
arrested by the Chiefs of Detachments at the instigation of the
friars, without any form nor semblance of trial and without
any spiritual aid of our sacred Religion; and likewise, and for
the same ends, eminent Filipino priests, Doctor Don Jose
Burgos, Don Mariano Gomez, and Don Jacinto Zamora were
hanged whose innocent blood was shed due to the intrigues of
these so-called Religious corporations which made the
authorities to believe that the military uprising at the fort of
San Felipe in Cavite on the night of January 21, 1872 was
instigated by those Filipino martyrs, thereby impeding the
 UNDERSTANDING PERSPECTIVE
execution of the decree-sentence issued by the Council of
State in the appeal in the administrative case interposed by
the secular clergy against the Royal Orders that directed that
the parishes under them within the jurisdiction of this
Bishopric be turned over to the Recollects in exchange for
those controlled by them in Mindanao which were to be
transferred to the Jesuits, thus revoking them completely and
ordering the return of those parishes, all of which proceedings
are on file with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to which they
are sent last month of last year for the issuance of the proper
Royal Decree which, in turn, caused the growth of the tree of
liberty in this our dear land that grew more and more through
the iniquitous measures of oppression, until the last drop from
our chalice of suffering having been drained, the first spark of
revolution broke out in Caloocan, spread out to Santa Mesa
and continued its course to the adjoining regions of the
province where the unequalled heroism of its inhabitants
fought a onesided battle against superior forces of General
Blanco and General Polavieja for a period of three months,
without proper arms nor ammunitions, except bolos, pointed
bamboos, and arrows.
Moreover, we confer upon our famous Dictator Don
Emilio Aguinaldo all the powers necessary to enable him to
discharge the duties of Government, including the
prerogatives of granting pardon and amnesty,
And, lastly, it was resolved unanimously that this Nation,
already free and independent as of this day, must use the
same flag which up to now is being used, whose design and
colors are found described in the attached drawing, the white
triangle signifying the distinctive emblem of the famous
Society of the "Katipunan" which by means of its blood
compact inspired the masses to rise in revolution; the three
stars, signifying the three principal Islands of this
Archipelago—Luzon, Mindanao, and Panay where this
revolutionary movement started; the sun representing the
 THE ACT OF PROCLAMATION OF INDEPENDENCE OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE 85
gigantic steps made by the sons of the country along the path
of Progress and Civilization; the eight rays, signifying the
eight provinces—Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva
Ecija, Bataan, Laguna, and Batangas— which declared
themselves in a state of war as soon as the first revolt was
initiated; and the colors of Blue, Red, and White,
commemorating the flag of the United States of North
America, as a manifestation of our profound gratitude
towards this Great Nation for its disinterested protection
which it lent us and continues lending us.
And holding up this flag of ours, I present it to the gentlemen
here assembled:
(The text is followed by the Signatures of the Witnesses)