DOMINICAN COLLEGE OF TARLAC

Mac Arthur Highway, Poblacion (Sto.Cristo), Capas. 2315 Tarlac, Philippines

Tel.No. (045) 491-7579/Telefax (045) 925-0519 E-mail: domct
[email protected]

COLLEGE DEPARTMENT
A.Y. 2020-2021, First Semester

OBE FACULTY-DESIGNED MODULE

I. Subject: GE2 Readings in Philippine History

II. Learning Outcomes:

1. Determine the contribution of different kinds of primary sources in understanding
Philippine History
2. Develop critical and analytical skills with exposure to primary sources
3. Demonstrate the ability to use primary sources to argue in favor or against a particular
issue.
III. Topic/Lesson: Module #5
Reading the “Proclamation of the Philippine Independence” IV.
Expected Outcomes:
1. Discuss the context and perspective of the document.
2. Explain how the Philippines achieved its Independence from Spanish colonial rule..
3. Examine the state of Philippine Independence today.V. Days of Learning Sessions:
BEED 1A - Wed/Fri
BEED 1B -
Thurs/Sat
BEED 1C - Wed/Fri
BSED E1A - Wed/Fri
BSED E1B - Fri/Wed
BSED E1C -
Thurs/Sat
BSED M1A - Sat/
Thurs
VI. Delivery:
1.Thought Processing
1.1. Pre-assessment Activity (Communication)

You may access the Pre-assessment activity through your Schoology (File Name- Module 5-
Pre-assessment Activity)
2. Presentation Phase:

The 3-A Approach

2.1. ANALYSIS (Communication)

Refer to the PowerPoint Presentation (SCHOOLOGY- Proclamation of the Philippine

Independence) Readings:

During the Spanish-American War , Filipino rebels led by Emilio Aguinaldo proclaim the independence of the
Philippines after 300 years of Spanish rule. By mid-August, Filipino rebels and U.S. troops had ousted the
Spanish, but Aguinaldo’s hopes for independence were dashed when the United States formally annexed the
Philippines as part of its peace treaty with Spain.

The Philippines, a large island archipelago situated off Southeast Asia, was colonized by the Spanish in the
latter part of the 16th century. Opposition to Spanish rule began among Filipino priests, who resented
Spanish domination of the Roman Catholic churches in the islands. In the late 19th century, Filipino
intellectuals and the middle class began calling for independence. In 1892, the Katipunan, a secret
revolutionary society, was formed in Manila, the Philippine capital on the island of Luzon. Membership grew
dramatically, and in August 1896 the Spanish uncovered the Katipunan’s plans for rebellion, forcing
premature action from the rebels. Revolts broke out across Luzon, and in March 1897, 28-year-old Emilio
Aguinaldo became leader of the rebellion.

By late 1897, the revolutionaries had been driven into the hills southeast of Manila, and Aguinaldo
negotiated an agreement with the Spanish. In exchange for financial compensation and a promise of reform
in the Philippines, Aguinaldo and his generals would accept exile in Hong Kong. The rebel leaders departed,
and the Philippine Revolution temporarily was at an end.

In April 1898, the Spanish-American War broke out over Spain’s brutal suppression of a rebellion in Cuba. The
first in a series of decisive U.S. victories occurred on May 1, 1898, when the U.S. Asiatic Squadron under
Commodore George Dewey annihilated the
Spanish Pacific fleet at the Battle of Manila Bay in the Philippines. From his exile, Aguinaldo made
arrangements with U.S. authorities to return to the Philippines and assist the United States in the war against
Spain. He landed on May 19, rallied his
revolutionaries, and began liberating towns south of Manila. On June 12, he proclaimed Philippine
independence and established a provincial government, of which he subsequently became head.

His rebels, meanwhile, had encircled the Spanish in Manila and, with the support of Dewey’s squadron in
Manila Bay, would surely have conquered the Spanish. Dewey, however, was waiting for U.S. ground troops,
which began landing in July and took over the Filipino positions surrounding Manila. On August 8, the Spanish
commander informed the United States that he would surrender the city under two conditions: The United
States was to make the advance into the capital look like a battle, and under no conditions were the Filipino
rebels to be allowed into the city. On August 13, the mock Battle of Manila was staged, and the Americans
kept their promise to keep the Filipinos out after the city passed into their hands.

While the Americans occupied Manila and planned peace negotiations with Spain, Aguinaldo convened a
revolutionary assembly, the Malolos, in September. They drew up a democratic constitution, the first ever in
Asia, and a government was formed with Aguinaldo as president in January 1899. On February 4, what
became known as the
Philippine Insurrection began when Filipino rebels and U.S. troops skirmished inside
American lines in Manila. Two days later, the U.S. Senate voted by one vote to ratify the Treaty of Paris with
Spain. The Philippines were now a U.S. territory, acquired in exchange for $20 million in compensation to the
Spanish.

