Pact of Biak-na-Bato

Last updated
Pact of Biak-na-Bato
The Hongkong Junta.jpg
Filipino revolutionaries exiled to Hong Kong. Sitting on Emilio Aguinaldo's right is Lt. Col. Miguel Primo de Rivera, [1] :278 nephew and aide-de-camp of Fernando Primo de Rivera and father of José Antonio Primo de Rivera, who was held hostage until Aguinaldo's indemnity was paid. [2] :309–310 Standing behind Aguinaldo is Col. Gregorio del Pilar. Standing behind Miguel and to his right is Pedro Paterno.
Type Peace treaty, General Amnesty
SignedDecember 14, 1897 [3]
LocationSan Miguel, Bulacan in Luzon Island, Philippines
Signatories
Languages Spanish, Tagalog
The Filipino negotiators for the Pact of Biak-na-Bato. Seated from left to right: Pedro Paterno and Emilio Aguinaldo with five companions Pact of Biak-na-Bato Filipino negotiators.JPG
The Filipino negotiators for the Pact of Biak-na-Bato. Seated from left to right: Pedro Paterno and Emilio Aguinaldo with five companions

The Pact of Biak-na-Bato, signed on December 14, 1897, [3] [4] created a truce between Spanish colonial Governor-General Fernando Primo de Rivera and the revolutionary leader Emilio Aguinaldo to end the Philippine Revolution. Aguinaldo and his fellow revolutionaries were given amnesty and monetary indemnity by the Spanish Government, in return for which the revolutionary government would go into exile in Hong Kong. Aguinaldo had decided to use the money to purchase advance firearms and ammunition later on return to the archipelago. [5] :49 [6] :232

Contents

The pact was signed in San Miguel, Bulacan, in the house of Pablo Tecson, a Philippine revolutionary captain who served as brigadier general in the 'Brigada Del Pilar' (military troop) of General Gregorio del Pilar during the Revolution.

A hand-drawn Spanish military map of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo's headquarters at Biak-na-bato (ca. 1897) Biakmap.tiff
A hand-drawn Spanish military map of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo's headquarters at Biak-na-bato (ca. 1897)

Provisions

According to General Emilio Aguinaldo, writing in 1899, the principal conditions of the Pact of biak-na-bato were: [4]

  1. That I would, and any of my associates who desired to go with me, be free to live in any foreign country. Having fixed upon Hong Kong as my place of residence, it was agreed that payment of the indemnity of $MXN800,000 [lower-alpha 1] should be made in three installments, namely, $MXN400,000 [lower-alpha 1] when all the arms in Biak-na-bató were delivered to the Spanish authorities; $MXN200,000 [lower-alpha 1] when the arms surrendered amounted to eight hundred stand; the final payment to be made when one thousand stand of arms shall have been handed over to the authorities and the Te Deum sung in the Cathedral in Manila as thanksgiving for the restoration of peace. The latter part of February was fixed as the limit of time wherein the surrender of arms should be completed.
  2. The whole of the money was to be paid to me personally, leaving the disposal of the money to my discretion and knowledge of the understanding with my associates and other insurgents.
  3. Prior to evacuating Biak-na-bató the remainder of the insurgent forces under Captain-General Primo de Rivera should send to Biak-na-bató two General of the Spanish Army to be held as hostages by my associates who remained there until I and a few of my compatriots arrived in Hong Kong and the first installment of the money payment (namely, four hundred thousand dollars) was paid to me.

It was also agreed that the religious corporations in the Philippines be expelled and an autonomous system of government, political and administrative, be established, though by special request of General Primo de Rivera these conditions were not insisted on in the drawing up of the Treaty, the General contending that such concessions would subject the Spanish Government to severe criticism and even ridicule.

According to historian Teodoro Agoncillo, the pact was made up of three documents which together came to be known as the Truce of Biak-na-Bató and which provided, among other things: [8]

  1. $MXN400,000 [lower-alpha 1] to Aguinaldo upon his departure from Biak-na-Bató, [4] [8]
  2. $MXN200,000 [lower-alpha 1] when the arms surrendered by the revolutionists amounted to 800 stand, [4] and
  3. the remaining $MXN200,000 [lower-alpha 1] when the arms surrendered amounted to 1,000 stand, Te Deum in the Cathedral in Manila as thanksgiving for the restoration of peace. [4]

According to historian Sonia M. Zaide, the agreement consisted of three parts:

