The First Philippine Republic

• Inaugurated in Malolos, Bulacan on January 21, 1899.
• After being proclaimed president, Emilio Aguinaldo took his oath of office.
• The constitution was read article by article and followed by a military parade.
• Apolinario Mabini was elected as a prime minister.
• The other cabinet secretaries were: Teodoro Sandico, interior; Baldomero Aguinaldo, war; Gen. Mariano Trias, finance & war; Apolinario Mabini, foreign affairs; Gracio Gonzaga for welfare, Aguedo Velarde, public instruction; Maximo Paterno, public works & communication; and Leon María Guerrero for agriculture, trade & commerce.

President of Revolutionary Government

The Dictatorial Government lasted for only a month, from May 24 to June 23, 1898. At the instance of Mabini, Aguinaldo delivered on June 23 a message, penned by Mabini, giving his reasons for changing the form of government to a revolutionary one. On the same day, Aguinaldo issued a decree setting up the Revolutionary Government. It change the title of the chief of state from Dictator to President and defined the object of the government as the "the struggle for the independence of the Philippines until all nations, including the Spanish, shall expressly recognize it, and to prepare the country so that the true republic may be established."

To help the President in his duties, four departments were created, namely:

• the Department of Foreign Affairs, Navy and Commerce
• the Department of War and Public Works
• the Department of Police and Public Order, Justice, Education and Hygiene
• the Department of Finance, Agriculture and Manufacturing Industry

The department secretaries were not responsible for the decrees of the President, but they were to sign them "with the President to give them authority." The President appointed the department secretaries and personnel of each department.

The decree also provided for the creation of Congress. As has been seen, the decree of June 18 provided for the election of delegates from each province to represent it in Congress. The decree of June 23 provided that in those provinces which had not yet been pacified, that is to say, provinces which had not yet been taken from the Spaniards, the delegates for said provinces were to be appointed by the President. The powers of Congress were defined as follows:

To watch over the general interest of the Philippine people, and the carrying out of the revolutionary laws; to discuss and vote upon the said laws; to discuss and approve, prior to their ratification, treaties and loans; to examine and approve the accounts presented annually by the Secretary of Finance, as well as extraordinary and other taxes which may thereafter be imposed.

Dictator of the Dictatorial Government (1898)

In the wake of his military victories, Aguinaldo decided that it was time to establish a Filipino government. He had with him when he arrived from Hong Kong a draft of a plan prepared by Mariano Ponce for the establishment of a revolutionary government: Consul Wildman, however, had advised Aguinaldo earlier to establish a dictatorial government which later on could be the nucleus of a republican government similar to that of the United States. Probably because the critical times demanded a government with a strong executive, Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, Aguinaldo's adviser, told him to form a dictatorial government.

Consequently, Aguinaldo made known his intention of establishing such a form of government when he announced, in the morning of May 24, 1898, that he was assuming "command of all the troops in the struggle for the attainment of our lofty aspirations, inaugurating a dictatorial government to be administered by decrees promulgated under my sole responsibility"

Later in the day, he issued a decree formally establishing the Dictatorial Government. The decree nullified the orders issued under the authority of the Biyak-na-Bato republic and asserted that the Dictatorial Government was temporary in nature, "so that, when peace shall have been reestablished and our legitimate aspiration for unrestricted liberty attained, it may be modified by the nation, in which rests the principle of authority."

President of the Biyak-na-Bato Republic

The Republic of Biak-na-Bato was declared by Emilio Aguinaldo in Bulacan in November 1897 together with the first Philippines constitution. With the establishment of the Republic, Aguinaldo issued a proclamation demanding the expulsion of friars and the return of friar lands to the Filipinos, representation of the Philippines in the Spanish Cortes, freedom for the press and of religion, abolition of the government's power to banish Filipinos, and equity for all before the law.

Aguinaldo established his headquarters in Biak-na-Bato in Bulacan province. The news immediately spread throughout the country, and the revolutionaries were once more in high spirits. General llanera, who was in Nueva Ecija, declared his support for Aguinaldo. In July 1897, Aguinaldo established the Biak-na-Bato Republic and issued a proclamation stating the following demands:

▪ Expulsion of the friars and the return of the friar lands to the Filipinos

▪ Representation of the Philippines in the Spanish Cortes

▪ Freedom of the press and of religion

▪ Abolition of the government’s power to banish Filipinos

▪ Equality for all before the law

The Biak-na-Bato Constitution provided for the establishment of a Supreme council that would serve as the highest governing body of the Republic. It also outlined certain basic human rights, such as freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and the right to education. Emilio Aguinaldo and Mariano Trias were elected Supreme Council president and vice president, respectively.

The Pact of Biak-na-Bato

Pedro Paterno, a Spaniard born in the Philippines volunteered to act as negotiator between Aguinaldo and Gov. Primo de Rivera in order to end the clashes. Paterno’s effort paid off when on, December 15, 1897, the Pact he signed as the representative of the revolutionaries, and de Rivera as the representative of the Spanish government. The Leaders are: Emilio Aguinaldo-President, Mariano Trias-Vice President, Antonio Montenegro-Secretary, Baldomero Aguinaldo-Treasurer, and Emilio Riego de Dios.

On December 23, 1897, Generals Celestino Tejero and Ricardo Monet of the Spanish army arrived in Biak-na-Bato and became hostages of the rebels. A ceasefire was declared by both camps and an agreement between Aguinaldo and the Spanish forces was made -that the Spanish government will grant self-rule to the Philippines in 3 years if Aguinaldo went to exile and surrender his arms. In exchange, Aguinaldo will receive P800,000 (Mexican Pesos) as remuneration to the revolutionaries and an amnesty. After receiving a partial payment of P400,000, Aguinaldo left for Hong Kong on December 27, 1897. Some Filipino generals, however, did not believe in the sincerity of the Spaniards. They refused to surrender their arms. Nevertheless, the Te Deum was still sung on January 23, 1898.

The Biak-na-Bato Pact Fails

The Filipino’s and the Spaniards did not trust each other. As a result, periodic clashes between the two groups still took place even after Aguinaldo’s departure from the country. The Spanish did not pay the entire agreed amount

President of the Tejeros Convention

The Tejeros Convention (alternate names include Tejeros Assembly and Tejeros Congress) was the meeting held between the Magdiwang and Magdalo factions of the Katipunan at San Francisco de Malabon, Cavite which on March 22, 1897. This is the first presidential and vice presidential elections in Philippine history, although only the Katipuneros (members of the Katipunan) and not the general populace were able to take part.

Position	Name
President	Emilio Aguinaldo
Vice-President	Mariano Trías
Captain-General	Artemio Ricarte
Director of War	Emiliano Riego de Dios
Director of the Interior	Andrés Bonifacio

The Tejeros convention which was held on March 22, 1897 only worsened the rivalry between the two factions of the Katipunan. The aim of the convention was to form a central revolutionary government that would unite the two councils. An election of officers was held in Tejeros. Although he was away fighting the Spaniards in Dasmarinas, Cavite, Emilio Aguinaldo was elected president of the new revolutionary government.  Bonifacio was nominated for the position of director of the interior, but Daniel Tirona of Kawit stood up and questioned his ability to hold that job.

Tirona said that the position needed someone with a law degree. Bonifacio took Tirona’s words as an insult. He declared that, as the leader of the Katipunan, all the acts of the Tejeros convention were unlawful. Hurt and angry, he left with his wife, his two brothers, and some trusted bodyguards.

A day later Emilio Aguinaldo became president of the new revolutionary government, he was sworn into office along with other elected officials, most of whom were Cavitenos. Bonifacio was not present.