In response, Aguinaldo formally launched a new revolt–this time against the United States. The rebels,
consistently defeated in the open field, turned to guerrilla warfare, and the U.S. Congress authorized the
deployment of 60,000 troops to subdue them. By the end of 1899, there were 65,000 U.S. troops in the
Philippines, but the war dragged on. Many anti-imperialists in the United States, such as Democratic
presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan , opposed U.S. annexation of the Philippines, but in November
1900 Republican incumbent William McKinley was reelected, and the war continued.
On March 23, 1901, in a daring operation, U.S. General Frederick Funston and a group of officers, pretending
to be prisoners, surprised Aguinaldo in his stronghold in the Luzon village of Palanan and captured the rebel
leader. Aguinaldo took an oath of allegiance to the United States and called for an end to the rebellion, but
many of his followers fought on. During the next year, U.S. forces gradually pacified the Philippines. In an
infamous episode, U.S. forces on the island of Samar retaliated against the massacre of a U.S. garrison by
killing all men on the island above the age of 10. Many women and young children were also butchered.
General Jacob Smith, who directed the atrocities, was court-martialed and forced to retire for turning Samar,
in his words, into a “howling wilderness.”

In 1902, an American civil government took over administration of the Philippines, and the three-year
Philippine insurrection was declared to be at an end. Scattered resistance, however, persisted for several
years.

More than 4,000 Americans perished suppressing the Philippines–more than 10 times the number killed in
the Spanish-American War. More than 20,000 Filipino insurgents were killed, and an unknown number of
civilians perished.

In 1935, the Commonwealth of the Philippines was established with U.S. approval, and Manuel Quezon was
elected the country’s first president. On July 4, 1946, full independence was granted to the Republic of the
Philippines by the United States.

Answer the following questions:

1. What were the reasons behind the declaration of Independence?
For me, the declaration of independence is one of the most important milestones in the history of the
Philippines. The country has been colonized by many nations for hundreds of years. Imagine finding your
freedom after all the hardships you’ve been through.

2. What are the highlights of the Declaration?

The communique contained a list of complaints against the Spanish government, dating back to the arrival
of the explorer Fernando de Magallanes in 1521, and grants our famous dictator Don Emilio Aguinaldo all
the necessary powers to be able to carry out his governmental functions, including privileges of granting

3. How is the legality of the Declaration of Independence compared to the present day’s system of enacting a
law?
The declaration is a statement based on natural law. Natural law consists of the basic principles of justice
and law. Monotheists see natural law as coming from the Creator. Polytheists see it as a derivative of the
supreme deity or deities. Atheists who believe in the laws of nature, such as the late Romanist philosopher
Ayn Rand, see it as a collection of rules inherent in how the universe works

2.2. ABSTRACTION (Critical Thinking)

Refer to the Video Presentations- and PowerPoint Presentation (SCHOOLOGY)

Answer the following questions:

1. Who is Emilio Aguinaldo? How did he end up as the leader of the revolution?
Emilio Aguinaldo led a revolutionary movement against the Spanish colonial government in the
Philippines. He worked with the US during the Spanish-American War, but subsequently broke with the US
and led a guerrilla campaign against the US authorities during the US-Philippine War.

2. According to the declaration, how did the Spanish colonization begin?

Spanish colonialism began with the arrival of the expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi from Mexico on
February 13, 1565. He established the first permanent settlement in Cebu. After that, the colony was ruled
directly from Spain. Spanish rule ended in 1898 when Spain was defeated in the Spanish-American War.
3. Who were the inspiration of the revolution?
Jose Rizal, whose life and work more than anything else inspired our national revolution that led to the
declaration of independence from General Emilio Aguinaldo of Spain on June 12, 1898
4. What role did the American and Japanese occupation as well as the current state of the Philippines, how
important is the 1898 Declaration of Independence?
The Declaration of Independence of the Philippines of 1898 is very important because it was a significant
achievement of Emilio Aguinaldo when the dictatorial government in declared the Philippines
independent from the government of Spain on June 12, 1898 in Kawit, Cavite.

2.3. APPLICATION (Creativity)

Form groups of at least four members. Study a part of history in which the Philippines has been freed from a
tyrannical rule. Draft a one-page declaration of independence applicable after the toppling of this ear.

3. Assessment Phase:
3.1. Work Activities 3.2.

Take Home Tasks

VII. Reference/s:

Torres, Jose Victor (2018) Batis, Sources in Philippine History, C & E Publishing Inc, QC

Martinez, Rodolfo M. et al (2018) The Reading in Philippine History, Mindshapers Co., Inc.,
Manila

Ariola, Mariano M. et al. (2019) Reading in Philippine History. Unlimited Books

Library Services & Publishing Inc. Manila