Selected Documents on
Reactions to American
Intervention
The newly instituted Philippine Republic
immediately encountered hostilities with
the American forces when on the night of
February 4, 1899, an untoward incident
occurred at the San Juan Bridge between
Sta. Mesa and San Juan.
When Pvt. Willie Grayson and his
company shot and killed a Filipino
soldier, Corporal Anastacio Felix on
the night of February 4, 1899.
Immediately, Captain Fernando Grey
who was temporarily assigned to
command the Filipino troops in the
Third Zone of Manila sent this
message to Aguinaldo in Malolos:
“At nine sharp tonight, American
camp started hostilities. Our forces
answered enemy fire. All in their
posts without fear. Await orders.”
What happened in the following days ushered
the period of the Philippine-American War
which lasted up to 1902. The next two
documents were written and issued by
Aguinaldo in reaction to the incident of
February 4 and the American assault which
transpired on February 5.
President Emilio Aguinaldo’s
(1)
Declaration of War on the United
States
(Malolos, Bulacan on February 4,
1899)
Aguinaldo’s declaration of war is short
and direct to the point. It conveys a
sense of urgency in that it immediately
addressed the unexpected acts of
hostility from the American side.
More importantly, the declaration
communicated to Filipinos three
important things—
(1) that peaceful relations with the
Americans were, henceforth, broken;
(2) that the Americans should be treated
as enemies;
(3) That information about the state of
war between them and Americans
should be relayed to the different
localities and the Congress.
(2) that the Americans should be treated
as enemies;
(3) That information about the state of
war between them and Americans
should be relayed to the different
localities and the Congress.
President Emilio Aguinaldo’s Appeal
(2)
to the Filipinos to Fight the
American Invaders for Freedom’s
Sake
(Malolos, Bulacan on February 5,
1899)
The appeal emphasized the fact that amidst
Aguinaldo’s efforts to avoid an armed
conflict, the “measureless pride of the
American Government and of its
representatives in these islands” seemed to
disregard his attempts towards peaceful
communication.
Moreover, the document could also be
seen as Aguinaldo’s way of affirming
the valor and strength of Filipinos at the
face of formidable adversaries.
Apolinario Mabini’s Reply
to the Proclamation of the
First Philippine
Commission
(San Isidro, Nueva Ecija on April
15, 1899)
While the Philippine-American War
was happening, the United States
government sent two important
commissions in order to assess the
situation in the Philippines and
prepare the country for colonization.
SCHURMAN COMMISSION
-which arrived in the country on
March 4, 1899
-also known as the First Philippine
Commission
-named after its chairman DR.
JACOB GOULD SCHURMAN
-it was composed of :
Dr. Jacob Gould Shurman
George Dewey
Elwell S. Otis
Charles Denby
Dean C. Worcester
John R. McArthur
In its evaluation of the Philippine
situation, the commission concluded
that the Filipinos were not prepared
for self-government and,
consequently, proposed the following
to the United States President
William McKinley:
(1) the creation of a civil government
with a bicameral legislation
(2) the formation of local governments
in areas pacified by the Americans;
(3) Maintenance of natural resources
(4) cooperation with the Filipino elite
by proposing an autonomous status
for the Philippines.
During their stay in the Philippines, the
Schurman Commission issued a
proclamation addressed to the Filipino
people on April 4, 1899. It enumerated
11 regulative principles which served as
a guide for Filipino-American relations,
among them “the enforcement of the
authority of the United States
throughout the Philippines…
guarantee and protection of the civil
rights of the Filipinos, freedom of
religious worship, and equal standing
before the law… not to exploit the
people, but to work for their welfare and
advancement…
Critical of the American intentions over
the Philippines, Mabini took the liberty
to voice out his sentiments by issuing a
reply on April 15, 1899.