  1. A document called "Program", generally as described by Agoncillo.
  2. A document called "Act of Agreement" which reiterated parts of the "Program" document and hinted at the desire of the Filipinos for reforms but contained no definite agreement by Spain to grant such reforms.
  3. A third document which discussed the question of indemnity, specifying that Spain would pay a total of $1,700,000 $MXN800,000 [lower-alpha 1] as above plus $MXN900,000 [lower-alpha 1] to be distributed among the civilian population as compensation for the ravages of war. [9]

Results

In accordance with the first part of the pact, Aguinaldo and twenty five other top officials of the revolution were banished to Hong Kong with $MXN400,000 [lower-alpha 1] in their possession. [10] The rest of the men received $MXN200,000, [lower-alpha 1] but the third installment was never received. General amnesty was never declared and sporadic skirmishes continued. [11]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 The Mexican dollar at the time was worth about 50 US cents, equivalent to about $17.59 today. [7] The peso fuerte and the Mexican dollar were interchangeable at par.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emilio Aguinaldo</span> President of the Philippines from 1899 to 1902

Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who is the youngest president of the Philippines (1899–1901) and became the first president of the Philippines and of an Asian constitutional republic. He led the Philippine forces first against Spain in the Philippine Revolution (1896–1898), then in the Spanish–American War (1898), and finally against the United States during the Philippine–American War (1899–1901).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine Revolution</span> 1896–1898 Philippine war of independence against the Spanish Empire

The Philippine Revolution was a war of independence waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan against the Spanish Empire from 1896 to 1898. It was the culmination of the 333-year colonial rule of Spain to the archipelago. The Philippines were among the last colonies of the Spanish Empire, which saw a massive decline particularly in the 1890s. Cuba rebelled in 1895, and the empire soon fought against the United States in a war that they lost. In June 1898, Philippine revolutionaries declared itself a republic. However, this was not recognized by Spain, which sold the islands to the United States in the Treaty of Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pedro Paterno</span> Prime Minister of the Philippines in 1899

Pedro Alejandro Paterno y de Vera Ignacio was a Filipino politician infamous for being a turncoat. He was also a poet and a novelist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miguel Malvar</span> Filipino general

Miguel Malvar y Carpio was a Filipino general who served during the Philippine Revolution and, subsequently, during the Philippine–American War. He assumed command of the Philippine revolutionary forces during the latter, following the capture of resistance leader Emilio Aguinaldo by the Americans in 1901. According to some, he could have been listed as one of the presidents of the Philippines; however, as of 2023, is not recognized as such by the Philippine government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine Declaration of Independence</span> 1898 assertion of Philippine independence from Spanish colonial rule

The Philippine Declaration of Independence was proclaimed by Filipino revolutionary forces general Emilio Aguinaldo on June 12, 1898, in Cavite el Viejo, Philippines. It asserted the sovereignty and independence of the Philippine islands from the 300 years of colonial rule from Spain.

On November 1, 1897, the Republic of Biak-na-Bato was established in the cave of Biak-na-Bato, San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan. A special election was called for the new Supreme Council to oversee the newly established government on November 2, 1897 in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcela Agoncillo</span> Seamstress of the first flag of the Philippines

Doña Marcela Mariño de Agoncillo was a Filipina who was the principal seamstress of the first and official flag of the Philippines, gaining her the title of "The Mother of the Philippine Flag."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of Biak-na-Bato</span> Government during the Philippine Revolution

The Republic of Biak-na-Bato was the second revolutionary republican government led by Emilio Aguinaldo during the Philippine Revolution that referred to itself as the Republic of the Philippines and was seated in what is now Biak-na-Bato National Park. The current designation was adopted by historians to avoid confusion with the name of the current Philippine government, which also refers to itself as the Republic of the Philippines, and with other past Philippine governments using the same designation.

The sovereignty of the Philippines refers to the status of the Philippines as an independent nation. This article covers sovereignty transitions relating to the Philippines, with particular emphasis on the passing of sovereignty from Spain to the United States in the Treaty of Paris (1898), signed on December 10, 1898, to end the Spanish–American War. US President William McKinley asserted the United States' sovereignty over the Philippines on December 21, 1898, through his Benevolent Assimilation Proclamation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong Junta</span> Organization of revolutionary Filipino exiles in the 19th century

The Hong Kong Junta was an organization formed as a revolutionary government in exile by Filipino revolutionaries after the signing of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato on December 15, 1897. It was headed by Emilio Aguinaldo and included high-level figures in the Philippine revolution against Spanish rule who accompanied Aguinaldo into exile in the Crown Colony of Hong Kong from the Philippines.

This is a list of notable events that happened in the Philippines in the year 1897.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">José Alejandrino</span>

José Cándido Alejandrino y Magdangal was a Philippine Republican Army general during the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine–American War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pablo Tecson</span> Philippine governor (1859–1940)

Pablo Ocampo Tecson was an officer in the Revolutionary Army serving under Gen. Gregorio del Pilar and a representative to the Malolos Congress. He was elected the Governor General of Bulacan immediately following the Philippine–American War. Tecson later served as Insular Secretary of the Philippine Bureau of Agriculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Alapan</span>

The Battle of Alapan was fought on May 28, 1898, and was the first military victory of the Filipino Revolutionaries led by Emilio Aguinaldo after his return to the Philippines from Hong Kong. After the American naval victory in the Battle of Manila Bay, Aguinaldo returned from exile in Hong Kong, reconstituted the Philippine Revolutionary Army, and fought against the Spanish troops in a garrison in Alapan, Imus, Cavite. The battle lasted for five hours, from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mamerto Natividad</span> Filipino military leader

General Mamerto Alejandrino Natividad was a haciendero and a Filipino military leader who led numerous successful battles during the Philippine Revolution against the Spaniards. He is credited with establishing army headquarters at Biak Na Bato, which today is a national park because of its historical significance. Together with Jose Clemente Zulueta, he wrote the proclamation entitled “To The Brave Sons of the Philippines”, which called for the expulsion of the friars from the Philippines. He was a signatory to the Biak Na Bato convention, but a steadfast dissenter to the Treaty of Biak Na Bato, which asked for peace and reforms. He preferred independence.

The Battle of Tayabas was a 2-month campaign of the Philippine Revolution that saw intense guerrilla warfare and bloodshed for the province. The battle occurred shortly after Aguinaldo's return from Hong Kong in May of the same year. Tayabas was just one of the many triumphs for the revolutionaries in that year, leading up to Philippine independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Executive Committee (Philippines)</span> Insurgent government in 1898

The Central Executive Committee in the Philippines was an insurgent revolutionary government temporarily established by Francisco Macabulos on April 17, 1898, shortly after the December 14, 1897, signing of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato. That pact established a truce between Spanish colonial authorities in the Philippines and the revolutionary Republic of Biak-na-Bato calling for the exile of Emilio Aguinaldo and other senior revolutionaries. The exiled revolutionaries formed the Hong Kong Junta, and the Central Executive Committee was intended to remain in existence in the Philippines "until a general government of the Republic in these islands shall again be established, with a constitution which provided for a President, Vice President, Secretary of War and Secretary of the Treasury.." The committee was dissolved shortly after Aguinaldo's May 19, 1898, return to the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salvador Estrella</span> Filipino general

Salvador Estrella was a Filipino general who fought in the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine–American War. For his courage in battle, he earned the moniker "red blooded."

A revolutionary government or provisional government has been declared a number of times in the Philippines, by various insurgent groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dictatorial Government of the Philippines</span> May–June 1898 government run by Emilio Aguinaldo

The Dictatorial Government of the Philippines was an insurgent government in the Spanish East Indies inaugurated during the Spanish–American War by Emilio Aguinaldo in a public address on May 24, 1898, on his return to the Philippines from exile in Hong Kong, and formally established on June 18. The government was officially a dictatorship with Aguinaldo formally holding the title of "Dictator". The government was succeeded by a revolutionary government which was established by Aguinaldo on June 23.

References

  1. Harper's Pictorial History of the War with Spain, 1899, Vol. 2, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers
  2. Nofi, A.A., 1996, The Spanish–American War, 1898, Pennsylvania: Combined Books, ISBN   0-938289-57-8
  3. 1 2 Spencer Tucker (2009). The Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars: A Political, Social, and Military History. ABC-CLIO. pp.  58-59. ISBN   978-1-85109-951-1.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Aguinaldo 1899
  5. Mabini, A., 1969, The Philippine Revolution, Republic of the Philippines dept. of Education, National Historical Commission
  6. Alvarez, S.V., 1992, Recalling the Revolution, Madison: Center for Southeast Asia Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, ISBN   1-881261-05-0
  7. Halstead 1898, p. 126.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Agoncillo 1990 , p. 184
  9. Zaide 1999 , pp. 252–253.
  10. "The World Of 1898". Library of Congress. Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  11. Zaide 1999 , p. 253.

Bibliography